[{"content":"Today I had a great hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I started on the Horseshoe Trail up to Fraser Meadow. First I have to say - I love, love, love Fraser Meadow in the fall for the aspens, and the middle of winter for the snow beauty. Then I went to the Mule Deer Trail up to Black Bear Trail and back.\nI was lucky to see a bull moose first thing. He surprised me coming right down the trail, so I took a quick picture while I scrambled up off the trail to get away from his path.\nI ended up on top of one of my favorite overlooks to the back range. It was pretty stormy looking, so you couldn’t see the mountains well.\nI enjoyed being back in the higher country so much. Great day!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260929_ggcp/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I had a great hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I started on the\nHorseshoe Trail up to Fraser Meadow. First I have to say - I love, love, love\nFraser Meadow in the fall for the aspens, and the middle of winter for the\nsnow beauty. Then I went to the Mule Deer Trail up to Black Bear Trail and\nback.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was lucky to see a bull moose first thing. He surprised me coming right down\nthe trail, so I took a quick picture while I scrambled up off the trail to get\naway from his path.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Great day back in Golden Gate Canyon State Park"},{"content":"Usually I get dropped off for a bike ride on the Eagle River Cutoff, but today I\u0026rsquo;m hiking with Charlotte. The Monk Trails take us along pretty paths that lead down the Jacob\u0026rsquo;s Creek gorge to the waterfalls and the Jampot.\nThe Jampot is literally jammed with people, so no brandy-soaked treats for us. It\u0026rsquo;s back up the gorge and over to the ruins around the old Arnold mine. The monks left us lots of cute little benches to enjoy on our stroll through the woods.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260923_monk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eUsually I get dropped off for a bike ride on the Eagle River Cutoff, but today\nI\u0026rsquo;m hiking with Charlotte. The Monk Trails take us along pretty paths that\nlead down the Jacob\u0026rsquo;s Creek gorge to the waterfalls and the \u003ca href=\"https://poorrockabbey.com\"\u003eJampot\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Jampot is literally jammed with people, so no brandy-soaked treats for us.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s back up the gorge and over to the ruins around the old Arnold mine. The\nmonks left us lots of cute little benches to enjoy on our stroll through the\nwoods.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking the Monk Trails with Charlotte"},{"content":"Some of the best trails in the area are up in Hancock at Maasto Hihto \u0026amp; Churning Rapids. It\u0026rsquo;s getting to the end of our time in Bootjack, so I\u0026rsquo;m trying to get in a few more hikes with Charlotte before we leave. This area is pretty awesome for year round hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly making me think of bringing a gravel or mountain bike up next year.\nThe trees and plant life are so enjoyable, though it seems we have to watch out for overly aggressive goshawks. Luckily we made it out alive.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260922_maasto/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome of the best trails in the area are up in Hancock at\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofhancock.com/recreation-maasto.php\"\u003eMaasto Hihto \u0026amp; Churning Rapids\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s getting to the\nend of our time in Bootjack, so I\u0026rsquo;m trying to get in a few more hikes with\nCharlotte before we leave. This area is pretty awesome for year round hiking,\nmountain biking, and skiing. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly making me think of bringing a\ngravel or mountain bike up next year.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Maasto Hiihto \u0026 Churning Rapids trails"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve ridden my bike up and down Bootjack Road so many times over the years. I have come to know every horrible bump, pothole, and crack along with the pain of struggling home after getting totally beat up and worn out. I\u0026rsquo;ve also come to know all the cottages and family names that have made this area their home across many generations.\nI love the tradition for many homes to hang a family name sign along the road. These signs have shown me the way home and given me support as I push through the pain to complete those last 10 miles or so. I know that a cozy cottage on the lake is waiting for me along with the family I\u0026rsquo;ve loved for so many years.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260916_signs/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve ridden my bike up and down Bootjack Road so many times over the years. I\nhave come to know every horrible bump, pothole, and crack along with the pain\nof struggling home after getting totally beat up and worn out. I\u0026rsquo;ve also come\nto know all the cottages and family names that have made this area their home\nacross many generations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love the tradition for many homes to hang a family name sign along the road.\nThese signs have shown me the way home and given me support as I push through\nthe pain to complete those last 10 miles or so. I know that a cozy cottage on\nthe lake is waiting for me along with the family I\u0026rsquo;ve loved for so many years.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The many signs of Bootjack Road"},{"content":"We get some pretty rip roaring storms up in Bootjack. Other times we just get some great winds and waves that make for fun watching. Every once in a while there\u0026rsquo;s a great mixture of sun and storm that gives us a spectacular full rainbow. I\u0026rsquo;m pretty sure there\u0026rsquo;s a pot of gold, or at least a nice school of walleyes at the ends of this baby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260912_rainbow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe get some pretty rip roaring storms up in Bootjack. Other times we just get\nsome great winds and waves that make for fun watching. Every once in a while\nthere\u0026rsquo;s a great mixture of sun and storm that gives us a spectacular full\nrainbow. I\u0026rsquo;m pretty sure there\u0026rsquo;s a pot of gold, or at least a nice school\nof walleyes at the ends of this baby.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rainbow over Portage Lake"},{"content":"Walking back after some quality dock stub (nub) time, Gordy asks if we\u0026rsquo;ve seen the butterflies. I did spot one near the lake, but we head to the garden in front of his house. The Ligularia flowers are fading, but the Monarch butterflies sure seem to love them. There are tons of flowers and they\u0026rsquo;re mostly covered by a ton of butterflies. I wonder how many are headed to our old home in Santa Cruz to nest in Natural Bridges for the winter after stopping here to refuel.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2026/20260911_butterflies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWalking back after some quality dock stub (nub) time, Gordy asks if we\u0026rsquo;ve seen the butterflies. I did spot one near the lake, but we head to the garden in front of his house. The Ligularia flowers are fading, but the Monarch butterflies sure seem to love them. There are tons of flowers and they\u0026rsquo;re mostly covered by a ton of butterflies. I wonder how many are headed to our old home in Santa Cruz to nest in Natural Bridges for the winter after stopping here to refuel.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Migrating Monarch butterflies"},{"content":"A family visit always includes a family hike. Now that we\u0026rsquo;re living in Colorado, the weather is a bit colder this time of year and a bit higher in elevation. Let\u0026rsquo;s take it easy and enjoy hiking along Clear Creek just outside downtown Golden.\nThis year I\u0026rsquo;m doing a brined turkey with all the fixings from scratch. Big thanks to my favorite online chef Brian Lagerstrom for the recipes. It\u0026rsquo;s awesome having Doug and Dallas visiting this year as well. We\u0026rsquo;ve been encouraging all our family and friends to visit anytime since we\u0026rsquo;ve got lots of space and new places and things to do here in the fantastic state of Colorado.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s an easy trip to downtown Denver and you can always ride the trout back back up the creek to our house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2025/20251125_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA family visit always includes a family hike. Now that we\u0026rsquo;re living in\nColorado, the weather is a bit colder this time of year and a bit higher in\nelevation. Let\u0026rsquo;s take it easy and enjoy hiking along Clear Creek just outside\ndowntown Golden.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20251125_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20251125_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis year I\u0026rsquo;m doing a brined turkey with all the fixings from scratch. Big\nthanks to my favorite online chef Brian Lagerstrom for\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdH_3TWYpJI\"\u003erecipes\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s awesome\nhaving Doug and Dallas visiting this year as well. We\u0026rsquo;ve been encouraging all\nour family and friends to visit anytime since we\u0026rsquo;ve got lots of space and new\nplaces and things to do here in the fantastic state of Colorado.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at our new home in Colorado"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are so happy to share that Gabe and Laini will be getting married next summer. They make a fantastic couple and we\u0026rsquo;re truly excited to welcome Laini and her family to be a part of ours. Here they are celebrating their happiness around Clear Creek in their home of Golden.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are so happy to share that Gabe and Laini will be getting\nmarried next summer. They make a fantastic couple and we\u0026rsquo;re truly excited to\nwelcome Laini and her family to be a part of ours. Here they are celebrating\ntheir happiness around Clear Creek in their home of Golden.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2025/20250801_engaged/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe \u0026 Laini are engaged"},{"content":"Gabe has finally figured out they key to satisfying his love of cycling and entrepreneurship at the same time. He\u0026rsquo;s launching a new sporting nutrition company he\u0026rsquo;s called Carbs Fuel. The concept is pretty simple, give people the energy they need while exercising with the simplest ingredients and the best price. Just give me carbs!\nNow the execution is pretty complex and Gabe\u0026rsquo;s attention to detail is totally key to actually pulling this shit off. I got a chance to see the manufacturing of the new gels in person. A pretty amazing process and very exciting to watch.\nSome gel samples at different points of the manufacturing process.\nGabe\u0026rsquo;s first big event is at the Sea Otter Classic, the biggest cycling event in North America. Charlotte and I are here to help and provide support. Starting a new business is always such a blast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2023/20231201_carbsfuel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has finally figured out they key to satisfying his love of cycling and\nentrepreneurship at the same time. He\u0026rsquo;s launching a new sporting nutrition\ncompany he\u0026rsquo;s called \u003ca href=\"https://carbsfuel.com\"\u003eCarbs Fuel\u003c/a\u003e. The concept is pretty\nsimple, give people the energy they need while exercising with the simplest\ningredients and the best price. Just give me carbs!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow the execution is pretty complex and Gabe\u0026rsquo;s attention to detail is totally\nkey to actually pulling this shit off. I got a chance to see the manufacturing\nof the new gels in person. A pretty amazing process and very exciting to watch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe is launching Carbs Fuel"},{"content":"A fragile and feathery hope grows in my chest\nIt tickles my ribcage and brushes against my cheeks\nLike the kiss of a bird’s wing as it takes flight.\nThe moment suspended\nBetween the weight of the world\nAnd the unburdened sky.\nSmall and tender hearted\nThis alien thing grows inside of me.\nAt night I feed it quietly with whispered dreams\nAnd words I am too afraid to say aloud.\nI do not yet know whether it will become\nFriend or foe to me as it grows.\nMy mind crushes it slowly with sharp edges\nPredicted in the cloudy sphere\nOf crystal balls and etched lines in overworked palms.\nBut still at night, when the lights have disappeared\nIt is just me and the nascent hope\nEvolving to be something more than me.\nI refuse to let it die but only acknowledge it\nIn moments of secrecy stolen between\nSorrow and high-soaring ecstasy.\nIf I look it in the eye and declare its name\nIt may just consume me whole\nBefore I know how to control the chaos it brings.\nI know I have been unfair to you\nBorn of such happiness and light\nBut forced to be a creature of darkest night;\nI made you into this monster\nOut of the fear that if I held you too tight\nYou would disappear faster than a bird taking flight.\nNow you are with me forever\nEtched into every bone\nLike the words of a love letter\nThat never found a heart to call home.\nThis ribcage you once inhabited\nTransformed into a cage you will never escape.\nI feel you waking up again\nTesting the limits of your confines\nWith a wingspan broader than the horizon.\nI hear you tapping against my bones\nA morse code warning of all we could be\nOr a threat that soon you may break free.\nMy chest creaks under the pressure of your presence\nSmall yet persistent, this fragile thing\nBegins to break through my bones\nLike a flower growing through the cracks in the pavement\nYearning for the sun’s light and fresh air.\nI can contain you no longer.\nWill this creature be beautiful or broken?\nMaybe it will be a bit of both.\nHeavy with my whispered dreams and secret hopes\nWill it be able to take flight?\nMy fragile and feathery hope takes wing\nLeaving me behind to wonder at our small destiny.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180116_feathery_hope/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA fragile and feathery hope grows in my chest\u003cbr\u003e\nIt tickles my ribcage and brushes against my cheeks\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the kiss of a bird’s wing as it takes flight.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe moment suspended\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween the weight of the world\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the unburdened sky.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall and tender hearted\u003cbr\u003e\nThis alien thing grows inside of me.\u003cbr\u003e\nAt night I feed it quietly with whispered dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd words I am too afraid to say aloud.\u003cbr\u003e\nI do not yet know whether it will become\u003cbr\u003e\nFriend or foe to me as it grows.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Feathery Hope"},{"content":"The bees have infested my brain again\nRattling around within my skull\nLike a ricochet bullet\nUnwilling to settle on damaging a single target.\nThey fill my mind with vibrations\nlike a tremor behind my eyes\nLike a precursor pressure\nWaiting to crack open my head\nWhen the real earthquake hits\nReleasing the infestation of my mind\nUpon the world that was never prepared\nFor this devastation that I have lived with\nEveryday like a close companion\nOr a haunting voice whispering in your ear\nWords you do not want to hear.\nThe sound of silence is alien to me,\nI would not know how to live without\nThe pressure built up behind my eyes.\nLiving like a ticking time bomb\nDangerous and frightening but existing\nSo close to death it makes you more alive\nIn the end, In the end, In the end\nThe monster you live with becomes tolerable\nBecause it is your monster, your pain personified\nSo you can give your struggle a name.\nTransform your enemy into the tangible\nSince a battle can only be won\nWhen your opponent is real,\nOtherwise you are fighting an endless war\nBetween you and yourself\nWhere everyone loses and the fight is your life.\nI am the Queen of the hive in my mind\nBut my own swarm holds me hostage\nEncasing me in sweet tasting honey\nAnd lulling me to sleep with the rhythm\nOf their hypnotic song;\nEntranced by the foot soldiers of an army\nI never chose to lead\nI cannot escape the buzzing inside my brain\nBecause we are now two parts of one entity.\nThey are as much a part of me now\nAs a mosquito trapped in amber\nFossilized for all of eternity\nA trinket of mortified antiquity;\nYou cannot set them free without breaking\nThe beautiful creation we became.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180113_hive_mind/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe bees have infested my brain again\u003cbr\u003e\nRattling around within my skull\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a ricochet bullet\u003cbr\u003e\nUnwilling to settle on damaging a single target.\u003cbr\u003e\nThey fill my mind with vibrations\u003cbr\u003e\nlike a tremor behind my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a precursor pressure\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting to crack open my head\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the real earthquake hits\u003cbr\u003e\nReleasing the infestation of my mind\u003cbr\u003e\nUpon the world that was never prepared\u003cbr\u003e\nFor this devastation that I have lived with\u003cbr\u003e\nEveryday like a close companion\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a haunting voice whispering in your ear\u003cbr\u003e\nWords you do not want to hear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hive Mind"},{"content":"The jagged edges of me\nClash up against fluidity;\nUnrelenting shattering.\nShards of ice caught\nBetween land and sea\nWhere lines blur to reveal\nSnow blankets everything.\nOnly the tall stand above\nThe war of attrition\nBetween the changing tides\nAnd the bedrock beneath.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180109_jagged_edges/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe jagged edges of me\u003cbr\u003e\nClash up against fluidity;\u003cbr\u003e\nUnrelenting shattering.\u003cbr\u003e\nShards of ice caught\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween land and sea\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere lines blur to reveal\u003cbr\u003e\nSnow blankets everything.\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly the tall stand above\u003cbr\u003e\nThe war of attrition\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween the changing tides\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the bedrock beneath.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Jagged Edges"},{"content":"Virgin snow collapses under a heavy foot\nLike sand washed away from a steep embankment\nBy waves impatient of passing time.\nFootprints dug deep below the surface\nOnly to be covered by the next snowfall;\nMan lacks permanence in a place such as this.\nTranslucent diamonds fall from the soft blue sky\nSharp and glinting in sunlight\nThat offers no warmth or respite from biting winds.\nTree limbs grow heavy with new white robes\nBowing before the might of Winter\nWith sideways eyes on far away Spring.\nHe pulls his feet from the earth\nOnly to plunge them instantly back into the deep;\nAn endless repetition of slow but sure\nForward progress that breaks the line\nBetween man’s land and Nature’s untouched garden.\nThe trail he treads marks a boundary line\nMany have approached, but few have overcome.\nA chill runs down his spine leaving his hair\nStanding at attention without reason;\nCaught between Winter’s grip and something\nMore primal that calls to the heart\nDragging the modern into the primitive mind of fear.\nHow small we become when we realize\nThe world is not ours to inhabit –at least not ours alone.\nThe twig snaps like a leg caught in a hunter’s trap,\nHe halts and listens with attentive ears.\nThe sound of Winter’s silence echoes loudly\nEven a breath would disturb the crisp air\nCracking it like thin ice with the slightest exhale –\nDead silence reigns here, disrupted\nOnly by the sound of softly falling snow.\nHe turns again to continue down the path he chose\nOnly to again feel the haunting of the unknown\nCreeping up behind him, wearing the silence like a cloak\nShrouded in mystifying white and revealed only by instinct\nFelt acutely by the hunted when they have been marked as prey.\nHe knows he is followed by the ghost of something\nBut cannot name the adversary walking in his shadow.\nA flash of red jumps out of the colorless scenery\nExisting only on the periphery of sight\nAs the blurry edged undefined and unrelenting embodiment\nOf all that leaves man powerless and afraid.\nA phantom dancing just beyond what the eye can see\nBut the mind remembers as a timeless enemy.\nAs the man turns once more to seek out the sound stalking him\nHe is faced with the nothingness of a barren landscape\nAnd his own footprints marring the pristine face of the wilderness;\nExcept now the first evidence of pursuit is present:\nLaid atop his tracks stood the careful footprints of another,\nBut no sign of the creature that left them behind.\nWhirling around to face forward once more\nHoping to escape the encroaching presence\nOnly to be confronted with the intense yellow eyes of his pursuer.\nStanding in the path before him, a red tailed fox –\nRoyal coat, piercing eyes, black tipped ears keenly listening\nBlocked the man’s path with the towering presence\nOf a primal Queen who’s dominion has been challenged.\nFrozen in place by the sudden appearance of this image of majesty,\nMan stands facing the wild\nNot knowing whether to continue his journey or turn away.\nThe fox tilts its head from side to side with curiosity,\nListening to the sound of one who once belong here\nBut was lost to another world long ago.\nNot knowing whether he be friend or foe\nShe takes a cautious step forward.\nShe walks atop the snow, gliding gracefully forward\nHer movements sound like the swaying of the trees.\nThe man slowly reaches out his ungloved hand toward the red spirit\nShe hesitates, paw hanging midair, head tilting to listen\nHearing his heart as it beats thunderously in his chest.\nSo close, the man stretches farther locked in her lightning eyes\nWhen just as suddenly as she appeared, into the periphery she vanishes.\nLeft with hand outstretched, slowly filling with snowflakes\nGently kissing his open palm regretfully\nThe man is left haunted by the red ghost that almost felt real\nIf only he could have touched it and held it close\nFor a moment longer than Eternity.\nInstead, the silence of winter surrounds him once more\nAnd the Elysium he glimpsed returns to the realm of myth.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180107_elysium_red/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVirgin snow collapses under a heavy foot\u003cbr\u003e\nLike sand washed away from a steep embankment\u003cbr\u003e\nBy waves impatient of passing time.\u003cbr\u003e\nFootprints dug deep below the surface\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly to be covered by the next snowfall;\u003cbr\u003e\nMan lacks permanence in a place such as this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTranslucent diamonds fall from the soft blue sky\u003cbr\u003e\nSharp and glinting in sunlight\u003cbr\u003e\nThat offers no warmth or respite from biting winds.\u003cbr\u003e\nTree limbs grow heavy with new white robes\u003cbr\u003e\nBowing before the might of Winter\u003cbr\u003e\nWith sideways eyes on far away Spring.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Elysium Red"},{"content":"In many ways, I fail to find the correct words to describe this feeling because the pain is not my own. I cannot lay claim to this grief even though it tears at my heart and wearies my soul. I know how dreadfully Jacob’s family misses him and the grief of struggling to understand his premature death burdens both his family back in Connecticut and his new family in California. The death of a person so young cannot be justified, especially when they have so much life left to live. But I cannot speak for his family, I cannot speak for Mackenzie or her children, I can only share my memories of Jacob in the hopes that my own struggle to comprehend the incomprehensible may help others facing the same uphill battle. My words cannot be sufficient to encapsulate the pain of Jacob’s death, but I hope they can bring back a piece of the light that Jacob shared with everyone he encountered in life.\nWhen I first met Jacob, honestly, he frightened me. He was dating my best friend who meant the world to me and I would do anything to protect. I did not know him, he was from an entirely different world than mine (or so I thought), he was blunt, intense, and unknown to me. I worried for my dear friend who felt like the closest thing to an angel this world has ever seen, but only because I didn’t realize then what I know now: Jacob was a breathe of light just like her but encased in a different coating.\nAfter I got to know Jacob I realized the truth, that he was an intense man, but only because he loved so fiercely. He loved Mackenzie with an intensity that inspired me. Not only that, but he loved everyone who came into his life with a strength unparalleled. Both he and Mackenzie taught me how to be a good friend by providing a perfect model to follow. Their kindness, generosity, honesty, and genuine passion for the people around them inspired me then and will always motivate me to try to love others with the same ferocity they showed me.\nIf I can do one thing as an honorary auntie to Jacob’s children, I hope that it is to show his girls the same love both he and Mackenzie showed me.\nI want them to know how hilarious and genuine he was in everything he did. Like when he dressed up fancy just to go to different bakeries in San Francisco on the hottest day in the city’s records. Or how we would stay up late into the night discussing conspiracy theories and laughing the night away over games of Scrabble.\nThe last time I saw Jacob was his wedding party just short of a week before he passed away. We all had so much fun that night celebrating Jacob and Mackenzie’s love, their future, and their children’s future. Even after the party was over, we spent the night laughing and singing Queen on the karaoke machine. We had so many plans, so many conversations about adventures soon to be had, places we had to visit, and things we were going to do together that would never happen.\nThe night he died I heard the news while I was sitting in a bar in Berkeley, just a few doors down from where we had once shared drinks. I took the train home like a zombie with tears streaking down my face. I didn’t care who saw me, I don’t even remember walking home from the train station, all I could think of was how could this possibly be?\nI sat in my car and cried so hard I got sick. I beat my hands against the steering wheel and the ceiling screaming at how unfair, how impossibly unfair this was to him, to his family, to his wife, his children, and all of the people he would never get to meet. I have never been so angry before in my life than the night I learned Jacob was no longer a part of this world. I was angry at him, at God, at Death for daring to take him, and at everyone else in the world, including myself, for getting to live when someone as desperately in need of living as Jacob, was robbed of his life at only twenty four years old.\nI am still mad. I sometimes sit in my car looking at the dents in the steering wheel where my nails cut into it and feel that grief rising up in my throat like bile. Now, however, the anger never lingers long. Because after all of the sadness and the pain, I remember his two little girls. I remember how much he gets to live in them.\nWhen baby Rosemary was born I spent the night with Mackenzie in the hospital and held Rosie all night long. Late that night when Mackenzie was asleep, and it was just me and Rosie awake under the soft light of a hospital TV, I spoke to Jacob. I told him how much Rosie looked like him, especially when she furrowed her eyebrows just like he always did. I told him how his children would always know what an amazing man he was. I told him how much it hurt me that it was me there at the hospital holding his daughter instead of him. I told him how grateful I was that he came into our lives even though he left us too early and how grateful I was that he was able to have two wonderful daughters who would carry a piece of him everywhere they went.\nThis last year has been so incredibly hard, but in so many ways, Mackenzie and Jacob and their children have been the only thing that got me through some of my darkest times. The joy they bring me is ineffable and the love they have taught me will always be in my heart.\nEven though it has been a year since Jacob’s death, I feel like I get to see him every day in some small way whenever I get to see his kids. The pain may never fade and my heart breaks for Mackenzie and all of those he left behind, but I am just so incredibly grateful to have ever met him.\nI miss you every day my friend, thank you for the gift of your presence, and I hope to show your girls just a little bit of the love I know you would have given them.\nIf you are interested in donating money to help Mackenzie and her two young children live life after the loss of Jacob feel free to contribute to the GoFundMe page dedicated in his memory: In Memory of Jacob DiNoto\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180105_remembering_jacob_dinoto/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn many ways, I fail to find the correct words to describe this feeling because the pain is not my own. I cannot lay claim to this grief even though it tears at my heart and wearies my soul. I know how dreadfully Jacob’s family misses him and the grief of struggling to understand his premature death burdens both his family back in Connecticut and his new family in California. The death of a person so young cannot be justified, especially when they have so much life left to live. But I cannot speak for his family, I cannot speak for Mackenzie or her children, I can only share my memories of Jacob in the hopes that my own struggle to comprehend the incomprehensible may help others facing the same uphill battle. My words cannot be sufficient to encapsulate the pain of Jacob’s death, but I hope they can bring back a piece of the light that Jacob shared with everyone he encountered in life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Remembering Jacob DiNoto"},{"content":"Be careful where you tread\nSmall life grows here.\nFragile yet persistent\nChances of success\nWax and wane constantly.\nLook closely\nDon’t miss the tiny opportunity\nTo witness something\nGreater than yourself.\nA tree can grow\nWith roots born from stone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180103_small_life_grows_here/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBe careful where you tread\u003cbr\u003e\nSmall life grows here.\u003cbr\u003e\nFragile yet persistent\u003cbr\u003e\nChances of success\u003cbr\u003e\nWax and wane constantly.\u003cbr\u003e\nLook closely\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t miss the tiny opportunity\u003cbr\u003e\nTo witness something\u003cbr\u003e\nGreater than yourself.\u003cbr\u003e\nA tree can grow\u003cbr\u003e\nWith roots born from stone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Small Life Grows Here"},{"content":" “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir\nFewer words ring truer in my mind than John Muir’s transcendental musings on nature, the wilderness of this world, and the triad connection between man, the outdoors, and the universe.\nFor me, Winter arrives with a contemplation as a companion every year. There is something about snow, the coldness of winter, and the stripping down of life to its raw bones that always leaves me in awe. In many ways I am gladly forced into this state of introspection during this time of year; it is during these times that Muir returns to me again and again as I confront the devastating beauty of the natural world.\nPlaces like this tree tunnel in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near Houghton humble me to my core. Standing beneath the tall pines and snow covered trees listening to their moaning cracks as they sway in the breeze, I feel so small yet emboldened by the proximity to such grandiosity. The creaking song of wind blown trees is the only sound I can hear for miles. Silence reigns supreme when the world is held in Winter’s grasp. The power of this silence is both terrifying and awesome to experience; Muir himself described it as “awful and sublime” to behold.\nIf you lean in close and rest your ear against the wood grain of the trees the only sounds you hear are the winter winds and an almost inaudible rustling like the sound of exhaled breath coming from every living thing. Like a whisper too soft to fully understand you find yourself leaning closer and closer, desperate to capture its meaning; a whisper that would say\nWe are the sound of life unwilling to succumb to the conditions of this world. Strip us barren, take our beauty, and leave us barely alive, but still we keep on living for the broken are those that shall never die.\nListen to the trees, they hold valuable lessons even when they do not bear leaves. Muir was right in so many ways, and especially in his observation that forests provide the fastest gateway to the universe and all of its mysteries. These trees existed long before me and will continue their stationary existence long after I am gone. You can gain no greater perspective in life than that which you can find suspended in the canopies of trees.\n“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” – John Muir\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180102_silence_awful_and_sublime/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFewer words ring truer in my mind than John Muir’s transcendental musings on nature, the wilderness of this world, and the triad connection between man, the outdoors, and the universe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor me, Winter arrives with a contemplation as a companion every year. There is something about snow, the coldness of winter, and the stripping down of life to its raw bones that always leaves me in awe. In many ways I am gladly forced into this state of introspection during this time of year; it is during these times that Muir returns to me again and again as I confront the devastating beauty of the natural world.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Silence Awful and Sublime"},{"content":"Ever since I can remember I have been coming to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit our family compound on the shores of a lake fed by Lake Superior. I never went to summer camp or a sports camp as a child, instead I gathered alongside my numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and under the amused gaze of my grandparents to run amuck in the forests and swim in the Great Lakes. The sun never seemed to fade on those long summer nights.The memories and experiences I had during those endless summers forever altered who I was and who I would become in ways so numerous that this blog post could never even begin to contain all of them. The shores of Lake Superior will always be my second home, but standing where I have stood many times before on the Sandstone cliffs of Jacobsville as the light from the first day of 2018 fades into shades of soft pink, I realize just how unfamiliar and new familiar places can become.\nThe emerald shades of Lake Superior have dulled under the snow filled skies and mist rises from the surface of the gently rolling waves like warm breath on a cold winter day. This place feels alive in a way that I have never experienced before this moment. The thin layer of ice forming across the lake is marked by violent fissures where dark water breaks through the pristine whiteness of snow. The segments of ice rise and fall with the water’s movement and I swear I can see and hear the lake breathing steadily as the shards of ice gather and separate like shattered glass.\nHow many times have my feet stood on the red sands I can barely see beneath the ice? How many rocks sit at the bottom of the lake just out of sight from skipping rock competitions between me and my cousins? How can this possibly be the same place that once felt as familiar as the laughter lines on my face? It baffles me how quickly the old becomes the new when you are willing to inflict change on all that feels normal.\nThe first day of the new year is almost over and I see just how desperately I need to pull myself from routine and alter the way I see everything that once seemed repetitive to me. There is always something new to discover even in places you have already been. I want to treat all things as if they were new and beautiful because when you wake up each morning with eyes renewed, truly, the world holds surprises you wouldn’t begin to believe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2018/20180101_becoming_new/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEver since I can remember I have been coming to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit our family compound on the shores of a lake fed by Lake Superior. I never went to summer camp or a sports camp as a child, instead I gathered alongside my numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and under the amused gaze of my grandparents to run amuck in the forests and swim in the Great Lakes. The sun never seemed to fade on those long summer nights.The memories and experiences I had during those endless summers forever altered who I was and who I would become in ways so numerous that this blog post could never even begin to contain all of them. The shores of Lake Superior will always be my second home, but standing where I have stood many times before on the Sandstone cliffs of Jacobsville as the light from the first day of 2018 fades into shades of soft pink, I realize just how unfamiliar and new familiar places can become.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Becoming New"},{"content":"Honestly, I do not know how to begin again. This space was my home for so many years when my words could find no ears to fall upon with quiet urgency. For those who have joined me on my journey either part way or all the way back eight years ago from the very beginning, and for those who are starting today, know this: the last two years my words have been nonexistent. I could name a thousand reasons that left me hesitating with my fingers hovering above a dusty keyboard, but none are sufficient to strip the guilt away from my heart. Writing has always been the life-blood of my being and to halt the progress of pen on paper is to bring my heartbeat to a startling stand still. However, that isn’t even true. It was more gradual than that, there was no jarring day where the words stopped coming, it was a slow, drawn out decay of all that made me, me.\nThe words never stopped coming, they were always there and still remain within me petrifying on the tip of my tongue and on the edges of mymind. Ossified and neglected, I chose to let my words transform into fossils instead of living breathing beings. I put down the pen and stepped away from the computer screen in pursuit of other things. I am not proud of my choices that drove a wedge between my purpose and empty shiny things. I felt I owed you this honesty, this courtesy of explaining to you why I walked away before anything could become of me. I suppose it was out of fear, fear that my words were not good enough to be consumed by another’s mind and transformed into something entirely new. Or perhaps it was just my attempt to escape what I felt was a fate cemented in time and progressed without me whether I ceased to act or not. Scared of change, I halted everything in the hope that I could also stop the world from spinning along with me. Futility does not even begin to describe the time I spent refusing to write, it was simply nothing. I did nothing, lived nothing, felt nothing, and hoped for nothing.\nNothing is a strange companion and for a time it seemed to suit me just fine, but soon nothing became everything. Everything was all hope, all fear, all anxiety, all sadness, and all paralyzing. Frozen in everything yetliving in nothing.\nOn the eve of a New Year, I decided to begin chipping away at the fossil of my being and slowly stretch the atrophied muscles of my writer’s mind. I wanted to begin here, with the truth so we could move into something new together without questions to fog our path. I will tell you briefly what became of me with the hopes of elaborating more in writing yet to come in the new year.\nThese last two years have been the most difficult years of my life thus far. After I returned from my half-year road trip across the country by myself the transition from nomadic wayfarer to stable breadwinner was painfully slow and full of yearning for the open stretches of road and the feeling of standing on the edge of a world that was mine to own. When I finally landed an impressive job at an up-and-coming tech company, got the apartment I always dreamed of with one of my best friends, and moved to San Francisco to live out the life I felt was the epitome of my dreams, it quickly collapsed into an unrecognizable nightmare.\nI had two weeks of this perfect life. Two weeks until the world came crashing down around me. To make a long story short, after a sudden and drastic change in my health I was left weak, confused, scared, and without a name for a mysterious illness that plagued me. I spent six long months running from doctor to doctor, test to test, and hospital to hospital trying to find out what was wrong with me until I was tentatively diagnosed with a rare Neurological disorder called Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS).\nBy the end of 2016 and partway through 2017 I had lost my fancy job, had to leave my beautiful apartment, and had to move away from the city I had come to love. Most devastating of all, I lost what it felt like to benormal. Severe illness has a way of stripping away everything that is not essential to living. Life is no longer about thriving, it is about surviving. My life became one long series of days spent struggling to get by. In all of this darkness though, my fight to survive illuminated in me the most essential parts of my being. I realized how important writing truly was to me despite having neglected the creative parts of me for so long. I could feel the words pushing up against my sealed lips and the jittering feeling in my finger tips of a story begging to be born. But I found I no longer knew how.\nTime does not heal all wounds, but it does normalize the pain of even the most devastating injuries. This last year has been my gradual realization and reclamation of the most important parts of me. I am slowly adjusting to life with my illness and reacquainting myself with the petrified words lodged in my mind. If 2017 was the year of painful loss and slow recovery, then I hope that 2018 is the year of new beginnings for old passions. My resolution for this upcoming year is to undergo my own personal Renaissance. The New Year will be a space not for a new me, but the rebirth of who I was. Will you join me?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2017/20171231_renaissance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHonestly, I do not know how to begin again. This space was my home for so many years when my words could find no ears to fall upon with quiet urgency. For those who have joined me on my journey either part way or all the way back eight years ago from the very beginning, and for those who are starting today, know this: the last two years my words have been nonexistent. I could name a thousand reasons that left me hesitating with my fingers hovering above a dusty keyboard, but none are sufficient to strip the guilt away from my heart. Writing has always been the life-blood of my being and to halt the progress of pen on paper is to bring my heartbeat to a startling stand still. However, that isn’t even true. It was more gradual than that, there was no jarring day where the words stopped coming, it was a slow, drawn out decay of all that made me, me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Renaissance"},{"content":"I know I have been gone for so long now\nAnd I was gone long before you noticed my absence;\nLong before the words stopped appearing on the page\nLife took me in and swallowed me whole.\nBefore I realized that the dream was really\nA monster waiting with epic patience\nAnd a growling gut with my name written\nOn the insides of its being, etched into its bones.\nIt was born for me and I for it.\nI thought this my beautiful escape but was disappointed to see\nAvoidance is a trap with a honey tongue but maggots for eyes.\nI tried so hard to be something that I am not\nBut lost all that was beautiful in me along the way.\nYou cannot strip back the rotting flesh of apathy\nWithout carving into yourself a permanent well\nFilled to the brim with blood that becomes a scar on your being.\nWho I was will always be who I am\nNo matter how far I run or how often I raise my eyes to the sky\nI replaced my chains with rosary beads binding me to a book\nThat weighed me down like an anchor at the bottom of the sea\nMy pursuit always just out of reach\nFinger tips grazing the surface, trying to catch sunbeams\nBut I only find the bubbles of my evaporating breath.\nI have been gone for so long now\nI am no fool. I know I can never go back to where I was\nBut I will do my best to pick up the pieces\nTo build something new from the wreckage of myself.\nI was a shipwreck cracked in half out at sea\nThe broken parts of me lost somewhere becoming a coral reef,\nLet my bones be the home of some new creature.\nI cannot wait to meet this thing born from the ashes of me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2017/20171030_gone_for_so_long/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know I have been gone for so long now\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I was gone long before you noticed my absence;\u003cbr\u003e\nLong before the words stopped appearing on the page\u003cbr\u003e\nLife took me in and swallowed me whole.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore I realized that the dream was really\u003cbr\u003e\nA monster waiting with epic patience\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a growling gut with my name written\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the insides of its being, etched into its bones.\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was born for me and I for it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gone for So Long"},{"content":"My final full day in Chicago was a blur of car horns, books, helicopter noise, cracks in the pavement, and good food. I dedicated my day to simply walking everywhere in the city. The only way to know the heart of a city is to walk the streets that pulse with people like the lifeblood pumping through the veins of this vast entity. Before putting my feet to the pavement and letting the sole of my shoes meld with the soul of this city I visited a place that brings my heart great joy, a library. The day was long and the journey longer to get to the center of the city.\nI woke up early in the morning to grab the train only to learn that they were not running at the moment. Helicopters swooped over the train line towards the cityscape of towering skyscrapers. Apparently a man tried to end his life by throwing himself in front of the train. It was horrible to hear and I felt the sadness drift upon me as I realized that when I did not know the reason for the delay, found myself angry about the traffic and the non-functioning train. For a moment I had felt that this man’s death, his misery, his trapped and hurting heart and mind where simply an obstacle to my forward movement. That is a horrible thing to think but I hadn’t even realized I had felt it; when I realized my own unconscious thinking it felt like a punch to the gut. A man’s death, his suffering, to a stranger trying to get to work or a tourist trying to tour the city only felt the delay of his actions, not the truth or pain behind them. It was a hard morning and I hope his family has some peace in this. I had lost sight, in my mania of exploration, of the people around me as real people. I felt like I had woken up when I heard over the cab radio what had happened. This road trip in many ways is a very selfish endeavor, it is for me and me alone, maybe to be enjoyed by others in the stories to come, but as a result I had forgotten to actually look into the eyes of the people around me as real humans with personal agendas and personal pains. It was a contemplative morning for me to say the least and I walked away hoping to never forget to value each person on the street as someone who deeply mattered in their own special way.\nI took a cab to the Newberry (the rare books and archive library I planned on visiting) instead of the train but was further waylaid when my cab got hit by another cab. The accident wasn’t bad, the two cars simply slid alongside each other and took off the side view mirror with a loud bang. I sat with wide eyes in the back of the cab as my driver got out and started to yell at the other driver. It was a very strange incident, I was just happy to get out of the car and rely on my own two feet for the rest of the day.\nThe Newberry was impressive and I felt pretty special getting my visiting scholar badge and my own little personal desk where they spread out the books I had requested in little pillow displays. I spent the majority of the morning pouring over old Milton books and William Blake paintings. It was enough to make my little english major heart implode.\nI emerged from the library with a mind full of poetry and paintings onto the urban streets of Chicago, ready to get lost in between the towering buildings.\nAfter getting some coffee at Bowtruss, I wandered all over the place but the riverwalk was definitely my favorite. The different bridges and the sun reflecting off of the glass buildings like the scales of some enormous fish onto the grey streets below. The noise of this city is somewhat overwhelming, yet beautiful. The clinking of change in a cup, the thudding of tires on the slates of the bridges, the horns of passing tour boats, and the chittering of people all around me. Chicago truly is a beautiful city, there is so much for the eyes to feast upon everywhere you look. Everything vibrates with energetic life.\nI took a break at Do-Rite Donuts where I got a delicious maple bacon donut. It blew my mind. I had never had a donut like this before and I sat down by the river to enjoy the view and the food.\nI also had to see the iconic sights like Cloud Gate or as it is commonly called The Bean.\nMy obligatory Bean selfie.\nAfter my touristy stops, I wandered back down the Magnificent Mile or Michigan Ave shopping streets where I stumbled upon a food truck. Right in from of the NBC building was this bright yellow truck with a long line. Long lines usually equal good food so I decided it must be worth while. It was Pierogi Streets, a pierogi food truck serving up tasty dumplings with some amazing toppings. The food was unbelievable; I had braised beef and spinach/feta pierogis topped with spicy grilled onions, sauerkraut, and bacon. It was heavenly.\nIt was a great day of wandering, but by the end my feet were tired and the sun had set on the city. The shadows cast by the tall buildings created a canopy of darkness only broken apart of slivers of light high above. In this artificial shade I left the city behind to go pack my belongings for the road ahead.\nI left Chicago that next afternoon after a morning at the Ferrara Bakery, a visit to my aunt’s studio, and a fantastic final lunch at the Art Institute.\nI am so grateful for my family that has helped me along the way, none of this would be possible without them. My lovely aunt and uncle and my beautiful cousin were so kind to me. Their welcoming love, even after so long since my last visit with them, made me feel like I was home despite being far from it. I love that I get to see so much of my family, but it is so hard constantly leaving everyone behind after just finally getting to see them after so long. I have never said goodbye so many times before in such a short period of time. Every person I see along the way makes it harder to say goodbye the next time; I am more reluctant to leave yet also more excited for what comes next. This trip is one of the most challenging things I have ever done but also one of the most rewarding. I will carry these memories and these special moments with me forever, even when I have returned home to California. But after Chicago I headed even farther East. I drove that day from Chicago to Pittsburgh across Indiana and Ohio. It felt inconceivable to be moving farther away from the world I knew and loved, but the East Coast was on my mind and I meant to reach it as soon as possible. The other end of the country was within reach and with it the goal of my solo road trip was within sight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151112_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy final full day in Chicago was a blur of car horns, books, helicopter noise,\ncracks in the pavement, and good food. I dedicated my day to simply walking\neverywhere in the city. The only way to know the heart of a city is to walk\nthe streets that pulse with people like the lifeblood pumping through the\nveins of this vast entity. Before putting my feet to the pavement and letting\nthe sole of my shoes meld with the soul of this city I visited a place that\nbrings my heart great joy, a library. The day was long and the journey longer\nto get to the center of the city.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Final Days in Chicago"},{"content":"On the hunt for a new home, seeking graduate school with great coffee, better books, astounding architecture and a cohort of inspiring academics. I am touring graduate schools across the nation while I drive, and had to stop at Northwestern in Evanston, IL. So I took a whole day off by myself to drive up there and tour around the campus. But first, I grabbed coffee at Caffe Streets on Division to prepare myself for the adventure to come. Honestly, it has been really hard on me visiting graduate schools when my heart still belongs in Berkeley. I miss my academic home dearly and all of my friends who are still there. Nothing makes the sting of nostalgia more painful than the constant reminder of what you left behind by where you are going next. Trying to find a new home when I don’t want to give up the last is a brutal conditioning towards the constant change of my future. Despite my deep desire for everything to remain exactly the same, the world is shifting underneath my feet and I can either get off the crumbling rock or let my fear paralyze me.\nThe cup of coffee and an hour spent in contemplation of strangers walking down the street brought me back to reality: I had things to accomplish and places to see. I did make one more pit stop at an amazing bakery with zombie head cakes in the window before I left though. These mind-blowingly realistic cakes were courtesy of Alliance Bakery. I grabbed some breakfast and hit the road; this coastal drive was far different from the ones I was used to in California. Normally the ocean is my coastal companion, but this time Lake Michigan lined the road I drove on towards Evanston.\nI toured the entire campus for several hours making some especially long stops at the English Department in University Hall and the main libraries, Deering and University Libraries.\nThe views all around campus where beautiful and very nicely accented by the fall leaves and the emerald hues of Lake Michigan. The gardens and greenery all around the campus were stunningly beautiful and the entire trip was exceedingly pleasant all around. I thoroughly enjoyed the school and everything the campus had to offer.\nAfter walking the entire campus I finally (and begrudgingly) left Northwestern. However, when I got back to Chicago I visited another fantastic coffee shop in Pilsen called Cafe Jumping Bean, which served as the perfect end to a long day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151103_northwestern/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn the hunt for a new home, seeking graduate school with great coffee, better\nbooks, astounding architecture and a cohort of inspiring academics. I am\ntouring graduate schools across the nation while I drive, and had to stop at\nNorthwestern in Evanston, IL. So I took a whole day off by myself to drive up\nthere and tour around the campus. But first, I grabbed coffee at Caffe Streets\non Division to prepare myself for the adventure to come. Honestly, it has been\nreally hard on me visiting graduate schools when my heart still belongs in\nBerkeley. I miss my academic home dearly and all of my friends who are still\nthere. Nothing makes the sting of nostalgia more painful than the constant\nreminder of what you left behind by where you are going next. Trying to find a\nnew home when I don’t want to give up the last is a brutal conditioning\ntowards the constant change of my future. Despite my deep desire for\neverything to remain exactly the same, the world is shifting underneath my\nfeet and I can either get off the crumbling rock or let my fear paralyze me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Northwestern"},{"content":"Getting to visit family is priceless, especially family that I haven’t seen for some time. Long talks over drawn out meals or nights spent laughing next to warm fireplaces together are the foundations of memories for years to come. I have loved being with my family here in Chicago, we have had a lot to catch up on and what better place to do it than this beautiful city. Yesterday we explored the Pilsen district in the rainy Halloween weather, and ate delicious food (I got chicken and waffles for the first time) while talking for a long time. Today we went into Downtown Chicago since the sun was out in force and there was so much to see. We got Dim Sum and then meandered around Millennium Park together.\nThe Chicago skyline is exquisite; the sheer variety of shapes, widths, colors, and materials that compose the rugged ups and downs of this city’s outline are unbelievable. I could stare up at these buildings forever. Cities have a way of making people feel small but in a good way; the fact that people conceptualize and then materialized these structures is humbling and exciting at the same time, a living monument to the capacity of man.\nIt was such a warm day and after so many cold days in Michigan it was a breath of fresh air. Even the trees still had color! It is amazing to have witnessed an entire month of autumn in Michigan only to come here and start at the beginning again. So many trees here are still green and it is a marvel to me that not everything is dead. Regardless, we wandered around the park and then returned home for a short break. I then ventured out alone to the Wicker Park area of town which is full of quirky life and graffiti. Both Pilsen and Wicker Park had some great work like these I found.\nI went and got some coffee at the Wormhole, which is an offbeat and fun study cafe squeezed between vintage thrift shops and bars flashing with neon lights. I sat and read my book for a little while only to realize that the sun had already disappeared. Darn daylight savings time. Stealing all of the sun.\nBut I happened upon a bookstore I had been hoping to visit without even trying called Myopic Books; this collection of over 70,000 books is an astoundingly awesome second-hand bookstore. I could get lost in this store for hours. It was a great coincidence that made my nerd heart very happy.\nI wandered around the warm city streets taking in the glittery shops and shining street lights amidst the cacophny of car sounds and found myself beginning to readjust to city life. There is a specific brand of beauty in big cities, I have not yet fully discovered the nature of that beauty but maybe it will be more clear to me in the weeks to come as I explore more major cities on the east coast.\nFor now the night time streets of Chicago are more than enough for me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151101_familyfun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGetting to visit family is priceless, especially family that I haven’t seen for\nsome time. Long talks over drawn out meals or nights spent laughing next to\nwarm fireplaces together are the foundations of memories for years to come. I\nhave loved being with my family here in Chicago, we have had a lot to catch up\non and what better place to do it than this beautiful city. Yesterday we\nexplored the Pilsen district in the rainy Halloween weather, and ate delicious\nfood (I got chicken and waffles for the first time) while talking for a long\ntime. Today we went into Downtown Chicago since the sun was out in force and\nthere was so much to see. We got Dim Sum and then meandered around Millennium\nPark together.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Family fun"},{"content":"I have exchanged my endless forests with city streets and skyscrapers; swapped Lake Superior with Lake Michigan, and found more family along the way. If there is one thing that I have learned on this journey thus far, it is that even on a solo road trip, I am never truly alone. The are so many people who take part in this journey with me, friends, family members, and strangers that become friends. Even when I think I am truly alone there is always someone on the end of a phone or at the end of a long day of driving. There is a peculiar feeling of desolation that I have grown familiar with, that clings to me like a shadow and sometimes eclipses my vision. However, the desolation is only as real as I make it.\nSo here I am, another city, another loving family that has taken me into their home. Bootjack to Chicago. The difference a day can make is astounding. I left behind my comfort, my home away from home and my family once more in Michigan as I did in California and then Colorado. I am constantly moving away from the places, people, and things that I love only to realize that not only can I never truly leave them behind, but there is always someone else waiting with open arms. I love my family, everywhere across the United States and I have never known so securely that I am loved and not alone.\nSo even though it was hard driving away from my home in Michigan after one final look across the still waters of Portage Lake at the end of the frosted dock, I knew it had to be done. It was time to move on and begin again. In the dark of early morning, long before the sun rose I drove away down Bootjack Road.\nIts funny, I have been in so many big cities on this trip and somehow managed to avoid rush hour traffic jams in all of them except for Houghton. Tiny little Houghton, the gateway that literally bridges the upper peninsula to the rest of the world. I got stuck there in traffic (as I would find out later this would be the motif of my day) for quite some time and finally made it out just as the first light of day was creeping into the dark skies. I reached the Bishop Baraga Shrine, the snowshoe priest, at the southern end of Lake Superior to watch the sunrise and say goodbye to Lake Superior one last time.\nThe sky turned such a vibrant pink for a moment and it felt like Lake Superior was bidding me farewell. It is so hard for me to leave that great lake behind because for some reason I feel so lost without it when the sting of fresh remembrance is so clear in my mind. I feel disoriented without its waters to guide me and driving away from it feels like I am setting out into the world without a compass. But leave I did.\nI stopped in L’Anse to buy a giant cinnamon roll the size of my head but that was really my only stop (besides a lot of detouring since so many of the roads I had planned to take were closed due to construction) until I reached Sheboygan on the coast of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan.\nI said hello to Lake Michigan for the first time on this journey but did not linger long at the water’s edge.\nI made a major stop in Milwaukee, which is a surprisingly wonderful city! I had no idea it was so interesting and I ate lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market.\nIt was a great break before heading into the stressful heart of Chicago traffic, which was completely overwhelming after a month of living somewhere where your only roadside companion is the occasional tractor. Being back in a big city is baffling to me and very stressful but I finally made it to my Aunt and Uncle’s home where I will be staying for the next little bit. It is so great seeing my family again especially since it has been a long time. We went out to a wine bar called Bascule where we drank wine, ate delicious food (I tried octopus for the first time), and caught up on the space between all the years since we had last seen each other. It was a long day but overall a good start to my life back on the road again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151031_skyscrapers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have exchanged my endless forests with city streets and skyscrapers; swapped\nLake Superior with Lake Michigan, and found more family along the way. If\nthere is one thing that I have learned on this journey thus far, it is that\neven on a solo road trip, I am never truly alone. The are so many people who\ntake part in this journey with me, friends, family members, and strangers that\nbecome friends. Even when I think I am truly alone there is always someone on\nthe end of a phone or at the end of a long day of driving. There is a peculiar\nfeeling of desolation that I have grown familiar with, that clings to me like\na shadow and sometimes eclipses my vision. However, the desolation is only as\nreal as I make it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trees to Skyscrapers"},{"content":"Even though I have a home once more, I have found myself taking to the road. Not to get anywhere in particular, I have no grand destination at the end of a long road anymore, but I take to the road all the same. Somedays I drive just to feel normal again, the road has become my home in more than one way. But most days, I drive to watch the fall leaves twirl in the air of my car’s wake as I devour mile after mile of empty roadway. This is my now, after the colors turned, after the winter winds began, and after the leaves began to fall. But this isn’t where I want to begin, I want to go back when the trees were still green and the lake lay still. I want to tell you where I have been, how strange life has become, but in the best of ways.\n3,354 miles and a little over two weeks on the road. The space between me and everything I once called home. Now it is over a month since I left the sunny west coast behind me and I have been living in the Northernmost tip of Michigan where the sky meets water and the land ends.\nThis place is not unfamiliar to me though, it is not a strange, exotic and unknown location; this is my home away from home. However, I have never seen it quite like this before. The closest city to me is Houghton, a drawbridge city with cobblestone streets and old brick buildings lining the downtown stretch of road. But every morning this is the view I wake up to.\nSo many things are different now, things I have never seen before because I only ever visited in the summer time. I feel like my world has been turned topsy turvy, everything is so similar yet just different enough to disturb the normalcy of everything I had grown accustomed to since I was a very young child. Small things are off, like leaving a book on your desk and returning to find it on top of your bed with no one around to have moved it.\nSmall things like seeing acorns on the ground. The entire ground is littered with them but since I have only ever been here in summer I have never seen an acorn here. Or watching fog lift off of the lake in the early morning or funneling down the channel when I have only ever seen sun, rain, and lightning in the sky before now. Or realizing that the shadows fall differently because the sun is in an entirely different position. The sun sets so far south and instead of 11pm sunsets, the sky gets darker earlier and earlier every day. There are endless things that entirely transform this place I have visited almost every single year since I was born. I feel like I have found myself on the other end of the looking glass and everything is slightly distorted.\nThere are two not so subtle changes that have really transformed this once familiar place into a mysterious and new experience. The first of which is obvious, it is Fall. I have never seen the once verdant ubiquitous green burst apart into such an array of beautiful colors. It makes me look at everything with new awe struck eyes.\nThe land around me has become its own sea of colors. Amber, wine, violet, peach, rose, and so many other colors have transformed every tree into a color palette of startling fiery colors. Every day the world around me looks different. Every day it transforms a little more, becomes a little more beautiful, or looses a few more leaves. This ceaselessly protean landscape has dug its beautiful fingers into my imagination and lit my eyes aflame with the possibilities of fleeting life. There is such a desperate beauty in imminent perishing life.\nThe other difference is the life that already perished. The loss of my grandfather, one year after his passing, is thick in the air everywhere I turn up here. It is not necessarily a bad or sad feeling, just a very persistent one. Memories are the greatest ghosts we could ever conjure.\nI dreamt for years about coming up to Northern Michigan to see the peak of fall colors, but I never dreamt that it would be without my grandfather. I always thought I would walk arm in arm with him through the forest of amber and wine colored trees. I thought we would sit in his favorite chairs by a fire, no words passing between us, just a mutual understanding that sometimes words aren’t necessary to know you are loved. Now I am finally here and on the one year anniversary of his passing. I wish he could be here with me and I cannot believe, even a year later that he is actually gone. I miss my grandpa but I see him and feel him in the flurry of falling leaves everywhere I go.\nI am staying in his home without him and every time I hear this old house creak I always wonder if it is him. I feel like I cannot go anywhere without bumping into his ghost. But I know he would have wanted me here. I just wish he could have been here along side me.\nI think one of the biggest things about being here by myself is how much older it makes me feel. I can physically see the changes, the way that time has transformed this place and myself. I have always known this place as one filled with love, family, laughter, adventure, mischief, and growth. But now I am here at the end of fall and the cusp of winter. It isn’t summer anymore. I have grown older, my grandfather and grandmother are both gone, my cousins aren’t here with me to enjoy each others company, and the leaves are falling one by one as the water slowly recedes from the shores.\nIt is a beautiful death here. A beautiful transitioning between the life of one year and the life of the next. This is where I find myself. Between the death of an old life and the beginning of a new one. The west of my past and the east of my future as Kerouac would say if his journey had been reversed. I am moving slowly towards something, but I know not what yet. For now I sit and watch the world around me changing, wondering what will come when the color is gone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151018_uplife/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven though I have a home once more, I have found myself taking to the road.\nNot to get anywhere in particular, I have no grand destination at the end of a\nlong road anymore, but I take to the road all the same. Somedays I drive just\nto feel normal again, the road has become my home in more than one way. But\nmost days, I drive to watch the fall leaves twirl in the air of my car’s wake\nas I devour mile after mile of empty roadway. This is my now, after the colors\nturned, after the winter winds began, and after the leaves began to fall. But\nthis isn’t where I want to begin, I want to go back when the trees were still\ngreen and the lake lay still. I want to tell you where I have been, how\nstrange life has become, but in the best of ways.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Life in the UP"},{"content":"I am caught somewhere between way to busy and being too tired to reflect to put my thoughts on the page, or, in this case, on the internet. I know I have neglected my blog the last couple of days, so here is the update: I made it. I had one last final day of driving after I finished my time in Madison. But I had to have one last breakfast in this wonderful city (which is somewhat of a foodie heaven, especially for the midwest!) and stopped just outside of the captial building grounds for a great chai latte and a dark chocolate, caramel sea salt crepe from Bradbury’s.\nDriving away from my amazing aunt who was gracious enough to host me for my time in Madison and with the gorgeous capital building in my rearview mirror, I hit the road one last time.\nI drove through Wisconsin up into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I will be staying for the next month. I saw a couple of really amazing places on my way up like Minocqua, Wisconsin. This little town surrounded by a series of wonderful lakes, crisscrossed by trestles and interwoven by a state hiking trail. How amazing is that? I totally stumbled upon it on accident while trying to take a picture of a trestle.\nThe trail was a long and winding stretch of covered pathway, framed by trees and surrounded by lakes. I felt like I was weaving my way through a wonderland of lakes.\nThe trail took my breath away between the aqua green waters and the fall colored leaves. It was a great accidental side trip before I crossed over the state line into home territory, Michigan.\nI also took a few random side breaks to campgrounds, lakes, and boat launches just to sneak off the main road and find some water or fall forests to explore.\nThe fall colors from Minocqua upwards were unbelievable. Colorado was a land of golden trees but here were so many shades of oranges and reds, trees the color of wine and cinnamon. I couldn’t help but laugh at the rush of exhilaration I felt every time I turned around the next corner because each view was more amazing than the last.\nMy final stop was at Bond Falls, a great stop that I always make on my way in or out of the UP (Upper Peninsula for all you non-midwesterners). The cascading waterfalls at Bond Falls compounded with the fall colors was the last step in total and uncontrollable excitement about being back in Michigan.\nI had made it, driving in along the rainbow of fall colors I rolled down my windows, blasted my music, and felt the cold crisp air of impending winter, knowing all the while that my heart had come home again. There is no home to me quite like going up North to the Keweenaw Peninsula. No brighter colors or stiller lake, no calmer heart to be had than when I sit on the dock next to the gentle lapping waters of the place I call home. And of course, there are no sunsets quite like the sunsets in Bootjack because every day is a beautiful day out here. There are many beautiful days to come and hopefully I can post more now that life is beginning to settle down a touch more, but for now I am staying put. No more open road for a little while but there is still adventure to be had in this quiet land. And I have every intention of not wasting a single second of my precious time up here in my home away from home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151006_michigan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am caught somewhere between way to busy and being too tired to reflect to put\nmy thoughts on the page, or, in this case, on the internet. I know I have\nneglected my blog the last couple of days, so here is the update: I made it. I\nhad one last final day of driving after I finished my time in Madison. But I\nhad to have one last breakfast in this wonderful city (which is somewhat of a\nfoodie heaven, especially for the midwest!) and stopped just outside of the\ncaptial building grounds for a great chai latte and a dark chocolate, caramel\nsea salt crepe from Bradbury’s.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Made it to Michigan"},{"content":"Trying to catch up on the last days of my road trip, it has been kind of hectic so bear with me! Here is the account of my final day in Madison, Wisconsin.\nOne of my favorite features thus far throughout Madison are all of the amazing gardens. From ALlen Centenntial Garden, to the Abrotetum, and now finally the Olbrich Botancial Gardens, all have been spectacular displays of nature within the confines of a major city.\nOlbrich Botanical Gardens was like a playground for nature lovers. From amazing fountains, art exhibits hidden in the trees, and my personal favorite, a kaleidoscope of\nMy view of all the different gardens around the city had begun to feel like a kaleidoscope mash-up of everything I had seen thus far. I had luckily caught a period of time right before the major frost where flowers were still blooming and beautiful but leaves had begun to change colors already. I was getting the best of both worlds and I knew it. So I reveled in the amazing gardens and was shocked by the array of colors and textures I found everywhere I went.\nThere was even a Thai pavilion in the gardens that was ornate and beautiful with the backdrop of flowers surrounding it.\nEverything was beautiful and so much fun to explore with my Aunt, we really had a great time.\nThere is one thing I forgot to mention thus far and it is the frequency with which Madison has free libraries in front of their homes. It always makes me very happy to see free book boxes in neighborhoods but Madison had an astounding abundance of ornate and well stocked free libraries. A neighborhood feels healthy and lively whenever there are free book boxes lining the streets. I really enjoyed this one which was a vibrant orange and had a beautiful mosaic of a tree on the side. Well done Madison, well done.\nI went off on my own again with a more serious mission in mind this time: visit the University of Wisconsin- Madison campus and check out the English Graduate Program. I spent the rest of my day slowly meandering around campus (with an additional stop inside of a wonderful liitle bookstore on State street) and visiting the English Department.\nThe campus was really and truly very nice, I was genuinely impressed. The buildings were beautiful, the people were kind and generous with their information, the scenery was amazing (right on the lake and covered in colorful trees), and the available opportunities to talk to students and faculty was very abundant. I quite enjoyed it.\nI even found an acorn friend that sadly rolled away from me and got crushed by a car. It was slightly heartbreaking. Can you tell I haven’t been terribly sociable? I have started befriending acorns.\nBut honestly, it made me miss Berkeley. There were so many things that kept reminding me of my alma mater and it left me with a heavy heart burdened by homesickness. There was even a tower that looked like the campanile (complete with carillons) and several of my favorite professors from Berkeley were going to be visiting campus to give lectures in the coming weeks. I missed my friends, my mentors, and the feeling of belonging to a community regardless of whether the people around you knew you or not. Despite actually really liking this campus, I left full of sadness because I wasn’t sure if anywhere else would ever feel like home in the way that Berkeley was. I know this is naive in many ways; I know I will go somewhere and I will learn to call it home, but Berkeley will always have my heart.\nIt was a hard day, the first of probably many to come in the next few months, but not something that would stop me from moving forward. Some days are worse than others, but every day on the road is a step farther from home that I am proud to be taking even on the days when I wish for nothing more than to be back where I was. I am learning to miss the things I love and I hope each day to miss these things with happiness rather than sadness, but sadly that day has not yet come. Despite my sadness, I know nothing is gained without losing something first. Growth can be painful and I would be foolish to wish that pain away, so for now I grit my teeth and try to push forward to days when it hurts less.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20151002_kaleidoscope/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTrying to catch up on the last days of my road trip, it has been kind of hectic\nso bear with me! Here is the account of my final day in Madison, Wisconsin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of my favorite features thus far throughout Madison are all of the amazing\ngardens. From ALlen Centenntial Garden, to the Abrotetum, and now finally the\nOlbrich Botancial Gardens, all have been spectacular displays of nature within\nthe confines of a major city.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Garden Kaleidoscope"},{"content":"I woke up to the sound of rain against the window. It was the first time in a long time I had heard rain calling me outside. I lay in my bed listening and for the first time it became real. I knew I was very far from home; I knew that I was no longer in California and would not be returning for quite some time. In many ways this whole trip has been so surreal. A strange mixture between road trip and living in a bunch of different states. I bounce from one location to the next, usually with someone I know waiting at the end of my drive so it never feels like I am truly alone. But this morning I woke up and felt alone. I felt far from my friends, family, and all that was familiar to me. I felt it ringing in the rain drops like a vibrating siren and each drop sang out the sound of total strangeness. It was an odd moment, of finally letting it sink in that I wasn’t going home, at least not for a while. I had to make a home wherever I could find it now.\nFor now home is with my Aunt in Madison but even that is not for long. I pulled my tired body from bed and looked outside at the cardinal on the bird feeder below, unfazed by the rain and even more vibrant in it. The roads ran like rivers and the fall leaves had been glued to my car like some child’s scrapbook of autumn.\nOn our way to explore Madison we first stopped to get some really great coffee and Colectivo. A roomy coffee shop with huge windows, bright furniture, and great study spaces, Colectivo was definitely instantly on my favorite coffee spot list.\nI took my coffee out into the cold rain to warm my fingers as we explored the state capital building. It was truly a magnificent piece of architecture and I loved escaping from the rain under their marbled ceilings and fancy decor.\nIt was quite the place and the square that it sat in was surrounded by adorable shops and fantastic restaurants.\nAfter we had circled the captial building a few times, marveling at the architecture from every angle, we drove through the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Going through campuses that are closer to the east coast always impress me because they are so thoroughly different from west coast campuses. The buildings are older, crafted from beautiful stone or brick and much more ornate than the average west coast campus building. I love my alma mater but I cannot help comparing the architecture between campuses and I was thoroughly impressed with the Madison campus.\nAt the far end of campus we stopped at the Allen Centennial Gardens, a small enclosure of nature next to an old historic home. The gardens, though small, were marvelous. Even in the rain, the vibrant crops like kale, colorful swiss chard, and of course corn, were incredibly beautiful.\nThere were some really unique looking flowers, like the ones below, that lit up the entire park with vivid colors.\nFrom boardwalks to koi ponds, gazebos to vegetable gardens the entire garden was surprisingly entertaining. After marveling at the entire complex we continued on our way.\nWe decided to poke in at the Henry Villa Zoo. It was a fun little zoo but the alligator was by far my favorite. I had been taking pictures of the fall leaf littered pool, not realizing it was an alligator enclosure until afterwards when I looked at my pictures. It surprised me so much that I hadn’t even noticed the alligator lying quietly below the leaves.\nThere were also some adorable little badgers having a fun time digging around in the mud, which was pretty quintessential for all of Wisconsin. Go Badgers 🙂\nAfter the zoo, my aunt and I parted ways for a bit and I went off on my own to the University’s Arboretum for a hike. It was pretty, but also pretty marshy so my hike kept getting cut short by closed pathways. But what I did see was quite nice; the variety of different trail landscapes that I set foot on in just the few short miles I was able to hike was staggering. It was a wonderfully diverse park filled with prairies, lakes, and flowers.\nWe finished out day with a sunset mini walk along some overgrown boardwalks next to Lake Monona. Stepping over a natural bubbling spring, we walked along the creaking old wooden planks along the rim of the lake watching the sky turn pink under wispy clouds.\nIt was a good first day in Madison (finished with some really great pizza) but I am finding myself growing more and more tired as each day passes. Michigan is only one day away of driving from where I am now and I can feel the closeness in my road wearied bones. I have been traveling now for exactly two weeks and I have been alone for one week; it feels like a lifetime.\nA good rest is in order soon and I know it awaits me on the shores of Lake Superior, so close yet so far from where I am now. For now, there is still more work to be done, more things to see, and always another adventure around the corner.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150930_madison/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI woke up to the sound of rain against the window. It was the first time in a\nlong time I had heard rain calling me outside. I lay in my bed listening and\nfor the first time it became real. I knew I was very far from home; I knew\nthat I was no longer in California and would not be returning for quite some\ntime. In many ways this whole trip has been so surreal. A strange mixture\nbetween road trip and living in a bunch of different states. I bounce from one\nlocation to the next, usually with someone I know waiting at the end of my\ndrive so it never feels like I am truly alone. But this morning I woke up and\nfelt alone. I felt far from my friends, family, and all that was familiar to\nme. I felt it ringing in the rain drops like a vibrating siren and each drop\nsang out the sound of total strangeness. It was an odd moment, of finally\nletting it sink in that I wasn’t going home, at least not for a while. I had\nto make a home wherever I could find it now.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Rainy Day in Madison"},{"content":"Kansas City, Missouri to Madison, Wisconsin; day two of my long days to come. To break up the monotony of corn I decided to make a quick stop in Wallace State Park, a small natural park about an hour outside of Kansas city, to take a hike and get out of the car. It was a great idea but also turned into somewhat of a nightmarish experience that I could never have predicted.\nI exited the main drag of interstate and entered into a wonderfully windy and hilly back country road that wove its way deeper into forested countryside. The road was pleasnatly meandering through farm houses and red barns disappearing from my fast paced world into obscurity behind me.\nAs I found the enttrance to the park I was pleasantly surprised by a doe and her little baby deer grazing calmly on the roadside. I took a few pictures, kept my respectful distance, and continued on my way just as they did theirs.\nThere was no one else in the park, so I had the stillness of the lake and the chittering of the woods all to myself. The forest seemed alive and vibrating with wildlife that remained unseen but well heard. The lake was so still and serene, the perfect reflecting basin for the world that surrounded it.\nI laced up my hiking boots and headed out across some wonderful foot bridges, but I did not get very far before things started to get weird. First of all, I was slightly on edge because there were so many noises all around me that I had never heard before, be they bugs, birds, or small mammals, the noises they made were somewhat haunting and remotely sounded like a child crying or a wounded animal screaming. Not a great start. So I tried to ignore the noises that were far off but present in the mysterious woods around me. I tried not to let it get to me, but being a woman hiking alone and having no one else in the park put me too on edge. So after a short bit I returned to my car and decided to drive around instead of hike because I was sort of freaked out.\nOnce I went back to my car I drove to a separate trail away from the strange noises of the forests I originally started by and found an amazingly beautiful boardwalk.\nAgain, I didn’t get far before everything went down hill. I didn’t even get onto the boardwalk, I was just taking pictures of it, when all of a sudden there was a wild frenzy of cracking twigs and rustling bushes coming from the hill behind me on the other side of the parking lot. I turned around with my heart in my throat and the horrible thought in my mind that it was going to be a bear charging at me out of the woods. A thousand things go through my mind: I don’t have a weapon, just my camera, I can use my telephoto as a (very expensive) weapon if I have to defend myself, if it is a black bear I have to stand my ground and get angry, big, and scary fast, there is no one to yell for if I need help, my car is so close but whatever is coming at me is between me and my car, and a bunch of other gut reaction thoughts about whatever was making that horrible ruckus in the woods.\nWhen I turned and found the source of the frenzy I was relieved but also deeply shocked and confused: it was a deer. A very angry deer. I don’t know why or what was going on except maybe there was a baby nearby it was trying to protect, maybe even the same mom and baby deer I had photographed early about a mile away, but I didn’t know. It was a very angry doe running out of the woods kind of hunched over, straight legged, and kicking every which way and coming right for me.\nLuckily, I was already on edge so I was able to react quickly and jumped up onto the banister of the boardwalk above the reach of the deer. I don’t know what I would have done if it had reared up because it could have possibly reached me, but thankfully it stayed roughly on its four feet. It ran up to me on the boardwalk and started battering the post I was standing on with its front legs and angrily snorting. I started yelling loudly at it to scare it away and weilding my telephoto in one hand, ready to use it to defend myself, tried to scare away the pissed off deer as it attacked the boardwalk posts I was perched atop.\nAfter this back and forth went on for a little bit the deer seemed to calm down and kind of ran off back towards my car and away from me. Warily eyeing it I waited until it seemed distracted and jumped from the banister to run off into the woods the other way since it was still between me and my car. I had planned on taking a hike, this was just not necessarily the way I had wanted to do it.\nIt didn’t come after me and all I can assume is that it left and whatever spooked it was gone (including myself). So I calmed down from the scare and tried to enjoy my hike. Then things got weird again. Yeah, I know, again.\nI was walking through the forest when I started accumulating a few more spider webs getting caught on me than I was comfortable with. So I stopped to wipe them off and kept going only to get even more. Feeling the hair on my arms rise, I stopped again, wiped them off and tried to peer forward into the wooded pathway I was taking and was horrified: there were spiders everywhere. So naturally I almost threw up, ripped my coat off my back and yelled\nFUCK THIS PARK\nAnd ran as fast as I could out of woods, frantically clawing the webs from my body and trying not to imagine all of the possible spiders crawling on my body. I made it back to my car, the devil deer was gone but my car was COVERED in spiders and webs. COVERED.\nI ripped the door open and jumped in as fast as I could and took off. I kept trying to wipe the spiders away with my windshield wipers and couldn’t stop twitching I was so freaked out. Once I was a safe distance from the park I pulled over, screamed at the top of my lungs at a corn field and thoroughly checked myself for spiders. I flipped off the park behind me, hopped back into my car and continued on my way.\nI’m sure it was a perfectly nice park, it just hated me. It was a misadventure to say the least, but at least I got some nice photos of the beautiful scenery.\nI pulled into a McDonalds to wash off my hands, ordered the largest coffee I could get and looked like a mad woman pulling twigs out of my hair as I waited for my drink, being watched by a tour bus full of old women with questioning eyes.\nI had finally calmed down after I crossed the Missouri state line into Iowa and was glad to have left it all behind me.\nTo further soothe my rattled nerves I took an innocuous stop at an Amish Country Store in Iowa. I sat on a curb for a while and pet a little Amish Corgi that had popped out of a bale of hay covered in straw and wagging its entire body like only a Corgi can do. I spent some time there just enjoying the sunshine, the endless fields of corn, which suddenly seemed strangely more appealing than the woods to me after that morning , and my little Corgi friend.\nThe rest of Iowa was more of the same, endless corn that swayed in the wind like the undulating waves of a dusty amber sea. After a while of this I decided to take a break because I was getting pretty tired at this point. I felt like a person who has been on a boat for a long time who then steps foot on shore and feels like everything is still rocking, except I felt like the world was still whizzing by me at 80mph despite everything moving at its normal speed. It was disorienting and I figured it was time for a breaking from the mind numbing monotony.\nI just so happened to pull off in Des Moines, Iowa at a BBQ place called Smokey D’s BBQ Joint, which had been featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. So I got some good ol’ Iowa BBQ and enjoyed my break.\nThe rest of the drive was a blur, nothing between Des Moines and Madison except corn, corn, and more corn. I do enjoy the silos though that break up the continuous fields. But aside from that, nothing.\nI made it to Madison totally exhausted, toast. But I got to relax in my Aunt’s backyard who I was staying with and watch cardinals flit about a bird feeder dancing like little red ballerinas about one another. It was a peaceful and restful way to end the day, watching the sun set over the green backyard of Madison.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150929_missouri/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKansas City, Missouri to Madison, Wisconsin; day two of my long days to come.\nTo break up the monotony of corn I decided to make a quick stop in Wallace\nState Park, a small natural park about an hour outside of Kansas city, to take\na hike and get out of the car. It was a great idea but also turned into\nsomewhat of a nightmarish experience that I could never have predicted.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Missouri Tried to Kill Me"},{"content":"Literally. Yesterday I drove all the way across the width of Kansas from Colorado to Missouri. It was a long day of solo driving, just me, Mama the Llama, the Serial podcast, and corn. Lots and lots of corn.\nI drove away from Colorado with the Flatirons of Boulder in my rearview mirror and my heart in my stomach as I left behind the state I had grown to love over the last week or so. I traded in my grand majestic views for two lane interstates, the loss of beauty exchanged for ease and speed of transportation. Sometimes I think that places like Colorado have such wonderful single lane roads in order to force you to drive slower through all of the beautiful scenery, while places like Kansas and Nebraska offer speedy roadways so you can get the hell across them as fast as possible.\nWhile I will admit, I actually didn’t hate Kansas like I thought I would, it was still a really long day of somewhat monotonous landscapes. It was still better than my old road trip nemesis Nebraska. There were at least some nice rolling hills across the state and every once and a while the sea of corn fields where swapped with some lovely fields of a red colored crop (possibly old corn?) that contrasted with the rolled hay bales resting like giant marshmallows across open fields in a rather photogenic manner. There were also some impressively large energy wind mills that almost seemed to be stirring the clouds like cotton candy as the gusty winds whipping across the open plains sent the clouds speeding across the horizon. My little prius did not care much for the high winds that kept jerking my car across the roadway like a toy.\nBut the journey, though long, went quickly with a few fun stops like the Kansas welcome center, the World’s Largest Easel, and the historic landmark of Brown vs Board.\nBut mostly it was just me and wide empty expanses of road heading off into the flat horizon and my own thoughts. I had thought a lot about how this day would go, considered whether I would be able to make it all the way by myself or not. This was my big trial day where I was either going to be able to prove to myself that I was capable of so much more than I thought I was, or I would crash and burn. I will jump past the long anxious hours of ruminating about whether I could do it and tell you that I did. I made it in one piece and feeling fine.\nThis might not seem like a big deal to most people but this was a huge deal for me. Time for some honest talk. For those of you who don’t know me and even for those who do know me but don’t know about this, here it is: I am sick. No, not sick in some horribly dramatic, I am terminal and will never recover sick, but not in a cough cough I just have a cold way either. I have been plagued by chronic pain, migraines, and unknown illnesses almost my entire life. I have some names to label my pain like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Fibromyalgia, and Alopecia Areata but even they do not encompass what is wrong with my body. The baseline is this: I am an adventurer in my mind and heart, but most of the time my body physcially disagrees with me. I cannot predict or know when I will feel bad (and usually what accompanies feeling bad is headaches, painful muscles, extreme and sudden fatigue, and nausea) so I live in a constant state of anxiety about whether I will feel well enough to do the things I want to do.\nMost of the time, there is no physical or external symptom that others can see so it is hard for a lot of people to understand this fear and these feelings. I have an invisible illness that even I don’t fully understand. It is unseen yet dictates most of my every day decisions and actions. This is why this road trip means so much to me as a solo adventure. I am so constantly worried about being incapable or handicapped by my illness and this is my big middle finger to not feeling well. That might be strong, but I have a lot to prove to myself and each day at a time on this solitary adventure I am learning to trust in my own abilities and stretch my capabilities.\nSo to drive for ten hours by myself is a huge obstacle surrmounted that has lingered in the horizon for quite some time for me. Despite how flat Kansas is, it has seemed like Mount Everest to me. This long day was my veritable mountain to climb, just to show myself that I was capable of anything, no matter my illnesses, no matter my fears.\nSo driving across the Missouri River into Kansas City where I was staying the night with some incredibly generous and hospitable family friends was like crossing the finish line of my own personal race. I was tired, but it was a well earned exhaustion that was soul satisfying and only bodily tiring.\nI had the great treat of trying out a local Kansas City BBQ joint called Gates where your ears are constantly ringing with the sing-songy cry of “How MAY I help YOU?” as you enter into the building. It was the perfect end of a long day filled with conversations with old family friends and good food. I was only stopping for a night and would then be continuing on to Madison, Wisconsin the following day. One step closer to Michigan, one step closer to my next major stop. I am almost halfway done with my trip now, Michigan is the next major stop and I will be there for about a month and then continue onward to the East. My mind is being pulled in a thousand directions towards memories of what I have seen and imaginings of what tomorrow will bring, but all of it boils down to the road, the pavement beneath my tires and the miles speeding past my eyes. I am right where I need to be.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150928_kansas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLiterally. Yesterday I drove all the way across the width of Kansas from\nColorado to Missouri. It was a long day of solo driving, just me, Mama the\nLlama, the Serial podcast, and corn. Lots and lots of corn.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI drove away from Colorado with the Flatirons of Boulder in my rearview mirror\nand my heart in my stomach as I left behind the state I had grown to love over\nthe last week or so. I traded in my grand majestic views for two lane\ninterstates, the loss of beauty exchanged for ease and speed of\ntransportation. Sometimes I think that places like Colorado have such\nwonderful single lane roads in order to force you to drive slower through all\nof the beautiful scenery, while places like Kansas and Nebraska offer speedy\nroadways so you can get the hell across them as fast as possible.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"We’re Not in Kansas Anymore…"},{"content":"Even though it has only been three days since I set off on my own to take this journey across the country, I have already started to notice things about myself as a solo traveler as well as how it feels to travel alone.\nThe main thing I have noticed is how exhausting it is to travel alone. However, it is more than just the obvious answer (since I am alone I do not have anyone to split the burden of effort/work put into travel like driving, purchasing things, making plans, etc) that is behind this exhaustion. It is the feeling of being in the world, but not of it; feeling like people are talking at you and not with you essentially, but it is the city, the places, and the people all figuratively talking at you while you have no in into the conversation to allow you to actually take part. When you have someone to do things with it feels like no matter what happens in the day, at least you have one another for entertainment/enjoyment. However, when you are alone it is just you confronting the world so even normal everyday things like getting a cup of coffee at a cafe becomes a battle to engage with strangers, act friendly, and act as if everything is normal when everything is new, different, and strange. At least for an introvert like myself, it is hard for me to deal with small talk and polite smiles, which results in me wanting to have as little contact with people around me as possible despite the fact that I am lonely and really do want to be around people and make friends. Every day events become exhausting because I no longer have the buffer or the comfort of my friends or family to ease my interactions with the world around me, it is just me and the rest of humanity clamouring towards me with an overload of information and sensory input that I just do not have the current capacity to handle. As a result, I have found that when I travel alone I wind up avoiding people and try to remain alone rather than branch out and make new friends.\nIn some ways this is hard for a road trip like this because it is hard to go so long without really talking to anyone, but it also results in me seeking out nature instead of humanity, which leads me to some truly amazing places in pursuit of natural solitude. I may be anti-social or maybe just really overly introverted, but either way I have realized my own tendencies towards self isolation, but I have not yet decided whether I like or dislike these tendencies. To be determined…\nToday was one of those days where these reflections were extremely apparent because for the first time I didn’t spend my entire day out in the wilderness. Instead, I dedicated today to exploring Boulder and learning the streets as well as the happenings of this bustling town.\nBut I had to fit a hike in there somewhere. The iconic backdrop of the city are the Flatirons, a series of giant rock slates slanting towards the sun and rising high above the cityscape of Boulder. I decided to check out these wonderful mountains with a hike in Chautauqua Park.\nI hiked a series of loop trails on the adjacent mesas that provide sweeping views of the mountain range as well as the city of Boulder down below them. I hiked through Ponderosas and up steep hills lined with breezy grasses and rocky trails up to the top of the mesas.\nThere was an astonishing array of landscapes on the four miles of trails I traversed which made for an interesting and ever evolving experience of the nature in Boulder.\nI managed to only get lost once and then some how actually helped some other girls who were visiting the park for the first time as well find their way after getting lost. I suppose that is one good thing to say for getting lost, you can advise others not to follow your trail. But when I finally finished my hike I had a firm grasp on the baseline trails around the Flatirons.\nAfter my healthy dose of nature I was ready for some city experiences. Luckily I was in Boulder for one of my favorite things to do in any city that I visit, farmers’ market. Boulder Farmers’ Market was a fantastic way to ease into high density human interaction after having spent so much time alone for three days straight. Everyone was so friendly, talkative, and helpful at the market even though I was slightly lost and aimless amongst the crowds.\nThe market was huge so I wandered up and down the stands for quite some time before going in for some conversations, samples, and small purchases. My first stop, naturally, was at a local bakery’s stand where I got an amazing almond croissant to eat as I wandered around with big hungry and fascinated eyes.\nI visited two produce stands where I bought some tomatoes and carrots for the road tomorrow. One had a stunning array of colorful turnips, beats, and carrots while the other had a beautiful selection of green veggies like kale, swiss chard, and many other delectable items.\nThe second stand had an incredibly sociable and kind staff, which led to an encounter in which my inner introvert ran away screaming while I was left laughing awkwardly on the outside looking for the nearest and socially acceptable place to go hide. It was a stupidly simple interaction that caught me totally off guard and unsure of how to respond it went like this:\nMe: What a beautiful stand!\nFarmers’ Market Man: Look at how beautiful you stand.\nHe didn’t break eye contact, I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or a genuine compliment so I just awkwardly laughed as the rest of his coworkers began to laugh too and then I slunk away into a corner and died a little. Awkward muffin time.\nSo naturally I went and spent some time smelling flowers at a stand clear on the other side of the market that was full of Dahlias and sunflowers (two of my favorite flowers).\nFinally I rounded out my time at the market with some fresh tamales from the Amaizing Corn Tortilla stand. Get it, aMAIZing. May or may not have been the only reason I decided to try them out, but you will never know.\nThen I wandered down the incredibly popular Pearl Street Mall, which is a long expanse of street closed to cars and filled with shops and plenty of street performers. Everything from bango players, clowns with balloons, mimes, and performers balancing on rollers while hold fire could be found on the couple of blocks that make up the Pearl Street Mall.\nFor the rest of the day I jumped from coffee shop to coffee shop writing postcards and working over delicious cups of coffee from Boxcar Coffee, Ozo and the Laughing Goat again. The mochas at Ozo are to die for, I may have to go back before I leave early tomorrow morning for one for the road.\nI also took a drive around a section of Boulder right next to the university dubbed The Hill where all the college students roam in hordes. I was somewhat appalled by their conduct and quickly left after driving through blocks of street covered in shattered beer bottle glass, red plastic cups covering frat front lawns, and drunk students literally face planting in the middle of the street in front of moving traffic. I got out of there fast when droves of drunk students began wandering the streets, possibly after a football game got out? I hope it was an event, because if this was an every day occurrence, I would be genuinely concerned for this school.\nAfter another long day alone I returned to my hostel for some more alone time because, ironically, after so much time alone, what I really wanted and needed was to be even more alone. So I set up my hammock on the river after slacklining alone for a little bit. That is how I finished my day. That is how I finished my time in Colorado. Tomorrow morning I leave this wonderful state to continue eastward.\nI find it funny that in many ways I am doing Jack Kerouac’s journey backwards, moving west to east instead of the other way around. I am so glad that I decided to pick that book up from City Lights back in San Francisco before I left my beloved Bay because never have I read a book more applicable to my current state of being. I too have found myself exclaiming to the wild and dark night\n“‘And here I am in Colorado! …Damn! Damn! Damn! I’m making it!\u0026rsquo;”\nAnd now that I am leaving Colorado, I too am passing the center dividing line both in the continent and in my life, except the reverse of Kerouac’s, where his east is my west.\n“I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future.”\nFunny how the world works out and the road rolls on, I wonder where my future will find me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150926_lonely/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven though it has only been three days since I set off on my own to take this\njourney across the country, I have already started to notice things about\nmyself as a solo traveler as well as how it feels to travel alone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe main thing I have noticed is how exhausting it is to travel alone. However,\nit is more than just the obvious answer (since I am alone I do not have anyone\nto split the burden of effort/work put into travel like driving, purchasing\nthings, making plans, etc) that is behind this exhaustion. It is the feeling\nof being in the world, but not of it; feeling like people are talking at you\nand not with you essentially, but it is the city, the places, and the people\nall figuratively talking at you while you have no in into the conversation to\nallow you to actually take part. When you have someone to do things with it\nfeels like no matter what happens in the day, at least you have one another\nfor entertainment/enjoyment. However, when you are alone it is just you\nconfronting the world so even normal everyday things like getting a cup of\ncoffee at a cafe becomes a battle to engage with strangers, act friendly, and\nact as if everything is normal when everything is new, different, and strange.\nAt least for an introvert like myself, it is hard for me to deal with small\ntalk and polite smiles, which results in me wanting to have as little contact\nwith people around me as possible despite the fact that I am lonely and really\ndo want to be around people and make friends. Every day events become\nexhausting because I no longer have the buffer or the comfort of my friends or\nfamily to ease my interactions with the world around me, it is just me and the\nrest of humanity clamouring towards me with an overload of information and\nsensory input that I just do not have the current capacity to handle. As a\nresult, I have found that when I travel alone I wind up avoiding people and\ntry to remain alone rather than branch out and make new friends.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Leave Me Alone I’m Lonely"},{"content":"I woke up bright and early this morning with only one thing on my mind: hiking Rocky Mountain National Park. I had visited the park once before but did not get to actually hike into the park anywhere and have always felt the need to go back and redeem my lost time in the park. Today was the day I finally realized that dream.\nI made a quick pit stop on my way out of Boulder towards Estes Park to do the most important thing I do every day… get coffee. I have heard there are many great places to grab a cup of coffee in Boulder and I decided to try out the Laughing Goat on Pearl Street. I enjoyed it quite a bit, the interior was cozy and work oriented while also being hip, modern, and welcoming. I ordered a Venetian Creme that was sweet and delicious. I also grabbed a croissant for a later day hiking treat.\nIt has been about six years since I last stepped foot in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. In many ways, my last trip to this place was the beginning of my life as a road tripper, but not quite in the way you might expect. Last time I was here all I wanted to do was leave. I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible with as few stops in between as we could manage. I was not a road tripper, not yet. But looking back on the squandered opportunities I had passed by in such a hurry to get no where made me re-evaluate my priorities and the things that meant the most to me. I had to go back, I had to do it again and after that I never stopped. So here I am, back again and ready to do this the right way.\nI pulled into Estes as the sun was rising over the lake that held the reflections of the mountains surrounding it. I bypassed Estes for the time being and made a bee-line into the park where I had a hike in mind. I decided to hike out to Emerald Lake, which is a trail that stops by a total of four alpine lakes. The final lake lay at an altitude of almost two miles above sea level, but I had my eyes on the prize and didn’t plan on stopping until I could put my feet into the cold clear emerald waters of that final lake.\nIt has been about six years since I last stepped foot in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. In many ways, my last trip to this place was the beginning of my life as a road tripper, but not quite in the way you might expect. Last time I was here all I wanted to do was leave. I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible with as few stops in between as we could manage. I was not a road tripper, not yet. But looking back on the squandered opportunities I had passed by in such a hurry to get no where made me re-evaluate my priorities and the things that meant the most to me. I had to go back, I had to do it again and after that I never stopped. So here I am, back again and ready to do this the right way.\nI pulled into Estes as the sun was rising over the lake that held the reflections of the mountains surrounding it. I bypassed Estes for the time being and made a bee-line into the park where I had a hike in mind. I decided to hike out to Emerald Lake, which is a trail that stops by a total of four alpine lakes. The final lake lay at an altitude of almost two miles above sea level, but I had my eyes on the prize and didn’t plan on stopping until I could put my feet into the cold clear emerald waters of that final lake.\nI packed everything I had (including Mama the Llama and my croissant my the Laughing Goat) and hopped on a park and ride that would take me to the first of the four lakes, the incredibly popular Bear Lake.\nBear Lake was just the tip of the iceberg as far as beauty goes for the day and its still waters made a perfectly wonderful start to the adventure ahead.\nThe path from Bear Lake lead upward into a Gorge with a glacier at its end, but everything from my point of view was all sunshine. The weather was splendid, perfectly warm but with a breeze that rustled the aspen leaves causing them to cascade gentle down from the sky onto the trail. The sky was a deep blue and you could feel the thinness of the air crisply in your lungs.\nI made my way between trees and boulders, over rocks and fallen autumn leaves, and found myself standing on what felt like the top of the world. It was enough to make my heart scream at the top of my lungs; it is a moment like this that makes you feel truly alive.\nAfter hiking with a smile from ear to ear on my face up the mountain side I arrived at the second lake of the day, Nymph Lake. Covered in lily pads and much smaller than the first, this lake definitely felt like little forest nymphs were hiding under the lily pads waiting for all of the hikers to leave before leaping from their hiding places to skip and dance across the still lake surface.\nFrom Nymph Lake the climb continued and the air was getting thinner and thinner resulting in a harder and harder ascent for me and my sea level lungs. But every gasping breath was well worth the effort because every step I took revealed an even more beautiful sight than the last.\nI repeatedly crossed over a stream that rushed by me from the third (and my personal favorite) lake of the day, Dream Lake. Just like Nymph Lake, the name accurately embodied the lake to come, it was dream-like in its natural splendor. I couldn’t help but think with every step that I took that people all over the world look at postcards or pictures of the places I have been lucky enough to step foot in and dream of someday visiting them, some with more realistic intentions of realizing these dreams than others, but still, I was there in this fairy tale place, a place of postcards and magazine covers as if it was my own backyard to play around in for the day. How lucky am I to have seen the things I have seen, to have done the things I am doing.\nDream Lake was rimmed with driftwood caught on the shores. The water was such a shocking emerald color it made me particularly dubious that the next and final lake, Emerald Lake, could possibly be closer to the color emerald than the waters of Dream Lake. Underneath the clear waters swam speckled rainbow trout that occasionally disturbed the still surface by pecking at bugs sitting on the water. The fish were everywhere, slowly drifting through the clear waters undisturbed and unafraid of the people surrounding the lake.\nI pushed on from Dream Lake knowing that the end goal was not too far off (albeit up the steepest portion of the trail yet).\nAfter befriending a young hiker ( a ten year old girl who followed me up the trail as her parents and brother lagged behind), we ascended the final portion of the trail. I felt light headed and a little faint by the end of the climb because we were almost two miles above sea level at this point and the affect was staggering. At least I had my little hiker buddy to keep me motivated and moving despite not feeling super well.\nI rounded the final corner and there it was, Emerald Lake, the fourth and final stop on the hike. The waters were indeed emerald and beautifully pristine. Some hikers had stopped to eat lunch at the lake and were being casually attacked by a horde of chipmunks who were literally crawling on the backs of the hikers to steal crumbs. One chipmunk even tried to take a bite out of Mama the Llama until I chased it away.\nThe driftwood surrounding the lake was a massive accumulation of bone white tree trunks scattered on the rocky shoreline. With some difficulty, I made my way down to the water’s edge over the boneyard of driftwood and took a break with my bare feet in the glacial waters.\nWith the finish line crossed I made a decision that made the rest of my day perfect. I decided to return to Dream Lake since it was my favorite of the day and eat my lunch there instead of Emerald Lake. It was the best decision of the day. So I hiked back down to Dream Lake and found a perfect hammock spot on a rocky out cropping into the lake and set myself up with my croissant from the Laughing Goat in Boulder and my book. It was marvelous.\nI sat there for several hours just basking in the sun and soaking in everything. It was truly glorious but I wound up getting pretty sunburned since I was so much closer to the sun up in the Rocky Mountains than normal.\nAfter I was too warm to continue resting in my hammock I packed up and descended the mountain back to the first Lake where I took the shuttle back to my car so I could continue on my journey around the park. I decided to drive the Trail Ridge Road and go up to the Alpine Visitor Center that was over two miles above sea level. I stopped a few times along the road to marvel at the Autumn colors and take views of the valleys below the towering mountains I now stood atop.\nI even managed to get photobombed by a chipmunk at the Rainbow Curve.\nAt the top where the Alpine Visitor Center sat I walked around the fragile Alpine Tundra environment that stretched across the ridge. I was above the tree line so there were only rocks and tiny shrubbery dotting the horizon line. The road going up there was slightly terrifying because there were no guard rails despite being precarious perched on a road with no shoulder and gigantic drops on either side.\nThe air was getting a little too thin for my sea level lungs though, which became my general thought of the day, and with my head swimming and seemingly floating on my shoulders, I decided it was time to return to a somewhat bearable elevation. Dropping back down to the valley I took some time to look at the colors and was rewarded with a bonus sighting, a small elk family consisting of a Bull, a doe and an adorable little baby.\nThe baby was eating while the parents were settling down to rest in the field and he was quite the photogenic little guy.\nI left them be and exited the park exhausted but satisfied. I wandered slowly on sore feet through Estes Park and stopped to get some Nepalese food outside in the warm autumn air next to the river. It was a pleasant way to end a long but wonderful day and my drive back to Boulder was filled with thoughts and images of everything I had seen and experienced in the park. I could have stayed forever, but there was always more to see and time would not wait for me, not today at least.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150926_lungs/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI woke up bright and early this morning with only one thing on my mind: hiking\nRocky Mountain National Park. I had visited the park once before but did not\nget to actually hike into the park anywhere and have always felt the need to\ngo back and redeem my lost time in the park. Today was the day I finally\nrealized that dream.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI made a quick pit stop on my way out of Boulder towards Estes Park to do the\nmost important thing I do every day… get coffee. I have heard there are many\ngreat places to grab a cup of coffee in Boulder and I decided to try out the\nLaughing Goat on Pearl Street. I enjoyed it quite a bit, the interior was cozy\nand work oriented while also being hip, modern, and welcoming. I ordered a\nVenetian Creme that was sweet and delicious. I also grabbed a croissant for a\nlater day hiking treat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sea Level Lungs"},{"content":"With the sun rising over the mountains on one side and the open horizon on the other, I drove away from Durango, my brother, and the comfort of knowability to begin my first day totally alone on the road. It is never easy saying goodbye to the ones you love, even if it is just temporary. I have loved getting to explore the city my brother now calls home with him and meet some really amazing people that he has in his life. I really feel that a part of my heart belongs to Colorado and my brother is a huge part of that feeling. So I drove away in the dark, the first light of sunrise peeking through the rugged mountain tops, knowing that I was leaving a piece of my heart behind me.\nBut the road is open, the way is long, and I have many miles to travel before I find more places to leave pieces of my heart in as I move forward.\nThe end destination for the day, Boulder, Colorado. Another Colorado city that has a lot of meaning to my family; it is where my parents met and fell in love after adventuring and working together for some time. I have visited Boulder once in the past but for a very brief time, so needless to say I am excited to get to dig deeper into what Boulder has to offer. But first, the nine hours of driving in between Durango and Boulder that I completed by myself today.\nTo leave Durango you have to go over Wolf Creek Pass, a mountain range that climbs steadily to heights of even thinner air than Durango (which was hard enough on my wimpy sea level conditioned lungs). The colors were spectacular and the river that followed along the road after the summit was wondrously beautiful.\nI took about a two hour detour to visit a National Park that I made the mistake of skipping once many years ago and refused to make the same mistake twice. Great Sand Dunes National Park is a natural wonderland of sand, mountains, and colorful trees. I can never pass by a national park, even if it is quite far out of my way. So Mama the Llama and I settled in for a long drive and went to check out the park that lays claim to the highest sand dunes in North America.\nBefore we hit the dunes though, we went and explored a small side trail that wove uphill through colorful aspens and alongside a fast moving creek. It was quite a nice spot even though it had nothing to do with the sand dunes that give the park its name.\nI hiked out from the main parking lot across trickling remants of a river and a wide expanse of flat sand to reach the base of the dunes. I must have been quite a sight to the other people out there who were decked out with walking sticks and proper hiking gear, while I was walking bare foot and in a dress. One man asked me where my high heels were as I climbed up the side of a gigantic sand dune.\nBut I didn’t mind, I was out there, I was doing it, and that was all that mattered to me. Deserts have always struck me strangely since I am not a terribly big fan of the sun or anything hot in particular, yet I have always deeply enjoyed going to desert parks. Death Valley is one of my all time favorite National Parks and here again, I found myself loving the desert sands of this entirely new national park.\nI hiked to a vantage point on a ridge of one particularly long sand dune and sat down to eat my lunch. This didn’t go as perfectly as I had imagined it as I was working my way up the ridge because I was being sand blasted the entire time. I think I ate more sand than I did sandwich. But it was a magnificent view and to watch the sand shifting under the powerful winds right before my eyes was awe inspiring. The way that the sand blows in high flying eddies feels like the entire world is vibrating and moving with exuberant life. I always have to bury my feet in the sand when I watch the world move beneath my feet because when they are buried you can feel your own pulse in your feet, but it feels like the heartbeat of the Earth beating in tune with your own.\nMama had a bit of a hard time at the park and actually took quite a tumble down a sand dune because the wind was so incredibly strong that she couldn’t stay grounded even with her feet entirely buried in the sand.\nCovered in sand, we both returned down the dunes as the wind whirled around in pirouettes. On the way down some very nice women actually let me borrow a sled to slide down one of the sand dunes, which was wonderfully exhilarating except for the tumble I took at the end. But still, it made me laugh and it made me feel alive. I waved my goodbye to the friendly group of women and Mama, PriPri and I left the Great Sand Dunes National Park receding in the rearview mirror.\nThe rest of the drive was a confusing mixture of flat nothing and bounding mountain passes covered in colorful trees . There was such an amazing array of autumn colors that I kept stopping all the time to take pictures because I was so awe-struck after rounding every corner by the new landscape that lay before me.\nI even did some off roading down a National Forest side road that provided some amazing aspen forest views.\nNo matter where I went, it was breathtakingly beautiful. I have never in my life seen sights like these and I cannot believe I am lucky enough to be able to take my time driving through all of it so I can soak it all in on my own time and at my own pace.\nThe most beautiful array of fall colors was at an overlook by Kenosha Pass. The entire mountainside was covered in a kaleidoscope of colors, like a chameleon caught between hues, the trees were somewhere between deep orange reds and fleeting green that could be completely gone tomorrow.\nAfter the astonishing natural beauty of this day of driving, I also have to throw in some kitschy weird things too; namely, a weird Coney Island hot dog stand that is shaped like a giant hot dog. Yeah, there are some pretty random and strange things to see out on the open road…\nFinally I cleared all of the mountains and descended into Denver. I didn’t stop in Denver proper, but I did take a quick trip to the Red Rock Amphitheater.\nAfter many a stop light and countless rush hour traffic jams, I made it to my hostel in Boulder where I am currently crashing and burning because I am so exhausted. It will be interesting to meet my roommates and see what sort of people they are, but I already like the hostel complex, which comes complete with a slack line yard that I am dying to try out and a wonderful river running directly through the complex. I can’t wait to see it in day light.\nMost importantly (at least to me), I did it. I made it. I completed my first solo day with no great tragedies, no misadventures, scary happenings. I was fine. If I can do one day I can do many more. This was almost like a trail for myself, I needed to prove to myself that I could actually do this, not just talk about doing it, but actually succeed in doing it. And here I am, all in one piece, a little tired, but ready for more adventure tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what adventure the newly risen sun will bring with it tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150924_rivers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWith the sun rising over the mountains on one side and the open horizon on the\nother, I drove away from Durango, my brother, and the comfort of knowability\nto begin my first day totally alone on the road. It is never easy saying\ngoodbye to the ones you love, even if it is just temporary. I have loved\ngetting to explore the city my brother now calls home with him and meet some\nreally amazing people that he has in his life. I really feel that a part of my\nheart belongs to Colorado and my brother is a huge part of that feeling. So I\ndrove away in the dark, the first light of sunrise peeking through the rugged\nmountain tops, knowing that I was leaving a piece of my heart behind me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rivers and Roads"},{"content":"It has been a long final day here in Durango that started out horribly and got better as it went along, which is normally the opposite of what happens. Normally as the day progresses it deteriorates into a nervous mess of unpacked bags, future travel plans, and unfinished business. However, this time the day began at 2am in the bathroom with food poisoning. After spending a few lovely hours wrapped around the toilet throwing up everything I had in me, I finally got a few precious hours of sleep (on the day I was supposed to be able to sleep in) only to wake up a short time later to try to start the day.\nAfter recovering somewhat and rehydrating I decided that the best remedy was a calm walk along the Animas River and some fresh air.\nMy dad and I meandered along the river next to the railroad tracks for quite some time savoring the thin crisp Colorado air that he would be leaving later in the day.\nClouds hung in the distance looming with thunder held close to its chest, ready to out pour rain on the mountains of Durango. The ominous clouds began to gather and we out ran the clouds to the airport to drop my dad off at the tiny Durango airport. It was a bittersweet moment watching him walk away behind the security screen feeling so happy that he was able to accompany me on the first leg of my long journey, but also deeply saddened that he couldn’t continue with me any farther. It was a strange moment as I walked away knowing that the next part of my journey was beginning, but this part I would have to do alone.\nNow the solo trip truly begins. I leave early in the morning for Boulder, CO where I will be staying for a few nights by myself to finish my adventure in Colorado, a state that I have come to love dearly. I am nervous, excited, and not sure what to expect in the days that lie ahead on the beginning of this truly solo adventure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150923_durango/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt has been a long final day here in Durango that started out horribly and got\nbetter as it went along, which is normally the opposite of what happens.\nNormally as the day progresses it deteriorates into a nervous mess of unpacked\nbags, future travel plans, and unfinished business. However, this time the day\nbegan at 2am in the bathroom with food poisoning. After spending a few lovely\nhours wrapped around the toilet throwing up everything I had in me, I finally\ngot a few precious hours of sleep (on the day I was supposed to be able to\nsleep in) only to wake up a short time later to try to start the day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Final Day in Durango"},{"content":"The rain against the window pane sounds like chimes in the wind; a sound I have not heard for quite some time in California where the land is dry as old bones being bleached in the sun. Soothing and persistent the rain falls here in Durango as I sit in a coffee shop called the Steam Bean in the historic downtown of Durango. The crowd has slowly multiplied as the sidewalks become drenched in water and the awnings drip continuously. I have missed this. Rain, no matter where I am, always makes me feel instantly like I am home. Maybe it is the smell of the earth that rises when the rain falls, petrichor, that rattles around in my brain like a phone call from a friend you have talked to in ages. Maybe it is the feeling of being unabashedly alive as the cold water hits your face and stings with the freshness of new life springing from dry soil. I am not sure, I have never known why or how the rain can make any place feel like home, all I know is that it does. So I sit in this cafe full of college students studying, businessmen working, women chatting of chai lattes, a woman in black making jewelry, and a group of weary backpackers joyously reunited after a month on a backcountry trail and feel like I have always been here.\nBefore the rain there was a cloudy morning out on the trail. We began our day, after Gabe finished class, with a hike up Animas City Mountain. We climbed up the switchbacks in a very different sort of setting than the previous hikes that were enveloped in the branching arms of colorful aspens. This trail was more arid with cacti, bare twisting trees growing out of boulders, and small but colorful wildflowers.\nAmongst the scenery we found a hidden gem that we almost passed by: a face in the low lying forest skillfully carved into a tree stump.\nWe then continued on along the trail and made it to the viewpoint that overlooked the entire city of Durango and the Animas River snaking out of town towards the surrounding mountains.\nWe sat on the edge of the mountain enjoying the view and reveling in the beauty that this amazing town has to afford.\nThis is my brother’s city, his home and I am so grateful that I have been able to see it through his eyes and experience the things he has grown to love about his new home. It has been almost a week since I left California and soon I will be moving on from Durango to continue on my way. I have only been here a short while and I wish it didn’t have to end, but there is still so much to see and do.\nBut for now, I am here, right here with the rain on the window even though my mind is already a thousand miles away. Being present is something I have always struggled with and now is when it means the most to be in the moment and I won’t let this experience pass me by. Here I am, I am Here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150922_face/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe rain against the window pane sounds like chimes in the wind; a sound I have\nnot heard for quite some time in California where the land is dry as old bones\nbeing bleached in the sun. Soothing and persistent the rain falls here in\nDurango as I sit in a coffee shop called the Steam Bean in the historic\ndowntown of Durango. The crowd has slowly multiplied as the sidewalks become\ndrenched in water and the awnings drip continuously. I have missed this. Rain,\nno matter where I am, always makes me feel instantly like I am home. Maybe it\nis the smell of the earth that rises when the rain falls, petrichor, that\nrattles around in my brain like a phone call from a friend you have talked to\nin ages. Maybe it is the feeling of being unabashedly alive as the cold water\nhits your face and stings with the freshness of new life springing from dry\nsoil. I am not sure, I have never known why or how the rain can make any place\nfeel like home, all I know is that it does. So I sit in this cafe full of\ncollege students studying, businessmen working, women chatting of chai lattes,\na woman in black making jewelry, and a group of weary backpackers joyously\nreunited after a month on a backcountry trail and feel like I have always been\nhere.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Face in the Forest"},{"content":"Today was a slow day of learning how to live life like a local rather than a tourist. One of the few luxuries of a road trip is taking as much time as you want to explore the places you learn to love. Durango is such a surprising town that really impressed and captivated me. Since my little brother had class today at Fort Lewis College my dad and I decided to explore the cafes in town. We worked for several hours at The Steaming Bean, an adorable cafe full of hip young 20 somethings and brick walls covered in vibrant art. I spent the time writing in my journal and on some postcards I had gathered on the way over to Colorado. It was a great chance to relax and do something normal in a new place.\nWe also wandered around the residential streets in town and found blocks lined with trees with little gnome homes built at their bases. It was charming and one of many little things that consistently surprises me about Durango.\nToday was the first time I was able to get some alone time and I took advantage of my solo time to go on a hike while my brother and dad took a bike ride together. Hiking is one of the fastest ways to the true heart of a place, especially in places like Colorado where adventure and the outdoors are the life blood of the state.\nI drove outside of Durango to the San Juan National Forest and picked up the Colorado Trail at Junction Creek. It felt great to put on my hiking boots and head out alone into the woods not knowing what I would find. The trail was framed by autumn colors and wove through a canyon next to a crystal clear river.\nI hiked to where two rivers met and found autumn at the crossroad waiting for me.\nAfter hiking for some time I made camp and sat on the river’s edge and read my book. Listening to the river running by as it cascaded over a series of small waterfalls I sat with my feet dangling over the water as rainbow trout swam underneath me.\nSitting in silence out in the woods is one of the most peaceful experiences and I treasure that time dearly. Hiking in Colorado is such a lovely (and surprisingly different) experience than hiking in California. The people in the woods are so incredibly friendly, everyone says hello and always are happy to help out with spotting cool things or sharing wise advice on the trails. The silence out in the woods or out on any trail is so much more complete than anywhere else I have ever visited except Yellowstone in the winter. Even the back country trails in California are filled with noises and people who refuse to acknowledge your existence. It is so different here and amiable, it feels like we are an unspoken community rather than individuals inhabiting the same space. It is hard not to love every second of being out on the trails in Colorado, it makes me never want to leave.\nThe only time my peace was (happily) intruded upon was when my brother and dad rolled down the same trail I was on and stopped to say hello and check out the fish swimming in the river below us.\nIt was a peaceful day and a much needed one at that to recenter everything that is important to me. When so much is in flux and changing around you it is easy to get caught in the riptide of life, and a good hike out in the forest along a river is the best remedy for reorienting yourself against the pull of the strong currents of the world.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150921_tworivers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was a slow day of learning how to live life like a local rather than a\ntourist. One of the few luxuries of a road trip is taking as much time as you\nwant to explore the places you learn to love. Durango is such a surprising\ntown that really impressed and captivated me. Since my little brother had\nclass today at Fort Lewis College my dad and I decided to explore the cafes in\ntown. We worked for several hours at The Steaming Bean, an adorable cafe full\nof hip young 20 somethings and brick walls covered in vibrant art. I spent the\ntime writing in my journal and on some postcards I had gathered on the way\nover to Colorado. It was a great chance to relax and do something normal in a\nnew place.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where Two Rivers Meet"},{"content":"Five days after being on the road we finally decided to get away and get off the main road for some back country driving. Gabe took us out to a place called Spud Lake in the mountains behind Durango.\nTrusting that our Subaru would get us through, we took to the unpaved rocky mountain road (pun somewhat intended). We drove slowly through extremely rocky terrain spotted with pot holes on a path lined with aspens. Yellow leaves falling from the tall white trees fluttered down from above like butterflies dancing in the wind, littering the roadway with the colors of autumn.\nAfter an arduous journey up this winding back country road we found a lily pad filled lake where we picked up a hiking path that led up to the mountainous lake.\nHiking through the aspen forests we found hidden messages and little surprises everywhere. My favorites were a smiley face tree and a lovely little reminder to Live, Laugh, and Love no matter where you find yourself.\nAfter hiking for about a mile we came upon the lake that filled a small basin between the surrounding mountains. The water was still, the trees changing color, and small fish biting at the surface of the lake.\nAfter going non-stop for almost a week it was about time to slow down and take a break. So I found a spot, set up the hammock, and started a new book. But I let Mama the Llama try out the view first.\nReading Kerouac’s On the Road at this point in my life is beyond applicable and I don’t think I could have found a better spot to sit back, relax, and read.\nWe stayed in this pristine spot for a couple of hours of hammocking, book reading, hiking along the lake shore, and unsuccessful fly fishing.\nBegrudgingly we left Spud Lake to return to Durango, but the best part of it all was that in either location everything was equally wonderful, albeit beautiful in different ways. Even on the short drive back we found a weird natural geyser just on the side of the highway. Yes, that is its natural, unenhanced color. It was a truly bizarre little roadside attraction and is a great example of how incredible the scenery is in Colorado.\nI have been loving Colorado and cannot believe the natural wonders that are hiding down empty dirt roads and behind curtains of aspens. There is something about seeing every car splashed with mud or covered in the red dust of off-road driving and the people here who are so friendly and welcoming. The air is full of adventure and some new exploration awaits around every bend or switchback in the road. I am just happy to get to take part in the culture of exploration and adventure that thrives in this Colorado community.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150920_lake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFive days after being on the road we finally decided to get away and get off\nthe main road for some back country driving. Gabe took us out to a place\ncalled Spud Lake in the mountains behind Durango.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrusting that our Subaru would get us through, we took to the unpaved rocky\nmountain road (pun somewhat intended). We drove slowly through extremely rocky\nterrain spotted with pot holes on a path lined with aspens. Yellow leaves\nfalling from the tall white trees fluttered down from above like butterflies\ndancing in the wind, littering the roadway with the colors of autumn.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking a Break at the Lake"},{"content":"This is my Californian confession: I have never experienced a true fall. I have never had the pleasure of being in a location that truly changes with the seasons. This is both a blessing and a curse; I have been lucky enough to live in a moderate, sunny climate for my entire life, but that also means I have never seen the trees transform into pillars of fleeting color.\nI will admit, one of the many reasons that I decided to take this trip was to travel in the fall and see the fall leaves change as I moved across the country one state at a time. Colorado is the first (hopefully of many) states to come where the once green rolling hills become a sea of vibrant yellows and oranges.\nMy desperate pursuit of fall leaves has now begun and the first thing on my mind (and my to do list) in Colorado is to hunt down some gorgeous color anywhere I can find it. I am not going to lie, I was a little disappointed that Durango itself doesn’t have much color yet so we decided to take a little tour of the mountains surrounding Durango.\nWe gave little PriPri a break from driving and jumped into my brother’s Subaru in search of fall leaves and mountain towns tucked away between towering peaks.\nAnd of course Mama the Llama came along to keep a sharp eye out for great fall colors.\nOur little mountain drive first took us to Telluride; a small but charmingly upscale ski resort town nestled in a basin amongst walls of jutting mountains.\nWe wandered around the quaint little streets that fell somewhere between an Old Western town and an affluent playground for nature lovers. Wandering around the streets and between adorable (and extremely expensive) little homes we decided a new vantage point was necessary to take in the view of fall colors that I so desperately wanted to see.\nLuckily Telluride is a ski resort with numerous ski lifts to the top of the mountains that loom over the town. We took a gondola all the way up (with me sitting wide eyed, slightly terrified, and astounded by the speed of the lift as well as the surrounding beauty) and saw a truly breathtaking view.\nBreathtaking not only because of its astonishing beauty, but also the dramatic 2,000ft elevation climb we made to get to the top.\nMama also liked the view.\nReturning down the gondola (now squished between a man who refused to take part in the experience and a burly firefighter who stepped on my toes and wedged me uncomfortably between him and the taciturn stranger) we had our last few jaunts of exploration in Telluride before continuing onward through the mountains.\nCircumventing the tremendous mountains, we arrived at our next little mountain town, Ouray.\nOuray is a mining town that has more of an old world charm than Telluride but lacks a lot of the sophistication that the previous city had. Honestly, I prefer the unpretentiousness of Ouray even though Telluride is astoundingly beautiful. Similarly nestled between peaks, Ouray actually had the most amazing fall colors surrounding it once we left the city on the extremely narrow and winding road that leads to Silverton from Ouray. While terrifying, this road held all of the beauty that my California mind had built up real fall color to be.\nI had known going into this road trip that I was probably romanticizing a little bit too much about how incredible and beautiful a real fall season would be, but today demonstrated that all my dreams were true.\nYou may be asking yourself as you look at the last photo, is that river gold? and the answer is YES. The river near Ouray is indeed that rich of a gold color because of the contaminants in the water left over from the mining down in the nearby hills. Not good for life but great for photos. Sorry mother nature, I actually benefitted from your loss in this instance, thanks for taking one for the team.\nWe got to explore some beautiful aspen groves as well. Aspens are one of my favorite types of trees so this truly was a treat for me!\nMy pictures cannot do anywhere near justice to the amazing and varied colors of the mountainsides we drove along.\nAll in all, I would declare today a successful mission. Three major scenic mountain towns knocked off the list and an incredible display of fall colors witnessed. The fall is just beginning and I cannot wait to see the transformation continue. As always, the mountains are calling and I must go, see you all tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150919_fall/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is my Californian confession: I have never experienced a true fall. I have\nnever had the pleasure of being in a location that truly changes with the\nseasons. This is both a blessing and a curse; I have been lucky enough to live\nin a moderate, sunny climate for my entire life, but that also means I have\nnever seen the trees transform into pillars of fleeting color.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI will admit, one of the many reasons that I decided to take this trip was to\ntravel in the fall and see the fall leaves change as I moved across the\ncountry one state at a time. Colorado is the first (hopefully of many) states\nto come where the once green rolling hills become a sea of vibrant yellows and\noranges.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Desperately Seeking Fall Leaves"},{"content":"I have officially become that weird person wandering around with a little llama fluff ball sticking out of my purse. I have already had numerous conversations with strangers about it; it is a great conversation starter. The first conversation I had was with some very nice janitorial staff at a rest stop who were entirely baffled by Mama the Llama. They hesitantly followed me around the rest stop as I took pictures and finally came up and asked me what in the world it was that I was holding. I told him it was a llama, which then sparked a somewhat circular conversation in which he insistently question me about whether it was a real llama or not no matter how many times I told him no, it was most definitely not a real llama. Aside from the giggles and pointing whenever I am out and about taking pictures with my lovely sidekick it has been quite a lot of fun even if it is hard to remember to always take her with me places.\nToday we left Page for Durango where I will be staying for almost a week with my little brother. I am happy to say that we made it safe and sound with little incident.\nAfter a slow morning where our tour plans for Antelope Canyon fell through and a meandering look at the ever faithful Horseshoe Bend we headed out to Monument Valley.\nWe took off from the straightforward route and fit in some adventuring time to visit this tribal park. Sitting right on the border between Utah and Arizona, this collection of monolithic rock formations of fiery red stone and sunset oranges always is a treat to stop for on a road trip.\nAt Monument Valley we took a picnic break and then I made an ill-informed decision to try to drive just a short bit of the dirt road loop around the monuments. I learned today that PriPri is in no way, large or small, an off-roading vehicle. There were a few moments on that road (which I was doing by myself since my dad had the foresight to decide not to come with me) in which I really thought my car wasn’t going to make it. I survived and so did PriPri, although the car was definitely covered in red dust for quite some time afterwards.\nFrom Monument Valley we continued on a smaller road to cut over to Colorado above four corners where we encountered some really beautiful rock bluffs that towered over the road. Driving in the shadow of these red mountains is truly a humbling experience. It makes you wonder at the thunderous sound it would make to hear the mountains crumble and it is impossible not to feel small when underneath them.\nThere is an extreme beauty in this country that constantly confounds me. The fact that I can drive on these bumpy chewed up roads across this vast nation and be so close to so many incredible natural formations and feel as if it is perfectly normal for them to be there next to me is astounding. I never feel more humbled than on a road trip, especially when I go through the Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. I cannot put into words the incredible beauty that this country has to offer and my photos cannot do it justice either.\nNow I am in Colorado, nestled between mountains in the little lively town of Durango. I will be adventuring, relaxing, and spending time with my brother here before I head out on the second part of my journey across the states that will take me to my next big stop in Northern Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150918_llama/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have officially become that weird person wandering around with a little llama\nfluff ball sticking out of my purse. I have already had numerous conversations\nwith strangers about it; it is a great conversation starter. The first\nconversation I had was with some very nice janitorial staff at a rest stop who\nwere entirely baffled by Mama the Llama. They hesitantly followed me around\nthe rest stop as I took pictures and finally came up and asked me what in the\nworld it was that I was holding. I told him it was a llama, which then sparked\na somewhat circular conversation in which he insistently question me about\nwhether it was a real llama or not no matter how many times I told him no, it\nwas most definitely not a real llama. Aside from the giggles and pointing\nwhenever I am out and about taking pictures with my lovely sidekick it has\nbeen quite a lot of fun even if it is hard to remember to always take her with\nme places.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Weird Llama Lady"},{"content":"I am already over 800 miles away from home. Today was my first full day of traveling and I had forgotten how baffling it is to suddenly be so far from everything familiar in such a short amount of time. One day and four states later, I have yet to realize that this is actually real and happening.\nCrash course description of my day: Barstow, Las Vegas, Springdale, Zion National Park, Page — California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah (and then back to Arizona again).\nTwo things I want to add in before we go any further.\nMy father has decided to come with me to visit my brother in Durango, Colorado. So he has faithfully followed me onto the open road for the first leg of the trip. Tomorrow we get to see my little brother and I am so excited! I have another travel buddy since my mom, my true travel buddy, cannot come with me: Mama, the Berkeley Llama. She will be standing in for the two main things missing in my life as I travel, my constant travel companion and my Berkeley community. While it replaces neither, it serves as a reminder of how much I need the people who mean the most in my life even when they aren’t physically with me. So I will be photographing Mama the Llama everywhere I go. The real highlights of the day (aside from my last In N’ Out Burger for the foreseeable future in Las Vegas) were in the area around Zion National Park in Utah and beyond it. Everything that preceded it was rather monotonous (because let’s face it, not everything on a road trip is fascinating and beautiful) and uneventful. However, passing over the border into Arizona changed everything and the mountains started to rise and the red rose in the stone like a fire.\nAfter weaving our way through the canyons of layered red stone we arrived outside of Zion at Springdale where we took a much needed ice cream break. Joy really was the only way to describe my state of mind.\nZion is really a beautiful place and I love visiting it, even if we only get to drive through it.\nOn the far side of the park we did get a treat, a herd of bighorn sheep grazing on the sparse shrubbery dotting the multicolored hillsides. It was a great opportunity to put my wildlife photography boots back on and start practicing my photography again.\nHe was a great model and was stunningly beautiful to watch. The texture of his horns and the color of his amber eyes were captivating. I had not realized until the moment that I was frantically running down the road in a dress with my camera equipment in one hand and my car keys in the other how much I missed the thrill of pursuing wildlife in its natural habitat.\nNow I sit in Page Arizona, mere miles away from Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon and just yards from the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell. It is a lovely gateway to so many incredible places, but still all I can think of is getting to see my little brother tomorrow. My heart is set on Colorado and I can’t wait to make it to the first major stop on my road trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150917_800miles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am already over 800 miles away from home. Today was my first full day of\ntraveling and I had forgotten how baffling it is to suddenly be so far from\neverything familiar in such a short amount of time. One day and four states\nlater, I have yet to realize that this is actually real and happening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrash course description of my day: Barstow, Las Vegas, Springdale, Zion\nNational Park, Page — California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah (and then back to\nArizona again).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The First Day: 800 Miles Away"},{"content":"One reason I have decided to resurrect my blog is to document my cross country solo road trip. Today I hit the road and won’t find myself back on the West Coast until I have climbed the mountains of Colorado, rolled in the fall leaves of Northern Michigan, put my feet to the pavement of New York City, driven nearly the entire length of the East Coast, let the Atlantic Ocean wash the dirt from my tired feet, sipped a cup of coffee at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, and driven all the way back home. In total, I should be gone for about three months. Just me, my Prius (nicknamed PriPri), vast open expanses of road, and any adventure that finds me along the way.\nThe main question I have received upon telling people this (after clarifying that yes, I do actually plan on doing this and no, I am not crazy) is WHY?\nAnd this question is not unjustified either, I have asked myself the same thing over and over again as the date of departure creeps closer and closer. I will be the first to admit it, I am terrified. I can make this trip sound so romantic, dreamy, courageous, and many other enviable traits, but the reality is that this is scary; this is going to be extremely hard. There are going to be days I will wish that I had never left home, never gotten out of my bed, never said goodbye to my parents, and never abandoned everything that made me comfortable in life. There is one thing that I know even though the trip has not yet begun: I will never regret this decision.\nI could have stayed at my job in the Bay and lived comfortably, but this is the path I have chosen. So to answer the ubiquitous question, which follows me like a shadow wherever I go, I have four things to say.\nI can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I am not living. This quote from Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has resonated in my heart like the rattle of little Oskar’s tambourine since I first read this magnificent book my first year at UC Berkeley. My bones, my body, my mind, and my spirit ache with the weight of not knowing the many paths that my life could lead me down. I plan to go to graduate school and get a doctorate and after that seek a professorship for the rest of my days. While a majority of the people I know are now desperately pursuing a lifelong career, I have found myself unwilling to tie myself to one thing. There are so many things in life I want to do and be that after graduate school I may never get to experience. So I have decided to put real life on hold and go adventure for a while. I do not want to be one thing, I want to be many and I hope to never cease changing in my life. As an English major (aka major book nerd) I have always felt that the most amazing result of reading is that the reader is able to live a thousand different lives through the novels they immerse themselves in throughout their own finite life. I have lived the lives of others both real and imaginary, some more than once, but I have yet to live my own.\nDesperately seeking self. Perhaps it is cliche to seek yourself on the open road, or perhaps there is a wisdom in this repetition that proves success. I never feel so inspired than when my wheels are spinning on the pavement and my mind is whirling with thoughts heavily lined with the experiences of yesterday. A solo road trip is obviously a lot of alone time, which both terrifies me and intrigues me with the possibilities of unformed experiences. I have to communicate with me; there is no way around it, no where to run or hide. I am an introspective and introverted person, so this isn’t exactly new to me, but lately I have found myself wrapped around the fingers of others. As time has passed and I have dedicated less time to writing and creating, I have found myself throwing all of my time into others. This is not to say I should not have done this, or that I regret doing this, but I have lost the confidence in being alone that I once had. I have shelved my purpose, my pursuits, and my identity for far too long and traveling alone allows me to be selfish in a way I have not been able to be in a long time. I want to recover the entirety of who I once was and learn how to live a life that is fully mine.\nI am a strong young women building my inner independence from the ground (or road) up. Let’s be honest, the main reason people ask me why in the world I would do this is the same reason I have to do this: I am a woman, alone, and the world isn’t always nice to solo women trying to find their place in the world. People ask me, aren’t your parents scared for you? and I can see the real question in their eyes and implied in their words, there is a lot of danger that I am courting just because I am a young woman with no one to watch my back, no one to protect me, no one to stave off the danger of cat calls, rude and greedy eyes, lecherous thoughts of strangers, and the unknown/unpredictable mishaps that could occur on the road. This, however, is the very reason I must go. Yes, I am a woman, yes I can do this on my own. I am capable, strong, independent, cautious, wise, and fear will not hold me back. I am a part of this world and I am going to take part in it. Hiding at home will never change the way the world perceives women. To think that my blog in any way will affect this though is naive and not what I am getting at. What I want this blog to do over the next couple of months is serve as an example that women can do anything. I am just one of many women who has chosen to take to the road alone and just as those women who have served as an example for me, I hope that I can help at least one other woman see that they can do it too. To help show just one person, even if that one person is myself, that it is totally worth it is all I want to achieve.\nI am an adventurer and nothing is going to stop me, not even myself. A lot of people see me as someone who is unafraid, outgoing, adventurous, and motivated. In truth, I struggle with all of these things greatly. But still, I must go. Crippled by anxiety, scared, small, often sick, and indecisive, I am horrified by things that are unknown and uncontrollable. But still, I must go. Unable to let go of control and filled to the brim with nervousness, I am unsure about everything I am about to embark on over the next few months. But still, I must go. Why? Why. why. No matter how scared, nervous, chronically in pain, or unsure I am, I am only sure that I must go. Because I am an adventurer; because the road has been calling my name since my mother first introduced me to it six years ago; because I am my own worst enemy and adversaries exist to bring out the best in us; because I am not living my life if I let my fear, anxiety, or illness win. These are the things I know. For some reason my heart picked adventure and I cannot say no, even if the rest of my being is against it. In some ways, this post is more for me than for you. I am my harshest critic, the one with the most to lose in this, but also the one with the most to gain. I guess you can say this is my manifesto, or simply a reminder for those dark days when all I want to do is give up or cry in a corner. This is my reminder that I can do this, that this is exactly what I want and need, and that no matter where I find myself, I am still me, I am still strong, and I will keep moving.\nBy the time you read this, I am already gone. Another white streak across the sky, tumbleweed rolling down the road, a stranger in a car window disappearing in the opposite direction. I will see you all again, some sooner rather than later, and hope that you will embark on this journey with me in one form or another.\nUltimately, there are a thousand reasons why I should not go and only one that underlies all of the reasons of why I should: I must. I have told myself a thousand times that I would and now it is hear and there is no backing down. So here I go, down the rabbit hole. Unsure of where it will lead me, this road is the path I have chosen; through all of the exciting loops and digressions, through all the wrong ways and misadventures, through all the new friends and unfriendly strangers, through all the beautiful sights I will see and the empty expanses of nothing, I have chosen this path and now I must follow it to its end.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150916_living/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne reason I have decided to resurrect my blog is to document my cross country\nsolo road trip. Today I hit the road and won’t find myself back on the West\nCoast until I have climbed the mountains of Colorado, rolled in the fall\nleaves of Northern Michigan, put my feet to the pavement of New York City,\ndriven nearly the entire length of the East Coast, let the Atlantic Ocean wash\nthe dirt from my tired feet, sipped a cup of coffee at Cafe Du Monde in New\nOrleans, and driven all the way back home. In total, I should be gone for\nabout three months. Just me, my Prius (nicknamed PriPri), vast open expanses\nof road, and any adventure that finds me along the way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Weight of Lives I am not Living"},{"content":"I want to begin again.\nI know I have been gone a long time now but I miss this. I miss the feeling of my fingertips pressed against keys or pushing my pencil to the barren page. I miss having a place to put my words, a place to rest my weary head stirring with mercilessly jumbled thoughts. I miss knowing that I am doing exactly what I was put on this world to do. I have found myself purposeless these last few months, maybe even the last few years of my life and I am the only one to blame.\nThousands of excuses, busy days, hectic life, reorganized priorities, and a ceaselessly transforming sense of self have created a convoluted conundrum that I have self-titled ME. Here I stand six years after I began this blog and I am ashamed of how little I have written. Over the last four years I have found many new titles for myself: UC Berkeley Student, English Major, Jew, Christian, Proud Nerd, Tutor, Employee, World Traveler, Rome Resident, Slackliner, Rugby Player, Slam Poet, Academic Honoree, and finally, UC Berkeley Graduate.\nThere are two titles that once meant the world to me that seem to have dropped from this list: Writer and Photographer. While yes, I have done both of these things over the past four years, I set them aside to see what other molds I could occupy, other worlds I could be a part of and inhabit for even a short amount of time. Those two words, writer and photographer, were my entire world and I never thought I could do or be anything else.I have found out two things over these last four years: I was both very wrong and incredibly correct. I have been a so many different things, but I don’t want to be anything else.\nMy friends who also graduated have been asking themselves and people have been asking me How have I changed in the last four years in college? I have heard a variety of responses; most respond that they have changed radically in unbelievable and unpredictable ways. Others mildly agree that they have changed, but not necessarily in a world shattering manner that leaves them aghast at how incredibly different they are now than the young freshmen walking under Sather Gate for the first time. I have pitted myself against this question several times and battled with the memories of who I was and who I am now. I have come up with a response that surprised myself: I have not changed at all.\nThis is not to say that I have not tried new things or had experiences that altered the way I view the world. What I mean by this is that I started at point A of myself, entered college and departed from point A into a million different directions and digressions that led me to very strange and unfamiliar places, which have radically affected me. However, in all of these different circles and loops off of the trajectory I had envisioned when I graduated high school, I have found that the root, the core of what made me me never changed. So, in saying that I have not changed at all, I am not declaring this a negative lack of progression or growth in character. Instead, in discovering this, I have also relearned how much those two titles meant to me because they were absent from my life for so long. I would never take back the things I tried, the hobbies I took up, and the adventures I had into the vast unknown world full of different opportunities, but I did lose an important part of myself as a result.\nI was lost in the craze of a thousand possibilities and the path that had always been so clear to me before was obscured. Like Dante, “Midway upon the journey of our life/ I found myself in a dark wood,/ For the straightforward pathway had been lost” (Canto 1, Inferno). Except I, unlike Dante, had no Virgil to guide me through the perils. But if there is one thing that I have discovered in my wanderings, it is that being lost is the best way to find yourself. Being lost is not necessarily a bad thing; for me, it did mean losing sight of the things that were most important to me, but if I had not put those pursuits on the shelf for as long as I did, I never would have known just how much I needed and loved them. It was only when I found myself lost and without my purpose that I was able to understand just how essential writing was to my entire existence. Writing and digital storytelling through my photography truly is my purpose above all else in the world, without it I am not really me. This is what I have found.\nSo here I stand, wholly changed, yet exactly the same and ready to begin again.\nWelcome back to my strange little world; walk with me, talk with me, cry with me, and learn how to live again with me on this unexpected journey. I am ready to claw my way back to the roots of my being and strip away the atrophied muscles of my mind in order to find the words that have been buzzing in my brain, dormant but living, for the last four years.\nJoin me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2015/20150914_beginning/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI want to begin again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know I have been gone a long time now but I miss this. I miss the feeling of\nmy fingertips pressed against keys or pushing my pencil to the barren page. I\nmiss having a place to put my words, a place to rest my weary head stirring\nwith mercilessly jumbled thoughts. I miss knowing that I am doing exactly what\nI was put on this world to do. I have found myself purposeless these last few\nmonths, maybe even the last few years of my life and I am the only one to\nblame.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Back to the Beginning"},{"content":"My final day in London was filled with some of my favorite things that I had purposefully saved for last because I had been looking forward to them the most. The first of these things was actually going inside of the Westminster Abbey. I had been inadvertently circling this famous monument since I had first stepped foot in London, but despite being a constant in my time in London, I did not know what sort of treasures lay within the Gothic spires and flying buttresses of this impressive edifice.\nInside the Abbey I wasn’t actually supposed to take any photos so I only have a few secret photos of this incredible place. I spent hours slowly wandering up and down the aisles of this unbelievably beautiful building. Listening to my free audio guide, I took as much time as I wanted without a worry in the world, letting myself be wholly consumed by what was presently before me.\nEach stain glass window, every statue protruding from the towering ceilings, every arched hallway stretching like the arms of a cross, the intricate carvings that covered seemingly every surface. It was easily worth the ridiculous cost of entry because it was up in the top of my favorite churchs, which is saying a lot after becoming a cathedral snob due to Rome’s over abundance of incredible churches.\nEven from within the Abbey you could see the spires of Parliament peaking around the intricate rooftops of the Westminster. It was a pretty magical place on its own, but coupled with its amazing neighbors, it was truly phenomenal.\nBut the interior was the real show stopper. I wish I could have taken more, and better pictures of it, but it was definitely one of my favorite things in London. The Poet’s Corner, not pictured here, was a wonderful treat for me to see all the stone tablets commemorating so many incredibly talented writers that I have been reading for years. To stand amongst their names, circled in their words, portraits, and often times their very graves, was an unforgettable experience. Chaucer, Dickens, Dryden, Hardy, Kipling, and Tennyson lay buried at my feet, and memorials to Milton, Shakespeare, Blake, Austen, the Bronte sisters, Coleridge, Keats, C.S. Lewis, and many other world changing poets and writers surrounding me. To stand in this hallowed place as a writer and English Major was mind blowing, to be surrounded with such ineffable talent was a dream come true.\nBut back out in the world of the living, I had a whole day of wandering and things that I had not yet experienced in London that I knew I had to see before I went on my way to my next leg of the journey.\nCrossing the London Bridge I came to my next, and shamelessly one of the most exciting things for me besides the Poets Corner, The Borough Market because everyone knows how much of a nut I am for markets of any and every sort.\nI started my market experience with a little lunch at what seemed to be a very popular outdoor assembly line of awesome food.\nI opted for the Catalan Stew, consisting of an amazing Paella cooked in an insanely huge wok type pan.\nThe Paella was then topped with the stew, which was a spiced blend of vegetables and meatballs simmered in yet another ridiculously large pot.\nAll mixed together it was a fantastic lunch that I ate under the shadow of a church while rain began to softly fall.\nWhen the rain became to much for me I wandered into the actual market under the covered safety of a bridge with a green underbelly of iron. There were so many stands full of so much amazing food, I couldn’t even begin to take pictures of it all let alone eat it all, and believe me, I did try.\nWeaving between the stands, the smokey wisps of cooking food, and fresh produced piled high, I was entirely mesmerized by this wonderland of food.\nI tried a lot of different things, dumplings, Turkish delight, chili, cheese, olives, and even an incredible gluten free almond croissant that blew my mind and my taste buds.\nI spent a long time wandering the market, even ducking into an old pub hiding under the bridge called the Globe from the 1800’s, before begrudgingly leaving with a stomach full of delicious food.\nMy next stop was the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, two iconic images of London that I had yet to see.\nWalking around the Tower of London in a soft drizzle, it was an intriguing structure to behold. This historic palace and fortress seemed almost hilariously out of place with the modern surroundings that stood tall around it.\nIt was definitely a strange juxtaposition between the old and the new, a juxtaposition I had grown accustomed to during my time in Europe because this seems to be present in almost every major European city I have yet traveled to, which I suppose isn’t saying a lot looking at my travel history, but still, an intriguing motif no doubt.\nComing around the Tower of London on the side along the Thames, the wind picked up, so freezing my butt off I continued along the huge river towards the Tower Bridge, which is an incredible lift bridge with wonderful architectural features.\nI really enjoyed the bridge and walking across it slowly, looking back over the city that I had explored for several days, it felt right to end my time there in that way.\nIt had been a wonderful experience, so leaving on the commuter train for Wallington was a sad feeling, and the ride home gave me a good while to consider all of the incredible things I had seen over the span of my time in England. With only one day left in England before continuing on to the Netherlands, I was well pleased to watch the sun descend over London one last time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140808_london/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy final day in London was filled with some of my favorite things that I had\npurposefully saved for last because I had been looking forward to them the\nmost. The first of these things was actually going inside of the Westminster\nAbbey. I had been inadvertently circling this famous monument since I had\nfirst stepped foot in London, but despite being a constant in my time in\nLondon, I did not know what sort of treasures lay within the Gothic spires and\nflying buttresses of this impressive edifice.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Last Day in London"},{"content":"The day after I returned from York, I took a day trip to Oxford with my gracious host Gavin who was an alumnus and wanted to show me around this world famous university. On a rainy day, interrupted sporadically with moments of blue sky forcing their way through the stubborn rain clouds, we took in the sights of this little city with such a big name.\nWandering around every building it was easy to see why this was such a prestigous school with its impressive architecture, incredible location in the adorable town of Oxford, and I am sure the academics are insane but I sadly didn’t get to see any examples of that since a majority of the colleges where closed due to examinations.\nI was pretty disappointed that I didn’t get to see the inside of Oxford’s incredible libraries that I had always dreamed of visiting, but I was still very glad to see what I could.\nEverything in Oxford seemed like some wonderfully ancient relic of mankind. The architecture was mind blowing and we got to see a couple of cool things like this old illuminated Bible.\nI loved the colors of the pale buildings that surrounded the university buildings. The mixture of the architecture that was so striking in the colleges contrasted with the short, and rather plain but well colored normal houses made the town just a little bit more endearing to me.\nWe also got to wander around an adorable market with twinkle lights and red paint covering everything except for the white trim and the hanging lanterns.\nAfter taking a short break in a pub for lunch, we thought we had escaped the rain, but once we left were immediately drenched in a fierce downpour that continued for a majority of our short stay in the town.\nWe dashed between chapels and colleges hiding as much as we could from the torrential downpour that seems so characteristic of England, which I had up until this point been spared form during my time in England.\nThe chapels where unbelievable, with their huge organs and impressive interiors.\nEverything was straight out of a movie it seemed (probably Harry Potter if I am not mistaken) and how fairytale-like it all was.\nIt was hard for me to look at everything and think that it was a real school, where real people go to get an incredible education. It was just so otherworldly feeling and different than anything I had ever personally experienced back in the States. It was hard for me to wrap my brain around the idea of actually going to school in a place that truly belonged in a storybook.\nWe spent the whole day just wandering as I usually do when I visit a new place and I was just so grateful to get to see another wonderful town in England.\nMagdalene college was probably my favorite with a wonderful courtyard and it’s back facing the deer park where deer roamed behind fences and a river that ran through oxford.\nThe sun finally broke through for a brief moment lighting all of the buildings and the beautiful flowers even as the sky grew darker and darker with the same old rain clouds that had been following us all day.\nI really loved the river and the little colorful boats that people used to peruse down its watery ways.\nWith increasingly dark clouds warning us to part ways, we left Oxford behind, soaked through, but so glad I got to see what an English University looks like, because who knows, maybe I will return to take classes there some day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140806_oxford/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe day after I returned from York, I took a day trip to Oxford with my\ngracious host Gavin who was an alumnus and wanted to show me around this world\nfamous university. On a rainy day, interrupted sporadically with moments of\nblue sky forcing their way through the stubborn rain clouds, we took in the\nsights of this little city with such a big name.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140806_oxford/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWandering around every building it was easy to see why this was such a\nprestigous school with its impressive architecture, incredible location in the\nadorable town of Oxford, and I am sure the academics are insane but I sadly\ndidn’t get to see any examples of that since a majority of the colleges where\nclosed due to examinations.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Oxford"},{"content":"\nThe entirety of a day lay before me, the whole of a city yet to be explored was my wondrous opportunity, so with feet to the cobblestones that lined these streets I set out to conquer every avenue in York.\nThe town was wondrously fairytale-like with banners of flags draped across courtyards bringing color to the old buildings that appeared on every street corner.\nI felt like no matter where I wandered there was some mysterious building calling my attention away. With no object except exploration in mind, there is so much to discover in a place such as York because everything is new, yet old at the same time. I think in some small way I loved York deeply because it made me feel like how I felt while in Rome; like anything was possible in a world caught between the old and the new of infinite wonders.\nAfter a small jaunt of aimless wandering I made my way to the Museum Garden Park, which is a wonderful little area along the river that is lined with museums, flowers, and ruins standing tall and monolithically pervading over all who passed in the shadow it cast on the green lawns. There were people everywhere lounging laughing, and soaking up the good weather cast down by the sun’s rays.\nI spent a while walking around the ruins, looking into ancient fortress walls and towers left behind by the mercy of time.\nWhen I returned to the main part of the park area I was surprised to see a birds of prey exhibit, which meant that there was a tent where a bunch of huge birds and small ones where on display.\nThis little guy was probably my favorite, he had a lot of energy and wanted nothing to do with his perch.\nThe owl was the funniest and I actually got to hold him, which was really incredible yet scary because he was not exactly pleased to be so surrounded by people.\nHe was very vocal as well, constantly screeching and reeling his head around to stare down some innocent passerby.\nThis little one with the big dark eyes was absolutely silent, he watched quietly all of the people without the slightest sound as his loud companion, the great horned owl squawked up a storm.\nAfter enjoying the birds, I returned to the famous walls of York to take a walk around the city to observe the center from the outside.\nIt seemed like from almost every angle on the wall you could see the impressive spires of York Minster peeking out from behind brick buildings or through tree branches covered in small blossoms.\nI loved every little street or alley way I wandered down, everything was so incredibly quaint.\nI got to see some of the most historical places in York aside from its ancient walls, like these white houses below which are the oldest buildings in York.\nAlso an incredible old church with box style pews and crooked floors where the dead where buried under each slab of stone.\nAfter getting to see all of these sights I stopped for a quick lunch break and got my first taste of fish n’ chips at a lovely little place with the biggest portions ever.\nWith a trough like box full of fries and fried fish I sat in a cute courtyard surrounded by little ice cream vendors with a direct line of sight to York Minster looming in the distance.\nNext on my agenda were the famous York Shambles, a small area with crooked leaning houses looming over a cobblestone street lined with adorable shops. But while taking a short break, wherein I talked randomly with an elderly woman about her garden and her children, I got to take in the sights of the market just outside of the shambles.\nThe Shambles where like every picture in a story book of England I had ever seen before, and they were maybe my favorite thing in York.\nIt was a small street, but I wandered up and down it again feeling like I was strolling through a story book trying to understand when exactly my life became a fairy tale. It is a strange thing to realize that suddenly you are leading a life that is everything you had hoped it would be, but you still cannot really believe that life truly belongs to you.\nAfter my breath taking time in the Shambles I returned to the garden area to see that the birds of prey were now released from their perches and where casually hopping around on the grass freely. There was a exhibit going on where the bird keepers where showing off the skills of the birds and it was pretty fun to watch, like the low flying skill of the Great Horned Owl.\nOr the diving and swooping of an Arizona Kestrel Hawk snatching food from the keeper’s hand in a flash of feathers.\nThe rest of my time in York was spent wandering up and down every street that I could find, weaving my way across the fabric of this wonderful little place.\nFinally I made my way to my last stop of the day, York Minster, the towering cathedral that is the most impressive sight in York aside from its walls.\nI had decided to go to an evening song service, so instead of going inside I marvel at the exterior and then decided to get some afternoon tea to kill time until the service.\nI stopped to get some good ol’ tea and scones with clotted cream and jam since I had already had the classic fish n’ chips I figured why not go for all of the english classics? The waiter was super nice and I stayed in the tea shop for about an hour and a half just savoring the peacefulness of tea and the view of the Minster right outside of the window lined with colorful flowers.\nWhen the time came I left behind my new friends at the tea shop and went to the cathedral for service.\nThe inside was massively impressive but I wasn’t really supposed to take pictures because I hadn’t paid to get in since I was attending a service which is free. There was a majestic beauty in the immense stain glass and the high arching stone of the interior that matched the exterior I had been marveling at all day from afar.\nThe service was beautiful and the surroundings unbelievable, I was sad to have to leave by the end.\nThe bells of the church, the song of the choir still ringing in my ears as I boarded my train back to my temporary home outside of London was a perfect way to conclude my time in York. The entire train ride back I marveled at how incredibly lucky I am to be able to see the things I saw. The sun descended behind the train as we rocketed homeward, closing the final light on my adventure to York, but as I closed my eyes that night back in my bed, I knew it only meant there would be a new adventure tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140805_york/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140805_york/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe entirety of a day lay before me, the whole of a city yet to be explored was\nmy wondrous opportunity, so with feet to the cobblestones that lined these\nstreets I set out to conquer every avenue in York.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140805_york/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe town was wondrously fairytale-like with banners of flags draped across\ncourtyards bringing color to the old buildings that appeared on every street\ncorner.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140805_york/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI felt like no matter where I wandered there was some mysterious building\ncalling my attention away. With no object except exploration in mind, there is\nso much to discover in a place such as York because everything is new, yet old\nat the same time. I think in some small way I loved York deeply because it\nmade me feel like how I felt while in Rome; like anything was possible in a\nworld caught between the old and the new of infinite wonders.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"York: Part Two"},{"content":"I am writing from my home away from home in Upper Michigan where I will be for the next two weeks and I thought everyone deserved a little update. I finished my adventures in Rome almost two months ago, and my adventures in Europe just a few weeks ago. I have bounced between places, rooting and uprooting myself from everywhere I went, not realizing how deep my own roots had grown, and how hard it got each successive time to find a way to dislodge myself without damage. Whenever I travel I try to get to know a place, which makes it all the harder to leave in the end.\nI am a deep rooted person and because of that, every time I drag myself from the bottom out to a new place, I know that there is always something I leave behind of myself. It makes travel somewhat painful, but it also makes it so much more beautiful. To feel the pain of missing something is a discomfort I have come to enjoy in my travels because it means I cared enough, felt deep enough, about a place or the people in it to truly miss it when it is gone. I choose to cherish the fact that I was able to build these strong connections instead of dwelling on the pain of missing them.\nI have come to understand now that the older we grow, the more homes we accumulate. As little children collect doll houses, which they fill with all the pieces they think makes up a house and home, I have seen people as they grow older collect homes. However, instead of physical houses gathering dust in the corner, I have found that certain places leave images of themselves behind in my heart that cannot be uprooted, no matter how hard I try. I am 21 years old, I have collected four homes so far in my life:\nSanta Cruz, California: My first and everlasting home filled with the sound of wind blowing through trees and waves crashing on the beach. Filled with childhood memories of me and my family. If you put your ear close to my heart, you can hear Santa Cruz continually ringing like a conch shell murmuring of the ocean it once belonged to.\nBootjack, Michigan: A home the color of crystal water, and sunsets like none I have ever seen elsewhere. It rings like thunder rolling deep across the lake as rain hangs like a curtain over the things I love. It is filled with my most cherished family memories that have made my heart so full of family I could never let them go. The welcome mat in front of my home reads out to all who peer inside my heart, Just Another Beautiful Day in Bootjack.\nBerkeley, California: This home is filled to the walls with books, ones I both love and hate. The walls are covered in words of the things I have collected from professors, peers, and some life long friends. This home is ever changing as I enter my final year of physically living here, but this place houses all of my wisdom, my hard work and dedication. It is in this home I have watched dreams become reality.\nRome, Italy: My newest home full of memories like a live-wire bringing new things to life in me. A home the color of perpetual dawn like the buildings painted to never loose the colors of each wonderful day. A home filled with reconstructed ruins, where rubble is the remnant and reminder of how grand life can be. A home that stole my heart quite forcefully, rooting deep and fast making it the most painful to leave.\nAll of this to say, I have been bouncing between all four of these homes for the last couple of months, leaving Rome to return to Santa Cruz, leaving Santa Cruz to see Berkeley, and Leaving Santa Cruz again to come where I am now, my home away from home in Michigan. I hope to share some memories and experiences of my most current home as I have been doing for my others so recently.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140705_home/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am writing from my home away from home in Upper Michigan where I will be for the next two weeks and I thought everyone deserved a little update. I finished my adventures in Rome almost two months ago, and my adventures in Europe just a few weeks ago. I have bounced between places, rooting and uprooting myself from everywhere I went, not realizing how deep my own roots had grown, and how hard it got each successive time to find a way to dislodge myself without damage. Whenever I travel I try to get to know a place, which makes it all the harder to leave in the end.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Home Away From Home"},{"content":"While in England I took a series of day trips to spread my knowledge’s reach to other parts of England beyond London. Branching out on the train lines I set out to adventure in England beginning with York where I stayed for two glorious days. With just my purse and my camera packed away I trekked across London to the King’s Cross Station, which is a big impressive station, next to the even bigger and more impressive station in my opinion, the St. Pancras Station. I had a bit of a long wait for my train so in the meanwhile I explored the area surrounding the station, and even watched a Lays commercial being made with a blind taste test where people kept burning their mouths on hot food.\nThen I explored the interior of the station and realized that King’s Cross has Harry Potter’s Platform nine and three quarters and in the actual station they have this whole elaborate set up now for tourists looking to follow the Harry Potter things in London. It was a baggage cart cut in half next to wall with even an owl stuffed animal on it, and people had lined up, zigzagging through the station to take a photo with it pretending to be going through the wall. Not being a huge Harry Potter fan and finding the fanaticism funny, I sat on a nearby staircase watching the insane antics knowing if I had been with my friends we would have been one of those groups waiting in line since all of my friends are pretty die hard when it comes to Harry Potter. So I sat back and watched, laughing for almost an hour, watching the line snake its way forward endlessly.\nFinally my train arrived and I was really surprised by how nice the trains where, especially after having used Trenitalia all semester in Italy which is pretty bare bones on the regional trains. The seats where plush and each one either had a chess/checkers table or a monopoly table for playing games. I had a really nice seat all to myself and a nice big window to watch the countryside roll by.\nThe two hour ride from London to York was wonderful, we essentially crossed all of England, almost to Scotland and the countryside was beautiful. Rolling hills of mustard grass and buttercups coloring the hills like a sea of yellow. Cows and cute towns speckled the landscape, the occasional river and undulating little hills with the fields of cows or sheep passing by the speeding train. I loved the ride and was almost sad when it ended, but even more excited to see what York had to behold.\nI rather liked the little train station and once outside in the sunny, slightly muggy air I made directly for one of the towns most famous aspects, the ancient walls that still enclose the city.\nI have thus far neglected to mention an important part of this little solo adventure to York, the fact that I was couch surfing with a total stranger. My housing for York fell through and I had to last minute find random housing and a 66 year old woman named Heather was kind enough to accommodate me. This was the first time I had ever done this and I was a little worried. But I had a few hours to kill my first day in York before I was supposed to meet her at the house. So I began with the wall.\nThe wall that runs almost entirely around the city of York is an artifact of ancient times, the preservation of the old city’s fortress walls. Almost entirely intact, today you can go around the city on the winding dragon spine of this town to take in its sights. I got onto the wall and could see York Minster in the background and I started making my way along the wall to see what there was to see. At the end of my first section of wall that dipped at a bridge crossing a river leading to what I assume once was an old guard tower tucked away by the riverside.\nMuch to my surprise I discovered that this little turret tower was in fact an adorable coffee shop. I knew I had to go in and see what a tower coffee shop looked like, but first I made a stop by the river to look at all the baby geese wandering everywhere in the town.\n(Notice in the background of this shop, the super pissed off goose ready to chase me off)\nI climbed the stairs to the tower and looked inside to see wooden beams crossing the ceiling and couches filling every inch of the room that wasn’t taken up by the counter. It was really extremely cute, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend my money just yet having just arrived maybe 10 minutes previous to this point in time. However, I wasn’t given much choice by a nice, but bluntly gruff man sitting in the corner whom, upon seeing me standing, gawking in the doorway, hollered at me to step in and get something to drink instead of just staring. He was a hilariously caustic man I came to known was called Shawn. Little did I know that him calling me into the coffee shop against my will and my wallet’s desires would lead to one of my favorite experiences of my entire month of travel after my program.\nI shyly shuffled in and still a little cautious of the man who had called me in who was now muttering over his computer, I ordered coffee from the very kind barista. After I ordered I figured I could take a few pictures, so I asked permission first and the man in the corner, Shawn once again pipped in saying he would be very glad to model in the corner. And as I was taking pictures another traveler such as myself wandered in behind me and seeing me taking photos, jumped into my shot just like this. Didn’t have any idea who he was, but I deeply loved the photo.\nSo laughing I sat down with my delicious coffee and began talking with everyone there, observing the barista and Shawn who obviously where friends ad kept poking fun at each other; Shawn caustically muttering and the barista calling him a grouch and an old man because of his bad behavior. And I got to talking with Ben, the traveler who, like me had just hopped of the train, and we wound up sitting and talking for about 2 or 3 hours. It was a marvelous time, laughing at Shawn bashing every city in England besides York to prove that York was clearly the best city in the UK and the barista teasing him about him just being a silly grumpy person with impossible standards. Ben told me he was traveling from Scotland to meet up with his grandmother whom he loved very much so the two of them could travel together in the UK. I told him all about Italy and the cultural curiosities of the country that most people wouldn’t know. The entire time, any time I would say something he liked he would stop and hunched over his little notebook would write anything he liked that I said in his little journal for later so he could remember the things I said. It was invigorating to have a conversation with a total stranger and realize that my words mean something to him; that even though he would probably forget my name, my words remained in that little black book to be viewed again.\nI was very sad when he realized he was late for his train and ran off, neither of us realizing the time that had passed while we were talking. He ran off, and I didn’t even know his last name at the end, it was a saddening end to a wonderful encounter, but my entire time in that coffee shop was so up lifting and had me believing so thoroughly in the goodness of total strangers that when I got back to the wall I was grinning from ear to ear with the possibilities of human interaction, which, coming from an introvert, is not a phrase I say often. I was just so happy and felt so rejuvenated that I wandered down the wall in total awe of people and a new hope for humanity blooming in my heart.\nI walked all the way around the wall, enjoying the views, the flowers, and the warm summer air.\nI got off the wall to go to another ancient site in York, Clifford’s Tower, a lone little circular tower perched high atop a hill overlooking the city. I walked through a field of geese and their little babies just to get to it.\nThe tower was very interesting and from there, with more time to wander, I decided to just weave my way through the backstreets of the city to see what there was to discover.\nI found purple doors, with fox door knockers, old churches knee deep in buttercups and dandelions, ancient cemeteries in older churchyards, and crooked streets leading me to crooked buildings.\nPast convents with shining stain glass windows, flowers blooming a deep crimson, old english buildings and back to the river again to hang my feet above the water with a beer in hand.\nI took a short break on the water after an interesting encounter over taking pictures of geese that went a little something like this: I was taking pictures of some adorable baby geese, and realized there was an elderly gentleman also taking pictures of them. I thought it was a nice moment to share together, we made eye contact and I opened my mouth to affirm what I thought we both were thinking, how adorable are these baby geese?, when he looked at me, also about to speak but before I could say what I thought he was going to, he just looks at me and whispers, DINNER. I was so deeply shocked at how wrong I had read the situation that I just started laughing and couldn’t stop until he had left.\nAfter that encounter, it was time to meet my host for the night, who riding up on a bicycle with bunting covering the straw basket, didn’t even stop before asking me, Do you want to come bird watching in an old Victorian cemetery with me tonight at sunset?\nWho says no to that? Easily one of the strangest experiences of my trip, I ran/walked next to her for about thirty minutes outside of York while she rode her bike until we reached the cemetery.\nThe cemetery was entirely overgrown, a glowing green radiance summoned from the depth of these vine covered graves and deep rooted behemoth trees with branches reaching out like arms to encompass the entire cemetery like a mother raven pulling her children tightly underneath her broad wings. It was beautiful, quiet, peaceful, and despite it being a cemetery was a place full of life and solemn solitude.\nThe birdwatching itself was kind of a bust with a majority of the group entirely fine with examining the calls of black birds, desperately craning their necks and squinting their eyes to make out a pigeon in the distance, but the surroundings where astounding and I was very glad I went and got to experience his oddity.\nAfter leaving the cemetery at dusk and run/walking back into York I broke off again from my kind host and decided to go wander around York at night to maximize my day and time for exploration.\nAfter again sitting on the banks of the river with my feet dangling above the black starry water with a cider in hand, I finally headed home on the crooked cobblestone streets.\nWhile on my journey back to the house, I saw something crossing the street, at first I thought it was a really weird looking rat because I could only see its outline in the dark and its strange waddling stride. I thought it was the strangest looking rat I had ever seen, I mean it didn’t even have a tail, when to my surprise as I wandered closer I realized it was a wild hedgehog. I have always wanted to see one and nearly lost my mind when I realized I had encountered one in the wilderness of York’s streets.\nAfter doing a little dance of celebration in the street at my luck, I made sure to take a few pictures and then leave the creature to its night wanderings.\nI went back to the house grinning once again from ear to ear as I had done when leaving the coffee shop that same morning. My host was gracious enough to give me my own room in the attic of her terrace home. It was adorable, but felt a little haunted or something at night, but still adorable.\nSo after talking with my host about art, wildlife, her work, my travels, and a huge array of random topics over English tea, we both retired to bed after a long but fulfilling day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140630_york/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile in England I took a series of day trips to spread my knowledge’s reach to\nother parts of England beyond London. Branching out on the train lines I set\nout to adventure in England beginning with York where I stayed for two\nglorious days. With just my purse and my camera packed away I trekked across\nLondon to the King’s Cross Station, which is a big impressive station, next to\nthe even bigger and more impressive station in my opinion, the St. Pancras\nStation. I had a bit of a long wait for my train so in the meanwhile I\nexplored the area surrounding the station, and even watched a Lays commercial\nbeing made with a blind taste test where people kept burning their mouths on\nhot food.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"York: Hope for Humanity and Hedgehogs"},{"content":"The novelty of a double-decker bus as a regular form of transportation in London was just one of many things that made me really enjoy exploring this world city. Hopping off the train in the morning and getting on a red double decker bus I would always hurry to the second level to secure one of the highly praised ad sought after front seats with the big window looking out over the streets directly in front of it. To see the surrounding sights of London from an elevated viewpoint gives one a sense of power yet separation from the surroundings, making it somewhat of an alien way to experience a new city, but in the best way possible. So camera in hand and my face close to the window in the front seat on top of the bus I watched as London slowly passed me by with a huge smile on my face and my eyes wide open to take in everything I possibly could. I even purposely took a longer route that would wind its way all the way through Westminster into the City of London so I could see everything from my royal seat atop the mighty double decker bus.\nI went into the City of London, now the financial district to meet Emily, my father’s cousin who, along with her husband where kind enough to house me during my adventures, so that we could have lunch together on her lunch break in Spitalfields. First I made a quick stop in the Leadenhall Market that has been featured in the Harry Potter movies and when I visited I could see clearly why. Despite its small size it was really wonderful to behold. Wandering with my face up turned looking at the hanging flags, colorful banners, and glass ceilings stretching like long arms of a cross above the hallways of the market.\nShops to shoe shiners, it was a great little place filled with all sorts of business types making it a fun place to see and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\nI walked from LeadenHall Market to Spitalfields near where Emily works but on the way took a quick peek at a beautiful train station, the Liverpool Street Station that was a wonderful mixture of old brick buildings housing the modern train station as well as being surrounded by some of the most iconic modern architecture there is in London. Hidden amongst glass faced skyscrapers, it was an interesting juxtaposition.\nAfter lunch Emily showed me around the Old Spitalfields Market area that was really interesting and full of people selling all sorts of knick knacks.\nLeaving Spitalfields and Emily to return to her lovely place of work I wandered around and decided to return to St. Paul’s Cathedral and from there go to the South Bank and wander along the river. I made sure to enjoy every street that I wandered down on my way to St. Paul’s.\nIt was interesting to lay in a nice little field below St. Paul’s and look up at its large dome, thinking of St. Peter’s in Rome, remembering how just a few short weeks prior (that felt like years ago,) that very similar dome had been my beacon signaling me home any where in the eternal city of Rome. I could stand anywhere in Rome and look for the dome of St. Peter’s and know, if I could see the Vatican, I could see home only a few short blocks from it; knowing if it was in sight, I was never far from home. To lay by the way side of St. Paul’s, a beautiful mirage of my now distant home, and think that the dome of St. Peter’s will always mean home to me, even though I will never again be able to look at my wonderful little apartment on Via Cola di Rienzo and call it mine. It was a sad realization, realizing your home is no longer your own, realizing the place that became my safe haven when the noise and clutter of Rome became to much is no longer a place I can return to. I miss Rome dearly, even amidst the splendor of exploration and world travel, I sat in that field knowing, no other city I would encounter could ever be what Rome now is to me. But that will never impede my ability to deeply appreciate the places I visit and the things I see, but it makes it plainly apparent the difference of being a traveler adrift in the endless sea of wonders this world has to offer, and the anchored resident trying to fight the current that tries to whisk you away because you know how important this place is to you now, knowing that if you don’t fight to stay, you will never know what it was to fight for a place you love.\nAfter letting that realization sink into my heart, I continued on, letting the current of all things new whisk me away from St. Paul’s and the memories of St. Peter’s out onto the very interesting and very modern Millennium Bridge. The dome of St. Paul’s present, but diminishing in the distance as I walked farther and farther out over the bridge surrounded by the metal wings of its structure above the Thames River, cloudy and dark below.\nContinually looking back over my shoulder to take in the view of London as I traveled closer and closer to the South Bank, taking the occasional look out over the river to the surrounding structures, I stood between the two sides of a magnificent city.\nOn the other side the entire vibe changed, there were musicians playing by the riverside, young people lounging, tanning on green fields below towering museum buildings, and various street performers including a woman dressed in a maids outfit (and not looking particularly happy about it) serving tea on little carts, a trumpet player who teamed up with a Charlie Chaplain look a like, and some break dancers.\nI really loved the South Bank of London and walking along it back towards Westminster, I walked the entire Queen’s Walk, a nice pathway along the river that weaves through tons of museums, wharves, food stalls, and even a skatepark. It was a place so full of relaxed joy and happy activity taking place all around me, it was hard not to walk along the path smiling ear to ear.\nPast old boats anchored for eternity, clock towers leaning over wharves, and many a person reading scenically (which I deeply enjoyed and eventually took part in myself) I wandered down the Queen’s Walk feeling like a princess. These two readers where my favorite, the girl perched above the Queen’s Walk sign reading a red book that she had just begun and the man all in white, leaning casually on the banister with all of the City of London in the background.\nIt was a warm beautiful day which made everything even nicer and more pleasant. I wandered into a side courtyard full of adorable shops and restaurants that made me want to stop in every single one and buy something, but instead I settled with some pictures.\nAfter the food stalls and cute restaurants I found the skate park and a little book market where I bought the tiniest copy of Milton I have ever seen, maybe 3 inches tall because when is it more appropriate to buy a book of Milton’s works than in England… especially when it is tiny.\nFinally rounding the corner into Jubilee Park I began to see the super iconic images of London, but this time from the other side. The London Eye, Big Ben, and the Parliament building looming across the river with the sun shining bright behind it, casting the structures’ shadows across the bridge and water. There was even some sort of carnival going on in Jubilee Park that seemed fun but was packed with people so I moved on quietly, enjoying the peace of the river for the clutter of the festival.\nI crossed the river again over Westminster Bridge back to the territory I had tread the previous day, but not after first taking my fair share of pictures.\nI made sure to go back and take a few more pictures of Westminster Abbey as the sun started to descend casting the sky in a deep shade of blue.\nI concluded my day with another scenic bus ride to a tiny little alley way with an adjoining courtyard that I had heard about called Neal’s Yard. Seeing pictures of it online I had to go find it. It was a little difficult because I didn’t know its exact location and didn’t have an iphone to look it up on, so after wandering down as many alleyways I could find, I finally found it and was not disappointed.\nIt was really quite small but full of so much color and life that it was totally worth it. filled with adorable little restaurants and people sitting under the japanese maple trees drinking wine, smoking, and laughing together. The people there seemed just as colorful and full of life as the walls reaching upward around them.\nSoaking in the color in the fading light as I had soaked up the sun during my wonderful wanderings on the Queen’s Walk I concluded my second day in London and wearily, but happily returned to the station to catch my train home after another tiring day on my sore feet. But the soreness meant nothing knowing that my feet had tread on stones previously unturned in places all over Europe that I had always hoped to visit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140625_queen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe novelty of a double-decker bus as a regular form of transportation in\nLondon was just one of many things that made me really enjoy exploring this\nworld city. Hopping off the train in the morning and getting on a red double\ndecker bus I would always hurry to the second level to secure one of the\nhighly praised ad sought after front seats with the big window looking out\nover the streets directly in front of it. To see the surrounding sights of\nLondon from an elevated viewpoint gives one a sense of power yet separation\nfrom the surroundings, making it somewhat of an alien way to experience a new\ncity, but in the best way possible. So camera in hand and my face close to the\nwindow in the front seat on top of the bus I watched as London slowly passed\nme by with a huge smile on my face and my eyes wide open to take in everything\nI possibly could. I even purposely took a longer route that would wind its way\nall the way through Westminster into the City of London so I could see\neverything from my royal seat atop the mighty double decker bus.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Queen's Walk"},{"content":"While in England I stayed with some family outside of London in Carshalton and would take the train into Victoria Station in London for days of adventure and exploration about this world city. My first trip into London began with the British Museum since all museums in London are entirely free, which is a breath of fresh air after the outrageously expensive museum entries I have begrudgingly paid for over the semester.\nWith impressive sights like the Rosetta Stone and East Island Tiki Men, it was an interesting museum to walk around. I hadn’t realized going in that the Rosetta Stone was housed here which was particularly exciting to me seeing as it was something I had always wanted to witness.\nThe Lion hunting room was also pretty incredible with an entire room lined with these reliefs of people hunting down lions with chariots and bows and arrows. Brutal, but a beautiful exhibit.\nhe world’s oldest chess set was one of my favorite with tiny figurines delicately carved out of what I think was bone.\nAfter the museum I just set about wandering London by foot, taking in every alley way, courtyard, and building that interested me. Whether they be streets lined with the old fashion telephone booths, or sculptures picturesquely placed amidst green trees, it was a beautiful day of wandering.\nCovent Gardens was the first place I visited because I had a free walking tour with Sandemans schedule for the day that was meeting there. Before the tour I explored the market area that was truly a wonder to behold, it was easily one of my favorite places in London because it is a center for street performers. Performers of all sorts of talents gather at this rather touristy spot to entertain and earn some money. When I first arrived there was a lively string quartet playing down below, dancing with cellos, whirling violinists and instruments that sang out loudly under the covered roofs.\nOur tour began by walking through Covent Gardens, telling us the history of how King Henry the Eighth turned what once were the gardens for West Minster Abbey into public markets. Afterwards we then moved on past St. Martin in the Fields to Trafalgar Square, a central point of sorts in London with the National Gallery, abounding statues (including a giant blue rooster) and a nice fountain.\nFrom Trafalgar square we wandered for quite a while through London visiting various palaces and buildings of importance finally finding ourselves in front of Buckingham Palace after crossing through lush green gardens.\nSadly the Queen wasn’t in and you cannot visit at the time of year I was there but it was still a pretty cool thing to see.\nAnd no trip to Buckingham Palace is complete without a couple of photos of the famous British guardsmen marching away in their red coats and funny hats.\nNext they took us through St. James Park with lakes. swans, pelicans and more.\nWe came out on the other side of the park and found our way back to the iconic Big Ben and some more wonderful red telephone booths.\nWe ended our tour sitting looking at the incredible British Parliament buildings which are just a wonderful expanse of intricately detailed buildings ending with the towering Big Ben that rings out deep and low like thunder when the time is right.\nWhen the tour was over I went back to Covent Gardens and went back to many of the places we saw on the tour to do them at my pace and enjoy the sights with some more leisurely time.\nBack at the Covent Gardens I sat and watched a wonderful professional opera singer raise her voice to the rafters of the markets while I ate some delicious paella for dinner. I have never heard such a loud voice ring out of a woman that small, her voice commanded everyone in the market area and you couldn’t help but marvel at the strength of her voice.\nAfterwards I then watched a Charlie Chaplain look a like ride a unicycle on a tightrope (what.) in addition to a man on a really tall unicycle juggle knives. It was pretty interesting to see all these performers in such a small place with such diverse talents. I spent quite a while there just enjoying the warm sunny air, some coffee, good food, and London life revolving around me.\nAfter my time in Covent Gardens I walked everywhere, letting the sun guide me down streets and people lead me to different sights and impressive spectacles.\nI even found Chinatown where I watched a woman expertly make dumplings from a seat in her restaurant window.\nBy the end of the day my feet where deeply exhausted since I had walked so much so I took a break and watched some more street performers for a while.\nI decided to end my day in St. James Park since I had enjoyed it so much there when we walked through it briefly on the tour. Wandering through Green Park through green avenues of billowing trees as the sun began to withdraw, the light was fantastic and the heat of the day died off leaving everything perfectly pleasant.\nSt. James was full of geese, swans, squirrels, and even some pelicans that had been given to the Queen from Russia. It was a wonderful place to stroll was the last light of day vanished from the sky behind Buckingham Palace.\nI lay under the trees watching the sun set and it was a fantastic end to my first day in London, I couldn’t wait to go back in and explore even more in the days to come.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140617_london/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile in England I stayed with some family outside of London in Carshalton and\nwould take the train into Victoria Station in London for days of adventure and\nexploration about this world city. My first trip into London began with the\nBritish Museum since all museums in London are entirely free, which is a\nbreath of fresh air after the outrageously expensive museum entries I have\nbegrudgingly paid for over the semester.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"London Life"},{"content":"My third day in Berlin I was flying solo the whole day and decided to just walk my heart out. So from early in the morning I awoke and set out on foot to walk Berlin, guided by some great recommendations from Maiya.\nI began by walking from Kreuzberg where I was staying and wandering back to where I had the tour the previous day in Mitte. I passed many people commuting to work, sitting on park benches drinking at 9am, kids playing in parks, and lots of people of bikes. Everyone seemed to be in some great state of motion, going somewhere, talking with someone, and always moving.\nI went by Check Point Charlie again as I passed from old West to old East.\nI even found a fun chocolate store that had massively impressive sculptures made entirely from chocolate including the Brandenburg Gate and several other famous Berlin monuments.\nAlso one of my favorite things about Berlin is the little street crossing sign guy called Ampelmännchen. They are the traditional and somewhat quirky street crossing signs that always make me smile every time I would see them.\nAnd what is Germany without a man selling pretzels from his bike?\nI revisited Museum Island with hopes to go into the Pergamon Museum but after some confusion and a lot of time lost waiting, I gave up on the idea and continued on with my walking.\nThe area with all the Museums on the island is pretty impressive and quite fun to walk.\nAfter museum island I headed over towards the TV tower in central Mitte ad then continued on to an old market area.\nFrom there I wandered up the fun street called Rosenthaler Platz which was lined with adorable parks and shops.\nI took a break in a quirky little coffee shop to dodge the rain and sat in the window for quite some time just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere despite an incident with a dropped cup and a resulting scream from the man who dropped it that was possibly the most German shout I have ever heard. I got another chai latte, keeping with my new found love of Chai Lattes that Berlin has made me addicted to alongside a homemade blueberry scone.\nFrom there I made a long U-Bahn and S-Bahn trip over to the East Side Gallery where the most famous stretch of the Berlin Wall is, covered in art from contributing painters. It was a little odd honestly. This wall, such an intense piece of history carries such weight, but a majority of the art seemed somewhat foolish and more than a little crude with tourists scribbling their names on every inch they can find. Even the beautiful symbolic artwork was covered over with this ugly scriblles of marked territory that screamed disrespect behind my eyes. It made me sad. There is so much room on these walls for political voicing, room to air out the past and discuss matters of oppression, but in many you cannot see that in what the wall has become.\nThere really is a lot of beautiful art though, these are a few panels that are my favorites.\nThis panel was by far my favorite, the intricate detail and the vivid colors interwoven in the black and white. Faces stand out around images if you step back and look at the bigger images, but the small images hold their own beauty and magnificence.\nThe way color and the human image are lost but also displayed in this impressive piece really caught the eye and made you look closer to see what there really was to see.\nThese couple panels with political statements where also some of my favorites and the thumbs up chained into place was a good example of a piece that held up to its symbolic potential.\nI took a quick break from the wall to hang my feet over the Spree and admire the bridge near by and watch the yellow U-Bahn snake across its upper terrace crossing from one side of Berlin to another as if there had never been a wall at all.\nThe inscription on one of the last panels of the wall did make me really happy though, despite having been graffitied over mostly by tourists that read\nI painted over the wall of shame so freedom is ashamed no more. Inferno ruled too many years until the people chose the light. I put my faith in you Berlin, and give to you my colors bright.\nAfter the wall I wandered into a nearby area that seems to be home of the alternative scene in Berlin. It was pretty interesting, I wandered past the wall, past the graffiti and along the U-Bahn tracks up into the new area I hadn’t seen before.\nA gritty but intriguing place full of people with long colored hair gelled up into spikes, or any other sort of interesting look. I really enjoyed wandering through the rain up and down the streets taking in the local color, feeling the trendiness and alternative atmosphere of the area.\nThen after my long day of walking I returned to meet Maiya and we decided to go to a rooftop bar above a huge shopping mall that had the most amazing view of the city and the setting sun.\nOver the rooftops of Berlin, we sat in the little garden with benches looking out across Berlin. It was a pretty magical place despite the cold.\nThe flowers in the garden were really amazing to watch the colors of the setting sun play off of as the light slowly diminished.\nDrinks in hand we watched the sun go down in a fantastic array of color.\nIt was such a fun place to explore and definitely one of my favorite things that I did in Berlin.\nThe way the fast moving clouds blurred over the lights of the city as Berlin became the center of night life that it is so well known for made for some beautiful photos.\nThe moon was out, shining bright and full above the garden and we left sadly because we never wanted to leave it had been such a magical place at such a magical time of day. It is things like this that make me so unbelievably thankful for being able to have this opportunity to sit on rooftops above Berlin, drinking beer with friends, and watching a city transition between day and night, one life to the next.\nI travel to see cities come alive in a way that photographs or postcards cannot quite capture. There is such a beauty in the cities of the world, each is endlessly different and I cannot wait to see more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140524_awake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy third day in Berlin I was flying solo the whole day and decided to just walk\nmy heart out. So from early in the morning I awoke and set out on foot to walk\nBerlin, guided by some great recommendations from Maiya.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI began by walking from Kreuzberg where I was staying and wandering back to\nwhere I had the tour the previous day in Mitte. I passed many people commuting\nto work, sitting on park benches drinking at 9am, kids playing in parks, and\nlots of people of bikes. Everyone seemed to be in some great state of motion,\ngoing somewhere, talking with someone, and always moving.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Awake and Walk"},{"content":"My last few days in Berlin before I headed off to England where a mixture of wandering the streets, exploring neighborhoods, and trying to get a feel for slow life as it really is in Berlin. Maiya and I explored, she showed me a lot of things she hadn’t done before but also showing me things that were just everday components of life in Berlin.\nWe got a nice German breakfast at Mokka Bar, which was in an adorable little cafe with beautiful breakfast spreads of fruit, bread, meats, and cheeses. After a lot of luxurious relaxing we wandered about the streets taking in the sights.\nWe also wandered along the canal which had lots of beautiful buildings and green covered walkways below little tree canopies next to the river.\nWe also explored a beautifully green park that had an old bunker up on a hill. But first we enjoyed the outdoors and the wondrous greenery of the place.\nFrolicking around under the canopy of a willow tree, climbing hills, and wandering through pond areas with cute little bridges.\nAwkwardly though, we climbed one hill to be directly faced with a couple very loudly having sex. Embarrassed and shocked at the public display and ran down the hill laughing in surprise.\nAfter that and some cool graffiti we encountered we found a lovely little rose garden without any roses but lots of wisteria. We sat on the railing under the wisteria looking out through its branches onto the beautiful gardens just enjoying a quick moment of sunshine after several days of solid grey.\nThen we scaled upwards to the top of the bunker where we could see most of the city past the green tree tops of the gardens.\nThe bunker area was very cool and the wind was blowing so strongly we could barely keep ourselves together. Through the mist of rain and the wind we explored the top of the bunker and then returned to where I had gotten coffee the previous day to get a Berlin tradition, curry wurst.\nThis funny tradition of sausage (maybe just a boiled hot dog?) with ketchup mixed with curry powder as well as a generous helping of french fries. IT is a funny dish that most Berliners affectionately say is something you really only get once but we went to one of the best places for it and it wasn’t too bad. Every city has its traditions I suppose, some more well loved than others.\nThe following day I began my day with an outing that was extremely relaxing but possibly a bit morbid. Maiya told me about a wonderful little cafe, Cafe Strauss that is actually in an old cemetery. It was a lovely brick building with a porch lined with tables right inside of a cemetery. As strange of a setting as it was, it was very peaceful with the silence and stillness of it all only broken by the sound of birds singing. I sat there for a long time wrapped in a blanket, which is something cafes and restaurants in Berlin seems to do is put out blankets for every chair, writing while enjoying the peace.\nAfter a relaxing morning of writing and drinking hot coffee we decided to go out and enjoy a food market extravaganza that was a huge market hall filled with food stands from all over the world. It was truly amazing, there were so many different types of food, so many smells wafting in the smoky air of the market halls high ceilings and after the semester in Italy with only italian food in sight this was like my carnival.\nIt was so hard to choose from all of the different types because everything looked so amazing but I decided to go for Thai food since it is my favorite and it did not disappoint. Also Maiya got some amazing wine mixed with wine saturated strawberries that was divine. I got to meet some of Maiya’s friends from her program and it was really great getting to know them even if it was just for a short little bit.\nThis night was my last night in Berlin and it did not disappoint whatsoever. After the food market we went for a walk in the park where we got to see some cool animals, a lot of people enjoying the sunshine and a fair deal of drug dealers trying to sell me some cocaine, besides that and Maiya nearly getting pushed into the street during a sudden street fight near the U-Bahn station our evening was nice.\nWe then had plans o meet some of Maiya’s other friends who were from California as well at a wine tasting place that was truly wonderful. But before we settled in Maiya and I decided to wait in a little children’s park right next door that was the most amazing park ever. We had so much fun jumping on little trampolines, sitting in swings that were too small for us, and just acting like kids despite both of us being technically seniors in college now. After out dearly beloved trip to the park we went into the wine place that sells you a glass and you can get as many refills of wine as you like and taste as many different types of wine as you please as well. It was quite the concept and I deeply loved it, it reminded me of the Italian aperitivo without the food. So sitting in a luxurious couch in the crowded place we sipped many different kinds of wine and I got to meet Maiya’s friends who were really just wonderful.\nIt was a great night, full of good conversations and great wine. We took our friends back to the park but this time in the dark and really just had the best time. It was probably my favorite moment in Berlin, sitting under the stars, spinning around on the children’s play ground, singing songs together loudly in the park, and just enjoying life. I deeply loved it, never have I enjoyed a park that much and it made me very sad when I realized it was my final night in Berlin. I wish I had met them sooner because they were so much fun and I was going to miss my Roomie. Six days wasn’t enough. I wanted more but sadly the night had to end and we all piled in a taxi and headed home. I said goodbye to my new friends and went to sleep in Berlin for the last time.\nMy final morning in Berlin was a blur of packing, panicking, and then some good clean fun in an abandoned airport. Typical travel day. This old abandoned airport has been transformed into a wonderful free space for everyone to enjoy the sun, the tall grasses, a space to run or bike, or fly kites. It really is a nice space for everyone to share. Maiya and I wandered around enjoying my last morning here and our last morning together for some time to come.\nThere were even people skateboarding with attached kites and sails to drag them along down the long airport runways.\nIt was a good end to my time in Berlin and I was very pleased overall with the first leg of my journey. I had a new appreciation for Berlin and had enjoyed my time with an old friend. It was a perfect blend of the old and the new, historically and experientially. I was sad to leave but with England next on my list and the Netherlands after that, it was the end of one experience and the beginning of many more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140524_berlin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy last few days in Berlin before I headed off to England where a mixture of\nwandering the streets, exploring neighborhoods, and trying to get a feel for\nslow life as it really is in Berlin. Maiya and I explored, she showed me a lot\nof things she hadn’t done before but also showing me things that were just\neverday components of life in Berlin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe got a nice German breakfast at Mokka Bar, which was in an adorable little\ncafe with beautiful breakfast spreads of fruit, bread, meats, and cheeses.\nAfter a lot of luxurious relaxing we wandered about the streets taking in the\nsights.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Final Days in Berlin"},{"content":"After a lazy morning at Cuccuma getting more cake and chai lattes and a brief freak out in a Pretzel Bar wherein I thought something was wrong with my passport, I headed into Mitte, the center of the city for a free tour. With the Sandeman’s free tour of Berlin, we started at the Brandenburg Gate right in the heart of Berlin.\nWe wandered through Mitte in the rain, caught somewhere between sunshine and downpour at all times. After the Gate we went to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews that is a somewhat eerie monumentalization of that the tragedy the Jews of Germany and Europe experienced during World War Two. What at first looks like gravestones of differing height and sizes reveals itself to be the embodiment of the feelings Jews went through in Europe during the Holocaust. You stand amidst the rows of high reaching walls, oppressed by the sheer uniformity and immensity of their structures, each wall reduced to a blank slate, like tombs with no names, that despite their orderliness retain individuality despite the conditions in which they find themselves. It is an interesting memorial, very abstract and left widely open to interpretation, which I think makes for an interesting memorial because whether one likes it or not, it gets people thinking about those who were murdered, remembering, feeling, and trying to understand what happened in that dark time.\nOur tour guide was smart to point out that he thought it was really great how the German people do not try to hide what happened during the Holocaust. What they could have tried to ignore or sweep under the rug as a dark past, they choose instead to monumentalize, to memorialize as an expression of their regret, their grief, and ultimately their humility and displaying past wrong actions. Many countries easily chose to hid or at least not bring to the attention of the world the atrocities they were at least in small part responsible for, so monuments such as this one in Berlin are a great show of regret and humility that makes someone such as myself who is Jewish, grateful for this memorial regardless of what I think it stands for.\nIn great contrast, we then went to the place that now stands above the Fuhrer bunker, the place where Hitler and Ava Brown killed themselves at the end of the war when utter defeat was upon them. Now just a simple parking lot, no signs of what once was is made note of, only a little billboard on the street lets you know what once was. The contrast between the memorial to the Murder Jews and the utter lack of note of the Fuhrer bunker is greatly symbolic and interesting to experience.\nAfter that we continued on our walk around Berlin visiting various sights that once had Nazi buildings on them that do or do not stand any longer, learning about the history of Berlin.\nWe saw a small section of the Berlin Wall within the city and heard some incredible stories about the wall and some escape attempts that either succeeded or failed. One of my favorites was a woman who sewed herself into a car seat and then had a person with proper credentials drive her over the border. The saddest attempt we were told about was when two young men attempted to cross the wall midday by jumping from their work building into the Death Strip (the space between the two walls that was left abandoned and open) but when trying to get over the final wall became tangled in the barbed wire and one was shot there while people in the west desperately tried to save him as he slowly bled to death and slid down onto the East side again to be left to die without aid for trying to escape as people in the West listened to his screams just on the other side of the wall. It was a heartbreaking story and crazy to listen to this while looking at the ruined façade of the wall that held so much history, misery, and pain.\nAfter that we passed Checkpoint Charlie, one of the major crossing points of the wall from East to West that is a clear example of the Capitalist tendencies on one side and the communist side on the other.\nWe then wandered into a square with two really amazing churches and a concert hall that made for an impressive space with beautiful architecture.\nHumboldt University was next with the memorial to the book burning done in front of the university in World War Two. This is the university where Maiya is studying in Berlin and it was a beautiful structure right in the center of Berlin.\nAfter that our last stop on the tour, which when we finished, some friends that I made on the tour and I decided to continue on to Museum Island. I made some really fun Canadian friends who brought a wine skin along on the tour, which was fun because it meant getting to have wine during the tour. We went to Museum Island where we sat out in the grass enjoying the sun and the view of the Berliner Dom. It was a beautiful space I much enjoyed, sandwiched between museums and beautiful buildings and the Spree running on either side of us.\nI went up into the Berliner Dom and enjoyed a view of Berlin right from the center of the city, which was pretty fun. It wasn’t too high up but we got to hear the bells ring and afterwards I laid out in the grass for a long time just listening to them ring.\nAfter my inner city adventure I returned to Kreuzberg, my favorite little neighborhood and we decided to go get Doner at the famous Mustafa’s, which had some really incredible food.\nWe ate our doner while walking around, eventually finding ourselves at Viktoriapark which has an amazing waterfall looking up at the spire like monument in the center of the park.\nWe sat there until the sun went down, got some ice cream and returned home after a long successful day of adventuring.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140517_berlin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a lazy morning at Cuccuma getting more cake and chai lattes and a brief\nfreak out in a Pretzel Bar wherein I thought something was wrong with my\npassport, I headed into Mitte, the center of the city for a free tour. With\nthe Sandeman’s free tour of Berlin, we started at the Brandenburg Gate right\nin the heart of Berlin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140517_berlin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140517_berlin/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe wandered through Mitte in the rain, caught somewhere between sunshine and\ndownpour at all times. After the Gate we went to the Memorial for the Murdered\nJews that is a somewhat eerie monumentalization of that the tragedy the Jews\nof Germany and Europe experienced during World War Two. What at first looks\nlike gravestones of differing height and sizes reveals itself to be the\nembodiment of the feelings Jews went through in Europe during the Holocaust.\nYou stand amidst the rows of high reaching walls, oppressed by the sheer\nuniformity and immensity of their structures, each wall reduced to a blank\nslate, like tombs with no names, that despite their orderliness retain\nindividuality despite the conditions in which they find themselves. It is an\ninteresting memorial, very abstract and left widely open to interpretation,\nwhich I think makes for an interesting memorial because whether one likes it\nor not, it gets people thinking about those who were murdered, remembering,\nfeeling, and trying to understand what happened in that dark time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Berlin City Tour and Days of Döner"},{"content":"I went to bed to the sound of rain and woke up to the sound of church bells ringing. Sunday morning, Mother’s day, my first full day in Berlin.\nThe two elderly women that Maiya lives with had their families over when we woke up since it was Mother’s Day. It was pretty sad not being able to be with my family on Mother’s Day and just one more reminder of how much I miss home. We all sat together at the kitchen table eating breakfast rolls and drinking coffee. I sat attentively listening to everyone speak German as I sat back and watched, trying to gleam anything from the conversation to no avail. It was still nice to see everyone interacting so happily even if I was outside of it all. I just missed my own family.\nAfter breakfast Maiya and I decided to go to Mauerpark, which is a huge park that on Sundays has an even bigger flea market. After a somewhat disorienting U-Bahn ride for me we arrived in a new cute neighborhood that we wandered through to get to the Park. Once we reached the outside we saw a young woman performing on the sidewalk. Her name was Alice Phoebe Lou and she was fantastic. We sat and listened to her soulful singing for a long time just marveling at how such an amazing voice came from such a tiny person. We were hypnotized by her music, her originally songs, and her cover of Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang. We bought her CD, which I honestly didn’t like nearly as much as her live singing but still am pretty obsessed with and haven’t stopped listening to yet. After tearing ourselves away form the entrancing voice of Alice Phoebe Lou, we wandered on past other street performers like some really cool break-dancers until we finally entered the market itself. Stall after stall after stall of all sorts of things to mounted antlers, musical instruments, pipes, clothing, antique kitchen wares, to shoes and knick knacks, it was endless. Oh and also some pretty amazing food.\nI am a sucker for markets and it instantly made me love Berlin. Between intermittent down pours of rain we dodged through lake like puddles crossed over with planks of wood from stand to stand taking in the sights.\nAfter a brief but horrifying scare in which I thought I had lost my camera only to realize I had just forgotten that I had put it in my bag already, we decided to get some food. We stopped at a food stall that had potatoes that they put through a ringer making one long spiral cut in the potato so it was all one piece still and then skewering it on a stick to then deep fry it. I got one and it was really and truly amazing. It was so nice to eat it on a cold rainy day while wandering through the market. After that little snack we decided to stop for lunch in the market and got Turkish food, which we ate under the smoky awnings of the food tent. It was colorful, full of spices, and delicious. So incredibly different than all of the food I had gotten so accustomed to eating in Italy.\nOur collective purchases at the end of the day: Alice Phoebe Lou’s CD, Maiya’s Ukulele, earrings for me, a ring made from a fork for Maiya, ad lots of yummy food. We left eh market to enter into the park area again where we climbed the hillside to find a huge expanse of the Berlin wall that overlooked the city of Berlin.\nWe sat swinging on some swings with the brief moments of sun shining on our faces. Each pump of my legs bringing me one inch closer t the sun, if you close your eyes it feels like you’re flying. I loved those swings dearly. It was quite a contrast, swinging upward my feet stretched out towards the city and the sun, behind with my legs tucked in and going backwards was the Wall shadowed by rainclouds. It felt like swinging between two worlds, one old one new, one bright one dark.. It was an interesting experience and my first time being near the Berlin Wall.\nAfter sadly leaving behind our swings, ukulele in hand, we wandered out of the park and down the street to a Tea Bar that is known for its Matcha Green Tea where we sat on a balcony above the shop on little Japanese style seating mats overlooking a courtyard full of armchairs. It was a magical little shop and I really enjoyed sitting there watching people come and go.\nAfter leaving the shop we returned back to the apartment for a quick break and then went to a nearby coffee shop to do some work. I really love all the cafes in Berlin, they are all so cute and hipster and I just love being able to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee again while working on my laptop. I really dearly missed that. I got a wonderful Chai Latte and a piece of carrot cake and was wonderfully content.\nWe finished the night by just lying in bed, drinking tea and hot chocolate while watching a movie as it rained outside. It was a good first day, slow, simple, and full of fun discovery of neighborhood life and things that Berliners, like Maiya, get to do every week. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to experience these things, and as different as they are from Rome there is a beauty in the differences that I am so glad I get to experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140516_berlin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went to bed to the sound of rain and woke up to the sound of church bells\nringing. Sunday morning, Mother’s day, my first full day in Berlin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two elderly women that Maiya lives with had their families over when we\nwoke up since it was Mother’s Day. It was pretty sad not being able to be with\nmy family on Mother’s Day and just one more reminder of how much I miss home.\nWe all sat together at the kitchen table eating breakfast rolls and drinking\ncoffee. I sat attentively listening to everyone speak German as I sat back and\nwatched, trying to gleam anything from the conversation to no avail. It was\nstill nice to see everyone interacting so happily even if I was outside of it\nall. I just missed my own family.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Berlin Life: Markets and Cafes"},{"content":"Leaving a city where the very ground I walked upon was over two thousand years old and every corner I turned held a new ancient wonder to behold for a city built from rubble with sky reaching buildings and a modern sheen. This is a clash of two very different worlds that I have suddenly found myself inhabiting in the span of a few short days. Rome to Berlin, the first leg of my journey. Ancient to Modern, where no longer do I feel the touch of tufa under my fingertips, instead it is the sleek and shiny veneer of glass and a skyscraper’s concrete. Only a few short hours by plane apart, but a world of a difference.\nMy time in Rome is done. I still cannot quite get over those words, my tongue stumbles and my heart breaks. It is a strange time of transition in which I am done in Rome, but still not going home. I am finding new homes with friends along the way on a mini tour of Europe for a month: Berlin, London, Amsterdam (Utrecht). One month, four countries including Italy, a slow paced exploration of things beyond the boot shaped peninsula I called home for a semester. When I decided to stay in Europe I wanted to do things right. Dedicate a fair amount of time to each place I went to, to try to get a feel of what these places are like beyond the monuments and the famous sights. I hope I can achieve that, but honestly what I feel right now is tired. Tired from the emotional and physically draining experience of saying goodbye to a huge part of my life. This will be a grand adventure of that I am sure, but what it holds I really cannot know.\nBerlin: A city that has taught me how to love Chai Lattes, listen to the rain, seek out church bells, and find life in every neighborhood tucked into this great city. Berlin is complicated and in my short time here I by no means whatsoever lay claim to know it, but I have come to enjoy it. I honestly wasn’t sure how I would feel coming to Berlin right after Rome. I wasn’t sure I would like it just by virtue of the fact that it wasn’t Rome, but I am glad to say that is not so. It is so wildly different, I cannot even begin to bring myself to compare them or equate them even though it is interesting to discover their differences.\nMy first night in Berlin my old college roommate met me in the airport and it felt like we had never left Berkeley in a strange way. Just the two of us in Germany, together. It was disorienting but great, I loved getting to see her as I set foot outside of the airport. I would be staying with her the duration of my stay in Berlin, almost a whole week. Without thinking much of it, because we were so enwrapped in conversation, we took a bus and the U-Bahn to her apartment in Kreuzberg, a lovely neighborhood in Berlin. We went into the U-Bahn with fading light and came out into darkness, my first night in Berlin.\nAfter showing me her adorable apartment, which she shares with two elderly German ladies who do not speak a word of English and another student named Ti. I collected myself from a long day of stressful travel and we went out for a little dinner at a Thai food place where we sat and talked for hours. We talked about cultural differences, our respective study abroad experiences, and just life in general. The Thai food was a huge marvel to me because Italy really only has one type of food offered and it is Italian food, so seeing my favorite type of food and getting to eat it was quite a treat. After finishing we wandered down the adorable streets of her neighborhood lined with colorful restaurants, cafes, and bars all decorated cutely, and settled on an adorably hipster little bar where, like the real adults that we are, got non-alcoholic fruity beverages that were really fantastic. Sitting in a warm corner of the bar on couches and leather armchairs we continued talking well after our drinks were gone.\nIt was a great first night in Berlin and since I was exhausted from not really having slept in the last two weeks because of finals and then leaving Rome, I went to sleep around midnight. I went to bed with the sound of raining falling just outside our window, wondering what Berlin had to show me next.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_berlin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLeaving a city where the very ground I walked upon was over two thousand years\nold and every corner I turned held a new ancient wonder to behold for a city\nbuilt from rubble with sky reaching buildings and a modern sheen. This is a\nclash of two very different worlds that I have suddenly found myself\ninhabiting in the span of a few short days. Rome to Berlin, the first leg of\nmy journey. Ancient to Modern, where no longer do I feel the touch of tufa\nunder my fingertips, instead it is the sleek and shiny veneer of glass and a\nskyscraper’s concrete. Only a few short hours by plane apart, but a world of a\ndifference.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Being in Berlin"},{"content":"Smoke hangs in the air like the lazy wispy breath of a dragon left dormant, but dangerous. Filling the highest corners of the room, wrapping itself around you like a soft caress of a lover tracing the line of your cheekbones with tender ghostly hands. You pick up the books, each page carries the sent of cigarette smoke from the shop owner who sits languidly with his feet up on the small modest desk, the slight remnants of mud dripping from his work boots onto loose papers scattered haphazardly around the desk. Chair tilted back, one arm across his chest, the other cocked with the cigarette held like a smoking gun before the hazy grin of the warden of the books locked away behind glass cabinets. His wrinkled eyes squint with the stretched grin of a man who has seen too many things, watching the people as they come and go, enter only to leave, but the books remain the same. Slowly soaking in the poison fumes of his cigarette, which languidly rolls off the cherry red embers of the burning end, the books have been drinking the bitter taste of cancer for so long it has begun to taste sweet again.\nThe warden flicks his hand sending the blunt withered end of the spent cigarette cascading into its pit of ash. Like an offering to the Gods, this burnt sacrifice has left only ashes and the smoke, the ghost of an offer, left to wander the pages of the books for an eternity of antiquity.\nDisposable, discardable, and undesired, the remnants of a sacred offering turned to decay before the coals could fully die away. The slightest hint of red still pulsing in its dying frame. The man who cast the smokey ghost to the ceiling of the room, who, through cracked lips breathed the ghost into being from lungs grown slick with tar. He is a modern day dragon caught amongst his sacred treasure trove of books. But like the dragon that hoards his treasure until the end of his days, the dragon of smoke pillars, the keeper of books, this creature not only destroys himself but brings ruin to the books that grow weathered with curling brown pages tainted and torn by the breath of a dragon left floating in the air.\nYet how sweet the smell has become, how romantic this hazy den of treasure has grown, like the lull of sweet sleep before the eternal slumber finally pulls you down. Is this how it will end? With a moment of glorious transformation, in which the bitter becomes the greatest and most just of desserts that has ever come before my seeking hands? But maybe not on this cold day, where the smoke constricts yet warms my face like the kiss of a caring grandmother rough like sand paper against my cheek.\nThe dragon smiles behind his desk, watching with leering eyes my path that I am led down by the smoky trails of a ghost I cannot seem to grasp. Intoxicated by the warmth of its seking, the spell only broken with the ringing of a bell. The front door opens, a rush of fresh air, the awakening of reality as the smoke escapes through the door and I follow suit, leaving the dragon behind the door as he reaches into his desk, pulls out a new cigarette and witha flcik of his hands, the very same gesture he used to discard his offering, lights another cigarette a new. His eyes watch me through the glass as the cigarette burns red again, he tilts his head back letting out another fresh plume of smoke between grinning teeth. The dragon has begun again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_sacrifice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSmoke hangs in the air like the lazy wispy breath of a dragon left dormant, but\ndangerous. Filling the highest corners of the room, wrapping itself around you\nlike a soft caress of a lover tracing the line of your cheekbones with tender\nghostly hands. You pick up the books, each page carries the sent of cigarette\nsmoke from the shop owner who sits languidly with his feet up on the small\nmodest desk, the slight remnants of mud dripping from his work boots onto\nloose papers scattered haphazardly around the desk. Chair tilted back, one arm\nacross his chest, the other cocked with the cigarette held like a smoking gun\nbefore the hazy grin of the warden of the books locked away behind glass\ncabinets. His wrinkled eyes squint with the stretched grin of a man who has\nseen too many things, watching the people as they come and go, enter only to\nleave, but the books remain the same. Slowly soaking in the poison fumes of\nhis cigarette, which languidly rolls off the cherry red embers of the burning\nend, the books have been drinking the bitter taste of cancer for so long it\nhas begun to taste sweet again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Burnt Sacrifice"},{"content":"Everyone knows saying goodbye is the hardest part of anything we ever do. It is the end, the point in which what seemed infinite becomes suddenly finite in the most horribly tangible way. This week was the end of my study abroad program and it was heart breaking to say good bye to so many things. Saying goodbye to the people I have come to know and interact on a daily basis, the sights that I see every morning on my way to school, the incredible monuments that I walk by on a usual basis, the places I frequent and all the things that have become essential components of my everyday life.\nSaying goodbye began the day I finished my horribly difficult finals and decided to walk the route I take every morning and take pictures of everything and everyone I normally see so I could always remember it the way everything was. The sights that had become so normal that I would very soon no longer have access to except through the shining veneer of a photograph.\nMy average day starts with walking out of my front door of my top floor apartment building in Prati, the area near the Vatican. Looking down the winding staircase, I wait for the antique elevator to arrive.\nThe tiny old elevator that I have come to love so dearly, creaks with the wait of my being and the shutters close with a rattling as the ascensiore comes to life bringing me closer to leaving the apartment.\nTo leave the apartment building I pass through our communal courtyard that feels like something out of some tropical city on the Mediterranean. A circular fern fountain in the center surrounded by palm trees where a pigeon with two lame feet always sits on the lip of the fountain under the cool shady space of the ferns.Feeling each cobblestone beneath my feet I pass by the fountain out the other door out on to the streets of Prati to begin my walk to the Study Center.\nOn my walk to class I pass by the old Borges road which is a wide avenue leading to the Vatican lined with cute shops and my favorite ivy covered building above a gelateria.\nThen I cross one of two bridges, one takes me by the Vatican, the other on the bridge below Castel Sant’Angelo which either way leaves me marveling at the towering beauty of the castle and the bridge that stretches below it lined with Bernini sculptures of angels each carrying an aspect of the Passion of Jesus Christ.\nCrossing over the Tiber I find myself on a back alley street that leads me to my study center. My first stop on the alley way is a beautiful little passageway that has a starry blue ceiling and a little altar to the Virgin Mary. It is like standing under a night sky when you are beneath it’s arches.\nRight after the passageway of stars there is a Forno, or a sort of all purpose bakery that sells meats, cheeses, fast foods like pizza and panini as well as wonderful pastries. This place, Forno di Castel Sant’Angelo is my favorite forno in Rome and I love the people who work there, both the loud (semi-scary) woman who works behind the counter constantly yelling at the other workers and the cashier girl who is quiet yet very sweet. I always get pizza and then go eat on the Castel Sant’Agnelo bridge overlooking the Vatican or I get a Romanello which is a sort of chocolate croissant.\nYou can even see the Castle from the Forno standing in the street.\nThe stretch of street from the Forno until you reach my study center is one of my favorite walks because as you slowly progress between the towering, colorfully shuttered buildings along the cobblestone streets, moving past weaving vespa riders, you have your eyes fixed the entire time on the Boromini clock tower that gives the piazza that the study center is located in its name, Piazza Dell’Orologio or the Piazza of the Clock.\nAs the clock tower looms closer and closer, with school only a few short blocks away, we reach my next and probably favorite place in Roma that has made a home in my heart very appropriately and that is Bar Amore, the cafe I go to every day for my caffeine fix and a little dose of amazing authentic Italian experience. This little bar has been handling with students from our study center for years and they are so extremely friendly, welcoming, and helpful that they instantly become very popular to the study abroad students because who can say no to a cappuccino with a chocolate powder heart on it?\nBar Amore is owned by the most amazing Italian family who instantly made me feel welcomed, like a family member with their warm smiles, and welcoming gestures. Always ready for a conversation and ready with my favorite foods along with my coffee order when I come in frustrated after class or early in the morning to get my caffeine fix for the day. I cannot express my love for them all, they were such an important and heart warming part of my study abroad experience and I am so grateful for all of their smiles, wise italian words, and for always giving me an extra heart in my coffee on the days when I was sad or having a hard time. This family really showed me how important it is to interact with people who are not a part of the program, because they truly made everything special and showed me so many things about Italy and being Italian I never would have known without them.\nSaying goodbye to them was one of the hardest things I did, Elena and I both started crying and it was so sad to say goodbye. Fabio was so funny because he kept saying, Why cry? Why say goodbye? You will be back soon, it will be like you never left. But it made us cry more because we will both miss our daily cappuccinos and Ciambelle so much in the United States.\nAfter our tearful goodbye I continued on past my other usual places like the Tabacchi store with the woman who always sits out in front with her dog for a smoke. She always waved and smiled, yelling out a hello when I waved in the morning.\nThe tabacchi store is the last stop before the Piazza where my school is with the tower clock tower above the State Archives and Library of Rome.\nThe study center itself is housed in this building below and is simply a floor in an apartment building dedicated to a university of sorts.\nI said goodbye to the lovely ladies at the front desk who are always there to help and make me laugh whenever I need to smile. The two Chiaras and Elizabetta, the figure heads of the Accent center who I will miss dearly!\nAlso Bruno was a particularly hard goodbye. Bruno stands in front of the University everyday and says goodbye and hello every time I go in and out of the center, always smiling and waving. The one Ciao Bella I deeply loved hearing when I walked into the building every morning. His kind smile and happy eyes.\nAfter going through my typical morning to say goodbye to everything I continued on to everything I see in the area around the study center.\nThis is the beginning of the street I take almost everyday after school to either go to my second favorite coffee shop, Piazza Navona, or anywhere else I feel like going. It is probably my favorite little street to wander down.\nIt is full of little vintage shops packed to the brim with old clothing and leather bags.\nThe street ends at Pasquino, the famous talking statue of Rome that back in the early 1500’s people would anonymously post poetry that critiqued everything from the Pope, economic, political, and social problems to denouncing a fellow neighbor. A long standing monument to uncensored poetry and the dissenting voice of the people trying to be heard, it still has poetry attached to it today much in the same way it once did over 500 years ago. Even though he isn’t very pretty to look at, essentially unrecognizably as a statue, I still love checking every day to see if Pasquino has anything to say.\nThen on to Piazza Navona and the three fountains that span the huge Piazza.\nBack around the corner is my favorite ivy covered building, right near my second favorite coffee shop that I can actually sit in and work at like a cafe in the United States.\nI would always sit right at the very front table and watch everyone coming and going to Piazza Navona.\nThen one of my other favorite little streets, Via Coronari, a cute little street lined with artisan shops and good food. It is a beautiful place to wander.\nBehind the study center are more streets to wander down with buildings covered in fragrant honey suckles.\nAlso my favorite little tiny car that is always covered in hats and baskets. Please note the size of the car compared to the bike next to it. Yes it is that small. And yes it does drive around like that, I have witnessed it myself. Italy is full of these tiny cars, a majority of which I am taller than which is saying something because I am pretty dang short.\nThe alley ways leading up to Campo Di Fiori are a beautiful mix of dark alley ways with artisan shops and graffiti nooks with fruit vendors. It is always nice to walk down it on any given day.\nCampo di Fiori flower stands.\nAnd lastly one of my other favorite locations I frequent often, the Jewish ghetto which is known for its fried artichokes. I always go for the Israeli fast food and the delicious Schwarma in Lafa.\nMy last average day, left to wander the streets of Rome that I will not see again for quite some time. Hopefully sooner rather than later I will return.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_goodbye/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone knows saying goodbye is the hardest part of anything we ever do. It is\nthe end, the point in which what seemed infinite becomes suddenly finite in\nthe most horribly tangible way. This week was the end of my study abroad\nprogram and it was heart breaking to say good bye to so many things. Saying\ngoodbye to the people I have come to know and interact on a daily basis, the\nsights that I see every morning on my way to school, the incredible monuments\nthat I walk by on a usual basis, the places I frequent and all the things that\nhave become essential components of my everyday life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Saying Goodbye Part 1: My Last Average Day"},{"content":"For the official end of the program we all had a big dinner together that was so fun but also so sad because we had to say goodbye to everyone. Luckily I will be able to see some of the people I have become friends with back in the United States but it was sad to have to say goodbye to a period in my life that was so full of adventure and new things.\nWe had so much fun together at the farewell dinner, we all took funny pictures and ate great Italian food in an underground restaurant.\nWe took a couple of pictures of our Advanced/Intermediate Italian class minus Alanna. This group of people stuck out the whole semester together in Rita’s class learning Italian together and becoming really good friends.\nSo many new friends, so many smiles.\nOne last night of wine and fun with all of these wonderful people.\nI will probably miss Gabriele the most who was one of the Italian Interns from La Sapienza, the main Roman university. He helped us through many an Italian conversation class, took us out to Aperitivos and laughed with us (or at us) throughout the whole semester. He honestly made it such a special semester and I will miss him dearly.\nWe even had little tiny tiramisu in cups 🙂\nAnd our last couple of nights as Romies (Rome Roomies)\nAnd then just some good old fun goofing off together and being strange.\nThe whole program all together for one last time.\nAfter the dinner ended, anyone who wanted to come went out for a night tour of Rome where we wandered the streets until 4am drinking, laughing, reminiscing, and exploring together one last time.\nWe stopped by the Colosseum.\nThe Trevi Fountain for one last wish.\nThe Pantheon.\nAnd we all said goodbye at Piazza Navona and at 4am parted ways one last time to return to wherever we were going next. It was pretty heartbreaking, especially waking up the next morning and realizing a majority of the people in our program where gone and headed back to America.\nI on the other hand am headed off to travel around Europe for a month, going to Germany, England and the Netherlands before returning back to Rome to fly back to the United States of America.\nCiao a Tutti!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_farewell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor the official end of the program we all had a big dinner together that was\nso fun but also so sad because we had to say goodbye to everyone. Luckily I\nwill be able to see some of the people I have become friends with back in the\nUnited States but it was sad to have to say goodbye to a period in my life\nthat was so full of adventure and new things.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Saying Goodbye Part 2: Farewell Dinner"},{"content":"For my Ancient Roman Civilization class we had a couple of days where we did for our site visits some of the biggest and best of Rome, the things everyone from around the world comes to Rome to see. We saw the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum.\nThe doors of ancient temples, the archways of triumphant emperors, the fallen columns of once grand corridors, lie all around us in the Forum Valley.\nMoving up from the Roman Forum, we climbed to the Palatine Hill where back in 753 B.C. Rome was founded on the place where the twins Romulus and Remus were washed ashore after escaping near death to be nursed back to health by a wolf who saved their lives. This hilltop, riddled with the remains of Royal Imperial Palaces and the luxurious buildings that the biggest people of Roman history once lounged in and walked around.\nIt also had a fantastic view overlooking the Roman Forum and the rest of Rome, the buildings the color of the dawn rising and falling like the rolls of the tide.\nIvy covered buildings, plant covered terraces, and monuments of the Colossus that is Rome rising from the ground in every direction you can turn.\nEven the Vatican sits far in the distance, the dome of St. Peters visible from its perch far away from the Forum.\nThe entire class sat and listen to the lecture about the places we had seen, were seeing, and were about to see. Sitting basically in the shade of Colosseum we were looking back and forth between the Colosseum and one of the biggest temples of ancient Rome dedicated to Roma and Venus.\nIt was super strange finally going into the Colosseum, I had waited all semester for this site visit, knowing that we would see it eventually for class, but finally here I was, standing under the barrel vaulted roofs of the corridors of the Colosseum with the hoards of tourists bustling about.\nThe sights you see in movies, the images of postcards of Rome was standing before me suddenly and it did not seem real whatsoever. Walking around and around the Flavian Amphitheater taking in the view from every angle. Knowing that people travel from all over the world to see this place makes it feel very strange to be there, to look down at your feet and wonder how many stood there before you and would stand there after you had gone. This structure has stood for almost 2,000 years and people have walked these corridors for almost that entire time, how many feet, how many people have stood here before me. Thinking of the people sitting in these sloping stadium seats, watching the gladiatorial games, watching humans kill each other for sport, watching animals fight to the death, or watching mock battles to entertain the masses of a once massive empire. To stand at the feet of history and wander what your part in it might be is a strange and humbling experience.\nThis day was also just very strange because for so long I have looked at these monuments from the outside, never knowing what it looked like from the inside was something I had gotten really used to. I had become so accustomed to my one view point of things and to finally go inside these places, to see the Forum from within the pathways that are still lined with Basalt rocks that paved the ancient roman roadways. To walk the Via Sacra, the triumphal procession route that emperors and generals returning home successful campaigns stood where I stood. To see Rome from the Palatine Hill, where possibly Romulus once stood long before Rome became the wonder that it is today. Did he know? Did Romulus, the father of Rome, stand over his future empire and have any idea of what he little hut town would become? Could I stand there, where he once dwelled, and understand what it was that I was looking at?\nTomorrow I have my last final here in Rome which means I am done with my semester and standing on that Hill, standing on the Forum roads, standing in the Colosseum I still do not understand what it is I am seeing. I have been here for a whole semester and am still baffled every day by the wonders that are around every street corner. My time is going on and it is strange to be here in this eternal city, knowing, this city will continue on long after I leave as it has always continued on, eternal, changing but always the same. I will miss this deeply; Rome will remain the same, despite its decay, but I will never be the same.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_rome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor my Ancient Roman Civilization class we had a couple of days where we did\nfor our site visits some of the biggest and best of Rome, the things everyone\nfrom around the world comes to Rome to see. We saw the Roman Forum, the\nPalatine Hill, and the Colosseum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140515_rome/01.jpg.webp\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140515_rome/02.jpg.webp\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2014/20140515_rome/03.jpg.webp\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe doors of ancient temples, the archways of triumphant emperors, the fallen\ncolumns of once grand corridors, lie all around us in the Forum Valley.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Colossus that is Rome"},{"content":"Some of my favorite things about my apartment in Rome are the windows that open wide to look down on the bustling street of Cola di Rienzo below. Windows, shuttered, unshuttered, glass or iron grated, dominate the facades of most buildings in Rome. Tourists photograph them, sometimes not even knowing why. I count myself among this lot. Windows in Italy in general are beautiful, and there is something magical about them in an ineffable way. I feel compelled to take pictures of beautiful windows in the same way I feel compelled to take pictures of sunsets; it isn’t just for the beauty, there is something else I am trying to capture that I simply cannot explain. A mystery surrounds it, maybe it is what lies behind the shuttered windows, maybe it is the fact that behind every closed window lies a home, a world’s center, in which countless memories, experiences, and tiny everyday moments occur that I may never know about.\nBut now I find myself in the curious position of being on the other side of the window frame. I am lucky enough to be one of the lives that exist unseen from the looker-ons below on the top layer of windows that speckle the Roman façade of this apartment building. I am the one within the window looking out, the one hidden from those looking on from outside. What I have discovered from my perch above the streets of Rome is that even on the inside, you never stop looking. Just as those down below crane their necks to look to the windows above, those behind the windows are still looking out, either up or back down below.\nI am not alone in this either, I see my neighbors, and the people across the street in the apartment buildings all around my own, and they are always looking. There is something unique about the look of a watcher, something that speaks of a desire that comes from an unknown place in your soul. A searching soul. They know not what they are searching for, but they are endlessly driven to look, never knowing the origin or the destination, only knowing the face of what they seek when it is right before them. Then and only then is it clear where or what our seeking eyes were wandering towards.\nPeople will come to their windows, some will throw them open with grace of arms opened wide, others stand behind the glass with their nose only centimeters from the glass. Others emerge onto flower covered balconies, resting their elbows on the wrought iron fences that mark the outer limits of their personal world, turning their head this way and that endlessly. But the most important moment of looking isn’t the approach, or the slow wandering of eyes over what there is to survey above or below, it is the moment that person turns away. There is a strange pain in that lingering moment, the desire to never stop looking, but pulled by the weight of other everyday necessities, the seeker slowly turns, the body twisted, but the eyes remain looking over their shoulders. Seemingly unwilling to stop the never-ending search, hoping that in that last moment of looking the object of desire will be made know. But often, nothing illuminates itself, and the seeker sadly turns and walks back into their home to return to the normal everyday actions that beckon back inside.\nWhat intrigues me even more than watching the other seekers from within their window frames, are the windows that remain shut. The windows that, even if the window shade is not drawn, no seeker ever comes to peer through the glass onto the world below. There are so many seekers, and over my months here I have come to know many of them as they come forth from their homes out into the light to look, but there are still more yet, that even though I see movement in their occupied homes, they never come to the window. These people are the ones that make me wonder. Do they have nothing to seek? Did they not hear the call of their soul to search? Or did they already find what their soul was endlessly searching for? Those windows interest me, the ones who seem to have no need to seek.\nWhat the window frames will always be a mystery to me, the common thread that ties my life to all of those in the buildings around me. We are always searching together, maybe for different things, or maybe we are all searching for the same thing, maybe we seek each other, or maybe we seek to be seen. I do not have the answer only the ability to recognize the yearning in almost every window that surrounds me. A community of strangers, linked in this tiny habit, but unknown to each other in our independent worlds that just keep spinning even in those small moments where the seeker takes a moment to poke their heads out of their world in search of something other.\nIf every window holds a world, then every building is its own universe, and I have found myself an explorer of worlds, desiring nothing more than to know the contents of what lies beyond the window just as an astronaut strives to discover new planets while drifting in the dark empty cold of space, knowing that there is more to life than your own little world.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140515_frames/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome of my favorite things about my apartment in Rome are the windows that open\nwide to look down on the bustling street of Cola di Rienzo below. Windows,\nshuttered, unshuttered, glass or iron grated, dominate the facades of most\nbuildings in Rome. Tourists photograph them, sometimes not even knowing why. I\ncount myself among this lot. Windows in Italy in general are beautiful, and\nthere is something magical about them in an ineffable way. I feel compelled to\ntake pictures of beautiful windows in the same way I feel compelled to take\npictures of sunsets; it isn’t just for the beauty, there is something else I\nam trying to capture that I simply cannot explain. A mystery surrounds it,\nmaybe it is what lies behind the shuttered windows, maybe it is the fact that\nbehind every closed window lies a home, a world’s center, in which countless\nmemories, experiences, and tiny everyday moments occur that I may never know\nabout.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What the Window Frames"},{"content":"Fingers trace the lines of the knotted wood polished, like rocks made smooth by the crashing of the waves, by the seeking hands of the needy. Desperate fingers ring the wooden front of the pew, hopeless fingers, hoping fingers, searching fingers, tired fingers, angry fingers, ecstatic fingers, but most of all, human fingers holding tight to the wooden beams of fallen trees lined up like old layers of bricks used to fortify the foundations of a building. The pews filled with people, each with a different word, or a different hole in their heart, seeking searching, for something they know not the name of, the know not the form of, nor know the true power of, yet they come with heads bent down and palms raised up for answers.\nThere is a side chapel in the Vatican, reserved for prayer alone, where tourists cannot enter unless it is God, not vacation experiences, they seek. A room of silent reverence where a strange feeling lingers in the air, an odd shared glance with the nun kneeling beside me in which I realize we are all here for the same thing. No matter who we were, where we came from, or the thousands of different reasons or things that happened to us in our lives that led us to this moment where a nun and I shared a knowing glance with one another, in which we both acknowledged that we came not for ourselves, but seeking another.\nIt is in the moment in which she is beginning to stand to leave that our eyes meet, a little smile shared, but no words spoken. When she has crossed herself and left the small chapel, I turn to look back at the now empty place beside me. My eyes rest on the red kneeling portion of the pew where the indents of her knees in the red material are still visible. These indents of burden, these indents of faith, these indents of understanding left in her vacant space. Knowing that when I stood to leave, my own indents would remain where I once was too. There was something beautiful in the space she left behind, like an afterimage of a single part of a larger being. We all walk these different roads, lead these different lives, but can you not hear the sound of a heart beat always in your ears, and have you ever wondered if it is not your own? Have you ever stopped to think that these afterimages we leave behind of ourselves are all simply pieces of a greater being, drifting like ghosts in a world not meant for them because they forgot the sound of their own heartbeat when it was entirely whole?\nThe afterimage begins to fade, the marks of being have risen again, the pew left empty ready for the next apparition with the questioning weight of knees bent who forgot their way home. I stand and look down on the marks I will leave behind, knowing soon they too will fade, forgotten, into the red material of the wooden pew. Wondering, what soul had occupied the same space before me, wondering what they had prayed for, and what had led them to this point where they got down on their knees. Knowing soon, I myself will be an afterimage, flickering for a brief moment in a little chapel in the Vatican, in the heart of Rome, wondering where my ghostly feet will lead me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_afterimage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFingers trace the lines of the knotted wood polished, like rocks made smooth by\nthe crashing of the waves, by the seeking hands of the needy. Desperate\nfingers ring the wooden front of the pew, hopeless fingers, hoping fingers,\nsearching fingers, tired fingers, angry fingers, ecstatic fingers, but most of\nall, human fingers holding tight to the wooden beams of fallen trees lined up\nlike old layers of bricks used to fortify the foundations of a building. The\npews filled with people, each with a different word, or a different hole in\ntheir heart, seeking searching, for something they know not the name of, the\nknow not the form of, nor know the true power of, yet they come with heads\nbent down and palms raised up for answers.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Afterimage"},{"content":"Rome is a city of juxtaposition. A place where two unlike things are constantly colliding with one another; sometimes resulting in a beautiful abstract work of art, and others producing nothing but a colossal disaster of a mess. The result is not always pretty, but it makes for an interesting spectacle. Eternally stuck between two extremes, Rome is a world where complete opposites sit civilly across the table from one another sipping coffee. Of the thousands of juxtaposed attributes of this city, it is the coexistence of exaggerated slowness and frantic haste that intrigues me the most.\nI spent my Saturday morning at the Prati market called Trionfale, nestled in the back streets behind the Vatican. This market was once a huge open air extravaganza and is now technically still an open market, just housed inside a large facility with stalls for vendors to use. Five rows of vendors stretch across this huge facility, each stand filled to the brim with the food of their trade, be it milk and cheese products, the meats of butchers, the breads of bakers, or fruits and vegetables, they are here at a very low price.\nThis market is the epitome of this strange juxtaposition of urgency, impatience, and haste co-inhabiting the same space as leisure, painstaking slowness, and practiced appreciation of minute details. When I stepped under the cover of the market and out of the downpour of rain outside, folding my umbrella neatly and carefully, I was able to make my very first observations of the market: I was completely overwhelmed. Hundreds of people jammed down skinny aisles all moving in a thousand different directions, or worst of all, not moving at all. It’s like getting caught amongst salmon during spawning season who are all trying to head up stream. Except all the salmon forgot which way was up stream. And the stream was coming from five different directions. And the stream is flooding. And bears are trying to eat you, did I forget that part? Yah, it is kind of like that.\nVendors yelling at you, Ciao bella! Trying to draw you in all at the same time. Native Italians who have been doing this their whole lives wedging in front of you yelling out their orders before you have time to say Buon Giorno because you look like a tourist who just got slapped in the face with a fish. Little old ladies who you are trying not to step on because they look so fragile and small, but they just bustle past you without a worry, running your foot over with their market cart. People trying to speak to you quickly in Italian as you try to explain you can’t speak nor understand anything very well.\nBut. Vendors also kindly handing you free samples of the best prosciutto you have ever had, or a taste of pecorino romano, a delicious Roman cheese. Or vendors giving you extra tomatoes and salad mix just because you smiled and said thank you. Native Italians helping you order something you don’t know how to say, or helping me reach something that was too far away for my short arms. Little old ladies stopping to talk, and talk with you slowly about how crazy the amount of people there are in the market on that given day, or nice little old ladies telling you where to buy the best bread and eggs.\nThis is the mixture of experiences, jostled moments in the market. The interactions that are written down in the book of what Italian life is, caught in the current of two different streams of life. One rushing downhill like a hurricane coming ashore, the other a wide berthed river lesiurely ebbing with the tide. People crushing you like a lost ant who lost the line back home, or stopping to take the time to help a wounded creature who knows no better than walking into the trap laid by a hunter in wait. The difference between haste and slowness. People who won’t give the time of day, and people who will give you every second of their lives and then some for no reason at all but to be kind.\nIn the chaos of it all I probably took several laps around the entire market feeling hopelessly lost and out of place. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people, all the different vendors selling mostly the same things at different prices, and the strangeness of it all. This market is so far from anything I had ever experience, both in the people and in the actual goods being sold here. The butcher stands are the most shocking and hard to get used to. There are entire animal carcasses hanging or lying in the display case. Heads of boars perched above like the guardian overseers of the market place, endless chains of sausages, and whole smoked or cured animal legs just waiting to be carved up for the next customer.\nBut this strangeness is part of the beauty of the entire spectacle. The very fact that these strange things, strange experiences that seem so out of this world to me are now the quotidian everyday aspects of my life is just so hard to come to terms, but it is what makes the expat life so wonderful.\nI finally stopped in the center of the market, took a deep breath and actually slowed my frantic pace enough to truly see what was around me. A vendor selling every type of nut I had ever seen before was right in front of me. I didn’t buy anything, but I stood there marveling at the beauty of the scene. There was so much beauty here in the chaos, I just needed to step back and actually look at it to truly see.\nBut it isn’t just the physical speed of the market that marks it as the epicenter of a massive juxtaposition, it is how people act and feel. It is the actions done in patient slowness and careful tenderness like the woman working as a butcher who takes artful time to slowly carve paper thin slices of prosciutto. The deliberate strokes, the steady hand, and the total focus she has on just that moment, that one action as all else falls away. I waited in total silence, enrapt in this small moment of slowness. As soon as she was finished with her task and done serving me, she became a vendor again crying out to the crowds, trying to bring in the people to her stand. It was such a dramatic shift from slow deliberate and tender caring motions to the rapid gesticulating of a vendor quickly speaking in Italian to strangers to get them to buy their food. But knowing, underneath the hasty, and rapid gesticulations was a careful and caring artisan who cared deeply about her product and caring for the customer.\nEveryone you see seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere fast, yet the very same people who will push you in the narrow aisles can be seen just a few vendors away, taking exorbitant amounts of time to smell a clementine to see if it is just ripe enough to be sweet to the taste.\nIt is a beautiful catastrophe. To observe and partake in this amazing spectacle of human activity is truly an experience. To be both in the thick of bustling life, but be outside of it at the same time to be able to witness both sides of the clashing extremes in the tiniest of moments that would be so easy to miss when swept away by the undertow ebb and flow of Italian life.\nThis is the struggle, but also the gift of this life I find myself living here in Rome. The pull between being swept away by the habitual ritual of living life in Rome, and the constant awe that overwhelms me at random moments because this beautiful catastrophe belongs to me, every ounce of its beauty, and every ounce of its pain. It is so easy to be caught up in the urgency and haste that is so prevalent in Italy, exhibited in things like the market, or the traffic, dear lord the driving in Italy is horrifying, but everything around me is a constant reminder of how extraordinary this life truly is. The fact that when I hurry to school every morning I pass by the Vatican, cross the Tiber River, and walk under the watchful and protective gaze of the Archangel Michael who wields his sword from atop Castel Sant’Angelo, and that this is entirely normal. This is normal yet so very extraordinary. I hope to never forget that. Even when the weeks turn into months, I hope to be apart of the flow of this city, but not a part of the haste that sweeps away the ability to truly see the things around me.\nThough my life and time here is already passing by quickly as the marker for my third week here fast approaches, I will never cry out as Job did saying\nMy days are swifter than a runner, they speed by without seeing happiness. Job 9:25\nI will take hold of this juxtaposition of Rome and embrace the collision of swiftness and slowness to live a life here that is without regret, and instead is full of appreciation for every little thing that I encounter while I am here. Though my days are swift, I will never forget to stop and see with happiness the blessings placed before me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_catastrophe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRome is a city of juxtaposition. A place where two unlike things are constantly\ncolliding with one another; sometimes resulting in a beautiful abstract work\nof art, and others producing nothing but a colossal disaster of a mess. The\nresult is not always pretty, but it makes for an interesting spectacle.\nEternally stuck between two extremes, Rome is a world where complete opposites\nsit civilly across the table from one another sipping coffee. Of the thousands\nof juxtaposed attributes of this city, it is the coexistence of exaggerated\nslowness and frantic haste that intrigues me the most.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beautiful Catastrophe"},{"content":"Rome is a city of layers, you never know what it is you will find as you find yourself negotiating between one level and another. There is the historic city center, the amazing monuments and the tourism layered with the periferia of the countryside and rural suburban outer layers of the city. But within those two there are thousands of different layers of being, each one given a home on some street, some intersecting grid of life within the confines of a city that is so full of surprises, both good and bad.\nI have been trying to learn the many facets of a city with limitless faces. The only way I know to go about doing this is by talking with Roman natives and exploring the different neighborhoods or rione of Rome to see the many faces myself, eye to eye.\nToday after my typical weekly market visit to Trionfale, a friend and I headed to a new rione I had never been to before, the San Lorenzo area that is the home of La Sapienza, the main university of Rome near the main train station in Rome, Termini.\nThe rain had gone, and the sun was warm on our backs as we ducked into the dark underground metro station that would take us to Termini where we would then adventure out into the San Lorenzo area. When we emerged into the light again in an entirely different section of Rome, it was truly disorienting. It has often felt that way for me when I take the metro places because you emerge from darkness into a totally new, unknown area with a sense of overwhelming mystery washing over you. Even though it is the same city, it doesn’t feel like it. Everything is so different and varies so greatly from one metro stop to another. The air, the people, the buildings, and everything there is to a rione, it is strange to suddenly emerge into a world unknown when you had just started to understand the world you were currently inhabiting. It is like having the earth pulled from beneath your feet and replaced with shifting sand that fills your shoes with the weight of mystery, that simultaneously weighs you down but spurs you forward to discover and unveil what the mystery attempts to hide.\nWalking through what I could only describe as a Roman Chinatown, my friend Natalie showed me to the Acquario Romano, a strange building full of different works of art. But we didn’t come for the exhibits; we actually came for the bathroom. Yes, you heard me right, the bathroom. Underneath the building where the bathrooms for the building are, there is a tunnel that is used to get to the bathrooms, is itself a fantastic work of art. Today was actually the last day to look at it before the slate was painted over and wiped clean for the next artists to come and work their magic. The walls of the tunnel had been fully painted in the combined efforts of two fantastic artists with a contrasting style of almost childlike monsters and the grotesque realism of the other that made for a disturbing, but also deeply fascinating artistic experience.\nTo try and get a feel of what San Lorenzo was like we just wandered around the streets of the city looking at street art, graffiti and trying to absorb the feel of a part of the city that was not the overly touristy yet fantastic historic city center of Rome. The art was fun, and great and it seemed like every single wall was covered in a variety of different graffiti tags and other works of street art. It gave San Lorenzo a gritty feeling that while beautiful was a strong reminder of the real nature of Rome as a city of turmoil, struggle, and real life not like the idealized and romanticized pictures of Rome that all the tour books and postcards paint.\nBut it isn’t all political protest and turmoil, we also had a fantastic time at the old chocolate factory S.A.I.D and got some really amazing hot chocolate that was more like pudding than a drink. It truly is a place of contrasts; to turn a street corner away from graffiti to an adorable little chocolate factory with a cafe inside full of beautiful chocolates and drinks.It was an intriguing transitional experience to see these two things co-existing in one space. That is the epitome of Rome I think, the co-existing of extremes. It was this that we glimpsed in San Lorenzo.\nWe stepped out of Termini into the real Rome. A Rome of gritty contrast, both beautiful and terrifying, eternally magnificent yet stricken with problems that run directly to the core of a city that was once the throne of almost the entire known world. Political slogans and words of grave protest splashed across every building, pictures of turmoil, hurt, and injustice screaming out of the cracks in the walls like the voice of the Roman people crying to be heard. The real Rome.\nIt is a strange thing to study abroad because you are neither a tourist nor a local and everyone can somehow see this. You try to fit in as a local, but you are treated as a tourist, which in many respects you still are even though you try very hard not to be. We are temporary residents, which often means we as study abroad students only have time, or only want to make time, to recognize the monumental beauty of a place by seeing the “Top 101 Things To Do in _________” instead of taking the time to get to know the city as it really is, turmoil, gritty truth and all. It is probably the most frustrating part of studying abroad, being neither native nor naïve tourist, while not being able to access the comforts of either. There is no security of a native, that is the comfort of the known and familiarity, while also being denied the peaceful naivety of a tourist who can come and go in a few days with only seeing the highlights, the best and greatest and nothing more or less. As a study abroad student, we have access to neither, but still we strive and try as hard as we can to fit in as a local even though I think it may very well be stamped across my forehead that I am an Americana and I don’t belong or don’t understand. It is a complicated and multifaceted experience to study abroad that serves to open the eyes of students like myself to that very fact, that life everywhere is complicated and more than just a few amazing monuments, or more than just history, it is a living, breathing work of art, intricately woven together. The complex intertwining of the multifaceted aspects of a city are never easy to comprehend, all we can do is try to understand instead of putting on blinders to the pain, misfortune, and struggle of those around us. Four months is not enough time to understand the political rifts or impoverished struggle of the everyday person. Nor is it enough time to comprehend the vast beauty that a place like Rome has to offer. Four months is not enough time for anything to be honest, but all I can do is try to see what it is the Roman’s see. What I saw in San Lorenzo was just one of the many layers of Rome that is the beginning of Rome revealed, the Rome that the locals know and the tourists try to ignore. I am beginning to understand the complexity of the living breathing Rome as the creature that it really is, one layer of its being at a time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_graffiti/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRome is a city of layers, you never know what it is you will find as you find\nyourself negotiating between one level and another. There is the historic city\ncenter, the amazing monuments and the tourism layered with the periferia of\nthe countryside and rural suburban outer layers of the city. But within those\ntwo there are thousands of different layers of being, each one given a home on\nsome street, some intersecting grid of life within the confines of a city that\nis so full of surprises, both good and bad.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grit and Graffiti"},{"content":"As an English Literature major, and an avid lover of books, there is no paradise like that of sheltered haven of old books housed in a library with towering walls of ancient tomes and centuries old unopened pages. The other day I was in a book lover’s paradise. The name even seemed appropriate, Biblioteca Angelica, referring to the original collections owner Angelo, but to me it felt like a library of angels.\nThe Study Abroad Program I attend at the University of California Center in Rome has the ever fulfilling practice of site visits, wherein we the students get to go out into the wonders of Rome and have our lectures on site in many of the amazing places Rome has to offer up to those who seek its treasures. For one of my classes, Rome and Renaissance Literature, we had the pleasure of getting a mini little tour of Biblioteca Angelica and all of its centuries old wonders.\nWe were taken into the library and given a tour in Italian, which I was happy to discover I could understand almost everything she was saying. Our gracious host and guide through this wonderland of books, was kind enough to impart her extensive knowledge on the origins of the collection and its relation to the Church of St. Augustine, and the associated convent. The actual library itself, which is open to the public for study usage, and you know I will be back there in a heartbeat to study as soon as I can, was truly incredible. High ceilings, filled to the brim with walls of centuries old books, covering every inch of the walls, wrapped from top bottom and every corner of the building lined with beautiful tomes and books.\nStanding in a library of old books is like standing in a sea of whispered words. Sinking into a warm abyss of aged pages, and words reaching out from paper to wrap and coil around your heart and mind like seaweed vines entwined around your being to bring you back to the books that sit silently, but softly calling your name. There is nothing more magical than a library filled with books spanning the great divide of time.\nThe library is from the 17th century, and many of it’s books are older than that. We were lucky enough to be brought down into another layer of the library where our host showed us some truly amazing treasures. She treated us to a handful of ancient books all from around the 1540’s that were just breath taking. There is something about a fragile binding, the browned pages thick and weighty to the touch, the gothic and italic scripts of printing press or a gifted hand that fills me with awe struck wonder. So much care went into these books, such dedication and time spent to create each one of these, and to think of how far they have come, and how long they have survived to end up in my hands at the very moment they were placed before me, today, this year, this life. It is amazing to think of the journeys that books take in their life time, not all of them are strong enough to weather the storm of time, but others are cared for or are lucky enough to be protected by the caring and cherishing embrace of a guardian. The stories that lie within the pages of these books, not just in the words on the page, but the stories and tales of time embedded in the grain of the books, in every torn page or browned edge from the years that it lived and survived.\nLooking carefully at each book placed before us, with eyes wide with wonder, the class beheld the books that beat back time to be with us in that very moment.\nWe had a selection of books placed before us, but the most notable for us and our class were three works we specifically had and would be going over in class. The poems from Pasquino, taken from the talking statue and published so that the voice of stone could be read more universally, the poems from the counter poetic contest established by Goritz under the statue of St. Anne and the Raphael fresco of Isaiah in the book Coryciana, and finally, the one that took my breath away, a really old copy of the Book of the Courtier by Castiglione.\nThe Pasquillorum, pictured below was an amazing collection of poems posted on the statue of Pasquino. Pasquino is a statue near Piazza Navona that from the mid 15th century to the mid 16th century, people would use as a place to express their political, social, or any other sort of discontent in the form of poetry by attaching their writings to the base of the statue. The poetry would all be anonymous and take on the name of the statue as a sort of literary shield that allowed people to write anything and post it publicly without threat of punishment or censorship. The book we looked at was a collection of published poems that had been collected from the statue and put into a book. It was amazing to see the things we had been studying in our class come to life in these fragile old books. The words we had been reading on rough photocopied paper transformed into the elegant script of a 16th century book.\nThe other book that we got to see was an extremely old copy of the Book of the Courtier, or Il Libro del Cortigiano by Castiglione. The marble front cover, the old speckled pages, the ornate inside cover, and the script itself were all beautiful. To have read and studied this book, and now see it in its actual 16th century binding and creation was truly an experience. To feel its pages, the slight rise of the printed inky black words, the torn corners, or the fragile binding that took this book beyond literature into a historical work of art in preservation.\nI was so grateful for that experience, and it was definitely my favorite site visit of the semester thus far, but then again as an English major I am always biased when it comes to books, especially really old ones. We left the library in a state of awe and contemplation, pulled back from the depths of that silent, warm worldly embrace back out into the noisy bustling world of Rome, like a person being born again into a strange and unnatural world. I almost turned around and went right back into the silent haven of books, but I had to keep going. To let all of the experience sink in I went and got coffee at the well known Sant’Eurstachio Cafe, where I sat outside on the bustling streets of the piazza, watching the world move on around me. Thinking about how different the world before my eyes was than the world inside of the books we had just looked at. And strangely enough, in many odd ways, the worlds, though vast different, didn’t actually seem too far from one another. I could see the lining, the black words in the outlines of every person that walked by, etched into the words that came out of all of their mouths, were the traces of the same words used in those books. It was an interesting time to sit and watch the world, wondering about all that had changed, but also all that had remained the same.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_libri/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs an English Literature major, and an avid lover of books, there is no\nparadise like that of sheltered haven of old books housed in a library with\ntowering walls of ancient tomes and centuries old unopened pages. The other\nday I was in a book lover’s paradise. The name even seemed appropriate,\nBiblioteca Angelica, referring to the original collections owner Angelo, but\nto me it felt like a library of angels.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Il Giorno dei Libri"},{"content":"Travel is the one unanimously ubiquitous aspect of studying abroad. Traversing the globe, moving from one place to another, culture upon culture every moment that isn’t filled with study, homework and school. It seems a frivolous thing, to leave Rome just when we are only beginning to know and understand, to leave every weekend to go see another place when we know so little about our new home. While often times that is the case, a trip is just a frivolous vacation to another part of the world, or maybe to see a place or something you always dreamed of seeing. However, one thing that isn’t often talked about is the enhancing and enriching aspect of the extra travel study abroad students do. I don’t know about everyone, but for me traveling on the weekends, seeing something outside of Rome every week or every other week has become one of the most important parts of my study abroad experience not because it is simply amazingly fun, (which it is) but because it helps me better understand and put into perspective his place I have come to called home in reference to the worlds that go on all around it. No city stands alone, it is shaped by the many multifaceted worlds that revolve either around it or in the near vicinity of it. Even if a place is far away, or seems to have no actual connection to Rome, the way these towns or cities function helps me better understand through contrast and comparison between my new home and these different places I see. Studying abroad isn’t about living on a island without outer influence besides your new place of residence, it is the complete opposite. It is the experience of grabbing onto every single amazing moment or opportunity that comes your way to better understand the world and the people who inhabit it.\nI suppose all of this is to say simply, I went on a day trip this weekend.\nI started the day off the right way, the right way meaning I fell while on the metro into a group on nuns who were none to pleased. (No pun intended) this occurred on my way to the train station in Rome where Natalie and I were to take a regional train to the town of Orvieto.\nThe train ride was swift and over relatively quickly after passing through field after field full of sheep and many rolling hills speckled with little Italian towns. We sat next to some students from the American school, John Cabot who we listened to have the strangest conversations about America.\nWe arrived in the train station and immediately exited the station at the bottom of the hill we needed to surmount to reach the hilltop town of Orvieto. To do so we needed to ride the funicular, funny little cable car of sorts that quickly rose up the side of the mountain through rocky cliff face and hillside vineyards.\nWe hopped out of the crowded funicular and immediately began exploring seeing as we only had the day to see all we wanted to which was a surprising amount of things for how small the town was. We started with the hilltop view. Around the corner from the funicular was a communal garden area with medieval walls that provide an incredible view over the Umbrian countryside and the surrounding little Italian towns far below the hilltop.\nAfter enjoying the sunny little garden and the views it so graciously supplied, we began to make our way into the city, generally heading towards the Duomo were we would really begin the day. Entering the winding alley like streets of the town that early in the morning were very empty except for the few elderly Italian residents walking home from a fruit stand built into the wall of an old building.\nNatalie and I wandered where our feet took us, seeing many a small adorable Italian car, mailboxes, and all else the city had to discover. We took our time letting our feet feel every cobblestone that fell underneath our wandering step.\nWe took our next stop at a very friendly caffe called Caffe del Corso where we got our morning cappuccinos to give us the necessary caffeine push to get us through a long day of exploring.\nWhen thing we had been noticing was that from the moment I rolled out of bed, in the train station and in the town of Orvieto, everyone was either selling or carrying what I knew only as branches from a pollen tree. I was so confused as to why anyone would want to have these pollen sticks, which while colorfully beautiful were a horrible enemy of mine due to allergies. But everyone had them and I had no idea why. So when we finished our cappuccinos the very nice barista man gave both of us a little flower set of the pollen sticks as a gift. We were both really confused, but thanked him and left. Now we too were a part of the pollen carrying crowd with no idea why a man gave them to us. It was only later that we were informed that it was International Women’s Day and the plant was a mimosa plant that was given as a sign of appreciation for women.\nSo basic message: thanks for being a woman, here is a pollen stick. Go crazy.\nBut really it was pretty, and felt festive and fun to carry them around and we did appreciate the gift. It was fun seeing everyone carrying them, there was so much yellow in the city that day!\nWith our mimosa in hand we kept wandering on our way when we finally founded a corner and there right in front of us was the huge Duomo. I was so surprised, seeing as how small the town was I thought the Duomo would be pretty average, but it was huge and looked very similar to the Duomo in Siena. It was grand and very impressively standing high above all the other buildings.\nBut we would visit the Duomo later, right then we were going to buy our Carta Unica which got us into almost everything there was to do in the town for just 15 euros. We bought them and were told a tour of the underground Orvieto was in a little less than an hour. With that in mind, we decide to grab a quick bite before the tour. We walked all over finally deciding to buy a bottle of wine and get panini con porchetta, seeing as Orvieto is known both for its wine and it’s meat and cheese. So sitting in front of the Duomo we ate our pork sandwiches and shared a bottle of white wine, taking in the food and the amazing view.\nSo let me explain a few things. The town of Orvieto is very small, just a hilltop full of windy streets and tiled roof homes to some very interesting things to see. The town is medieval and since there is not much space on top of the hill the ancient town of Orvieto went underground. This means that the houses people lived in were above ground, but the workshops, businesses and many other places used in everyday life in Orvieto where built down into the ground creating a whole subterranean section of the town that can still be visited today. So our tour was to exploring with a guide some of the underground Orvieto.\nWalking along the hillside we made our way to the underground entrance where we, in a whirlwind tour, got to see the underground system of a few of the medieval remains. Honestly, it was so rushed and not a lot to see that I wasn’t super impressed, the tour guide was in such a hurry it was pretty bothersome because we had no time to sit and take in the ancient sites, which were cool like an ancient underground mill or quarries or pigeon houses (which were used to get tons of pigeons which they would eat in times of plague when food was scarce) but we had no time to enjoy it. Regardless it was a good experience, but I much more preferred the Pozza Della Cava underground section o Orvieto which I will get to later. But I was glad to see it an experience it.\nAfter our underground adventure we went back to the Duomo to take a look inside and see what there was to see.\nThe facade of the Duomo was just beautiful. The ornate twisting columns on its face lined with colorful mosaics, and not to mention the intricate carving of faces on the top part or the Duomo were breath taking. We could have, and probably would have stayed outside forever looking at every tiny detail if not for the biting wind that drove us inside looking for shelter.\nWe specifically wanted to see the work of Signorelli who had an amazing chapel within the Duomo centered on different themes of the apocalypse including the preaching of the anti-christ, ascension of the elite, and other aspects of revelation that in the form of mosaics and frescoes where truly incredible. The same man who painted these also painted in the Sistine Chapel in Rome and the works were truly incredible. We stood inside with our necks craning for quite some time just trying to take it all in. The rest of the church was relatively plain compared to its exterior, but we sill loved walking around in it. I also fear I have been spoiled by the churches in Rome because every single church you walk into in Rome is either famous or extraordinarily incredible for no specific reason, so it is hard to feel impressed with churches outside of Rome just because I have become a church snob of sorts.\nAfterwards we decided to go to the tower in the city called Torre del Moro, which is a central clock tower of the town. We climbed up in the belly of the clock tower, step after step slowly ascending to the top of the bell tower. The part where you could see the actual clock from the interior of the tower was really interesting and you could hear the clock moving from the inside.\nThe view was really incredible, a tower on a hill top is a beautiful thing. Not only do you get to see the town from above, but the countryside stretching for miles upon miles into the distance, disappearing into fading mountains.\nEvery winding contour of the streets below, every tiled roof top and especially the grand standing facade of the Duomo was visible. We stayed up there for a very long time just looking again and again at every building in Orvieto. Even in the biting cold and trying to take photos with numb fingers, it was probably one of my favorite moments of the day.\nBack on the ground again we continued down the labyrinthian cobblestone streets, but first we had to stop for some gelato. Despite the cold, the gelato was really amazing. I really enjoyed it, I may even say I enjoyed it a little more than Rome’s gelato(the scandal!). While the gelaterias that I love in Rome are great, especially Gelateria Del Teatro which has the most interesting and amazing flavors, this place just gave us huge portions that made my heart and stomach very happy. It was simple, big, and really tasty. I got Tiramisu and Straciatella, which was probably the most perfect combination ever.\nAfter our delicious side stop, we made our way to the edge of Orvieto and worked our way around the perimeter for a little while, enjoying the view and the beautiful landscape.\nOur next major stop was my other favorite part of the day, Pozzo della Cava. This strange site to see in the city confused me at first, I didn’t even really know what it was going to be when we walked to it because I didn’t know what the name meant. So I had no idea what we were going to see, and honestly I just went because we had the card and tis place was included, so why not go? It very quickly became one of my favorite places. It was a museum of sorts that housed an old medieval underground pottery factory that had a huge well inside of it. It went down several stories and actually turned out to be way more interesting than the whole underground Orvieto tour. With recreations and original ancient pottery that had been found in the factory displayed everywhere. The old kilns and places where they would work deep underground all on display.\nThe well itself was really really incredible. Going down extremely far, ending in a pool of deep blue green water speckled with tossed coins that lay for who knows how long in its depths. Natalie and I both tossed a coin in and it took what seemed like forever to reach the water far below. This well was another reason why I loved this site so much, but not just because it was so cool, but because of what the owner of the museum, a super nice older gentleman who I really wanted to just adopt as my grandfather right then and there, showed us. Since we were really the only ones in the entire museum he was really nice to us and talked with us and showed us a bunch of special things people normally don’t get to see. We just kept wandering around and he would start to smile just a little bit and then start to say “Ven, Ven, Ven” an abbreviated word for “come” and then he would show us special little secret things. One of them was when he took his custodial keys and opened this weird latch that actually looked down from way up above on the well and he took a pitcher of water and poured it down. As the water was falling it split up into droplets and at a certain point hit the light just right so that it lit up almost like a rainbow as the water was falling, hitting the water down below like rain. It was like a burst of light took over the falling water and the sound was like chimes when it finally touched the well’s water so far below, rippling its calm unmarred surface of centuries. It was truly special, and we felt so honored to have been showed that because I know many people probably can never see that. We thanked him so many times because we were so grateful and awes struck.\nThen he took us to another little secret place where he moved some tables around and showed us a glass panel where you could look down on the underground kiln and pottery working area which was super cool. So he showed us all these special little things and it was so much fun seeing the ancient work places underground. He was really so nice to us it just made my day, and made it my favorite experience.\nThen we continued our perimeter walking, scaling up a hill to take in the view of the town from the side and it was amazing. The green contrasted with the earth colors of the buildings in shades of orange, red, yellow, and brown, made for a fantastic sight.\nWe just spent most of the day wondering around in a state of awe, just loving every moment we spent wandering in the many tiny streets. Finally after much exploring we took a break in another coffee shop because we were exhausted from all the adventure. From there we watch the sun set on the Duomo, the shadow of night slowly creeping up the beautiful facade of the building.\nOur last visit of the day was to another impressive well, the Pozzo di San Patrizio, even bigger than the other we saw, that descends a huge winding spiral downward of over 400 stairs to the bottom. It made for a haunting image at night, the water down below a deep dark blue refecting what little moon light that there was. We didn’t go down because we needed to find a place to eat and then catch our train home.\nAfter a struggle to find a place to eat so early (7pm is REALLY early for Italian standards) we finally settled on a little pub and got some decent pizza, but honestly we were just more relieved to have a place to sit and relax in the warmth because we had been frozen to the bone for quite some time outside.\nAfter dinner we took the last funicular ride down to the train station where we waited to board our train home. It was a long, but really great day. There is something so satisfying about going to little offbeat towns. Hill top towns with quirky medieval pasts, strange and unexpected sights to see. It feels so genuine, so real, and so fulfilling. It really is incredibly different than Rome and it was nice to steal away from the bustling city to a countryside town, even if only for one day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_orvieto/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTravel is the one unanimously ubiquitous aspect of studying abroad. Traversing\nthe globe, moving from one place to another, culture upon culture every moment\nthat isn’t filled with study, homework and school. It seems a frivolous thing,\nto leave Rome just when we are only beginning to know and understand, to leave\nevery weekend to go see another place when we know so little about our new\nhome. While often times that is the case, a trip is just a frivolous vacation\nto another part of the world, or maybe to see a place or something you always\ndreamed of seeing. However, one thing that isn’t often talked about is the\nenhancing and enriching aspect of the extra travel study abroad students do. I\ndon’t know about everyone, but for me traveling on the weekends, seeing\nsomething outside of Rome every week or every other week has become one of the\nmost important parts of my study abroad experience not because it is simply\namazingly fun, (which it is) but because it helps me better understand and put\ninto perspective his place I have come to called home in reference to the\nworlds that go on all around it. No city stands alone, it is shaped by the\nmany multifaceted worlds that revolve either around it or in the near vicinity\nof it. Even if a place is far away, or seems to have no actual connection to\nRome, the way these towns or cities function helps me better understand\nthrough contrast and comparison between my new home and these different places\nI see. Studying abroad isn’t about living on a island without outer influence\nbesides your new place of residence, it is the complete opposite. It is the\nexperience of grabbing onto every single amazing moment or opportunity that\ncomes your way to better understand the world and the people who inhabit it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Orvieto: Above and Below"},{"content":"The victory temples of old stand a solitary vigil in the midst of a modern city that pays them little heed. Four temples, fallen to ruin and decay, walled in by tram lines, bus stops, towering shops, and a never ending flow of people. They once were celebrations of victory, temples dedicated to the gods that the Romans believed helped them gain victory, their remnants lie about the enclosure like an architecture bone yard of the ancients.\nThe only beings that set foot down there, the ones who have come to call this place their home, are the guardians of the temples, the abandoned felines that prowl the ruins. Victory temples turned cat sanctuary, these guardians of the past watch over what has been left behind after the decay of time set it’s claws into the crumbling facade of victory. These are creatures of desperation, creatures of hardship, vigilance and wariness. They watch from below, or from the pedestals where once figures of gods stood. They are the gods of this place now.\nBrutalized by a city that does not want them, these mangled guardians slowly wander the overgrown ruins. Some with tails cut off, others with injuries that have left them limping, some missing body parts, and many left with a mean or bitter temperament towards the humans that must have abandoned them and left them to the streets of the city to survive. But others are kind guardians, their fur intact and a kind demeanor towards the few humans who visit them in their sanctuary.\nI have sat and watched these mangled guardians, the battle scarred, the age torn, and the arched back hissing of two cats ill at ease and clawing for a fight. They are gods in their own right. Warriors of a city that have no place for them within its walls, but here, here in Largo Argentina, at the victory temples of old, they are guardians if not gods. A land of their own for them to sun bathe in, be fed by generous humans, fighting for the right of their land, and wander for endless hours amidst the decay of human ruins. Part of me wonders if they take a strange pleasure in being amidst the ruins of human activity, if they feel like lords of that which the humans failed to preserve. Forsaken by man, taken up by animals, it seems like the order of the world at hand.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_guardians/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe victory temples of old stand a solitary vigil in the midst of a modern city\nthat pays them little heed. Four temples, fallen to ruin and decay, walled in\nby tram lines, bus stops, towering shops, and a never ending flow of people.\nThey once were celebrations of victory, temples dedicated to the gods that the\nRomans believed helped them gain victory, their remnants lie about the\nenclosure like an architecture bone yard of the ancients.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Temple Guardians"},{"content":"There is a haven to be found in every home you make. A place where the earth seems to resonate and the trees sway like a dancer in the wind that captures your heart with the grace and gentleness of a mother’s comforting embrace. In a field of daisies, underneath a cherry tree with cherry blossoms spinning in the air, lazily making their way down from above onto the green grass below, I felt the air resonate like the beat of a hummingbird’s heart, the same as my own just on a frequency faster than I could feel. It was like the wind whispering a thousand times over this is home, this is home.\nThere is magic in a field of daisies. To stand on a pathway and look at the hundreds of upturned faces of flowers reaching towards the sky, their nourishing mother the sun shining down upon each petal, each upturned dot of beauty that makes for a sea of life below your feet.\nSpring has arrived in Rome. The trees have begun to come back to life, the flowers are blooming, the sky is the deepest of blues.\nOne of my favorite places in Rome is the sprawling park of Villa Pamphilij. The huge expanse of park space, just seemingly endless hills of rolling green that sits above the main city center, a haven of green, and trees, and the peaceful tranquility of life slowed down to the sound of a beating heart. The get away from the noise, the hustle and bustle of the city, into the nature that Rome has to offer is always a treat. Just endless hours to wander through long grass fields under the canopy of umbrella pines, that only let in leaks of golden light to shower the grass with warm rays of nourishing sunlight.\nWeaving through the spire like lengths of the umbrella pines, feeling the long grass slip between my finger tips, this place seems so unreal, like a part of a different world, wrapped up in itself, its own like cosmic bubble just beyond Rome, yet still a part.\nThere are even green parrots with long amazing tail feathers that dive through the canopy of the trees, crying out to one another as they swoop through the park to find new places to rest their wings. I found one of their tail feathers amongst the grass and it felt like such a gift, to hold this beautiful feather, a work of art straight from the nature that spawned it.\nThere is so much in the park, so many different areas, different spaces all with their own special wonders that make this place a wonderland of adventure with infinite discoveries to be made by those who venture out into its long expanses of nature. It is one of my favorite things to just get lost wandering around this park. These are all just some photos of my adventure in the park, my haven of happiness to escape from the city center.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_daisy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a haven to be found in every home you make. A place where the earth\nseems to resonate and the trees sway like a dancer in the wind that captures\nyour heart with the grace and gentleness of a mother’s comforting embrace. In\na field of daisies, underneath a cherry tree with cherry blossoms spinning in\nthe air, lazily making their way down from above onto the green grass below, I\nfelt the air resonate like the beat of a hummingbird’s heart, the same as my\nown just on a frequency faster than I could feel. It was like the wind\nwhispering a thousand times over \u003cem\u003ethis is home, this is home.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Difference a Daisy Can Make"},{"content":"Today was the last day of the first part of my academic semester. I have completed the Intensive Advanced Italian Practicum, and today I took my written and oral final exam. It is a bizarre feeling to be taking a final after only three weeks of class, but here I am. This means that soon I begin my core classes and with that, begin the rest of my time here.\nBut so much has happened in the three weeks that I have been here living my life as a student. Since so much has happened, I am going to focus on the best day that I have had while staying here in Rome so far. It feels like it would be impossible to get a better day than this, but I will just have to see what the future has in store for me.\nThis last Wednesday was perfect. Recap of what happened: Saw the Pope, ate the best pizza ever, figured out how to use Roman public transportation without dying, went to an amazing gallery for next to no money, and got to read under the cover of ancient columns in a garden of statues, while listening to a man play the accordion. Yah, it was a magical day where every single little thing just happened to go my way.\nI will begin with a letter. A letter sent from the Prefettura Della Casa Pontificia granting my roommate Elena and I entry to a Wednesday sermon from the Pope himself that would be held in Saint Peter’s Square.\nAll of which meant a 7am wake up call for Wednesday to head over to the Vatican, and see Pope Francis with our own eyes and hear him give a sermon with our own ears. We woke up to the pouring rain battering against our window panes, not even sure whether we would get to see the Pope because of the bad weather. Regardless, we made the small trek to the Vatican just in time for the rain to clear up for one grand moment. Between intermittent sunshine and cloud coverage, we pushed our way to the front and got seats in the fourth from the front row. Then came the waiting game, which very quickly became a miserable, but memorable wait. After an hour of waiting it began to rain again, but not just rain, it was a torrential downpour. Every single person there, and let me tell you the whole square was packed, had their umbrella open. It was a massive sea of disjointed colors attempting to cover themselves from the downpour. Every umbrella interlocked with another, it felt like a fortress that we were all in together. I must say though, it was not an impermeable fortress. Rain snuck in every nook and cranny, just enough to soak everyone there. My umbrella was dripping water the entire time, but we all hung in together, persistent and hopeful that the Pope would indeed still come, and hopeful for just a moment of sunshine or the halt of the rain.\nWe waited in the rain for an hour and a half when for just a moment, the rain stopped. Everyone warily stuck hands out of the fortress of umbrellas to feel for rain, and finding none, one after another all the umbrellas closed. It was in this moment of relief from the rain that the crowd began to roar. At the far corner from where we were sitting (the middle front) the crowd had sprung to life, waving flags chanting, and screaming one thing: Papa Francesco!\nAnd there he was. He drove around the square several times, making sure to visit every corner so that everyone had a fair chance to see him, no mater how far back they were in the crowd. I was surprised to see that the Pope mobile had no side glass on it, it was all open. He drove around, stopping to talk to people, even kissing babies that were held up above the crowd. He truly connected with the people there that had waited for hours in the cold and the rain. I even saw him throw up a peace sign to a couple of people, which was hilarious to see. He just seemed so happy and engaged with the people, genuinely happy.\nAfter making his laps, the Pope went to the center where he would remain for the duration of the ceremony. The rain started again to the sound of a begrudging communal groan and the umbrellas all went up again. So for that portion of time we couldn’t really see much through the barricade of umbrellas. But what we could do was hear, and it was truly an experience. We listened to the Pope speak to the entire crowd about the importance of Mass, and the importance of taking communion based out of the book of Matthew, one of the gospels in the Bible. The entire sermon was in Italian, but just like the other times I had attended Mass in the Vatican, I was able to understand most of it.\nThen, after the sermon was over the Pope bestowed his blessing on the crowd, which consisted of different priests standing up and translating what the Pope said in his blessing into a ton of different languages. This took up a majority of the time, but it was very interesting to see the effort that went into blessing each group of people, each one in their own language so they could understand what it was he was saying to them, and how he was blessing them.\nAfter he blessed the audience, the sermon was over and we were free to do whatever we pleased. For us, that meant adventuring because to go to this event we actually had to skip class. So normally, we would have had a couple more hours of Italian, but today we were free.\nFreedom usually means one of two (or both) things while in Italy: time to get coffee, or time to eat food. On this day we decided to do both because we were just so excited about not having class. So our first stop was a little caffè called Sciasia Caffe, which is rumored to have excellent coffee. It was a nice open caffè with a few seats and a nice bar to stand at. I ordered un caffè eccelente (espresso with a touch of chocolate) and it was really extremely good. One thing that I have found about the coffee in Italy is yes, it is much stronger, but doesn’t need the same amount of sugar or cream I usually like because it is not as acidic or bitter as American coffee is. It is very nice and smooth and easy to drink whereas American coffee is often watery and bitter. All except for my all time coffee love of my life at Philz in Berkeley which I miss dearly!\nAfter our short coffee break, since all coffee breaks in Italy are short, we decided to try to figure out how to use the metro. I am slightly terrified of public transportation that I am not used to (I still have yet to take Muni in San Francisco because of this) and the transportation system in Italy has always overwhelmed and terrified me. But on this day we conquered that fear and took the metro, which was kind of just like BART back in the Bay. It was easy, fast, and there was a man playing the accordion inside the car we were standing in which is always an added bonus.\nWe took the metro to the famous Pizzarium, a to go gourmet pizza place with real Roman pizza and very fresh amazing Roman ingredients. I had been once before and like it, but wasn’t extremely impressed, but this time entirely changed my mind. The pizza was hands down the most amazing thing I had eaten in Rome to date.\nOne slice was a simple Mozzarella di Buffala (Mozzarella made from buffalo milk) and basil on a fresh cooked pizza and a splash of olive oil. But the other, my gosh, the other was amazing. Every time I come here there are a few flavors that just look scary to me because I either have no idea what it is, or it is something I normally would avoid. But I had decided to try one flavor that scared me every time I went, and I was not disappointed. The other slice I got was a slice with Sicilian broccoli, some sort of meat like prosciutto, potatoes, and some sort of orange marmalade. It was to die for! The mixture of vegetables, salty cured meat, and the sweet orange zest was truly an incredible experience and I felt like for the first time I was going on a culinary adventure in Italy. It blew my mind.\nWith caffeine and delicious pizza in our stomachs we decided we would continue our adventures across the city in Villa Borghese. A huge garden complex filled with museums, fountains, statues, and just plan old nature in the heart of Rome. We wandered around the park looking at the statues and enjoying the long curve of the umbrella pines as we made our way to the main gallery, Villa Borghese.\nThe museum is housed in an old mansion in the back of the park and we weren’t sure if we would be able to get in because you usually need reservations for a specific time slot, but we thought what the heck, why not try? The day had been so great so far, it wouldn’t be ruined if one thing didn’t go our way. So we went there and not only were we able to get in right at that very moment with no wait, but we also got in for only 2 euros verses the normal 16 euros due to the kindness of a very nice woman.\nThe Gallery was incredible. I have never appreciated galleries or art as much as I did when looking upon the Bernini sculptures housed in that place. The art there was incredible, not even just the art but the entire building, every inch covered in paintings or frescos. It was a never ending amusement park that just got better and better as you passed from one room to the next. We also happened to go to the gallery on the day that a Giacometti exhibit was starting, so not only did we get to see the normal art (and classifying it as normal is near blasphemy) we also got to see Giacometti’s amazing sculptures. The juxtaposition of Giacometti’s ghostly, thin wraith like metal sculptures and Bernini’s grand white marble statues full of movement, strength, and life was interesting and enhanced the experience a lot.\nI love art, always have and always will. But I was never really a huge museum person, at least not a serious one, but in this gallery I felt like for the first time I was able to see the attributes and value of the art itself and the artistry and impossible work that went into making the pieces that stood before me. Bernini blew my mind. His David statute I could stare at for hours. The intense stare locked on the unseen Goliath, his body twisted and tense as he gets ready to unleash the sling, and even his mouth was a thin taught line of tension. A masterful capture of life, movement, athletic activity, and passion caught in a statue of cold unfeeling marble. I could have stayed the entire time just looking upon that statue.\nIt was an awe inspiring two hours, after a long but amazing day. It is hard to form words after a day like that, hard to say how amazing the art was, or how appreciative I was at getting to see the Pope. So many unspeakable things that just made for a wonderful day. With no words left in me to speak, we all split up and went our separate ways. For me that meant sitting underneath the cover of ancient columns in the park while listening to a man play the accordion masterfully nearby. I sat there surrounded by old statues with missing limbs and read my book, trying to make sense of how wonderful the day had been. Wondering at how much I really needed that day because it had been really rough. School is hard, life abroad is hard, so much is difficult, so much is not inherent or easy here. Days like last Wednesday keep my alive and remind me what all this hard work is for. Every hardship is a reminder that I have to work for this life, so much is given to me in so many different forms, the least I can do is put in grateful and humble effort into the work that I must do as a thank you to everyone who has helped me get here, even myself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_lookingglass/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was the last day of the first part of my academic semester. I have\ncompleted the Intensive Advanced Italian Practicum, and today I took my\nwritten and oral final exam. It is a bizarre feeling to be taking a final\nafter only three weeks of class, but here I am. This means that soon I begin\nmy core classes and with that, begin the rest of my time here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Through the Looking Glass and Back"},{"content":"Sitting in Emporio alla Pace, just a few steps away from Piazza Navona, enjoying a cup of coffee and a pastry, it is easy to take for granted the things around me, to not take note of the truly extraordinary nature of the things going on around me. It is only when I realize I am over half way done with my study abroad experience, half way done with my time in Rome am I able to realize, not without horror, that these average everyday things will no longer be a part of my life in a very short while. Every moment I spend here is an exceptional gift unlike any other I have ever received.\nMy ordinary world is extraordinary in every sense of the word. Sitting in a flower framed window in a softly lit golden alleyway bustling with Roman life and her ever busy residents coming and going, I feel in the pit of my stomach how much I will miss this.\nTwo men with accordions strapped to their backs walking arm in arm followed by a man carrying a huge base, casually strolling. Two women happily embracing with a graceful kiss on each cheek and loud exclamations in an excited flow of Italian words rolling effortlessly off a native tongue. A woman in a window above and across the way airing out a comforter along with the rest of her laundry, after throwing open the dark green shutters of her apartments window with the double handed opening of arms of a bird taking flight. Construction workers gruffly laughing as they share a cigar on their lunch break, a slowly shifting cloud of smoke encompassing the space of their laughter and the street they sit on. A man emphatically hitting a newspaper with a questioning flat hand as he regards some article in angry disbelief. Three priests walking with arms held behind their backs smiling slightly but silently progressing down the street. A young man and woman walking together, talking under their breath with faces close and confiding, each holding a portfolio of work that is either art or architecture designs that wave back in forth with their fast walking movements, square compared to their bent over, whispering frames skinny from long nights in the studio. These are the things I will miss. Italian people leading Italian lives, the ordinary and everyday that goes on without note that in its simplicity lies true beauty.\nIf I sit here long enough I can witness a thousand worlds rubbing elbows without ever meeting one another. I wonder often how many of these worlds I will be able to hold onto when I leave to return to the United States. How many scraps of memory can I cling to when the reality has escaped me and the ordinary becomes the impossible again? I suppose that is why I have this blog. A collection of scraps of memories frantically and sometimes brokenly woven together to make something of the memories and thoughts bumping around in my mind that I fear I will lose some day unless the memories become something tangible, something real. Something to cling to when I am no longer here, something to look back and to prove to myself that it all really happened, that I did live in Rome for a semester, that I did see all these things because honestly I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t living it at this very moment.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140514_window/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSitting in Emporio alla Pace, just a few steps away from Piazza Navona,\nenjoying a cup of coffee and a pastry, it is easy to take for granted the\nthings around me, to not take note of the truly extraordinary nature of the\nthings going on around me. It is only when I realize I am over half way done\nwith my study abroad experience, half way done with my time in Rome am I able\nto realize, not without horror, that these average everyday things will no\nlonger be a part of my life in a very short while. Every moment I spend here\nis an exceptional gift unlike any other I have ever received.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Window Watching"},{"content":"For this semester I am studying abroad in Rome Italy. I am posting on another blog, Luminosity, for my time abroad. I will try to transfer some of the posts back to this blog as well. Here is the beginning\nThe beginning of my journey is entirely devoid of details due to illness. I have been at a loss of words, profound or simple, to begin my story because the truth is that the beginning was a blur. Moments blending into each other like a careless hand swept across a precious pastel painting. Time lost, spaces jumped, a chaotic tumble of goodbye, luggage, security, waiting, boarding, plane rides, airports, waiting, waiting, airplanes, taxis and the list of jumbled images could continue. I have combed this mess of memory for the details, anything to lend light to how I somehow ended up in Rome, Italy when just a few short days ago I was home being pampered by my wonderful mother while horrible ill back in Santa Cruz, California.\nFor the lack of details, I will tell you what I can of how I ended up Rome in an amazing apartment, starting an amazing and insanely different life in a foreign country as a student. Bear with me on this minimalist and slightly incoherent account of my journey, I promise my writing won’t always be like what follows.\nIt began with food poisoning. The night before I was set to depart on the greatest adventure of my life. I have never had food poisoning myself, but I have helped many others who have had it because that is what happens when you have food poisoning, you are helpless. With my bags only half packed, and the journey set to start the next afternoon, this was the worst case scenario. Literally, it was my worst case scenario, well maybe one step down from my actual worst case, that being getting the worst of the food poisoning while sitting on the 11 hour flight to Frankfurt.\nUtterly helpless. My saint of a mother, who I already miss dearly, saved the day a thousand times over, and when I said goodbye the next morning I wasn’t even able to properly thank her for everything because I was so out of it still. I couldn’t keep any food or water down and even managed to pass out at one point trying not to throw up. So yah, it was a great last day in America.\nThe time at the airport is still a strange blur of talking to all of my friends in Berkeley on the phone before I boarded, and how great it was to hear them all laughing, but how much I was going to miss them while I was gone. The plane ride was 11 hours of desperately trying to sleep since I had no energy, and no sleep the entire last day and managing to not really get any rest. I even managed to pass out on the airplane once since I hadn’t eaten any food in over 30 hours. Then Frankfurt, Germany, hello goodbye, danke bitte, board the plane in the freezing cold, almost there, almost there.\nThen suddenly, we were there, waiting for luggage as I was dying in a chair, going on almost 40hrs without having eaten any food besides a few saltine crackers. In a blur of smoke we left the airport into the taxi area where I was slightly and deliriously convinced we were going to be kidnapped by an unmarked taxi cab. I then forgot how to speak English when trying to get a cab. But from then on there the taxi took us into Rome and it began to dawn on me that this was real and my first thought was, what have I gotten myself into? But then we reached the Centro Storico, or Historical Center of Rome and suddenly it was like all the post cards and travel book pictures of Rome. Then our taxi driver kicked us out on the curb, told me my bag was too heavy, and pointed us down a slightly sketchy looking alley way. My travel companion and future Rome roommate Elena and I were confused, exhausted but also excited. Dragging our exorbitantly large bags across cobblestones, which is extremely difficult to do, we found our study center where we will be taking our classes for the rest of the semester. They kindly gave us our keys and directions to our apartment. Let me just say, I had horrible images of worst case scenarios of dark, cramped, dank apartment buildings full of angry Italians and my gosh was I pleasantly proven wrong. Our apartment (aside from a few maintenance issues in the works) is amazing. We are in Prati, maybe five blocks away from the Vatican on the main street of Cola di Rienzo where there is a ton of upscale shopping.\nI cannot begin to explain with what relief I crawled into my stiff ikea bed. That is, after Elena and I nearly slept walked down the street to a random supermarket to buy food in hopes of eating, which ultimately failed, only to return home with still empty bellies. I had never been so exhausted in my life. Empty of calories, no sleep, travel on travel on travel, and so much overwhelming chaos as well as amazingness was almost too much. I was blissfully happy, but deeply and thoroughly exhausted.\nThat is as detailed as I can manage on my travel to Rome. My arrival and adventure to get here in all of its delirious blurred glory. Only now am I starting to really regain clarity in the things I do. I can eat normally now, but am still easily exhausted and overwhelmed but so excited for what is to come. Ready to embrace this experience in all of its splendor and discover Rome as it truly is, not just as a postcard or a checklist of places to go and see. As I settle in more and experience life in Rome, I will be posting more and more of my first couple of days and everything that is to come.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140413_blurred/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor this semester I am studying abroad in Rome Italy. I am posting on another\nblog, Luminosity, for my time abroad. I will try to transfer some of the posts\nback to this blog as well. Here is the beginning\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beginning of my journey is entirely devoid of details due to illness. I\nhave been at a loss of words, profound or simple, to begin my story because\nthe truth is that the beginning was a blur. Moments blending into each other\nlike a careless hand swept across a precious pastel painting. Time lost,\nspaces jumped, a chaotic tumble of goodbye, luggage, security, waiting,\nboarding, plane rides, airports, waiting, waiting, airplanes, taxis and the\nlist of jumbled images could continue. I have combed this mess of memory for\nthe details, anything to lend light to how I somehow ended up in Rome, Italy\nwhen just a few short days ago I was home being pampered by my wonderful\nmother while horrible ill back in Santa Cruz, California.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blurred Details"},{"content":"There is a readiness here, a warming wave of welcoming that simmers under the surface of many people here in Roma, and all that is needed to draw it out is a few words of kindness, a humble jumble of words in Italian spoken with respect if not correctness, or a smile as you walk through open doors. The people here have a kindness in the color of their eyes or the corners of their mouths that spills forth with only a few gentle prods, and for some people with no prodding at all.\nI have had a lot of conversations with people here in Roma, total strangers, conversations I started or entirely unwarranted communication that fell into my lap like a small, but confusing present. I speak a little Italian, enough to get by, but no where near fluent, but I try. Trying, to try, provare, is key in Italy and I suppose any foreign country where you do not speak the language. But I am trying, every time I walk in a store, buy food at the market or in the grocery store, I try a little more. As my vocabulary and confidence increases so does my understanding of not only the language but the people.\nI stood laughing in the rain today at the absurdity of the bounds of kindness that complete strangers will extend to me. It was nothing really big, and in large part I am sure it was just them doing their job, but still it was a strange moment born from kindness and the building of relationships between total strangers.\nI am traveling to Budapest, Vienna and Prague in two weeks and so I have been desperately searching for a good pair of boots for the snow. However, this is a more difficult task than it appears for two reasons: One, everything in Italy is EXPENSIVE. Two, I have very small feet but very big calves so most boots will never fit me. So today a friend and I went out to wander Rome and find boots. I hopped from shop to shop, trying on a multitude of shoes, speaking broken Italian to try and ask for the smallest shoe size time and time again unsuccessfully. Finally I found my way to a small shoe store with three Italian women chatting at the counter and rows of nice Italian shoes lining the walls. I browsed the store and decided to try on some of the shoes and explained my plight to the woman working with me. She and I together found a pair of boots, but as always my calves were too big for them to fit properly, but the woman was bound and determined to help me.\nShe got on her hands and knees and tried to help me zip up the boots. When she failed, the other two women came over and asked what the problem was. Then they too joined the first women and all three Italian women worked together to make me fit into those boots. With a jumble of harsh Italian murmurings, a lot of effort, and four women working together, we got the shoe zipped up.\nSadly even though we got it zipped up, it didn’t quite fit right but still, when the battle was over the four of us sat in the store smiling and talking about the effort in Italian. The owner of the store held up her hand to me to show me she had broken a nail in the battle, the casualty of war. Even though she held the broken nail delicately in front of her face, a smile clung to her face and a brightness in the corners of her eyes that seemed to collect in the lines made by smiles both present and past. We all looked at her broken nail and in a mixture of laughter and apologies I thanked her and headed out of the store into the rainy cobblestone streets.\nStanding in the streets with the rain coming down, thinking about the strange battle that had just occurred, my friend and I stood laughing in the rain. I couldn’t believe the effort and the dedication of total strangers to try and help me out when I was feeling desperate and hopeless. What a strange world, what a bizarre experience, and I am thanking for every moment of it. Thankful for every cobblestone in the street, every stranger that smiles or says hello to me, but most of all, thankful for all the broken nails that were lost in the battle to help me fit into a life that felt impossible to achieve.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140413_nails/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a readiness here, a warming wave of welcoming that simmers under the\nsurface of many people here in Roma, and all that is needed to draw it out is\na few words of kindness, a humble jumble of words in Italian spoken with\nrespect if not correctness, or a smile as you walk through open doors. The\npeople here have a kindness in the color of their eyes or the corners of their\nmouths that spills forth with only a few gentle prods, and for some people\nwith no prodding at all.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Broken Nails"},{"content":"The clicking of coffee cups against porcelain plates, and the sound of raining falling on the cobblestone streets outside accompanies the soft chatter of conversations in languages ranging from Italian to German in a small coffee shop full of murals and books just a few winding alley ways away from Piazza Navona. The windows are foggy from the warmth of whispered words inside and the persistent downpour of rain outside on the window pane. Books splayed out before me on a table, a cappuccino in hand and a chocolate croissant waiting to be eaten. Oh how I have missed this.\nBack in Berkeley I essentially lived in coffee shops, spending hours on end either studying, reading or writing in a corner of a caffe with coffee in hand and billion thoughts swirling around in my mind. Never, before I came to Rome, did I think I would not have access to the main aspect of all that is quotidian in my life back in California. All I hear about Italy is how good the coffee is, so never did I think that what I would come to miss the most was the culture of coffee in America.\nYes, there are a ridiculous amount of coffee shops in Rome with endless cups of hard shots of espresso and copious cappuccinos, but what they do not have is a coffee culture where coffee is the objective, not the means for something else. People here do not find a caffe and settle in for hours of studying or just reading a good book, there is hardly ever any sitting for even the smallest of moments.\nThe culture of coffee in Rome, what little I have come to understand about it, can be described as such. You enter a crowded caffe with people lined up standing at a bar. You nudge your way to the bar and ask for un caffe (a tiny shot of really strong espresso), un cappuccino, or maybe a caffe latte(a small version of what people in America deem a latte). But even in that simple event it is a very confusing process because from one caffe to another the order of events differs. In some places you must pay first and then go to the bar and show your receipt and then they make it for you. Or the other way, which is you order your coffee and drink it at the bar and when you are done you pay for it. So in every new coffee shop there is a moment of panic and confusion trying to deduce what type of caffe it is and taking the risk of looking stupid and foreign if you get it wrong.\nRegardless of what you order or what order the events progress in, there is one general consensus: you drink your coffee quickly. There is nothing leisurely about this. The coffee is in small portions, and just warm enough to stay that way for maybe five minutes. You are meant to stand at the bar and down your little shot of coffee quickly, and then continue on your way to the rest of your day. Getting coffee is a pit stop, not a destination in Rome. It is done in a hurry between events and not an event in and of itself like it often is in America. Even though it is a hurried event, you never get coffee to go. You never see someone walking around drinking coffee, it is bizarre if you do and almost always an instant indicator of a tourist.\nSo you stand elbow to elbow at the bar and drink your coffee quickly. Some places do have seating, but you have to pay extra money to sit down and it is a whole different method of ordering. You just sit and they serve you at your seat instead of ordering at the bar and it costs quite a bit more.\nSo needless to say, for a girl who lives off of being able to go into a caffe and sit for hours on end slowly sipping coffee, this was a nightmarish realization and a long process in understanding how to navigate the coffee culture of Rome. It still is and will continue to be. I have been able to try some amazing cups of different coffee though ranging from chocolately to straight black coffee all over Rome. So far, I think Sant’Eustachio Cafe has been my favorite!\nI have been desperately searching for a caffe where people don’t yell at you if you try to sit down and today I finally succeeded for the first time. I found a place near my university that actually seems to be okay with you sitting down for an extended period of time. Oh how I have missed this.\nRed plush armchairs, books lining the walls covered in murals, and bottles of Italian wine being used as book ends; I like this place a lot, it almost feels like home, almost. I finally may have found myself a home caffe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140413_coffee/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe clicking of coffee cups against porcelain plates, and the sound of raining\nfalling on the cobblestone streets outside accompanies the soft chatter of\nconversations in languages ranging from Italian to German in a small coffee\nshop full of murals and books just a few winding alley ways away from Piazza\nNavona. The windows are foggy from the warmth of whispered words inside and\nthe persistent downpour of rain outside on the window pane. Books splayed out\nbefore me on a table, a cappuccino in hand and a chocolate croissant waiting\nto be eaten. Oh how I have missed this.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coffee Culture"},{"content":"Ruffled feathers, folded wings tucked neatly away against a lithe black and grey body, a raven sits atop a wind bent tree. The long slender tree sways under the pressure of the coming storm looming in the distance, yet so close on the dark horizon. The raven sits unheeded, the sentry set to duty atop a watch tower made before the brick buildings and red thatched roofs knew their beginning.\nIt was a cry, a melancholy call that caught my attention. Pulling my gaze away from the landscape to the fellow watcher, the other who gazes beside me posted in his sentry tower like a soldier at hand to a distant calling war. I could barely make out his shape against the dark green of the tree he had made his home in, it was his call that rang clear like a gunshot across the sky. Head thrown forward to utter his wretched cry. But he had the same vantage point as I, as I leaned against the wrought iron railing of the Villa Borghese garden overlook. I had paused in my wanderings around the city of Rome, having traveled from Piazza Navona to the Spanish Steps, finally finding my way to Villa Borghese to stop and watch the sun be swallowed up by the returning storm at sunset.\nRome lay before me in all of its sprawling glory. It is hard to contemplate a scene such as that. A vast city full of endless wonders viewed from a single vantage point that is far removed from the hustle and bustle of every moment happening within that view. Every building, every street, every shop, every alleyway has a separate and entirely unique occurrence in that very moment that I looked upon all of the Historic City Center. Moments I will never see, never know, and never have the pleasure of understanding. All across this city lives are being led. Lives as equally important, if not more important than my own. Not lives like those depicted in movies or reality TV shows; just normal everyday lives like the one I am leading here. It is strange to stand at a viewpoint or an overlook because it is not just a view, and you cannot quite understand what it is you are overlooking. Yet I return to these overlooks all the same because somewhere inside you can feel the heartbeat of every single person in Rome if you just close your eyes and breathe in the breath of a city that seems to be ever exhaling.\nIt was this multitude of heartbeats that rang out in the cry of a crow. We shared that moment, an animal and I. Strange enough as it sounds, I could not help but look at it and wonder,\nDo birds sit on treetops for the view?\nEvery moment, for a bird like the one that cried to me, is constantly caught between living a life from the most pristine of vantage points to the squalor of the dirtiest streets, rushing back and forth between uncaring human feet. Did it appreciate the view? Did it see what I saw, did it know the magnitude of what lay before it? Did I?\nTourism is myopic, living is the widening of a vantage point to include the lives of all those around you. To consider the heartbeat of every stranger that may never know, nor care to know yours, in a city that pulses with movement like the pumping of blood through your veins. I keep climbing to the tops of mountains thinking the farther up I go the more I will understand about this labyrinthine city. But what I am beginning to understand is the vantage point of the crow that cries to me. The juxtaposition of the highest trees to the dirty streets, and living unperturbed by elements battering up against me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2014/20140413_crow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRuffled feathers, folded wings tucked neatly away against a lithe black and\ngrey body, a raven sits atop a wind bent tree. The long slender tree sways\nunder the pressure of the coming storm looming in the distance, yet so close\non the dark horizon. The raven sits unheeded, the sentry set to duty atop a\nwatch tower made before the brick buildings and red thatched roofs knew their\nbeginning.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Crow that Cries to Me"},{"content":"Every Sunday I go into the city of San Francisco to go to my home church, Reality SF. Located on the border of the Mission and Castro District, my church is central to some pretty cool things in the heart of San Francisco. Because I go weekly into San Francisco, I have decided to explore this giant city that is right across the bridge from Berkeley, yet seems a world away at the same time. Thus Sundays in the City is born as an effort of exploration and discovery outside of my Berkeley bubble.\nFor my very first Sunday in the City I decided to go on a Mural Walk in the Mission District. I had heard about an alley way called Balmy Alley that was supposed to be full of dazzling murals. However I made a few stops before heading deep into the heart of the Mission District. I visited Taqueria La Cumbre, a taqueria featured on the Food Network Show, Man vs Food for a carne asada burrito. Nothing special there, pretty standard. And of course the next thing on my mind was coffee, coffee, coffee. I soon learned that the original Philz, my all time favorite coffee shop, was only a mile and a half away from my church, so I decided it would be the next leg of my journey.\nLocated on 24th and Folsom, right near Balmy Alley, my final destination, I found the original Philz!\nThis quirky coffee shop never fails to make my heart happy, and this one in particular was full of eccentricities. Every inch of wall painted in muralistic fashion from ballerinas to trees, floor to ceiling was covered in great paintings. I stopped inside for a break from walking and some studying. I was even luck enough to get a free Mocha Tesora due to a mix up in orders.\nAfter reading some Hemingway, I returned to the task at hand and departed to begin my exploration of the mission district. Wandering from bookstore to record store, Latino grocery stands, and all sorts of other interesting shops I kept an eye out for murals.\nThen I found Balmy Alley, an expanse of street that was tiny but entirely covered in beautifully vibrant murals. Ranging from political and social protests in art to silly children’s murals, every inch of wall was covered in the vivid paint of these creative minds. This was my favorite view of the alleyway with the bold proclamation of REJOICE! watching from overhead. Between the dazzling murals and the flowers framing them, it was quite a sight to see.\nI wandered up and down the alley way several times just absorbing the color and the passion behind the brush strokes of each mural. It was astounding to see these works of art all of the place. It wasn’t just in the alley way either, it was all over the Mission District. Tucked away down quiet streets, bounding across the tall buildings’ walls, or on old decrepit wooden fences, they were everywhere.\nI had a lot of fun taking in all of the art but eventually I made the trek back to the BART station and sat exhausted but fulfilled the entire way back home to Berkeley. I found there is a grand difference between going to a place and getting to know it. I have been to San Francisco so many times but never truly dug down deep into the city to learn its outline like I am starting to now. Even though I encountered a couple of creepy, scary things (people being rude and creepy to me, a girl alone, wandering some of the sketchy streets of San Francisco unwittingly), it was still a great adventure and I wouldn’t change a thing.\nI love nothing more than exploring and discovering new things and after my first Sunday in the City I really am just hungry for new and more journeys out into San Francisco. There is so much to be seen, appreciated, and enjoyed that I cannot wait to return again and reclaim the pieces of my heart that I left scattered in the mysterious street corners of San Francisco. This last mural really spoke true to my heart and I cannot wait to go again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130902_sundays/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery Sunday I go into the city of San Francisco to go to my home church,\n\u003ca href=\"https://realitysf.com\"\u003eReality SF\u003c/a\u003e. Located on the border of the Mission and\nCastro District, my church is central to some pretty cool things in the heart\nof San Francisco. Because I go weekly into San Francisco, I have decided to\nexplore this giant city that is right across the bridge from Berkeley, yet\nseems a world away at the same time. Thus Sundays in the City is born as an\neffort of exploration and discovery outside of my Berkeley bubble.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sundays in the City: The Mission District"},{"content":"The tremulous touch of God’s presence is the palpable essence of electricity in the air before lightning touches the barren earth and thunder roars across the sky. This was what I felt when I encountered you. The hair raising slowness of breath when one encounters the Divine. Yet you, the unassuming, the plain, the patchwork pattern of a human being, knew not what was hidden behind your graying cataract eyes. Could you possibly have known? Could it possibly have been you? Cross knitted eyebrows and deeply etched forehead disguised in the baggy weightless clothing of a man lost under his own skies; I found God.\nI suppose it took me a while to get to this point. I looked and searched for where it was that I found you, made up my own stories or even pretended I never felt your touch, but now I see with eyes wide open when it was that I saw your face truly for the first time. It was here. Tel Aviv, Israel, lost in the whirlwind of pigeons taking flight, creatures finding their wings, that I first encountered the divine. It may sound silly or even slightly deranged, but it is true, maybe even the truest part of me, that has seen within the faces of ordinary men, the image from which we were created. Felt the lightnings grip grab hold of my heart strings and play my soul like a harp into the deafening thunder of life’s storm. This was the first.\nAnother day in Israel. I walked in a huge group of my peers and as we moved on from one place to the next I noticed the swarm. The ebb and flow of flight and earth, of nourishment and hallowed hollowness. A man stood in their midst throwing crumbs to the birds who encircled him. He, the host of these winged creatures, the eye of the storm. In the flight of the birds he looked up and gazed right at me. Out of the entire group of forty, I was the one he locked eyes with and I felt the staggering weight of a gaze I could not hold. I thought him homeless, and when he stopped what he was doing to make his way to where I stood, I felt as if I could not breathe. That if I could hold my breath long enough, I could stop the world from spinning, could stop his feet from moving, but he knew the path he had to travel whether I willed it or not. I was afraid of the stranger who approached so directly, who stared deeply into my eyes without ever knowing me, but some how, unwavering and unquestionably he knew. I was afraid as he came so close, and I knew not what to do or where to turn. To shout? To retreat? To escape this force of nature bound in the humble being of this man. I did nothing. I stood still, wired by his electricity that only I seemed to see.\nHe came to me with open hands, he came to me and called me mother, sister, daughter, he called me home. He looked into my eyes and told me that here, here I would always have a home. He told me he would give me the shirt off his back. He told me that he had nothing, but would give me whatever I asked. He told me I would always have a place to rest my head. He told me that I was home. Why? Because we were family. Because we all were tied beyond the binding of blood, bound by our utter being. We are one, we all have the same Father, and he his son and I his daughter.\nHe did not even know my name, yet he offered me all he had and beyond that, he offered me what he knew would and always had belonged to me, love. He offered me the obvious, the object of my desire that I had time and time again always failed to see. An eternal love that was beyond me, beyond him into the electricity of non-being.\nHis gaze never left my eyes as he offered, as he gave, as he sacrificed, as he begged me to understand. I didn’t. Days, weeks, months later, I didn’t understand. But now, now I finally think I am beginning to understand what it was his aging eyes begged of me. He was asking me to come home.\nI had long ago lost the way, found myself in a dark wood where the forward way was lost with no Virgil to guide me. I had wandered into the desolation of my own accord, blaming the world, blaming him, and not understanding that through it all and finally at the end of it all, it was Him begging me to come home.\nHe was not homeless. He had a home that was open and welcome to all who cared to stop and listen to his kind empathetic words. He was direct and almost frightening, but only to the eye that knew not what he was. Strength is frightening, especially when we are so weak, but that does not make it cruel. He seemed a beggar because he was. He was the father begging the son to come home. The mother begging for the life of her children. Begging, broken and bruised, he begged for me, he begged for you. If there be only one righteous, let them live. Let them live let them live.\nI didn’t know it yet, but at that very moment the lightning flash of this encounter resurrected me, brought me back to life into this utterly new being. Brought to life in the eye of the storm, I have not yet found my way out of the darkness but with new life comes new strength to forge on into the great unknown. I can, I finally can, knowing that at the end of every road is my ever welcoming home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130830_found/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe tremulous touch of God’s presence is the palpable essence of electricity in\nthe air before lightning touches the barren earth and thunder roars across the\nsky. This was what I felt when I encountered you. The hair raising slowness of\nbreath when one encounters the Divine. Yet you, the unassuming, the plain, the\npatchwork pattern of a human being, knew not what was hidden behind your\ngraying cataract eyes. Could you possibly have known? Could it possibly have\nbeen you? Cross knitted eyebrows and deeply etched forehead disguised in the\nbaggy weightless clothing of a man lost under his own skies; I found God.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"You Found Me"},{"content":"Summer is winding down to an end and with that is a serious of desperate attempts to fill the dwindling amount of time with as many adventures as possible. Today’s mini adventure was to the Saratoga Japanese Hakone Gardens, the oldest historical Japanese tea Garden on the west coast. This small expanse of tranquil land fashioned with Japanese Maple Trees, koi filled ponds, and bamboo gardens is a luxurious little escape from the everyday.\nOn a clear hot day in the valley my mom and I explored just about every inch of the Hakone Gardens. The cascading waterfall was my favorite aspect of this little treasure.\nA bamboo forest encloses the walkway with swaying bamboo giants being blown back and forth by the wind.\nThe Hakone Gardens were a great little mini adventure to have. I really enjoyed walking along the koi ponds and through the bamboo forest. Just one of a few mini adventures to come!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130816_hakone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSummer is winding down to an end and with that is a serious of desperate\nattempts to fill the dwindling amount of time with as many adventures as\npossible. Today’s mini adventure was to the Saratoga Japanese Hakone Gardens,\nthe oldest historical Japanese tea Garden on the west coast. This small\nexpanse of tranquil land fashioned with Japanese Maple Trees, koi filled\nponds, and bamboo gardens is a luxurious little escape from the everyday.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hakone Gardens"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130620_moorecreek/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130620_moorecreek/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130620_moorecreek/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130620_moorecreek/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130620_moorecreek/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Paula hiking Moore Creek"},{"content":"After a short reprieve from school to visit my home in Santa Cruz, I am back in Berkeley.\nBack to campanile escapades, rolling down hills, blowing bubbles out my window, and for the rest of the summer, work. I am really excited to start working this summer and see all of the things I will discover.\nI am halfway through college and it hurts my heart to even think about that. A lot has changed and I am starting out the last half of my college career in a totally new vantage point. New jobs, new house, new roommates, new responsibilities but the same school and a lot of the same people I have come to know and love with all my heart.\nSo here is a toast to the second half of my college career, I hope it goes just as well as the first two.\nBut I do miss Santa Cruz already. My two homes, how I love them so. So another goodbye to Santa Cruz and another new adventure away from home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130614_berkeley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a short reprieve from school to visit my home in Santa Cruz, I am back in\nBerkeley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack to campanile escapades, rolling down hills, blowing bubbles out my window,\nand for the rest of the summer, work. I am really excited to start working\nthis summer and see all of the things I will discover.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am halfway through college and it hurts my heart to even think about that. A\nlot has changed and I am starting out the last half of my college career in a\ntotally new vantage point. New jobs, new house, new roommates, new\nresponsibilities but the same school and a lot of the same people I have come\nto know and love with all my heart.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Back in Berkeley"},{"content":"So I have been in my new home for a few days now and to avoid the stress of moving and adjusting to a new place I have taken to long periods of time just staring out of the windows in my room. The windows of my room are my favorite thing about my new home. One over looks the entire bay, the Berkeley Marina down below, the Golden Gate Bridge in the foggy distance level with my ever searching eyes. The other looks onto the Berkeley campus over the red thatched roofs of the castle like houses between my bedroom and campus. The campanile sits just beyond grasp but fully in view. I can hear the campanile ring out ever hour, so that I never loose myself in time.\nFrom my windows and long periods of observation from these new vantage points I see a lot of weird and interesting things that captivate my attention for hours on end. Here is a small list of the observations I have made in the last few days.\nSquirrels sit on the red thatched roofs and squeak across great distances at each other. I have no idea what it is they are trying to communicate so desperately. A woman in a house near mine comes out of her house onto the front porch to clip her nails at least once a day. Her nails must grow pretty dang fast. It makes me wonder if she really even goes out to clip her nails or does she do it to avoid being inside the house? I will continue to watch. There is a massive flock of crows that gather on the tree tops near the campanile, ever hour the chiming of the bells disturbs them and they all take flight like a great hurricane of movement. I can hear their cries from my bedroom. There are really fat raccoons that live in my apartment complex. They grow fat on the waste of college students like me. A girl next door, around sunset, will climb out her window onto her roof and sit there as the sun goes down. Depending on the day she will smoke a cigarette. At night only a few lights come on in the houses near mine. I tried to communicate with them via flashlight, no response yet. I will keep trying. The sun creeps through my window, crawling across the floor with agonizingly slow advancement until the sun sets and casts my walls with orange and red. ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130614_observations/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo I have been in my new home for a few days now and to avoid the stress of\nmoving and adjusting to a new place I have taken to long periods of time just\nstaring out of the windows in my room. The windows of my room are my favorite\nthing about my new home. One over looks the entire bay, the Berkeley Marina\ndown below, the Golden Gate Bridge in the foggy distance level with my ever\nsearching eyes. The other looks onto the Berkeley campus over the red thatched\nroofs of the castle like houses between my bedroom and campus. The campanile\nsits just beyond grasp but fully in view. I can hear the campanile ring out\never hour, so that I never loose myself in time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Observations from a New Vantage Point"},{"content":"Sirens wail within the walls of these catacombs\nReaching through the permeable loom\nAnd its outstretched strings weaving together\nA city of countless threads thinking they stand\nIndependent from the unraveling yarn.\nBut if we burn the end and watch the fire swallow the coil\nWe will all burn together\nThis masterpiece going up in flames\nLike the greatest bonfire of being\nThat ever burst forth from the abyss of this abysmal world\nThe powerful and strong will not reason\nThe reckoning flame away\nThat flicker of the snakes tongue can taste the air\nFilling with heat, the crackle and pop of thread\nBeing split in twain\nBut just alike, both will burn together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130515_isaiah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSirens wail within the walls of these catacombs\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching through the permeable loom\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd its outstretched strings weaving together\u003cbr\u003e\nA city of countless threads thinking they stand\u003cbr\u003e\nIndependent from the unraveling yarn.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut if we burn the end and watch the fire swallow the coil\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will all burn together\u003cbr\u003e\nThis masterpiece going up in flames\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the greatest bonfire of being\u003cbr\u003e\nThat ever burst forth from the abyss of this abysmal world\u003cbr\u003e\nThe powerful and strong will not reason\u003cbr\u003e\nThe reckoning flame away\u003cbr\u003e\nThat flicker of the snakes tongue can taste the air\u003cbr\u003e\nFilling with heat, the crackle and pop of thread\u003cbr\u003e\nBeing split in twain\u003cbr\u003e\nBut just alike, both will burn together.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isaiah’s Flame"},{"content":"Day Fourteen\nSilence weaves with delicate needle fingers\nthe lips of eternity together\nto protect the world from its whispers.\nThis loom of words, each string of sentences\nused to thread together the flesh of fear\nand tie up the loose ends of antiquity\nmaking modern the mask of mystery;\ngiving it a grin more akin to a grimace\nfighting back the suture of sin\nthat sealed the seventh scroll.\nThe world will unravel in its own calamitous coil,\nwe tried to piece it back together\nbut the piercing hook that once bound\nnow bends against the hardened flesh\nfinding it impenetrable and unyielding\neven to the craftsmen that created them.\nBut still we keep breaking our fingers\ntrying to get a hold of your hearts\nto breath back life into your being\nand let the ruach make what once\nwas stone, new flesh again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130414_coil/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Fourteen\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSilence weaves with delicate needle fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nthe lips of eternity together\u003cbr\u003e\nto protect the world from its whispers.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis loom of words, each string of sentences\u003cbr\u003e\nused to thread together the flesh of fear\u003cbr\u003e\nand tie up the loose ends of antiquity\u003cbr\u003e\nmaking modern the mask of mystery;\u003cbr\u003e\ngiving it a grin more akin to a grimace\u003cbr\u003e\nfighting back the suture of sin\u003cbr\u003e\nthat sealed the seventh scroll.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe world will unravel in its own calamitous coil,\u003cbr\u003e\nwe tried to piece it back together\u003cbr\u003e\nbut the piercing hook that once bound\u003cbr\u003e\nnow bends against the hardened flesh\u003cbr\u003e\nfinding it impenetrable and unyielding\u003cbr\u003e\neven to the craftsmen that created them.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still we keep breaking our fingers\u003cbr\u003e\ntrying to get a hold of your hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nto breath back life into your being\u003cbr\u003e\nand let the ruach make what once\u003cbr\u003e\nwas stone, new flesh again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Calamitous Coil"},{"content":"The Old Name had died of a Fool’s trick that was perfect.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130512_fool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Old Name had died of a Fool’s trick that was perfect.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fool’s Trick"},{"content":"Dear Mom,\nYou are my best friend, my travel buddy, my partner in crime, and the light of my life. I love you in more ways than words can express. I am sorry I can’t be there in person to tell you everything I have to say, but I can start here; Happy Mother’s Day.\nWe have traveled the country together, long hours in the car that never got boring or tiresome because we always had something to talk about and even if we didn’t we both enjoyed the silence and the company of one another other. We have wandered down creek beds, climbed trees, fixed flat tires, run across so many different surfaces that I cannot even begin to think of all their names. And oh the places we have gone, the places you have showed me, enjoyed with me and the memories that I have of you, with you, that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.\nLike the hellish hikes that we simultaneously horribly regret, yet remember with heart filling laughs even though it was horrible at the time. The adventures that failed, but led us to all new places and things.\nI love the times when we can be silly, climbing trees, hijacking tractors in the deepest part of the Bryce Canyon, and shamelessly chasing down every roadside attraction we can find.\nOh the places we have been. How many backdrops have we seen that belong in fairytales? How many times have we watched sunsets in places that are straight out of story books? How many times have I wished to always be back in the places we have been, while always looking forward to our next adventures?\nCaught between the wonderful life you have given me, lived in with me, and the story books found in photography shops or souvenir stores, you have always been there for me. The every faithful travel buddy, the worried mother, the excited best friend, you are everything that I love in life.\nJumping over rattlesnakes and standing waist deep in the Zion Narrows, you and I have been through everything, and I wouldn’t change anything about it.\nYou have been there for me in the hardest moments, followed me down the most treacherous paths, squeezed yourself down corridors that seemed impassible just to show me it could be done. You are incredible, you are super woman, you are my mother.\nI could never wish for anything more than the life you have given me, the opportunities I have been blessed to have with you. The coffee and beignets in New Orleans, the trolley car rides, the rivers we have stood at, the canyons we have overlooked, the wildlife we have gaped at, and the world you have shown me. There are too many memories for me to describe, too many things for me to talk about and how much I appreciate every single second of the time we have spent together.\nI love our family, I love the loving home you and Dad have given me, the loving upbringing and the support you have given me my entire life; even when I didn’t realize you were my biggest supporter and friend.\nYou make me laugh like no one else I know. How many different ways can I say that I love you? I hope you know that without me ever having to say it. Even when I am away for months at a time, I hope the wind will carry my words to you and carry my love to you so that you always know you are cherished and appreciated.\nI wonder where we will go next, I wonder what is in store for us in the future.\nThere are so many wonderful times in the past, but I know you and I have even more memories to be made in the future. Even if it isn’t on the road or out in the back country or by a river bed, we will always have the bond that is unbreakable, the bond between a mother and her daughter.\nThe bond between best friends who know exactly how to make you smile and dance even in the most difficult moments.\nThe bond between you and I will last the rest of our lives, as will the memories we have and the ones we have yet to make.\nYou are my inspiration, my hope, my love, my light. I love you mom more than words can say. I wish I could hug you and tell you in person, and I miss you all the time. You are such a wonderful mother and I hope you know that I thank God every day for giving me you.\nHappy Mother’s Day Mom, I love you, I love you, I love you.\nYour Eternally grateful and loving Daughter,\nMonica\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130512_mother/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDear Mom,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou are my best friend, my travel buddy, my partner in crime, and the light of\nmy life. I love you in more ways than words can express. I am sorry I can’t be\nthere in person to tell you everything I have to say, but I can start here;\nHappy Mother’s Day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130512_mother/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have traveled the country together, long hours in the car that never got\nboring or tiresome because we always had something to talk about and even if\nwe didn’t we both enjoyed the silence and the company of one another other. We\nhave wandered down creek beds, climbed trees, fixed flat tires, run across so\nmany different surfaces that I cannot even begin to think of all their names.\nAnd oh the places we have gone, the places you have showed me, enjoyed with me\nand the memories that I have of you, with you, that I will remember and\ncherish for the rest of my life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Happy Mother’s Day"},{"content":"Hit the floor like a shot to the mind set in deep-sea waters.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130511_deepsea/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHit the floor like a shot to the mind set in deep-sea waters.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Deep-Sea Waters"},{"content":"Enjoy the dark calm, There’s no surreal silence crying for a bullet to the head.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130510_silence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEnjoy the dark calm, There’s no surreal silence crying for a bullet to the head.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Surreal Silence"},{"content":"Impassioned beyond the bounds of creative change.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130509_passion/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eImpassioned beyond the bounds of creative change.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passion"},{"content":"Blue godess cry to compliance and guarantee the nightspot blues.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130508_goddess/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBlue godess cry to compliance and guarantee the nightspot blues.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blue Goddess"},{"content":"Brutal voice, I know No relief day, or night.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130507_relief/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBrutal voice, I know No relief day, or night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Relief"},{"content":"These old rings catch the light of the setting sun like the laughter lines on your face.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130507_treerings/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese old rings catch the light of the setting sun like the laughter lines on\nyour face.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tree Rings"},{"content":"A sting of merciful fear opened the door of absence; the invasion of the new.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130506_absence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA sting of merciful fear opened the door of absence; the invasion of the new.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Absence"},{"content":"The vicious hiss of vicious words were amber and lithe, eagerly waiting another.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130505_amber/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe vicious hiss of vicious words were amber and lithe, eagerly waiting\nanother.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amber Lithe"},{"content":"Beauty had her back to the mirror and left time at another century. Foreigner, to escape the mind, witness tranquility as a perfect stranger never to return.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130504_beauty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBeauty had her back to the mirror and left time at another century. Foreigner,\nto escape the mind, witness tranquility as a perfect stranger never to\nreturn.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beauty and the Foreigner"},{"content":"Justice, the burglary of principles. Question the substance of the theft without locks of inquiry.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130503_justice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJustice, the burglary of principles. Question the substance of the theft\nwithout locks of inquiry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Justice"},{"content":"Know the Author.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130502_content/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKnow the Author.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Content"},{"content":"It was about a year ago, almost to this very day that I stumbled upon this book. Battered and shoved between the crevices of a decaying wall, this book, along with two others, sat pinned between the cracks in the wall where no book belongs. So naturally, even though I was walking somewhere with friends, I stopped everything I was doing to rescue these lonesome orphaned books. It isn’t everyday you find books left for trash to bring home.\nBut once I had the book, I was not sure what to do with it. It sat on my shelf for months and every once and a while I would look at it from across the room; it always felt like it was calling me.\nOne day it hit me and I knew exactly why I had rescued these abandoned books; the answer was to give them new life. So I decided to re-purpose the whole book by turning every single page into its own poem. I had heard in the past about blackout poetry, specifically the newspaper blackouts of Austin Kleon. Many years in the past I had admired his work and his motto that “creativity is subtraction” but never thought it was a poetry technique I could attempt myself. This book, Bandit Love, was my perfect chance to try.\nSo I began a journey, that in no way is finished yet, but it is well underway. I decided to turn this entire book into pages and pages of blackout poetry; each page is a new and separate story that I created by taking the words that the original author put on the page and then re-purposing the meaning by picking and choosing the specific words I desired to give each page an entirely new meaning beyond that the original author intended.\nI will be trying to post a new page of the book every day when I can. So here is my blackout poetry project.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130501_blackout/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was about a year ago, almost to this very day that I stumbled upon this\nbook. Battered and shoved between the crevices of a decaying wall, this book,\nalong with two others, sat pinned between the cracks in the wall where no book\nbelongs. So naturally, even though I was walking somewhere with friends, I\nstopped everything I was doing to rescue these lonesome orphaned books. It\nisn’t everyday you find books left for trash to bring home.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blackout Poetry Project"},{"content":"Day 30.\nThe dip and dive of the hummingbird\njust protecting her young\nnever reached beyond the honeysuckles,\nwhere she rested and never woke up.\nThere she lays, the dewdrop queen\nquieted by butterfly kisses\nthat couldn’t calm the hum of her heart\neven when the willow brush began to sway\nlike the funeral waltz of a damaged widow’s brigade.\nThis flower ringed beauty was bound by vine\ntoo jealous to let her wings keep going\nso they laid her low\nleaving her babies up too high\neven for heaven to bow down and embrace them.\nWithout their mother, how will they survive?\nThat’s it, 30 for 30. 30 poems in thirty days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130430_hummingbird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 30.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dip and dive of the hummingbird\u003cbr\u003e\njust protecting her young\u003cbr\u003e\nnever reached beyond the honeysuckles,\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere she rested and never woke up.\u003cbr\u003e\nThere she lays, the dewdrop queen\u003cbr\u003e\nquieted by butterfly kisses\u003cbr\u003e\nthat couldn’t calm the hum of her heart\u003cbr\u003e\neven when the willow brush began to sway\u003cbr\u003e\nlike the funeral waltz of a damaged widow’s brigade.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis flower ringed beauty was bound by vine\u003cbr\u003e\ntoo jealous to let her wings keep going\u003cbr\u003e\nso they laid her low\u003cbr\u003e\nleaving her babies up too high\u003cbr\u003e\neven for heaven to bow down and embrace them.\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout their mother, how will they survive?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hummingbird"},{"content":"Day 29.\nThis tarnished silver\nnever sung the blues\nlike the willow weeping\non that late Sunday afternoon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130430_silver/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 29.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tarnished silver\u003cbr\u003e\nnever sung the blues\u003cbr\u003e\nlike the willow weeping\u003cbr\u003e\non that late Sunday afternoon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Silver"},{"content":"Day 28.\nThe backfire of an engine\nis a jarring reality\nof teeth that grind like\nchainsaws pulled freshly to life\nby the hands of one, desiring\nto devour the life of another\nwith the same greedy eyes\nof an orphaned child turned\nfrom his origins, never to face\nwhat he was or acknowledge his past\never again. These hungry eyes\nare never satisfied.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130428_backfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 28.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe backfire of an engine\u003cbr\u003e\nis a jarring reality\u003cbr\u003e\nof teeth that grind like\u003cbr\u003e\nchainsaws pulled freshly to life\u003cbr\u003e\nby the hands of one, desiring\u003cbr\u003e\nto devour the life of another\u003cbr\u003e\nwith the same greedy eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nof an orphaned child turned\u003cbr\u003e\nfrom his origins, never to face\u003cbr\u003e\nwhat he was or acknowledge his past\u003cbr\u003e\never again. These hungry eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nare never satisfied.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backfire"},{"content":"Sorry forgot again.\nDay 27.\nCry Canary, cry, can’t you smell the fumes?\nThis cave was born to collapse\nand bring you down too. So sing out\nwhat will your heart song sound like?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130428_canary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry forgot again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDay 27.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCry Canary, cry, can’t you smell the fumes?\u003cbr\u003e\nThis cave was born to collapse\u003cbr\u003e\nand bring you down too. So sing out\u003cbr\u003e\nwhat will your heart song sound like?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Canary"},{"content":"Day 26.\nLet me be slow to anger\nand abounding in grace.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130426_grace/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 26.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me be slow to anger\u003cbr\u003e\nand abounding in grace.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grace"},{"content":"Day 25.\nThe laugh lines on your face\nhave drawn us together\nlike a ripple in a pond\nwhere we disappeared, a rock\nslipping away into the water\nleaving only the wakes of our being\nwhen we used to be two\nbut became one.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130426_ripples/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 25.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe laugh lines on your face\u003cbr\u003e\nhave drawn us together\u003cbr\u003e\nlike a ripple in a pond\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere we disappeared, a rock\u003cbr\u003e\nslipping away into the water\u003cbr\u003e\nleaving only the wakes of our being\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen we used to be two\u003cbr\u003e\nbut became one.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ripples"},{"content":"Again, sorry forgot to post.\nDay 24\nThe warble of a robin egg blue wren\nis caught in the canopy of my window;\nkept trapped in a little treasure box\nfor safe keeping for a summer day.\nBut can I cage the sound without the being\nin a tattered net that cannot hold\neven the smallest of mysteries?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130425_wren/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAgain, sorry forgot to post.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDay 24\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe warble of a robin egg blue wren\u003cbr\u003e\nis caught in the canopy of my window;\u003cbr\u003e\nkept trapped in a little treasure box\u003cbr\u003e\nfor safe keeping for a summer day.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut can I cage the sound without the being\u003cbr\u003e\nin a tattered net that cannot hold\u003cbr\u003e\neven the smallest of mysteries?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wren"},{"content":"Sorry, forgot to post.\nDay 23.\nCount down with a failing arm of an age old clock\nthat sags beneath the burden of time\nlike a flower left by a graveside\nthat holds its best, longest\neven though there is no one to see its beauty.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130424_clock/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry, forgot to post.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDay 23.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCount down with a failing arm of an age old clock\u003cbr\u003e\nthat sags beneath the burden of time\u003cbr\u003e\nlike a flower left by a graveside\u003cbr\u003e\nthat holds its best, longest\u003cbr\u003e\neven though there is no one to see its beauty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Clock"},{"content":"Because everyone needs a little meerkat in their day…\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130424_meerkat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBecause everyone needs a little meerkat in their day…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130424_meerkat/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130424_meerkat/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Meerkat"},{"content":"Day 22.\nI guess it took me longer than expected\nfor me to find my way back to you.\nNothing has changed\nexcept\nthat I feel I have grown older than you.\nWe grew up together, you help my hand\nwhen times were rough and never\nleft me even when I left myself.\nWe made quite the couple, you know,\nand now that I have come back\nI feel\nsadly\nthat I have outgrown you old friend.\nI have changed\nOh how I have changed\nbut you, dear friend,\nhave remained exactly the same.\nHow can I let you know the things I have learned\nand the ways I have grown.\nNo longer alone\nno longer longing\nbut finally and completely full.\nYou filled me for so long;\nyou were my false God,\nthe object of my being\nmy worship, my praise.\nI don’t know if things will ever be the same,\nbut now that I see,\nI don’t know if I want them to be.\nI want you to come with me\nI want to bring you from the darkness\nwe dwelled in together for so long.\nCome and take this step with me\nand begin a new life\nso that next time we meet,\nwe will both be changed\nand made new each and everday\nby something greater than us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130423_changed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 22.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess it took me longer than expected\u003cbr\u003e\nfor me to find my way back to you.\u003cbr\u003e\nNothing has changed\u003cbr\u003e\nexcept\u003cbr\u003e\nthat I feel I have grown older than you.\u003cbr\u003e\nWe grew up together, you help my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen times were rough and never\u003cbr\u003e\nleft me even when I left myself.\u003cbr\u003e\nWe made quite the couple, you know,\u003cbr\u003e\nand now that I have come back\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel\u003cbr\u003e\nsadly\u003cbr\u003e\nthat I have outgrown you old friend.\u003cbr\u003e\nI have changed\u003cbr\u003e\nOh how I have changed\u003cbr\u003e\nbut you, dear friend,\u003cbr\u003e\nhave remained exactly the same.\u003cbr\u003e\nHow can I let you know the things I have learned\u003cbr\u003e\nand the ways I have grown.\u003cbr\u003e\nNo longer alone\u003cbr\u003e\nno longer longing\u003cbr\u003e\nbut finally and completely full.\u003cbr\u003e\nYou filled me for so long;\u003cbr\u003e\nyou were my false God,\u003cbr\u003e\nthe object of my being\u003cbr\u003e\nmy worship, my praise.\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know if things will ever be the same,\u003cbr\u003e\nbut now that I see,\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know if I want them to be.\u003cbr\u003e\nI want you to come with me\u003cbr\u003e\nI want to bring you from the darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nwe dwelled in together for so long.\u003cbr\u003e\nCome and take this step with me\u003cbr\u003e\nand begin a new life\u003cbr\u003e\nso that next time we meet,\u003cbr\u003e\nwe will both be changed\u003cbr\u003e\nand made new each and everday\u003cbr\u003e\nby something greater than us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Changed"},{"content":"Day 21.\nMy heart is consumed with the soft melodic whisper of fall;\nthe gentle rustle of leaves as they become brittle\nrattling like the empty cage of bones in a harsh winter wind.\nI pulled apart pieces of my sweater and tied them to trees\nto bind the naked limbs of outstretched arms\nwith skeleton hands to bony to find the warmth\nthat fills winter hearths with a fire burning\nthat speaks with the barely audible crackle like a leaf stepped on\njust as it finally found a common place with comrades\njust as brittle and lonely as itself.\nBut the comfort of fall has been long gone\nthis sun brings back the leaves to the naked trees\nthe new sprouting buds cover\nthe ties of cotton wrapped around their growing arms\nthat I left behind on a cold autumn day\nhoping the trees wouldn’t feel quite so alone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130421_autumn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay 21.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy heart is consumed with the soft melodic whisper of fall;\u003cbr\u003e\nthe gentle rustle of leaves as they become brittle\u003cbr\u003e\nrattling like the empty cage of bones in a harsh winter wind.\u003cbr\u003e\nI pulled apart pieces of my sweater and tied them to trees\u003cbr\u003e\nto bind the naked limbs of outstretched arms\u003cbr\u003e\nwith skeleton hands to bony to find the warmth\u003cbr\u003e\nthat fills winter hearths with a fire burning\u003cbr\u003e\nthat speaks with the barely audible crackle like a leaf stepped on\u003cbr\u003e\njust as it finally found a common place with comrades\u003cbr\u003e\njust as brittle and lonely as itself.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the comfort of fall has been long gone\u003cbr\u003e\nthis sun brings back the leaves to the naked trees\u003cbr\u003e\nthe new sprouting buds cover\u003cbr\u003e\nthe ties of cotton wrapped around their growing arms\u003cbr\u003e\nthat I left behind on a cold autumn day\u003cbr\u003e\nhoping the trees wouldn’t feel quite so alone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Autumn Remembrance"},{"content":"Sorry missed this Yesterday.\nDay Nineteen.\nHeld in the hands of yesteryear\nwe never would have cradled ourselves\nin our cold contentment if we knew,\nbut the heart of our minds\ncan never recover the moments wasted\nwith empty promises of sunsets to come.\nInstead today we pick up the mantle of love\nand learn to live again in a world\nwhere Lady Apathy no longer lingers\nin our doorway on the worst and best days.\nShut from the home of our hearts\nshe will dwindle and die.\nPick up the mantle of progress\nnot of hindering spite;\nthere is a whisper in the wind\ncarrying the time of change\ndo not let it pass you by.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130420_spite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry missed this Yesterday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDay Nineteen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeld in the hands of yesteryear\u003cbr\u003e\nwe never would have cradled ourselves\u003cbr\u003e\nin our cold contentment if we knew,\u003cbr\u003e\nbut the heart of our minds\u003cbr\u003e\ncan never recover the moments wasted\u003cbr\u003e\nwith empty promises of sunsets to come.\u003cbr\u003e\nInstead today we pick up the mantle of love\u003cbr\u003e\nand learn to live again in a world\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere Lady Apathy no longer lingers\u003cbr\u003e\nin our doorway on the worst and best days.\u003cbr\u003e\nShut from the home of our hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nshe will dwindle and die.\u003cbr\u003e\nPick up the mantle of progress\u003cbr\u003e\nnot of hindering spite;\u003cbr\u003e\nthere is a whisper in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\ncarrying the time of change\u003cbr\u003e\ndo not let it pass you by.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Not with Spite"},{"content":"Day Twenty.\nThis frame you left to me is so hollow it hurts.\nIts wire is bending under the pressure and puncturing skin\nlike the indentation left when a needle is pressed against a balloon.\nThe burrow of contact in the fraction of a moment\nbefore the collapse and the implosion of being\nthat once belonged to this barren body.\nThe flesh no longer covers bone,\nthe words cannot blot out the worst in me,\nand the way your eyes on me sear the curled edges of my being\nburns more than the hell fire of this purgatory.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130420_purgatory/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Twenty.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis frame you left to me is so hollow it hurts.\u003cbr\u003e\nIts wire is bending under the pressure and puncturing skin\u003cbr\u003e\nlike the indentation left when a needle is pressed against a balloon.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe burrow of contact in the fraction of a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nbefore the collapse and the implosion of being\u003cbr\u003e\nthat once belonged to this barren body.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe flesh no longer covers bone,\u003cbr\u003e\nthe words cannot blot out the worst in me,\u003cbr\u003e\nand the way your eyes on me sear the curled edges of my being\u003cbr\u003e\nburns more than the hell fire of this purgatory.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Purgatory"},{"content":"Day Eighteen.\nDevastated by this disaster\nThe chaos of cataclysmic clatter\nwedged between our hearts\nthis vacuum between you and I looms.\nThe day when\nSeparated by a moment\nturned into lost for all time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130418_separation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Eighteen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDevastated by this disaster\u003cbr\u003e\nThe chaos of cataclysmic clatter\u003cbr\u003e\nwedged between our hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nthis vacuum between you and I looms.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe day when\u003cbr\u003e\nSeparated by a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nturned into lost for all time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Separation"},{"content":"Day Seventeen.\nThe woman holds out leaves of paper\nThat fall from her hands like autumn\nBut crash to the floor like a hurricane\nWithout words he pulls her to him\nEncompassing her in his long arms\nshe doesn’t even try to stretch her wings\njust crumbles like the ruins of a decaying façade\nletting herself be consumed by something larger than her\nHe holds her like the binding of book\nTrying to hold onto the loose pages of life.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130417_exchange/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Seventeen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe woman holds out leaves of paper\u003cbr\u003e\nThat fall from her hands like autumn\u003cbr\u003e\nBut crash to the floor like a hurricane\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout words he pulls her to him\u003cbr\u003e\nEncompassing her in his long arms\u003cbr\u003e\nshe doesn’t even try to stretch her wings\u003cbr\u003e\njust crumbles like the ruins of a decaying façade\u003cbr\u003e\nletting herself be consumed by something larger than her\u003cbr\u003e\nHe holds her like the binding of book\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to hold onto the loose pages of life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"An Exchange on the Street"},{"content":"Day Sixteen.\nI am stuck\nwith my face\nin my hands\nand the words\neverywhere\nbut\nthe page\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130416_everywhere/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Sixteen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am stuck\u003cbr\u003e\nwith my face\u003cbr\u003e\nin my hands\u003cbr\u003e\nand the words\u003cbr\u003e\neverywhere\u003cbr\u003e\nbut\u003cbr\u003e\nthe page\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Everywhere"},{"content":"Day Fifteen.\nVendetta is a word wrapped in silk\nIt encoils its bearer with the sweetest feeling\nIt slides from the tongue in an ever-pleasing hiss\nThe self sufficient lover of the tortured\nThe ever hungry beast from the heart\nThat dwells in the darkest of places\nJust dying to get out\nVendetta is a feeling burning in your eyes\nSeething with hatred and a promise yet surmised\nIt whispers tender evils into the innocent ear\nAnd corrupts the benevolence within your heart\nHere it is the power to take back what was rightfully yours\nTo steal away what was stolen from\nDignity, honor, and your name\nVendetta is a promise from the bottom of the soul\nTo never sleep nor eat until this debt is repaid\nUntil the tables have yet again been turned\nIn the favor of the wind\nThe seductive banter of a word never really said\nWe know it in our hearts but there it remains\nA smoldering word etched into your brain\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130415_vendetta/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Fifteen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVendetta is a word wrapped in silk\u003cbr\u003e\nIt encoils its bearer with the sweetest feeling\u003cbr\u003e\nIt slides from the tongue in an ever-pleasing hiss\u003cbr\u003e\nThe self sufficient lover of the tortured\u003cbr\u003e\nThe ever hungry beast from the heart\u003cbr\u003e\nThat dwells in the darkest of places\u003cbr\u003e\nJust dying to get out\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVendetta is a feeling burning in your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nSeething with hatred and a promise yet surmised\u003cbr\u003e\nIt whispers tender evils into the innocent ear\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd corrupts the benevolence within your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nHere it is the power to take back what was rightfully yours\u003cbr\u003e\nTo steal away what was stolen from\u003cbr\u003e\nDignity, honor, and your name\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vendetta"},{"content":"The holiday Holi was a couple of weeks ago but this weekend at University of California, Berkeley the Indian Student Association put on a festival for Holi. Many people have heard of these festivals of color where people by colored powder and in a giant mosh pit of people everyone throws color at each other.\nA giant throng of people gathers and takes part in this festival each year; this is my second year taking part and it really is an amazing thing to experience.\nAt times there are so many people crammed into one space it is hard to breathe, impossible to see if you are as short as me, and in the mist of color filling the air there are shouts of joy and surprise as color explodes across people’s hair, face and bodies in a huge spray of vibrant color.\nA big group of my friends all came to the festival and we all stuck together in the massive crowd, dancing, screaming and throwing color at each other. It really is an experience everyone should have at some point in their life at least once.\nOur faces were covered in a huge array of colors, it felt like every part of me had been dyed a different color.\nAfter the war of color is over, everyone looks so different with a mask of colors changing the features of faces that are so familiar yet entirely altered.\nI can’t wait for the years to come where we can celebrate again and again the vibrancy of our lives and the world.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130414_festival/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe holiday  Holi was a couple of weeks ago but this weekend at University of\nCalifornia, Berkeley the Indian Student Association put on a festival for\nHoli. Many people have heard of these festivals of color where people by\ncolored powder and in a giant mosh pit of people everyone throws color at each\nother.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2013/20130414_festival/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA giant throng of people gathers and takes part in this festival each year;\nthis is my second year taking part and it really is an amazing thing to\nexperience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Holi: Festival of Color"},{"content":"Day Thirteen.\nHeavy petals feel of heaven’s feathers\nLike an angel’s wings\nPlucked from the fresh body of innocence\nShorn of shame leaving you bare and naked\nBefore the eyes of the sun and the melody of reason\nScreeches like a snapped violin string\nEven your upturned palms\nCannot bear this burden\nOf eyes unseeing peering down upon you\nThis gaze will crush you and your will\nLeaving you the shattered broken form\nA wingless angel stripped of all that didn’t make you human\nThis is the disease ridden world\nWhere the grass against your cheek\nFeels like shattered glass ripping into skin\nThat has never before felt the graze of reality\nThe voice which is pulled from you is alien\nHorrified by the essence of self pouring from you\nThere are horrors in these hands.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130413_petals/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Thirteen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeavy petals feel of heaven’s feathers\u003cbr\u003e\nLike an angel’s wings\u003cbr\u003e\nPlucked from the fresh body of innocence\u003cbr\u003e\nShorn of shame leaving you bare and naked\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore the eyes of the sun and the melody of reason\u003cbr\u003e\nScreeches like a snapped violin string\u003cbr\u003e\nEven your upturned palms\u003cbr\u003e\nCannot bear this burden\u003cbr\u003e\nOf eyes unseeing peering down upon you\u003cbr\u003e\nThis gaze will crush you and your will\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving you the shattered broken form\u003cbr\u003e\nA wingless angel stripped of all that didn’t make you human\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is the disease ridden world\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the grass against your cheek\u003cbr\u003e\nFeels like shattered glass ripping into skin\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has never before felt the graze of reality\u003cbr\u003e\nThe voice which is pulled from you is alien\u003cbr\u003e\nHorrified by the essence of self pouring from you\u003cbr\u003e\nThere are horrors in these hands.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Petals"},{"content":"Day Twelve\nWhen the fire came it burned a hole in the porch,\nlike a portal being opened to the far below.\nSissy used to tell me that if you dropped something in it\nyou could hear it fall all the way through to the end of the earth.\nSo one day I took my collection of eucalyptus buttons\nand threw them in the blackened pit below;\nthe jigsaw teeth of the burned out boards\nlike ivory appendages ripped from bodies of great beasts.\nI didn’t hear the sound of falling like Sissy said I would,\nSo I just stood there with my empty jar,\nbereft of years of good keeping\nmy collection was swallowed up by that black earth\nleaving me with the wasted anticipation and the heavy\nempty jar. It seemed so much lighter when it was full\neven though it weighed down my arms.\nSo I walked away from the yawning abyss that swallowed\nmy eucalyptus buttons whole, with a heavy heart of disappointment.\nWhen we moved away a short time later\nI left the jar with its emptiness\nbeside the pit the inferno had left behind;\nstanding upright on its own, the jar was\nthe only thing left in our gutted out home.\nBut when I grew up and years had whittled my cheeks with age\ntwenty maybe even thirty years later\nI went back to the place where the fire started late that night,\nhoping to look that darkness right in the eye\nand ask the questions that haunted me for so many years.\nBut when I pushed my way through the gutted cobwebbed remains\nof a place I once called home and made my way to the back porch\nthe darkness was gone, replaced by the outstretched trunks of eucalyptus trees.\nThe trees rose up in the middle of our porch\nthe new trunks breaking through the old planks of wood\npushing upward and upward as if to show that they could.\nI walked across the deck with slow awestruck steps\nmy eyes turned upward in reverence of the great canopy.\nDrawn back to the earth from the skyward reach I heard the crunch below my feet.\nLifting my foot I held below, the ground was littered with buttons\nlike a fresh blanket of winter snow.\nI knelt by the edges of what once was an abyss and touched the base of new life\nthat grew in the face of darkness and refused the decree: do not be.\nTo my amazement, as I knelt there, I found it beside me\nUnchanged except on thing, this time when I picked up the old glass jar\nit was far from empty.\nFilled to the brim with fallen eucalyptus buttons\nthe trees had replaced the source that had unknowingly given them life.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130412_eucalyptus/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Twelve\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the fire came it burned a hole in the porch,\u003cbr\u003e\nlike a portal being opened to the far below.\u003cbr\u003e\nSissy used to tell me that if you dropped something in it\u003cbr\u003e\nyou could hear it fall all the way through to the end of the earth.\u003cbr\u003e\nSo one day I took my collection of eucalyptus buttons\u003cbr\u003e\nand threw them in the blackened pit below;\u003cbr\u003e\nthe jigsaw teeth of the burned out boards\u003cbr\u003e\nlike ivory appendages ripped from bodies of great beasts.\u003cbr\u003e\nI didn’t hear the sound of falling like Sissy said I would,\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I just stood there with my empty jar,\u003cbr\u003e\nbereft of years of good keeping\u003cbr\u003e\nmy collection was swallowed up by that black earth\u003cbr\u003e\nleaving me with the wasted anticipation and the heavy\u003cbr\u003e\nempty jar. It seemed so much lighter when it was full\u003cbr\u003e\neven though it weighed down my arms.\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I walked away from the yawning abyss that swallowed\u003cbr\u003e\nmy eucalyptus buttons whole, with a heavy heart of disappointment.\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen we moved away a short time later\u003cbr\u003e\nI left the jar with its emptiness\u003cbr\u003e\nbeside the pit the inferno had left behind;\u003cbr\u003e\nstanding upright on its own, the jar was\u003cbr\u003e\nthe only thing left in our gutted out home.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut when I grew up and years had whittled my cheeks with age\u003cbr\u003e\ntwenty maybe even thirty years later\u003cbr\u003e\nI went back to the place where the fire started late that night,\u003cbr\u003e\nhoping to look that darkness right in the eye\u003cbr\u003e\nand ask the questions that haunted me for so many years.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut when I pushed my way through the gutted cobwebbed remains\u003cbr\u003e\nof a place I once called home and made my way to the back porch\u003cbr\u003e\nthe darkness was gone, replaced by the outstretched trunks of eucalyptus trees.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe trees rose up in the middle of our porch\u003cbr\u003e\nthe new trunks breaking through the old planks of wood\u003cbr\u003e\npushing upward and upward as if to show that they could.\u003cbr\u003e\nI walked across the deck with slow awestruck steps\u003cbr\u003e\nmy eyes turned upward in reverence of the great canopy.\u003cbr\u003e\nDrawn back to the earth from the skyward reach I heard the crunch below my feet.\u003cbr\u003e\nLifting my foot I held below, the ground was littered with buttons\u003cbr\u003e\nlike a fresh blanket of winter snow.\u003cbr\u003e\nI knelt by the edges of what once was an abyss and touched the base of new life\u003cbr\u003e\nthat grew in the face of darkness and refused the decree: do not be.\u003cbr\u003e\nTo my amazement, as I knelt there, I found it beside me\u003cbr\u003e\nUnchanged except on thing, this time when I picked up the old glass jar\u003cbr\u003e\nit was far from empty.\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled to the brim with fallen eucalyptus buttons\u003cbr\u003e\nthe trees had replaced the source that had unknowingly given them life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Eucalyptus Buttons"},{"content":"Day Eleven.\nSifting coffe beans through withered fingers\nlike they were smooth rocks found on a beach without pebbles.\nFeeling each delicately, as if they would crack\ncrumble and fall away like the shell of a robin’s egg.\nSorting each bean on the counter top of a diner\nlost in an age of countless coffee stains\nand waitresses with smokey voices\ncaught in the cloud of cigarette ash.\nThe old man waits at the counter\nwith an empty bar stool still left spinning\nfrom the years of memories weighed down upon it\nbut vacant for these remaining days.\nHe waits, not wondering for a time to see her again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130411_diner/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Eleven.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSifting coffe beans through withered fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nlike they were smooth rocks found on a beach without pebbles.\u003cbr\u003e\nFeeling each delicately, as if they would crack\u003cbr\u003e\ncrumble and fall away like the shell of a robin’s egg.\u003cbr\u003e\nSorting each bean on the counter top of a diner\u003cbr\u003e\nlost in an age of countless coffee stains\u003cbr\u003e\nand waitresses with smokey voices\u003cbr\u003e\ncaught in the cloud of cigarette ash.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe old man waits at the counter\u003cbr\u003e\nwith an empty bar stool still left spinning\u003cbr\u003e\nfrom the years of memories weighed down upon it\u003cbr\u003e\nbut vacant for these remaining days.\u003cbr\u003e\nHe waits, not wondering for a time to see her again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Diner"},{"content":"The night spent in the goatskin tent felt like an eternity, even though we actually slept for about 3 hours total due to our late night jam session. The ground was hard, the air cold and thin, but even through this, it was still a great feeling to wake up and feel surrounded by new-found friends. It really was after that night that I think we all stopped being people on a trip and became friends.\n6am. Wake up call. Everyone slowly and regrettably rolling out of their sleeping bags and wandering with blurry eyes toward the bathrooms to try to reassemble our appearances for the coming day. A sea of girls packed the small bathrooms brushing teeth, doing makeup, brushing hair, trying to find all the articles of our clothing; it really made the entire morning process of preparation seem a fool’s errand so early in the morning and with no space to get ready.\nEventually I gave up trying to prep myself to look slightly human again and realized it was a failed effort. The darkness we had woken up to slowly altered itself as the great fiery ball that is the sun slowly lifted itself up from its hiding place to peek over the sandy mountain tops. The sand under my feet, the sounds of the camels and donkeys, and the slow progression of people toward the breakfast area was interrupted when the sun revealed itself. Everyone around me stopped to watch its steady ascent. It was magnificent, bathing the desert land in light, cascading over sand dunes to fill the valley with light.\nIt was a wonderful morning to be alive.\nBreakfast was in a big tent and was very welcomed. Great food, real fresh goat cheese, all assortments of bread and fresh eggs along with their amazing tea. The tea was much needed again because the long night in the cold and the lack of sleep had ruined my health and I felt terrible. It felt like someone set my throat on fire and I could barely speak at all. As we all sat at the table making fun of my hoarse voice and enjoying the awesome Bedouin breakfast I felt something hit me. Looking up I saw a couple of birds perched in the ceiling rafters and realized to my horror that I had just been pooped on by a bird. Horrified and everyone else laughing, I tried to figure out how to save my only outfit I had for the entire day ahead. Luckily I was able to get a new shirt but it was just such a comically horrifying moment.\nAfter breakfast we all headed back to the buses which were bathed in the sunrise’s glow as well to continue our journey onward.\nAt 7am we left camp and drove deeper into the desert valley winding our way past sand dunes on empty desert roads. We were headed to Masada, an isolated rock plateau atop a great desert mountain that overlooks the Dead Sea and the vast Judean Desert. This place was once the site of one of Herod’s great palaces which he greatly fortified, but fell under Roman siege ending with the tragic suicide of nearly a thousand Jewish people to avoid enslavement at Roman hands. This tragic tale took place on top of this pillar of earth high above the desert earthen floor and we hiked up the Roman Ramp that had been built to over take the fortification.\nWe hiked up in the shadow of the mountain, only seeing the sun bathed desert light peaking around the sides of the great mesa. Coming out between stone pillars, which were thousands of years old to the flatten plain where once a great palace stood, bathed in early morning sunshine, was an amazing sight to see.\nDirectly under the sun, even this early in the morning, had us all seeking out shade to learn more about this place.\nWe talked for a while about the history of this place and then set out to wander along the ruins of this ancient place.\nThe world felt silent from up there, so high above the valley of the Judean Desert, it was one of my favorite experiences on the entire trip. The hot breeze lifting the dusty sand of ancient worlds to twirl around us as we plodded along. It felt like God was in the breeze, suspended in the air all around us, caught between the bricks of each ruined building.\nOne amazing thing we went and saw was down some ancient worn steps into what used to be the water storage area; a great pit of a room with extremely high ceilings that we all walked down slanted steps to reach the bottom. Light poured in from the outside sunshine and illuminated the room in such a magical way, it was impossible not to feel awestruck.\nI stayed behind and lingered there in the bottom of that pit, placed my hand on the square of light let in through the hole high above me. It was an amazing feeling to touch the smoothed out stone that everywhere else felt so cold and hard, but right there where the light touched the ancient wall, was warmed by the sun.\nAfter leaving the water storage area we went back out onto the plateau where we all sat in a huge circle and just meditated for a short while. We sat in silence, just listening and feeling the Israeli sun on our faces. I touched the ground and felt the sand run through my fingers, dusting them with archaic remnants of the past. Listening to the wind brush past us, you could almost hear God whispering in your ear. The wind felt like the breath of God, escaping like a sigh across this place so high above the ground.\nWhen we opened our eyes from the meditation each person had a little envelope from their loved ones before them. We had some free time to go be alone, contemplate, and read our letters wherever we pleased. I sat curled up in a nook of the archaic ruins facing over the cliff side into the canyons far below.\nAfter I read my letter, I stood at the canyon’s edge and with a couple of other people, yelled over the sides of the plateau into the valleys below. Our voices were carried far away, filling the crevices of the canyons all around us. Lifted high by the wind, our voices rang out across the Judean Desert. It was crazy to see the power of our voices as they echoed around us.\nAfterwards, before we descended via the Snake Path, which is a huge winding trial leading down the other side of the plateau, we all took a group picture, the first that included our lovely Israeli soldiers.\nThe descent, which most people take a cable car to avoid, was one of the longest hikes I have ever experienced It took an eternity to reach the bottom, but it was still an amazing trail to hike down. Once at the bottom we ate lunch in a cafeteria area. I am willing to admit I actually ate McDonald’s, just see what it was like and to my great surprise it was actually good. It was nothing like McDonald’s in America, it felt like real food, real burgers, not gross tiny hamburgers. It was huge and really tasty. While we waited for our bus we all played a giant game of ninja and a new game we learned the previous night called Sheep-a-Sheep. It was hilarious and a great way to wrap up our time at Masada\nThe Dead Sea was our next stop and one many of has been highly anticipating the entire trip; a chance to float in the Dead Sea’s salty waters. This place is the lowest elevation in the entire world at 423 meters below sea level. So we all excitedly went to change into our bathing suits and ran down to the beach for a float. This experience was not at all what I expected it to be.\nThe color of the water was a beautiful green and blue, which contrasted wonderfully with the red and orange rocks on the shore. The first difficulty we encountered was actually getting into the water itself. It seems benign enough in the pictures, but what you don’t see in this picture are the salt deposits covering every rock, making sharp crystalline structures that just love to shred feet if you aren’t careful.\nThis is a more accurate display of what it looked like and felt like walking barefoot on these rocks and trying to make it into the water as waves were splashing against our wobbly legs. Once in the water and off our feet, which were now on fire from the salty water getting into the numerous cuts on our feet, we felt the bizarreness that is the Salt Sea.\nEverything you hear about the Dead Sea is true; it is bizarrely salty. It feels like gravity has been reversed or you are floating on air. You have to float on your back and once you do it is such a weird experience. It feels like nothing you ever have felt before.\nIt was really very fun to paddle around and float with everyone out in the water.\nHowever, the salt that makes the Dead Sea such a cool experience is also your worst enemy. The very first thing they told us getting off the bus was, whatever you do, don’t put your head under water or get water in your eyes or mouth. I don’t think I understood how very serious they were. Within moments of being out in the water my lips were covered in crusted salt and everyone could tell something was weird about the water. The water was slightly wavy and would splash little bits of the water on our faces and it burned, literally burned. You couldn’t rub the hurt from your eyes because your hand were covered in the water. There was nothing to do if you got even the tiniest splash on your face. People had to get back on shore and wash out their eyes in a serious way. Most people didn’t even stay in the water very long because the waves kept getting the salt in people’s’ eyes. After a short while everyone was out of the water with bloodied feet and burning eyes. The medic really had her hands full bandaging people’s feet.\nIt really is an amazing example of the beauty and danger of nature. It was extraordinarily beautiful and I am so glad I did it but everyone was pretty ready to get very far away from the water after only a short while.\nWe all ran to the showers to get the burning salt off and headed back to the bus with new battle wounds but satisfied in having this very cool, if not slightly disastrous experience. Once back on the bus one of our peers actually passed out because he got so dehydrated from the salt. It is funny looking back on how much of a disaster it actually was, but I don’t regret it for even a single moment.\nTired from the already really long day (remember we had been up since 6am after a 3am bed time) and having hiked in the heat, swam in the salt, we were all pretty exhausted. However we had no time to rest, Jerusalem, the Holy City was out next destination.\nWe arrived in Jerusalem on a hill that rose above Jerusalem and from it we could survey the whole city. At the overlook we were greeted with a huge welcoming party along with many other Birthright buses. There were drummers who gathered our attention by blowing on horns made out of actual horn. They began to sing and drum as everyone stood and watched; their shadows cast on the ground around their feet.\nIt didn’t take long for everyone to join in singing and dancing in a giant circle around the drummers a top a mountain that felt like the seat of the world in the holy city of Jerusalem.\nAfter the short festivities were over, the dancing and singing stopped and we were officially welcomed to Israel and Jerusalem by the breaking of Challah and sharing it between every single one of us as we watched the sun set over Jerusalem.\nTo stand above the city of Jerusalem at last, after coming so far, and having seen so many things already, I could feel my heart expanding knowing: I had made it to Jerusalem. We could see the Dome of the Rock in the distance and the Western Wall (Kotel) along with all the winding labyrinthine streets that created the thatch work masterpiece that is this holy city.\nThe very first thing we did in Jerusalem was go and visit one of the expansive open air markets. It was a truly amazing experience. It is one of my all time favorite things to visit market places in destinations that I have never visited before because it provides such an intriguing glimpse into the actual essence of this newfound place.\nWe all split up with about an hours time to explore wherever we pleased throughout the giant market place, which was a series of intersecting streets about four streets wide. I split off with Plia and my friend Tia to explore. Since Plia, being from Israel and having visited this very same market several times, knew exactly where to go, what to see, and what food to eat.\nShe was a fantastic guide and made the experience so much more special than it already was, being able to watch these Israeli natives communicate in Hebrew together. One of the very first things Plia showed us was Halva; an odd sesame snack that is kind of like a flaky fudge that has a large variety of flavors. This picture below which looks reminiscent of cheese is actually a large variety of flavors of Halva ranging from coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, poppy seed, orange, vanilla, and all kinds of flavors.\nShe even showed us this wonderful character, the Halva King who runs this stand. He is there almost every day wearing his little crown handing out samples of his Halva. It was so interesting and something I had never experienced. I loved Halva (I even brought back some with me to the United States) but it really is something you either love or hate. It is very difficult to relate it to anything I have ever had before, it is just Halva.\nWe wandered the streets of the market listening to the vendors yelling out about their wares, Plia occasionally translating so we could understand. Each stand was full of so many amazing things from pastries, to spices, to tea, or trail mixes. There were numerous candy stands selling all sorts of chocolates or suckers.\nPlia took us a little off the beaten track and showed us her favorite place at the market; a tiny little coffee shop down one of the side alleyways which she said had some of the best hot chocolate around. It really was some amazing hot chocolate, all three of us got some and it was one of the richest things I have ever tasted. It had at least three little chocolate bars melting at the bottom fo the cup. It was nice having this brief little glimpse into her world.\nAs we were leaving the alleyway a tiny restaurant was handing out free samples and they basically chased us down trying to give us free food because they could tell we were Americans. We finally agreed and the food was not only amazing but the people were hilarious. They asked us where we were from, both Tia and I said California and suddenly the owner just disappeared. We were a little confused and worried we had offended him when suddenly he comes running back and the speakers of the restaurant start blasting out Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was hilarious and I really wished we could have stayed and eaten there but we were running out of time. So we walked away from the market with Californication filling the market streets behind us.\nIt was a truly incredible experience and it felt like we really got a taste of life in Jerusalem. We all reluctantly came back together and late at night drove to our hotel which would be our home for the rest of the trip. The hotel was gigantic, called Rimonim (means pomegranate but we were all too tired to really care. We got our new roommate assignments and went upstairs to sleep after one of the longest days of my life but also one of the best.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130410_israel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe night spent in the goatskin tent felt like an eternity, even though we\nactually slept for about 3 hours total due to our late night jam session. The\nground was hard, the air cold and thin, but even through this, it was still a\ngreat feeling to wake up and feel surrounded by new-found friends. It really\nwas after that night that I think we all stopped being people on a trip and\nbecame friends.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Israel: From the Desert to the Holy City"},{"content":"Day Ten.\nI can smell the mandrake in your veins\nThick as molasses and light as a sea breeze;\nIt runs from your cracked edifice like a deluge\nOf cold glances cast down lonely roads\nCaught only by the spider’s web\nLeft to the whimsy of the wind;\nBut theses white walls\nWill not be washed clean of me.\nNo bleach nor paint will draw me from the cracks\nThat keep this house whole\nBecause the fibers of the brick thatched roof\nHas been slowly woven into me\nThis macabre patchwork of my being\nHas been interlocked like the roots\nOf a mandrake that stretches out\nLike a child’s hands\nReaching out for the nightshade\nNot knowing what this shadow will bring.\nMandrake melody sing not too loud\nAs the fire consumes you\nSome sacrifices were necessary, my darling\nAnd the dark was closing in before the day was done\nWhat was I supposed to do?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130410_mandrake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Ten.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI can smell the mandrake in your veins\u003cbr\u003e\nThick as molasses and light as a sea breeze;\u003cbr\u003e\nIt runs from your cracked edifice like a deluge\u003cbr\u003e\nOf cold glances cast down lonely roads\u003cbr\u003e\nCaught only by the spider’s web\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft to the whimsy of the wind;\u003cbr\u003e\nBut theses white walls\u003cbr\u003e\nWill not be washed clean of me.\u003cbr\u003e\nNo bleach nor paint will draw me from the cracks\u003cbr\u003e\nThat keep this house whole\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the fibers of the brick thatched roof\u003cbr\u003e\nHas been slowly woven into me\u003cbr\u003e\nThis macabre patchwork of my being\u003cbr\u003e\nHas been interlocked like the roots\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a mandrake that stretches out\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a child’s hands\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching out for the nightshade\u003cbr\u003e\nNot knowing what this shadow will bring.\u003cbr\u003e\nMandrake melody sing not too loud\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the fire consumes you\u003cbr\u003e\nSome sacrifices were necessary, my darling\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the dark was closing in before the day was done\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat was I supposed to do?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mandrake"},{"content":"Day Eight.\nFire found its feet in the coals of yesterday’s ashes\nNestled amongst the darkening stones\nWith a greater reverence born from dependence\nBetween the one who needs all and has nothing\nAnd the one who has all but gives nothing\nFolded in on what can never have a life of its own\nThis is an implosion of eternity\nThis dying ember cannot be awakened\nBy the words carried on whispered winds\nOnly the hands brave enough to reach in\nAnd bear it upwards from the forgotten flame of yesterday\nInto a new lightness not born\nFrom the consumption of everything in its wake\nBut from the kindling of hearts that bring new light\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130409_flame/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Eight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFire found its feet in the coals of yesterday’s ashes\u003cbr\u003e\nNestled amongst the darkening stones\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a greater reverence born from dependence\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween the one who needs all and has nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the one who has all but gives nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nFolded in on what can never have a life of its own\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is an implosion of eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nThis dying ember cannot be awakened\u003cbr\u003e\nBy the words carried on whispered winds\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly the hands brave enough to reach in\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd bear it upwards from the forgotten flame of yesterday\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a new lightness not born\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the consumption of everything in its wake\u003cbr\u003e\nBut from the kindling of hearts that bring new light\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Flame"},{"content":"Day Nine.\nThe sidewalk is lit like fairy circles under a full moon,\nBut the spaces in between are darker than the deepest deluge.\nIt is in this space, between the moment of whispered words\nHeld in the bitterly cold night’s breeze saying Let there be light;\nThat I find myself staring at you.\nMoving quickly by, briskly marching to the beat of an unknown cacophony\nLike the heartbeat of a thunderbolt, your heel crushes the ground.\nStep after step draws you closer to me.\nI feel my earth quake and the air tremble as the space grows smaller\nUntil you are right before me like a hurricane making ground.\nThe tension in the air between us as the eyes of this storm\nShare a sudden and incalculable gaze\nYour eyes were the darkest shade of azul.\nA storm brewing in them, that once released could never be stopped\nI swear I could smell the scent of Petrichor on your breath.\nThat moment in the eye of the storm where we passed one another\nIn the darkest of spaces between the light of this earth\nI knew you as the destroyer of all things the earth had made in me\nI saw deep inside of you as you looked into me\nI could see the smile in your eyes and the smirk on your lips\nSomehow I always knew it would end like this.\nWith the silence of a storm and a solemn shared stare,\nAs the void of you, that claimed power over me, saw through my disguise\nAnd knew only me; knew of the guilt in my heart,\nand a forked tongue held behind clenched teeth.\nThe words lingered there as well,\nWithout ever sharing a word, our worlds where made whole\nBringing back full circle where my beginning made their end.\nOur eyes spoke of failures neither of us could forget.\nYour eyes cast across that darkness and shook me to my core\nAnd in that darkness the final sonnet of sorrow sung from the dust of me:\nI am so sorry.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130409_serpent/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Nine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sidewalk is lit like fairy circles under a full moon,\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the spaces in between are darker than the deepest deluge.\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is in this space, between the moment of whispered words\u003cbr\u003e\nHeld in the bitterly cold night’s breeze saying Let there be light;\u003cbr\u003e\nThat I find myself staring at you.\u003cbr\u003e\nMoving quickly by, briskly marching to the beat of an unknown cacophony\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the heartbeat of a thunderbolt, your heel crushes the ground.\u003cbr\u003e\nStep after step draws you closer to me.\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel my earth quake and the air tremble as the space grows smaller\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil you are right before me like a hurricane making ground.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tension in the air between us as the eyes of this storm\u003cbr\u003e\nShare a sudden and incalculable gaze\u003cbr\u003e\nYour eyes were the darkest shade of azul.\u003cbr\u003e\nA storm brewing in them, that once released could never be stopped\u003cbr\u003e\nI swear I could smell the scent of Petrichor on your breath.\u003cbr\u003e\nThat moment in the eye of the storm where we passed one another\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the darkest of spaces between the light of this earth\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew you as the destroyer of all things the earth had made in me\u003cbr\u003e\nI saw deep inside of you as you looked into me\u003cbr\u003e\nI could see the smile in your eyes and the smirk on your lips\u003cbr\u003e\nSomehow I always knew it would end like this.\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the silence of a storm and a solemn shared stare,\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the void of you, that claimed power over me, saw through my disguise\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd knew only me; knew of the guilt in my heart,\u003cbr\u003e\nand a forked tongue held behind clenched teeth.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe words lingered there as well,\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout ever sharing a word, our worlds where made whole\u003cbr\u003e\nBringing back full circle where my beginning made their end.\u003cbr\u003e\nOur eyes spoke of failures neither of us could forget.\u003cbr\u003e\nYour eyes cast across that darkness and shook me to my core\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd in that darkness the final sonnet of sorrow sung from the dust of me:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eI am so sorry.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Serpent: נחש"},{"content":"Day Seven.\nThe way the water rose to me was more than a ballet of perfect harmony\nIt was the ballad of a Thursday lost in Monday’s news,\nThe unprinted page of a love note addressed to you.\nNever was a song more sombre than the taciturn sparrow afraid to sing-\nbut on that day that rang out a glorious rhapsody\nthe burden of the unsaid was ransomed from me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130408_rhapsody/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Seven.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe way the water rose to me was more than a ballet of perfect harmony\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was the ballad of a Thursday lost in Monday’s news,\u003cbr\u003e\nThe unprinted page of a love note addressed to you.\u003cbr\u003e\nNever was a song more sombre than the taciturn sparrow afraid to sing-\u003cbr\u003e\nbut on that day that rang out a glorious rhapsody\u003cbr\u003e\nthe burden of the unsaid was ransomed from me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Taciturn Rhapsody"},{"content":"Sorry forgot to put up Day Six last night! Here it is!\nThe birds sat perched on tree tops\nthat never registered their feather weight\nBut still, I wonder\nDo birds sit in tree tops for the view?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130407_treetop/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry forgot to put up Day Six last night! Here it is!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe birds sat perched on tree tops\u003cbr\u003e\nthat never registered their feather weight\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still, I wonder\u003cbr\u003e\nDo birds sit in tree tops for the view?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tree Top"},{"content":"Day Five.\nFound on the outskirts of you,\nA new being began.\nBorn from the puddles of summer rain;\nConstructed from the petals of May flowers;\nLost in a season not of its own kind\nBut of a colder climate that strips beauty\nBy the roots and plucks petals placed on eyelids\nLike coins for Charon on a cold winter day.\nThis deification of displaced days\nIs lost in the blur of a summer breeze\nCaught in the heart of a winter waiting on change.\nBut without a place to lay their heads\nThe tulips bow under the weight of a season\nCelebrated too soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130406_season/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Five.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFound on the outskirts of you,\u003cbr\u003e\nA new being began.\u003cbr\u003e\nBorn from the puddles of summer rain;\u003cbr\u003e\nConstructed from the petals of May flowers;\u003cbr\u003e\nLost in a season not of its own kind\u003cbr\u003e\nBut of a colder climate that strips beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nBy the roots and plucks petals placed on eyelids\u003cbr\u003e\nLike coins for Charon on a cold winter day.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis deification of displaced days\u003cbr\u003e\nIs lost in the blur of a summer breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nCaught in the heart of a winter waiting on change.\u003cbr\u003e\nBut without a place to lay their heads\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tulips bow under the weight of a season\u003cbr\u003e\nCelebrated too soon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Out of Season"},{"content":"Day Four.\nI dreamed today you died.\nthe hollowed out belly of the earth\nwas not a great enough grave for you.\nTulips with streaks of unknown hues\nplanted in every corner of the world\njust so every time I saw them\nI knew it was a part of you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130405_graveside/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Four.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI dreamed today you died.\u003cbr\u003e\nthe hollowed out belly of the earth\u003cbr\u003e\nwas not a great enough grave for you.\u003cbr\u003e\nTulips with streaks of unknown hues\u003cbr\u003e\nplanted in every corner of the world\u003cbr\u003e\njust so every time I saw them\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew it was a part of you.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Graveside"},{"content":"Day Two.\ncage confined and cradled tight\nthe canary couldn’t find the voice to sing\nas the woman wrapped in wrinkles\nkicked the cage again\nsucking in on violent air\nthat ends a voice before it begins.\nashes tapped into the maw of a porcelain tray\nbrought to lips again\na kiss of death placed upon your own lips\nwith a falsified promise to be made new.\nthe canary lost its voice\nin the labyrinth of the woman’s smoke\nso even when the cave comes crashing down\nthe canary could only let out a smoky whisper\nto lead their ghosts down the tunnel’s solitary way\nwhere once was solid, returns to the unformed void.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130403_canary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Two.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ecage confined and cradled tight\u003cbr\u003e\nthe canary couldn’t find the voice to sing\u003cbr\u003e\nas the woman wrapped in wrinkles\u003cbr\u003e\nkicked the cage again\u003cbr\u003e\nsucking in on violent air\u003cbr\u003e\nthat ends a voice before it begins.\u003cbr\u003e\nashes tapped into the maw of a porcelain tray\u003cbr\u003e\nbrought to lips again\u003cbr\u003e\na kiss of death placed upon your own lips\u003cbr\u003e\nwith a falsified promise to be made new.\u003cbr\u003e\nthe canary lost its voice\u003cbr\u003e\nin the labyrinth of the woman’s smoke\u003cbr\u003e\nso even when the cave comes crashing down\u003cbr\u003e\nthe canary could only let out a smoky whisper\u003cbr\u003e\nto lead their ghosts down the tunnel’s solitary way\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere once was solid, returns to the unformed void.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Canary Whisper"},{"content":"Day Three.\nshe never knew what her summersong sounded like\nuntil the drifting harmonies\nwhere swept away with the fallen leaves\nlike old headlines faded\non newspapers smeared by autumn rain\nthat unlike spring\nbrought a downpour with no pretense for blossoms\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130403_downpour/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay Three.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eshe never knew what her summersong sounded like\u003cbr\u003e\nuntil the drifting harmonies\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere swept away with the fallen leaves\u003cbr\u003e\nlike old headlines faded\u003cbr\u003e\non newspapers smeared by autumn rain\u003cbr\u003e\nthat unlike spring\u003cbr\u003e\nbrought a downpour with no pretense for blossoms\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Downpour"},{"content":"Day One.\nTrap snapped shut\nBones crack like the crackle of fire\nHair bristles like a soldier’s salute to the grave\nArms folded like American flags\nTrying to pull in the pain\nGathering it slowly like a child to your chest\nCradle this cacophony of chaos\nLike a bullet ricocheting in your brain\nI am the fox with barred teeth under snarling lips\nPeeled back like onion skin from the bone white beneath\nWith frantic eyes and fearful heart\nWaiting for the hunter to find me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130401_foxtrot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay One.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrap snapped shut\u003cbr\u003e\nBones crack like the crackle of fire\u003cbr\u003e\nHair bristles like a soldier’s salute to the grave\u003cbr\u003e\nArms folded like American flags\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to pull in the pain\u003cbr\u003e\nGathering it slowly like a child to your chest\u003cbr\u003e\nCradle this cacophony of chaos\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a bullet ricocheting in your brain\u003cbr\u003e\nI am the fox with barred teeth under snarling lips\u003cbr\u003e\nPeeled back like onion skin from the bone white beneath\u003cbr\u003e\nWith frantic eyes and fearful heart\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for the hunter to find me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fox Trot"},{"content":"The month of April is poetry month and to celebrate I am taking up the mantle of a challenge to write a poem every single day of this month. Be it short or long, I will try to put something poetic up everyday.\nI am going to try out short poems which I have never really done before, so bare with me as I try something new.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130401_poetry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe month of April is poetry month and to celebrate I am taking up the mantle\nof a challenge to write a poem every single day of this month. Be it short or\nlong, I will try to put something poetic up everyday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am going to try out short poems which I have never really done before, so\nbare with me as I try something new.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Poetry Month"},{"content":"This day marked the end of the first leg of our journey in Israel. We woke up early, bags packed, and lined up on the curb like children waiting to board the school bus for their first day of class. We ate our last breakfast at Nof Ginosaur and watched the waves lap on the beach, our last sight of the Sea of Galilee. It was a sad and exciting moment to leave behind the place we had called home for the last three days in order to branch out and find a new home in Israel. We had one stop on the way before out final destination for the day could be reached; we had eight new members to pick up and join our merry crew.\nEveryone knew that at some point in the trip we would be joined by eight Israeli soldiers who would accompany us on our trip to give us a little taste of what life is like in Israel for people our age. They were not coming to protect or guard us, they were coming to be our friends and peers. At first I was a little wary of this, I wasn’t sure what it would be like, whether we would get along, or whether we would really connect at all. What I didn’t know was how much I was going to miss them by the time they left, or how much I miss them still. I never expected to grow so close to people whom I had gotten to know in the span of five days, but I do.\nWe picked them up at Modin, a modern booming city that is rapidly expanding. At a bus stop around the corner from where we parked, our newest friends waited for us. Full uniforms and army bags, they came onto our bus and very quickly changed our entire experience. We all tried to welcome them as much as possible and talk with them.\nWe only where with them for a few short minutes when we went to our first stop of the day, an Eco-Farm that is entirely sustainable and zero waste. Everything here is grown and nothing is thrown away. We stopped in this green little oasis full of rows of farming and little huts where people lived. We toured all over the place and even got to make some homemade pita bread on an open fire.\nWe had some free time so we all wandered around the farm by ourselves and could check anything out that we wanted to see. I wandered off to go to the recycling tent where people leave belongings they no longer want so that others may utilize them as they desire. The tent was dark and not lit but it was in this room where the lives of people where left behind when people grew tired of their old hobbies or old books. A tent full of things brought from all over the world and later no longer desired or useful. I leafed through the discarded books and found a copy of a Nadine Gordimer short story collection that I tucked away and took away with me. A little piece of literature that had been abandoned in Israel, picked up and brought to a new home across the world.\nWhen we left the farm our conversations with the soldiers really began. Our first real experience with them was trying to play musical chairs… on a moving bus. As everyone ran around laughing our bus driver was yelling at us in Hebrew and it was so much fun but a little dangerous. As we were playing we began to hit windy roads which marked the changing of our surroundings. When we finally found our places again we looked out our windows where there were no rolling green hills any more, instead they had been replaced with deep desert valleys and sand dunes. Scene after scene of desert barren lands brushed by our bus windows for about an hour before we found ourselves descending into a valley surrounded by sand dunes. As we did we could see all sorts of little villages that we were told were from refugees and illegal immigrants who had set up settlements in the desert. Children sat on sand dunes and wild dogs roamed the desert, watching as we went by in our air-conditioned bus. It was an odd unsettling feeling that provoked the ever present feeling that maybe things are not as fair as we wish they could be.\nWe made our way down winding desert roads to a small oasis surrounded by palms. This would be our station for the night, the Bedouin encampment in the middle of the desert. As our bus pulled in we looked at the stables of camels and donkeys on the outskirts of the encampment that were fenced in with giant tree trunks of palms.\nWe dragged all of our luggage from the bus and left it aside for later. We had our introduction to the Bedouin experience in a goat hair tent roofed with palm leaves\nStanding above a fragranced fire, we were told about what it meant to be a Bedouin. The wandering nomadic lifestyle that was lived by these extremely hospitable people who lived out in the desert in places somewhat like this. The entire time though we were all painfully aware that this “Bedouin Experience” we were able to take part in was at its very foundation nothing like real Bedouin life. This was a comfy tourist “resort” that aimed at a genuine experience of Bedouin life that could never really get close to the way these people live their lives.\nHospitality and generosity towards visitors was highly important. As we sat listening attentively on the floor we were served tea that was made on the fire right before us. It was probably the best and most interesting tasting tea I had ever been lucky enough to taste. It was also really welcomed because at this point I was getting really sick and my sore throat was killing me. I had basically entirely lost my voice, so to have some hot tea was soothing in the best ways possible.\nAfter our introduction to our Bedouin Experience, we went back out to the front of the encampment where we had previously seen the camels and donkeys.\nI got camel number 47; a wily, dusty creature that seemed none too pleased to have something sitting on top of it. As I was perched atop the seated camel I was looking about taking pictures with my camera which I held uplifted in one hand and my other I used to hold the harness on the camel. I was extremely unprepared when our guide smacked the camel and it stood up, but not all the way up mind you, just halfway. So I found myself suddenly sitting at a forty-five degree angle with only one hand to brace me for the sudden jolt. I was nearly tossed over my camel’s head as it remained happily only halfway up with its back legs straightened and its front still neatly folded underneath him. After nearly being tossed within five minutes of sitting on my camel, it finally stood up and I was able to experience what it felt like to ride one of these ships of the desert.\nNot another five minutes went by before he tried to bite me. It really didn’t like me and I can’t say I was too pleased with him either. Keep in mind, I am afraid of horses, little did I know how much scarier these swaying creatures of the desert where than horses.\nAfter a rough start we all lined up and headed out into the desert at sunset. The swaying steps of the camels really do make their nicknames, “ships of the desert” seem extremely accurate.\nWe were led out into the rocky desert hills near where we would be staying for the night as the sky slowly turned pink. The horizon seemed to be lit on fire and the stones cast shadows around us as we made our way into the desert.\nI forgot to mention that only half of the group was on camels, the other half got to ride small donkeys. The plan was to switch halfway through so everyone had a turn on a camel. Let me just say, things didn’t go as planned. Within ten minutes of our journey into the desert, which, by the way, was not a long journey, half of the people on the donkeys had been bucked from their backs. The donkeys went crazy and after ridding themselves of their burdens decided to wander off into the desert alone. After the difficultly with the donkeys, which were significantly smaller, those who were on the donkeys decided that the much larger and scarier camels where not worth the effort if the donkeys had been this difficult. So I got to remain on my perch high above the desert floor as my camel swayed its way across the desert floor.\nAs for the others, they decided to walk. The donkeys went their own way and wandered free of their burden off into the sunset.\nOur time out in the desert was not very long at all but it was still a great experience to ride a camel into the sunset and watch the pink tint of the sun touch the desert hills.\nIt is nice to say I have done it, but I don’t think I would ever do it again. So I will leave the camels to the desert and the tourists still seeking the allure of a specifically tourist crafted experience that really only means something to them.\nWe returned to the encampment for dinner inside the Bedouin tents. Mats were laid out everywhere with stands that would later hold our food. We each sat at tables with about four other people and had what felt like private little dinners in a giant tent filled with masses of people. It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone over an amazing Bedouin feast.\nAfter dinner we had free time for the rest of the night which resulted in a guitar and mandolin jam session until about three in the morning. Before that though, we had one little excursion to end our Bedouin experience out in the desert. It was easily the most meaningful experience I had the entire trip.\nOnce it got really dark out and dinner had finished we all wandered out into the desert in a giant group. In near silence we headed out into the dark; blind in the utter darkness without a single shred of light, since the moon was not up. Those with flashlights were clung to like bats by the others trying to use any bit of light to see the rough desert terrain we were traversing. I was one of those with a flashlight and my companion was my friend Plia who was one of the Israeli soldiers who had joined us. I talked with her as we walked about the stars in the night that seemed to be the only thing we could see clearly in the dark. We had a great conversation breathed in hushed tones as we walked through the desert. Finally we made our way deep enough into the desert to lose sight of the lights from the encampment (but sadly not far away enough to lose the sound of tacky music being blasted from a party that was happening back where we were staying). So in (almost) complete silence, we individually found places in the dark to sit and just contemplate life, think about the trip so far, and wonder at the beauty of the desert. Plia and I sat together and lay down on our backs, even with rocks digging into our spines, and peacefully watched the stars. I pointed our constellations to her as we lay there talking. To both of our utter surprise as I was pointing out a constellation a shooting star shot across the sky right where I had been pointing. It was such a movie perfect moment, neither of us really seemed to believe it had happened. We both just turned to each other in the dark and smiled, our eyes asking each other where we had both just seen that actually happen. I can’t explain how much that little moment filled my heart with a warmth and happiness that seemed unbounded.\nWe split up to have quiet time and I saw yet another shooting star by myself later as I sat looking up at the sky and the desert that was bathed in a deep blue that I feel can only be found in the darkest, deepest parts of the sea. There was truly something magical about just sitting out in the desert near midnight in utter silence. This sand, these rocks, these stars, had seen a history on this soil that I couldn’t even begin to imagine. IT was here, out in this desert that Jacob wrestled with God, here out in this desert that thousands of years of history had unfolded. Even though all we could see was the darkness and the hardly lit landscape before us, that space was not empty, it was full to the brim. It was overwhelming to sit under the canopy of heaven and feel like the stars where so close that they were bending the sky in an effort to reach out and touch you. Never have I felt such a connection to the land before; it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.\nAfter our quite time we all where summoned back together by our group leader Itay playing the guitar and singing a Neguin wordless song of praise. It seemed to resonate in the desert and as we all slowly got back together, everyone seemed to know that everything had changed. Everyone had felt something amazing in those moments, each in their own special way. We all gathered together and made a huge huddle around Itay and we sang out in the desert together. Our voices breaking the silence and reaching out across the land. We sang in Hebrew, we sang wordless songs, and eventually worked our way to cheesy American pop music. It was a wonderful progression from the serious and contemplative time we had had, back into a fun and carefree enjoyment of one another’s company. We sang out in the desert at the top of our voices to American Pie, Brittany Spears, and many other songs. With the lighthearted end to our desert quiet time we returned to the encampment renewed and with hearts filled with our experiences.\nBack at our tents we continued the lighthearted singing in a jam session. It was so much fun to just stay up all night, singing, having deep conversations, and really getting to know each other besides the normal introductory questions we had been building our friendships upon. It was a night I will never forget.\nWe slept on the floor of a giant goat skin tent in sleeping bags for only a few short hours. The next morning was a six am wake up call and a long day ahead. It was a bittersweet end to the night; such a great time staying up with everyone, but the lack of sleep that followed would come back to bite me for the rest of the trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130327_bedouin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis day marked the end of the first leg of our journey in Israel. We woke up\nearly, bags packed, and lined up on the curb like children waiting to board\nthe school bus for their first day of class. We ate our last breakfast at Nof\nGinosaur and watched the waves lap on the beach, our last sight of the Sea of\nGalilee. It was a sad and exciting moment to leave behind the place we had\ncalled home for the last three days in order to branch out and find a new home\nin Israel. We had one stop on the way before out final destination for the day\ncould be reached; we had eight new members to pick up and join our merry\ncrew.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Israel: The Bedouin Experience"},{"content":"The robins came in the rain\nTo take the worms away.\nMother told me they were drowning\nAnd the birds lent their wings\nFor a rescue mission\nThat taught the creatures\nOf the earth, what the sky\nFelt like beyond just a dream.\nThat the robins whisked them away\nFrom mud puddles deeper\nThan the well I watch Father dig\nThat seemed to stretch from earth\nBack to sky all over again.\nMother told me worms couldn’t swim\nBecause their arms never grew right.\nKind of like how I never grew right.\nWill the robins save me\nWhen the waters come too high?\nOf course they will honey,\nAnd they will teach you to fly.\nBut Mother lied.\nI watch the robin’s beak pierce\nThe earth like a kraken’s claw\nDividing land from sea\nBut the way was not clear\nAnd the sojourners never made it through.\nThe worms surface from the earth\nHoping to find air that wasn’t drowning\nIn water, but the water was rising fast\nInto a flood that would sweep them away.\nThe jaws of hungry animals\nPried into the earth and wrenched\nTheir bodies from the softened ground\nLike daisies fresh for picking\nEven though they were ready,\nThey where ripped from their roots\nBody, soul, and all to be devoured\nIt was no rescue mission but a massacre masked\nIn the form of a red breasted beast\nI sat watching through fogged windows\nAnd wondered, if these monsters with wings\nVeiled their murder in missions of mercy\nWhat would my rescuer be?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130319_mercy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe robins came in the rain\u003cbr\u003e\nTo take the worms away.\u003cbr\u003e\nMother told me they were drowning\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the birds lent their wings\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a rescue mission\u003cbr\u003e\nThat taught the creatures\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the earth, what the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nFelt like beyond just a dream.\u003cbr\u003e\nThat the robins whisked them away\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom mud puddles deeper\u003cbr\u003e\nThan the well I watch Father dig\u003cbr\u003e\nThat seemed to stretch from earth\u003cbr\u003e\nBack to sky all over again.\u003cbr\u003e\nMother told me worms couldn’t swim\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause their arms never grew right.\u003cbr\u003e\nKind of like how I never grew right.\u003cbr\u003e\nWill the robins save me\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the waters come too high?\u003cbr\u003e\nOf course they will honey,\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd they will teach you to fly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mission of Mercy"},{"content":"My mind is full of egret eyes.\nSwiveling movement like the weight\nAt the end of a fishing line,\nPulling the hook serrated and sharp\nInto the darkest parts of the sea\nThat only fish with grey translucent eyes\nCan see with something more than sight\nThat illuminates the darkest parts of this world.\nI feel disturbed like the jellied eye\nOf a fish left too long in the sun;\nPoked by innocent hands seeking fun.\nMy mind is pierced by shrieks of delight\nAs children run away, cringing in fright;\nA game played by children in a twilight too dark\nTo be anything else but night.\nPlucked from the sea by the dagger\nOf a spear fishing egret\nPerched atop a craggy rock out at sea,\nThe open mouthed, lipless screams\nOf a fish out of water takes on new meaning.\nMy mind is full of egret eyes.\nPreying with the majestic form of a killer,\nGuised in beauty and lithe gossamer gowns\nOf a white so pure it can only be called snowy.\nBut the bones buried beneath the snow\nRemain unseen, hidden by layer and layer of white\nSo pure it can almost conceal the death in your eye\nThat pivots like a ballerina’s pirouette.\nThe bird opens wide its wings.\nWings of feathery white willing a skyward escape\nLike a shot in the dark and a bullet left in a tree trunk\nBecause the wood won’t feel the burn, Right?\nJust as a wriggling earthworm doesn’t feel the pierce\nOf a hook dissecting its body into perfect segments\nLike it was meant to be split by the greedy hands of men.\nDid the fish see the pain as the worm was plunged\nInto the depths of an element it didn’t understand?\nThese murky waters mean nothing to the eyes of a predator\nAs the egret dips its streamlined head into the water\nPulling forth its sacrifice of sea life.\nThe egret pushes itself from the rock in the middle of the sea\nTo return to its native country of sky clad creatures.\nBringing with it an unwilling victim of circumstance\nCaught in the clutches of death, even the victim had to smile;\nIt was on this day, a fish learned to fly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130303_egret/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mind is full of egret eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\nSwiveling movement like the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the end of a fishing line,\u003cbr\u003e\nPulling the hook serrated and sharp\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the darkest parts of the sea\u003cbr\u003e\nThat only fish with grey translucent eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nCan see with something more than sight\u003cbr\u003e\nThat illuminates the darkest parts of this world.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI feel disturbed like the jellied eye\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a fish left too long in the sun;\u003cbr\u003e\nPoked by innocent hands seeking fun.\u003cbr\u003e\nMy mind is pierced by shrieks of delight\u003cbr\u003e\nAs children run away, cringing in fright;\u003cbr\u003e\nA game played by children in a twilight too dark\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be anything else but night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Egret Eyes"},{"content":"I always cry when I read poetry.\nOh, you must read very sad poems then.\nNo, I just forget to blink or maybe I am afraid-\nIn case a word slips away like a ship into the sunset\nThat can never be returned if lost at sea,\nOr a love note burned so that it will never be seen.\nYou see poetry is elusive,\nAnd we must keep a wary eye upon it at all times.\nThis watchful gaze cannot be pried from the page-\nJust in case a word tries to escape,\nLike a fox willing to bite off its foot for freedom\nYou see, I am diligent in my reading, like a hunter in wait.\nMy eyes water as they scan each new line,\nConsuming each string of words\nLike a wolf with a hunger that doesn’t die\nMaw agape and body ready to be filled;\nYou see I have a mind that hungers\nLike a wolf’s stomach that howls for more.\nSo those tears are not courted from sadness,\nBut ravenous hunger that twists my smile\nInto a lip licking sneer of a grin\nAs the words on the page\nFill the spaces behind my retinas,\nLike bones stuck in barred teeth.\nLater they will come forth like a parade\nOf parables to march before my mind;\nThis funeral procession of devoured words\nStreams down my eyes like cold winter rain\nAfter my eyes and mind have been full to the brim\nAnd can hold them inside any more.\nThese tears roll down my cheeks like inevitably overflowing\nRain gutters, filled with words to heavy to remain confined\nBy the constrains of the brain I tried to devise;\nSo they drip from my eyes to the page again\nThese black inky puddles, the mistaken inkblots\nOf a clumsy uncultured hand holding a calligraphy pen.\nTaking from the stains of liquid reinvention,\nThis taint becomes the blood from which we begin again.\nDip the pen and scratch the etchings of new lines,\nStringing words along only to be re-devoured\nBy the next pair of ravenous eyes\nOnly to be written again by craving hands.\nYou see my eyes are burning again,\nStarving for the page, striving for the game\nThe rumble of empty minds has shaken the foundation of me\nThese tears are not for the poetry, but the loss\nOf who I used to be\nBefore the words on the page became all I could see.\nNow the tears have blurred my vision,\nAnd the poetry has become blindness to me\nNow all the words escape and the cascade of poetry\nFrom me has stained the page making an illegible craze;\nMy attempt at diligence has lost me the essence\nOf the words I clung so desperately to.\nMaybe I should read some sad poetry,\nHave a good cry,\nAnd cleanse the old from my body,\nNot fear the final loss of words,\nAs the funeral procession proceeds without me\nMaybe when I am left behind, I can finally begin.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130226_reading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI always cry when I read poetry.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOh, you must read very sad poems then.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nNo, I just forget to blink or maybe I am afraid-\u003cbr\u003e\nIn case a word slips away like a ship into the sunset\u003cbr\u003e\nThat can never be returned if lost at sea,\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a love note burned so that it will never be seen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou see poetry is elusive,\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd we must keep a wary eye upon it at all times.\u003cbr\u003e\nThis watchful gaze cannot be pried from the page-\u003cbr\u003e\nJust in case a word tries to escape,\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a fox willing to bite off its foot for freedom\u003cbr\u003e\nYou see, I am diligent in my reading, like a hunter in wait.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ravenous Reading (A Tear for Poetry)"},{"content":"Picking apart the pieces of a pinecone\nDigging with fingertips sore from the pain\nFrom the sharp edges of a hardened core\nThe consistent pulling apart to pry open\nThe heavy wooden doors of the heart\nIndividually plucking the pieces like the strings of a harp\nAngels screaming when the pluck turns to a pull\nLike a sharp withdrawal of breath\nThat doesn’t belong in your lungs\nThis poison of decay\nNot the decay of fall\nLike the slowly drifting leaves that cascade\nFrom heights unattainable by man\nThat can only be felt by the swift sigh of the wind\nBetween your grasping fingertips\nLike the grasping fingers of your love\nThat slips away because you weren’t strong enough\nTo hold on to them as they begged with teary eyes\nLooking up at you from the great descent\nAnd you let them go, knowing you couldn’t bear the weight\nOf both of you and the love that was creating a canopy\nOver your heads and compressing your hearts\nAnd lungs until even the soft scent of fall could not revive you\nOn this cold winter day\nAs the last of the fall leaves are being swept away down the stream\nWhere you once cast little paper boats\nWondering as you held hands where they would land\nHoping for fantasy but knowing even as your fingers unwove\nThat they would end caught in the dam of nature\nOf things never quite meant to be\nBut it wasn’t enough to make you say no\nEven as you plucked the ribs of a pinecone\nAsking whether she loved you or not\nLike petals of a daisy that have atrophied and petrified\nJust as the bitterness of the question has cemented in your heart\nLike a cancer hardening you from the inside out\nUntil you are as purely petrified\nAs the dissected limbs of lumber left for dead\nEach band stands out, creating a carousel of time\nBut the Braille of years gone by has become illegible\nLeaving you to remember the lost sound of symphonies\nMusic notes echoing into starless nights\nCaught in cashmere skies cascading with rain\nWhere only the earthy smell of Petrichor remains\nAnd the scattered scales of the barren pinecone\nLeft in the fall foliage like spent shells of artillery\nEven these bullets cannot stop the pain in you\nAs you abandon the stripped pinecone\nAnd begin to pull apart the sharp edges of yourself\nTo find the hardened core within\nHollow it out until it is empty\nAnd start over again\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130224_pinecone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePicking apart the pieces of a pinecone\u003cbr\u003e\nDigging with fingertips sore from the pain\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the sharp edges of a hardened core\u003cbr\u003e\nThe consistent pulling apart to pry open\u003cbr\u003e\nThe heavy wooden doors of the heart\u003cbr\u003e\nIndividually plucking the pieces like the strings of a harp\u003cbr\u003e\nAngels screaming when the pluck turns to a pull\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a sharp withdrawal of breath\u003cbr\u003e\nThat doesn’t belong in your lungs\u003cbr\u003e\nThis poison of decay\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the decay of fall\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the slowly drifting leaves that cascade\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom heights unattainable by man\u003cbr\u003e\nThat can only be felt by the swift sigh of the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween your grasping fingertips\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the grasping fingers of your love\u003cbr\u003e\nThat slips away because you weren’t strong enough\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hold on to them as they begged with teary eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking up at you from the great descent\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd you let them go, knowing you couldn’t bear the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nOf both of you and the love that was creating a canopy\u003cbr\u003e\nOver your heads and compressing your hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd lungs until even the soft scent of fall could not revive you\u003cbr\u003e\nOn this cold winter day\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the last of the fall leaves are being swept away down the stream\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere you once cast little paper boats\u003cbr\u003e\nWondering as you held hands where they would land\u003cbr\u003e\nHoping for fantasy but knowing even as your fingers unwove\u003cbr\u003e\nThat they would end caught in the dam of nature\u003cbr\u003e\nOf things never quite meant to be\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it wasn’t enough to make you say no\u003cbr\u003e\nEven as you plucked the ribs of a pinecone\u003cbr\u003e\nAsking whether she loved you or not\u003cbr\u003e\nLike petals of a daisy that have atrophied and petrified\u003cbr\u003e\nJust as the bitterness of the question has cemented in your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a cancer hardening you from the inside out\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil you are as purely petrified\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the dissected limbs of lumber left for dead\u003cbr\u003e\nEach band stands out, creating a carousel of time\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the Braille of years gone by has become illegible\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving you to remember the lost sound of symphonies\u003cbr\u003e\nMusic notes echoing into starless nights\u003cbr\u003e\nCaught in cashmere skies cascading with rain\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere only the earthy smell of Petrichor remains\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the scattered scales of the barren pinecone\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft in the fall foliage like spent shells of artillery\u003cbr\u003e\nEven these bullets cannot stop the pain in you\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you abandon the stripped pinecone\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd begin to pull apart the sharp edges of yourself\u003cbr\u003e\nTo find the hardened core within\u003cbr\u003e\nHollow it out until it is empty\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd start over again\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pinecone Pieces"},{"content":"In the early morning aftermath of our New Year’s Eve Party, everyone slowly emerged, none too happily at that. All of us with little sleep and bleary eyes. It was a hard time to be waking up at 6:30am when you didn’t go to bed until around 2am that morning. Regardless, we struggled out of bed and greeted the first day of the New Year with half-tempered smiles and curious minds for the day ahead.\nWe took the bus through Tiberias and wove our way up a mountain called Mt. Arbel.\nThe view from the top of this mountain was magnificent, though a little hazy, but still many things could be seen. The Sea of Galilee far below, our hotel in the distance, tiny towns speckling the hills, and lots of greenery. The wind blasting at our backs led us down to the way we would be following that would eventually take us to the ruins of an old fortress built into the mountainside.The descent was much more difficult than I had imagined and it felt like we were going down forever. We had to scramble down rocky cliff faces and at all times could see the countryside around us backed by the Sea of Galilee.\nEventually we made it though and came to a leveling out in our descent down Mt. Arbel where the cliffs now towered over us. Looking up at the cliffs you could see the ruins of what once had been windows, rooms, and a fortress in days long gone by.\nThen we climbed up uneven stone stairs to enter into the old fortress that was crumbling but still grand. After going into the cliff dwellings, we descended the rest of the mountain. We all walked down the mountain in great contemplation, deciding not to talk with anyone, we all descended in utter silence except for the loud noise from the town below and the sound of the wind rushing past the mountainside. We went down the entire mountain until we reach the cities that just about an hour or so before hand had seemed tiny and extremely distant. It seemed remarkably to have come that far, to look back up at the whole mountain knowing I had been at the top of it. It felt like so much had been accomplished; and it was only 10am.\nNext on our trip was the legendary cit of Tzfat, home to Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah. We wove through the streets of this old city, only stopping briefly before an old British Embassy building hat was riddled with bullet holes. It was in moments like this that Israel really did seem like an entirely different world. A world where it was casual to sit in the shade of a war torn building as if it was a wide shaded oak that we took a brief rest under in the bright afternoon.\nEverywhere there are little moments where a single thing, a teapot, a doorway, or a bullet torn building that made this experience feel so surreal.\nTzfat is a city of alley ways, closed doors, and art. All fo the small corridors that people bustle down are lined with tables of jewelry, art, and all kinds of artisan creations. Every other doorway houses a gallery of beautiful art that often harkens back to Jewish mysticism.\nAfter a long day of exploring the city streets of Tzfat, jumping between art galleries and trying out unique foods, we wandered through the market areas that tingled with the ideas of Jewish mysticism. After exploring a bit we found our way to the top of the mountain Tzfat is built upon. We stood in a park that held the ruins of an old citadel, long left to waste away under the pressure of time. It was here we learned about a Jewish idea, Tikkun Olam- repairing the world. Tikkun Olam is the idea that we all have a responsibility to try and fix the world we live in to make it a better place; whether that means doing community service, teaching, or any other form of helping the world, we have a responsibility We came to this place to take part in our responsibility in trying to restore this old citadel by trying to re-establish this place as a park for the people of Tzfat.\nAs the sun set over Tzfat we all got together and learned a couple of songs on the mandolin and learned what it felt like to belong in a Jewish community. It really was an amazing moment; bathed in shades of pink and yellow, we all felt like a family.\nIt was a long day, started early, hiked, worked, explored, but it was a truly a great day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130221_israel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn the early morning aftermath of our New Year’s Eve Party, everyone slowly\nemerged, none too happily at that. All of us with little sleep and bleary\neyes. It was a hard time to be waking up at 6:30am when you didn’t go to bed\nuntil around 2am that morning. Regardless, we struggled out of bed and greeted\nthe first day of the New Year with half-tempered smiles and curious minds for\nthe day ahead.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Israel: Mountains and Mysticism"},{"content":"On the eve of a new year, I began my newest adventure in the land of Israel. Sleepless night turned into tired morning as the sun wiggled its way under my door. Being jet lagged is never fun, but when you open your door and feel the Israeli sun on your face for the first time, many things are forgotten. I opened the door to a clear crisp sun on a slightly hazy day that seemed to have been sung in by birdsong.\nBreakfast was in the same room where we had eaten dinner the night before and the contrast was shocking. The things that we had heard were outside those windows, but couldn’t see for ourselves was now splayed before us in all its splendor. Palm trees and eucalyptus trees swayed in the wind outside of our window, framing the Sea of Galilee and the umbrella spotted beach where the waves crashed down in a slow rhythmic fashion. Hills surrounded us with cities terracing the mountainsides.\nThe hotel was just the beginning though, it would be our home for the next couple of days, but during the day we would adventure outward and explore Northern Israel. So we hopped on our bus to begin our first day in Israel.\nThrough the tinted glass of the windows inside the bus I got my first views of the Israeli countryside. In the north, rolling hills and mountains frame the land with their snow-capped tips, which looking down on rows of agricultural countryside in the valleys below. After a ride through the farmlands we arrived at the base of a huge mountain which is now a nature reserve but many, many years ago this was the biblical city of Tel Dan. At Tel Dan, there is a river, the main spring, that comes from the mountain that rushes along tree framed pathways.\nIt was a beautiful time to be at Tel Dan, fall was still in the air even though winter had made itself a guest here for some time, and the leaves were still yellow. We walked along the paths of Tel Dan that ranged from walkways littered with fall leaves, to pathways made up of individual rocks between which spring water ran, snaking its way between the cracks.\nAlong the pathways we found beautiful leaves, some in the shape of hearts and others that were large and fan like that came from fig trees all around us.\nFinally at the end of the beautiful walk through the wilderness we came to the ruins of Tel Dan. Not much left besides the old crumbling foundations of this biblical city that thousands of years ago was a thriving center of religious activity; second only to Jerusalem in its time.\nWe took our very first group photo of all of us together at the foot of the Main Spring. It was a truly beautiful place and the yellow accent of fall leaves made it a magical first stop in Israel.\nAfterwards we drove deeper into the Golan Heights of Israel where we took an off-road jeep ride through the old occupied land that was and still is a place of tension.\nOur jeep driver was a really nice guy with an odd sense of humour who really seemed to enjoy entertaining American kids with off colored jokes and sarcastic quips.\nWe traversed the eucalyptus spotted hillsides along muddy gutted back roads in an open aired jeep where there was no separation between us and the Israeli countryside.\nOh and the beautiful countryside we were driving through was also an old land mine area. We were let out of the jeep once and they told us not to venture far for fear of land mines. It was quite an interesting experience being in what some might consider an active war zone.\nIf being near where old land mines were once was a startling experience, then I was not prepared for our next stop, Mt. Bental. Mt. Bental is a huge mountain, once a volcano, that has an amazing view from high above the world. Standing atop it we could see Damascus, Syria, and Lebanon. As the sign below indicates, from here, on a clear day almost anything can be seen.\nThe view of the countryside below is Syria. While standing atop Mt. Bental we could hear loud bangs in the distance. We quickly learned that not far away we were hearing the sound of bombs going off in Syria because of their current civil war. It was shocking to be that close to a very active war zone, to hear the ear drum rattling sound of a bombs impact. It makes me shudder, wondering what happened when we heard those sounds from so far away. What about the people who were not as lucky as us to be far away? The people who live there, the people who die there? But here we were sitting atop a mountain, listening to what could very well have been the last sound that some person ever heard in their lives.\nIn the biting wind we stood at the top of Mt. Bental listening to the sounds of war ring out, it was something you don’t forget.\nAfter Mt. Bental we returned to our hotel at the shores of the Sea of Galilee for an early preparation for the New Years Eve Party. We were all exhausted, I was getting sick, but we all went out for a talk by the shore. A great blue heron stood on a pole of the pier and the sun was setting in shades of soft pinks and purples as we listened to the gently lapping waves of the Sea of Galilee.\nIt was an extremely peaceful moment of reflection, waiting for the new year to roll in on our heels. The history of this place is unbelievable, astounding, and awe-inspiring. The shore was littered with tiny shells and glinted like secret treasures as I sifted this foreign sand through my fingers. This was my new years, spent in a land utterly foreign to me, yet vaguely felt like home. I never imagined I would be spending my last days of 2012 in Israel, let alone the first week of 2013 there. It was a strange bridging of the gap that was utterly unexpected yet invigorating. This new place, opened new horizons, and I welcomed the new year with open arms with no idea of what lies before me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130124_israel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn the eve of a new year, I began my newest adventure in the land of Israel.\nSleepless night turned into tired morning as the sun wiggled its way under my\ndoor. Being jet lagged is never fun, but when you open your door and feel the\nIsraeli sun on your face for the first time, many things are forgotten. I\nopened the door to a clear crisp sun on a slightly hazy day that seemed to\nhave been sung in by birdsong.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Israel: A New Place, A New Year"},{"content":"Whenever I return home from a trip there is always a barrage of questions awaiting me from everyone I know. I love to return to family and friends that are inquisitive and curious about my experiences, but I always feel a sense of disappointment in my ability to answer their questions. How can I put into words so quickly the things that I saw? How can I explain the ways in which I have been changed by the things that I saw? How can I convey the beauty and complexity that fills the world that we live in and how grateful I am for even a short glimpse into these complexities? This is what I am faced with upon my return from any trip, but I feel these things especially now after my return from Israel.\nI was extremely blessed to be given the opportunity to go to Israel for almost completely free with a group of my peers from University of California Berkeley through Hillel and Taglit Birthright. I got to fly out of New York to Israel and tour around the country for ten days with about 50 of my peers including eight Israeli soldiers who joined us halfway through our incredible journey.\nSo, now I am faced with the problem that I always dread upon my return home, telling my story of what happened during those ten amazing days. It is difficult expressing all that happened on my trip because it was truly incredible in so many ways. I made so many friends and saw such amazing things that I do not think any words that I use can do justice to everything I experienced. But I will do my best, I will do all that the limit of words can do for me.\nTo begin? Let’s start where I did with an alarm going off at 3:30 am of the day my journey began. The day was long with travel, 3:3o wake up, flight left at 7:30am, 6 hour flight to JFK, 8 hour lay over, and then finally a 12 hour flight that landed us in Ben Gurion Airport, Israel. From there a two hour bus ride to the hotel/kibbutz that would be our home for the first leg of the journey.\nWe arrived, after over 24 hours of traveling, at the shores of the Sea of Galilee at our hotel, Nof Ginosar. It was strange because I had been in darkness, without sunlight, for over a day and arriving at our hotel we were told of the surroundings. Told of hills that shone with the glittering lights of homes scattered along hillsides in nearby Tiberias. Told of the softly lapping waves on the shores just outside from the great Sea of Galilee. Told of many things, but we arrived in darkness. There was nothing to see, we could only faintly hear in the distance the rustle of palm trees and ever so slightly the sound of waves. But we were greeted by darkness and the glow of our hotel’s lights. We were rushed into dinner and saw our hotel for the first time. I was very pleasantly surprised by our hotel, I had had very low expectations for our accommodations because we were receiving them for free, but it was extremely pleasant. We all stumbled in, not really knowing one another, tired, exhausted from travel, and just a little disheveled from our long day, and were greeted by a huge buffet of Israeli food. Everything was so bright, colorful salads, curries, and lots and lots of bread. Famished and tired we ate and began to familiarize ourselves with this new place and one another.\nWe all headed to our shared rooms in the dark dragging our luggage behind us, ready for sleep. Ready to greet the new day tomorrow. Our very first day in Israel.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2013/20130113_israel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhenever I return home from a trip there is always a barrage of questions\nawaiting me from everyone I know. I love to return to family and friends that\nare inquisitive and curious about my experiences, but I always feel a sense of\ndisappointment in my ability to answer their questions. How can I put into\nwords so quickly the things that I saw? How can I explain the ways in which I\nhave been changed by the things that I saw? How can I convey the beauty and\ncomplexity that fills the world that we live in and how grateful I am for even\na short glimpse into these complexities? This is what I am faced with upon my\nreturn from any trip, but I feel these things especially now after my return\nfrom Israel.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Israel: The Beginning of a Journey"},{"content":"Some where in the back of my mind I have always known I lived in an exceptional place, it just wasn’t often that I cared to appreciate it. I used to make up stories about adventures in far away lands and imagine myself in a thousand places, anywhere but home. The exciting and the extraordinary was always beyond that next mountain or underneath the crashing waves of the sea, but never did I look at the mountains or the ocean right in front of me.\nThis is not to say that I didn’t love growing up in Santa Cruz, because I did and still do, it just simply means I never saw the fantastical qualities that I dreamed of in the place where I lived my everyday life. I never realized the fairy circles in the redwoods, or the glint of the sun on the sea, the way the wind swept across grassy hillside like a fingers running through feather soft hair. The world I felt I had to create when I was younger, was the world I was already residing in, I just didn’t know it yet.\nMaybe it was when I left for college, or maybe it has been a building wave that has been gathering for some time within me, all I know now is the overwhelming appreciation and awe I have for my home in Santa Cruz.\nThere is so much I love about Santa Cruz; I realize that I do not have to escape this place to find adventure or fantastical things, I just need to step out of my front door. That is why for Christmas we stuck around town and for our Christmas Day we went hiking along the Davenport Bluffs and then took in the stormy skies from the Santa Cruz Wharf. It is nice to take a vacation in your own town, to make the everyday new again in the most exciting of ways.\nLook upon your world with new eyes and see what there is to find. You may just be surprised to behold the imaginary world you spent your whole life searching for.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20121226_fantasy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome where in the back of my mind I have always known I lived in an exceptional\nplace, it just wasn’t often that I cared to appreciate it. I used to make up\nstories about adventures in far away lands and imagine myself in a thousand\nplaces, anywhere but home. The exciting and the extraordinary was always\nbeyond that next mountain or underneath the crashing waves of the sea, but\nnever did I look at the mountains or the ocean right in front of me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Finding Fantasy in Reality"},{"content":"My family spent a lot of time this holiday season thinking about memories of holidays past. What made things memorable, what things did we hold on to so many years later, was it happiness? Was it disappointment? And if so, why? I have been thinking a lot about this lately and one thing my mother said to me that she remembered from Christmas in her childhood very fondly was when she made things for her entire family. How the act of sitting down and applying oneself entirely to doing something that you just want to do because it would make your family happy. I think that is a good reason to look back on Christmas or whatever holiday is being celebrated during this cold winter season where family keeps us warm and happy; to celebrate not because we feel obligated and tied to disappointment or the gratification of materialistic desires, but the celebration of loving for the sake of loving. Because they are family, because they are not perfect, and because they are our blood, our flesh, and from them we find meaning.\nI realized I do not often give without reason and I really would like to change that about myself. I thought it would be fun to start small, kind of like my mother did in her memory of her early Christmas, by making something for my family to enjoy. What better way to make something they would enjoy than by starting where everyone ends on Christmas? With desserts. I found a nifty little picture on the internet of a little strawberry Santa and decided that would be a great little present to make for Christmas Eve dinner. The website, Operation Santa Claus, had a bunch of fun little Christmasy things to do, but I decided on these cute little bite sized desserts to share with my family.\nI took these Santa strawberries to be easier than they actually were at first sight and my adventure in making these began as most attempts to re-create something found on the internet do, with failure. I tried to use just whipped cream as the filling for the strawberries and very quickly realized the error of my ways as they began to deflate, melt, and deform into little haphazard Santas, slightly off kilter and very unappetizing to behold.\nThe ones on the left side of the photograph are the initial attempts and the right are the later more successful attempts. I realized that the filling had to be sturdier so we made a cheesecake like filling made simply from cream cheese, powder sugar, and a dash of half and half to thin the mixture enough to be piped. Now, with the successful mixture (in a plastic bag used for piping) the strawberries were cut and filled and dressed to look like Santa Claus. The final touch being the sprinkles for little eyes on the cute little bite sized desserts.\nThey were cute, small, tasty, and a sweet way to end Christmas Eve. It was a good way to give back to my family in a very tiny way that built up our family instead of building materialistic gratification. I wonder if I will look back years from now and remember this fondly as my Christmas memory…\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20121225_strawberries/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy family spent a lot of time this holiday season thinking about memories of\nholidays past. What made things memorable, what things did we hold on to so\nmany years later, was it happiness? Was it disappointment? And if so, why? I\nhave been thinking a lot about this lately and one thing my mother said to me\nthat she remembered from Christmas in her childhood very fondly was when she\nmade things for her entire family. How the act of sitting down and applying\noneself entirely to doing something that you just want to do because it would\nmake your family happy. I think that is a good reason to look back on\nChristmas or whatever holiday is being celebrated during this cold winter\nseason where family keeps us warm and happy; to celebrate not because we feel\nobligated and tied to disappointment or the gratification of materialistic\ndesires, but the  celebration of loving for the sake of loving. Because they\nare family, because they are not perfect, and because they are our blood, our\nflesh, and from them we find meaning.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus Strawberries"},{"content":"I spent a lot of time this semester sitting in a library, neck craned, eyes strained, and brain drained. Even though these places are beautiful in their own majestic academic ways, with towering columns that have held up the burdening weight of university, I can’t help but feel closed in by four walls. There is so much outside those tall grandiose windows that let light drift gently in to illuminate the library walls.\nI always sit and watch as the library is lit by the dazzling color of sunset as I sat with my textbooks splayed out in front of me like the casualties of war, thinking of the beauty outside the rows and rows of books that lined the world around me. Yet, even as the colors began to fade to a darker shade and slip farther and farther away, I would remain. Instead of taking a breath and leaving behind my books for a moment, I would dive right back in, but my air never lasted sufficiently. It felt like drowning because it was. Diving back down without a replenishing breath of air is a scary thing, yet almost everyone in that library with me was doing it. Gasping like a fish out of water, watching with wide glassy eyes the cast off colors of a sunset sitting right out side, but like the shadows in Plato’s Cave, we tried to draw real light from only the shadows of reality.\nI am tired of the shadows of reality, and I have been growing tired because I have drained these shadows dry and am ready, craving for more. So I have abandoned my beautiful little box for the outside world. I have been drinking in the color of every sunset, and finding every place that one can fit themselves only to sit down and read. The familiar is full of fascinating places to explore that function just as well as a library seat for a place to rest my book. Whether it means climbing rooftops or climbing mountains just for a nice place to cross my legs and lay open a book in front of me, I have been exploring in the name of reading. Even if but for a short while to crack open the spine of a book while over looking the Golden Gate Bridge, or just sitting underneath the shade of a great redwood, or sitting on a cliff above the tumultuous sea, I am expanding. I am ready for new horizons, if you need me, I will be at the cusp of the ordinary, waiting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20121221_reading/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI spent a lot of time this semester sitting in a library, neck craned, eyes\nstrained, and brain drained. Even though these places are beautiful in their\nown majestic academic ways, with towering columns that have held up the\nburdening weight of university, I can’t help but feel closed in by four walls.\nThere is so much outside those tall grandiose windows that let light drift\ngently in to illuminate the library walls.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Reading Places"},{"content":"Windy, cloudy, stormy days always remind me of this poem. It is an older one but I thought I would repost it today just because I always think of this poem on a day like today.\nThe woman walks\nAlong in a crowded street\nSurrounded by people\nYet so alone\nA scarf like a noose\nWrapped around her frail neck\nHands shoved deep\nInto her pockets\nShe only looks\nAt the ground\nThe rhythmic step of her feet\nHer wide hat\nShields her from the world\nShe ignores them\nIs afraid of them\nShe wraps herself tighter\nIn what is safe and comforting\nAnd is content in isolation\nSo she walks along\nIn a crowd of people\nWithout faces\nThe wind picks up\nFor a moment it whispers\nA soft secret in her ear\nA riddle told to fast\nAs the wind\nCarried her hat away\nThe woman let out\nA short little gasp\nAs her barrier was removed\nShe reached forward\nFingertips grazing it\nJust out of reach\nAs it bounces and rolls\nAlong the dirty street\nShe chases in vain\nAnd no one will help\nFinally out of breath\nAnd out of heart\nShe gives up\nStanding in the crowd\nPuffs of winter breath\nClouding before her as she watches\nHer hat dance away\nHer hair billowing about her\nWatching with sad longing eyes\nShe stands still among thousands\nAs she turns to leave\nA tap on her shoulder\nShe turns in surprise\nA man stands before her\nHer hat in hand\nHolding it out towards her\nA smile but no words\nShe takes it and offers\nA shy little smile in return\nAs she starts to pull it\nBack into place\nHe reaches out to stop her\nWhy\nHe asks her\nYou have such a pretty face\nHe smiles and lets go\nGiving an impartial shrug\nYou don’t need to hide\nYou are beautiful you know\nHe leaves her with\nHis few soft words\nAnd a knowing smile\nShe stands there\nHat in hand\nFilled with his offerings\nHer eyes are wide\nAnd her hands slightly quake\nShe lifts the hat\nLooking at it now\nAnd tosses it away\nShe watches it\nFlit and dance in the sky\nGone forever\nShe smiles slightly\nThe stranger’s knowing smile\nShe doesn’t need it anymore\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20121129_hat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWindy, cloudy, stormy days always remind me of this poem. It is an older one\nbut I thought I would repost it today just because I always think of this poem\non a day like today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe woman walks\u003cbr\u003e\nAlong in a crowded street\u003cbr\u003e\nSurrounded by people\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so alone\u003cbr\u003e\nA scarf like a noose\u003cbr\u003e\nWrapped around her frail neck\u003cbr\u003e\nHands shoved deep\u003cbr\u003e\nInto her pockets\u003cbr\u003e\nShe only looks\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nThe rhythmic step of her feet\u003cbr\u003e\nHer wide hat\u003cbr\u003e\nShields her from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nShe ignores them\u003cbr\u003e\nIs afraid of them\u003cbr\u003e\nShe wraps herself tighter\u003cbr\u003e\nIn what is safe and comforting\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd is content in isolation\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she walks along\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a crowd of people\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout faces\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wind picks up\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment it whispers\u003cbr\u003e\nA soft secret in her ear\u003cbr\u003e\nA riddle told to fast\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nCarried her hat away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe woman let out\u003cbr\u003e\nA short little gasp\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her barrier was removed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe reached forward\u003cbr\u003e\nFingertips grazing it\u003cbr\u003e\nJust out of reach\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it bounces and rolls\u003cbr\u003e\nAlong the dirty street\u003cbr\u003e\nShe chases in vain\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd no one will help\u003cbr\u003e\nFinally out of breath\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd out of heart\u003cbr\u003e\nShe gives up\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding in the crowd\u003cbr\u003e\nPuffs of winter breath\u003cbr\u003e\nClouding before her as she watches\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hat dance away\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hair billowing about her\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching with sad longing eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands still among thousands\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she turns to leave\u003cbr\u003e\nA tap on her shoulder\u003cbr\u003e\nShe turns in surprise\u003cbr\u003e\nA man stands before her\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hat in hand\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding it out towards her\u003cbr\u003e\nA smile but no words\u003cbr\u003e\nShe takes it and offers\u003cbr\u003e\nA shy little smile in return\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she starts to pull it\u003cbr\u003e\nBack into place\u003cbr\u003e\nHe reaches out to stop her\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe asks her\u003cbr\u003e\nYou have such a pretty face\u003cbr\u003e\nHe smiles and lets go\u003cbr\u003e\nGiving an impartial shrug\u003cbr\u003e\nYou don’t need to hide\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are beautiful you know\u003cbr\u003e\nHe leaves her with\u003cbr\u003e\nHis few soft words\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a knowing smile\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands there\u003cbr\u003e\nHat in hand\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled with his offerings\u003cbr\u003e\nHer eyes are wide\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd her hands slightly quake\u003cbr\u003e\nShe lifts the hat\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking at it now\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd tosses it away\u003cbr\u003e\nShe watches it\u003cbr\u003e\nFlit and dance in the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nGone forever\u003cbr\u003e\nShe smiles slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nThe stranger’s knowing smile\u003cbr\u003e\nShe doesn’t need it anymore\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hat"},{"content":"A Red Bellied sparrow thrashes\nDesperation clawing against the clear glass\nOf a crimson window frame\nFeathers soft turned brittle with fear\nPush and push with no result\nFighting a one sided battle\nWith an immovable object\nAnd a mind that cannot comprehend\nThat this battle cannot\nAnd will not\nBe won\nRed bellied sparrow with heaving chest\nThrow yourself against the window\nNo more\nCradle of mercy\nCup the wilted head of the defeated\nCarry it gently\nFeeling with curious fingers the fluttering\nHeart beat of an animal trapped\nA being consumed by fear and confusion\nNestled close against your chest\nFeel the fear from a cage\nCast by the crimson shade of light\nOf an escape masked with unseen bars\nCarry it gently\nOut into a light untainted with crimson\nWhere, extended into space\nThe cradle parts\nSetting the red bellied sparrow free\nReturn now to the cage of your home\nThe red bellied innards\nOf a cage you could never recognize\nCarry yourself gently\nFor the walls are closing in\nAs you set one free\nYou lock yourself in\nCreature of mercy find your cradle\nTo carry you free\nRed bellied sparrow your feathers are all gone\nYour battle has stripped you of your wings\nEven now your war against this window\nBetween you and your dreams\nRed bellied sparrow with heaving chest\nAnd a broken heart\nThrow yourself against the window\nNo more\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120909_sparrow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA Red Bellied sparrow thrashes\u003cbr\u003e\nDesperation clawing against the clear glass\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a crimson window frame\u003cbr\u003e\nFeathers soft turned brittle with fear\u003cbr\u003e\nPush and push with no result\u003cbr\u003e\nFighting a one sided battle\u003cbr\u003e\nWith an immovable object\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a mind that cannot comprehend\u003cbr\u003e\nThat this battle cannot\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd will not\u003cbr\u003e\nBe won\u003cbr\u003e\nRed bellied sparrow with heaving chest\u003cbr\u003e\nThrow yourself against the window\u003cbr\u003e\nNo more\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCradle of mercy\u003cbr\u003e\nCup the wilted head of the defeated\u003cbr\u003e\nCarry it gently\u003cbr\u003e\nFeeling with curious fingers the fluttering\u003cbr\u003e\nHeart beat of an animal trapped\u003cbr\u003e\nA being consumed by fear and confusion\u003cbr\u003e\nNestled close against your chest\u003cbr\u003e\nFeel the fear from a cage\u003cbr\u003e\nCast by the crimson shade of light\u003cbr\u003e\nOf an escape masked with unseen bars\u003cbr\u003e\nCarry it gently\u003cbr\u003e\nOut into a light untainted with crimson\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere, extended into space\u003cbr\u003e\nThe cradle parts\u003cbr\u003e\nSetting the red bellied sparrow free\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Red Bellied Sparrow"},{"content":"Rain drops danced on the window sill, running their fingers gently against the glass with longing sighs as they settled into seas of water only to be disturbed again by the next drop. The tulips wilting on the inside of the window breathed in the warm air of the house, yet still could not bloom as they watched with drooping faces the disturbance on the window sill. All was quiet in the house except for the gentle tapping of the rain on the window pane like a young lover throwing rocks to awaken his sleeping beauty. Across the white walls of the small apartment lay splashes of life that were too wild and untamed to be contained to a single wall let alone one skinny apartment space. The solitary apartment stood isolated on the ground floor of a building centered in New York’s sprawling system of roads, where it alone seemed vibrant and alive. Roads like the pathways of a body filled with the ever awake but seemingly never living people of the city that never sleeps. Separated by thin capillary walls from the bustle of the dark and dirty streets lay the hidden white walls of her home. The macabre symphony of art was pinned to the walls in a random yet insistently purposeful manner that blossomed from a young and wild heart. The Van Gogh imitations to the typography, and the old photographs of people she had never known filled the spaces of the white wall with color and life that she mastered and owned but still was not her own. The very walls jittered with a peaceful happiness where her fingers had traced along the walls as she had run through the tight hallways and rooms. Every window, every space had been filled by her loving hands so no spot would feel alone or empty. She was kind.\nCurled in a sea of billowy white comforters, she lay like a goddess who held the fiery force of life in her chest. Silent and still but very much alive. Her red wavy hair lay around her head like a sunset framing her face. Gnarled and twisted it lay like the warriors of fallen battles, stained by their own blood and those of their enemies. She breathed peacefully with her eyes gently closed. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings and opened. Noses almost touching she gazed into his eyes and he right back. He hadn’t stopped looking. He reached out with a hand and ran it along her cheek, tracing the contours of her face with his thumb until he reached her ear and ran his fingers through her wild hair. She smiled and scrunched her face, twisting her nose to the side slightly as she always did. He laughed. She smiled. They lay there in the sea of clouds built by human hands facing each other, watching each other, listening to the rain as it danced outside.\n“We should probably move at some point.” He whispered playfully\nShe smiled and looked at him with green eyes and watched as the rain danced in his blue eyes. He smiled slightly, the way he always did, as if he was afraid to laugh out loud or widen his face with a smile.\n“Why would we move, when we could stay right here and listen to the rain until it stops. We can’t let the rain outlast us can we now?” she smiled as she propped herself up on an elbow to look at him from above.\n“Oh ok, I guess we don’t have to move. I was just going to say I would make breakfast… or lunch I guess,” he said looking down at his watch and the hours, which had been thrown to the wind. “Suit yourself then, I am good here.”\nHe rolled onto his back with his hands clasped behind his head, smiling playfully and closing his eyes. She pounced on him, throwing herself across his stomach. He let out a grunt and a laugh that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.\n“You can’t do that!” she howled with mock tragedy.\n“It was your choice, not mine.” He shrugged as he grabbed her arms, which assaulted his chest. Holding both of her wrists in one of his large palms he held her tight and she struggled even though she didn’t care if she never escaped.\n“Well I changed my mind” she whispered right in his face as she leaned in only inches from his face. It escaped her almost as a snarl as her hair hung in front of her determined fiery eyes.\nJust like that she sprang away, dancing out of his reach like a whirlwind of red hair and laughter. Her feet carried her across the wooden floor to the window where the tulips sat sadly waning against the glass. She frowned for a faint moment but it was chased across her face by the noise of the pattering rain. She threw open the window with a surge of motion that shook the tulips and the puddles on the windowsill. She leaned on the windowsill over her flowers staring into the rain. She felt her face so close to it, but it was just beyond her, beyond the window, beyond the tulips, but almost there. She breathed in deeply. Petrichor.\nPropped up on his elbows, he surveyed her in the window’s soft light, which cast her hair like fire down her back. He smiled softly to himself watching her as she busied herself among her flowers and things. He shook his head with a soft chuckle, “Every time I get you flowers they just wilt and die, you have to learn to share some of that life that you have or else no one else will get any.”\n“That’s not fair, I share everything I have, most of all with my flowers.” She cast him a glance and a wayward smile without turning to face him. With only that sideways glance she let out a less than phased grunt and cast herself down the hallway with a ballerina’s grace away from the billowy comforters and into another room cast with light. Again, he shook his head incredulously at the sprite that flitted around the house.\n“Oh! Shoot, I am sorry I totally forgot to tell you, you got some mail yesterday. I didn’t recognize who it was from, I think it was a bank or something. ”\nShe bent backwards into his view from the room down the hall so he could barely see her outline in the soft light split against the shadow of the hallway. “Really?” there was a note of some sort of expression in her voice he did not recognize. He sat up fully to try and see her face but she was too far. With his head slightly cocked he waited for her to say something else, but nothing else came.\n“You alright?” he asked warily.\nHer silhouette had disappeared from the hallway now, he leaned in to try and spot her but she was curiously absent.\n“Everything is fine, I will be right back.” He watched as he figure passed across the hallway as she went towards the back door where their mailman of five years now still did not understand that that was not their front door. Every day he left their mail at the wrong door for them to discover in a small but haphazard pile.\nShe walked with lithe and light footsteps a smile on her face and a suppressed shriek of joy that she hid in fear of ruining her surprise. She tried to be normal, she tried to remain calm but she knew that the wedding invitations along with a surprise trip for them to take before they finally got married after almost six years of being together. Her chest felt full to bursting with a joy that could almost not be contained. She picked up the mail that she had disguised as a bank note so he wouldn’t look into it and ripped it open with savage excitement. Two tickets for Paris for their honeymoon six months from now.\nPeaking down the hallway to make sure he wasn’t looking she retreated into the corner of the back room and danced wildly in a circle her red hair flying around her as she bit her knuckle to keep from screaming in excitement. She was about to empty the vase of flowers to hide the tickets under the red roses from their date last week when she noticed the other letter. Pausing for an unsure moment she contemplated her next course of action. Holding the flower vase in the crook of her arm still she picked up the remaining letter which must have just arrived and wondered if she should leave it for later and go display the wedding invites. After a brief moment she tore open the new letter without even looking at the return address.\nTapping his foot against the hard wood floor as his bare feet hung over the edge of the mattress of comforters they had built on the floor, he waited. Humming a soft song he had known his entire life he watched from his seated position as the rain fell into the house from the open window above the flower, which gently swayed in the wind. Shaking his head with a chuckle and that little smile of his he pushed himself to his feet shaking off the clouds of comforter to go close the window. She had such life but because of it she seemed to underestimate the fragility of the life of the things around her. That was why her flowers died, it wasn’t a lack of love or life, it was an abundance of it. She was his warrior with her wild hair and fiery eyes. He smiled as he thought of her leaning on the open windowsill as she had done. He wondered what it was like to be her, to be invincible to the world. He placed his hands on the windowsill where hers had rested pushing his face out towards the rain. But he saw nothing, nothing of what she saw even in her place. He tried, he really did try to live more like her but no matter how hard he tried to stop and live a life of carefree joy he would always be the shy boy with too much reservation for his own good. He was a quiet man.\nHe started to shut the window when the loud crash of the clay vase shattering on the hard wood floor startled him enough to make him jump. That loud crack shattered the tranquility of the house in a matter of seconds, the uninterrupted serenity of their house had never before been disturbed as it was now and it shook his entire being. Then the terrible silence. A silence never before heard or seen. Frozen, the house and its inhabitants, human and plant alike, even the art seemed to leer from the walls, waited on the edge of that vast chasm of silence as the sound of that terrifying silence grew and grew filling every corner of the house until it rang in all of their ears even louder than a scream. The sound that interrupted it was not a bang but the feather soft sound of paper gently floating to the ground to settle as a dandelion on the wind comes to rest on the blade of a serene grass meadow where no human foot has ever graced. That soft but perceivably sound ended the terrible silence but not the horror. With perked ears he listened with a mute tongue but frantic eyes as he heard her soft footsteps coming down the hallway. She was not walking but running very lightly down the hallway, her silhouetted figure eventually blotting out the backlight until she stood before him. She paused for only one moment as they both looked at each other across the room from each other.\n“Honey, what-“\nHe opened his arms for her as he had done so many times before when something was wrong welcoming her into the sheltered harbor of his arms but even as he did so he could see this was different. He never got to finish that question in that moment as she eyed him as if she was a hunted animal and he the vicious predator. That guarded and hurt look in her eyes shut his mouth in one moment. She had never looked at him like that and he felt it like a stake in his heart. He moved in to try to embrace her but in one deft movement she leapt out of his reach towards the bathroom where she slammed and locked the door.\n“What are you doing?” he yelled not out of anger but a fear that was slowly welling in his chest. “Please open the door and talk to me! Tell me what is wrong!” He banged on the door with his huge open faced palm. There was no reply. He pressed his ear against the door and listened. All he could hear was the soft rustling of her movements. “Please” he whispered into the door with his eyes closed. The fear had grown inside of him filling every part of his body like a terrible poison feasting on his veins burning them while his blood still pumped. The sickening feeling that something was horribly wrong drew down the corners of his mouth bringing back the lines of frowns that he had almost forgotten and resurfacing the unsure and reserved fear within him.\nThe rustling stopped for a brief moment and he heard the soft and barely audible sound of a moan that sounded too wounded to be entirely human. That pitiful noise ripped his heart apart and he pounded on the door anew, yelling for her to open the door.\nShe sat in the bathtub hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth. She had madly thrown on new clothing and shoes but then lost the strength and seemingly the ability to move at all. So she lay curled in the tub with her knees hugged and one fist held against her horribly contorted mouth as she held back the sobs of a dying animal. Her wild red hair lay wilted against her face, wetted by her tears and fallen in its glory. A dull ringing in her ears muted the sound of the banging on the door and the screams of the man that loved her and she him. Her whole being was numb, that numbness spread like a poison throughout her body until she felt absolutely nothing. The rocking ceased and she lay there in the tub, listless and empty. With the numbness came resolution, not bothering to wipe her face she slowly stood and faced the door.\n“Please, just leave me alone. I don’t love you.”\nThe knocking stopped and the second terrible silence struck like a clap of thunder. Stumbling back a few steps, he stared with wide eyes at the bathroom door. The soft voice which had whispered I love you so many times was now hollowed and coarse. He blinked in shock as he replayed that voice in his mind, the hollow voice with nothing in it at all, no joy, no love, and no life. Looking over his shoulder he took in every moment they had ever shared in this house together, five years of experiences, of life in every ounce of the house that screamed to be remembered.\n“I don’t believe you.” He whispered in a voice weak and drained.\nThe bathroom door flung open and she burst forth like a fire behind closed doors running for the front door. He jumped and intersected her, engulfing her in his broad arms. Grabbing onto her as if he would never let her go she fought like a caged animal. Viciously she kicked and squirmed against him, trying desperately to be free of his grasp.\n“Please stop, just talk to me!” He yelled spinning her in his arms until her tear stained face looked right into his just inches apart. He looked into her fiery eyes that had been extinguished with tears and her face sunken not from a few moments of horror but a life time of them.\n“Please just let me go.” She whispered in a desperate and heartbreaking voice as she breathlessly beat her hands against his chest. She fought like a rabid animal and refused to stop. “Let me go!” she howled in a voice filled with the pain of a dying animal. The shock of her scream shattered his resolution; he had never heard her raise her soft voice before. She landed a solid hit on his chest and with a loud pained grunt he released her and she fell onto the ground in a distraught heap. She sprang back to her feet and raced to the front door, throwing it open as the rain poured behind her she stopped for one moment. He looked at her with eyes that swam with pain and saw in her nothing.\n“Please, don’t ever follow me, and don’t ever look for me.” She whispered as she looked at him, her fiery eyes glinting in the house’s light. Her wild red hair blowing in the stormy wind which gusted in from the noisy street outside, filling the house with noise and chaos.\nAnd she was gone, she ran out of the house, down the steps and out into the middle of the street. He rushed to the door just in time to see her dart across the street to the sound of screaming taxi horns and the yells of motorists as she ran without a care of being hit across the road and away. Her red hair being tossed carelessly by the wind, her shoelaces untied and scrambled around her feet and her shirt left carelessly untucked and wild in the breeze. She disappeared down the street into the thick throng of black umbrellas covering blank faces, swallowed by the throngs of people bustling to nowhere but always hungry for another life to drag into its clutches and never be released. Standing in the doorway, in the rain he stood with his heart in his hand and its slowing beat.\nThe shattered flower vase lay in pieces on the floor of the back room, the water running from its broken contents like blood. Its path only interrupted by the letter laying on the floor that slowly absorbed the liquid, blurring and spreading the ink of the words into an incoherent chaos never to be deciphered by another humans’ eyes. The last sentence to be swallowed by the blood water of the vase as the ink spread like a plague on its surface: terminal cancer, 4 months to live. He would never see the letter, and its damning words as he walked numbly back into the empty house devoid of life and love. He fell to his knees on the sea of comforters, gathering them into his arms to fill the hole in his heart, curling into a ball in the sea of white, he was left alone with no explanation just the devastating hole in his chest and the rain drifting through the open window and door, and the smell of petrichor.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120705_petrichor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRain drops danced on the window sill, running their fingers gently against the\nglass with longing sighs as they settled into seas of water only to be\ndisturbed again by the next drop. The tulips wilting on the inside of the\nwindow breathed in the warm air of the house, yet still could not bloom as\nthey watched with drooping faces the disturbance on the window sill. All was\nquiet in the house except for the gentle tapping of the rain on the window\npane like a young lover throwing rocks to awaken his sleeping beauty. Across\nthe white walls of the small apartment lay splashes of life that were too wild\nand untamed to be contained to a single wall let alone one skinny apartment\nspace. The solitary apartment stood isolated on the ground floor of a building\ncentered in New York’s sprawling system of roads, where it alone seemed\nvibrant and alive. Roads like the pathways of a body filled with the ever\nawake but seemingly never living people of the city that never sleeps.\nSeparated by thin capillary walls from the bustle of the dark and dirty\nstreets lay the hidden white walls of her home. The macabre symphony of art\nwas pinned to the walls in a random yet insistently purposeful manner that\nblossomed from a young and wild heart. The Van Gogh imitations to the\ntypography, and the old photographs of people she had never known filled the\nspaces of the white wall with color and life that she mastered and owned but\nstill was not her own. The very walls jittered with a peaceful happiness where\nher fingers had traced along the walls as she had run through the tight\nhallways and rooms. Every window, every space had been filled by her loving\nhands so no spot would feel alone or empty. She was kind.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Petrichor"},{"content":"I saw you in a rare and out of prints bookstore reading out of the “Rare Illustrated Children’s Section” and I was intrigued. What were you looking at? It looked almost as if it is was a native American illustrated text but I had no idea. You were so focused and singular in your search it made me want to read wat you had picked up and know why you were so interested in it. Also, you never came down from your little stool, you stood on it the entire time and never moved, not even to sit on it. IT was as if up there on your stool and your children’s book you were in your own little world. It has been a while since I read a book like that and was a little envious as I watched you. I miss that world of singularity where ti is just you and the work in front of you. No distractions, no disruptions, and no failures in focus. I miss that. I wanted to have that, to be back in that world, but instead I had to watch from afar only wishing it was me on that stool with a book in hand that made the rest of the world disappear.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120704_library/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you in a rare and out of prints bookstore reading out of the “Rare\nIllustrated Children’s Section” and I was intrigued. What were you looking at?\nIt looked almost as if it is was a native American illustrated text but I had\nno idea. You were so focused and singular in your search it made me want to\nread wat you had picked up and know why you were so interested in it. Also,\nyou never came down from your little stool, you stood on it the entire time\nand never moved, not even to sit on it. IT was as if up there on your stool\nand your children’s book you were in your own little world. It has been a\nwhile since I read a book like that and was a little envious as I watched you.\nI miss that world of singularity where ti is just you and the work in front of\nyou. No distractions, no disruptions, and no failures in focus. I miss that. I\nwanted to have that, to be back in that world, but instead I had to watch from\nafar only wishing it was me on that stool with a book in hand that made the\nrest of the world disappear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Library Corner"},{"content":"We made it. I am writing this post from my grandmother’s library where I will be staying for about the next three weeks. After eleven long days of waking up at five in the morning and going to bed at about eleven at night and over 4700 miles later, we are in our home away from home in Bootjack, Michigan.\nWe spent the entire first half of our day having an amazing time on Mackinac Island. We took the ferry boat across Lake Huron over to the small island where we toured around for several hours. Since we did one of the earlier tours we got to actually go on the ferry underneath the Mackinac Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the USA. The wind was biting and the spray from the waves was really cold as it splashed all over me and my camera but the view was spectacular. The water was almost more amazing than the bridge itself. One of my favorite things about Michigan are the lakes. Lake Superior is my all time favorite, but Huron was beautiful. The deep greens and blues that cast a gradient of color for all to see was stupendous to behold.\nWhen we reached the island we decided to walk instead of rent bikes because no vehicles are allowed on the island. Only horse drawn carriages and bikes are allowed on the island making for an antiquated but lovely atmosphere for the entire island.\nHowever, since everything was so expensive we were indeed limited in what we could do including not being able to go into Fort Mackinac. However, we received an awesome tip from a woman who told us to go behind the art museum where there was a children’s park and a very well disguised set of stairs. The very long set of stairs wove into the forests and high up the hills until we came out on top which supplied an amazing overlook of the island right next to the fort which we could see right into.\nWe even got to see the canon demonstration, where they loaded and fired a canon from the fort. It was very cool, but loud.\nBehind the Fort we found amazing wide open fields that we had some fun with as we made our way across the island.\nWe continued on the wooded pathway all over the island eventually ending up at the famous Grand Hotel, which is so high-class that you are not even allowed to walk around it without a ten dollar fee. Also, no shoulders showing, and no pants for women. It was really quite odd. It did have a nice porch though with lines of rocking chairs overlooking the lake.\nSince lunch was too expensive at the Grand we headed back to main where we had lunch at an excellent burger joint called Chuckwagons. It was a tiny little alleyway of a room jammed with chairs and people. We sat at the bar looking right at the grill which supplied all the food for the entire place, which in itself was amazing. The chef and I am assuming owner was working it and he was a constant blur of action. It seemed like he never stopped, a fine tuned burger making machine. I got the rodeo burger which was sublime but messy. Served on a pretzel bun, these burgers where home made and cooked right in front of our eyes. It was entertaining and delicious. Highly recommended, especially with the price compared to the Grand, which I am sure was not nearly as good as this place.\nWe also had to stop and buy the famous Mackinac Island Fudge, this little island is known for its rich fudge and there are literally dozens of shops all over the island claiming to be the best. With a lot of contestation about which is best, we naturally had to try several.. which meant a lot of fudge sampling and a very high sugar overload when we were done. After sampling a couple of places I decided that Joann’s Fudge is definitely the best. Their sea salt caramel fudge is amazing and rich with that nice salty bit to counteract the powerful sweetness. Not only was the fudge good but the place was cute, the servers friendly and in my opinion most importantly good at giving samples. They were extremely generous in their samples and made sure you really had a taste for which ever fudge you were thinking about tasting. It was quite the adventure and we really enjoyed ourselves on this beautiful, sunny day in Michigan on the Great Lakes.\nWe did have to move on and take the ferry back sadly but we kept getting waylaid by more beautiful and interesting things before we even left town. We found a beautiful beach spot to play around in the sandy beaches and clear waters as well as a magnificent lighthouse right at the foot of the bridge.\nBut after the crossing of the bridge it was a straight shot to our final destination. We had our eyes on the prize and except for a brief pasty stop, which is always worth it, we headed to our home away from home.\nIt is so nice to be here again, I quite literally wait all year until I can come back here. I am staying in my grandfather’s home right on the lake where I will be doing my writing and hopefully some good research from my grandmother’s old collection of amazing books. So now starts a new (more relaxed) adventure in Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120629_day11/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe made it. I am writing this post from my grandmother’s library where I will\nbe staying for about the next three weeks. After eleven long days of waking up\nat five in the morning and going to bed at about eleven at night and over 4700\nmiles later, we are in our home away from home in Bootjack, Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe spent the entire first half of our day having an amazing time on Mackinac\nIsland. We took the ferry boat across Lake Huron over to the small island\nwhere we toured around for several hours. Since we did one of the earlier\ntours we got to actually go on the ferry underneath the Mackinac Bridge, the\nlargest suspension bridge in the USA. The wind was biting and the spray from\nthe waves was really cold as it splashed all over me and my camera but the\nview was spectacular. The water was almost more amazing than the bridge\nitself. One of my favorite things about Michigan are the lakes. Lake Superior\nis my all time favorite, but Huron was beautiful. The deep greens and blues\nthat cast a gradient of color for all to see was stupendous to behold.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Eleven: The End"},{"content":"This is the winding down, the final frontier of the trip: we have entered the state of Michigan. The very tippy top of the state is the goal and end of the trip in Keweenaw County and we stayed the night about the half-way point right before the Mackinac Island Bridge.\nWe left Cincinnati early in the morning and headed up to meet some of my mother’s old high school friends whom she was really excited to see after to many years. We met them for lunch right above where my mom lived as a child in Birmingham, Michigan. After lunch at Olga’s, an old favorite of my mother’s which serves gyros, we headed down memory lane to reminisce about my mother’s old home. Even though it is no longer there, the house next to cemetery, we still drove by where it once stood and even stopped at a garage sale at the place that now stands in its stead. We drove all over as she pointed out points of interest from her childhood including the cemetery. It was a huge trip down memory lane, even though the town had changed incredibly, we had a great time wandering around.\nAfter Birmingham we kept heading north to Gaylord where my uncle and his family are in order to stop in and catch up with them. We got dinner, visited a small but beauitful lake, and even got to see some elk.\nWe got in really late last night because it was hard to say goodbye yet again, even though we will see them in a couple of more days. We drove to Mackinaw City in the dark and could see the lights blink on the bridge as we pulled in to the city. It was a wonderfully warm night but we were so tired we just collapsed right into bed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120629_day10/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the winding down, the final frontier of the trip: we have entered the\nstate of Michigan. The very tippy top of the state is the goal and end of the\ntrip in Keweenaw County and we stayed the night about the half-way point right\nbefore the Mackinac Island Bridge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe left Cincinnati early in the morning and headed up to meet some of my\nmother’s old high school friends whom she was really excited to see after to\nmany years. We met them for lunch right above where my mom lived as a child in\nBirmingham, Michigan. After lunch at Olga’s, an old favorite of my mother’s\nwhich serves gyros, we headed down memory lane to reminisce about my mother’s\nold home. Even though it is no longer there, the house next to cemetery, we\nstill drove by where it once stood and even stopped at a garage sale at the\nplace that now stands in its stead. We drove all over as she pointed out\npoints of interest from her childhood including the cemetery. It was a huge\ntrip down memory lane, even though the town had changed incredibly, we had a\ngreat time wandering around.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Ten: Mackinaw City"},{"content":"We started our day out with a little stress over our car. Because we have driven so many miles we decided to get an oil change but when we took it in and only after the oil had been changed did the low oil light pop up. Baffled and confused we spent a good half hour or more trying to fix this odd problem, we eventually reset the light after call Subaru but the threat of something wrong with the care has been looming over our heads ever since. Quite the unnecessary stressor on our shoulders. To remedy the stress we got Starbucks… lots of coffee and visited the Nashville Parthenon.\nThe Nashville Parthenon houses a huge statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom born from Zeus’ brain. The gigantic temple modeled after the Greek Parthenon houses the statue surrounded by imposing grandiose columns.\nHer shield alone was 15 meters in diameter, so you can tell just how huge this statue was in person.\nAlso the doors are the largest set of bronze doors in the entire world.\nOur next roadside stop was at Andrew Jackson’s, the former president of the United States, home. The home, titled the Hermitage, is a huge mansion tucked away in many acres of green lush fields. We didn’t have time to actually tour the place but we looked at all the pictures and admired the scenery from afar.\nWe drove all the way through Knoxville and into Gatlinburg where we were meeting my grandparents from North Carolina for a short but pleasant while. We expected to be staying in a quaint small little town at the foot of the Great Smokey Mountains but instead we encountered a series of three cities that where extremely odd and quirky tourist traps. These strips of odd sights including many Ripley’s Believe it or Not places, a gigantic fake Titanic, and even an upside down building next to a Hollywood wax museum.\nWe are going into the park tomorrow morning and its allure is great, just beyond the nearly sickening amount of tourist attractions which have gathered such ridiculous numbers of people who have swamped the streets and shops. Right outside our hotel room is a beautiful river that runs from the mountains down the beautiful sloping hills. It is a taunting foreshadow of tomorrow. We have found that this trip has been hard because we have been mostly deprived of nature. Unlike our past road trips which are mainly National Parks where we hike and adventure among wildlife and majestic landscapes, but this trip we have mostly been in cities or only brief stops in nature. So tomorrow is a well anticipated return to nature, pristine, unpopulated, and uncrowded nature. Hopefully we will encounter some wildlife there as well.\nWe met grandpa Ira and grandma Karen and after a great catching up and sharing session with them we headed out to dinner at the Cherokee Grill which was excellent. It was just so great being able to sit down with them and just catch up for a short time. We talked for hours over dinner and I really was so glad to see them again and I love that this road trip has let us see so many of our relatives we do not normally see.\nI decided to try Catfish while still in the south and had Southern Fried Catfish with Baked Mac and Cheese with spinach which was excellent. The catfish was tender, moist, and the batter flavorful and crispy. The mac and cheese was excellent as well, warm and comforting, just as southern comfort food should be. Everything was very good but the waiter was an extremely fast talker and turns out very rushed in everything he did, not just his speech. Otherwise it was great and I would definitely eat there again if we weren’t simply passing through.\nWe walked around the crowded town and discovered a free Moonshine tasting in an eccentric little place full of the powerful alcohol that was so popular during the prohibition period. It was a cool old southern place filled with old cars, mason jars, shelf after shelf of moonshine, and a whole sea of rocking chairs.\nIt was just a short visit but we cherished every moment and look forward to the next. Tomorrow we head through the Great Smokey Mountains and up to Cincinnati Ohio for the night.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120627_day8/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe started our day out with a little stress over our car. Because we have\ndriven so many miles we decided to get an oil change but when we took it in\nand only after the oil had been changed did the low oil light pop up. Baffled\nand confused we spent a good half hour or more trying to fix this odd problem,\nwe eventually reset the light after call Subaru but the threat of something\nwrong with the care has been looming over our heads ever since. Quite the\nunnecessary stressor on our shoulders. To remedy the stress we got Starbucks…\nlots of coffee and visited the Nashville Parthenon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Eight: Family, Gatlinburg"},{"content":"We left early in the morning from our beautiful riverside hotel room with whispered goodbyes by their door and headed into the Smokey Mountains before the sky was even fully lit. The park was beautiful, a wooded, secluded forest that had the mystique that only pristine wilderness has. A certain quiet that hangs peacefully over the entire park creating a nearly unearthly sense of calm. We drove through the winding mountain roads that were hidden under a canopy of trees. It was beautiful everywhere you looked and it was a huge breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively, to be back in nature enjoying the simple things rather than fancy shops or restaurants.\nWe drove all the way into the middle of the park up to its highest point, which is right on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee called Clingman’s Dome. In the description it said it was a short mile hike that was supposedly steep that leads up to an observation tower that over looks the misty ble mountains of the area. When we got there we began our trek and for the first time the entire trip it was cold. Not just cold but FREEZING. I was so cold and didn’t even know where I had put my jacket because it had barely gone below triple digits every single day of our trip and suddenly it was so windy and cold on the top of these mountains. So naturally I thought I would run around to warm up a bit. Little did I know that the steep climb was actually a really steep climb and my little warm up left me really tired for going up that huge hill. We walked on the path that goes along on of the hills overlooking the mountain range and by the time we reached the top we were both panting and out of breath from the climb and the elevation which was over 6000 feet. The observation deck was a huge spiral walkway that stopped at a look out and the view was amazing. The mountains were cast in a soft blueish light and hidden among the fog which gives this national park its smokey quality. It was great to stand on top of the world looking around and seeing nothing but beauty in every direction.\nAfter our hike we headed out of the park taking our time on the drive through the remainders of the mountains on the North Carolina side. We drove on the Blue Ridge PArkway which was likewise beautiful and quite fun to drive around North Carolina a bit. It was interesting because I don’t think we ever really intended to go to the east coast but we were technically in a state that is on the east coast so I guess it sort of counts. So technically we drove all the way across the country, nearly coast to coast. But then we had to veer back to our original direction and headed northward.\nWe made a pit stop at the Cumberland Gap National Park which stands on the corner of three states, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. This beautiful area surrounded by rolling mountains, rivers, lake networks, and just all things green and beautiful was a nice little pit stop along the way. It is really our last stop until Cincinnati tonight where we will be staying with a friend of my mother’s who was gracious enough to accommodate us, road mess and all.\nCincinnati was a beautiful city to behold, the river was striking and despite the traffic we got stuck in it was very enjoyable. We were even treated to a wonderful Montgomery dinner of pulled chicken BBQ along with excellent cherries, coleslaw and potato salad. We even sat on the balcony that was so nice and warm.\nIt was a great stop and I am so happy we were welcomed so warmly and I yet again wish we could stay longer but tomorrow we are making the next biggest leap: tomorrow we will be in Michigan.\nYes, we are just a few short days away from our final destination. It seems we may finish ahead of schedule and come in about a day earlier but we will see. Maybe we will make another pit stop somewhere if we wind up having copious amounts of time on our hands but right now we are very focused on the prize, our home in Bootjack (Lake Linden) Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120627_day9/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe left early in the morning from our beautiful riverside hotel room with\nwhispered goodbyes by their door and headed into the Smokey Mountains before\nthe sky was even fully lit. The park was beautiful, a wooded, secluded forest\nthat had the mystique that only pristine wilderness has. A certain quiet that\nhangs peacefully over the entire park creating a nearly unearthly sense of\ncalm. We drove through the winding mountain roads that were hidden under a\ncanopy of trees. It was beautiful everywhere you looked and it was a huge\nbreath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively, to be back in nature\nenjoying the simple things rather than fancy shops or restaurants.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Nine: Cincinnati"},{"content":"I today was the day we hit “the wall” for road trippers: the point of no more. Today marks the point where we are tired and sight seeing weary. No this does not mean we are done it just means that today was a day off from sightseeing. We didn’t really do anything today and abandoned the initial plan for the day for a shortened and less packed with things to do. In other words, today was a breather day and hopefully tomorrow will be the always necessary bounce back day in the road trip.\nAlso today marks a different sort of landmark. Today, day seven marks the longest time I have ever been on the road. Six days was my previous record and now we are on day seven, soon to be eight that will keep going up as we continue. So, this is a long trip.\nIt was hard leaving New Orleans, just as it was hard to leave New Mexico and San Antonio before that. We have had some great stops and I am looking forward to more, but I seriously enjoyed New Orleans. We started our morning with Cafe Du Monde again since it is open 24 hours we went pretty early and got to see the sunrise from our hotel room in the morning.\nAfter leaving our trial of powder sugar behind us and watching everyone else who left Cafe Du Monde brush the remnants of their beignet from their clothing somewhat unsuccessfully, we headed out for a day of driving. We went across three states, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.\nWe only had two stops along our way to Nashville. The first was lunch at the original Whistle Stop Cafe or the Irondale Cafe where the book by Fannie Flag, Fried Green Tomatoes, was based out of. I love that book and the movie and knew once I was in the area that we had to stop for some fried green tomatoes. So we went on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama and found the little train-side cafe with red checkered tablecloths and movie posters all over the walls with a cafeteria style food line up of good old southern soul food. I learned a little something about southern food today called the meat and three; this is a way of describing the amount of food you get (gigantic amounts) being one meat entree along with three sides of choice from a long selection of food options. So I got their famous fried chicken, the fried green tomatoes of course and mashed potatoes.. and it came with a bun, and sweet tea. It was so much food it seemed really ridiculous, but what was more is that anyone can order as many as they want and it really piles up quickly. The fried chicken was very good, moist, and crispy. The bun and sweet tea were also phenomenal, both where unbelievably good and I wish I could have had more if I wasn’t already so stuffed from the other plates. However, I was pretty disappointed by the fried green tomatoes. They were greasy, cold, and too acidic even for green tomatoes. It was saddening but for me definitely an atmosphere thing and being able to say I had been to the Whistle Stop Cafe. I definitely don’t regret going because everything else was very good and if not for fear of becoming obese in a matter of days would surely go back for more.\nThe second stop we made was to the Ave Maria Grotto which is a benedictine monks old pass time making miniatures of major monuments world wide. This odd stop in Cullman, Alabama was a large garden where the hills where covered in this sculptures.\nLittle Jerusalem including Bethlehem.\nHanging gardens of Babylon.\nEven the Campanile.\nIt was all very interesting but by the time we reached Nashville neither of us really wanted to do anything and just did a brief tour of the city known for its music.\nUneventful day but it is getting us there slowly. Tomorrow is another sort of off day, we are taking another family day and meeting some of my lovely relatives from North Carolina in Gatlinberg for a day. More than halfway there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120625_day7/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI today was the day we hit “the wall” for road trippers: the point of no more.\nToday marks the point where we are tired and sight seeing weary. No this does\nnot mean we are done it just means that today was a day off from sightseeing.\nWe didn’t really do anything today and abandoned the initial plan for the day\nfor a shortened and less packed with things to do. In other words, today was a\nbreather day and hopefully tomorrow will be the always necessary bounce back\nday in the road trip.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Seven: Nashville"},{"content":"I can’t believe I am writing this from New Orleans. Ever since about third grade, when I started reading Anne Rice, I have wanted to come here and go to the french quarter. I have always wanted to be here but could never think of a reason to be here, and now, I am here.\nThis morning we started our day doing the Riverwalk in the morning in San Antonio before anyone else in the city was awake. It was a nice reprieve from the chaos of mid afternoon tourism when the crowds are in full affect. I have definitely begun to appreciate early morning wake ups to avoid the crowds and actually enjoy what I am there to see.\nAfter the Riverwalk we headed down to San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which is a system of four extremely old missions, most being moved to their present day location in 1731. So yes, they are very old. They were pretty fantastic, old crumbling adobe and high reaching bell towers was better than any cup of coffee in the morning.\nThe oldest and most amazing mission in this system of missions is Mission San Jose, also known as the Queen. It was massive and spectacular, overall quite a wonder to see especially because it is over 200 years old.\nIts system of archways and brick lines doors where amazing as well a being accompanied by extremely ornate decorations on windows and doors.\nCovered in centuries old frescoes these crumbling facades where incredible to experience in person.\nAfter we left San Antonio we started heading east again towards Louisiana for our next night. However, finding ourselves starving in the middle of nowhere we tried to find a place to eat and discovered a little family owned Cajun cooking restaurant called Vautrots. This little place was excellent! It was a first for me in many ways; it was my first taste of creole Cajun food, I got the E’touffee which is a dish somewhat similar to gumbo. It was also my very first time eating crawfish which was excellent. It made me even more excite for when I actually get to New Orleans and I can eat Cajun food in Louisiana.\nAnd of course we had to make some extra stops like at the world’s largest fire hydrant right outside of the Texas fire museum.\nBefore we even crossed over into Louisiana we entered into bayou country. This was kind of an amazing switch in environment, we went from dry shrub land to swampy marshlands. We saw all sorts of odd things including wild flamingos and spent a majority of our driving time looking for gators as we drove by the lakes, rivers, and bayous.\nThere was one scenic stretch of highway nearing Baton Rouge which I must say was probably the coolest stretch of highway I have ever been on in my life. The highway was divided onto separate sides of a river and suspended like a dock or bridge over the water and swamps. It was amazing and it was a bit hard to concentrate on driving when you just want to stare at the amazingly new scenery all around you. This swamp area was the most intriguing, with odd like trees and jagged stumps sticking from the huge bayou it looked a bit like an alien planet.\nAfter the swamps came the city. New Orleans, finally here. We got in pretty late so we decided to do what anyone does at night in New Orleans, go to Bourbon street.\nThe streets where loud, bustling, and dirty but had the charm of a tourist spot. But not always, I must say I saw my full share of things I definitely would have gone with out. Especially being boob flashed right in the face by some random older woman. Also the woman dancing in front of a brothel door with basically no clothes on… yeah could have done without it but it is definitely part of the experience. You don’t go down Bourbon if you can’t stomach the smell of smoke, the profanity, the drunken people, the smell of vomit, and the faint smell of urine everywhere you go. But it does have its charm as well. The glowing street signs casting the street in bright colors add a mystique to the street that is the haunt of New Orleans. We even found our way to the Musical Legends Park and got to listen to some great music, blues, rock, and Cajun alike.\nI got tossed a few beads and even got to dance with an alligator. A pretty successful night but tomorrow we get to venture New Orleans in the daylight glow. We are staying a full day here just to explore.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120624_day5/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI can’t believe I am writing this from New Orleans. Ever since about third\ngrade, when I started reading Anne Rice, I have wanted to come here and go to\nthe french quarter. I have always wanted to be here but could never think of a\nreason to be here, and now, I am here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis morning we started our day doing the Riverwalk in the morning in San\nAntonio before anyone else in the city was awake. It was a nice reprieve from\nthe chaos of mid afternoon tourism when the crowds are in full affect. I have\ndefinitely begun to appreciate early morning wake ups to avoid the crowds and\nactually enjoy what I am there to see.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Five: New Orleans"},{"content":"We stayed the night in New Orleans and spent the entire day walking all over New Orleans to take in the sights of this complex city. There are really so many facets and corners to this city, I don’t feel anyone could ever fully explore. Because of this we decided to take a little tour of the city to help us gather some semblance of what we were doing. But we first decided to go to the famous and wonderful Cafe Du Monde.\nAsk anyone who knows me, they will tell you I do not like coffee, I don’t drink it but I heard two things about Cafe Du Monde; they have amazing Beignets and great cafe au lait. So naturally I had to get both, liking coffee or not, I knew I should try it so I got the frozen cafe au lait and on a hot day made twice as hot by the sticky humid air, it was like heaven. I can’t even explain how great it was, all I can say is I am going back tomorrow and if I ever come back again this will be my first stop. This was also my first ever Beignet and it was awesome. This little french pillow of dough, deep fried and coated in a sea of powder sugar, was delectable. This french doughnut was definitely a good choice, but also a messy one. It was impossible to eat them without leaving a trail of powder sugar in your wake.\nAfter that we went on the city and cemetery tour of New Orleans which drove us around talking about the things outside. I am not going to lie, I didn’t really like the tour or our guide but it did give a nice break from driving around, desperately trying to find our way and figure out what to do. So in some ways it was good and we got to see a lot of the city by bus but otherwise, I was not a fan. The guide didn’t really seem to know a lot of anything and kept repeating himself in a bothersome manner. We went to the Garden District and looked at all the old mansions and houses and then went through the french quarter. The only thing we did that we otherwise probably wouldn’t have gotten to do was the St. Louis Cemetery.\nWe learned all sorts of interesting facts about the burial process in New Orleans for this cemetery which includes the body being exhumed after a year and a day and the bones being crushed and then put in a bag to be placed back in the tomb so it take up less space. Also one tomb can hold up to 150 bodies… or I guess baggies but that doesn’t sound right at all to put it that way.\nAfter that stop we made a depressing stop at the sight of one of the most damaged areas by Katrina. The water here reached up to 25 high at one point and took out almost every single house in the area, only three brick founded buildings remained, all the others floated away or were destroyed. Pictured below is the wall for the levy that overflowed leading to this catastrophe. We also learned that Brad Pitt, ever the hero that he is, decided that someone needed to help, so he did. He is building 150 houses for those who lost there homes here and making them large enough to very comfortably house the displaced families and also powered by solar power to help pay for electric bills.\nHowever, the most depressing part about this stop was not Katrina itself but the fact that this tour group took us here to gawk at the despair of the people who lived and lost their lives here. It felt disgusting to be there in a huge air conditioned bus sight seeing where so man people lost so much, even their lives. It was hard for me to stomach that, the only thing that made it bearable was that thanks to the Brad Pitt Foundation homes many of them seemed to be doing much better. But even then I only saw a glimpse from a tour bus, so what could I possibly know.\nOn a happier note in this neighborhood is a man who apparently makes the best pralines in New Orleans and he came on our bus from his home and sold us some. It was my first praline and it was very good and had quite the sugar kick to it.\nAfter the tour we returned to the French Quarter and decided to tour the city on our own. We walked all over the place visiting many of the places we had glimpsed in a drive by moment on the tour.\nThe first stop was to the French Market, this market which is part flea market and part food market was really fun and expansive. Spanning several blocks we wound up and down the isles looking at all that was to offer.\nWe even found a stand that sold all things alligator including alligator jerky, gator on a stick, and fresh grilled gator.\nWe looked through all the jewelry, hats, bags, and most important antiques.\nAround the corner from the french market we went and shopped for blocks in antique and recycled things stores that were just too much fun. We found all sorts of odd things in this quirky little stores.\nThe furniture had to have been my favorites, they had tons of old antique furniture that I would have bought in a heart beat if I didn’t have to lug it around the country with me. It was really funny weaving in and out of these shops for what seemed like hours.\nNext food stop: muffaletta and more pralines- also known as the best pralines. First time eating muffaletta which is a meat sandwich with an olive tapenade like spread which was awesome. Even though I was still full I ate the whole thing. New Orleans is about food after all isn’t it? Oh and personally I liked these pralines better…\nWe wandered around the back streets of the city going into cool shops and looking at intriguing building and architecture.\nOne of the types of shops I forced my mom to stop at where Voodoo shops. I have always found voodoo intriguing and have always wanted to learn more about it. Having done a bit of research I had heard the place to go was Reverend Zombies House of Voodoo. This crowded and stuff filled little house was full of little heads, voodoo dolls and all sorts of creepy things. It was very fun to explore in and after some prompting from my mom I decided to have my palms read and future told to me by an odd little woman. It was a strange experience but I think a good one to have. Still nothing out of this world though 🙂\nWe also stumbled upon the Faulkner house, where William Faulkner lived and wrote several of his books. This cute little place is now a book store and was fun to poke around in for a short minute.\nOh, and we met this guy, and yes that is a washboard he has on and is playing. We found him in the street, no literally, in the street in front of traffic, playing his washboard.\nOur last real stop of the day besides dinner was Preservation Hall. I was really surprised about this because I had imagined it very differently. I didn’t imagine this beat up washed out place that didn’t really even have a noticeable sign that was right across from the voodoo shop. I don’t know what I was expecting but this sue wasn’t it. And it was closed to boot.\nWe had dinner at Mother’s Restaurant a local famous place that we heard a lot of hype about, especially for their Po’ boys. Po’ boys are sandwiches that got their name because originally they were the poor man’s sandwich and cooks would hand out this sandwiches to the poor boys. I got a fried shrimp po’ boy and my mom got some nice gumbo. The food was good but I don’t think it stood up to the hype at all. Good but not anything to really rave about in the end. It was still nice to end the day and our time in New Orleans with a New Orleans’ classic like the Po’ boy .\nI really enjoyed my time here in New Orleans and hope to be able to come back because I think there is so much left to do here. It also seems as if we are bing chased out of New Orleans by a possible hurricane, so maybe it is time to head out of town. I am sad to go but the trip must go on, tomorrow we are going to Nashville. This is the big change in the trip, no longer are we going eastward, we are in the final leg heading north now. Half way done.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120624_day6/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe stayed the night in New Orleans and spent the entire day walking all over\nNew Orleans to take in the sights of this complex city. There are really so\nmany facets and corners to this city, I don’t feel anyone could ever fully\nexplore. Because of this we decided to take a little tour of the city to help\nus gather some semblance of what we were doing. But we first decided to go to\nthe famous and wonderful Cafe Du Monde.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Six: New Orleans"},{"content":"Here is a small assortment of the glorious balconies in New Orleans we saw. Some looked like jungles, some were sophisticated with furniture and ceiling fans, and others where filled with flowers and a random collection of items backed by the colorful walls of the homes. Southern homes in New Orleans are very impressive indeed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a small assortment of the glorious balconies in New Orleans we saw.\nSome looked like jungles, some were sophisticated with furniture and ceiling\nfans, and others where filled with flowers and a random collection of items\nbacked by the colorful walls of the homes. Southern homes in New Orleans are\nvery impressive indeed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120624_day6balconies/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New Orleans Balconies"},{"content":"Today was the beginning of the long haul across Texas. The dreaded day.\nI am not going to lie; I had many predetermined notions of what I felt Texas would be like that were entirely ungrounded in reality. And boy am I glad that I was wrong. Surprisingly enough I actually almost enjoyed the long ride across half of this gigantic state. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of greenery compared to New Mexico and Arizona’s stark desert lands only broken up by sparse shrubbery. There were rolling hills and cut out passes for the highway through nice limestone walls and it was rather enjoyable compared with the experience I thought I was going to have today. Touche Texas, touche.\nThere really was nothing on the way to San Antonio from Las Cruces. Nothing. It was hard leaving Las Cruces and our family behind after such a short visit, especially knowing that we would be driving all day with nothing on the road to distract us. So to remedy this we made our own distractions by finding obscure and random stops to make. The first of which is the supposed World’s Largest Roadrunner in Fort Stockton. Paisano Pete was his name and he was pretty fun to find and take pictures with in the middle of nowhere.\nAfter that we planned on seeing some road side imitations of the Eastern Island Heads but sadly got lost and never found this little roadside treasure and decided instead to push on to get to San Antonio.\nSan Antonio also pleasantly surprised me, I really enjoyed this town full of its own old time charm mixed with new ambience. There are a lot of things for us to see here and we were very excited to begin exploring even though the humidity had certainly set upon us.\nOur first stop was the Alamo, which was nestled amongst the shops on the Riverwalk. Just crossing the cobblestone streets transports you into the old battlefield that was the Alamo and the history is almost palpable.\nSurrounded by gardens and gigantic arching trees this little park was quite beautiful.\nWe then decided to take the trolley through the city and go visit the Mexican Market Place or El Mercado. This place was amazing. Anyone going to San Antonio must go here, it was so much fun and we got to get a taste of San Antonio and their neighbor’s influence upon them. There was an indoor and outdoor market with shops after shops lined up next to each other, filled with Mexican imported goods, leather works, Mexican and Southwestern apparel, clay and painted pottery and many other amazing things that we couldn’t help but marvel over for hours.\nFor some reason I really like these little pigs, they make me inexplicably happy.\nOutside was beautiful as well, fully decorated and colorful the entire scene was extremely welcoming.\nWe had dinner in an odd but wonderful place called Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery, which is actually a twenty-four hour restaurant. It was so huge it was mind-blowing, it filled at least four very large rooms and had two gigantic patio stretches looking out on the market. Every room was highly decorated with bright Christmas like lights, pinatas and colorful paper. It was quite a sight to see.\nThe food itself was amazing and flavorful though the area was loud and bustling at all times. It was quite the busy hopping place, but it was just the right place for us to be.\nIt was a great night and I really enjoyed San Antonio, tomorrow we explore the missions and the Riverwalk in the morning and make a desperate drive to see if we can make it to New Orleans. Right now we are not so sure if we will make it, the mission visits are definitely setting us off schedule a bit. So we will see what happens tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120622_day4/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was the beginning of the long haul across Texas. The dreaded day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am not going to lie; I had many predetermined notions of what I felt Texas\nwould be like that were entirely ungrounded in reality. And boy am I glad that\nI was wrong. Surprisingly enough I actually almost enjoyed the long ride\nacross half of this gigantic state. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount\nof greenery compared to New Mexico and Arizona’s stark desert lands only\nbroken up by sparse shrubbery. There were rolling hills and cut out passes for\nthe highway through nice limestone walls and it was rather enjoyable compared\nwith the experience I thought I was going to have today. Touche Texas,\ntouche.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Four: San Antonio"},{"content":"Yesterday was our official rest day that was still extremely eventful. We were staying for two nights at my lovely relatives’ home who where gracious enough to put up with us, dirt balls as we where. We got to stay in their beautiful adobe in New Mexico that had a gorgeous back yard and beautiful southwestern style architecture and of course, sheepdogs. They used to show and breed old English Sheepdogs and so they have four currently living in their home. It was like having a herd of sheepdogs at all times; marvelous, simply marvelous. These fluffy monsters are so much fun and so great I couldn’t help taking a million photos of them instead of simply taking pictures of our temporary home. We where welcomed into their home with open arms and it is sad knowing that we only had one whole day to spend with them, I could have stayed forever.\nWe decided on our down day to still go National Park hunting so we made the short drive up to White Sands National Park.\nThis park is full of sparkling white dunes stretching all the way to the base of gorgeous mountains was quite marvelous. Many people take sleds out and sled down the dunes but we had to refrain, maybe another time. We did however run all over the dunes and have a bit of fun messing around in the desert.\nAfter the White Sands National Park we headed over to Old Mesilla, a very cool section of a little town that is full of intriguing shops and great food stops. We had an excellent lunch at Josephina’s that even included eating outside in a very beautiful garden. It was refreshing and enjoyable to say the least. We spent quite some time walking around the town square, going into almost every shop there was in the area.\nEverything was so beautiful and scenic; I even found some incredible doors to photograph.\nAfter shopping we went out for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and took a very interesting side trip to a Hispanic grocery store that was just too cool. It was so much fun looking at all the different foods and the eye catching decorations that where hung from nearly everything in the store.\nIt was a fun day and we are very sad to move on but the trip has just begun and San Antonio is next on the list of stops. The long drive across the entire width of Texas begins now, and believe me, we are none to excited about it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120622_day3/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was our official rest day that was still extremely eventful. We were\nstaying for two nights at my lovely relatives’ home who where gracious enough\nto put up with us, dirt balls as we where. We got to stay in their beautiful\nadobe in New Mexico that had a gorgeous back yard and beautiful southwestern\nstyle architecture and of course, sheepdogs. They used to show and breed old\nEnglish Sheepdogs and so they have four currently living in their home. It was\nlike having a herd of sheepdogs at all times; marvelous, simply marvelous.\nThese fluffy monsters are so much fun and so great I couldn’t help taking a\nmillion photos of them instead of simply taking pictures of our temporary\nhome. We where welcomed into their home with open arms and it is sad knowing\nthat we only had one whole day to spend with them, I could have stayed\nforever.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Three: Family Day"},{"content":"We began our second day adventure with Tucson, Arizona after a drive through the Sonoran Desert. The closer we got to the city of Tucson, the more cacti began to fill the scenery around us. This being so, and Tucson being home to both sectors of Saguaro National Park we decided to make a cacti stop in the Western section of Saguaro National Park.\nThis park is filled with unbelievable amounts of cacti, tall and towering, the stand like sentries over the dry land of the Tucson desert. Driving into the park we climb a hill that at its peak allows for a grand view of a huge valley blanketed with this type of cactus. This landscape, unique to Tucson was quite a sight to behold driving around that top corner of the peak. The quirky twisted and jumbled arms of the Saguaro cacti are amusing and beautiful. Some even looked as if they were hugging themselves. Others had beautiful flowers standing on the tips of their arms. It was quite a nice park.\nThis nice stop made up for our morning, which, before we reached the park, seemed would spell a disastrous day. We had a late start because we missed the alarm and got all turned around in the city itself. Along with injured ankles which were swollen, it was a worrisome morning that quickly turned around and became a long but interesting day. Especially with our epic old western stop at Tombstone, Arizona.\nThe sight of the OK Corral gun fight which is starred in many famous movies like the awesome old western movie with Val Kilmer and several other great actors called Tombstone which is about the story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday in the rough and tough town. This was such a great little authentic piece of old western history where reenactments are held as well as actors in character all the time wandering the dusty streets and saloons. It was “the town too tough to die”.\nWe spent a lot of our time in the Boothill Graveyard, which holds many famous and infamous residents of Tombstone. On the graves where the ways they died and it was truly fascinating to look into this little piece of history.\nAfter Tombstone we headed out to visit a little national park I had never heard of before that was actually quite interesting. The park, Chiricahua National Park feels a little like a mixture of Bryce National Park and Yosemite National Park. Primarily a hiking destination we sadly didn’t get to go very in depth because it was just too hot to go hiking. However it looked really interesting and I wish we had come at a cooler time so we could go into Echo Canyon. With huge monolith like structures that look like the hoodoos of Bryce and deep valleys filled with strange and intriguing rock formations, it was a fascinating stop.\nThis was a last stop of the day as we made our way out of Arizona and into New Mexico where we would be staying the night with my lovely relatives in Las Cruces.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120622_day2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe began our second day adventure with Tucson, Arizona after a drive through\nthe Sonoran Desert. The closer we got to the city of Tucson, the more cacti\nbegan to fill the scenery around us. This being so, and Tucson being home to\nboth sectors of Saguaro National Park we decided to make a cacti stop in the\nWestern section of Saguaro National Park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120622_day2/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120622_day2/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120622_day2/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis park is filled with unbelievable amounts of cacti, tall and towering, the\nstand like sentries over the dry land of the Tucson desert. Driving into the\npark we climb a hill that at its peak allows for a grand view of a huge valley\nblanketed with this type of cactus. This landscape, unique to Tucson was quite\na sight to behold driving around that top corner of the peak. The quirky\ntwisted and jumbled arms of the Saguaro cacti are amusing and beautiful. Some\neven looked as if they were hugging themselves. Others had beautiful flowers\nstanding on the tips of their arms. It was quite a nice park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day Two: Las Cruces"},{"content":"Today my mom and I left for our third adventure across the USA in our car moving towards (albeit on a somewhat random and very indirect course) our final stop in Upper Michigan, Bootjack where we will spend the summer. This years course is a very different one than in our past. We have really out done ourselves this time. We will be heading out from Santa Cruz on a nearly two week excursion across the very bottom of the US all the way until New Orleans and then heading almost directly up, through lower Michigan, to our final destination.\nThat being said this is either going to be the best trip ever… or the longest one.\n3am wake up- out of the driveway by 4am, we like to start early and end late. Sunrise to sunset everyday. As we made our way through Gilroy at 5am, the smell of garlic was thick around us. As gross as it sounds somehow even then, before we had eaten breakfast, or let alone woken up yet, the smell of garlic was mouth watering. What can I say, I am a Gilroy girl. Anyway, besides trying to take pictures of barns in the dark and relentlessly googling questions that we had always wondered but never had time to ask but now have all the time in the world to wonder about, we didn’t do much in the morning. By the afternoon when we had left behind the traffic and smog of Los Angeles, my mother had a request, a single request: to go see the dinosaur park near Palm Springs. So of course, we did because road tripping without odd and unrelated stops every so often is rather boring. So the dinosaurs, a gigantic, plastic T-Rex, and a hollow Brontosaurus that you could climb in, where our first real stop on our adventure; they were fantastic in the best, most childish way.\nAfter that brief but joyous stop we headed down towards the very bottom of the state via a road that went along a little known (at least to me) lake called the Salton Sea which is actually the biggest lake in California. It is also saltier than the Pacific Ocean, similar to the Great Salt Lake but not that salty, Salton Sea is an odd and somewhat mysterious place. We past it and decided on a whim to drive into a tiny little RV town called Salton Sea Beach. This little detour was very worth while.\nThis odd sign was just the beginning to this strange detour that actually wound up being rather creepy and eerie. Driving slowly down this sole road lined with trailer homes that were either being lived in with no present sign of life, abandoned in a state of hollow dishevelment, or burned. There was no one around. At the end of the road was a turn into a section of only abandoned and burned down trailers that was extremely creepy. It felt like if we left the car, people would slowly begin to emerge all around us, all waiting to attack. I am not paranoid, it was really kind of scary. Only when another fellow tourist (possible lost) drove up hesitantly obviously feeling the same way did we get the courage up to get out of the car.\nFirst thing I noticed upon getting out of the car:\nIt was 111 degrees out and I was dying of heat then began a slew of other realizations:\nIt smelled of death and decay in a horribly fetid way There was no sand just a mixture of dried, dead coral, and bones from fish that had been left to wither, dry and die in the desert sun. Needless to say, I was horribly intrigued by this place and wandered around taking pictures of this mysteriously eerie place. There was furniture ripped and worn on the beach and extremely large tires lodged in the ground. It was the oddest scene I had seen in a while.\nThe furniture strewn on the beach obviously had been stripped from the graffitied and burned buildings behind us that seemed to lurk like ghosts just beyond what the sign had called a “marina”.\nOther odd and baffling things like this boat where strewn about. This faded pink motorboat which was buried halfway in sand amidst a palm tree grove seemed to sum up the atmosphere of this place rather well.\nRegardless of the eerie feelings, paranoia, and other shiver inducing things we found in this odd place, it was beautiful in an eccentric sort of way. The blue water nestled below the jagged mountains in the back ground as pelicans and great blue herons flew around, all made up a very pretty scene.\nLeaving behind the sea we continued all the way to the bottom of the state as far as you can go before hitting Mexico and then turned for the beginnings of our eastward journey. We saw two interesting things: Sand Dunes, and the Center of the World.\nOdd, I know, I didn’t really get it at first and I still don’t really understand. So apparently this town, if you can call it that, with a population of four called Felicity, is the certified center of the world. A man, one of the four residents, is a writer who made up a children’s story about a dragon who lives under the center of the world or something which is Felicity. And somehow, he convinced several nations including China and France to help him certify Felicity as the Center of the World. And they did.\nThis pyramid marks the center of the world… and I was there.\nWe also made a pit stop in the newly booming town of Yuma as we crossed over into Arizona. Right on the Colorado river this town, featured in the movie 3:10 to Yuma, is a historic gold mine, not literally but figurateivly 🙂\nWith the old prison yard and railroad systems, Yuma was once a huge crossing where prisoners where sent. It was seen as Hell. The cells looked like it too, six men to a room and just the length of a single cot and the width of maybe three, seems like Hell to me. It was great poking around this old city and seeing the historic areas and crumbling adobe facades of century old, or older buildings.\nOur final stop before settling in was a little rest stop called Dateland. Not for dating but the fruit dates!! I had never actually eaten a date before but I love stops like this that are just weird and fun. This place is world famous for its date shakes. Yes… smoothies made from dates. So I went from never having eaten a date to being a date veteran in a few minutes. It was so much fun and surprisingly good! It had a nice cinnamon like flavor and was delicious. A fun must do 🙂\nOur last stop today is a special little spot called Gila Bend. This little hell hole is notoriously the hottest city in the US, it is so proud of this title it often likes to inflate its temperatures just to maintain its title. It is supposed to be near 120 degrees tomorrow. Yippee for me! We are staying in the Space Age Lodge… which has a space ship on top of it, no joke. Oh and a train that runs right outside our window every hour… also no joke. LOVE IT!\nSarcasm doesn’t read well on the internet. But another 4am start tomorrow as we continue on ward towards Las Cruces New Mexico to see some of my lovely relatives!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120619_day1/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday my mom and I left for our third adventure across the USA in our car\nmoving towards (albeit on a somewhat random and very indirect course) our\nfinal stop in Upper Michigan, Bootjack where we will spend the summer. This\nyears course is a very different one than in our past. We have really out done\nourselves this time. We will be heading out from Santa Cruz on a nearly two\nweek excursion across the very bottom of the US all the way until New Orleans\nand then heading almost directly up, through lower Michigan, to our final\ndestination.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack or Bust: Day One- Gila Bend"},{"content":"I looked out the window\nMy chin resting on my open palm\nThe glass fogged\nAs I peered out\nCars filled with people\nSome lonely, some afraid, some dead inside\nSome looking for life, and some giving up on it\nTrees blending into one another\nBlack top, yellow lines\nBlack top, yellow lines\nI pulled up my sleeve\nAnd wipe away the clouds\nForming on my window\nI watch more cars pass by\nIn a hurry to reach nowhere\nEach face in the car\nBlank as they stare forward\nEyes only on the destination\nNot the beauty on the way\nA car pulls along side us\nSilver and low to the ground\nA mom talking on the phone\nBut in the back\nSat a little girl\nShe was looking out of her window\nRight at me\nFor a moment I just stared back\nIt felt like an eternity\nThat our eyes were latched together\nIn that instant\nI knew her\nI knew her whole life\nAnd I am sure she knew mine\nShe was the daughter ignored\nShe made her own world\nBecause the one she had\nHad no place for her in it\nI could see her parents in her eyes\nArguing, yelling\nShe heard it all through thin walls\nAnd cried herself to sleep at night\nShe was the odd man out\nAlways the child in the back seat\nShe didn’t need them\nOr their fickle love\nShe had all she needed\nBut not all she wanted\nShe made her own way\nThrough a treacherous life\nAnd always would\nI raised my hand\nAnd waved to her\nI smiled and nodded slightly\nAnd she did the same\nAnd our cars moved on\nOur worlds separated\nJust a moment\nThat our worlds touched\nI wonder what she saw in my life\nWhat she thought\nOf a stranger through a car window\nI just sat back and smiled\nMy mom looked over at me and smiled back\n“What are you smiling at?”\n“Nothing” I reply\nBecause no one could understand\nHow I understood\nSo I keep her world a secret\nLocked tightly away\nOf a daughter ignored\nAnd a world passing by\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120527_worlds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI looked out the window\u003cbr\u003e\nMy chin resting on my open palm\u003cbr\u003e\nThe glass fogged\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I peered out\u003cbr\u003e\nCars filled with people\u003cbr\u003e\nSome lonely, some afraid, some dead inside\u003cbr\u003e\nSome looking for life, and some giving up on it\u003cbr\u003e\nTrees blending into one another\u003cbr\u003e\nBlack top, yellow lines\u003cbr\u003e\nBlack top, yellow lines\u003cbr\u003e\nI pulled up my sleeve\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd wipe away the clouds\u003cbr\u003e\nForming on my window\u003cbr\u003e\nI watch more cars pass by\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a hurry to reach nowhere\u003cbr\u003e\nEach face in the car\u003cbr\u003e\nBlank as they stare forward\u003cbr\u003e\nEyes only on the destination\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the beauty on the way\u003cbr\u003e\nA car pulls along side us\u003cbr\u003e\nSilver and low to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nA mom talking on the phone\u003cbr\u003e\nBut in the back\u003cbr\u003e\nSat a little girl\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was looking out of her window\u003cbr\u003e\nRight at me\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment I just stared back\u003cbr\u003e\nIt felt like an eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nThat our eyes were latched together\u003cbr\u003e\nIn that instant\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew her\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew her whole life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I am sure she knew mine\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was the daughter ignored\u003cbr\u003e\nShe made her own world\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the one she had\u003cbr\u003e\nHad no place for her in it\u003cbr\u003e\nI could see her parents in her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nArguing, yelling\u003cbr\u003e\nShe heard it all through thin walls\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd cried herself to sleep at night\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was the odd man out\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways the child in the back seat\u003cbr\u003e\nShe didn’t need them\u003cbr\u003e\nOr their fickle love\u003cbr\u003e\nShe had all she needed\u003cbr\u003e\nBut not all she wanted\u003cbr\u003e\nShe made her own way\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough a treacherous life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd always would\u003cbr\u003e\nI raised my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd waved to her\u003cbr\u003e\nI smiled and nodded slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd she did the same\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd our cars moved on\u003cbr\u003e\nOur worlds separated\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nThat our worlds touched\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder what she saw in my life\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat she thought\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a stranger through a car window\u003cbr\u003e\nI just sat back and smiled\u003cbr\u003e\nMy mom looked over at me and smiled back\u003cbr\u003e\n“What are you smiling at?”\u003cbr\u003e\n“Nothing” I reply\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause no one could understand\u003cbr\u003e\nHow I understood\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I keep her world a secret\u003cbr\u003e\nLocked tightly away\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a daughter ignored\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a world passing by\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Worlds Touching"},{"content":"The post of the mailbox shook, reverberating the metal mailbox with a steady but anxious beat. Like a drum struck with hesitant but impatient strokes of a hand not quite large enough to have a melody or harmony of its own, the mailbox sang its steady tune. The hand struck the mailbox post absentmindedly, not even aware of the affect that enabled the mailbox to sing. Hanging listless and open the small hand swung like a pendulum back forward and down again, encountering the slowly splintering wood that was breaking apart under the stress that had not yet cracked the young boy. The pendulum of this grandfather clock belonged to a young boy and each swing of his short but sinewy arm kept the beat of a clock counting out the seconds, then minutes, and eventually hours of the day with all the consistency of the human heart and its resounding drumbeat.\nThe mailbox faced forward but the boy faced the side, looking down the long stretching road all the way until it terminated at a bend. Even as the wind blew around him shaking the trees and causing the little red upright flag to hum gently into his ear, the little boy stood upright with all the attentiveness of a sentry on duty, watching the road that remained unchanged save for the few leaves which had been torn from their branches and cast into the sea of asphalt. Every once and a while his eyes would briefly wander to follow the leaves as they tumbled without grace or passion across the road, desperately trying to grab onto a crack in the road so as not to be blown away. At the slightest noise he would snap his attention back to the bend in the road, righting himself and mentally berating himself for his lack of discipline. But still, every so often, his eyes would wander. Blue and determined they focused on the end of the road, waiting. The only thing in his way was himself. His sandy yellow hair kept being blown into his face by a playful gust of wind, blocking his perfect view. But he was in no mood to play, he was on duty. So he would purse his lips with displeasure just as he had watched his mother do time and time again and with a huff of breath blew the strands of hair from his eyes, enabling him to return to his watch. But still the wind tousled his hair like an affectionate hand being run through his light shaggy hair. A small smile cracked his reserved exterior as he felt the wind’s fingers run through and play with his hair.\nThe smile was torn from his face with a sudden and sharp pinch from the abused wooden mailbox post. With a loud yelp of pain the little boy hunched over slightly to shelter his hand and observed his battle wound with pouting lips. The little splinter sticking out from the side of his hand stung with the pain of a knife from the vindictive mailbox post. With shaky but practiced fingers the little boy used his fingernails to carefully remove the splinter leaving only a small angry red dot of blood behind. Sucking on the side of his hand to get rid of the sting and the blood, the boy eyed the mailbox post with malice burning in his hurt eyes. Pricked with pain he felt his anger build in his chest like a bad cough. Suddenly he lashed out and kicked the post. The metal mailbox let out a shriek but otherwise remained unmoved. The pain built in him until his eyes burned and brimmed with tears. Pain more than a splinter could supply. With all the might in his small frame he kicked the post again, and again, and again until the splintered wood creaked and groaned. The upright red flag shook and quaked under the pent up pain of the little boy. Crying out in his rage he gave a final desperate kick to the mailbox post, unearthing it from its sentry spot sending it crashing to the ground in one violent movement. The metal mailbox crashed to the ground, unhinging its jaw on an unfriendly rock where it had fallen, spilling its contents onto the street: one lonely letter.\nBlinking back his sudden outburst of rage, the little boy surveyed the damage he had done. The casualty of war lay on the ground before him, slain by his own hands and feet. Seeing the letter lying there he felt a regret and a guilt burn inside of him that was greater than any anger could have been. The tears that had come to his eyes out of anger, now spilled out of regret. He flung himself to the concrete ground trying to grab the letter as the wind picked it up and blew it farther away. “No please, I’m sorry,” he screamed as he chased it down the street. The wind tore the letter across the jagged road tearing it until it caught desperately in a crack in the road. The little boy leapt and grabbed the letter in his small fists, letting out a triumphant laugh as he held it in his hands. Scratched from the road and bleeding, he slowly returned to the fallen mailbox. Tucking the crumpled and slightly torn letter into his pocket he tenderly picked up the mailbox returning it to its rightful place. The only noticeable sign of the battle was a slight tilt left behind by an act of rage that could not be fixed entirely. He worked carefully and tenderly to place the hinge of the mailbox door back into its place and rub off the dirt from its shiny metal surface which the ground had tainted. When it looked almost right he took out the letter from his pocket, simply addressed with one word, smoothed out as many wrinkles as he could, and gently placed it back into its sheltered cove inside the mailbox’s mouth. Then he turned with tracks of tears running down his dirt smudged face to face the bend in the road which was now blocked by a square white van.\nThe old mail truck pulled up to house number 187 as it did every single day, as it had always done and would always do. In front of the sole house out in the deserted wooded area that had slowly but surely lost its population as the military base had moved out to another location, stood the little boy who had stood there now for everyday of the last year and a half. Charlie let out a sigh, put the truck into park and slowly got out of the truck to look down at the little boy. Charlie let out a sigh as he stood over the little boy who had normally been so patient and put together but now stood before him a scuffed up mess. His jeans where ripped, his white shirt stained with dirt and possibly a little blood, and his sandy head of hair sat as a disheveled mess on his head. The little boy didn’t say anything but smiled a little as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his face. He looked up at Charlie with a newborn excitement, which was actually never new, it had been that same look for the last year and a half as the little boy did as he always did. He rushed to the mailbox, opened its bruised jaw, which squeaked now as he pried it open, removed the letter, and reverently handed it to the mailman.\nCharlie heaved another sigh, his cheeks filling with air like sails in the wind, he removed his hat and slowly rubbed his quickly thinning hair as he watched the little boy hold up the letter with a big smile across his tear stained face. Kneeling down he placed a large calloused hand on the boys shoulder. It lay there heavy and solid, it made the little boy frown under its weight.\n“You know kid, it’s been over a year and a half now.“\n“578.300148 days”\n“… Yeah. I know that is hard to hear, but little man, he’s gone.”\nThe little boy slowly looked away, back down the road that he had watched for so long. The smile slipped from his cheeks, which were still plump with innocence and eyes that still burned to believe.\n“I know. Just one last time.”\nThe little boy held out the letter again this time not with the usual smile but a smile filled with pain and hope. Charlie looked with pity in his heart at the young boy, forced a smile on his face, and took the crumpled letter from the boy. They didn’t exchange another word, just looked into each other’s eyes knowing that that letter would never be received, but both hoping that it would be. Charlie laid a hand on the boy’s head and ruffled his hair. He nodded towards the little boy’s home and turned back to his mail truck, which bent and swayed as he stepped back inside and started the it with a great protest of sound. The little boy smiled, waved, and turned away. He ran down the gravel path that cut through the dark woods where just beyond sight, a woman stood on a porch with her thin arms wrapped around a column as she stood just as silent, just as determined, watching the path as she did everyday for her little boy to come home. As soon as she heard him coming home she would wipe the tears from her face and go about the house as if she had not abandoned everything to wait for her son. AS if she had not been waiting every minute of every day just as her son down at the edge of the road.\nCharlie shook his head as the truck lurched back into motion down the long lonely road. He placed the letter on the seat next to him in a pile of others, all neat and crisp except the newest addition which was crumpled and torn. Five hundred and seventy nine letters sat on the old passenger seat cushion entitled with only one word; Dad.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120524_deliver/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe post of the mailbox shook, reverberating the metal mailbox with a steady\nbut anxious beat. Like a drum struck with hesitant but impatient strokes of a\nhand not quite large enough to have a melody or harmony of its own, the\nmailbox sang its steady tune. The hand struck the mailbox post absentmindedly,\nnot even aware of the affect that enabled the mailbox to sing. Hanging\nlistless and open the small hand swung like a pendulum back forward and down\nagain, encountering the slowly splintering wood that was breaking apart under\nthe stress that had not yet cracked the young boy. The pendulum of this\ngrandfather clock belonged to a young boy and each swing of his short but\nsinewy arm kept the beat of a clock counting out the seconds, then minutes,\nand eventually hours of the day with all the consistency of the human heart\nand its resounding drumbeat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Deliver"},{"content":"Hands shaking as fingernails bite\nInto the palms of his hands\nClenched into tight fists\nTrying to suffocate his rage\nChoking on words which burn\nIn his throat like poison\nThis bile in the belly of a monster\nBelongs not to a demon but a man\nWith eyes that burn with anger\nSmoldering like embers in dark sockets\nEven as their fire dwindles\nInto the soft glow of feigned comfort\nThey have the power to burn\nPower to set the world on fire\nBut here and now\nHis rage has no place\nExcept in the quiver of his fist\nAnd the monstrosity of his eyes\nHe lets out a long forced breath\nLetting his body go slack\nAnd his eyes slowly drift closed\nWraps a controlled arm around\nHis little girl’s shoulders\nWhich shake with quiet little sobs\nBringing her in close\nTo shelter her from the world\nThat took the light from his eyes\nWrung out his heart until all that was left\nWas this bitterness, this rage\nThis monster\nThat even as this wrath builds in his chest\nHe pushes it back down\nForcing a gentle, unnatural smile on to his face\nHolding his daughter as she cries\nTurning his hollowed out chest\nWhere his heart should have been\nInto a cove of resounding calm\nTo harbor her heart and make sure\nThat hers, unlike his, would survive\nThe cold abrasive storm\nAs he held her tight in his arms\nLooking ahead with dead determined eyes\nShe would survive\nEven if that meant what was left of him died\nHe slowly unclenched his fist\nWhich had gathered in rage\nOpening it out of love\nTo wipe the tears from her face\nAnd with a calm and controlled voice\nHinted with the melancholy\nOf humanity’s cacophony\nHe whispered in her ear\nEverything is going to be all right\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120523_rage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHands shaking as fingernails bite\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the palms of his hands\u003cbr\u003e\nClenched into tight fists\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to suffocate his rage\u003cbr\u003e\nChoking on words which burn\u003cbr\u003e\nIn his throat like poison\u003cbr\u003e\nThis bile in the belly of a monster\u003cbr\u003e\nBelongs not to a demon but a man\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes that burn with anger\u003cbr\u003e\nSmoldering like embers in dark sockets\u003cbr\u003e\nEven as their fire dwindles\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the soft glow of feigned comfort\u003cbr\u003e\nThey have the power to burn\u003cbr\u003e\nPower to set the world on fire\u003cbr\u003e\nBut here and now\u003cbr\u003e\nHis rage has no place\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept in the quiver of his fist\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the monstrosity of his eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nHe lets out a long forced breath\u003cbr\u003e\nLetting his body go slack\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd his eyes slowly drift closed\u003cbr\u003e\nWraps a controlled arm around\u003cbr\u003e\nHis little girl’s shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich shake with quiet little sobs\u003cbr\u003e\nBringing her in close\u003cbr\u003e\nTo shelter her from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nThat took the light from his eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nWrung out his heart until all that was left\u003cbr\u003e\nWas this bitterness, this rage\u003cbr\u003e\nThis monster\u003cbr\u003e\nThat even as this wrath builds in his chest\u003cbr\u003e\nHe pushes it back down\u003cbr\u003e\nForcing a gentle, unnatural smile on to his face\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding his daughter as she cries\u003cbr\u003e\nTurning his hollowed out chest\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere his heart should have been\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a cove of resounding calm\u003cbr\u003e\nTo harbor her heart and make sure\u003cbr\u003e\nThat hers, unlike his, would survive\u003cbr\u003e\nThe cold abrasive storm\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he held her tight in his arms\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking ahead with dead determined eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nShe would survive\u003cbr\u003e\nEven if that meant what was left of him died\u003cbr\u003e\nHe slowly unclenched his fist\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich had gathered in rage\u003cbr\u003e\nOpening it out of love\u003cbr\u003e\nTo wipe the tears from her face\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd with a calm and controlled voice\u003cbr\u003e\nHinted with the melancholy\u003cbr\u003e\nOf humanity’s cacophony\u003cbr\u003e\nHe whispered in her ear\u003cbr\u003e\nEverything is going to be all right\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rage (A Sheltered Cove)"},{"content":"This is not the way I thought it would be\nThe light at the end of the tunnel\nIs not as bright as the stories said\nIt is barely visible from the Unreal City\nThe path is dusty and the doors lie\nOn rusted hinges swaying in the wind\nThe wind funnels down this dark corridor\nScreaming through the cracks under the doors\nBreathing life into those who are stuck behind its bars\nWho didn’t or couldn’t quite make it there\nTrapped with iron grips on cold prison walls\nClinging with the fervor of rage\nEmbittered to the roots of their soul\nScreaming back at the wind\nWith tortured shrieks of terrors unknown\nAs the breeze whispers into their ears\nTaunting melodies of the songs sung\nAt the end, behind that backlit door\nThat will remain just faints murmurs\nOf a world hidden from them\nBy the darks gates of the city they built around them\nAs they watch with sunken and darkened eyes\nFrom the prisons that they sealed themselves in\nWatching the slow progression of shadows\nDrawn like moths to the light\nThat seems to grow dimmer at every passing moment\nMonsters pace in these dark rooms\nConsuming the light at every moment that door is opened\nLeaving no light for those who need it\nTo guide their passage down this dark corridor\nThe way is lost but we find ourselves not in a dark wood\nBut a desolate earth\nWhere the monsters roam not behind closed doors\nBut in the light for all to see\nThe light is gone and we must find the way back\nThere is no Virgil here, no Beatrice to lend a hand\nJust the blind hands that reach out for light\nNot knowing what it looks like or how it feels\nWe are lost, I am lost\nListening to the screams in the wind\nTrying to sift out the song that may not be for me\nBut is so close I can taste it\nThe door is left unlocked\nAnd this unreal city is not home to me\nI promise\nThis dust will not be all that is left of me\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120521_dis/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is not the way I thought it would be\u003cbr\u003e\nThe light at the end of the tunnel\u003cbr\u003e\nIs not as bright as the stories said\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is barely visible from the Unreal City\u003cbr\u003e\nThe path is dusty and the doors lie\u003cbr\u003e\nOn rusted hinges swaying in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wind funnels down this dark corridor\u003cbr\u003e\nScreaming through the cracks under the doors\u003cbr\u003e\nBreathing life into those who are stuck behind its bars\u003cbr\u003e\nWho didn’t or couldn’t quite make it there\u003cbr\u003e\nTrapped with iron grips on cold prison walls\u003cbr\u003e\nClinging with the fervor of rage\u003cbr\u003e\nEmbittered to the roots of their soul\u003cbr\u003e\nScreaming back at the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nWith tortured shrieks of terrors unknown\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the breeze whispers into their ears\u003cbr\u003e\nTaunting melodies of the songs sung\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the end, behind that backlit door\u003cbr\u003e\nThat will remain just faints murmurs\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a world hidden from them\u003cbr\u003e\nBy the darks gates of the city they built around them\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they watch with sunken and darkened eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the prisons that they sealed themselves in\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching the slow progression of shadows\u003cbr\u003e\nDrawn like moths to the light\u003cbr\u003e\nThat seems to grow dimmer at every passing moment\u003cbr\u003e\nMonsters pace in these dark rooms\u003cbr\u003e\nConsuming the light at every moment that door is opened\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving no light for those who need it\u003cbr\u003e\nTo guide their passage down this dark corridor\u003cbr\u003e\nThe way is lost but we find ourselves not in a dark wood\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a desolate earth\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the monsters roam not behind closed doors\u003cbr\u003e\nBut in the light for all to see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe light is gone and we must find the way back\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no Virgil here, no Beatrice to lend a hand\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the blind hands that reach out for light\u003cbr\u003e\nNot knowing what it looks like or how it feels\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are lost, I am lost\u003cbr\u003e\nListening to the screams in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to sift out the song that may not be for me\u003cbr\u003e\nBut is so close I can taste it\u003cbr\u003e\nThe door is left unlocked\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd this unreal city is not home to me\u003cbr\u003e\nI promise\u003cbr\u003e\nThis dust will not be all that is left of me\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dis"},{"content":"This evening around 6:30pm there was a rare annular eclipse of the Sun which was visible in Northern California. According to Professor Marcy at UC Berkeley an annular eclipse is “when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are lined up, but the Moon is farther than average from Earth, so it looks a bit too small to fully cover the Sun. Thus, if you are at one of the right places, the Sun will form a ring, or annulus, around the Moon. It’s a special, fun form of a partial solar eclipse.”\nSo naturally, living in Northern California, I ran outside with my camera and some filters to use that would allow my camera to capture this astronomical event. Sadly I only caught the tail end of it but the results where still intriguing. The odd colors of the photos are not naturally emitted colors from the sun but simply the colors of the filters I used, disappointing I know.\nOh and to those wondering: no I did not look right at the eclipse. I switched the view finder on my camera to the screen and then just held up the camera and took these shots.\nThe filter also caused some interesting bokeh like effects causing multiple images of the eclipse to be displayed.\nI want to give another thanks to Professor Marcy for the heads up about this great event and the great information about it as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120520_eclipse/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis evening around 6:30pm there was a rare annular eclipse of the Sun which was\nvisible in Northern California. According to Professor Marcy at UC Berkeley an\nannular eclipse is “when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are lined up, but the Moon\nis farther than average from Earth, so it looks a bit too small to fully cover\nthe Sun. Thus, if you are at one of the right places, the Sun will form a\nring, or annulus, around the Moon. It’s a special, fun form of a partial solar\neclipse.”\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Annular Eclipse"},{"content":"This is a small excerpt from a larger piece I have been working on for the last couple of months. Tentatively titled Avery’s Sojourn this excerpt is just a little blurb from the beginning. It is still a major work in progress but a couple of people have been asking for previews but everything is still under heavy construction and there is a lot of work to do still but here is a tiny glimpse into Avery’s life. Enjoy.\nThe soft fluttering of cotton wings caressing the tear stricken face of a young girl fills the dark empty space of the old wooden cabin as they gently kiss her cold skin and retreat back again into the darkness from which they came. Ragged breath wrenched itself from her dry cracked lips as her body tried to remember to breathe. Avery lay in a sleepless world with her eyes barely open and her eyelashes sticky with tears. Her bare arm lay underneath her head, outstretched as if she had tried to grasp something only to fall too short and the other lay limply dangling from the table’s edge. She lay like an abandoned rag doll tossed aside by a fickle child in a tantrum. Broken and alone she stared with unseeing eyes at a single object; hard, cold, and black, it lay opposite from her across the dark mahogany table. The gun lay lifeless, absent of the warmth it had acquired from a shaking hand only hours ago.\nAvery blinked slowly as another cottony wing embraced her cheek seeking warmth from this cold place only to find none hidden within her sallow cheek. She curled her numb fingers, feeling the rough wood beneath them. She flexed her hands, then her neck, slowly testing if her body still had some life left in it. As she pulled herself slowly up into a slouched sitting position she began to tremble. She felt the tears well to her eyes again as she stared at her antagonist at the other end of the table, remembering the terrible thunder clap as it rang through her entire body. It was not the first or the last time she would hear that terrible bang rattling in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120421_sojourn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a small excerpt from a larger piece I have been working on for the last\ncouple of months. Tentatively titled Avery’s Sojourn this excerpt is just a\nlittle blurb from the beginning. It is still a major work in progress but a\ncouple of people have been asking for previews but everything is still under\nheavy construction and there is a lot of work to do still but here is a tiny\nglimpse into Avery’s life. Enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Excerpt: Avery’s Sojourn"},{"content":"I just got back from a brief but wonderful visit with one of my oldest and best friends who now resides in Napa, California. Yes, that does mean I have an awesome excuse to visit the beautiful wine country just a short car ride away from Berkeley. She attends the Culinary Institute of America in Napa training to be a chef and baker! Yes, she is that cool.\nShe showed me the place where she gets to learn how to cook and make pastries at the CIA and I was a little jealous. It is so different from the life I am living at college here at UC Berkeley that it was refreshing and new.\nIt was so great seeing her because she is about to head out on an amazing adventure to Nantucket where she will be doing her externship. Though I will miss her dearly, I know she is going to have so much fun. I know our last little visit sure was fun, including chasing giant rabbits, walks on railroad tracks, long talks, awesome food, lots of laughs, and best of all swimming at night in a pool with all our clothes on! So here is my little ode to Macky. I miss you already and have a spectacular time in Nantucket.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120418_mackenzie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just got back from a brief but wonderful visit with one of my oldest and best\nfriends who now resides in Napa, California. Yes, that does mean I have an\nawesome excuse to visit the beautiful wine country just a short car ride away\nfrom Berkeley. She attends the Culinary Institute of America in Napa training\nto be a chef and baker! Yes, she is that cool.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120418_mackenzie/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe showed me the place where she gets to learn how to cook and make pastries\nat the CIA and I was a little jealous. It is so different from the life I am\nliving at college here at UC Berkeley that it was refreshing and new.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shout Out: Chef Mackenzie"},{"content":"Weathered hands patiently adjust clothing\nthat hangs looser everyday\nas time slowly wears away the very flesh of life\nWhittling away with an ever persistent knife\nThat has had its blade at us since the beginning\nmolding us from this shapeless lump of clay\ninto something beautiful\nonly to continue cutting away\npast the point of beauty\ninto the world of obsession and tradition\nwhere we cut not because we must\nbut just because we know nothing else.\nJust as she knows nothing else\nthan what she has done her entire life\nWaking to leave a bed that has molded to fit her shape\nto stare into a mirror stained with time\nleaving it hard to distinguish her figure\nfrom the dull glass reflecting into aging eyes\nDressing in all her best clothes\nto greet each day with dignity\nLeaving the house with a moment’s hesitation\nat the door that divides her world\nLooking back in to see if anything had changed\nit never does.\nOut on the streets she returns to the spot\nwhere she always stands\na corner between a bakery and a restaurant\nfacing a street that never ceases to move\nlike the pumping of blood\nthe people are thrown forth to be dashed about\nand clatter from one place to the next\nSearching, Searching\nbut never finding because they seek\nwith closed eyes and blind hands\nShe shuffles slowly across this chaos\nto recover her normal spot\nholding with delicate the child of her life\nThe fruit of her labor\nShe sets it down on the cobbled street floor gently\nopening it and delicately withdrawing\nThe weathered red violin\nNestled against her neck, safe and secure\nshe hovers the bow over the strings\njust centimeters away from contact\nSavoring the silence before sound\nLovingly she lets the bow embrace the strings\nletting them sing together in harmony\nas young lovers who never grow old\nShe closes her eyes and hears the symphonies of her time\nhears the grand sounds of order being made from chaos\nlistens to the fading cacophony of the street\nand is drawn away into her violin\nlike the guiding hand of her husband\nat their very first dance\nBut the burden of age causes her to quake\nshaking the once steady hands of a musician\ntransforming them into brittle bones\nthat bow close to breaking on the weight of time\nthe violin screams out uneven notes\nwithout melody or harmony\njust noise\nnoise like the busy streets\nor the baker yelling out the window\nor a waiter being scolded for dropped dishes\nthe chaos of the world\nimprinted on each string\nthat wails as each note of the world is drawn upon\nShe hears it, she knows it\nyet she continues to play\nbecause in her mind the sound of symphonies\nlost are almost regained\nWith shaking hands she persists\nshe knows nothing else than the feeling of the strings\nvibrating with life under her touch\nso she continues everyday\non her little corner\ndressed in her best\nnever knowing which day will be her last\nbut still she plays\nbecause like Time\nshe doesn’t know how to give up\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120416_violinist/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWeathered hands patiently adjust clothing\u003cbr\u003e\nthat hangs looser everyday\u003cbr\u003e\nas time slowly wears away the very flesh of life\u003cbr\u003e\nWhittling away with an ever persistent knife\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has had its blade at us since the beginning\u003cbr\u003e\nmolding us from this shapeless lump of clay\u003cbr\u003e\ninto something beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nonly to continue cutting away\u003cbr\u003e\npast the point of beauty\u003cbr\u003e\ninto the world of obsession and tradition\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere we cut not because we must\u003cbr\u003e\nbut just because we know nothing else.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Violinist Versus Time"},{"content":"Yesterday at UC Berkeley was a celebration of the India holiday called Holi. At Uc Berkeley and many other places this festival is considered a celebration of the coming of spring. ANd who is it celebrated you might ask? By a bunch of people gathered together in one place to throw handfuls of color at each other.\nThis is the before photo where we are all nice and clean. It didn’t last long at all.\nAnd the after photo. Random people just throw color at you and try to get you as dirty as possible. I think it is one of the few times in which someone will be happy and thank you for throwing something at them.\nIt was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing in the years to come here at Berkeley. I think I still haven’t gotten all of the color off of me yet but I regret nothing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120415_holi/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday at UC Berkeley was a celebration of the India holiday called Holi. At\nUc Berkeley and many other places this festival is considered a celebration of\nthe coming of spring. ANd who is it celebrated you might ask? By a bunch of\npeople gathered together in one place to throw handfuls of color at each\nother.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120415_holi/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the before photo where we are all nice and clean. It didn’t last long\nat all.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Holi: Festival of Colors"},{"content":"Laughter is strung out between souls\nSouls that will never touch or see one another\nBut still feel the tug and pull\nOf the string between two cans\nThat vibrates as words crawl from one to another\nSpanning the space between those who cannot see\nBut still believe\nLike whispered secrets sent from window to window\nBy children without bed times or nightlights to guide them\nThey cling to that string and use it to weave a life\nWith or without finding the end of that thread\nThe thread that pulls and strains\nAs time places the weight of distance\nOn the iron shoulders of eternity\nStrumming the string of vitality\nFeeling the shiver before the break\nThe untwining of the thread\nRight before it unravels\nThat last grasping second as time slows\nBefore there is the\nBreak\nCan you hear the laughter drifting away\nOn the ends of a broken string\nIt echoes out and fades\nNever to reach the end of that line\nThat was strung too tight\nBut never tight enough to hold the other\nAnchored at the end\nWhere two souls would become one\nLike a violin strung too tight\nThe wires scream and grind until\nThe breaking point\nAnd the twang of a string destroyed by the twisting of time\nThe loss of sound with a deafening silence\nBrought about by the abundance of sound\nAt the end of an unraveling thread\nThat carried so many secrets\nSo many laughs on sunny days\nThe sounds of a soul crying for the other\nWill never find their way\nLeft alone now in the world\nKnowing no one is on the other end of that string\nNo one to listen or care\nJust the silence\nSuspended on the wind\nUntil it is picked up again\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120409_breaking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLaughter is strung out between souls\u003cbr\u003e\nSouls that will never touch or see one another\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still feel the tug and pull\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the string between two cans\u003cbr\u003e\nThat vibrates as words crawl from one to another\u003cbr\u003e\nSpanning the space between those who cannot see\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still believe\u003cbr\u003e\nLike whispered secrets sent from window to window\u003cbr\u003e\nBy children without bed times or nightlights to guide them\u003cbr\u003e\nThey cling to that string and use it to weave a life\u003cbr\u003e\nWith or without finding the end of that thread\u003cbr\u003e\nThe thread that pulls and strains\u003cbr\u003e\nAs time places the weight of distance\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the iron shoulders of eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nStrumming the string of vitality\u003cbr\u003e\nFeeling the shiver before the break\u003cbr\u003e\nThe untwining of the thread\u003cbr\u003e\nRight before it unravels\u003cbr\u003e\nThat last grasping second as time slows\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore there is the\u003cbr\u003e\nBreak\u003cbr\u003e\nCan you hear the laughter drifting away\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the ends of a broken string\u003cbr\u003e\nIt echoes out and fades\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to reach the end of that line\u003cbr\u003e\nThat was strung too tight\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never tight enough to hold the other\u003cbr\u003e\nAnchored at the end\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere two souls would become one\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a violin strung too tight\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wires scream and grind until\u003cbr\u003e\nThe breaking point\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the twang of a string destroyed by the twisting of time\u003cbr\u003e\nThe loss of sound with a deafening silence\u003cbr\u003e\nBrought about by the abundance of sound\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the end of an unraveling thread\u003cbr\u003e\nThat carried so many secrets\u003cbr\u003e\nSo many laughs on sunny days\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sounds of a soul crying for the other\u003cbr\u003e\nWill never find their way\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft alone now in the world\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing no one is on the other end of that string\u003cbr\u003e\nNo one to listen or care\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the silence\u003cbr\u003e\nSuspended on the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil it is picked up again\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Breaking Point"},{"content":"Music notes drop with concrete feet\nTo brick pavement crumbling underway\nFinding footholds that slowly dissolve\nInto the quicksand of time\nFading away into a generation that belongs\nNo where and to no one\nBeing dragged downward by the music notes\nCradled in your arms like anchors\nThat you refuse to let go\nClinging to as if it was life as it takes you away\nGripping onto stonewalls\nWhich crumble under the weight\nOf a broken string as if hell rides on its heels\nBut there is nothing here\nJust a musician pulling notes from the air\nLike whispers from the breeze\nLight and free they are caught from the wind\nAnd tied to a string\nSpun from clouds like a child’s dreams\nA balloon floating away tied down by a thread\nThat separates it from freedom\nBy a fragile bond that quivers in the wind\nThe anchored note roams outward\nWith hope to stand again\nBut is reigned in before it can drift too far\nDown the corridor of time\nFor a moment it will linger there\nIn the space before the next string is plucked\nAnd the last fades away\nThe dying moment lingers with a sadness\nThat is tangible in the air\nSuspended in a moment of being\nThat will never come again\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120406_anchor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMusic notes drop with concrete feet\u003cbr\u003e\nTo brick pavement crumbling underway\u003cbr\u003e\nFinding footholds that slowly dissolve\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the quicksand of time\u003cbr\u003e\nFading away into a generation that belongs\u003cbr\u003e\nNo where and to no one\u003cbr\u003e\nBeing dragged downward by the music notes\u003cbr\u003e\nCradled in your arms like anchors\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you refuse to let go\u003cbr\u003e\nClinging to as if it was life as it takes you away\u003cbr\u003e\nGripping onto stonewalls\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich crumble under the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a broken string as if hell rides on its heels\u003cbr\u003e\nBut there is nothing here\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a musician pulling notes from the air\u003cbr\u003e\nLike whispers from the breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nLight and free they are caught from the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd tied to a string\u003cbr\u003e\nSpun from clouds like a child’s dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nA balloon floating away tied down by a thread\u003cbr\u003e\nThat separates it from freedom\u003cbr\u003e\nBy a fragile bond that quivers in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nThe anchored note roams outward\u003cbr\u003e\nWith hope to stand again\u003cbr\u003e\nBut is reigned in before it can drift too far\u003cbr\u003e\nDown the corridor of time\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment it will linger there\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the space before the next string is plucked\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the last fades away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe dying moment lingers with a sadness\u003cbr\u003e\nThat is tangible in the air\u003cbr\u003e\nSuspended in a moment of being\u003cbr\u003e\nThat will never come again\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Anchor"},{"content":"I went with my little brother to watch his team mates do a race in Salinas. They are the ones in the bright green helmets and amazingly colorful jerseys sporting blue, pink, and green. The Ritte team did an amazing and entertaining job. They seemed to have a lot of fun. I am proud to say that his entire team dominated the field and took first and third place in the race. It was really fun watching these passionate young men do what they do best, cycling.\nSweet Victory. Matt got first place and they all did an awesome job. I hope I can attend more races in the future. Preferably the ones my brother are actually in next time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120404_salinas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went with my little brother to watch his team mates do a race in Salinas.\nThey are the ones in the bright green helmets and amazingly colorful jerseys\nsporting blue, pink, and green. The Ritte team did an amazing and entertaining\njob. They seemed to have a lot of fun. I am proud to say that his entire team\ndominated the field and took first and third place in the race. It was really\nfun watching these passionate young men do what they do best, cycling.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Salinas Bike Race"},{"content":"The gramophone screams like a banshee\nDiscontented and hungry it wails\nLike wind bursting in the bubbled windows\nThat grows pregnant under the pressure, pushing outward\nUntil the smash and clatter of glass raining down\nDisturbs the cold stark night air\nLike the nightingale’s melancholy melody for a blind poet\nWhich rings like the rattle used to quiet\nThe piercing shriek of a baby’s newborn whimper\nWhich sounds like a siren\nRattling in the ear drum like a stormy sea\nThat tried to fit into a seashell too small\nAnd not strong enough to hold the raging waters\nOf the ocean on a twisted cloudy day\nSwirled with the salty wind of an ocean breeze\nUntil the grey casts over all things\nLeaving only a faint line to distinguish\nThe two worlds of above and below\nA gull’s cry shatters the horizon\nWith the force of a jarring catastrophe\nThat leaves the world jolted and trembling\nWaiting in that horrible suspense\nOf a world untrusted and unstable\nTremble trifling tower\nYou will fall inevitably\nIs the whispered wind’s prayer\nThat plays with the hair of widows\nSitting in attics looking out small windows\nInto a small empty world\nCrying silent tears that hit the ground like sledgehammers\nSignaling defeat on the dark day\nWe cling together in the deafening storm\nHugging tight and promising to never let go\nEven though time is loosening our grips even as we speak\nWe cannot weather this storm\nNot this time\nThis cacophony of chaos will tear us apart\nThere you are sitting across this dark precipice\nAnd I here nursing the sickly wail\nOf a cracked gramophone\nTrying to screech out the song of you and I\nThat was never meant to be\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120327_cacophony/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe gramophone screams like a banshee\u003cbr\u003e\nDiscontented and hungry it wails\u003cbr\u003e\nLike wind bursting in the bubbled windows\u003cbr\u003e\nThat grows pregnant under the pressure, pushing outward\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil the smash and clatter of glass raining down\u003cbr\u003e\nDisturbs the cold stark night air\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the nightingale’s melancholy melody for a blind poet\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich rings like the rattle used to quiet\u003cbr\u003e\nThe piercing shriek of a baby’s newborn whimper\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich sounds like a siren\u003cbr\u003e\nRattling in the ear drum like a stormy sea\u003cbr\u003e\nThat tried to fit into a seashell too small\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd not strong enough to hold the raging waters\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the ocean on a twisted cloudy day\u003cbr\u003e\nSwirled with the salty wind of an ocean breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil the grey casts over all things\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving only a faint line to distinguish\u003cbr\u003e\nThe two worlds of above and below\u003cbr\u003e\nA gull’s cry shatters the horizon\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the force of a jarring catastrophe\u003cbr\u003e\nThat leaves the world jolted and trembling\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting in that horrible suspense\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a world untrusted and unstable\u003cbr\u003e\nTremble trifling tower\u003cbr\u003e\nYou will fall inevitably\u003cbr\u003e\nIs the whispered wind’s prayer\u003cbr\u003e\nThat plays with the hair of widows\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting in attics looking out small windows\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a small empty world\u003cbr\u003e\nCrying silent tears that hit the ground like sledgehammers\u003cbr\u003e\nSignaling defeat on the dark day\u003cbr\u003e\nWe cling together in the deafening storm\u003cbr\u003e\nHugging tight and promising to never let go\u003cbr\u003e\nEven though time is loosening our grips even as we speak\u003cbr\u003e\nWe cannot weather this storm\u003cbr\u003e\nNot this time\u003cbr\u003e\nThis cacophony of chaos will tear us apart\u003cbr\u003e\nThere you are sitting across this dark precipice\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I here nursing the sickly wail\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a cracked gramophone\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to screech out the song of you and I\u003cbr\u003e\nThat was never meant to be\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cacophony (Gramophone)"},{"content":"A shadow sits folded in on itself\nAt the bottom of this dark hole\nLike a love note, written\nBut never sent from its dark resting place\nAmongst the cobwebs and spinster spiders\nWeaving their lives from the fantasy\nOf gossamer thin lies\nLies that build walls thicker than the fortified\nWalls which streak upwards like skyscrapers\nSurrounding this bent and hollow shadow\nSitting at the bottom of this dripping well\nThat has become her home\nWretched and empty\nHunched and alone she sits\nLike a broken marionette doll\nBeautiful once, but thrown away\nHer strings have been clipped\nAs she fell down this hole\nNow she must learn to move on her own\nThis limbs so heavy and graceless\nThat have never belonged to her\nAt the bottom of everything\nClouds of cold air escape her barely parted lips\nBreathing life into this desolate place\nReaching with the awkward limbs\nOf a bird not yet learned how to fly\nShe feels blindly with her head held down\nAnd her eyes closed\nFinger tips glancing the damp walls of her prison\nGliding along the rough edges of bricks\nLaid by careless and callous hands\nNot the hands of decent men\nHer decent hands feel the gripping edges\nOf stone sharp enough to draw blood\nBut dull enough to deny hope\nThis landscape of craters across the well’s face\nAre beheld like Braille under her delicate fingertips until\nCringing like the legs of spider\nStumbling across unwanted prey\nHer fingers curl and unfold again\nTouching gently the obstacle encountered\nAt arms length away\nWith eyes not seeing she understands\nHer fingers tracing the smooth contours\nContrasted against the rough stone walls\nOf the petals of a plant, a vine\nCurling its way upwards toward sunshine\nShe feels the twisted outline of the vine’s body\nAs it arches upward, bending, twisting\nManipulating its way up the coarse walls\nOf a well too deep for human souls to be released\nThe shadow lifts its head slowly\nFacing upward like the crawling vine\nLooking without seeing with dull grey eyes\nShe can feel the faint and distant kisses\nLeft by the rain that fell far above\nDisappearing before it made ground\nShe breathes in the moment, almost alive\nShe reaches with her other blind hand\nOut, upwards, stretching to touch the rain\nBut like the climbing vine\nIt never quite finds its way\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120326_vine/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA shadow sits folded in on itself\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the bottom of this dark hole\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a love note, written\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never sent from its dark resting place\u003cbr\u003e\nAmongst the cobwebs and spinster spiders\u003cbr\u003e\nWeaving their lives from the fantasy\u003cbr\u003e\nOf gossamer thin lies\u003cbr\u003e\nLies that build walls thicker than the fortified\u003cbr\u003e\nWalls which streak upwards like skyscrapers\u003cbr\u003e\nSurrounding this bent and hollow shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting at the bottom of this dripping well\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has become her home\u003cbr\u003e\nWretched and empty\u003cbr\u003e\nHunched and alone she sits\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a broken marionette doll\u003cbr\u003e\nBeautiful once, but thrown away\u003cbr\u003e\nHer strings have been clipped\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she fell down this hole\u003cbr\u003e\nNow she must learn to move on her own\u003cbr\u003e\nThis limbs so heavy and graceless\u003cbr\u003e\nThat have never belonged to her\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the bottom of everything\u003cbr\u003e\nClouds of cold air escape her barely parted lips\u003cbr\u003e\nBreathing life into this desolate place\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching with the awkward limbs\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a bird not yet learned how to fly\u003cbr\u003e\nShe feels blindly with her head held down\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd her eyes closed\u003cbr\u003e\nFinger tips glancing the damp walls of her prison\u003cbr\u003e\nGliding along the rough edges of bricks\u003cbr\u003e\nLaid by careless and callous hands\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the hands of decent men\u003cbr\u003e\nHer decent hands feel the gripping edges\u003cbr\u003e\nOf stone sharp enough to draw blood\u003cbr\u003e\nBut dull enough to deny hope\u003cbr\u003e\nThis landscape of craters across the well’s face\u003cbr\u003e\nAre beheld like Braille under her delicate fingertips until\u003cbr\u003e\nCringing like the legs of spider\u003cbr\u003e\nStumbling across unwanted prey\u003cbr\u003e\nHer fingers curl and unfold again\u003cbr\u003e\nTouching gently the obstacle encountered\u003cbr\u003e\nAt arms length away\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes not seeing she understands\u003cbr\u003e\nHer fingers tracing the smooth contours\u003cbr\u003e\nContrasted against the rough stone walls\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the petals of a plant, a vine\u003cbr\u003e\nCurling its way upwards toward sunshine\u003cbr\u003e\nShe feels the twisted outline of the vine’s body\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it arches upward, bending, twisting\u003cbr\u003e\nManipulating its way up the coarse walls\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a well too deep for human souls to be released\u003cbr\u003e\nThe shadow lifts its head slowly\u003cbr\u003e\nFacing upward like the crawling vine\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking without seeing with dull grey eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nShe can feel the faint and distant kisses\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft by the rain that fell far above\u003cbr\u003e\nDisappearing before it made ground\u003cbr\u003e\nShe breathes in the moment, almost alive\u003cbr\u003e\nShe reaches with her other blind hand\u003cbr\u003e\nOut, upwards, stretching to touch the rain\u003cbr\u003e\nBut like the climbing vine\u003cbr\u003e\nIt never quite finds its way\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Climbing Vine"},{"content":"Oil on water\nSlick as the night\nAs the morning tries to wash\nThe darkness from your face\nIt clings with the desperate fervor\nOf child to mother\nAs a hand slides from the grasp\nOf one person\nTo another\nAnd is gone\nThis strange moment of fluidity\nAs worlds barely touching\nEyes barely meeting\nOnly to glance away\nConverge\nOnly to float silently away\nIt is there, wrapped in this\nTight tourniquet of fog\nThat holds us closer\nThan a final embrace\nBetween to people who know\nThey will never meet again\nThe moment before all is lost\nStanding at the edge of this precipice\nSolitary in this mist\nPermeable yet dividing\nI am lost\nLeft behind by that evanescent flicker\nOf worlds stopping for a brief moment\nReaching out to one another\nKnowing there is reason to stand still\nBut feeling the push and pull\nOf a world that never knows how to stop\nThis winding of a clock\nThe count\nOf one, two, three, four\nFinds its way of rhyme\nEven as the world begins to slide\nHere I am still standing\nNot knowing the words to say\nNot knowing how to scream\nI stand in this silent emptiness\nWatching you recede from me\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120322_glance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOil on water\u003cbr\u003e\nSlick as the night\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the morning tries to wash\u003cbr\u003e\nThe darkness from your face\u003cbr\u003e\nIt clings with the desperate fervor\u003cbr\u003e\nOf child to mother\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a hand slides from the grasp\u003cbr\u003e\nOf one person\u003cbr\u003e\nTo another\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd is gone\u003cbr\u003e\nThis strange moment of fluidity\u003cbr\u003e\nAs worlds barely touching\u003cbr\u003e\nEyes barely meeting\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly to glance away\u003cbr\u003e\nConverge\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly to float silently away\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is there, wrapped in this\u003cbr\u003e\nTight tourniquet of fog\u003cbr\u003e\nThat holds us closer\u003cbr\u003e\nThan a final embrace\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween to people who know\u003cbr\u003e\nThey will never meet again\u003cbr\u003e\nThe moment before all is lost\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding at the edge of this precipice\u003cbr\u003e\nSolitary in this mist\u003cbr\u003e\nPermeable yet dividing\u003cbr\u003e\nI am lost\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft behind by that evanescent flicker\u003cbr\u003e\nOf worlds stopping for a brief moment\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching out to one another\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing there is reason to stand still\u003cbr\u003e\nBut feeling the push and pull\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a world that never knows how to stop\u003cbr\u003e\nThis winding of a clock\u003cbr\u003e\nThe count\u003cbr\u003e\nOf one, two, three, four\u003cbr\u003e\nFinds its way of rhyme\u003cbr\u003e\nEven as the world begins to slide\u003cbr\u003e\nHere I am still standing\u003cbr\u003e\nNot knowing the words to say\u003cbr\u003e\nNot knowing how to scream\u003cbr\u003e\nI stand in this silent emptiness\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching you recede from me\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Glance"},{"content":"I fret back and forth,\nBite my fingers for a moment\nHide it by tilting my face away\nLook, look away\nTilt my head this way and that\nFrame my face with worried fingers\nSupporting my chin on my hand\nPurse my lips, bite my lip\nLook back again\n—Mom!\nLike a thunder clap\nIt brings me back again\nThe clouds over my face part\nI smile half-heartedly\nI have to go\nShe looks up at me with an odd look\nLurking in her stormy grey eyes\nThey are her father’s\nSo much like her father\nI begin to bite my nails again\nFlick my eyes off towards the window\nThrowing my attention across the room\nSo I don’t have to look at her\nQuestion looming in those haunting eyes\nA light but insistent tug on my dress\nBrings me back\nI look down and smile\nHalf heartedly\nYou are going to have so much fun\nI place my shaking hand on the top of her head\nFeeling her feathery hair\nTrace my finger along the red ribbon twisted\nAmong the feathers of her hair\nSo soft and smooth\nSo much fun\nI mutter to myself as my attention drifts away again\n–the bus\nthe honk hits me like a slap to the face\nI wince slightly\nClawing to bring me back to her to here\nI really have to go now\nShe reaches up with her little hands and turns\nThe door knob slowly and with effort\nI place my hand over hers\nHelping her open the door that is too big for her\nI feel the softness of her unmarred hands\nI wonder if she feels the bones of my fingers\nThe sadness etched lines of my hands\nIt swings open\nShe runs out the door\nLike a clumsy fawn\nHer back pack shifting back and forth\nThe monster in front of the house waits\nTaking her away from me\nI hover at the doorway\nUnwilling to leave the threshold\nBut unwilling to let her go\n–Wait!\nA desperate yell\nBursts from my breaking heart\nShe stops and looks back at me\nThat question still hiding in her eyes\nI hesitate for only a moment\nAnd depart from the sanctuary\nRunning down the little walkway\nOn legs atrophied with sorrow\nI stop before her\nShe says nothing\nJust looks up at me with stormy eyes\nInnocent and curious\nI grab the end of the red ribbon\nWhich had come undone on her escape from the house\nI kneel in front of her\nAnd tie the ribbon with foolish hands\nThat shake even as I smile\nHalf-heartedly\nAnd look into her eyes\nI smooth her hair when I am finished\nPut my hands whittled away with grief\nOn her small shoulders\nLet out a sigh\nThat wanted to be a scream\nAnd watch\nAs she faintly smiles and turns away\nThe monster honks again\nTaking her away from me\nI slowly stand as the bus drives away\nLeaving me on the shores of my sorrow\nAlone\nWith half a heart.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120321_heartedly/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI fret back and forth,\u003cbr\u003e\nBite my fingers for a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nHide it by tilting my face away\u003cbr\u003e\nLook, look away\u003cbr\u003e\nTilt my head this way and that\u003cbr\u003e\nFrame my face with worried fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nSupporting my chin on my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nPurse my lips, bite my lip\u003cbr\u003e\nLook back again\u003cbr\u003e\n—Mom!\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a thunder clap\u003cbr\u003e\nIt brings me back again\u003cbr\u003e\nThe clouds over my face part\u003cbr\u003e\nI smile half-heartedly\u003cbr\u003e\nI have to go\u003cbr\u003e\nShe looks up at me with an odd look\u003cbr\u003e\nLurking in her stormy grey eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nThey are her father’s\u003cbr\u003e\nSo much like her father\u003cbr\u003e\nI begin to bite my nails again\u003cbr\u003e\nFlick my eyes off towards the window\u003cbr\u003e\nThrowing my attention across the room\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I don’t have to look at her\u003cbr\u003e\nQuestion looming in those haunting eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nA light but insistent tug on my dress\u003cbr\u003e\nBrings me back\u003cbr\u003e\nI look down and smile\u003cbr\u003e\nHalf heartedly\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are going to have so much fun\u003cbr\u003e\nI place my shaking hand on the top of her head\u003cbr\u003e\nFeeling her feathery hair\u003cbr\u003e\nTrace my finger along the red ribbon twisted\u003cbr\u003e\nAmong the feathers of her hair\u003cbr\u003e\nSo soft and smooth\u003cbr\u003e\nSo much fun\u003cbr\u003e\nI mutter to myself as my attention drifts away again\u003cbr\u003e\n–the bus\u003cbr\u003e\nthe honk hits me like a slap to the face\u003cbr\u003e\nI wince slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nClawing to bring me back to her to here\u003cbr\u003e\nI really have to go now\u003cbr\u003e\nShe reaches up with her little hands and turns\u003cbr\u003e\nThe door knob slowly and with effort\u003cbr\u003e\nI place my hand over hers\u003cbr\u003e\nHelping her open the door that is too big for her\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel the softness of her unmarred hands\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder if she feels the bones of my fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sadness etched lines of my hands\u003cbr\u003e\nIt swings open\u003cbr\u003e\nShe runs out the door\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a clumsy fawn\u003cbr\u003e\nHer back pack shifting back and forth\u003cbr\u003e\nThe monster in front of the house waits\u003cbr\u003e\nTaking her away from me\u003cbr\u003e\nI hover at the doorway\u003cbr\u003e\nUnwilling to leave the threshold\u003cbr\u003e\nBut unwilling to let her go\u003cbr\u003e\n–Wait!\u003cbr\u003e\nA desperate yell\u003cbr\u003e\nBursts from my breaking heart\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stops and looks back at me\u003cbr\u003e\nThat question still hiding in her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nI hesitate for only a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd depart from the sanctuary\u003cbr\u003e\nRunning down the little walkway\u003cbr\u003e\nOn legs atrophied with sorrow\u003cbr\u003e\nI stop before her\u003cbr\u003e\nShe says nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nJust looks up at me with stormy eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nInnocent and curious\u003cbr\u003e\nI grab the end of the red ribbon\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich had come undone on her escape from the house\u003cbr\u003e\nI kneel in front of her\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd tie the ribbon with foolish hands\u003cbr\u003e\nThat shake even as I smile\u003cbr\u003e\nHalf-heartedly\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd look into her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nI smooth her hair when I am finished\u003cbr\u003e\nPut my hands whittled away with grief\u003cbr\u003e\nOn her small shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nLet out a sigh\u003cbr\u003e\nThat wanted to be a scream\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd watch\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she faintly smiles and turns away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe monster honks again\u003cbr\u003e\nTaking her away from me\u003cbr\u003e\nI slowly stand as the bus drives away\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving me on the shores of my sorrow\u003cbr\u003e\nAlone\u003cbr\u003e\nWith half a heart.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Half Heartedly"},{"content":"Gabe has raced CCCX enough now that he\u0026rsquo;s really starting to like the race. Last weekend he managed a very respectable fourth place, and today he was perfectly positioned going into the finish and pulled out second place! It was a strong sprint, and enough to beat everyone except a very strong VOS rider. I think the new kit helped a bit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120311_cccx/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has raced CCCX enough now that he\u0026rsquo;s really starting to like the race. Last\nweekend he managed a very respectable fourth place, and today he was perfectly\npositioned going into the finish and pulled out second place! It was a strong\nsprint, and enough to beat everyone except a very strong VOS rider. I think\nthe new kit helped a bit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120311_cccx/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Central Coast Circuit race"},{"content":"Gabe has waited patiently for his Castelli team kit for so long its almost driven him crazy. He\u0026rsquo;s kept hoping it would show up for the next race, and that day has finally arrived. Here\u0026rsquo;s the proud junior sporting his new bold colors for Ritte Elite U23 Development. Looking good Gabe!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120308_ritte/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has waited patiently for his Castelli team kit for so long its almost\ndriven him crazy. He\u0026rsquo;s kept hoping it would show up for the next race, and\nthat day has finally arrived. Here\u0026rsquo;s the proud junior sporting his new bold\ncolors for Ritte Elite U23 Development. Looking good Gabe!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe looking good in the new Ritte kit"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s so nice to have a great, local road race right in our area, and I think Gabe is starting to really enjoy the course. He kept his position pretty well coming into the finish, though the winner had quite a burst of speed to finish cleanly in front of everyone. Gabe pushed hard all the way to the end to take fourth place.\nGabe also raced in a small juniors field and took first, but he\u0026rsquo;s definitely proud of his fourth and is looking good with his medal.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120304_cccx/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s so nice to have a great, local road race right in our area, and I think\nGabe is starting to really enjoy the course. He kept his position pretty well\ncoming into the finish, though the winner had quite a burst of speed to finish\ncleanly in front of everyone. Gabe pushed hard all the way to the end to take\nfourth place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120304_cccx/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120304_cccx/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120304_cccx/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe also raced in a small juniors field and took first, but he\u0026rsquo;s definitely\nproud of his fourth and is looking good with his medal.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Central Coast Circuit race"},{"content":"After a few flats in a row plus changing tires and tubes, it\u0026rsquo;s time to use a spare wheel for today\u0026rsquo;s Dinuba criterium. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s racing with his teammates Bryan and Sam, and right from the start Sam and another guy take off in a breakaway. Sam looks really strong the whole time and takes it strongly at the line for an awesome win.\nNice job boys!\nGabe decides to skip the Juniors race, while Sam and Bryan head right back out for more racing. Jack and Reese put in lots of attacks the whole time, but the boys do an awesome job countering every single move. The legs unfortunately aren\u0026rsquo;t able to pull off another win, but a great effort for a 5th and 6th.\nNext up is Matt in the 3s where he takes a 3rd place.\nThe three caballeros showing off their shirts.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a few flats in a row plus changing tires and tubes, it\u0026rsquo;s time to use a\nspare wheel for today\u0026rsquo;s Dinuba criterium. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s racing with his teammates\nBryan and Sam, and right from the start Sam and another guy take off in a\nbreakaway. Sam looks really strong the whole time and takes it strongly at the\nline for an awesome win.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNice job boys!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120220_dinuba/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe decides to skip the Juniors race, while Sam and Bryan head right back out\nfor more racing. Jack and Reese put in lots of attacks the whole time, but the\nboys do an awesome job countering every single move. The legs unfortunately\naren\u0026rsquo;t able to pull off another win, but a great effort for a 5th and 6th.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dinuba Criterium"},{"content":"Gabe and a few of his teammates are here for one of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite races, Pine Flat road race. It\u0026rsquo;s great having Stu here with the team, including Matt, Alex, Bryan, and Sam. This is also a must do race for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friend Ryan. Hey Stu, stop hiding behind that bike!\nAlex heads off in the Pro/1/2 field, Matt in the 3s, Gabe and the rest in the 4s. Cool to see the Ritte team here too.\nGabe unfortunately flatted again, but Bryan and Sam got 3rd and 4th place. Awesome job out there!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and a few of his teammates are here for one of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite races, Pine\nFlat road race. It\u0026rsquo;s great having Stu here with the team, including Matt,\nAlex, Bryan, and Sam. This is also a must do race for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friend Ryan. Hey\nStu, stop hiding behind that bike!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120219_pineflat/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlex heads off in the Pro/1/2 field, Matt in the 3s, Gabe and the rest in the\n4s. Cool to see the Ritte team here too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pine Flat Road Race"},{"content":"Gabe and Matt are racing Cantua Creek road race today. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty boring out and back a few times course, but there is the smell of all those cows to enjoy. Unfortunately Gabe flatted, so I\u0026rsquo;m thinking he won\u0026rsquo;t have such great memories of this particular race.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Matt are racing Cantua Creek road race today. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty boring out\nand back a few times course, but there is the smell of all those cows to\nenjoy. Unfortunately Gabe flatted, so I\u0026rsquo;m thinking he won\u0026rsquo;t have such great\nmemories of this particular race.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120218_cantua/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cantua Creek Road Race"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to Fremont for some early season racing. Gracie is in training to become a bike racing dog. And Gabe takes off in the Cat 4 field.\nLater in the day it\u0026rsquo;s time to have fun racing with the juniors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to Fremont for some early season racing. Gracie is in\ntraining to become a bike racing dog. And Gabe takes off in the Cat 4 field.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater in the day it\u0026rsquo;s time to have fun racing with the juniors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120212_earlybird/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fremont Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the first race of the year for Gabe and it\u0026rsquo;s nice to be up in Folsom again. We\u0026rsquo;ve got good weather and a nice turnout. We even managed a few good creeper shots for Monica to enjoy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the first race of the year for Gabe and it\u0026rsquo;s nice to be up in Folsom\nagain. We\u0026rsquo;ve got good weather and a nice turnout. We even managed a few good\ncreeper shots for Monica to enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120211_folsom/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Folsom Classic Criterium"},{"content":"They had nothing to say to each other. All had been said for them behind walls, and curtains that veiled them from choice. Just as he now stands separated by a veil again, but one of a different origin this time. The veil that separates him from childhood to manhood as his bride walks down the aisle. He has never seen her face before and knows not what lies behind this barrier except for his future. He wrings his hands behind his back with fingers that shake and sweat. He is not ready. He wishes he could run or cry, do thing that a child would do. But he can’t as his future fast approaches down an aisle graced with flowers and the whispers of a family divided by a thin line. A line between exchange of goods and exchange of humans, they wonder if there is a difference.\nThe son knows the difference as dread fills his heart. How could he love a woman who is only a girl. How could he love at all because he is only a boy. The unfairness of it all drips down the back of his throat like poison that hardens his heart. This is no day of celebration, but a day in which a boy’s future dies. He turns his eyes away from this long walk so he doesn’t have to look at his wife.\nShe reaches his side and they both feel it. The palpable tension of futures stitched together like two cars crashing into each other. Neither looks at the other as the ceremony begins. He is numb as the venom spreads throughout his limbs. She is terrified as fear wracks her body, making her rigid and brittle.\nThis is the end as they turn to face each other. The veil between future and past is all that is left. With trembling fingers that are clumsy with anxiety, the boy lifts his hands and slowly pulls back the veil. Her eyes are squeezed shut as if to deny the reality of this moment as he looks down at her. She slowly opens her almond eyes and looks up at him with eyes dark and hazel and full of fear. She sees the fear within his own dark amber eyes and knows this is it.\nThis is the only future he could have ever wanted as a grin softens his face. She is as beautiful as he could have ever hoped. He is as kind as she could have ever dreamed. They just stand there and smile at each other as the veil falls to the ground. He found love in her eyes and she found love in his warm hands. They didn’t need years to get to know each other; all they needed was a moment to know this was right. So they turned together hand in hand to face the world, wanting no other future than the one they had.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120102_veil/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThey had nothing to say to each other. All had been said for them behind walls,\nand curtains that veiled them from choice. Just as he now stands separated by\na veil again, but one of a different origin this time. The veil that separates\nhim from childhood to manhood as his bride walks down the aisle. He has never\nseen her face before and knows not what lies behind this barrier except for\nhis future. He wrings his hands behind his back with fingers that shake and\nsweat. He is not ready. He wishes he could run or cry, do thing that a child\nwould do. But he can’t as his future fast approaches down an aisle graced with\nflowers and the whispers of a family divided by a thin line. A line between\nexchange of goods and exchange of humans, they wonder if there is a\ndifference.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Veil"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always so much fun to stop at any of the beaches along Highway 1 out of Santa Cruz. Monica and Gabe enjoy making rock piles. Gracie plays with her rocks. And I get to enjoy my family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2012/20120102_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always so much fun to stop at any of the beaches along Highway 1 out of\nSanta Cruz. Monica and Gabe enjoy making rock piles. Gracie plays with her\nrocks. And I get to enjoy my family.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2012/20120102_beach/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Just another beautiful day at the beach"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re headed south on a big loop in search of great cycling. First stop is the amazing city of Solvang. Our first day will be a nice warmup doing the Solvang Century 100K route.\nMeanwhile Charlotte and Monica get to enjoy the ostriches just outside of town.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s over to the Old Mission Santa Ines for some artsy photography care of Monica.\nNice job on the closeup manger scene. It\u0026rsquo;s like I\u0026rsquo;m really there!\nThe rest of the mission grounds provide more photographic opportunities.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for such lunch in downtown Solvang.\nThe next day we\u0026rsquo;re over to Los Olivos where Gabe and I head up over the classic Mt Figueroa.\nWe head south to Santa Barbara where we drop off the girls at the train station to head back home. Then Gabe and I continue south to Malibu where we fall in love with Latigo and Malibu Canyon. Finally we head to Fresno to hook up with Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friend Ryan Brooks for a nice recovery ride and then a great loop of Pine Flat the next day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re headed south on a big loop in search of great cycling. First stop is the\namazing city of Solvang. Our first day will be a nice warmup doing the\n\u003ca href=\"https://app.strava.com/activities/2904766\"\u003eSolvang Century 100K route\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile Charlotte and Monica get to enjoy the ostriches just outside of town.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s over to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.missionsantaines.org\"\u003eOld Mission Santa Ines\u003c/a\u003e for some artsy\nphotography care of Monica.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111226_solvang/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNice job on the closeup manger scene. It\u0026rsquo;s like I\u0026rsquo;m really there!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cycling road trip with Gabe and the girls"},{"content":"My family has departed on a biking road trip adventure where my mother and I explore and hike while my brother and father ride their bikes. Our first stop is in Solvang, California just an hour past San Luis Obispo.\nThis quaint little danish town is full of a tourist’s delights with adorable shops, beautiful architecture, and amusing things all over town. We began with a short stop at an OStrich and Emu farm which sadly was closed. We were able to sneak a couple of shots from the highway.\nAfter our brief moment at the ostrich farm we headed to the mission outside of Solvang called, Old Mission Santa Ines. The view over the valley was very nice and we had a lot of fun exploring the interior and exterior gardens surrounding the Mission.\nSolvang itself is really cute with criss-crossing streets covered in adorable stores built with Danish architecture.\nNext stop was a short hike to Nojoqui Falls. We drove down a really enchanting road with giant trees dripping with Spanish moss.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111226_solvang2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy family has departed on a biking road trip adventure where my mother and I\nexplore and hike while my brother and father ride their bikes. Our first stop\nis in Solvang, California just an hour past San Luis Obispo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis quaint little danish town is full of a tourist’s delights with adorable\nshops, beautiful architecture, and amusing things all over town. We began with\na short stop at an OStrich and Emu farm which sadly was closed. We were able\nto sneak a couple of shots from the highway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Solvang"},{"content":"Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house is bustling with family tonight, and I like it! It\u0026rsquo;s also fun to still have the \u0026ldquo;kid\u0026rsquo;s table\u0026rdquo; full of college kids home for the holidays. And of course it\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to goof around with my Monica girly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVal and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house is bustling with family tonight, and I like it! It\u0026rsquo;s also\nfun to still have the \u0026ldquo;kid\u0026rsquo;s table\u0026rdquo; full of college kids home for the\nholidays. And of course it\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to goof around with my Monica\ngirly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111225_christmas/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas dinner at the Peysers"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111202_italy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111202_italy/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Italy: Street Performances"},{"content":"The wind gently rolls through the trees\nLike a mothers soft whisper in her infants ear\nTelling her of things not yet unfurled\nBut waiting on the distant horizon\nLike a run away balloon\nSwept into the abyss\nthat is not cold, dark or lonely\nbut quiet and filled with the warmth\nof a contented heart that beats\nnot because it has to but because it wants to\nDancing in pirouettes on the shoulders of the leaves\nRattling the bones the edifice of this green breeze\nUntil just one person stops to watch and listen\nTo the secrets swept up by this whirlwind\nAs the bones are rolled to reveal the truth that lies\nIn the scattered remains, a world foretold\nBut not yet cemented\nThe wind is shifting in this dire breath\nSwitching back from foot to foot\nA ballerina bowing and swaying\nWith the whispering wind\nDancing not because someone is watching\nBut to release the rhythm bounding in her mind\nClarity is the remnants of the words left behind\nAs your hair is tussled and your clothing left displaced\nA clairvoyance unachieved until this moment\nAll you needed was the gentle prompting of the wind\nLike a mother letting her child go into the dark, cold, lonely world\nThat isn’t quite so lonely\nAnd isn’t quite so cold\nyes there is a darkness\nBut your child will find the way\nLike a blind woman they will be guided\nBy the caresses of the wind\nWhen all else is darkened\nThere will be your hand\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111201_wind/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe wind gently rolls through the trees\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a mothers soft whisper in her infants ear\u003cbr\u003e\nTelling her of things not yet unfurled\u003cbr\u003e\nBut waiting on the distant horizon\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a run away balloon\u003cbr\u003e\nSwept into the abyss\u003cbr\u003e\nthat is not cold, dark or lonely\u003cbr\u003e\nbut quiet and filled with the warmth\u003cbr\u003e\nof a contented heart that beats\u003cbr\u003e\nnot because it has to but because it wants to\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDancing in pirouettes on the shoulders of the leaves\u003cbr\u003e\nRattling the bones the edifice of this green breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil just one person stops to watch and listen\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the secrets swept up by this whirlwind\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the bones are rolled to reveal the truth that lies\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the scattered remains, a world foretold\u003cbr\u003e\nBut not yet cemented\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wind is shifting in this dire breath\u003cbr\u003e\nSwitching back from foot to foot\u003cbr\u003e\nA ballerina bowing and swaying\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the whispering wind\u003cbr\u003e\nDancing not because someone is watching\u003cbr\u003e\nBut to release the rhythm bounding in her mind\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wind Mother"},{"content":"The soft bare flesh of your palms\nMarred along with the bony knees\nThat refuse to carry you along this path\nDirt and gravel dig into your skin\nAs you sit facing the Eastern Gate\nProstrate like a child before your relentless master\nOn hands and knees too weak for strength\nBut too strong to kneel\nDefiance is your name\nAs you grit your teeth and grip the gravel\nBetween your blistered fingers\nThere is no blame just a silent battle\nAs you crash to ground\nLike the rebounded toss\nOf the writer’s crumpled paper\nAs another idea\nDies and dies again\nBreathe in the ochre\nOf this ground where you find yourself kneeling\nPaint your face with the ochre\nOf the very ground you were once told to kneel upon\nLet it be your armor, your war paint\nIn the coming battle\nWhere once you had hesitation\nShaking as straw in the wind\nLet this gravel be your battlefield\nAnd your oppression become strength\nWe are the children of warriors\nBut we have yet to prove ourselves\nEven as you sit with battered pride\nAnd bleeding palms\nThis is just your beginning\nLet this blood be the signature\nThat is remembered by all\nYou who wept for what was right\nWe remember your name\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111126_grit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe soft bare flesh of your palms\u003cbr\u003e\nMarred along with the bony knees\u003cbr\u003e\nThat refuse to carry you along this path\u003cbr\u003e\nDirt and gravel dig into your skin\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you sit facing the Eastern Gate\u003cbr\u003e\nProstrate like a child before your relentless master\u003cbr\u003e\nOn hands and knees too weak for strength\u003cbr\u003e\nBut too strong to kneel\u003cbr\u003e\nDefiance is your name\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you grit your teeth and grip the gravel\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween your blistered fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no blame just a silent battle\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you crash to ground\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the rebounded toss\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the writer’s crumpled paper\u003cbr\u003e\nAs another idea\u003cbr\u003e\nDies and dies again\u003cbr\u003e\nBreathe in the ochre\u003cbr\u003e\nOf this ground where you find yourself kneeling\u003cbr\u003e\nPaint your face with the ochre\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the very ground you were once told to kneel upon\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it be your armor, your war paint\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the coming battle\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere once you had hesitation\u003cbr\u003e\nShaking as straw in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nLet this gravel be your battlefield\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your oppression become strength\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the children of warriors\u003cbr\u003e\nBut we have yet to prove ourselves\u003cbr\u003e\nEven as you sit with battered pride\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd bleeding palms\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is just your beginning\u003cbr\u003e\nLet this blood be the signature\u003cbr\u003e\nThat is remembered by all\u003cbr\u003e\nYou who wept for what was right\u003cbr\u003e\nWe remember your name\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grit and Gravel"},{"content":"I know it has been disappointing how little I am updating my blog but I just want everyone to know I am still here. I have recently been frustrated with my blog and feeling it has started to go in a direction that I never wanted. Very soon I am planning on starting a new and getting back to the way I wanted this blog to be. I am going to start writing more and publishing everyday as soon as finals is over, think of it as my New Years Resolution. So from New Years on I will start to regularly post again. I am sorry it won’t be sooner because I am heading into my first ever finals week at UC Berkeley but I will try to post when I can.\nI am sorry if I have been letting down my readers but I am trying to start fresh very soon. So keep on holding on, the time has almost come.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111126_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know it has been disappointing how little I am updating my blog but I just\nwant everyone to know I am still here. I have recently been frustrated with my\nblog and feeling it has started to go in a direction that I never wanted. Very\nsoon I am planning on starting a new and getting back to the way I wanted this\nblog to be. I am going to start writing more and publishing everyday as soon\nas finals is over, think of it as my New Years Resolution. So from New Years\non I will start to regularly post again. I am sorry it won’t be sooner because\nI am heading into my first ever finals week at UC Berkeley but I will try to\npost when I can.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Update"},{"content":"Not much to to share about Thanksgiving this year, but we did get a nice family photo of everyone. Happy turkey day!\u0026lt;\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111124_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot much to to share about Thanksgiving this year, but we did get a nice family\nphoto of everyone. Happy turkey day!\u0026lt;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving with the family at our house"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111113_florence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111113_florence/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Florence Part 2"},{"content":"Walking into Florence is like entering a labyrinth of colored houses, narrow alley ways, and open market places. There is so much to see here that is just simply astounding.\nEverywhere you walk is something new and beautiful to look at; every corner beholds a new and interesting facet to this city.\nWe visited the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli gardens which were beautiful.\nAnd took a much needed break from the over bearing sun in the shade of the garden.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111112_florence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWalking into Florence is like entering a labyrinth of colored houses, narrow\nalley ways, and open market places. There is so much to see here that is just\nsimply astounding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverywhere you walk is something new and beautiful to look at; every corner\nbeholds a new and interesting facet to this city.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe visited the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli gardens which were beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111112_florence/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd took a much needed break from the over bearing sun in the shade of the\ngarden.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Florence: Part 1"},{"content":"Matt and Mack sure do look good up on that podium.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111106_cccx/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMatt and Mack sure do look good up on that podium.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111106_cccx/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111106_cccx/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Matt and Mack at CCCX Cyclocross"},{"content":"Italy is a place of bikes where the alley ways and streets are filled with both bikes well loved and abandoned. Some are tagged with graffiti, while others are dainty and clean. Some are simply left abandoned, down a dark alleyway for someone else to find.\nThey are so interesting to look at with the a thousand different backdrops from different city walls. The city changes but the bikes stay the same. They are a monument to mobility that mark the streets without mercy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111018_bikes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eItaly is a place of bikes where the alley ways and streets are filled with both\nbikes well loved and abandoned. Some are tagged with graffiti, while others\nare dainty and clean. Some are simply left abandoned, down a dark alleyway for\nsomeone else to find.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111018_bikes/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are so interesting to look at with the a thousand different backdrops from\ndifferent city walls. The city changes but the bikes stay the same. They are a\nmonument to mobility that mark the streets without mercy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bikes of Italy"},{"content":"I just got back from an exciting encounter at Berkeley where in I got to meet and photograph Johnny Depp. Yes, the Johnny Depp. In an exclusive invite only event at Uc Berkeley, Johnny Depp’s new movie, The Rum Diary, based off of a Hunter S Thompson novel, was aired a week early. Oh and a Q\u0026amp;A with Johnny Depp after the movie. I love Hunter S Thompson, and the work done between Johnny Depp and Thompson is phenomenal. I am a die-hard fan.\nAny who… The movie was really good, a few loose ends but a decent movie indeed. To get what you all are waiting for, Johnny Depp. I lurked in the back row with my telephoto lens to get these pictures.\nHe was exactly like what I imagined. He was the same as all his interviews, movies, or anything he every does, he was just Johnny Depp.\nHe was so nonchalant, but not in an arrogant way, very down to earth. It seemed like an altogether likeable guy. I really enjoyed his outfit. He had on like four necklaces, five rings, and a few bracelets as well as glasses. I feel like every interview I have ever seen him in he is wearing that hat. Not that it is bad, it is just sort of funny.\nI really enjoyed his mannerisms. He was very expressive in his hand motions and altogether interesting to listen to as well as watch.\nHe talked a lot about Hunter and his relationship with him which was very interesting. Oh and he tried to take his jacket off and the interviewer that has there basically jumped to try to help him take it off. Johnny Depp gave him the funniest look, and started to laugh. So awkward and so funny.\nP.S look at his tattoos, they are so interesting. I wonder what they mean.\nOverall, a fun night. Very interesting to meet and see a celebrity. I wound up leaving a little early because I thought I was going ot either be kicked out or have my camera taken because we were not supposed to have “professional grade” equipment. So after I got to hear him talk for a little while and get a couple of good shots, I was outta there. Very cool, I hope to do this again some time soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111017_depp/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just got back from an exciting encounter at Berkeley where in I got to meet\nand photograph Johnny Depp. Yes, the Johnny Depp. In an exclusive invite only\nevent at Uc Berkeley, Johnny Depp’s new movie, The Rum Diary, based off of a\nHunter S Thompson novel, was aired a week early. Oh and a Q\u0026amp;A with Johnny Depp\nafter the movie. I love Hunter S Thompson, and the work done between Johnny\nDepp and Thompson is phenomenal. I am a die-hard fan.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Johnny Depp At Berkeley!"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always a treat to visit Monica up at school, and it\u0026rsquo;s especially great when we have breakfast at Bette\u0026rsquo;s Diner. I think Gabe had a special moment with Mark Twain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always a treat to visit Monica up at school, and it\u0026rsquo;s especially great\nwhen we have breakfast at \u003ca href=\"https://www.bettesdiner.com\"\u003eBette\u0026rsquo;s Diner\u003c/a\u003e. I\nthink Gabe had a special moment with Mark Twain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111016_berkeley/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Monica in Berkeley with a stop at Bette's Diner"},{"content":"Before even entering the magnificent city of Florence we are greeted by a grand overlook of the entire city underneath a replica of the David statue. Besides, the overlook from the Campanile in Venice, this was one of the coolest city overlooks I have ever seen. All of Florence lays before you, you can see Il Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, spires from cathedrals, and all the wonderful components that make up the glory that is Florence\nIt is so very strange how different this city is than any I have been to in the United States. There is such a grace and splendor that emanates from this city that is not present elsewhere.\nYou can feel the Renaissance as if it happened yesterday. You can feel the presence of some of the greatest minds of all time, living here. Walking the streets that they once walked. Seeing the sights they say as part of their daily routines. This is the city of minds, of rebirth and discovery.\nThe Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that is full of artisan splendor, with jewelry shops hanging from the sides of the bridges and on either side the main fairways of Florence.\nThis is a city that cannot only be seen from an overlook and enjoyed because the real life of the city can be found walking through the streets between works and houses of the greats. Once you enter Florence, it will never be the same.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111014_florence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore even entering the magnificent city of Florence we are greeted by a grand\noverlook of the entire city underneath a replica of the David statue. Besides,\nthe overlook from the Campanile in Venice, this was one of the coolest city\noverlooks I have ever seen. All of Florence lays before you, you can see Il\nDuomo, the Ponte Vecchio, spires from cathedrals, and all the wonderful\ncomponents that make up the glory that is Florence\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Florence: The Overlook"},{"content":"In Florence there is a tradition called the Florence Lover’s Locks. It is said that in Florence that if you and your true love take a lock with your names written on it and lock it somewhere in FLorence your love will last forever. As we explored Florence, all over the city we discovered these locks. They are only allowed in certain sections of the city and in all other places they will be cut down. Because of this people have had to get creative and lock them in impossible to reach and obscure places. It was amazing to look all over the city in random unfathomable places that had locks hanging from it like of the bottom of a bridge or incredibly high on a wall. This romantic symbol hidden all over the city is just one note of charm to introduce the beauty and splendor of Florence.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111007_florence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn Florence there is a tradition called the Florence Lover’s Locks. It is said\nthat in Florence that if you and your true love take a lock with your names\nwritten on it and lock it somewhere in FLorence your love will last forever.\nAs we explored Florence, all over the city we discovered these locks. They are\nonly allowed in certain sections of the city and in all other places they will\nbe cut down. Because of this people have had to get creative and lock them in\nimpossible to reach and obscure places. It was amazing to look all over the\ncity in random unfathomable places that had locks hanging from it like of the\nbottom of a bridge or incredibly high on a wall. This romantic symbol hidden\nall over the city is just one note of charm to introduce the beauty and\nsplendor of Florence.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Florence: Lover’s Locks"},{"content":"The difference between Venice and Tuscany is dramatic. Escaping from the lovely hurried bustle of life that is Venice for the countryside where time seems to pleasantly crawl by. Everything moves so much slower here and make so much more sense. The simplistic beauty in overlooking acres of vineyards and Tuscan homes is astounding. I felt like I could breathe here, life here, and experience beauty in its most basic form, right here.\nDuring our search for our hotel we stopped in a tiny Tuscan village for a quick stretch break. We found this gigantic monastery, or church at the top of the tiny village that was just marvelous. There are so many flowers here and so much greenery, it just makes everything seems so much more vivid and full of life.\nTuscany just makes me sigh with wonder every time I see the rolling green hills and the beautiful brick houses with laundry lines hanging from windows. It is so peaceful here. Coming from Venice where life is loud, robust, fast, and complicated, Tuscany is a well needed breath of fresh air. Not to say I didn’t enjoy Venice, because I very much did, it was just so refreshing to see two very different lifestyles in Italy that are in such close proximity with each other.\nOur hotel was amazing! Hotel Salivolpi was a tiny little farm-house with many little rooms that were so quaint and relaxing, it really felt like a vacation. I could have stayed there for weeks. There was a pool, gardens and all centered right next to vineyard that really was the quintessential feel of Tuscany.\nThere was even a separate little building to eat breakfast in down a beautifully sloping grassy hill.\nIt was so nice there, I really hope to go back someday. Not only was the building nice but the people were so kind. Even though I could not speak their language or they mine, there was such a welcoming feeling that it felt like home.\nWhat is Tuscany without its fields of sunflowers?\nWe stumbled upon a field of sunflowers (that we actually had to hop some fences to get to) that was beyond glorious. It just lit up the whole area like its own personal sun.\nWhat else can I say? I love Tuscany and I can’t wait to go back.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110930_tuscany/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe difference between Venice and Tuscany is dramatic. Escaping from the lovely\nhurried bustle of life that is Venice for the countryside where time seems to\npleasantly crawl by. Everything moves so much slower here and make so much\nmore sense. The simplistic beauty in overlooking acres of vineyards and Tuscan\nhomes is astounding. I felt like I could breathe here, life here, and\nexperience beauty in its most basic form, right here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tuscany"},{"content":"The Henleyville road race was quite the drive, but well worth it as it was Gabe\u0026rsquo;s last race of the season. As he rolled out for the start, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist hopping on after they went by. I joined them for 2 of the 3 laps, then dropped off to avoid interfering with the race. I did roll forward from the back just to chat with Gabe for a few minutes right at the end. Unfortunately Gabe was feeling strong and joined the early break, but decided to fall back thinking they wouldn\u0026rsquo;t make it. Turns out the two other Cat 4s were in the break and finished first and second place. Third place was worth five bucks and a t-shirt though!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110924_henleyville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Henleyville road race was quite the drive, but well worth it as it was\nGabe\u0026rsquo;s last race of the season. As he rolled out for the start, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t\nresist hopping on after they went by. I joined them for 2 of the 3 laps, then\ndropped off to avoid interfering with the race. I did roll forward from the\nback just to chat with Gabe for a few minutes right at the end. Unfortunately\nGabe was feeling strong and joined the early break, but decided to fall back\nthinking they wouldn\u0026rsquo;t make it. Turns out the two other Cat 4s were in the\nbreak and finished first and second place. Third place was worth five bucks\nand a t-shirt though!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Henleyville road race"},{"content":"Right on the Grand Canal is the Accademia, a magnificent ancient religious art museum full of grandeur and mystery.\nHall after hall, room after room, filled with old representations of faith and religion. It is an interesting representation of faith through the ages through creative images. The paintings range from angelic to gruesome and simple beauty to intricate creativity. It is sort of overwhelming the amount of faith in one building. To think that each one of these paintings was made by a person that was so moved by faith and so dedicated to what they believed they had to share it with the world.\nAfter we left the Accademia we had a quick lovely lunch in a campo where I had a ratatouille that was amazing. On our way to walk around we noticed a contemporary glass art show right near by us. So we decided to try it out and it was so much fun!\nThe first piece was a glass emu constructed of large glass marbles. It made for some very fun photo opportunities.\nThere were all sorts of other exhibits we had fun looking at and playing with for a while.\nOutside was another strange exhibit, the Narrow House. A House that is incredibly narrow, maybe five feet wide.\nWe got to go inside and it has everything a normal house would, everything is just very skinny. There was a skinny phone, a skinny toilet and all sorts of other things. Oh and a tiny closet.\nIt was really fun just going and around and exploring odd parts of Venice like this. Sadly we had to leave Venice that next day and continue our journey onward to Tuscany.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110923_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRight on the Grand Canal is the Accademia, a magnificent ancient religious art\nmuseum full of grandeur and mystery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110923_venice/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110923_venice/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110923_venice/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHall after hall, room after room, filled with old representations of faith and\nreligion. It is an interesting representation of faith through the ages\nthrough creative images. The paintings range from angelic to gruesome and\nsimple beauty to intricate creativity. It is sort of overwhelming the amount\nof faith in one building. To think that each one of these paintings was made\nby a person that was so moved by faith and so dedicated to what they believed\nthey had to share it with the world.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: Accademia and Glass Art Show"},{"content":"One amazing thing about Venice are its alley ways. You travel through the heart of the city by walking down twists and turns of alley ways, some lead nowhere while others bring you to your destination. Venice is a labyrinth of alley ways filled with amazing little artisan shops. Every turn you take leads you down a new one, and to new things.\nSome are filled with color, others are dark and dank. Some are peaceful and romantic while others are crowded and chaotic. But you can always look up and see beautiful blue sky.\nAlley ways are not reserved just for ground, the waterways for intricate alley ways as well with lines of houses and shops surrounding you.\nI love the alley ways in Venice because you never know what the next will look like. There is such beauty and variety that you can never get bored.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110922_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne amazing thing about Venice are its alley ways. You travel through the heart\nof the city by walking down twists and turns of alley ways, some lead nowhere\nwhile others bring you to your destination. Venice is a labyrinth of alley\nways filled with amazing little artisan shops. Every turn you take leads you\ndown a new one, and to new things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110922_venice/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome are filled with color, others are dark and dank. Some are peaceful and\nromantic while others are crowded and chaotic. But you can always look up and\nsee beautiful blue sky.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: Alley Ways"},{"content":"There is so much beauty in Venice it is a shame to have to divide it up like I am doing, but in reality it is the only way it can be done. There are so many doors and windows in Venice that look so beautiful, yet are always closed. It is this idea of beauty hidden behind closed doors in Venice that is astounding. people come to Venice to see the sights like the Campanile and St Mark’s Basilica, but the hidden wonders of Venice, that lie behind those closed doors is where the really mysterious wonders lie. Here are just a few of the beautiful windows and doors I stumbled upon during our wonders that reminded me of this hidden splendor that I or you may never actually come to know.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110919_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is so much beauty in Venice it is a shame to have to divide it up like I\nam doing, but in reality it is the only way it can be done. There are so many\ndoors and windows in Venice that look so beautiful, yet are always closed. It\nis this idea of beauty hidden behind closed doors in Venice that is\nastounding. people come to Venice to see the sights like the Campanile and St\nMark’s Basilica, but the hidden wonders of Venice, that lie behind those\nclosed doors is where the really mysterious wonders lie. Here are just a few\nof the beautiful windows and doors I stumbled upon during our wonders that\nreminded me of this hidden splendor that I or you may never actually come to\nknow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: Windows and Doors"},{"content":"Yesterday was a lot of fun, but unfortunately Gabe was a little sick this morning. He felt good enough to give the circuit race a go, but the salt accumulating on his lips tells me he was hurting. Good job hanging in there Gabe!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a lot of fun, but unfortunately Gabe was a little sick this\nmorning. He felt good enough to give the circuit race a go, but the salt\naccumulating on his lips tells me he was hurting. Good job hanging in there\nGabe!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110918_folsom/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Folsom Cyclebration Omnium"},{"content":"Gabe, Bryan, Mack, and Matt are headed to the Sacramento area for the Folsom Cyclebration Omnium this weekend. It\u0026rsquo;s a great chance for most of the team to hang out and race together, though we\u0026rsquo;re definitely missing Tobin and Jake. The first race for Gabe is the criterium, with the time trial later in the day. No break could stay away today, and Gabe had some challenges moving up in the pack when he needed to. A decent mid pack finish, so chalk it up to more race experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110917_folsom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe, Bryan, Mack, and Matt are headed to the Sacramento area for the Folsom\nCyclebration Omnium this weekend. It\u0026rsquo;s a great chance for most of the team to\nhang out and race together, though we\u0026rsquo;re definitely missing Tobin and Jake.\nThe first race for Gabe is the criterium, with the time trial later in the\nday. No break could stay away today, and Gabe had some challenges moving up in\nthe pack when he needed to. A decent mid pack finish, so chalk it up to more\nrace experience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Folsom Cyclebration Omnium"},{"content":"Venice is extraordinary and one of its most stunning assets is Piazza San Marco. A massive square which contains the Campanile, St. Mark’s Basilica, and lots of pigeons.\nFilled with tourists, this place can seem overwhelming but there is so much beauty and awe-inspiring architecture in this small area that it truly can blow your mind.\nFirst and foremost is the Campanile, which at my new home at UC Berkeley lies a close cousin of this monumental tower. The dazzling brick monolith stands high above all else in Venice and stands as a musical guardian over the city.\nWe waited in quite a line to get into the tower and then crammed in a stylish elevator for a ride up to the highest point in the city. The view was in no way disappointing.\nIt seems like the whole city is within your grasp. Huge expanses of red roofs, rising cathedral of church towers and twisting streets gripping the sides of dark waterways. There really is nothing like it. Looking over the giant square that is the piazza and turning every which way and seeing red roofs for what feels like miles.\nIn the Piazza itself was an amusing spectacle. Hundreds of pigeons filling the square where people where feeding them and letting them crawl all over them. It was extremely entertaining to watch but I would never let those gross rats with wings touch me. More photos of this will be seen later.\nThe Basilica was beyond words. This overly ornate structure is a house of gods built by thieves. A strange concept to build a holy structure entirely constructed of goods that were stolen from other places like Constantinople or any of the other numerous Venetian neighbors. It amounted to quite a spectacle.\nThe inside of the church was covered in gold and the most amazing feats of architecture. It is a strange concept though, if not an hypocritical one to build a church out of stolen goods. Whether the grounds of which this place was constructed is correct or not, it still amounted to an intricate and stunning structure that is nearly indescribable.\nThe Piazza San Marco was an amazing and awe inspiring place, it is still hard to believe that the Venetians were able to squeeze that much beauty into a small square.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110915_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVenice is extraordinary and one of its most stunning assets is Piazza San\nMarco. A massive square which contains the Campanile, St. Mark’s Basilica, and\nlots of pigeons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110915_venice/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFilled with tourists, this place can seem overwhelming but there is so much\nbeauty and awe-inspiring architecture in this small area that it truly can\nblow your mind.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110915_venice/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110915_venice/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst and foremost is the Campanile, which at my new home at UC Berkeley lies a\nclose cousin of this monumental tower. The dazzling brick monolith stands high\nabove all else in Venice and stands as a musical guardian over the city.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: Piazza San Marco"},{"content":"Waking up in the morning and walking outside into a bright sunny city were noise seems to happily embrace you is an experience unknown to me before Venice. To feel the life, the heartbeat of the city pulsing with movement, joy, and vibrancy with every breath and word uttered in the near vicinity. Italy is a place of passion, where people do not simply go through the motions of life, they live it. I felt that here in Venice and love it.\nWe took a water taxi as a method of touring the marvelous Grand canal of Venice. The open expansive water ways bordered by buildings like cliff edges. The buildings are beautiful and old-looking. Some dilapidated, others wildly vibrant with color and life. I was told that actually Venice is not very inhabited in the home on the Canal, only the rich can afford it so many of these beautiful homes are left empty, to watch over the waterways like silent lonesome guardians.\nThe color of Venice is gorgeous, each green waterway leads down some beautiful alleyway where mysterious adventures lie waiting for other times. There is just a majesty unmatched here and it leaves you with an astounding feeling of awe and appreciation for this sinking city.\nIt feels almost like magic as we ride on our boat through the veins of the city, watching life unravel before us, hearing snippets of Italian on the wind and sounds of life.\nOur first stop in Venice besides the Grand Canal boat ride was the Rialto Bridge. This great white arch over the Grand Canal is teeming with people, street vendors, and glorious merchant/ artisan shops.\nIt is a center of activity and we made sure to stop at the Rialto market to buy some fruit for later.\nIt is strange, at Italian markets they do not let you touch anything. No testing of ripeness or for bad spots on fruit, you tell the merchant what type you want and how many and they give you which ever they choose. This was very strange for me to actually be chastised for touching fruit that I was going to buy.\nThey also had some interesting foods that I am not used to seeing at my local farmer’s market. It was really fun interacting with the people who just try to live their lives here in Venice, not tourists.\nOn the actual Rialto we found beautiful shops full of Venetian glass, handmade leather, and of course Venetian masks made with artful and caring hands. It was an amazing way to start our adventure. Once off the water, an entire new world of Venice is revealed, hidden in dark alley ways, bright open Piazzas, and artisan shops as well as magnificent restaurants. All of this was waiting on the other side of that bridge, and we crossed it hungrily.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110913_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWaking up in the morning and walking outside into a bright sunny city were\nnoise seems to happily embrace you is an experience unknown to me before\nVenice. To feel the life, the heartbeat of the city pulsing with movement,\njoy, and vibrancy with every breath and word uttered in the near vicinity.\nItaly is a place of passion, where people do not simply go through the motions\nof life, they live it. I felt that here in Venice and love it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: Rialto and Grand Canal"},{"content":"Her feet drag as she slowly crosses the carpet sea back to the safety of her chair. The carpet seems to grip onto her feet making each progressive step harder and harder to take, but then again it seems that every step these days are now burdened with the weight of time.\nThe sickening dragging noise of her shuffling feet is drowned out by the hum of an old TV. The muffled voices seem far away from her and as the commercials end her ears yearn to hear the content, the sacred testaments the TV is slowly spewing now. She quickens her ladened steps and sets herself down, as her own body seems to sigh in relief. The chair welcomes her home, embracing her as it molds to her shape. The dent she has left in over years of use. This is her home. The shape of her body is engraved in its once lush frame, but now it creaks as it reaches out to embrace her. She doesn’t mind, it is still her home, her resting place, her haven and final sanctuary. Across the carpet sea sits her pride and joy, the television set. It sags now with age, pulling down at the corners just as her face now begins its tired descent into age. The antennas stick out at odd angles, just as she likes it. The occasional fuzz runs across the screen but she doesn’t mind, she takes it as a sign. The line of static that only briefly interrupts the vivid images that jump out into her lap. A reminder from her one and only friend that it is indeed still alive.\nShe sighs in contented happiness and settles in with fascination to her show. In the background though is a buzzing, a humming of sorts that mumbles its way into her mind interrupting her sacred time.\n“For God’s sake Mom! Get out of that chair, go outside, talk to a friend, do something besides stare at that TV!” cried her daughter in anguish. “Don’t you see that you are wasting your life!”\nThe resounding sound of cupboards being slammed shut and the clumsy and loud movements of her daughter come from the kitchen behind her. She hears none of it, just a murmuring in the background, a static that she has come to tolerate. She ignores it, does not hear it, all else besides the soothing voices and images that constantly stream from her sacred box is faded.\n“You have lost everything you loved, and those that love you have lost you.” The daughter cried in defeated bitterness. The daughter looks up from the kitchen alcove to no movement. Her words, her cry for change, have yet again gone unheard. Her voice never stronger than the TV’s. She looks down at her hands that have been stained and torn from work, none of which her mother ever knew about, or seemingly cared.\n“Ok mom, I understand. I am leaving, and this time I am not coming back.” She sighs and leaves the kitchen as her high heels click on the kitchen-tiled floor. A harsh noise that is sharp and echoes across the empty, neglected house. But even this noise, persistent and hard never reaches the woman sitting in her throne atop the carpet sea.\n“Goodbye mom, I hope you are happy with your real family, I won’t bother you anymore.”\nThe door is slammed, leaving the house with an absence. The mother senses this absence for a brief moment but chooses not to acknowledge it. She lets out another sigh as the murmuring in the background finally ceases and she can turn her full attention to the television.\nThe entire world around her seems to melt away in that moment. There is no longer the dark dingy room she calls home. No piles of dishes left to rot in the sink, no emptiness, no sadness, and no void that was left in her heart when her poor husband died. All of that is washed away in an instant, as the outside world seems to come within her own small world and nestle there at her feet making itself at home. Here her world is always perfect. In an instant she can be halfway around the world on a beach with the Mediterranean Sea warming her tired skin. Or she could be lost in the jungles of the Amazon living off the fruit of the land and experiencing the beauty of the savage untamed world. Her living room no longer houses the pain of the void left by the loss of her beloved, instead it is filled with the dreams they had but never were able to experience. She closes her eyes letting the world envelope her and gives herself over to a world so different than her reality. For that small moment, they are together again, living their dreams as they sail across the Indian Ocean and hang-glide over the cliffs of Dover. In that span of time, she finally lives. If only for that small amount of time.\nAn audible click resonates through her skull like a gunshot. The woman blinks repeatedly in shock and leans forward slowly. Releasing herself from the loving embrace of her loyal chair she grips at its arms with long unclean fingernails. With eyes wide, revealing their glassy blue hue that once shone like the sky, she stares at the television with a sinking heart. She stares into the face of static as it looks back at her mockingly. The sound is deafening. It strangled out the song of beautiful birds in South America and dolphins swimming in the sea and replaced it with the hiss of all things evil. The static crackles in her ears as her heart pounds. Frantically she grapples for the remote hoping it is just a mistake. The channels change but the image does not. She is left time and time again with the mocking static of her once loyal friend.\nHer mouth is dry, her heart pounds, and her mind races in circles. “This can’t be happening,” she whispers in a hoarse unused voice. She detaches herself from her chair ready to brave the carpet sea. With determined and hopeful steps she drags her feet through the tangles of carpet and reaches her traitor friend. She grips the antennas desperately trying to rearrange them in an order that will bring back the images that soothe her broken heart like morphine. Nothing. The static continues as it hisses in her ear a lullaby of her worst nightmares.\nTortured and heartbroken she is swept across the carpet sea and cast down into the arms of her creaking old chair. There she lies watching with tear filled eyes, the second worst nightmare of her life. Left alone in a room, in a house, with nothing inside of it but her, her chair, and the horribly hissing of the TV. Just like that her world was taken away, and she was left more alone than ever. Not even her daughter would come for her now.\nA simple order was put out to an employee, turn off a woman’s cable due to lack of funds. Her world, her dreams and her last hope, without a thought or the slightest of hesitation were snatched away. Her world was gone and all she was left with was the regret of a life she never lived, the pain of everything she had but lost, and of course, static.\nThis story was inspired by an interaction with a woman at a garage sale who told me a story about how her cable was shut off because she could no longer pay her bills. She said she was devastated because “It was like they took my world away”.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110912_static/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHer feet drag as she slowly crosses the carpet sea back to the safety of her\nchair. The carpet seems to grip onto her feet making each progressive step\nharder and harder to take, but then again it seems that every step these days\nare now burdened with the weight of time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sickening dragging noise of her shuffling feet is drowned out by the hum of\nan old TV. The muffled voices seem far away from her and as the commercials\nend her ears yearn to hear the content, the sacred testaments the TV is slowly\nspewing now. She quickens her ladened steps and sets herself down, as her own\nbody seems to sigh in relief. The chair welcomes her home, embracing her as it\nmolds to her shape. The dent she has left in over years of use. This is her\nhome. The shape of her body is engraved in its once lush frame, but now it\ncreaks as it reaches out to embrace her. She doesn’t mind, it is still her\nhome, her resting place, her haven and final sanctuary. Across the carpet sea\nsits her pride and joy, the television set. It sags now with age, pulling down\nat the corners just as her face now begins its tired descent into age. The\nantennas stick out at odd angles, just as she likes it. The occasional fuzz\nruns across the screen but she doesn’t mind, she takes it as a sign. The line\nof static that only briefly interrupts the vivid images that jump out into her\nlap. A reminder from her one and only friend that it is indeed still alive.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Static"},{"content":"Venice truly is a fairytale place. A whole new world of wonders, where romance is all around you and there is no escaping the beauty of this city which lives and breathes the essence of Italy.\nWe arrived in Venice after our stop in Austria and had to leave our trusty car behind because no vehicles are allowed in the actual city. From there we took a train into Venice and had an adventure trying to locate our hotel. This city is so alive and constantly moving that dragging your luggage up and down stairs and canal walkways is actually quite difficult to do. Eventually we found where we were supposed to be staying only to find that the office was closed and the owner gone away. Luckily we begged a vendor next door to hunt down the hotel clerk so we could actually get the key to our room. After some serious anxiety over possibly not having a hotel, we were able to check in safe and sound.\nThe hotel was very nice, basically a small apartment with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a dinning area, and a lovely little courtyard out back surrounded by the tall walls that build up Venice. Our first order or business? Not unpacking, but mosquito hunting. We had to hunt down and kill every mosquito in the room. Like crazy people we were running all over the rooms smacking mosquitoes and rejoicing in their demise. It was a satisfying experience.\nAfter we settled for a small while we decided to go out and get a taste of Venice Nightlife and grab some real Italian food by the Grand Canal. It feels like no one sleeps here, even late at night there is life everywhere. We sat right on the water and were enjoying a nice meal when all of a sudden hell broke loose. Two men started fighting right next to us. at first I thought someone had fallen into the canal and that was what the ruckus was all about. I was sorely mistaken. Two men, I believe to be opposing restaurant owners started screaming at each other in Italian and get way to close to each other. One even chased the other down trying to get a good hit in. It died down as quickly as it started however and one of the men walked away in a storm. Believing it to be over, I went back to my room. Little did I know in the few minutes I was gone, the real fight broke out. Apparently as soon as I left, the guy came running back and attacked the man he was earlier fighting with in front of us. They literally attacked each other and at one point one of the waiters had to beat the guy with a stick to get him off of the other man. By the end everyone was bloody, face torn, shirts ripped, and overall, an interesting first night in Venice.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110912_venice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVenice truly is a fairytale place. A whole new world of wonders, where romance\nis all around you and there is no escaping the beauty of this city which lives\nand breathes the essence of Italy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe arrived in Venice after our stop in Austria and had to leave our trusty car\nbehind because no vehicles are allowed in the actual city. From there we took\na train into Venice and had an adventure trying to locate our hotel. This city\nis so alive and constantly moving that dragging your luggage up and down\nstairs and canal walkways is actually quite difficult to do. Eventually we\nfound where we were supposed to be staying only to find that the office was\nclosed and the owner gone away. Luckily we begged a vendor next door to hunt\ndown the hotel clerk so we could actually get the key to our room. After some\nserious anxiety over possibly not having a hotel, we were able to check in\nsafe and sound.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Venice: An Introduction"},{"content":"Honestly there is no excuse. I am in college, my life is changing, but eventually I will be able to have the time to get caught back up on my blog. I still have hundreds of photos in all probability that need to be published for my Europe Trip and some new photos from my new life at Berkeley.\nHere is how this is going to happen. I know the lack of postings has been disappointing, but I am going to try to begin posting again as often as possible. They will probably lack order if not finesse, but I will do my best to start putting out material again. sorry for the confusion due to the lack of order that I will be using to put posts up, but hopefully once my life has settled, order will be had once more.\nThanks to those of you who have stuck around, lets start producing again 🙂\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110911_catching/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHonestly there is no excuse. I am in college, my life is changing, but\neventually I will be able to have the time to get caught back up on my blog. I\nstill have hundreds of photos in all probability that need to be published for\nmy Europe Trip and some new photos from my new life at Berkeley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere is how this is going to happen. I know the lack of postings has been\ndisappointing, but I am going to try to begin posting again as often as\npossible. They will probably lack order if not finesse, but I  will do my best\nto start putting out material again. sorry for the confusion due to the lack\nof order that I will be using to put posts up, but hopefully once my life has\nsettled, order will be had once more.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Catching Up"},{"content":"Today is an auspicious day in our history. The tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the fall of the Twin Towers. A small commemoration on my part, a picture of remembrance, a man and his paper reading about the day that for many, changed their lives. Here is a moment for all of you affected by this tragedy. We will always remember you and the sacrifice you made for us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110911_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is an auspicious day in our history. The tenth anniversary of 9/11 and\nthe fall of the Twin Towers. A small commemoration on my part, a picture of\nremembrance, a man and his paper reading about the day that for many, changed\ntheir lives. Here is a moment for all of you affected by this tragedy. We will\nalways remember you and the sacrifice you made for us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo of the Day: 9/11"},{"content":"Time for one last canoe in the harbor before we have to head back across the big lake over to Copper Harbor. It would be a much quicker trip if we took the seaplane, but it\u0026rsquo;s going to be fantastic weather for the crossing.\nGoodbye Isle Royale, followed by a nice hello from Copper Harbor about 3 hours later.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for one last canoe in the harbor before we have to head back across the\nbig lake over to Copper Harbor. It would be a much quicker trip if we took the\nseaplane, but it\u0026rsquo;s going to be fantastic weather for the crossing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoodbye Isle Royale, followed by a nice hello from Copper Harbor about 3 hours\nlater.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111009_isleroyale/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isle Royale with Charlotte"},{"content":"Yesterday was such a hard day on our feet, we\u0026rsquo;ll be doing a full day of boating and island hopping today instead. There are loads of small hikes around the small islands surrounding Isle Royale, and each one has it\u0026rsquo;s own surprises.\nWe pull into Edisen Fishery for one of the highlights of the day. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful walk over to Rock Harbor Lighthouse after getting a glimpse into the life of true fisherman of old in the Scandanavian style.\nWe continue on the trail to visit with Rolf and Candy Peterson to talk about the wolves and moose of Isle Royale. It was such a treat to be able to talk at length with such outstanding scientists that have spent so much of their lives devoted to understanding and sharing their knowledge about wildlife. The huge pile of moose bones were pretty cool too.\nTime to explore a few more islands.\nFollowed by the last treat of the day, exploring a bog on Raspberry Island. At first I didn\u0026rsquo;t notice anything special, then I spotted the pitcher plants and sundew. These plants were so awesome!\u0026lt;\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was such a hard day on our feet, we\u0026rsquo;ll be doing a full day of boating\nand island hopping today instead. There are loads of small hikes around the\nsmall islands surrounding Isle Royale, and each one has it\u0026rsquo;s own surprises.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111008_isleroyale/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe pull into Edisen Fishery for one of the highlights of the day. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nbeautiful walk over to Rock Harbor Lighthouse after getting a glimpse into the\nlife of true fisherman of old in the Scandanavian style.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isle Royale with Charlotte"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re hiking from Rock Harbor up to Mt Franklin again, then along the Greenstone Ridge further west to Mt Ojibway. Plenty of great views, signs along the trail, and a little bit of fall color.\nThere are some awesome views from the top of the tower at Mt Ojibway, but it\u0026rsquo;s crazy hot and we\u0026rsquo;ve got a very long way to go still.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s back down to Daisy Farm and a lunch break for some well earned rest.\nThe trail back to Rock Harbor isn\u0026rsquo;t technical, but the roots and rocks make for difficult walking. My heels are all blistered and it\u0026rsquo;s pretty much a death march for the last 5 miles. Check out the details of our long hike over at Strava.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re hiking from Rock Harbor up to Mt Franklin again, then along the\nGreenstone Ridge further west to Mt Ojibway. Plenty of great views, signs\nalong the trail, and a little bit of fall color.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are some awesome views from the top of the tower at Mt Ojibway, but it\u0026rsquo;s\ncrazy hot and we\u0026rsquo;ve got a very long way to go still.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111007_isleroyale/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s back down to Daisy Farm and a lunch break for some well earned rest.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isle Royale with Charlotte"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s another beautiful day on Isle Royale, so we\u0026rsquo;re off for some great hiking on the eastern end of the island. We\u0026rsquo;ll be taking the M.V. Sandy over to Lookout Louise, then we\u0026rsquo;ll head along the Greenstone Ridge out to Mt Franklin for a great view. We get a nice view of the Ranger on our way back to Rock Harbor. Check out the details of our hike over on Strava.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111006_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s another beautiful day on Isle Royale, so we\u0026rsquo;re off for\nsome great hiking on the eastern end of the island. We\u0026rsquo;ll be taking the M.V. Sandy over\nto Lookout Louise, then we\u0026rsquo;ll head along the Greenstone Ridge out to Mt Franklin for a great\nview. We get a nice view of the Ranger on our way back to Rock Harbor. Check out the\ndetails of our hike over on \u003ca href=\"https://www.strava.com/activities/1595227\"\u003eStrava\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isle Royale with Charlotte"},{"content":"This year I\u0026rsquo;m joining Charlotte on her fall trip to Bootjack to bring Gordon back to Capitola for the winter. For most of the time though, we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying the outdoors, hiking, and boating in beautiful Isle Royale National Park. We\u0026rsquo;re headed over on the Isle Royale Queen out of Copper Harbor, and we\u0026rsquo;ll be staying at the Rock Harbor Lodge.\nAs soon as we arrive, we\u0026rsquo;re already off on our first activity. We head over to Passage Island on the M.V. Sandy for a guided hike and some exploring. Here\u0026rsquo;s a nice sampling of the wildflowers and berries on the island.\nWe spend some time exploring the old lighthouse before heading back to the boat for the trip back to the lodge.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111005_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year I\u0026rsquo;m joining Charlotte on her fall trip to Bootjack to bring Gordon\nback to Capitola for the winter. For most of the time though, we\u0026rsquo;ll be\nenjoying the outdoors, hiking, and boating in beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/isro/\"\u003eIsle Royale National Park\u003c/a\u003e.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re headed over on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.isleroyale.com\"\u003eIsle Royale Queen\u003c/a\u003e out of Copper Harbor, and\nwe\u0026rsquo;ll be staying at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rockharborlodge.com\"\u003eRock Harbor Lodge\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111005_isleroyale/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111005_isleroyale/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111005_isleroyale/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111005_isleroyale/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs soon as we arrive, we\u0026rsquo;re already off on our first activity. We head over to\nPassage Island on the M.V. Sandy for a guided hike and some exploring. Here\u0026rsquo;s\na nice sampling of the wildflowers and berries on the island.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Isle Royale with Charlotte"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m traveling to Upper Michigan again with Charlotte on her regular trip to bring Gordon back to Capitola. We\u0026rsquo;re planning a week of hiking and exploring in Isle Royale, but we have a day or two before we leave. Charlotte shows me her latest discovery for hiking and agates over at Seven Mile Point\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20111004_sevenmilept/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m traveling to Upper Michigan again with Charlotte on her regular trip to\nbring Gordon back to Capitola. We\u0026rsquo;re planning a week of hiking and exploring\nin Isle Royale, but we have a day or two before we leave. Charlotte shows me\nher latest discovery for hiking and agates over at\n\u003ca href=\"https://northwoodsconservancy.org/NWC/Seven_Mile_Point.html\"\u003eSeven Mile Point\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111004_sevenmilept/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111004_sevenmilept/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20111004_sevenmilept/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking at Seven Mile Point"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re heading south today for a road race in San Ardo. I love heading down this way since it feels like I\u0026rsquo;m headed to San Luis Obispo to visit Nick. It\u0026rsquo;ll be a busy day with a long race for Gabe, and a nice long ride in the hills nearby. Mack and Matt take off first and we\u0026rsquo;re hoping for a great placing. Gabe is off next after rollout with Ryan. I don\u0026rsquo;t think they\u0026rsquo;ve raced together for quite a while. Gabe is jazzed about his chances today.\nThere aren\u0026rsquo;t any more photos today as we had to cut things short after Gabe crashed out after only about 30 minutes of racing. He was second wheel, but somehow the front guy didn\u0026rsquo;t point out a monster rock in the road and Gabe hit it square on and busted his front wheel. Needless to say, the bike is wrecked and Gabe has plenty of road rash. Fortunately no major injuries. Turns out later that day Mack and Matt crashed as well with Mack winding up with a broken collarbone. Only Jake did well winning his 5s race. A tough day for our new Santa Cruz development team.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110820_sanardo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re heading south today for a road race in San Ardo. I love heading down this\nway since it feels like I\u0026rsquo;m headed to San Luis Obispo to visit Nick. It\u0026rsquo;ll be\na busy day with a long race for Gabe, and a nice long ride in the hills\nnearby. Mack and Matt take off first and we\u0026rsquo;re hoping for a great placing.\nGabe is off next after rollout with Ryan. I don\u0026rsquo;t think they\u0026rsquo;ve raced together\nfor quite a while. Gabe is jazzed about his chances today.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"San Ardo road race"},{"content":"After our few short days in Germany we started to make our way down towards Italy. On the way though was Austria. We drove through miles of countryside and finally the Alps. It was beautiful driving around the countryside of Germany, and Austria. Here unlike the USA, towns are scattered, rather than having a large city that fans out into countryside, it seems like hundreds of little towns were plopped down in the middle of nowhere without purpose.\nThe little villages are so tiny and quaint all the red roofs, surrounding the epicenter, the church.In many places these towns are not allowed to build structures taller than the church. I thought that was an interesting notion.\nVillach is a relatively large place and is quite beautiful. The town surrounds a beautiful church named after St. Jakob.\nThe town itself like many others here is speckled with multicolored buildings and quaint little shops on every corner.\nMaiya was lucky enough to get chased around buy a guy in a weird suit trying to sell Fanta to tourists.\nInstead of Fanta we stopped in a cute little cafe for some gelato!\nThey gave us gigantic spoons that were really fun to eat with and on a nice hot day in Austria, nothing beats gelato.\nAfter a nice little tromp through the town we went and visited a very interesting cemetery. With a beautiful entrance way the cemetery was basically begging us to come inside and have a look around.\nIt is interesting, in this cemetery there were plenty of flowers but it seemed like instead of more flowers most graves were dotted with little red candles. Apparently that is tradition here and it is one I really enjoy. I think it is an extremely nice idea to leave behind a burning candle to light the ways of the ones you love that have gone their separate ways.\nOur stop in Austria was very brief but very interesting. We had stopped to have lunch with the family I am traveling with’s son who is doing an internship there. We ate at a nice little place where I got very typical German/Austrian food. I got goulash with some dumplings which is basically the only kind of food that they eat; meat and potatoes. That and cake. 🙂 It was extremely good and flavorful and after just one dumpling I felt ridiculously full. It was a good Austrian experience and I was glad for the stop. However it was just a brief reprieve from our little road trip down to Italy and within that, VENICE!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110730_austria/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter our few short days in Germany we started to make our way down towards\nItaly. On the way though was Austria. We drove through miles of countryside\nand finally the Alps. It was beautiful driving around the countryside of\nGermany, and Austria. Here unlike the USA, towns are scattered, rather than\nhaving a large city that fans out into countryside, it seems like hundreds of\nlittle towns were plopped down in the middle of nowhere without purpose.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Villach, Austria"},{"content":"Munich, Germany was the first destination on our European trip and what a place. On this gray rainy day, the city seemed extremely somber. Being a Sunday, all the shops were closed and the city was extremely quite. Silence and quietness are something that seems prevalent in Germany. The people seem to enjoy their silence. Not in a rude or snobbish way, they just appear to be a more silent people who keep many thoughts to themselves. As if they contemplate each word or sentence that comes from there mouth, they seem to keep most words inside as if to spare us if any of the words are not entirely worth hearing; in total opposition to many people I know in the US who talk simply so silence is never heard. It is a calm and almost serene silence but the grey sky brings a sadness to this great city.\nThe first thing we saw was the city hall building which was more akin to a giant gothic cathedral rather than a government building. It was magnificent, reaching high into the drizzly skies the peaks and spires seemed as if they would tear the sky open.\nDecorated in flags and red flowers this building was a worthy monument to stand as the center of attention for the entire city. The large clock tower it its grandeur also has a somewhat childish side and is basically a giant cuckoo clock. Within the green part of the tower are all manner of figurines that upon every hour come to life as the towers ring and music plays and dance and twirl for all to see. Among a rather massive crowd we watched these figures twirl about as the rain started to fall very softly. We went into a cafe right across from the clock tower, high above where we were almost level with the dancing figures. There we had cake. Along with silence, the German people really seem to enjoy their cake. In Germany, it felt like all we ate was cake. For breakfast there was cake, and of course yogurt with cereal on top, for lunch there was more cake, and for dinner there was even more cake. Do not get me wrong, the cake was delicious and there is nothing wrong with massive quantities of cake, I just thought it was an interesting observation to share. In this cafe we had some extremely traditionally German cakes; a warm apple strudel (which technically isn’t cake but i think it still counts) and an interesting fruit cake that is basically a yellow sponge cake with fruit like raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries on top coated in a jello like substance. It was very good and really nice to try some authentically German cuisine because as my friend tells me the rest of German cuisine mainly consists of meat and potatoes, which I also found to be very true. However they are very good meat and potatoes.\nI seem to always wind up talking about food, even when there is a beautiful city that still desires attention. Walking through the streets of Munich we passed numerous shop windows filled with tinker toys and tons of little knick-knacks of every kind.\nBesides these funny little shops, the architecture is quite amazing. There seem to be clock towers and church spires all around us. Everywhere I look I see some beautiful building in the distance or right next to me.\nIn a city square of sorts we came upon a structure that at one point was the stand for one of Hitler’s very first speeches to the German people.\nIt seems like everywhere I go there is so much history hiding in the cracks of the sidewalk and behind building walls. This city is full of life that we barely scratched the surface of in our very short time in the city. With our short time we were able to go inside one church. It was one of the first things I spotted in Munich, the tall watch tower with the teal dome resting on the top caught my eye from quite a while away from the city’s center.\nNestled within the city streets, this giant resides as if it does not stand tall above all the other buildings. If the towers were not magnificent enough, the inside was astounding as well. With a ceiling framed with window crosshatching, this church had the most amazing ceilings I have ever seen.\nIn such a large cathedral t is hard not to feel small and insignificant in this house of God. It really was beautiful though, with high arching ceilings, and giant stain glass windows the silence of Germany seemed to be filled with a different sound.\nMunich feels full of life that thrives in a contemplative and silent manner. It was amazing to feel the splendor of this city as the first of many amazing cities to come that are all astoundingly different. This place though has the feeling of an antique portrait of a time where life was grand and the people are kind, if not a little strange.\nNotice the man in the bottom left hand corner and you will know what I mean.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110721_munich/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMunich, Germany was the first destination on our European trip and what a\nplace. On this gray rainy day, the city seemed extremely somber. Being a\nSunday, all the shops were closed and the city was extremely quite. Silence\nand quietness are something that seems prevalent in Germany. The people seem\nto enjoy their silence. Not in a rude or snobbish way, they just appear to be\na more silent people who keep many thoughts to themselves. As if they\ncontemplate each word or sentence that comes from there mouth, they seem to\nkeep most words inside as if to spare us if any of the words are not entirely\nworth hearing; in total opposition to many people I know in the US who talk\nsimply so silence is never heard. It is a calm and almost serene silence but\nthe grey sky brings a sadness to this great city.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Munich"},{"content":"A couple of days ago my grand adventure around Europe came to a bittersweet end. Back in the USA now I had one full day at home before being shipped off to Michigan. So here I am sitting in my grandmother’s beautiful library addressing you. I have seen so many amazing things and of course I desire to share all of it with you. But I would like to share a brief preface before the fun begins:\nAll the things I will tell you, all the pictures I show you, and all the tales I will weave may at best reveal a fraction of the true beauty and sheer amazingness of the things I have seen on this trip. Words can barely describe the thousands of brightly colored doors, or the strange and quirky people I saw, or the myriad of homes or shops hidden down dark and wondrous alley ways. I will try my best to full describe the things I saw in Europe during my crazy busy and beyond wonderful life, but remember the reality can only be glimpsed in these words and pictures. I will do my best.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110721_busy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA couple of days ago my grand adventure around Europe came to a bittersweet\nend. Back in the USA now I had one full day at home before being shipped off\nto Michigan. So here I am sitting in my grandmother’s beautiful library\naddressing you. I have seen so many amazing things and of course I desire to\nshare all of it with you. But I would like to share a brief preface before the\nfun begins:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"My Busy (Wonderful) Life"},{"content":"For those of you who are not aware, I have been in Europe for the last week. I have been without internet and will soon be again, so I will just give a quick update. We started in Germany with a flight to Munich, after several days there we left for Venice, on the way we also stopped in Austria. We had a magical stay in Venice and have just finally moved on to Tuscany where we are currently staying in Chianti, a very small wine village right between Florence and Siena. After a day trip to Florence today tomorrow we are moving on to Siena and ending our day in Vinci, Italy.\nSoooooo if you didn’t catch all of that I have been to Germany, Austria, and Italy. I am having the time of my life and can’t believe I am almost half way done with this trip already. Frankly it breaks my heart, but this is the adventure of a lifetime and I am trying to appreciate every single moment of it.\nHere are some random pictures of our adventures so far, when I return from my escapades in Europe I will elaborate and provide all stories, observations, and of course, pictures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110708_europe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor those of you who are not aware, I have been in Europe for the last week. I\nhave been without internet and will soon be again, so I will just give a quick\nupdate. We started in Germany with a flight to Munich, after several days\nthere we left for Venice, on the way we also stopped in Austria. We had a\nmagical stay in Venice and have just finally moved on to Tuscany where we are\ncurrently staying in Chianti, a very small wine village right between Florence\nand Siena. After a day trip to Florence today tomorrow we are moving on to\nSiena and ending our day in Vinci, Italy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Europe: Travel Update"},{"content":"Gabe is racing Elite 4 at the Burlingame Criterium today with Mack. It\u0026rsquo;s the first big elite field criterium Gabe has signed up for, and he\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to it.\nMack did a very nice job of attacking throughout the race, but unfortunately the field was plenty fast and no one was going to get away today.\nGabe hung in the pack nicely for the entire race, while managing to avoid getting into any trouble. Sorry to see Justin and a few others go down, but I don\u0026rsquo;t think anyone was seriously hurt.\nThe inevitable catch, and the big field sprint. It sure will be cool when Gabe is ready to contest these finishes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is racing Elite 4 at the \u003ca href=\"https://penvelo.org/burlingame-criterium/\"\u003eBurlingame Criterium\u003c/a\u003e\ntoday with Mack. It\u0026rsquo;s the first big elite field criterium Gabe has signed up\nfor, and he\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMack did a very nice job of attacking throughout the race, but unfortunately\nthe field was plenty fast and no one was going to get away today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110626_burlingame/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe hung in the pack nicely for the entire race, while managing to avoid\ngetting into any trouble. Sorry to see Justin and a few others go down, but I\ndon\u0026rsquo;t think anyone was seriously hurt.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Burlingame Criterium"},{"content":"Time for the Central Coast Circuit road race again. Not much wind, but it\u0026rsquo;s a typical cool, foggy morning as Gabe and Mack get ready to roll in the Elite 4s.\nCharlotte and I hike out towards the other side of the course, and catch a glimpse of them coming down the hill before we continue up to the top.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a pretty cool lookout at the top of the hill, but Charlotte confirms that yellow jackets are swarming just like the warning sign indicated. Time to head back down the hill.\nMack did a great job staying at the front and attacking, while Gabe hangs with the pack. His junior gearing makes it really tough when he hits the flat at the bottom of the downhill. I hear Mack, Tobin, and Matt did great in the Elite 3/4 race later in the afternoon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for the \u003ca href=\"https://cccxcycling.com\"\u003eCentral Coast Circuit\u003c/a\u003e road race again.\nNot much wind, but it\u0026rsquo;s a typical cool, foggy morning as Gabe and Mack get\nready to roll in the Elite 4s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I hike out towards the other side of the course, and catch a\nglimpse of them coming down the hill before we continue up to the top.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110625_cccx/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a pretty cool lookout at the top of the hill, but Charlotte confirms\nthat yellow jackets are swarming just like the warning sign indicated. Time to\nhead back down the hill.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Central Coast Circuit race"},{"content":"Last year in Horseshoe Bend I found an amazing looking lizard while out hiking. This year since we returned to the same spot I was hoping to again find a lizard like that. To do this we began a lizard hunt. We found several different types of lizard, the most common was this little guy with the black banded neck.\nWe also spotted a nice small red lizard. He was enjoying his sun spot and was extremely good at camouflaging himself.\nThere was a skink looking lizard as well who was very colorful. He was very fast and not very interested in sticking around for me to photograph him.\nFinally after searching for a long time we finally found the lizard I was looking for. It was the same type of lizard as last year but unfortunately he was younger and I didn’t have the amazing color that the other did. He had the prettiest patterns and shapes including spots and stripes all over him.\nHe was posing all over the place, a perfect little model of a lizard. He was on rocks, near old branches, and of course the beautiful red sand.\nHe really was funny, running all over the place, stretching, and doing push-ups. It was awesome to see such a beautiful animal such as this lizard. All of them were beautiful and it just reminds me how much I love taking photos of animals and other wildlife.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110621_lizard/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast year in Horseshoe Bend I found an amazing looking lizard while out hiking.\nThis year since we returned to the same spot I was hoping to again find a\nlizard like that. To do this we began a lizard hunt. We found several\ndifferent types of lizard, the most common was this little guy with the black\nbanded neck.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_lizard/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also spotted a nice small red lizard. He was enjoying his sun spot and was\nextremely good at camouflaging himself.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lizard Hunting"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s frame was recently cracked in a minor car accident, so it\u0026rsquo;s bad news for my wallet, but good news for the bike racing crazy junior. He was convinced the Specialized S-Works SL3 was the way to go, but we were both hooked on Cervelo once we checked them out at Spokesman in Santa Cruz. Gabe got the S3 with Roval wheels and S-Works shoes. Now that\u0026rsquo;s a racing machine!\nAnd it just so happens that my recent visit to the bike shop uncovered the fact that 7 years and 40,000 miles on my Trek road bike has finally worn it out. Guess I\u0026rsquo;ve got to get a Cervelo R5 to round out the new bike stable at the Multer household. One last visit to the bike shop for our fittings and final bike parts next week, and we\u0026rsquo;ve got two very excited cyclists in da house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s frame was recently cracked in a minor car accident, so it\u0026rsquo;s bad news for\nmy wallet, but good news for the bike racing crazy junior. He was convinced\nthe Specialized S-Works SL3 was the way to go, but we were both hooked on\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.cervelo.com\"\u003eCervelo\u003c/a\u003e once we checked them out at Spokesman in\nSanta Cruz. Gabe got the S3 with Roval wheels and S-Works shoes. Now that\u0026rsquo;s a\nracing machine!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110621_cervelos/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New Cervelo bikes for Gabe and David"},{"content":"Even now at 4:30 in the morning in Death Valley, it is near scorching. It is an ungodly heat, but for the beauty in this sparse land, it is worth it. We woke up really, really early in the morning to catch the sunrise and get a little hike in before it was too hot out. So we headed over to the Mesquite Sand Dunes to watch the sun rise over this sandy wonderland.\nt was gorgeous, one of the most exquisite sunrises I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The way that the sun peeked over the mountains and seemed to crawl across the dunes was near magical.\nWith the sun newly risen, another aspect of this desert land was revealed to us; the texture. The lines and contours that have been etched into this land are amazing. The sun really accents its natural beauty and exaggerates the shape through definition.\nThere is so much beauty hidden in this desert it continues to amaze me. People assume that a place like Death Valley is barren, godforsaken land, but it is in a place like this that people can truly feel near god or some unearthly presence. Here, and every where around us is beauty, we just have to open our eyes and find it ourselves.\nBut a place of beauty is still incomplete without a bit of fun. My mom and I went down into the crease of the dunes to mess around. We played with the puzzle like pieces of dried river bed.\nAnd even played with our own exaggerated shadows stretching across the desert floor. M for Multer, go travel buddies!!!\nThe dead heat of the afternoon was slowly creeping in around us so we quickly made our way out of the desert and moved onward to our next stop. Though ultimately our next stop was Yosemite, we made a stop along the way in Manzanar Historic National Park.\nFor those of you unfamiliar with this park, it is an old Japanese internment camp turned into a place of reflection and historical contemplation. Set beneath the beautiful snow-capped mountains near Mt. Whitney, this one square mile of land was once reserved for the relocated Japanese in California. It is intriguing and saddening to visit this place but most of all for me at least, it is a place to consider the decision of the past and wonder what the decision of the future may hold through the reflection and remembrance of a place such as this. The pillar in the cemetery here really brings this idea to the foreground.\nTokens of remembrance are left here like the long chains of paper cranes and coins for those who once had to call this place home. We can only wonder and remember this time where the world seemed a little darker for everyone.\nAfter this stop we made our way upwards towards Yosemite with one more small stop along the way, Mono Lake. This unique lake is saltier than the ocean and is surrounded by strange monoliths that look like coral that wound up out of the water.\nIt is a strangely beautiful place, with blue-green waters and the snowy mountains behind it, these spires have an amazing location. Stuck between summer and winter, this strange place stands solitary.\nThere is almost no wildlife here to speak of except two species. The exotic seagull,\nand it’s swarming food source, the Alkali Fly.\nThey sit in droves at the salty shores and only seem to move at the disturbance of humans. Upon which they rise up and swarm in black masses until the intruder is forced to run away due to fear of choking from the massive amounts of flies. Terrifying really…\nMoving on, we finally made it to Tioga Pass, the entrance to Yosemite. This was quite a turn around because all of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by deep snow banks and extreme snow run off.\nIn one day, we had gone from 108 degree deserts to snow laden valleys. It was quite a shock and seemed like this single day had spanned weeks. However it was a very nice way to return home, what better views are there when returning home than half dome? Okay there are some but it was pretty nice!\nIt was a day that seemed to last forever but finally we found our way home. So here we are, safe and sound after a long week of adventure. As always, I am ready for more 🙂\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110620_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven now at 4:30 in the morning in Death Valley, it is near scorching. It is an\nungodly heat, but for the beauty in this sparse land, it is worth it. We woke\nup really, really early in the morning to catch the sunrise and get a little\nhike in before it was too hot out. So we headed over to the Mesquite Sand\nDunes to watch the sun rise over this sandy wonderland.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Death Valley, Yosemite, and Home!"},{"content":"I know this is out of order but bear with me. Today was the last day of our road trip around the Southwest. After a week, four states, and twelve national parks my mom and I are finally home. Reasonably, we are both very tired so today\u0026rsquo;s story of how we went all the way from Death Valley’s 108 degree weather, to mountains of snow in Yosemite and finally home to our lovely little Santa Cruz. However you will have to wait one more day for the photos and the fully story. Stay tuned!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110619_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know this is out of order but bear with me. Today was the last day of our\nroad trip around the Southwest. After a week, four states, and twelve national\nparks my mom and I are finally home. Reasonably, we are both very tired so\ntoday\u0026rsquo;s story of how we went all the way from Death Valley’s 108 degree\nweather, to mountains of snow in Yosemite and finally home to our lovely\nlittle Santa Cruz. However you will have to wait one more day for the photos\nand the fully story. Stay tuned!!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Home!"},{"content":"Today was a day of reminiscing, we went back and visited many places that we saw last year on our road trip to Michigan and loved. The first of our most memorable revisits was Horseshoe Bend, a colossal gooseneck near Lake Powell.\nThis extraordinarily impressive geological monolith is one of my favorite views I have ever seen. Sadly the lightning was a far cry from last years and resulted in shadowed photos. Good photos or not, this was beyond amazing and I am really glad to go back and have another chance to see this unique structure.\nOne of the most memorable parts about going to Horseshoe Bend last year was the amazing lizard we found. This beautiful creature had spots and brightly orange colored stripes. He was gorgeous and today I was on a lizard hunt in hope of finding a similar lizard. In the end I did, see the next post for the full story but here is one photo for now.\nOur next revisit was to the Vermillion Cliffs, which includes the Navajo Bridge and the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge. This wonderful park is surrounded by beautiful red cliffs and blue skies.\nThe first part of the park contains the Navajo Bridge, which bridges the beautiful Colorado River.\nThe Cliff Dweller’s Lodge is home to one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The old adobe home on the side of the road with turquoise door and window frames that can be found at the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge is a truly beautiful little piece of ancient times. Before I gave the picture of only the door and window, but now here is the entire house.\nSurrounding this old home are the Vermillion Cliffs and these strange boulder homes that have been built up and once upon a time, lived in. These strange homes are littered about in a hap-hazard fashion but are extremely intriguing due to their balanced and fragile looking structure.\nWhile exploring these old places my mom and I were having fun stopping at every single Native American jewelry stand we came across. All over the side of the roads are little stands full of gorgeous hand made jewelry, dream-catchers, and pottery. We had a lot of fun shopping around and talking to the local Navajo’s about their beautiful home.\nAfter a long day of reminiscing we took an unexpected turn and decided to go to Death Valley.\nWe had plans of going to Bishop and then Devil’s Postpile National Park, but found out that it is still closed due to the snow pack they still have. So yes, a strange choice for the summer where even at night it is 107 degrees outside, but we did it anyways. So tonight we find ourselves staying at the Stovepipe Wells in the heart of Death Valley after driving down an ominously straight and long road out into the desert.\nTomorrow we will hike out before sunrise to see the sand dunes in the early morning glow before the sun bears down on us with its unforgiving heat.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110618_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was a day of reminiscing, we went back and visited many places that we\nsaw last year on our road trip to Michigan and loved. The first of our most\nmemorable revisits was Horseshoe Bend, a colossal gooseneck near Lake Powell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110618_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis extraordinarily impressive geological monolith is one of my favorite views\nI have ever seen. Sadly the lightning was a far cry from last years and\nresulted in shadowed photos. Good photos or not, this was beyond amazing and I\nam really glad to go back and have another chance to see this unique\nstructure.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Horseshoe Bend, Vermillion Cliffs and Everything Navajo"},{"content":"Today we decided to give Arches a second try but earlier, when there are not massive hordes of toursists all over the park. We had an extraordinary time! We first visited the Windows were there were no people at all and had a pleasant, but extremely fast paced hike as we took pictures of the window arches.\nAfterwards we headed over to the Delicate Arch where we were faced with a decision. To simply use the overlook of the arch or do a hike up a sheer rock face to stand right next to the cliff. We almost chose incorrectly and were thinking about doing the overlook for time’s sake. However in the end the hiker’s spirit won and we decided to make the trek to the arch. It was a decision we will never regret.\nThe pictures do not really give the mountain we climbed credit. It was difficult, not impossible but very hard in the high altitude. It was a lot of fun though toughing it out and climbing this mountain. The hike was amazing with awesome views of the valley and geological structures all along the way.\nThe climb up the mountain, the views, the amazing pathway, all are small pieces that made this hike perfect. Ending of course with the famed Delicate Arch. The most photographed arch in the park, it is clear why so many make this trek out into the desert; it is so unique and awe-inspiring.\nCan you spot me in this next picture?\nThe cherry on top for this hike was the petroglyphs at the very end.\nWe had a lot of fun on this hike because it was just so amazing. It is definitely on the top five if not top two of my favorite hikes list. We were even able to spot what I believe was a pretty sexy looking mountain goat on the pathway.\nAfter that amazing experience we headed to the Devil’s Garden to go see the Landscape arch, possibly the biggest arch in the nation. However after our amazing hike at the Delicate Arch this one was relatively disappointing.\nThere were some pretty views from the short hike out but nothing like on the Delicate Arch.\nWe had done three hikes and seen the entire park and were thoroughly tired. However our day had just begun, we still had a long drive and two more parks to see. Next on the list was a small park called Natural Bridges National Park.\nComprised of three arches, this park is very small. Sadly we were so tired that we couldn’t spend a sufficient amount of time necessary to explore this park and as a result it was slightly disappointing. The arches in comparison to Delicate Arch were almost shameful.\nTo exit the park and head to our next destination we had to use the Moki Dugway, a short stretch of highway with intense switchbacks, incredible heights overlooking the area near Monument Valley, and did I mention that it wasn’t paved? Yep, after our flat tire we were extremely tire sensitive and were pretty afraid to drive on it but we had no choice. It turned out to be really pretty and very cool.\nWe decided to make a stop at Goosenecks State Park before we crossed the border into Arizona to see Monument Valley. The Colorado River has carved out some amazing bends and canyons into the valleys here which resulted in the creation of these goosenecks.\nOur last park of the day was Monument Valley. However the pictures were not very good because the valley was so hazy due to the fire down in southern Arizona.\nAfter that we decided to stay the night in Page, Arizona where we will continue our journey tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110617_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we decided to give Arches a second try but earlier, when there are not\nmassive hordes of toursists all over the park. We had an extraordinary time!\nWe first visited the Windows were there were no people at all and had a\npleasant, but extremely fast paced hike as we took pictures of the window\narches.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110617_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110617_utah/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110617_utah/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfterwards we headed over to the Delicate Arch where we were faced with a\ndecision. To simply use the overlook of the arch or do a hike up a sheer rock\nface to stand right next to the cliff. We almost chose incorrectly and were\nthinking about doing the overlook for time’s sake. However in the end the\nhiker’s spirit won and we decided to make the trek to the arch. It was a\ndecision we will never regret.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Arches Take Two and More……!"},{"content":"After last nights flat tire we were left behind schedule in Escalante instead of Moab for the night. As a result we had a lot of ground to make up tonight and did three national parks in one day. The first was Capitol Reef, a national park full of brightly colored cliffs, beautiful aspens, and petroglyphs.\nWe saw many cool things in this park. The first was a little hidden cliff dwelling. I am not sure whether this is ancient (I doubt it) or something someone just decided would be cool to make but either way it was really interesting and cool.\nAlso there was Chimney Rock and an old cabin out in the middle of the park.\nThe petroglyphs around the park were probably my favorite part in this park. You could totally walk by and not notice this beautiful remnant of the past. They have an eerie beauty about them and are so intriguing.\nIt was a beautiful park but I wish we had more time to explore this amazing park. The geological wonders around this park are astounding.\nNext was Canyonlands National Park.\nReminiscent of the Grand Canyon, this park has an overlook over vast canyons and deep crevasses in the earth. It is amazing to see the land stretching for miles with jutting cliffs and sheer canyon walls.\nWe visited the Mesa Arch which had an amazing view of the canyons through the archway.\nWe were chased out of the park by a lightning storm. It was pretty epic, the skies had quickly clouded over with dark angry clouds which did not hesitate in releasing bouts of rain and lightning followed by the deep boom of thunder. We headed over to Arches after that hoping to get some exploration in before the storm really hit.\nIt was extremely overcast and threatening so we made our trip very brief. We drove in to try and do a hike at the Windows collection of arches.\nWe got to see Balanced Rock and the Garden of Eden.\nHowever we did not hike due to fear of the lightning and massive amounts of tourists. There were so many people around the arches that it just wasn’t worth it so we left. They were like ants and good photos were not even possible because the monuments were covered in people.\nSo instead we are going to return to Arches really early in the morning before all the other people arrive. So stay tuned for better pictures of Arches tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110616_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter last nights flat tire we were left behind schedule in Escalante instead\nof Moab for the night. As a result we had a lot of ground to make up tonight\nand did three national parks in one day. The first was Capitol Reef, a\nnational park full of brightly colored cliffs, beautiful aspens, and\npetroglyphs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110616_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110616_utah/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe saw many cool things in this park. The first was a little hidden cliff\ndwelling. I am not sure whether this is ancient (I doubt it) or something\nsomeone just decided would be cool to make but either way it was really\ninteresting and cool.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands, and Arches"},{"content":"Bryce was the next, highly anticipated stop on our trip. I have never been there before but my mom and dad rave about how beautiful and breathtakingly awesome this national park is. So naturally we went, because I am a national park spoiled brat.\nWe were able to experience our first real wildlife besides lizards and a few sparse chipmunks. There were pronghorn antelope all over Bryce and they were relatively close to the road as well.\nCaught in the act of…. being an antelope?\nBryce is the epitome of what Utah is to me. An amazing place full to the brim with wonder and majesty. Red rocks, blue skies, amazing geological formations, and of course gorgeous hikes.\nWe took a quick driving tour of the entire national park and took some photos of the canyon from all sorts of angles including the famous Natural Bridge, Thors Hammer, and Agua Canyon.\nWe decided to take a hike deep into the heart of Bryce Canyon. To get there we had to climb down a series of steep switchbacks leading into a narrow canyon. It was an amazing descent into this beautiful landscape and I have never seen anything quite like it before now.\nAnd of course you have to have fun along the way.\nThis was easily one of the best hikes I have ever been on. We were almost totally alone walking through nicely wooded areas surrounded by steep red, orange, yellow, and white walls. The hoodoos of course were amazing to look at and the views were astounding. There really are not many places quite like this. You have to go into the canyon like we did on our hike or else you miss a gigantic piece of this beautiful picture.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110615_utahbryce/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBryce was the next, highly anticipated stop on our trip. I have never been\nthere before but my mom and dad rave about how beautiful and breathtakingly\nawesome this national park is. So naturally we went, because I am a national\npark spoiled brat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110615_utahbryce/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were able to experience our first real wildlife besides lizards and a few\nsparse chipmunks. There were pronghorn antelope all over Bryce and they were\nrelatively close to the road as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Bryce"},{"content":"Today I started out my morning on the rim of Bryce Canyon watching the sun slowly surmount the hoodoos and cliffs of Bryce in an amazing sunrise.\nAfter that we headed next door to Grand Staircase Escalante National Park for some amazing views and hikes. So we went outbacking in our lovely Outback.\nOur first hike of the day was at Willis Creek Trail, this turned out to be an amazing hike along a river that cuts through a slot like canyon. It was awe inspiring and I have never seen anything quite like it.\nThe lines and shapes created by the wave like stone were extraordinary. The colors were so vivid and bright that you became enveloped in the canyon walls. Even the river was dyed a deep orange red color.\nThere were three separate slot canyons on our hike each slightly different and uniquely beautiful.\nOne canyon had a surprise of its own, a rattlesnake. Fortunately the people ahead of us spotted it but it was extremely agitated. Coiled against one side of the walls, hidden half in and half out of the shadows it sat rattling its tail and hissing at us. Needless to say it was scary and we worried about him a lot on our way back, wondering where he might now be located.\nThe third and final canyon was the most spectacular and was a great finale to an amazing hike. The walls were marvelously sculpted and the color was out of this world.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110615_utahmorning/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I started out my morning on the rim of Bryce Canyon watching the sun\nslowly surmount the hoodoos and cliffs of Bryce in an amazing sunrise.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110615_utahmorning/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter that we headed next door to Grand Staircase Escalante National Park for\nsome amazing views and hikes. So we went outbacking in our lovely Outback.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110615_utahmorning/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110615_utahmorning/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur first hike of the day was at Willis Creek Trail, this turned out to be an\namazing hike along a river that cuts through a slot like canyon. It was awe\ninspiring and I have never seen anything quite like it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Grand Staircase Escalante Part 1"},{"content":"You thought our day was over? Nope, not even close. We then headed over to the next part of the national park to go try and see some more slot canyons called Peek-A-Boo Canyon and Spooky Canyon. From the top of the trail it was pretty unassuming.\nLittle did we know that we had to climb far down to reach the bottom of a canyon in one hundred degree weather only then to reach the slot canyons. It was brutal sliding down the cliff knowing that later I would have to climb back up them with the sun beating down on my back.\nWe then reached the first slot canyon which was Peek-A-Boo and realized we were unable to do it. With a combination of clumsiness and heat exhaustion we were unable to climb into the canyon. Obviously I was extremely upset about this when faced with the possibility of having come all this way for nothing.\nAfter a long deliberation we decided to push on and go see the other canyon, Spooky. It was amazing. Spooky is a true slot canyon meaning it is a claustrophobic persons worst nightmare. You have to duck, crawl, and squeeze your way to advance in these canyons but they are so worth it.\nThe sculpted walls of the canyon are beyond art and beyond all other natural creations. Sometimes it is hard to believe that they were sculpted not by mans hands but by something else.\nLike this one for example, the kissing rocks. These two sculpted walls from the right angle look like people kissing. How could that be an accident? The answer? Mother nature is amazing beyond all words\nIt is quite the experience squeezing through this tiny little gaps. You can feel ever line in the stone, the coolness as you brush your fingertips along it, and you can hear the breeze passing through the canyon’s corridors.\nIt really was amazing and a must have life experience. They are so unique and marvelous, it is amazing to think that these formed naturally and are not actually pieces of art sculpted by who knows what.\nOur day however didn’t end happily, we were stuck on the side of the road in one hundred degree weather with a flat tire. We were going to have to wait but a wonderful person came and saved us! So we are behind schedule now but not by much. We got our butts kicked by these amazing hikes but it was all worth it in the end!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110615_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou thought our day was over? Nope, not even close. We then headed over to the\nnext part of the national park to go try and see some more slot canyons called\nPeek-A-Boo Canyon and Spooky Canyon. From the top of the trail it was pretty\nunassuming.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110615_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLittle did we know that we had to climb far down to reach the bottom of a\ncanyon in one hundred degree weather only then to reach the slot canyons. It\nwas brutal sliding down the cliff knowing that later I would have to climb\nback up them with the sun beating down on my back.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Grand Staircase Escalante Part 2"},{"content":"Today was our first real day of adventure on our Utah road trip. Our very first destination was the upper section of Zion National Park called the Kolob Canyons.\nSadly the lighting was terrible so I couldn’t get great photos of the terrific landscapes that were all around us. There were giant canyons with walls seemingly stretching to the skies and rivers that paved roads for giants. It was quite the sight and to enhance the experience we decided to take a hike up Taylor Creek. A nice six mile hike along a river that eventually ends at a double blind arch.\nWe had a lot of fun crossing rivers running along the red sandy pathways, and just enjoying the magnificent scenery all around us.\nThe arch was enormous and had the best deep red color surrounded by bright green plants. It was quite the sight but we were chased away after a few quick pictures by bugs.\nWe also found some old cabins in the middle of the woods from old settlers who passed through Zion long ago. They were beautiful and haunting, nestled deep in the woody wilderness that stretched within the many canyons of Zion.\nAfter Zion we tried to go to Cedar Breaks National Monument but it was closed due to snow. Yeah, you heard me right, closed for snow in mid June… in Utah. Weird, right?\nWe made due and instead stopped at Red Canyon which had some amazing spires and gorgeous red rock pillars.\nWhile there is grandeur all around us there is still simple beauty everywhere. One of these sources are the amazing wildflowers scattered about all of Southern Utah. They simply add the final touch to all the beauty that we have experienced on this trip already.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110614_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was our first real day of adventure on our Utah road trip. Our very first\ndestination was the upper section of Zion National Park called the Kolob\nCanyons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110614_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSadly the lighting was terrible so I couldn’t get great photos of the terrific\nlandscapes that were all around us. There were giant canyons with walls\nseemingly stretching to the skies and rivers that paved roads for giants. It\nwas quite the sight and to enhance the experience we decided to take a hike up\nTaylor Creek. A nice six mile hike along a river that eventually ends at a\ndouble blind arch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Trip: Zion"},{"content":"Today was a driving day. With each days goal in mind we have set out again on another road trip to try to grasp just one corner of nature’s beauty and try to hold onto it. AS always, our beautiful country has so many wonders it is near impossible to see them all. But that will never deter my attempts. The following week my mother and I will be doing a road trip around all of southern Utah, seeing national parks, hiking, running, photographing, and having a generally awesome time together in the desert sun.\nUtah is one of my favorite places to visit because it has such astounding beauty that is unlike any beauty i can seen near me. Red rocks, canyons, desert expanses that stretch for miles, and of course the bluest skies you will ever see. Our trip began today hours before dawn heading out to St. George, UT, right past Las Vegas. This means that our day was entirely full of about thirteen hours of driving without any planned stops along the way. However any good road tripper can find amazing little adventures and detours to occupy time and make the day seem less daunting and more fun. Our first stop was to take pictures of dilapidation.\nOne thing about desert is that there is no end to the amazingly broken down and graffitied houses on the side of the road. It just so happens these are some of my favorite things to photograph. So we pulled off down a tiny road and found three old homes that had long since pasted their prime days.\nShells of their former self, gutted, empty and abandoned, left only for the sun and time to slowly peel away the paint off the walls, these houses are the definition of desolation. Here they are simply forgotten remnants of a life no one seems to care to remember. They have a sadness and a mystery that hangs from the broken ceiling beams that I find extremely alluring.\nSpeaking of forgotten desolate places, our next stop was a tiny ghost town that could hardly be called that. Just a few miles from Mojave Desert National Park is Silver Lake, or what little is left of it. An old Talc mining town, today there are only a few scarce building foundations buried in sand and a cemetery with a few solitary head stones.\nOn a happier note we then made our way to the Devil’s Playground in Sin City, yes Las Vegas. We stopped to gorge ourselves on the Bellagio’s glorious buffet and do a little shopping in 100 degree weather. Look I even have proof.\nAs usual the food was glorious and we had to sample all sorts of delectable treats that elsewhere we would never find.\nWe also explored the gardens in the Bellagio which were beautiful and with some sort of American patriot theme.\nSo here we are after the first of many days to come of adventure. Tomorrow the fun really begins with our first national parks including Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Bryce Canyon. I can’t wait but for now we can only wait for dawn to come and watch the sun slip away behind a veil of red.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110613_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was a driving day. With each days goal in mind we have set out again on\nanother road trip to try to grasp just one corner of nature’s beauty and try\nto hold onto it. AS always, our beautiful country has so many wonders it is\nnear impossible to see them all. But that will never deter my attempts. The\nfollowing week my mother and I will be doing a road trip around all of\nsouthern Utah, seeing national parks, hiking, running, photographing, and\nhaving a generally awesome time together in the desert sun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Utah Road Trip Day 1"},{"content":"This year\u0026rsquo;s Memorial Day Criterium is also the NCNCA Junior State Championships. It\u0026rsquo;s not a surprise to see Jack leading the pack in the 13-14 group. He eventually won it, but Adrien from Gabe\u0026rsquo;s SJBC team did an awesome job staying right on his tail and eventually getting second place.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time for the 15-16 age group to roll. Zeke, Tim, and Gabe will be working together to help Zeke lock in his Junior Points Series (JPS) win. Henry from Tieni Duro broke away early as he often does, but this time none of the other teams were willing to work together to chase him down. SJBC had their plan, Tieni Duro certainly wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to chase, and Matt from Specialized was on his own. I\u0026rsquo;m sure it was frustrating for a number of the riders, but big kudos to Henry for winning state.\nAnd this is what victory looks like. Nice effort by Zeke at the end to clinch his win in the JPS. Nice job SJBC!\nGabe and I decided to ride home from the race up Old Mt Madonna, and the route didn\u0026rsquo;t disappoint. Beautiful roads out to the base, then an epic few miles of very steep dirt on our road bikes. Now we just have to do the climb up Mt Madonna from the usual side.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110530_memorialcrit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year\u0026rsquo;s Memorial Day Criterium is also the NCNCA Junior State\nChampionships. It\u0026rsquo;s not a surprise to see Jack leading the pack in the 13-14\ngroup. He eventually won it, but Adrien from Gabe\u0026rsquo;s SJBC team did an awesome\njob staying right on his tail and eventually getting second place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow it\u0026rsquo;s time for the 15-16 age group to roll. Zeke, Tim, and Gabe will be\nworking together to help Zeke lock in his Junior Points Series (JPS) win.\nHenry from Tieni Duro broke away early as he often does, but this time none of\nthe other teams were willing to work together to chase him down. SJBC had\ntheir plan, Tieni Duro certainly wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to chase, and Matt from\nSpecialized was on his own. I\u0026rsquo;m sure it was frustrating for a number of the\nriders, but big kudos to Henry for winning state.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Memorial Day criterium"},{"content":"The Mt Hamilton Classic road race is an epic ride, and Gabe has come to give it his best. It\u0026rsquo;s far and away the longest climb he\u0026rsquo;s ever done, more like 3 of the usual mountain climbs right in a row followed by lots more climbs on the other side of the mountain. We\u0026rsquo;ve got the lucky hat, the magical dog, and plenty of time to warm up.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day for the climb out of San Jose, and there\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of climbing specialists ready for action. Charlotte and I head out to Livermore to hang out while Gabe is visiting the pain cave.\nWe waited and waited, but Gabe hung in there great until he cramped near the top. Somewhere out on Mines Road, he opted for the ride with his friend Brian from SJBC. Ethan (and Adrien) both had great rides today. It was clear that sprints were especially painful for those that had to summon the will at the finish line.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110529_mthamilton/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://teamsanjose.org/section/hamilton/\"\u003eMt Hamilton Classic\u003c/a\u003e road race\nis an epic ride, and Gabe has come to give it his best. It\u0026rsquo;s far and away the\nlongest climb he\u0026rsquo;s ever done, more like 3 of the usual mountain climbs right\nin a row followed by lots more climbs on the other side of the mountain. We\u0026rsquo;ve\ngot the lucky hat, the magical dog, and plenty of time to warm up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110529_mthamilton/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110529_mthamilton/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day for the climb out of San Jose, and there\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of\nclimbing specialists ready for action. Charlotte and I head out to Livermore\nto hang out while Gabe is visiting the pain cave.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mt Hamilton road race"},{"content":"Yesterday\u0026rsquo;s stage of the Tour of California was a blast, so Charlotte and I are back on the road to watch the riders leave Seaside for the long ride out to Paso Robles today. Bob Roll is here too along with plenty of bikes.\nGabe is in school, so unfortunately he\u0026rsquo;s not able to collect more autographs for his hat. Plenty of great riders getting ready to roll from Radio Shack, Garmin, Rabobank, and BMC. The start is so much quieter than in Livermore, almost a bit like rolling out on a small training ride. Livermore sure did a great job yesterday.\nAnd there they go!\nCharlotte and I head over to Greenfield to wait for the peloton to roll through downtown. There\u0026rsquo;s a great tailwind as usual for Metz Road as the breakway crosses the tracks.\nIt was such a rush watching the huge pack go past right underneath me while I stood on the crossing guard.\nThe Twisselmans enjoyed the VIP tent across the way, so we\u0026rsquo;re headed down a few yards to catch the incoming sprint.\nThe pack looked really tired, and Peter Sagan didn\u0026rsquo;t disappoint with an awesome win at the line.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110519_toc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday\u0026rsquo;s stage of the Tour of California was a blast, so Charlotte and I are\nback on the road to watch the riders leave Seaside for the long ride out to\nPaso Robles today. Bob Roll is here too along with plenty of bikes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110519_toc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110519_toc/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe is in school, so unfortunately he\u0026rsquo;s not able to collect more autographs\nfor his hat. Plenty of great riders getting ready to roll from Radio Shack,\nGarmin, Rabobank, and BMC. The start is so much quieter than in Livermore,\nalmost a bit like rolling out on a small training ride. Livermore sure did a\ngreat job yesterday.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California - Paso Robles"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the time of year again when the biggest road cycling race in the USA comes to our neck of the woods, the Amgen Tour of California. This year Gabe is working to get tons of autographs from some of his favorite riders on a cycling hat. Some of his favorites include: Jens Voigt, Johan Van Summeren, Laurens Ten Dam, Oscar Freire, Lars Boom, Bernhard Eisel, Taylor Phinney, and George Hincapie.\nWait a second, there\u0026rsquo;s Ben King! Gabe is off and running again! Unfortunately Gabe didn\u0026rsquo;t get Andy Schleck and some others, but 11 autographs is pretty good!\nThe start through downtown Livermore was a great setting with all the riders packed together on the narrow main street. There goes Chris Horner, the eventual winner of the ToC.\nDamn that was cool!\nAfter a quick pee break, Gabe and I are off to ride up Calaveras Canyon, then up Felter and the back side of Sierra Road to watch the summit finish in San Jose where Chris Horner showed the whole field how a great climber makes it look easy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110518_toc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the time of year again when the biggest road cycling race in the USA comes\nto our neck of the woods, the Amgen Tour of California. This year Gabe is\nworking to get tons of autographs from some of his favorite riders on a\ncycling hat. Some of his favorites include: Jens Voigt, Johan Van Summeren,\nLaurens Ten Dam, Oscar Freire, Lars Boom, Bernhard Eisel, Taylor Phinney, and\nGeorge Hincapie.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California - San Jose"},{"content":"The dust is the shroud wrapped tightly around her shoulders\nA death shroud veiling her from the world she is simply passing through\nTransparent eyes look at nothing but the horizon of the world\nWith feet that drag as her invisible chains burden her steps\nShe moves on, deliberately, persistently with no goal in mind\nShe must move, she must not stop or else she will be found\nYou see, her shadow is chasing her but cannot find her in the dust storm\nShe is the lost, she is the invisible left to wander when the storm is over\nDetermination is her name\nBut what good is determination when there is no objective\nSimply the will to keep going, keep moving when all has imploded around you\nShe knows all about failure, pain, and the bottom of the hole\nThe grave she has dug herself into yet seems to continually evade\nShe dances around death with the practicality of a mathematician\nLife is a calculation to her, the only components that exist\nAre her obstacles and her ability to push onward\nSo she finds herself walking down this road again\nChased by her shadow and the inevitably of death\nBut this time as it always has been Lady Luck has swept her away\nIn the arms of a storm that is all consuming and all knowing\nMaybe Luck knows just how it feels to be out of luck\nSo she took pity on a poor girl down on fortune who was betrayed by her shadow\nBut in the end luck has nothing to do with it\nHer shadow will eclipse her in the end as all are and no storm can save her then\nBut for now she continues her dance, her game of Cat and Mouse\nWith those who cannot be tricked or avoided\nWith bare feet she continues forward, pulling the cowl of a dust storm close\nTo hide her face from eyes that can see all and know all\nHow long she wonders, how much longer can this game continue\nFor even now she grows weary, even now her soul\nJust as the soles of her feet grow bloodied and bruised\nFrom a fight she knows she cannot win\nYet she continues to fight because it is simply who she is\nShe is determination and does not know what it means to give up\nSo she doesn’t\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110515_determination/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe dust is the shroud wrapped tightly around her shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nA death shroud veiling her from the world she is simply passing through\u003cbr\u003e\nTransparent eyes look at nothing but the horizon of the world\u003cbr\u003e\nWith feet that drag as her invisible chains burden her steps\u003cbr\u003e\nShe moves on, deliberately, persistently with no goal in mind\u003cbr\u003e\nShe must move, she must not stop or else she will be found\u003cbr\u003e\nYou see, her shadow is chasing her but cannot find her in the dust storm\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is the lost, she is the invisible left to wander when the storm is over\u003cbr\u003e\nDetermination is her name\u003cbr\u003e\nBut what good is determination when there is no objective\u003cbr\u003e\nSimply the will to keep going, keep moving when all has imploded around you\u003cbr\u003e\nShe knows all about failure, pain, and the bottom of the hole\u003cbr\u003e\nThe grave she has dug herself into yet seems to continually evade\u003cbr\u003e\nShe dances around death with the practicality of a mathematician\u003cbr\u003e\nLife is a calculation to her, the only components that exist\u003cbr\u003e\nAre her obstacles and her ability to push onward\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she finds herself walking down this road again\u003cbr\u003e\nChased by her shadow and the inevitably of death\u003cbr\u003e\nBut this time as it always has been Lady Luck has swept her away\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the arms of a storm that is all consuming and all knowing\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe Luck knows just how it feels to be out of luck\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she took pity on a poor girl down on fortune who was betrayed by her shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nBut in the end luck has nothing to do with it\u003cbr\u003e\nHer shadow will eclipse her in the end as all are and no storm can save her then\u003cbr\u003e\nBut for now she continues her dance, her game of Cat and Mouse\u003cbr\u003e\nWith those who cannot be tricked or avoided\u003cbr\u003e\nWith bare feet she continues forward, pulling the cowl of a dust storm close\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hide her face from eyes that can see all and know all\u003cbr\u003e\nHow long she wonders, how much longer can this game continue\u003cbr\u003e\nFor even now she grows weary, even now her soul\u003cbr\u003e\nJust as the soles of her feet grow bloodied and bruised\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom a fight she knows she cannot win\u003cbr\u003e\nYet she continues to fight because it is simply who she is\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is determination and does not know what it means to give up\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she doesn’t\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Determination"},{"content":"Gabe is racing today in the legendary Cat\u0026rsquo;s Hill Classic today. I suppose it\u0026rsquo;s a classic having been around for 38 years, rolling over rough pavement, and including a killer 23% grade hill. Gabe and I previewed the course a few days ago, but now it\u0026rsquo;s time to watch the Cat 3s (including quite a few juniors) enjoy the hill.\nThe junior 15-16 pack comes racing around for their climb up the hill.\nGabe is enjoying the pain cave as he climbs the wall.\nThat was so much fun, they\u0026rsquo;re coming around for some more.\nTim is working his butt off.\nOne last time around the course and up the hill. Adrien takes the prize for best climbing face, and here comes Gabe right behind the fast pack.\nOne more visit to the pain cave before finishing just ahead of Ryan. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gabe is already looking forward to doing this again next year!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110514_catshill/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is racing today in the legendary \u003ca href=\"https://www.catshill.org\"\u003eCat\u0026rsquo;s Hill Classic\u003c/a\u003e today.\nI suppose it\u0026rsquo;s a classic having been around for 38 years, rolling over rough\npavement, and including a killer 23% grade hill. Gabe and I previewed the\ncourse a few days ago, but now it\u0026rsquo;s time to watch the Cat 3s (including quite\na few juniors) enjoy the hill.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110514_catshill/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110514_catshill/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110514_catshill/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe junior 15-16 pack comes racing around for their climb up the hill.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cat's Hill Classic criterium"},{"content":"Because I have so many photos from our zoo adventure I am going to break ti down for each animal we saw. The first is the Emu. An incredible creepy and slightly gross bird. Similar to an ostrich but weirder. There is only one thing I enjoy about emus, their eyes. They have such brightly colored eyes and it is there only redeeming feature to me.\nWithin an animal\u0026rsquo;s eyes lies all their beauty.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110313_emu/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBecause I have so many photos from our zoo adventure I am going to break ti\ndown for each animal we saw. The first is the Emu. An incredible creepy and\nslightly gross bird. Similar to an ostrich but weirder. There is only one\nthing I enjoy about emus, their eyes. They have such brightly colored eyes and\nit is there only redeeming feature to me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithin an animal\u0026rsquo;s eyes lies all their beauty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Emu"},{"content":"Today is an interesting and probably history making day. Today our President Obama made a public announcement declaring that Osama Bin Laden, the figure-head of Al Qaeda, has been killed by American troops in Pakistan.\nThis event puts us in a strange position for many reasons. The main being that events like this allow us to sit in wonder and realize that in this very moment that history is being made around us. Will I and thousand of others remember this day, or will it be swept away in the tide of our memories. It is a strange thing to be able to take a step back and realize that in this very moment history is being formed. Not just in regards to Osama’s death but events all over the world.\nThis leads me to ask, what happens next? What are the implications of his death? This moment may very well be a turning point in history. Then again, it may not be. Still it makes me wonder, what next? Where will tomorrow be leading us. Hopefully to a better future for all of us, but you never know. The world is a mysterious place, and we just have to roll with the blows as they come.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110501_binladen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is an interesting and probably history making day. Today our President\nObama made a public announcement declaring that Osama Bin Laden, the\nfigure-head of Al Qaeda, has been killed by American troops in Pakistan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis event puts us in a strange position for many reasons. The main being that\nevents like this allow us to sit in wonder and realize that in this very\nmoment that history is being made around us. Will I and thousand of others\nremember this day, or will it be swept away in the tide of our memories. It is\na strange thing to be able to take a step back and realize that in this very\nmoment history is being formed. Not just in regards to Osama’s death but\nevents all over the world.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Osama Bin Laden"},{"content":"Blue Herons are an animal that I see plenty of but still pique my interest like all wildlife. It is amazing how even after seeing this animal all my life I still find it fascinating.\nWildlife never gets boring because it is never the same. Each movement in its fluidity is a step towards something new and I hope to be there to watch as this creature sets out on its path to who knows where.\nWithin this steps the most beautiful thing about watching a Heron’s movements is watching as they take flight. Watching as they lift from the ground far from where I can follow them. This is where our paths separate, and I will forever wonder where it is they go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110427_heron/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBlue Herons are an animal that I see plenty of but still pique my interest like\nall wildlife. It is amazing how even after seeing this animal all my life I\nstill find it fascinating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWildlife never gets boring because it is never the same. Each movement in its\nfluidity is a step towards something new and I hope to be there to watch as\nthis creature sets out on its path to who knows where.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blue Heron"},{"content":"While surfing the internet I saw a really cool idea for coloring eggs. Since it is Easter time I decided to give it a try in the name of the holiday spirit. It is really simple actually and has amazing results. You take a bunch of eggs, hard-boiled them and let the fun begin. You roll the eggs on the counter causing them to crack but not fall apart. With your lightly cracked egg you add the food coloring and let it sit.\nAfter a little while the eggs are ready to be peeled. The the fun really begins and the wonder of colors comes into play.\nReady, set, PEEL!\nUnderneath the plainly colored exterior of the eggs lies a network of colors branching across the starch surface of the egg like a spiderweb. It was pretty amazing. The color had seeped through the cracks we made to reveal a colorful network of dazzling Easter Egg design!\nIt really had amazing results and the inside of the peeled shells was even interesting.\nAll in all, a huge success and we had a lot of fun experimenting with this amazing idea!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110426_easter/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile surfing the internet I saw a really cool idea for coloring eggs. Since it\nis Easter time I decided to give it a try in the name of the holiday spirit.\nIt is really simple actually and has amazing results. You take a bunch of\neggs, hard-boiled them and let the fun begin. You roll the eggs on the counter\ncausing them to crack but not fall apart. With your lightly cracked egg you\nadd the food coloring and let it sit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Easter Eggs"},{"content":"Only life’s most beautiful artifacts can be found were no one would expect life to thrive.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110424_flower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOnly life’s most beautiful artifacts can be found were no one would expect life\nto thrive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110424_flower/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Desert Flower"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again for the SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge. I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing this every year since the very start, and last year Gabe did the 50K for the first time. This year he\u0026rsquo;s definitely doing the 100K ride and he\u0026rsquo;ll be kicking my ass. Time to get the festivities rolling and get those riders out there in support of our schools!\nWho are those handsome devils? Gabe will be racing through the course with John Magliato, while I bring up the rear.\nThe number of riders is a little lower this year, but again it\u0026rsquo;s been a very successful fundraising effort on everyone\u0026rsquo;s part.\nAnd off they go! That\u0026rsquo;s me coming over the top of Bean Creek and off to the base of Mt Charlie.\nPlenty of food, music, and good times after the ride.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again for the SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge. I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing\nthis every year since the very start, and last year Gabe did the 50K for the\nfirst time. This year he\u0026rsquo;s definitely doing the 100K ride and he\u0026rsquo;ll be kicking\nmy ass. Time to get the festivities rolling and get those riders out there in\nsupport of our schools!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110423_mtcharlie/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho are those handsome devils? Gabe will be racing through the course with John\nMagliato, while I bring up the rear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge pledge ride"},{"content":"A tiger is an extraordinary animal. Strong, powerful, graceful, and dangerous. Not to mention beautiful, the tiger is an embodiment of the savagery of nature that man attempts to tame.\nIt is sad to see these majestic animals in a zoo, but I am still glad that I was able to see them. It makes me wonder what it would be like to face these animals in the wild as I have seen wolves, coyotes and foxes. How different would this big cat be? Would I be filled with terror or awe as I stared into the mar of these magnificent creatures?\nSomeday I would like to say that I have done just that. looked this beast in the eye without bars between us. Only then could I or anyone really understand the breadth of the difference between the lives we lead in the city and the life of the creatures in the wild.\nFor now I will just have to do with looking deep into this creatures eyes as bars separate us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110422_tiger/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA tiger is an extraordinary animal. Strong, powerful, graceful, and dangerous.\nNot to mention beautiful, the tiger is an embodiment of the savagery of nature\nthat man attempts to tame.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110422_tiger/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110422_tiger/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is sad to see these majestic animals in a zoo, but I am still glad that I\nwas able to see them. It makes me wonder what it would be like to face these\nanimals in the wild as I have seen wolves, coyotes and foxes. How different\nwould this big cat be? Would I be filled with terror or awe as I stared into\nthe mar of these magnificent creatures?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tiger"},{"content":"I was trying to describe you to someone\nBut they couldn’t understand\nThey think you’re odd and strange at times\nBut I think you’re as close to perfect as god would allow\nThey don’t understand how I can love you\nBecause the melancholy print you leave behind\nIs like a bruise a scar that has marred my mind\nThey tell me it is one sided\nBut they could never understand\nI do not need to hear your words\nEchoing off the back of my skull\nI do not need to feel the touch of your fingers when I feel alone\nThere is a name for our love\nAnd it is called\nPoetry\nThe beat to the dance we have in our hearts\nAs each line is stamped into our minds\nA beat is skipped but it never stops\nThis tug of war between our hearts\nThe feeling we get as the words rush forth\nThere is no spoken word to be found\nThat can capture this love and hold it down\nWe have a love that does not need to spoken\nDoes not need to be felt or else it will be broken\nThis symmetry, this geometry is the only thing\nThat god ever intended for me\nSo how can they understand this love we have\nThis odd relationship between a pen and a hand\nYou whisper to me as I sleep at night\nI write to you with my heart in my pen\nThough we will never meet in person\nI will chase your shadow until the day I die\nYou are my muse, my inspiration\nThe light in the sky\nI do not expect understanding or even recognition\nI just need to feel the presence of your shadow\nAs long as I know this candle still burns\nThere will always be a note waiting in the morning\nFor your expected return\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110421_poetry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was trying to describe you to someone\u003cbr\u003e\nBut they couldn’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nThey think you’re odd and strange at times\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I think you’re as close to perfect as god would allow\u003cbr\u003e\nThey don’t understand how I can love you\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the melancholy print you leave behind\u003cbr\u003e\nIs like a bruise a scar that has marred my mind\u003cbr\u003e\nThey tell me it is one sided\u003cbr\u003e\nBut they could never understand\u003cbr\u003e\nI do not need to hear your words\u003cbr\u003e\nEchoing off the back of my skull\u003cbr\u003e\nI do not need to feel the touch of your fingers when I feel alone\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is a name for our love\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd it is called\u003cbr\u003e\nPoetry\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Poetry"},{"content":"The Sea Otter Classic is a major racing event for cyclist from everywhere that just so happens to be in our backyard. This of course means that the competition is going to be crazy, and I can see that Gabe is hoping to just hang in there. It\u0026rsquo;s a tough, hilly course and the Specialized juniors dish our plenty of pain. I know Gabe enjoyed riding next to Phil for a little while.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110416_seaotter/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.seaotterclassic.com\"\u003eSea Otter Classic\u003c/a\u003e is a major racing\nevent for cyclist from everywhere that just so happens to be in our backyard.\nThis of course means that the competition is going to be crazy, and I can see\nthat Gabe is hoping to just hang in there. It\u0026rsquo;s a tough, hilly course and the\nSpecialized juniors dish our plenty of pain. I know Gabe enjoyed riding next\nto Phil for a little while.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sea Otter Classic road race"},{"content":"After a week of driving all over the southwest, Gabe and I are back on the road out to the Modesto area for the Turlock road race. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day, a great course, and a small field, so Gabe is hoping for a good placing.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a 2 lap route for a total of 53 miles, and there are a couple of other fields out at the same time.\nHere comes Gabe and his group after the first lap. The tiny group is taking it easy, and Gabe is all smiles so far. It\u0026rsquo;s nice they\u0026rsquo;ve kept together as it\u0026rsquo;s one of the kid\u0026rsquo;s first race.\nAs I nervously wait to see who will come around the bend first, it\u0026rsquo;s Gabe! He\u0026rsquo;s been wanting a win this first season and I\u0026rsquo;m happy for him and his accomplishment. In that spirit, you can\u0026rsquo;t have enough photos of him coming to the finish line.\nAnd the victor gets another swag bag. The long drive back to Santa Cruz should go pretty easy with my happy man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110409_turlock/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a week of driving all over the southwest, Gabe and I are back on the road\nout to the Modesto area for the Turlock road race. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day, a\ngreat course, and a small field, so Gabe is hoping for a good placing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110409_turlock/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110409_turlock/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110409_turlock/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a 2 lap route for a total of 53 miles, and there are a couple of other\nfields out at the same time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's first win at the Turlock road race"},{"content":"We spent the night in Sedona again because it was so extraordinary. My mom and I started out the day in Red Rocks State Park with a run. We explored the perimeter of the park that overlooked all these towering red rock pillars like the Catthedral, and many others.\nAfter that we left Sedona behind and began our journey tp Phoenix. We made many stops along the way. Pur first stop was in Jerome.\nJerome is an old ghost town that used to have a billion dollar copper mining industry. It was an amazing place, a town built into a gigantic mountainside. My brother was going to try to climb the massive mountain on his bike but that idea was vetoed due to the steep treacherous climb to the top. Despite this the town was extremely quaint and different from most places I have been and was a nice little adventure plus lunch.\nThere were two strange notes of interest while we were in town. As we drove to the top of the mountain we were turned around to a fatal car accident. This sent us back into town were we then realized that the cop all over the town were there not due to the accident but because there had been a mental hospital patient who had escaped here and they were searching for him. A strange day but interesting nonetheless.\nAfter our exciting time in Jerome we headed to Tuzigoot National Monument where there were some more indian ruins.\nIt was here again we spotted the mysterious Gabriel up to his mischievous self.\nThe strange specimen followed us around the park and was in no manner camera-shy.\nThe ruins were interesting and there was quite the storm brewing overhead. We were watching as the angry clouds were gathering and lightning was striking off in the distance.\nNext on our list was the famed Montezuma’s Castle. A well-known cliff dwelling ruin national park. High in the rock walls there was a series of old adobe cliff dwelling homes nestled into the mountains face.\nAnother impressive set of indian ruins. Sadly we didn’t have time to go see Montezuma’s Well and instead moved on to Phoenix for our next adventure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110409_jerome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe spent the night in Sedona again because it was so extraordinary. My mom and\nI started out the day in Red Rocks State Park with a run. We explored the\nperimeter of the park that overlooked all these towering red rock pillars like\nthe Catthedral, and many others.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter that we left Sedona behind and began our journey tp Phoenix. We made many\nstops along the way. Pur first stop was in Jerome.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring Break: Jerome"},{"content":"Yesterday we stayed in beautiful Sedona Arizona. It was just like Zion except covering more space. The red rocks are beautiful and tower over this quaint little town.\nMy mom and I started out the day with a long hike up on top of a mesa. It was difficult but entirely worth it. We had to climb up the face of the red rock mountain. It was beautiful with the red rocks contrasting against the blue sky painted with delicate clouds.\nFrom the top of the mesa we could see the entire town and all of the monoliths surrounding us. We were standing amid the giants of Sedona and it was amazing.\nProbably my favorite part of the hike was the overlook of a huge red rock monolith. There are mitten shaped rocks like those in Monument Valley, but this was not just a mitten rock but an awkward turtle rock. A double-sided mitten.\nAfter the hike my mom and I set out on an adventure in search of Indian ruins around Flagstaff. First on the list was Walnut Canyon National Park.\nWe had to climb down into a canyon via 285 feet of stairs. It was quite an interesting descent into this dry canyon. From there we had to walk around a little island of sorts to find the ruins which were embedded in the walls of the canyon.\nWe got to climb into and explore inside of the ruins but still, hard to compare to Mesa Verde. Next up was Wupatki Indian ruins.\nThe ruins were on top of an oddly balanced rock and we could climb around in them. It was nice to see this huge pueblo house in the middle of the painted desert.\nThen we headed to another section of ruins in the park that were comprised of three parts.\nIt was a long and exciting day full of adventure. We are staying another night in Sedona before moving onto Phoenix for more adventure. We will see what the next few days hold for us as Spring Break winds down.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110406_springbreak/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we stayed in beautiful Sedona Arizona. It was just like Zion except\ncovering more space. The red rocks are beautiful and tower over this quaint\nlittle town.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110406_springbreak/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I started out the day with a long hike up on top of a mesa. It was\ndifficult but entirely worth it. We had to climb up the face of the red rock\nmountain. It was beautiful with the red rocks contrasting against the blue sky\npainted with delicate clouds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring Break: Sedona Day 1"},{"content":"This morning\u0026rsquo;s plan was to ride up Mingus Mountain through Jerome, after first doing a recon of the route with everyone in the car. We decided to bail once we saw how narrow and busy the road was, and it didn\u0026rsquo;t help that it was starting to rain as well. We had to make do with some huge views and a very nice lunch in busy downtown Jerome.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s a nice stop at Tuzigoot National Monument to burn off some of that no-ride energy. Gabe is quite the goofball.\nOur last stop is Montezuma Castle before heading south for warmer weather down in Scottsdale. We didn\u0026rsquo;t get any photos down there, but Gabe and I had a nice ride around McDowell Mountain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110406_tuzigoot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis morning\u0026rsquo;s plan was to ride up Mingus Mountain through Jerome, after first\ndoing a recon of the route with everyone in the car. We decided to bail once\nwe saw how narrow and busy the road was, and it didn\u0026rsquo;t help that it was\nstarting to rain as well. We had to make do with some huge views and a very\nnice lunch in busy downtown Jerome.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s a nice stop at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/tuzi/\"\u003eTuzigoot National Monument\u003c/a\u003e to burn off some\nof that no-ride energy. Gabe is quite the goofball.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring road trip - Jerome, Tuzigoot, and Montezuma"},{"content":"I had visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last summer and now I finally got to see the South Rim. It was pretty impressive and well, grand.\nIt is amazing to stand on the edge of a huge precipice that seems to stretch on forever knowing that I have now been on both sides. I would love to go across the canyon at some point in my life.\nIt is hard to imagine that there is so much beauty everywhere in the world. Without seeing things like this, I would never have believed that just around the corner is an amazing sight like this.\nOut on this white pillar I spotted another rare sight hidden in the trees. It was making strange sounds and crawling around in the bushes. So of course I went to investigate. There in the bushes was…\nThe Gabriel! He was only one of many interesting sights we saw. The Colorado River could be sen far below in the canyon.\nThe colors were phenomenal and created such depth in the canyon that the entire canyon was just breath-taking.\nAt the edge of the East side of the canyon was the Watchtower. An impressive tower that you could climb into and overlook the canyon.\nWe also found some ruins that were interesting. However, no Indian ruins seem nearly as impressive as Mesa Verde was.\nWe ended our day by taking a quick visit to Sunset Crater Volcanic National Monument. It was slightly disappointing because there was no crater you could go see, just volcanic rock.\nIt was a long but impressive day. Tomorrow we are exploring Sedona!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110405_springbreak/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last summer and now I finally\ngot to see the South Rim. It was pretty impressive and well, grand.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_springbreak/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is amazing to stand on the edge of a huge precipice that seems to stretch on\nforever knowing that I have now been on both sides. I would love to go across\nthe canyon at some point in my life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring Break: Grand Canyon"},{"content":"Gabe and I are off riding this morning down through beautiful Red Rock Canyon, Oak Creek, and Cornville. Meanwhile the girls are off enjoying some fabulous hiking in Sedona over at Jordan Park.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Walnut Canyon to check out the ruins.\nAnd because you can never get enough ancient ruins, it\u0026rsquo;s over to Wupatki National Monument.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are off riding this morning down through beautiful Red Rock Canyon,\nOak Creek, and Cornville. Meanwhile the girls are off enjoying some fabulous\nhiking in Sedona over at Jordan Park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/waca/\"\u003eWalnut Canyon\u003c/a\u003e to check out the ruins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd because you can never get enough ancient ruins, it\u0026rsquo;s over to\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/wupa/\"\u003eWupatki National Monument\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110405_sedona/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring road trip - Sedona"},{"content":"After spending last night in Flagstaff, we\u0026rsquo;re off to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We had planned to ride our bikes along the south rim out to Cameron, but it\u0026rsquo;s really cold and we\u0026rsquo;re both a bit tired from yesterday. Good thing we decided on some sightseeing as I think I\u0026rsquo;ve spotted a great red Gabe creature off in those rocks.\nA few dramatic poses that left Gabe holding on to Charlotte pretty tight.\nCharlotte and I spent some time at the north rim back in August one day, then a bit more the next morning. The view from the south rim is quite a sight as well.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte and Monica exploring some of the dicier areas.\nWhile Gabe runs around exploring.\nThe girls are daring each other to stand closest to the edge I think.\nI\u0026rsquo;m kind of glad we opted for enjoying the views instead of booking down the road on our bikes, but then again\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter spending last night in Flagstaff, we\u0026rsquo;re off to the south rim of the\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/grca/\"\u003eGrand Canyon\u003c/a\u003e. We had planned to ride our bikes\nalong the south rim out to Cameron, but it\u0026rsquo;s really cold and we\u0026rsquo;re both a bit\ntired from yesterday. Good thing we decided on some sightseeing as I think\nI\u0026rsquo;ve spotted a great red Gabe creature off in those rocks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110404_grandcanyon/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few dramatic poses that left Gabe holding on to Charlotte pretty tight.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring road trip - Grand Canyon south rim"},{"content":"Today we started out our day in Lake Havasu City, there I happened upon the strange Gabriel species again. This one was giant, he dwarfed a lighthouse that was on the edge of the beautiful lake.\nAnother strange and rare sighting of the Gabriel. After that we headed over to the famous London Bridge. Yes, the real London Bridge in Lake Havasu City Arizona. Strange right?\nSo apparently the original London Bridge was becoming old and ruined so they decided to rebuild it. This left the old bridge nowhere, so they put it up for sale. Lake Havasu City bought it, shipped it, and then rebuilt it right here on Lake Havasu.\nNext on the day’s agenda was Historical Route 66. My dad and brother were going on a long bike ride up route 66 and my mom and I were going running.\nI had never been on Route 66 before and it was quite the experience.\nWe ran along a Wildlife Refuge’s lake that was very beautiful but extremely hot. We also saw a coyote but sadly I didn’t have my camera with me.\nThen was the long drive around a beautiful hilly valley that really gave us a taste of what Arizona is made of. There were towering monoliths or red craggy rocks, hills full of yellow wildflowers and cacti, and long expanses of open countryside.\nAll along the way were interesting sights. Mostly things people would consider eye sores or trash but they were really interesting and amazing. A lot of old rusted out cars, old houses broken down, and well, trash.\nProbably the most interesting part of our day was visiting the tiny town of Oatman. It was full of local color, tiny shops, and of course, donkeys. What quaint little towns isn’t ruled by donkeys?\nThey were everywhere. All over the streets, walking up to cars, people, and trying to get food from everyone. They were adorable; there were babies all over the place but it was so hot they all were taking naps.\nIt was quite the sight, watching all these donkeys just wondering around the town in search of shade and food.\nIt was a good day on Route 66 and there will be more adventure for tomorrow. Tonight we are bedding down in Flagstaff, tomorrow…. the Grand Canyon!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110403_springbreak/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we started out our day in Lake Havasu City, there I happened upon the\nstrange Gabriel species again. This one was giant, he dwarfed a lighthouse\nthat was on the edge of the beautiful lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_springbreak/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_springbreak/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother strange and rare sighting of the Gabriel. After that we headed over to\nthe famous London Bridge. Yes, the real London Bridge in Lake Havasu City\nArizona. Strange right?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_springbreak/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo apparently the original London Bridge was becoming old and ruined so they\ndecided to rebuild it. This left the old bridge nowhere, so they put it up for\nsale. Lake Havasu City bought it, shipped it, and then rebuilt it right here\non Lake Havasu.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring Break: Route 66"},{"content":"Our road trip continues as we head out of California through Lake Havasu as our first hotel stay last night. It\u0026rsquo;s quite a busy little spot with the lake, parks, sunshine, and of course the London Bridge.\nWe head back west a little bit to the town of Topock as our starting point for today\u0026rsquo;s ride up through Oatman and on to Kingman. It\u0026rsquo;s another hot day in the desert, and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of good climbing ahead.\nThe town of Oatman was just before it really started to climb, and it sure was a cute little western town. The tourists, cars, and burros pretty much choked off the road. Time to load up on more water.\nAfter a great decent, we decided to cut the route short as it was just flat and bumpy for miles. This old rest stop in Cool Springs was the perfect place to wait for Charlotte and Monica to catch up.\nWe lucked out finding Mr. D\u0026rsquo;z Diner on Route 66 in Kingman. The food was awesome and Gabe really loved their homemade root beer.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur road trip continues as we head out of California through Lake Havasu as our\nfirst hotel stay last night. It\u0026rsquo;s quite a busy little spot with the lake,\nparks, sunshine, and of course the London Bridge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110403_havasu/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe head back west a little bit to the town of Topock as our starting point for\ntoday\u0026rsquo;s ride up through Oatman and on to Kingman. It\u0026rsquo;s another hot day in the\ndesert, and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of good climbing ahead.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring road trip - Lake Havasu"},{"content":"For spring break I am going on an adventure in Arizona on a road trip. I am basically doing whatever comes to our whimsy along the way. Whether it be stopping at some old worn down houses on the side of the road, chasing animals for photos, or seeing some Indian ruins. Today we decided to stop by Mojave National Preserve.\nMojave is a majestic landscape filled with rocky outcroppings and valleys filled with blond cacti. To me, Mojave is blue skies the stretch beyond the reach of the mountains held up by the arms of the prickly cactus that dwells below.\nAt the entrance I was able to discover a strange new unknown species called the Gabriel. I was able to photograph its strange behaviors. There was the normal behavioral patterns,\nThe lounging stretching pose that harkens to possible ancestry to extremely odd primates…\nThere was also a nurturing side that showed some obvious caring.\nThere was also behavioral patterns of strange joyful behaviors that caused spastic and odd behavior.\nFinally is the most interesting ability that the Gabriel has… levitation.\nDuring our trip we are following around my dad and my brother as they ride their bikes around where ever we happen to be.\nIn Mojave we explored the area around the visitor center which was an old train station. With the dilapidated of their old remains, it was a beautifully haunting place.\nIt was a good day and I look forward to even more adventures soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110402_springbreak/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor spring break I am going on an adventure in Arizona on a road trip. I am\nbasically doing whatever comes to our whimsy along the way. Whether it be\nstopping at some old worn down houses on the side of the road, chasing animals\nfor photos, or seeing some Indian ruins. Today we decided to stop by Mojave\nNational Preserve.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_springbreak/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMojave is a majestic landscape filled with rocky outcroppings and valleys\nfilled with blond cacti. To me, Mojave is blue skies the stretch beyond the\nreach of the mountains held up by the arms of the prickly cactus that dwells\nbelow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring Break: Mojave"},{"content":"Monica and Gabe have a week off from school, so we\u0026rsquo;re heading south in search of dry, warm weather for hiking and cycling. First stop is the mighty Mojave. Last time we came through here was two years ago in an RV for one night, and some hiking in the dunes the next day.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long drive, so Gabe and I get changed and ready to roll.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a quick hour ride from the entrance down to Kelso.\nIt sure is nice to be riding in the warm sun, though I\u0026rsquo;m glad we\u0026rsquo;re moving fast nearly the whole way. The wind is just enough to keep us a little cool.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica and Gabe have a week off from school, so we\u0026rsquo;re heading south in search\nof dry, warm weather for hiking and cycling. First stop is the mighty\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.nps.gov/moja/\"\u003eMojave\u003c/a\u003e. Last time we came through here was two\nyears ago in an RV for one night, and some hiking in the dunes the next day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long drive, so Gabe and I get changed and ready to roll.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110402_mojave/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring road trip - Mojave"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re in the Sacramento area for another day of racing at the Bariani road race. The weather is still threatening, but I think the rain is finally over. Of course the roads are still pretty wet and the pavement is pretty chewed up. Ethan gets a nice break early in the Cat 5 race of three laps with a ton of wind on the course.\nCharlotte is enjoying the fields and olive trees on our walk along the course.\ntwo fields of women are out on the course at the same time as the men, and everyone looks like they are working really hard. Gabe got a little dizzy after the first lap and had to drop back a bit. Looks like he found someone to work with at least for a little while.\nEthan did a nice job of taking the win in the sprint, while the women have one more lap to go. Then comes the rest of the main pack for the men\u0026rsquo;s final finish.\nAnd here comes our young rider Gabe!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110327_bariani/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re in the Sacramento area for another day of racing at the Bariani road\nrace. The weather is still threatening, but I think the rain is finally over.\nOf course the roads are still pretty wet and the pavement is pretty chewed up.\nEthan gets a nice break early in the Cat 5 race of three laps with a ton of\nwind on the course.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110327_bariani/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110327_bariani/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110327_bariani/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is enjoying the fields and olive trees on our walk along the course.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A windy day at Bariani road race"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re up in Sacramento for a weekend of racing, and today is the Land Park Criterium. We left a gigantic storm back in Santa Cruz, and the raining starting coming down pretty hard once the race started here also. Today\u0026rsquo;s race is an open junior\u0026rsquo;s field, so there are quite a few very fast guys out there. Dylan takes an early break, but is later joined by Alex. Gabe hangs in there for most of the race, but the accelerations take their toll towards the end. Tim did a nice job hanging in there especially considering that he raced Cat 5 first thing in the morning.\nAlex manages to take Dylan at the line. Unfortunately Ryan had some bad luck and finished a few back in the chasing pack.\nthink Gabe is just glad he\u0026rsquo;s heading back to the car to dry off and get warm.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110326_landpark/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re up in Sacramento for a weekend of racing, and today is the Land Park\nCriterium. We left a gigantic storm back in Santa Cruz, and the raining\nstarting coming down pretty hard once the race started here also. Today\u0026rsquo;s race\nis an open junior\u0026rsquo;s field, so there are quite a few very fast guys out there.\nDylan takes an early break, but is later joined by Alex. Gabe hangs in there\nfor most of the race, but the accelerations take their toll towards the end.\nTim did a nice job hanging in there especially considering that he raced Cat 5\nfirst thing in the morning.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A wet day at the Land Park Criterium"},{"content":"Gabe raced at the Central Coast Circuit race again yesterday, and we lucked out with a break in the weather. It looks like the luck continues today at the Salinas Criterium. Gabe is very excited about today\u0026rsquo;s race as he\u0026rsquo;s finally wearing his super cool SJBC kit.\nGabe leads everyone around on the way out, but Dylan and the Tieni Duro guys quickly blow things wide open. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see Gabe working his butt off to catch the break. A few guys try to hang on his wheel, but they fall off pretty quickly.\nDylan waits up for his teammate and picks up Gabe as well. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty tough strategic position to be in for Gabe, but he\u0026rsquo;s gotta feel good hanging with two strong Cat 3 riders.\nThey make a big effort on the upwind leg and drop Gabe pretty hard. He\u0026rsquo;s got quite a few laps of very hard time trialing now to hold his position, but totally kills it. He managed to keep pace a few hundred yards back from the front two, and extends his lead on the rest of the pack.\nAwesome effort and a third place finish!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe raced at the Central Coast Circuit race again yesterday, and we lucked out\nwith a break in the weather. It looks like the luck continues today at the\nSalinas Criterium. Gabe is very excited about today\u0026rsquo;s race as he\u0026rsquo;s finally\nwearing his super cool SJBC kit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110320_salinas/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe leads everyone around on the way out, but Dylan and the Tieni Duro guys\nquickly blow things wide open. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see Gabe working his butt off to\ncatch the break. A few guys try to hang on his wheel, but they fall off pretty\nquickly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Podium at the Salinas Criterium"},{"content":"These amazingly fuzzy and funny looking creatures are just another species on my list of cute yet simultaneously frightening animals. I just feel constantly watched around them because of their huge eyes. It is just creepy and look slightly malevolent.\nThat is a face that screams, Yeah just get a little closer so I can bite your finger off. So creepy yet so fuzzy looking. It is like a death trap, you just want to get close and give it a pet but you know if you get too close it will eat your face. They are tricky animals, crazy one moment and totally zen the next.\nWhat can I say, I am just attracted to deceiving animals. Why can’t they al just be simply cute?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110316_lemurs/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese amazingly fuzzy and funny looking creatures are just another species on\nmy list of cute yet simultaneously frightening animals. I just feel constantly\nwatched around them because of their huge eyes. It is just creepy and look\nslightly malevolent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110316_lemurs/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is a face that screams, Yeah just get a little closer so I can bite your\nfinger off. So creepy yet so fuzzy looking. It is like a death trap, you just\nwant to get close and give it a pet but you know if you get too close it will\neat your face. They are tricky animals, crazy one moment and totally zen the\nnext.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lemurs"},{"content":"Alpaca’s are fascinatingly ugly animals.With strange clumps of fur, jutting teeth, and eyes that watch you warily at all times; the alpaca is a shifty animal at best. I feel like I must constantly watch out for spit whenever I get near these animals. I have always felt something sinister about them and I think it is because of their teeth.\nA face only a mother could love. Every time I look at a llama or alpaca I cringe. Yet for some reason I feel totally fascinated by them. I want to go in closer for a better look but my whole body screams stay back, it bites!\nAnd then there is this guy.\nThis animal is terrifying in a sinisterly stupid way. Look at its eyes, so focused yet totally vacant, and its teeth just sticking out at odd angles. Evil I declare, and I will stay away because you frighten me. What else can I say?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110315_animals/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAlpaca’s are fascinatingly ugly animals.With strange clumps of fur, jutting\nteeth, and eyes that watch you warily at all times; the alpaca is a shifty\nanimal at best. I feel like I must constantly watch out for spit whenever I\nget near these animals. I have always felt something sinister about them and I\nthink it is because of their teeth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110315_animals/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA face only a mother could love. Every time I look at a llama or alpaca I\ncringe. Yet for some reason I feel totally fascinated by them. I want to go in\ncloser for a better look but my whole body screams \u003cstrong\u003estay back, it bites!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Farm Animals"},{"content":"This weekend we\u0026rsquo;re off to Fort Ord for the Central Coast Circuit race. There\u0026rsquo;s no junior category, but Gabe is hopeful that this will be a good race to try out riding with the Elite 5 men. Simon, Joe, and a turkey are there to welcome Gabe to the race.\nThere are a few fellow SJBC riders joining Gabe, though unfortunately his new kit didn\u0026rsquo;t make it in time for the race. Here are a few shots from around the course. Gabe is doing very well staying at the front along with Tim.\nThere were a few crashes on the downhill part of the course, including a guy that went down right next to Gabe. The last 2 riders to fall got hurt pretty seriously, so they\u0026rsquo;ve stopped the race while emergency personnel do everything they can.\nMeanwhile Charlotte visits the mayhem to see how the riders are doing, and when they\u0026rsquo;ll restart the race. After an hour, everyone does one final lap before they call it a day. Gabe wisely didn\u0026rsquo;t push it and happily finished at the back of the first pack.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110312_cccr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis weekend we\u0026rsquo;re off to Fort Ord for the Central Coast Circuit race. There\u0026rsquo;s\nno junior category, but Gabe is hopeful that this will be a good race to try\nout riding with the Elite 5 men. Simon, Joe, and a turkey are there to welcome\nGabe to the race.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110312_cccr/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are a few fellow SJBC riders joining Gabe, though unfortunately his new\nkit didn\u0026rsquo;t make it in time for the race. Here are a few shots from around the\ncourse. Gabe is doing very well staying at the front along with Tim.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Central Coast Circuit race"},{"content":"Sorry for the lack of posts… again. Life is hectic right now as my senior year brings me closer and closer to IB Exams. I have been working hard to catch up on my schooling after being gone for a week in Yellowstone.\nHowever I got away from the hustle and bustle with some friends and took a road trip down to Cal Poly to see my brother. We went to the zoo and just hung out. More info on that will be coming over the next couple of days. I am hoping I will soon be back on track with posting. So here is a photo to tide you over, a funny look into the (inappropriate) life of Meerkats. (notice the guy just kind of chilling in the back ground watching).\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110312_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry for the lack of posts… again. Life is hectic right now as my senior year\nbrings me closer and closer to IB Exams. I have been working hard to catch up\non my schooling after being gone for a week in Yellowstone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever I got away from the hustle and bustle with some friends and took a road\ntrip down to Cal Poly to see my brother. We went to the zoo and just hung out.\nMore info on that will be coming over the next couple of days. I am hoping I\nwill soon be back on track with posting. So here is a photo to tide you over,\na funny look into the (inappropriate) life of Meerkats. (notice the guy just\nkind of chilling in the back ground watching).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Update"},{"content":"Charlotte and Gabe headed out to the central valley for the Snelling road race, while Monica and I were in Yellowstone. Sounds like it was a cold, but dry day to ride some beautiful roads with the other juniors. They started hammering right away, and Gabe was happy with his 9th place finish.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Gabe headed out to the central valley for the Snelling road race,\nwhile Monica and I were in Yellowstone. Sounds like it was a cold, but dry day\nto ride some beautiful roads with the other juniors. They started hammering\nright away, and Gabe was happy with his 9th place finish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110305_snelling/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snelling road race"},{"content":"This year Monica and I are headed back to [Yellowstone] (https://www.nps.gov/yell) to enjoy the awesome wildlife and scenery again. I didn\u0026rsquo;t collect a lot of photos this year, as Monica and I shared the large lenses and she posted a lot of her work on her blog. You can read her entries for day 1, 2, 3456. I\u0026rsquo;ve put a few of my favorite photos here for you to enjoy. Unfortunately the wildlife was very sparse this year, but we did manage to get some great fox photos. We did have a load of fun, right up to the point I got a bad fever and cough for the last few days. It was a treat to meet Chris Miller and his wife for dinner and talk about genealogy and life in Montana.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110302_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year Monica and I are headed back to [Yellowstone]\n(\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell\"\u003ehttps://www.nps.gov/yell\u003c/a\u003e) to enjoy the awesome wildlife and scenery again. I\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t collect a lot of photos this year, as Monica and I shared the large\nlenses and she posted a lot of her work on her blog. You can read her entries\nfor day \u003ca href=\"/posts/2011/yellowstone-day-1\"\u003e1\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"posts/2011/yellowstone-day-2\"\u003e2\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"posts/2011/yellowstone-day-3\"\u003e3\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"posts/2011/yellowstone-day-4\"\u003e4\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"posts/2011/yellowstone-day-5\"\u003e5\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"posts/2011/yellowstone-day-6\"\u003e6\u003c/a\u003e.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve put a few of my favorite photos here for you to enjoy. Unfortunately the\nwildlife was very sparse this year, but we did manage to get some great fox\nphotos. We did have a load of fun, right up to the point I got a bad fever and\ncough for the last few days. It was a treat to meet Chris Miller and his wife\nfor dinner and talk about genealogy and life in Montana.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter with Monica"},{"content":"Today was our last day in Yellowstone and I can’t lie, it was pretty disappointing. The entire park was incredibly vacant of all life. There were so little animals that we saw almost nothing. This includes wolves. For the second year I am walking away from Yellowstone without a photo of a wolf. It is disappointing but I can not forget what a wonderful experience I have been blessed with. I got to see a fox, coyotes, eagles, buffalo, big horn sheep, and many other things. I have had a wonderful time but I really want to see the wolves.\nToday was a really sparse day. I didn’t take any photos all day because there was absolutely nothing in the park. Near the end of the day we followed a coyote from round prairie to their family. There were four coyotes, a family, all playing and having fun. They were adorable and rambunctious.\nThey were far away but still really fun to watch as they chased and tackled each other.\nAfter we left the coyotes it started snow extremely hard. Everything in the park was quickly covered in snow. It was beautiful to watch the snow coming down and coating the valley. We found some animals including buffalo covered in the snow. They sit so still that the snow just clings to them as if they were a part of the landscape.\nTheses animals were about it for the entire day in the park. Except for the very last stretch of the road were we found a coyote trying to cross the road.\nAs always, I wish I didn’t have t leave Yellowstone. There is never enough time to do everything. I hope I can return soon and hope to see and photograph wolves next time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110303_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was our last day in Yellowstone and I can’t lie, it was pretty\ndisappointing. The entire park was incredibly vacant of all life. There were\nso little animals that we saw almost nothing. This includes wolves. For the\nsecond year I am walking away from Yellowstone without a photo of a wolf. It\nis disappointing but I can not forget what a wonderful experience I have been\nblessed with. I got to see a fox, coyotes, eagles, buffalo, big horn sheep,\nand many other things. I have had a wonderful time but I really want to see\nthe wolves.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 6"},{"content":"Today the wildlife activity in the park seemed to pick up a lot. We saw all sorts of animals. We started out with a small coyote who crossed the road in front of us only to soon disappear into the snow.\nWe also saw some more coyotes later in the day. One of which had found what appeared to be a large elk bone and was chewing on it for quite some time.\nWe also were able to see some buffalo fighting on a snow bank. One was clearly the victor and the other left in a huff. It was really interesting to watch but a little scary having a fight so close to the car. They were locking horns and butting heads for a few minutes in front of us.\nEven more exciting was what we spent the majority of the day doing; following around a little fox. Foxes are one of my favorite types of animals and I think one of the most beautiful wildlife species to be found in Yellowstone. I have photographed a fox before, but this fox was different. He had so much fur and color that made him look fantastic.\nAt first I had seen him a very long way away in Lamar Valley hunting. I predicted that if I waited long enough he would come closer to the road where I could get a decent shot of him. So I nestled down into the snow and sat out in the valley and waited for him for about an hour. I almost gave up to go find another animal because I heard wolves howling nearby when sure enough he popped up right where I thought he would be. He came trotting along and quickly made his way across the valley and yet again disappeared from view. I got a shot though so it was ok. Then we left and came back about an hour or two later and found him again on the other side of the road. We quickly realized he was going to cross the road at some point so we waited diligently for him to take action.\nSure enough he began to quickly head to the road and we followed him.\nAfter he crossed the road he sat down on the snow embankment to watch all the people who were frantically trying to capture his beauty in a snap shot. He was awe-inspiring with his cat-like looks and beautiful red fur. He also had amazingly puffy feet that made him look slightly lopsided and funny when he walked.\nHe was a perfect example of the amazing wildlife that Yellowstone has to offer.\nAfter the fox disappeared off into the snow covered valley we got to see many other animals like some more big horn sheep, deer, and prong horns. It was a really good day in the park. Still no wolves however and tomorrow is our last day in the park. I really want to get some good shots of a wolf, so hopefully we will get to see them before we are gone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110302_yellowstone2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday the wildlife activity in the park seemed to pick up a lot. We saw all\nsorts of animals. We started out with a small coyote who crossed the road in\nfront of us only to soon disappear into the snow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110302_yellowstone2/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also saw some more coyotes later in the day. One of which had found what\nappeared to be a large elk bone and was chewing on it for quite some time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 5"},{"content":"Outside our hotel is a group of deer that seem to hang around at all times. This morning they were especially cute; they were all huddled up next to a house trying to stay warm. It is a nice thing to wake up and have wildlife basically sitting on your doorstep.\nThere was a lot less wind and bad weather today and even some really nice sun that greeted us frequently throughout the day. The remnants of yesterday still remained and the snow plows and blowers were out in full force trying to clear away all the snow off the roads.\nIt was really fun to watch the snow being jettisoned hundreds of feet into the air. After the roads were cleared we decided to take advantage of the sun and go snow shoeing. We went out to Lost Lake which included a hike through the Petrified Forest, and a beautiful walk through a snowy canyon way tat led to the lake. We also found a kill. it was an old dead buffalo that had been eaten from the inside. It was gruesome but interesting to see.\nAfter our snowshoeing was over we drove around Lamar Valley looking for animals. Sadly still no wolf sightings and in fact there are very little animal sightings at all. It seems like our luck may be changing soon however. We found a beautiful bull elk that we were able to follow for a while. This means that the elk are moving into the valley which means that the wolves should soon follow.\nAnd as our final good sign for our changing luck was a couple of coyotes running across the road right in front of us. They didn’t stay long but we got a couple of pictures.\nTomorrow is a new day and with that we hope, as always, to find and photograph wolves.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110301_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOutside our hotel is a group of deer that seem to hang around at all times.\nThis morning they were especially cute; they were all huddled up next to a\nhouse trying to stay warm. It is a nice thing to wake up and have wildlife\nbasically sitting on your doorstep.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was a lot less wind and bad weather today and even some really nice sun\nthat greeted us frequently throughout the day. The remnants of yesterday still\nremained and the snow plows and blowers were out in full force trying to clear\naway all the snow off the roads.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 4"},{"content":"Today was a snow storm. There was so much snow and wind that it felt like a snow hurricane. At certain times we couldn’t even see the road. This also meant that we didn’t see that much wildlife. Still no sightings of wolves but we saw plenty of other animals. There were a lot of buffaloes hanging out in the snow, hunkering down for the storm.\nWe also had a couple of coyotes run across the road in front of us.\nThe big horn sheep were out again in their usual spot by the rocky outcroppings. We saw some bulls and some juveniles.\nWe also we able to get some shots of the pronghorn antelopes as we were leaving the park. They are one of my favorite animals in the park because of their majestic beauty. They are beautiful animals with good markings, ig black eyes, and little horns. There is something so beautiful about them that I find so enticing.\nIt was too windy and snowy to go snow shoeing but it was still a good day. We are hoping for better weather and always more wolves. Hoping for a better tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110228_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was a snow storm. There was so much snow and wind that it felt like a\nsnow hurricane. At certain times we couldn’t even see the road. This also\nmeant that we didn’t see that much wildlife. Still no sightings of wolves but\nwe saw plenty of other animals. There were a lot of buffaloes hanging out in\nthe snow, hunkering down for the storm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110228_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also had a couple of coyotes run across the road in front of us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 3"},{"content":"Today was the first day of our real expedition. We headed out in sub-zero temperature in search of the wildlife and beauty that Yellowstone has to offer. We started out early and headed into the park. We got to see some more elk at Mammoth Hot Springs, one of which was nursing.\nThen we started out on our long days journey to Lamar Valley. We saw all sorts of animals including coyotes, bison, elk, bald eagles, and big horns. However most of them were to far away to get actually decent photos of them. The big horns however decided to cooperate with us and get close enough to photo graph as they ate their lunch.\nAfter that my dad and I went snowshoeing into a canyon at Pebble Creek. It was beautiful, with high stony walls, snow hatted rocks and a partially frozen river.\nDue to fear that we may have been very close to encroaching upon a bear den we decided to take the safe route and return to our car for lunch. After that we headed out to see if the otters from last year were still in their same spot. Sadly we saw no otters today but hope to see them soon.\nIt was a beautiful day but the wildlife wasn’t super active. I am hoping for more activity tomorrow and hopefully some wolves. For now it was just another beautiful day in Yellowstone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110227_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was the first day of our real expedition. We headed out in sub-zero\ntemperature in search of the wildlife and beauty that Yellowstone has to\noffer. We started out early and headed into the park. We got to see some more\nelk at Mammoth Hot Springs, one of which was nursing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110227_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110227_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen we started out on our long days journey to Lamar Valley. We saw all sorts\nof animals including coyotes, bison, elk, bald eagles, and big horns. However\nmost of them were to far away to get actually decent photos of them. The big\nhorns however decided to cooperate with us and get close enough to photo graph\nas they ate their lunch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 2"},{"content":"Today my dad and I arrived in Yellowstone in -20 degree weather. Yes, it was that cold. I have never been so cold in my life, and there is probably a week more of this weather in my future. Anyways, we headed down to Gardiner Montana after landing in Bozeman. It is a winter wonderland here, there is snow everywhere. As we pulled into Mammoth Hot springs it was snowing and incredibly windy. My face still feels wind burned…\nWe did see a little bit of wildlife just with our quick peak in the park. I spotted some big horned sheep grazing on a ridge. There was a baby and it’s family all running around in the snow.\nWe also had a few run ins with a little rabbit as we walked around in the cold.\nFunny little critter and good practice to get back into taking wildlife photography. No wolves to be seen yet but we are hopeful. There have been plenty of sightings. Tomorrow we are going snowshoeing and photographing. I will put up more photos tomorrow!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110226_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday my dad and I arrived in Yellowstone in -20 degree weather. Yes, it was\nthat cold. I have never been so cold in my life, and there is probably a week\nmore of this weather in my future. Anyways, we headed down to Gardiner Montana\nafter landing in Bozeman. It is a winter wonderland here, there is snow\neverywhere. As we pulled into Mammoth Hot springs it was snowing and\nincredibly windy. My face still feels wind burned…\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Day 1"},{"content":"As many of you know last year I spent a week in Yellowstone following wolves and taking photos. I am blessed to yet again have this amazing opportunity to explore the harsh wild wilderness that is the Yellowstone tundra. The next week I will be in the Northern part of the park photographing animals and landscape.\nI haven’t been posting as often this month because I have been so busy with preparations. After this is over I am going to go back to posting regularly. Hopefully each day I will have time to post some of my pictures from my adventures of that day. Last year I couldn’t because we were so busy, but hopefully this year I can. I can’t wait to return to Yellowstone. Hopefully this year I will get some really good wolf shots!\nSee you all in a week.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110225_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs many of you know last year I spent a week in Yellowstone following wolves\nand taking photos. I am blessed to yet again have this amazing opportunity to\nexplore the harsh wild wilderness that is the Yellowstone tundra. The next\nweek I will be in the Northern part of the park photographing animals and\nlandscape.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI haven’t been posting as often this month because I have been so busy with\npreparations. After this is over I am going to go back to posting regularly.\nHopefully each day I will have time to post some of my pictures from my\nadventures of that day. Last year I couldn’t because we were so busy, but\nhopefully this year I can. I can’t wait to return to Yellowstone. Hopefully\nthis year I will get some really good wolf shots!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone Take Two"},{"content":"It is always the most interesting type of beauty that can be found within the dead and withered objects. The things you believe are beyond the beauty of life and have passed over into a place where only death is. Often, however, it seems that these dead things carry their own beauty. A distinct majesty from the living beauty that stands far a part from any normal type of beauty. It seems there is even beauty in death. The withered and the dying, a beauty that is not from a world we can fully understand. Instead, a beauty that awaits us for a certain time and until then we can not fully understand this withered and dead beauty, just what it could mean.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110221_beauty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt is always the most interesting type of beauty that can be found within the\ndead and withered objects. The things you believe are beyond the beauty of\nlife and have passed over into a place where only death is. Often, however, it\nseems that these dead things carry their own beauty. A distinct majesty from\nthe living beauty that stands far a part from any normal type of beauty. It\nseems there is even beauty in death. The withered and the dying, a beauty that\nis not from a world we can fully understand. Instead, a beauty that awaits us\nfor a certain time and until then we can not fully understand this withered\nand dead beauty, just what it could mean.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dead Beauty"},{"content":"Yesterday Gabe did the Pine Flat road race, and this afternoon it\u0026rsquo;s the Dinuba Criterium. He\u0026rsquo;ll be riding a small loop thirty times around very quiet Dinuba. This huskie anxiously awaits the start with the rest of us.\nRight away Jack from Specialized powers off the front as if today was a time trial. One guy manages to hang on for a couple of laps before running out of steam. Gabe is staying right on Aidan\u0026rsquo;s wheel, and the small group is working well together.\nJack is still booking around the course, while Gabe keeps riding strong.\nA group of four Tieni Duro riders make a nice break from the 17-18 pack and look to take the day. The guy that was hanging with Jack falls back to Gabe\u0026rsquo;s pack. He\u0026rsquo;ll be tough to beat at the finish.\nJack has managed to lap his field and rides with Gabe and his group for just a few moments before continuing on to catch and pass all the older riders. The pack of four Tieni Duro riders manage to pass Gabe\u0026rsquo;s group right before the end as well.\nGabe finishes second in his pack behind the strong guy, and third overall since Jack demolished the field. Some happy bike riders at the finish where Gabe gets yet another rare winner\u0026rsquo;s shirt.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110221_dinuba/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday Gabe did the Pine Flat road race, and this afternoon it\u0026rsquo;s the Dinuba\nCriterium. He\u0026rsquo;ll be riding a small loop thirty times around very quiet Dinuba.\nThis huskie anxiously awaits the start with the rest of us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110221_dinuba/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110221_dinuba/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110221_dinuba/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110221_dinuba/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRight away Jack from Specialized powers off the front as if today was a time\ntrial. One guy manages to hang on for a couple of laps before running out of\nsteam. Gabe is staying right on Aidan\u0026rsquo;s wheel, and the small group is working\nwell together.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dinuba Criterium"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a holiday weekend and we\u0026rsquo;re off to the central valley for some quality bike racing. First stop is the Pine Flat road race. It was pouring rain on the way out, but this morning it\u0026rsquo;s a fine day for racing. It\u0026rsquo;s going to be a long course with quite a bit of climbing, but fortunately Gabe\u0026rsquo;s junior field is pretty small. And the four of them are off up the steep short hill at the start.\nCharlotte and I head up the road a little bit to wait for Gabe to head back after going out along the lake. It\u0026rsquo;s worrying time as he heads out across a number of cattle guards. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see he\u0026rsquo;s riding strong at the front when he finally comes around the bend.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s my cue to start my ride out along the lake out towards Balch Camp. I figure I\u0026rsquo;ve got about two hours of riding to make it back in time for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s finish. This has to be the most beautiful ride I may have ever done!\nWe anxiously awaited Gabe at the finish on the summit of Maxson Road. He suffered mightily on the Wildcat climb, but managed to hang in there and make it to the finish in third place. Now it\u0026rsquo;s just a quick ride down the hill with his old man to go get his winnings, a t-shirt not many people get to wear.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110220_pineflat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a holiday weekend and we\u0026rsquo;re off to the central valley for some quality\nbike racing. First stop is the Pine Flat road race. It was pouring rain on the\nway out, but this morning it\u0026rsquo;s a fine day for racing. It\u0026rsquo;s going to be a long\ncourse with quite a bit of climbing, but fortunately Gabe\u0026rsquo;s junior field is\npretty small. And the four of them are off up the steep short hill at the\nstart.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pine Flat road race"},{"content":"There is another world at my fingertips\nSo solid and real yet non-existent\nNo matter how far you dig\nThe opposing hands seem\nJust beyond reach\nA drowning sibling\nToo far for contact\nWith this other world\nAt times you see each other\nIn the glimpse of a shadow\nOut of the corner o your eye\nIn the slight reflection\nOf a dirty decaying mirror\nHiding in the corner\nOf an old attic room\nImmersed in a dark pool of water\nWith the shimmering image\nOf this world\nThere one moment\nBut lost in the disturbances\nOf the world we find ourselves in now\nYou wait for these fleeting meetings\nBetween you and your other self\nWhom you never knew\nExcept for those evanescent glances\nInto a ghostly world\nWere two were almost one\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110218_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is another world at my fingertips\u003cbr\u003e\nSo solid and real yet non-existent\u003cbr\u003e\nNo matter how far you dig\u003cbr\u003e\nThe opposing hands seem\u003cbr\u003e\nJust beyond reach\u003cbr\u003e\nA drowning sibling\u003cbr\u003e\nToo far for contact\u003cbr\u003e\nWith this other world\u003cbr\u003e\nAt times you see each other\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the glimpse of a shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of the corner o your eye\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the slight reflection\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a dirty decaying mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nHiding in the corner\u003cbr\u003e\nOf an old attic room\u003cbr\u003e\nImmersed in a dark pool of water\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the shimmering image\u003cbr\u003e\nOf this world\u003cbr\u003e\nThere one moment\u003cbr\u003e\nBut lost in the disturbances\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the world we find ourselves in now\u003cbr\u003e\nYou wait for these fleeting meetings\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween you and your other self\u003cbr\u003e\nWhom you never knew\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept for those evanescent glances\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a ghostly world\u003cbr\u003e\nWere two were almost one\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Two Worlds"},{"content":"Last week was the last training race, and today is the real thing. Fortunately the field isn\u0026rsquo;t packed with the usual ringers from SJBC or Specialized, so Gabe is hoping for a good finish.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a slower pace than previous races, and I\u0026rsquo;m happy to see Gabe hanging right at the front of the pack the whole race. He holds a pretty decent position on the last turn and pulls off a sixth with Ryan from Steven\u0026rsquo;s Bicycles taking first.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast week was the last training race, and today is the real thing. Fortunately\nthe field isn\u0026rsquo;t packed with the usual ringers from SJBC or Specialized, so\nGabe is hoping for a good finish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110213_earlybird/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a slower pace than previous races, and I\u0026rsquo;m happy to see Gabe hanging right\nat the front of the pack the whole race. He holds a pretty decent position on\nthe last turn and pulls off a sixth with Ryan from Steven\u0026rsquo;s Bicycles taking\nfirst.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The official Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"It seems there are windows hidden in all sorts of places. Windows to what, is the question.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110210_vines/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt seems there are windows hidden in all sorts of places. Windows to what, is\nthe question.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110210_vines/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vines"},{"content":"Part two of our Napa adventure included the most amazing thing I saw all weekend was the Castello de Amorosa. We visited this castle out in the wine country was extraordinary.\nMy favorite part of the castle was not actually the structure, but the animals around it. Especially the sheep, they cracked me up and made it feel almost like we were back in time at a medieval castle.\nIt was so quaint and beautiful out there with all the animals. I really enjoyed the sheep but I also made a friend with the castle’s guardian, a little orange tabby cat. He was beautiful and was sitting in an olive tree outside the castle walls.\nThere were also an array of birds including peacocks and chickens.\nIt was a lot of fun exploring Napa with my mom and hope to do it again some time but for now the adventure in castles, food and wineries will have to do.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110209_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePart two of our Napa adventure included the most amazing thing I saw all\nweekend was the Castello de Amorosa. We visited this castle out in the wine\ncountry was extraordinary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110209_napa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110209_napa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110209_napa/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy favorite part of the castle was not actually the structure, but the animals\naround it. Especially the sheep, they cracked me up and made it feel almost\nlike we were back in time at a medieval castle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Napa Part 2"},{"content":"My family and I went on a short trip up to Napa for my little brother’s road bike race called the Cherry Pie Criterium. Yes, the winners do get cherry pies, sadly not us though. This was my first trip to wine country and because I am not yet of drinking age we had to find some pretty awesome adventures other than wine tasting. First plan for adventure: visiting cool looking wineries and taking pictures of fields with flowers.\nWe visited one winery with really interesting statues around it and it was really beautiful. Not to mention the weather while we were p there, around 80 the whole time. Nice!\nJust looking around Napa there is such beautiful architecture everywhere. I wish I could have taken photos of all of it. The other amazing part about Napa are the old trees. I love the trees there with their scraggly limbs and reaching arms.\nNext item on the adventure agenda was food of course! You can’t go to Napa and not eat good food, I think it should be a crime not to get good food. Our food of choice was the CIA, not the federal scary secretive thing but the Culinary Institute of America.\nIt was really amazing. We got two samplers, the entrée samplers and then the dessert samplers. With a side of the best brussels sprouts I have ever eaten!\nThe case of the missing food, I went to the bathroom and lo and behold it was gone. What can I say? Next was the desert round!!\nI loved the little cookie spoon in this pana cotta, it was beyond adorable and fun to eat with.\nThat is all for part one of the Napa trip, tomorrow there will be more tales of our next exciting adventure. Here\u0026rsquo;s a hint, it has to do with something medieval looking and many animals, stay tuned 🙂\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110208_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy family and I went on a short trip up to Napa for my little brother’s road\nbike race called the Cherry Pie Criterium. Yes, the winners do get cherry\npies, sadly not us though. This was my first trip to wine country and because\nI am not yet of drinking age we had to find some pretty awesome adventures\nother than wine tasting. First plan for adventure: visiting cool looking\nwineries and taking pictures of fields with flowers.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Napa Part 1"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to the Cherry Pie Criterium this weekend for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s first big official group crit. He\u0026rsquo;s pretty nervous considering he\u0026rsquo;s lumped in with the 17-18 year old group, and there are tons of advanced category riders. Looks like Specialized, SJBC, Tieni Duro, and Team Swift are here in force. A slow clip in doesn\u0026rsquo;t bode well.\nThe pack is moving very fast today and there\u0026rsquo;s one crash at the switch over that came close to Gabe. They\u0026rsquo;ll be heading up and over this hill quite a few times. Specialized is working really hard at the front.\nGabe hangs on to the pack for a few laps, but the pace just proves too much. As he starts to slip back and regroup with a few riders, the officials whistle them off the course. Gabe is pretty disappointed, but there\u0026rsquo;s a lot to learn from a 16th place finish. It sure was nice racing in 80 degree weather in February though!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to the Cherry Pie Criterium this weekend for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s first big\nofficial group crit. He\u0026rsquo;s pretty nervous considering he\u0026rsquo;s lumped in with the\n17-18 year old group, and there are tons of advanced category riders. Looks\nlike Specialized, SJBC, Tieni Duro, and Team Swift are here in force. A slow\nclip in doesn\u0026rsquo;t bode well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110206_cherrypie/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pack is moving very fast today and there\u0026rsquo;s one crash at the switch over\nthat came close to Gabe. They\u0026rsquo;ll be heading up and over this hill quite a few\ntimes. Specialized is working really hard at the front.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cherry Pie Criterium"},{"content":"Teeter me tower\nSettle down annoying clatter\nFind me the fire\nBetween your clamorous banter\nThere is silence to be had\nIf only it could be found\nDrop the dice\nOnly to loose the die\nPitter patter little rain drop\nWho knew you could\nMake such a ruckus\nWho knew the dove\nWould best the crow\nThat the dog would never\nHave his day\nClitter clatter of the tatters\nLeft behind by the shreds\nOf all that never was\nBut will always be\nFind the answer\nWithout the question\nSeek a sunset during sunrise\nAnd what will you find?\nA frame without a photo\nAnd a world without meaning\nFilled to the brim\nOf a glass not quite full\nBut never empty\nJump to reach the sun\nWhen the stars stand in the way\nFind me reason\nWithout rhyme\nFind the end of this poem\nIn the next line\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110131_clatter/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTeeter me tower\u003cbr\u003e\nSettle down annoying clatter\u003cbr\u003e\nFind me the fire\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween your clamorous banter\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is silence to be had\u003cbr\u003e\nIf only it could be found\u003cbr\u003e\nDrop the dice\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly to loose the die\u003cbr\u003e\nPitter patter little rain drop\u003cbr\u003e\nWho knew you could\u003cbr\u003e\nMake such a ruckus\u003cbr\u003e\nWho knew the dove\u003cbr\u003e\nWould best the crow\u003cbr\u003e\nThat the dog would never\u003cbr\u003e\nHave his day\u003cbr\u003e\nClitter clatter of the tatters\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft behind by the shreds\u003cbr\u003e\nOf all that never was\u003cbr\u003e\nBut will always be\u003cbr\u003e\nFind the answer\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout the question\u003cbr\u003e\nSeek a sunset during sunrise\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd what will you find?\u003cbr\u003e\nA frame without a photo\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a world without meaning\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled to the brim\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a glass not quite full\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never empty\u003cbr\u003e\nJump to reach the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the stars stand in the way\u003cbr\u003e\nFind me reason\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout rhyme\u003cbr\u003e\nFind the end of this poem\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the next line\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Clatter of the Unknown"},{"content":"Gabe did very well at last week\u0026rsquo;s Early Bird Criterium, and we\u0026rsquo;re back again for another race. The field is quite a bit smaller given the rain today, but it looks like SJBC is here with a few of their best. I wish they had shown up at the group ride for SJBC we did together yesterday, so they would have known him and they could have worked together.\nAnd they\u0026rsquo;re off! Fortunately the rain has stopped, though everyone is definitely getting a face full of dirt. The SJBC broke off from the pack on the second lap and have been powering ever since. The chase group is a little slow to start working together, but it\u0026rsquo;s good to see Gabe and a few others taking turns at the front.\nThese guys definitely earned the win by a comfortable margin. Two of them did the Pro/1/2/3 race later in the day I think.\nHere comes Gabe to take 3rd place in his pack, for a sixth overall. A nice effort after a hard 50 miles with SJBC yesterday.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110130_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe did very well at last week\u0026rsquo;s Early Bird Criterium, and we\u0026rsquo;re back again\nfor another race. The field is quite a bit smaller given the rain today, but\nit looks like SJBC is here with a few of their best. I wish they had shown up\nat the group ride for SJBC we did together yesterday, so they would have known\nhim and they could have worked together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another Early Bird Criterium for Gabe"},{"content":" ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110130_rocky/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_rocky/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_rocky/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110130_rocky/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rocky Shelters"},{"content":"Deserts provide amazing opportunities for great photos because of their vibrant colors. This photo of the natural colors in Joshua Tree being exaggerated really excites the awesome colors, but in the end the natural colors are always best. But enhanced ones can be very fun 🙂\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110124_desert/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDeserts provide amazing opportunities for great photos because of their vibrant\ncolors. This photo of the natural colors in Joshua Tree being exaggerated\nreally excites the awesome colors, but in the end the natural colors are\nalways best. But enhanced ones can be very fun 🙂\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Desert Colors"},{"content":"Gabe was sick last weekend and missed the second Early Bird Criterium, but he\u0026rsquo;s excited to do another one after a successful first race. It\u0026rsquo;s another big field, but fortunately the Spokesman rabbit isn\u0026rsquo;t here today. The pack holds together nicely for the whole race, though Gabe had to slow once for another rider\u0026rsquo;s slight crash. He\u0026rsquo;s in great position for the last couple of laps.\nThe finish was easily won by one guy, then second and third by another, followed by the fast pack. Gabe was tired, but pulled in a nice fifth place finish. I think he\u0026rsquo;s got the fever now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe was sick last weekend and missed the second Early Bird Criterium, but he\u0026rsquo;s\nexcited to do another one after a successful first race. It\u0026rsquo;s another big\nfield, but fortunately the Spokesman rabbit isn\u0026rsquo;t here today. The pack holds\ntogether nicely for the whole race, though Gabe had to slow once for another\nrider\u0026rsquo;s slight crash. He\u0026rsquo;s in great position for the last couple of laps.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110123_earlybird/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe finish was easily won by one guy, then second and third by another,\nfollowed by the fast pack. Gabe was tired, but pulled in a nice fifth place\nfinish. I think he\u0026rsquo;s got the fever now.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe at another Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"These are the things which belong to me:\nA spider suspended in a cobweb\nThat lies in the corner of my room\nWaiting each day to greet me\nWhen I come home with a silent hello.\nA fake flower in a waterless vase\nWith a single counterfeit dew drop\nBalancing on the end of a synthetic leaf\nLike a tear drop that will never fall.\nA painting of a woman half finished\nHanging over my bed at night\nMy guardian angel watching over my dreams\nThe dream like visage of who I might be.\nA horseshoe above my doorway\nThat hangs upside down\nThe luck has all fallen out\nOf its open face.\nA crumbled up piece of paper\nWith the semblance of words\nWritten and re-written\nOnly to be crossed out.\nA picture of myself with friends\nWho have gone yet still remain\nFaces that have so very changed\nYet I still feel the same.\nA piñata’s head from years ago\nEmptied of candy and color\nOnce prized and cherished\nNow looked at as trash.\nA picture of a woman\nWho does not know me\nBut I feel I know her\nFrom another past life.\nThese things that I call mine\nDon’t belong to me at all\nThey own me like their coveted doll\nJust an object, a thing.\nYet still, these are the things which I call my own.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110123_belongings/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese are the things which belong to me:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA spider suspended in a cobweb\u003cbr\u003e\nThat lies in the corner of my room\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting each day to greet me\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen I come home with a silent hello.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fake flower in a waterless vase\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a single counterfeit dew drop\u003cbr\u003e\nBalancing on the end of a synthetic leaf\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a tear drop that will never fall.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA painting of a woman half finished\u003cbr\u003e\nHanging over my bed at night\u003cbr\u003e\nMy guardian angel watching over my dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nThe dream like visage of who I might be.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"My Belongings"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110123_overcast/","summary":"","title":"Overcast"},{"content":"You stand on one side of a bridge\nThe other cannot be seen\nHidden behind a veil of fog\nStretching on indefinitely\nAs you place your hand on the railing\nYou feel the pull of ghosts at your shirttails\nThe whispers in your ears\nThe fog’s fingers gently wrapping around you\nCaressing your face pulling you step by step\nOnto the bridge that will take you away\nYou feel consumed by the fog\nAs it wraps you in its loving arms\nLike a mother and her child\nYou feel safe, you feel the calm\nThat you never felt before\nAs you are pulled step by step\nAway from the world you once knew\nYou welcome it, accept it\nAs your new home\nYou feel another pull\nas you reach the middle of the bridge\nA sadness nipping at your heels\nLike a child grasping onto her fathers legs\nAs he walks away forever out the door\nA heaviness that not even the fog can lift\nPulls you back to the edge of a world you have almost forgotten\nYou look back over your shoulder\nA sorrow only known in this world\nMirrors in your eyes\nThe fog pulls you forward\nThose you loved pull you back\nYou are lost in the middle\nOf two very different worlds\nPulled by the sweet numbing of pain\nOn one side and on the other\nPulled by the sweet feel of pain\nTo remind you that you are alive\nThere is no going back\nOnce you cross the bridge\nThere is only silence\nOnly a choice to make\nTo leave those you loved behind\nOr take the chance\nTo live again\nIn a world that might not be so sweet\nBut to feel pain means\nThat your heart is still beating\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110121_bridge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou stand on one side of a bridge\u003cbr\u003e\nThe other cannot be seen\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden behind a veil of fog\u003cbr\u003e\nStretching on indefinitely\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you place your hand on the railing\u003cbr\u003e\nYou feel the pull of ghosts at your shirttails\u003cbr\u003e\nThe whispers in your ears\u003cbr\u003e\nThe fog’s fingers gently wrapping around you\u003cbr\u003e\nCaressing your face pulling you step by step\u003cbr\u003e\nOnto the bridge that will take you away\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou feel consumed by the fog\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it wraps you in its loving arms\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a mother and her child\u003cbr\u003e\nYou feel safe, you feel the calm\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you never felt before\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you are pulled step by step\u003cbr\u003e\nAway from the world you once knew\u003cbr\u003e\nYou welcome it, accept it\u003cbr\u003e\nAs your new home\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Bridge"},{"content":"Even flowers cry sometimes\nWhat do they have to cry about?\nThey are so pretty\nBut they won’t stay pretty for long\nAnd it isn’t about being pretty\nIt is about loosing life\nWhere did they loose it?\nI laughed softly\nResting my hand on her shoulder\nI don’t know\nMaybe they left it under their bed\nAnd forgot it was there\nI did that once\nShe said with a sad sigh\nI know I said smiling\nMaybe they lost it\nIn the playground\nHidden under a sandy Everest\nI think I get it\nThe flowers have lost their petals\nAnd that is why they are sad\nExactly and they cry for each others loss\nThen why doesn’t it make me sad?\nDifferent things make different people sad\nI say with a frown\nWatching the poppy’s tears\nRoll down its face\nYou will understand when you are older\nBut I want to understand now!\nI know, I say with a smile\nI know as I guide her away\nTo happier things\nTo flowers with open faces\nSmiling at the sun\nBut she will never forget\nThe crying flower\nKnowing that every flower she sees\nWill cry someday\nFor what it lost in the sandbox\nOr under the bed\nWe all loose something in the end\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110119_tears/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven flowers cry sometimes\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhat do they have to cry about?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThey are so pretty\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBut they won’t stay pretty for long\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd it isn’t about being pretty\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is about loosing life\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhere did they loose it\u003c/em\u003e?\u003cbr\u003e\nI laughed softly\u003cbr\u003e\nResting my hand on her shoulder\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe they left it under their bed\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd forgot it was there\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI did that once\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nShe said with a sad sigh\u003cbr\u003e\nI know I said smiling\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe they lost it\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the playground\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden under a sandy Everest\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI think I get it\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThe flowers have lost their petals\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd that is why they are sad\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nExactly and they cry for each others loss\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThen why doesn’t it make me sad?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nDifferent things make different people sad\u003cbr\u003e\nI say with a frown\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching the poppy’s tears\u003cbr\u003e\nRoll down its face\u003cbr\u003e\nYou will understand when you are older\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eBut I want to understand now!\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI know, I say with a smile\u003cbr\u003e\nI know as I guide her away\u003cbr\u003e\nTo happier things\u003cbr\u003e\nTo flowers with open faces\u003cbr\u003e\nSmiling at the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she will never forget\u003cbr\u003e\nThe crying flower\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing that every flower she sees\u003cbr\u003e\nWill cry someday\u003cbr\u003e\nFor what it lost in the sandbox\u003cbr\u003e\nOr under the bed\u003cbr\u003e\nWe all loose something in the end\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Poppy Tears"},{"content":"A woman stands on the side of the road\nNot on the side walk but not quite in the street\nStanding on the gutter’s front step\nShe is motionless as cars streak past in a blur\nThey do not stop for her, they don’t even see her\nAs she stands on the edge of their awareness\nBut very much in the middle of her own mind\nShe watches the cars as they past\nYou can see her lips move but they make no noise\nMaybe she is asking them to slow down\nMaybe she is asking them to speed up\nOr maybe she is asking for a prayer\nTo save her soul for what she is about to do\nShe closes her eyes and takes a step away from the side walk\nOne step closer to the street\nOne step farther away from the world she once knew\nThen another and another and still the cars don’t stop\nShe can no longer hear them\nJust feel them as their tires reverberate on the blacktop\nLike the hum of a hummingbird only inches from her ears\nShe will not stop for them she has someone she must meet\nShe is dancing with death, her feet flat on the ground\nStill she keeps moving as the cars get closer and closer\nAs she moves farther and farther away from the curb\nUntil she is in the middle of the road\nShe turns and faces traffic and opens her eyes\nTo a bright light encompassing her\nFor a single moment she can feel God\nShe opens her arms to embrace it with a soft smile\nAs the car slams on its brakes and stops\nOnly inches from her face\nShe heaves a heavy sign not of fear but relief\nShe lowers her arms slowly with a little smile on her face\nThen turns away and begins to walk the other direction\nContinuing her crusade across black top\nWith the remembrance of the lights\nThat had so recently filled her mind\nShe held that little moment deep within her heart\nA moment where she and death almost touched hands\nShe had seen him stretching out his long bony fingers\nTo graze against her face, cool and smooth\nOnly to be pulled away at the last moment\nIt was also a moment\nWhere she stood within arms reach of God\nClose enough to brush her fingers against his outstretched palm\nBoth stood on one side of the street\nSeparated by cars, by busy people\nUnaware of whom they were in the presence of\nShe held both their hands for a moment\nAnd walked away unscathed but with a new smile\nThat held death and god on each corner\nAs she walked away from that road\nFrom one side walk to another\nShe had met death and god\nAnd walked away from both\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110118_reach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA woman stands on the side of the road\u003cbr\u003e\nNot on the side walk but not quite in the street\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding on the gutter’s front step\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is motionless as cars streak past in a blur\u003cbr\u003e\nThey do not stop for her, they don’t even see her\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she stands on the edge of their awareness\u003cbr\u003e\nBut very much in the middle of her own mind\u003cbr\u003e\nShe watches the cars as they past\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can see her lips move but they make no noise\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe she is asking them to slow down\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe she is asking them to speed up\u003cbr\u003e\nOr maybe she is asking for a prayer\u003cbr\u003e\nTo save her soul for what she is about to do\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Within Reach"},{"content":"Baboons are a very strange, colorful, and robust animal. They are very fun to photograph because they have such amazing colors in the strangest of places which I am sure I won’t have to mention because everyone is fully aware of that already.\nYes, he is scratching his butt.\nI really enjoyed the females the most even though the men have such interesting looks I liked the females better. Their hair looked almost like it had been crimped and dyed with yellow. Their eyes are the most amazing par, wide and yellow. They were fascinating to watch.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110117_baboon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBaboons are a very strange, colorful, and robust animal. They are very fun to\nphotograph because they have such amazing colors in the strangest of places\nwhich I am sure I won’t have to mention because everyone is fully aware of\nthat already.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110117_baboon/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, he is scratching his butt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110117_baboon/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really enjoyed the females the most even though the men have such interesting\nlooks I liked the females better. Their hair looked almost like it had been\ncrimped and dyed with yellow.  Their eyes are the most amazing par, wide and\nyellow. They were fascinating to watch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Baboon"},{"content":"A snowy egret flies\nOn paper thin wings\nLike a paper airplane\nGliding through the air\nKeeping airborne\nFor as long as it can\nUntil its fragile wings\nBow under the weight\nOf heavy air\nInto the ground\nWhere no paper airplanes soar\nHere the snow\nBelongs to the land\nNot the bird in the sky\nNo longer fragile and beautiful\nBut the paper-thin feel\nOf cold seeping\nInto your hollow bones\nThe delicate dance\nOf frostbite on the fingertips\nOf ballerina dancers\nThe slow decay of the biting snow\nAnd the old heaviness weighing down\nThe lightest breeze\nThe wings of an egret\nLaden with the burden\nOf the world without sky\nChained to the ground\nWaist deep in snow\nWhere a creature with wings\nDoes not belong\nYet cannot escape from\nThe paper wings beat\nTo leave behind this place\nHeavy\nWith the absence of all\nFreedom lies in the air\nWhere the snow belongs\nTo a graceful bird\nNot the world lying below\nWhere frostbite is left behind\nIn the warm sun’s glow\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110115_egret/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA snowy egret flies\u003cbr\u003e\nOn paper thin wings\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a paper airplane\u003cbr\u003e\nGliding through the air\u003cbr\u003e\nKeeping airborne\u003cbr\u003e\nFor as long as it can\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil its fragile wings\u003cbr\u003e\nBow under the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nOf heavy air\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere no paper airplanes soar\u003cbr\u003e\nHere the snow\u003cbr\u003e\nBelongs to the land\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the bird in the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nNo longer fragile and beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the paper-thin feel\u003cbr\u003e\nOf cold seeping\u003cbr\u003e\nInto your hollow bones\u003cbr\u003e\nThe delicate dance\u003cbr\u003e\nOf frostbite on the fingertips\u003cbr\u003e\nOf ballerina dancers\u003cbr\u003e\nThe slow decay of the biting snow\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the old heaviness weighing down\u003cbr\u003e\nThe lightest breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wings of an egret\u003cbr\u003e\nLaden with the burden\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the world without sky\u003cbr\u003e\nChained to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nWaist deep in snow\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere a creature with wings\u003cbr\u003e\nDoes not belong\u003cbr\u003e\nYet cannot escape from\u003cbr\u003e\nThe paper wings beat\u003cbr\u003e\nTo leave behind this place\u003cbr\u003e\nHeavy\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the absence of all\u003cbr\u003e\nFreedom lies in the air\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the snow belongs\u003cbr\u003e\nTo a graceful bird\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the world lying below\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere frostbite is left behind\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the warm sun’s glow\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snowy Egret (Frostbite)"},{"content":"Let me introduce to you a very strange animal called a dik-dik.Yes, its name is dik-dik. The even funnier part is what this animal actually is, a deer like animal that is only about a two foot long. An antelope named for its shrill call that actually sounds like “dik dik” or “zik zik”. Probably one of the strangest animals I have ever seen, I had heard about them before but never expected to see one in person when I went to the San Francisco Zoo. I am very glad I got to see one, and now you can too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110114_dikdik/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLet me introduce to you a very strange animal called a dik-dik.Yes, its name is\ndik-dik. The even funnier part is what this animal actually is, a deer like\nanimal that is only about a two foot long. An antelope named for its shrill\ncall that actually sounds like “dik dik” or “zik zik”. Probably one of the\nstrangest animals I have ever seen, I had heard about them before but never\nexpected to see one in person when I went to the San Francisco Zoo. I am very\nglad I got to see one, and now you can too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Dik-Dik"},{"content":"Joshua Tree in the eye of the beholder, the eye of the adventurer. My mom and I recently visited Joshua Tree National Park down by Palm Springs. A park full of rock pillars and sculptures and very odd looking trees that slightly resemble puffy cacti slapped on the ends of a scruffy looking tree trunk. Odd but intriguing plants.\nThe first thing we did was visit Barker’s Dam. It was a nice little hike out to a small lake and a very old looking dam.\nReflections truly are a beautiful thing, it always makes me wonder if there is always another mirror image of every single thing on earth, and we just don’t know it. I feel like reflections give us a brief glimpse of this other world of upsides and opposites. They are beautiful, especially with the rich blues and bright red rocks contrasting. It really is one of my favorite types of landscapes to shoot.\nOn our way back from the dam we visited a petroglyph site which was my favorite part of the trip. It was this big monolith of a rock with a dug out little alcove in it high above the ground where nestled inside were old cave drawings from Native Americans. I climbed up the rock and into the alcove to get a better look at them. Being so close to these old drawings was an awe inspiring experience. To feel so near history, to something so ancient that it is hard to fathom. It was remarkable, not to mention the scenery you could see from inside there.\nAfter that we visited the Arch Rock which was a spectacular arch of red rock in a canyon of giant boulders. It was so cool to look around at this desert rocky landscape and photography it.\nOverall Joshua Tree was a very nice national park and the petroglyphs were definitely the best part. The cacti were pretty amazing as well. Another park down for the travel buddies.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110113_joshuatree/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJoshua Tree in the eye of the beholder, the eye of the adventurer. My mom and I\nrecently visited Joshua Tree National Park down by Palm Springs. A park full\nof rock pillars and sculptures and very odd looking trees that slightly\nresemble puffy cacti slapped on the ends of a scruffy looking tree trunk. Odd\nbut intriguing plants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110113_joshuatree/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first thing we did was visit Barker’s Dam. It was a nice little hike out to\na small lake and a very old looking dam.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Joshua Tree"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110111_poppies/","summary":"","title":"Poppies"},{"content":"\nThe peacock is a truly magnificent animal with dazzling colors, long majestic feathers, and beautiful patterns. However it is actually a relatively mean animal. There is something scary about them like they are constantly trying to figure out the best method of attack to send you running and screaming in the other direction. I think it is the black beady eyes always watching you even when it seems like it isn’t.\nWhy do all the really cute or beautiful animals have to be the really dangerous or mean ones? It seems a cruel trick to give such magnificent feathers to a bird that scream, sure get closer to take a better look at my feathers so I can attack you. Other examples include raccoons and polar bears. Raccoons are adorable so it doesn’t really make sense that they are so incredibly mean and evil. Polar bears are beautiful and I want to hug one but they would bite my head off, literally. They are incredibly dangerous despite their cuddly looks and adorable behaviors. It just isn’t fair. Oh well, I will just have to adore these beautiful but dangerous animals from a far, but not too far that my camera can’t get a good shot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110109_peacock/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110109_peacock/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe peacock is a truly magnificent animal with dazzling colors, long majestic\nfeathers, and beautiful patterns. However it is actually a relatively mean\nanimal. There is something scary about them like they are constantly trying to\nfigure out the best method of attack to send you running and screaming in the\nother direction. I think it is the black beady eyes always watching you even\nwhen it seems like it isn’t.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adorable Yet Evil Animals"},{"content":"Slowly but surely through constant effort, I am getting better at getting the bird shot. Here are some new attempts for bird shots.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110109_birds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSlowly but surely through constant effort, I am getting better at getting the\nbird shot. Here are some new attempts for bird shots.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110109_birds/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2011/20110109_birds/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bird Shots"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s planning on doing all the Early Bird Criterium races this year, and here we are for the first mentoring and racing session. A bit of warmup on the rollers, and it\u0026rsquo;s off to the start of the race. It\u0026rsquo;s a good sized field, and I\u0026rsquo;ve tried to pass on the key advice Gabe will need today. The pack wound up getting shredded when a really fast Spokesman guy took off the front. After a couple of laps between two packs, Gabe dropped to the second pack and finished a strong first. Outstanding job Gabe!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110109_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s planning on doing all the Early Bird Criterium races this year, and here\nwe are for the first mentoring and racing session. A bit of warmup on the\nrollers, and it\u0026rsquo;s off to the start of the race. It\u0026rsquo;s a good sized field, and\nI\u0026rsquo;ve tried to pass on the key advice Gabe will need today. The pack wound up\ngetting shredded when a really fast Spokesman guy took off the front. After a\ncouple of laps between two packs, Gabe dropped to the second pack and finished\na strong first. Outstanding job Gabe!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe at the Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"I don’t think I like it but it is an interesting example of short poetry, which I don’t do plus a picture. Sorry not a lot to post tonight, can you tell 🙂\nShadows retreat\nAs dawn creeps closer.\nThe sun claws its way from darkness\nLike a dead man from his grave\nChasing away the shadows\nLeaving this lighted day.\nNo more living in darkness\nThe last thing the dead men say.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110103_deadman/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI don’t think I like it but it is an interesting example of short poetry, which\nI don’t do plus a picture. Sorry not a lot to post tonight, can you tell 🙂\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShadows retreat\u003cbr\u003e\nAs dawn creeps closer.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sun claws its way from darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a dead man from his grave\u003cbr\u003e\nChasing away the shadows\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving this lighted day.\u003cbr\u003e\nNo more living in darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nThe last thing the dead men say.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dead Man’s Light"},{"content":"This past year has been one of progress and growth for me at least. I have learned so much in this year alone that it is astonishing to me; from photography, to my writing, to my schooling I feel I have grown. Instead of taking the time to look back on all the wonderful things that have happened this year I want t o take the time to move forward. People linger far to log in the past and as part of my growth I hope to live in the now instead of what has happened. I want to tell everyone to take advantage of the life you are given and don’t waste a second. Now is the time for growth, it does not matter if you are young or old, it is the time to grow. So soak up in your roots the wonderful memories of the past and spread out your branches with the growth of new memories and new life.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110101_newyear/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis past year has been one of  progress and growth for me at least. I have\nlearned so much in this year alone that it is astonishing to me; from\nphotography, to my writing, to my schooling I feel I have grown. Instead of\ntaking the time to look back on all the wonderful things that have happened\nthis year I want t o take the time to move forward. People linger far to log\nin the past and as part of my growth I hope to live in the now instead of what\nhas happened. I want to tell everyone to take advantage of the life you are\ngiven and don’t waste a second. Now is the time for growth, it does not matter\nif you are young or old, it is the time to grow. So soak up in your roots the\nwonderful memories of the past and spread out your branches with the growth of\nnew memories and new life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A New Year"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s racing season gets off to a start with the San Bruno Hill Climb. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of rain and cold threatening as usual, but fortunately there\u0026rsquo;s a somewhat sunny pocket just for the race. Warming up is a trick at this race, but we\u0026rsquo;ve got the tent and rollers that do the job nicely. It\u0026rsquo;s too bad the long line of starting groups cools him down completely before the start. I know Gabe is nervous with national champions and older kids in this race, but he\u0026rsquo;ll do his best. I think he was happy with his result of 22:20.7 for the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110101_sanbruno/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s racing season gets off to a start with the San Bruno Hill Climb. There\u0026rsquo;s\nplenty of rain and cold threatening as usual, but fortunately there\u0026rsquo;s a\nsomewhat sunny pocket just for the race. Warming up is a trick at this race,\nbut we\u0026rsquo;ve got the tent and rollers that do the job nicely. It\u0026rsquo;s too bad the\nlong line of starting groups cools him down completely before the start. I\nknow Gabe is nervous with national champions and older kids in this race, but\nhe\u0026rsquo;ll do his best. I think he was happy with his result of 22:20.7 for the\nday.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe at the San Bruno Hill Climb"},{"content":"They say you found me\nAt a crossroads unmarked\nBut a split all the same\nThe child born for a civilized world\nAnd the daughter raised by wolves\nThey say I was savage\nI did not know I had hands\nOnly teeth to get my way\nI fought for all I wanted\nEven if it meant fighting you\nThey say I had hair like tendrils\nA mass of wild tree branches\nTangled in my curls\nUntamed by mans hands\nBut still gentle under yours\nThey say I had eyes like emeralds\nThat shone with a feral gleam\nThe wolves hungry stare\nHaunting your every step\nCould always find you in the dark\nThey say I had lips red and bright\nLike blood newly spilt\nLips that curled like burning paper\nSmiling with a knowing smirk\nThat could only belong to the wild\nThey say I had skin like ivory\nDesired yet cold and hard\nThe prize that wasn’t what it seemed\nSo full of life yet unliving\nAn ivory statue for a child\nThey say you should have left me there\nFor nature to dispose of\nThat I belonged to the wild\nAnd not a house to come home to\nTo leave me there at the crossroads\nThe wolves taught me to survive\nBut you taught me to love\nThe wild taught me to be cold\nBut you taught me there was more to life\nThan the fight for life I always lived\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2011/20110101_wolfchild/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThey say you found me\u003cbr\u003e\nAt a crossroads unmarked\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a split all the same\u003cbr\u003e\nThe child born for a civilized world\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the daughter raised by wolves\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey say I was savage\u003cbr\u003e\nI did not know I had hands\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly teeth to get my way\u003cbr\u003e\nI fought for all I wanted\u003cbr\u003e\nEven if it meant fighting you\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey say I had hair like tendrils\u003cbr\u003e\nA mass of wild tree branches\u003cbr\u003e\nTangled in my curls\u003cbr\u003e\nUntamed by mans hands\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still gentle under yours\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wolf Child (Crossroads)"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101230_halfdome/","summary":"","title":"Hidden Half Dome"},{"content":"Before we ever got into Yosemite National Park we spotted this coyote perched on top of a mossy rock framed by branches. He seemed so peaceful siting there, he didn’t even seem to mind me watching him. He looked very healthy for a coyote. He looked so fluffy and welcoming, I really would have liked to pet him if he wasn’t a wild animal. So instead I just enjoyed his beauty from a safe distance.\nOne of the most important parts of doing wildlife photography is respecting the animals I photograph. Some people will do anything to get their shot, even putting themselves in danger for the sake of the shot. Some, which is even worst, put stress on the animal. I always try to not disturb the animal that I am photographing in order to preserve the serene mood of the picture. It is important to remember that it is a wild animal being photographed and even though it is beautiful or even adorable, it needs to be treated with the utmost caution and respect for its true nature.\nWhen in the park we had more encounters with majestic coyotes. In a meadow out in front of Curry Village there were two or three coyotes wandering around in the snowy, misty meadow searching for food. It was very hard to get a good angle on them because they were constantly moving around the meadow. So when I moved out into the boardwalk they went to the river, and when I went to the river the went back to the boardwalk. Needless to say I was running in circles around the meadow for quite some time trying to get a good shot of at least one of them. Frustrating and tiring but totally worth it.\nI got some pictures of a coyote hunting, which I must say is a very funny thing to watch in the snow. They walk around until they hear a sound. Then they slowly inch forward to where they heard the sound. Once there they stand there with their eyes deadlocked on the ground tilting their heads back and forth. They bobble their head side to side listening to whatever small prey lies beneath the surface of the snow. Then they bring their back legs right up next to their front legs, crouch, and then spring into the air to pounce!\nIt is so funny watching this hunting technique and I am glad that I got a head on shot of his pounce unlike my time watching a coyote hunting in Yellowstone. I love watching wildlife in its most pristine yet savage moments. Like even this simple act of watching a coyote hunting allows me to have a sneak peek into the vicious cycle that is life. I can’t wait to witness more of this to better understand how this cycle, and our lives work.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101229_coyotes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore we ever got into Yosemite National Park we spotted this coyote perched\non top of a mossy rock framed by branches. He seemed so peaceful siting there,\nhe didn’t even seem to mind me watching him. He looked very healthy for a\ncoyote. He looked so fluffy and welcoming, I really would have liked to pet\nhim if he wasn’t a wild animal. So instead I just enjoyed his beauty from a\nsafe distance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yosemite Coyotes"},{"content":"Sun beams are an amazing thing, the mood created by sun shining through the craggy branches of a tree is haunting in its beauty. Like the claws of some old creature trying to snuff out the sun but it cannot succeed in blocking out the light from the sun. To stand in the sun’s beams and just bask in the glory that is the natural world is the closest a person can be to enlightenment. When you stand in the light shining between a monsters fingers, what will you find in the sun’s revealing eyes?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101228_sun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSun beams are an amazing thing, the mood created by sun shining through the\ncraggy branches of a tree is haunting in its beauty. Like the claws of some\nold creature trying to snuff out the sun but it cannot succeed in blocking out\nthe light from the sun. To stand in the sun’s beams and just bask in the glory\nthat is the natural world is the closest a person can be to enlightenment.\nWhen you stand in the light shining between a monsters fingers, what will you\nfind in the sun’s revealing eyes?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Let the Sun Shine In"},{"content":"Snow is such a magical thing, I wish that I had gotten to go to the snow more often as a child myself to experience the wonder of snow. Like this little girl, dancing and running in the snow. There is such innocence in just playing around in the snow. She and her little brother where running around just having fun with each other by the ski lift. It is refreshing to know that people, whether just children or not, can appreciate the innocence that nature provides.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101227_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSnow is such a magical thing, I wish that I had gotten to go to the snow more\noften as a child myself to experience the wonder of snow. Like this little\ngirl, dancing and running in the snow. There is such innocence in just playing\naround in the snow. She and her little brother where running around just\nhaving fun with each other by the ski lift. It is refreshing to know that\npeople, whether just children or not, can appreciate the innocence that nature\nprovides.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Little Snow Dancer"},{"content":"No sunset is ever the same, even just one sunset can be portrayed in a thousand different ways. As a photographer it is your job to take something normal and everyday like a sunset and transform it into something new and exciting. I try to do this as often as I can because I sure do love sunset pictures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101226_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo sunset is ever the same, even just one sunset can be portrayed in a thousand\ndifferent ways. As a photographer it is your job to take something normal and\neveryday like a sunset and transform it into something new and exciting. I try\nto do this as often as I can because I sure do love sunset pictures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101226_sunset/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101226_sunset/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101226_sunset/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yosemite Sunset"},{"content":"One of the most difficult and frustrating shots for me is trying to get good pictures of birds. It drives me crazy trying to get a good bird shot because they are very hard to get.\nBirds are always high up in trees so if you can get close to them it is a ridiculously bad angle on the bird and therefore a worthless shot. Sometimes you get lucky and the weird angles work like in this shot of a bald eagle I got in Michigan where the angle from underneath is actually really nice because it gives an inside view of the eagle’s body. However, most of the time it just turns out flat and boring as you get a picture of the birds butt. And no one wants to see that. If the bird isn’t up in a tree seemingly miles away from you, then it is at a good level angle. Sounds good right? not really because it flies away as soon as you get to an acceptable distance from it to be able to take a decent shot. You think you are blessed with a good level shot of the bird but as you stealthily creep closer to where the bird is to get the shot, it gives you that I am watching you look, then flies away before you can get the shot. Devious little creatures i saw, very devious. They know exactly what you want and tease you with their beauty just to take it away. That is so frustrating when you think you got lucky but it just flies away. I can’t tell you how many miniature hissy fits I have had over trying to get bird shots. Let me just say to all those people who get amazing bird shots out there, first of all I envy you. Second of all you must be photography gods or extremely lucky because for me at least it is near impossible to get bird shots.\nOn the ride up to Yosemite I was on a mission. I was going to get a good shot of a bird no matter how long it took. My plan was this:\nWatch the side of the road for fence posts because they would be at a perfect level for a good shot and right up next to the road. Then spend five hours of driving staring at the side of the road in search of birds perched on a fence post. When a bird is spotted, slam on the brakes and veer to the side of the road. Hopefully right next to the bird (and not scare it with the car) roll down the window or get out and get a successful shot. Simple plan? not really. Driving at eighty miles and hour and trying to slam on the brakes fast enough to not miss the bird is incredibly hard because by the time you actually spot the bird and start screaming and frantically gesturing to pull over, you pass it.\nStrange thing is that these birds on the side of the road really don’t seem afraid of cars. However as soon as they see a person emerging from the car they get the flock out of there. So even if you stop in time just as you creep closer it would fly away. Then there is the disappointing walk of shame back to the car without a single picture. Trying times, very trying times. However I finally did get one so the hard times and the disappointment were not for nothing. Here it is, the fruit of my efforts.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101225_birds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the most difficult and frustrating shots for me is trying to get good\npictures of birds. It drives me crazy trying to get a good bird shot because\nthey are very hard to get.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBirds are always high up in trees so if you can get close to them it is a\nridiculously bad angle on the bird and therefore a worthless shot. Sometimes\nyou get lucky and the weird angles work like in this shot of a bald eagle I\ngot in Michigan where the angle from underneath is actually really nice\nbecause it gives an inside view of the eagle’s body. However, most of the time\nit just turns out flat and boring as you get a picture of the birds butt. And\nno one wants to see that.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf the bird isn’t up in a tree seemingly miles away from you, then it is at\na good level angle. Sounds good right? not really because it flies away as\nsoon as you get to an acceptable distance from it to be able to take a decent\nshot. You think you are blessed with a good level shot of the bird but as you\nstealthily creep closer to where the bird is to get the shot, it gives you\nthat I am watching you look, then flies away before you can get the shot.\nDevious little creatures i saw, very devious. They know exactly what you want\nand tease you with their beauty just to take it away. That is so frustrating\nwhen you think you got lucky but it just flies away. I can’t tell you how many\nminiature hissy fits I have had over trying to get bird shots.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me just say to all those people who get amazing bird shots out there, first\nof all I envy you. Second of all you must be photography gods or extremely\nlucky because for me at least it is near impossible to get bird shots.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bird Shots"},{"content":"My mom and I on our road trip to Yosemite saw many interesting things and actually had a lot of luck with wildlife on the ride up, however you will have to wait for those stories. Yes I know I am evil, lets just call it a cliffhanger, high-five, then walk away.\nWe were hoping there would be lots of snow in Yosemite but there was surprisingly little. There was a lot of interesting fog and mist that added another dimension to my photography. It provided an intriguing experience to experiment with photography. It was breath-taking, the beautiful sites all over the park that made both of us sad that we only two days in total for our trip. We made the most of it though, running around after wildlife and chasing reflections in frozen rivers. It was a lot of fun and the little dose of adventure that I was yearning for.\nI decided that instead of just getting normal landscape shots of Half Dome that I was going to try to get a new spin off of the original photos to spice up my photography a bit. My idea rested on a hunt for Half Dome’s reflection. Finding just the perfect spot on the river where Half Dome’s beauty could be found was tricky but a fun challenge.\nI think it worked splendidly. From Half Dome we moved onto Yosemite Falls. We didn’t have time to go up to the upper falls so we settled for just the lower ones. The rainbow being cast off from the falls was magnificent.\nWe could at least watch from afar the majesty of the upper falls that cascaded down the cliff’s face.\nMy mom was helping me by being my camera assistant the whole time. Helping my swap out lens and helping out with the tripod. So a little shout out for my best travel buddy, my mom, and my lovely camera assistant. Love You!\nIt was a really fun little trip and I hope to go back soon and get even better photos. Other photos from our adventures in Yosemite and the road trip up will all be coming soon!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101224_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I on our road trip to Yosemite saw many interesting things and\nactually had a lot of luck with wildlife on the ride up, however you will have\nto wait for those stories. Yes I know I am evil, lets just call it a\ncliffhanger, high-five, then walk away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101224_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were hoping there would be lots of snow in Yosemite but there was\nsurprisingly little. There was a lot of interesting fog and mist that added\nanother dimension to my photography. It provided an intriguing experience to\nexperiment with photography. It was breath-taking, the beautiful sites all\nover the park that made both of us sad that we only two days in total for our\ntrip. We made the most of it though, running around after wildlife and chasing\nreflections in frozen rivers. It was a lot of fun and the little dose of\nadventure that I was yearning for.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Yosemite"},{"content":"Otters are definitely one of my favorite animals along with hedgehogs and ferrets. They are beyond adorable and are so fuzzy and tranquil looking. I have been trying for quite some time to get some halfway decent photos of some sea otters since I already got some good river otter photos. I decided that sea otters are much cuter than river otters. Sea otters just have such a cuteness about them, and how can you not love an animal that floats around on its back with stubby little arms.\nI found this adorable little creature out at Moss Landing on my way down to Cal Poly. I keep seeing them there and always forget my camera. But I came prepared this time and ran over to capture his cuteness with my camera.\nIt started to rain on him, he didn’t seem very happy about so he decided to roll over. First he did this cute little fist pumping action with his arms by holding them out from his body and moving them up and down. It was probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen.\nThen he proceeded to roll over on to his stomach with his hands held against his nose. It really looked like he was praying or something.\nIt just made my whole day seeing this otter. I love wildlife and capturing pictures of it to show other people why I love it so much is worthy standing out in the rain for however long it takes to get my shot. Lesson of the day anyways, otters are unearthly cute and I want one as a pet. It makes me sad to know I can’t have one, maybe some day I will befriend an otter and visit him. Dreams, oh well. I love otters and if you don’t… there is something seriously wrong with you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101213_otters/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOtters are definitely one of my favorite animals along with hedgehogs and\nferrets. They are beyond adorable and are so fuzzy and tranquil looking. I\nhave been trying for quite some time to get some halfway decent photos of some\nsea otters since I already got some good river otter photos. I decided that\nsea otters are much cuter than river otters. Sea otters just have such a\ncuteness about them, and how can you not love an animal that floats around on\nits back with stubby little arms.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Why I Love Otters"},{"content":"My mom and I are heading out to Yosemite for a short trip before Christmas. I am hoping to see lots of snow even though it says it will just be raining. I have been yearning for some new adventures and haven’t been to Yosemite since seventh grade. So adventure here we come. Hiking , maybe cross country skiing, and lots of photos. Stay tuned for photos! See you all in a couple of days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101222_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I are heading out to Yosemite for a short trip before Christmas. I\nam hoping to see lots of snow even though it says it will just be raining. I\nhave been yearning for some new adventures and haven’t been to Yosemite since\nseventh grade. So adventure here we come. Hiking , maybe cross country skiing,\nand lots of photos. Stay tuned for photos! See you all in a couple of days.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Yosemite"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101221_reach/","summary":"","title":"Reach"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101221_reflection/","summary":"","title":"Reflection"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101220_ascension/","summary":"","title":"Ascension"},{"content":"Can you see me between the lines of this poem\nPeaking out behind the imposing columns\nOf the words that I have created\nYet which are slowly uncreating me.\nCan you find me in the contours of every word\nMolding my body to shape of the letters\nThat makes up my very essence, my very soul\nThey are my children that have one by one left me.\nCan you search for me when I am lost in this forest of words\nWhen they consume me and leave me for dead\nWill you be there waiting to help pick up the ruin of who I have become\nOr will I be left alone with the whispers of the words begging to be born.\nCan you distinguish the person who I used to be\nFrom the creature that the words have made into me\nI am afraid of the darkness that hides within the words\nLurking in the shadows of every line I write. It is watching me.\nCan you read the words imprinted on my heart\nThat left burning scores tattooed in my skin\nAs I tore the words from my body\nAnd lay them down as a sacrifice to you.\nCan you understand the agony I have suffered\nFrom you merciless gods who pick at these words\nThat are pieces of my being and lay them to ruinous waste\nLeaving me in tatters only to rise again to create.\nCan you believe me when I say this is my purpose\nThis is the reason I live and breath\nThe words that I breathe life into\nBreathe life back into me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101220_words/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCan you see me between the lines of this poem\u003cbr\u003e\nPeaking out behind the imposing columns\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the words that I have created\u003cbr\u003e\nYet which are slowly uncreating me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCan you find me in the contours of every word\u003cbr\u003e\nMolding my body to shape of the letters\u003cbr\u003e\nThat makes up my very essence, my very soul\u003cbr\u003e\nThey are my children that have one by one left me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCan you search for me when I am lost in this forest of words\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen they consume me and leave me for dead\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you be there waiting to help pick up the ruin of who I have become\u003cbr\u003e\nOr will I be left alone with the whispers of the words begging to be born.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Words Within"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101216_leaves/","summary":"","title":"Fallen Leaves"},{"content":"I am tired now let me sleep\nThe little girl says in a voice scarred\nBy winters claws in her throat\nNot yet, not quite yet\nOur feet drag in the snow\nHer little hand held loosely in my own\nIf I can not feel my own hand\nHow am I supposed to keep track of hers\nI feel her hands slipping frequently\nFrom within my grasp\nTo hang limp by her sides\nThey drag her down\nShe is so little\nSo fragile I have to take care of her\nBut even as I think this\nI feel my eyelids dragging too\nWe are dying\nAnd I know this\nI wonder if she knows too\nWe keep moving\nOne foot in front of the other\nTrudging through this desolations\nTo a destination unknown\nI have no answers for her\nJust empty reassurance\nThat soon the answer will come\nWho knows maybe a flaming chariot\nWill come from the sky\nIn a flourish of warmth\nThat will thaw our tired bones\nOr not.\nNevertheless we keep moving\nShe falls to her knees beside me\nI barely notice in my own fogginess\nI am going to take a nap\nShe says in a voice now more than a whisper\nThat echoes in my ears like a scream\nNo.\nI say forcing my way through the snow\nTo reach down and rouse her\nShe has curled up in the snow\nLike a kitten next to a warm fire\nThere seems no difference\nShe looks so peaceful as she closes her eyes\nI shake her, yell at her\nTell her she can’t die\nI have to protect her\nKeep her safe and alive\nBut she is gone now\nCurl up in Winter’s embrace\nLeaving me in this winter wasteland\nAlone.\nSo devastatingly alone\nI kneel in the snow\nUnable to move\nNot willing to die\nBut not strong enough to live\nWhere does that leave me\nI pet her soft hair\nAnd say goodbye\nI have to continue on\nAlone if must be\nSo I left her behind\nShe belonged to the winter\nNot mine any more\nI screamed in silence\nBecause there was no one left to hear\nThis desolation this utter fear\nIt was the first time I had felt anything\nSince this terrible winter of silence began\nAnd it was the last feeling I ever had\nAs Winter pulled me in\nAnd left me hollow and cold inside\nI died with her\nLong ago in the snow\nYet here I am still moving\nBut who am I now?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101216_embrace/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI am tired now let me sleep\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little girl says in a voice scarred\u003cbr\u003e\nBy winters claws in her throat\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eNot yet, not quite yet\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nOur feet drag in the snow\u003cbr\u003e\nHer little hand held loosely in my own\u003cbr\u003e\nIf I can not feel my own hand\u003cbr\u003e\nHow am I supposed to keep track of hers\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel her hands slipping frequently\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom within my grasp\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hang limp by her sides\u003cbr\u003e\nThey drag her down\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is so little\u003cbr\u003e\nSo fragile I have to take care of her\u003cbr\u003e\nBut even as I think this\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel my eyelids dragging too\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are dying\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I know this\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder if she knows too\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Winter’s Embrace"},{"content":"She leans into the mirror\nCloser and closer\nUntil they are almost one\nShe purses her lips\nAs she slowly opens\nA tube of bright red lipstick\nShe watches with reverence\nAnd a humble respect\nThe monolith of red\nEmerge like a sword\nFrom its sheath\nOn the tube it says rogue\nLike the rebel has become\nAs she brushes it across her lips\nSoft as a feather\nLike a paintbrush\nStringing out a line of calligraphy\nOn the most pure of white paper\nShe stays for a moment\nAs she always does\nLooking her reflection in the eye\nHer eyes burn like emeralds\nA fire of ambition\nWith pursed red lips\nAnd the smallest of smiles\nShe is ready to conquer\nTo never loose control\nOf her life ever again\nNow she is ready to face the world\nWith her lips bathed in red\nThe face of a new woman\nThe only traces of the old\nAre exposed like roses\nOn the petals of her lips\nThe blood of the disposed of\nHer old dead self\nThe self who used to look in the mirror\nTo hollow eyes\nAnd bruises on her face\nNo longer is it her own blood\nThat lingers on her lips\nBut the bright red paint\nOf everything she has overcome\nThey ask her why she does it\nBut they can’t understand\nHow far she tries to bury\nThe woman she once was\nThe weak one who was beaten\nIn her place stands a warrior\nFierce and strong\nThe trophies of her battles\nLaid down layer by layer\nOn her lips\nThe blood of those she has defeated\nAnd the blood she has spilt herself\nShe is the rogue\nWith the warriors seal\nPainted on her lips\nShe faces each day\nKnowing that finally she can defeat it\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101215_rogue/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShe leans into the mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nCloser and closer\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil they are almost one\u003cbr\u003e\nShe purses her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she slowly opens\u003cbr\u003e\nA tube of bright red lipstick\u003cbr\u003e\nShe watches with reverence\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a humble respect\u003cbr\u003e\nThe monolith of red\u003cbr\u003e\nEmerge like a sword\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom its sheath\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the tube it says rogue\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the rebel has become\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she brushes it across her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nSoft as a feather\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a paintbrush\u003cbr\u003e\nStringing out a line of calligraphy\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the most pure of white paper\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stays for a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she always does\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking her reflection in the eye\u003cbr\u003e\nHer eyes burn like emeralds\u003cbr\u003e\nA fire of ambition\u003cbr\u003e\nWith pursed red lips\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the smallest of smiles\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is ready to conquer\u003cbr\u003e\nTo never loose control\u003cbr\u003e\nOf her life ever again\u003cbr\u003e\nNow she is ready to face the world\u003cbr\u003e\nWith her lips bathed in red\u003cbr\u003e\nThe face of a new woman\u003cbr\u003e\nThe only traces of the old\u003cbr\u003e\nAre exposed like roses\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the petals of her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nThe blood of the disposed of\u003cbr\u003e\nHer old dead self\u003cbr\u003e\nThe self who used to look in the mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hollow eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd bruises on her face\u003cbr\u003e\nNo longer is it her own blood\u003cbr\u003e\nThat lingers on her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the bright red paint\u003cbr\u003e\nOf everything she has overcome\u003cbr\u003e\nThey ask her why she does it\u003cbr\u003e\nBut they can’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nHow far she tries to bury\u003cbr\u003e\nThe woman she once was\u003cbr\u003e\nThe weak one who was beaten\u003cbr\u003e\nIn her place stands a warrior\u003cbr\u003e\nFierce and strong\u003cbr\u003e\nThe trophies of her battles\u003cbr\u003e\nLaid down layer by layer\u003cbr\u003e\nOn her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nThe blood of those she has defeated\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the blood she has spilt herself\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is the rogue\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the warriors seal\u003cbr\u003e\nPainted on her lips\u003cbr\u003e\nShe faces each day\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing that finally she can defeat it\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rogue"},{"content":"On a field trip with the other IB art students at my school we went on an adventure to Pebble Beach near Pigeon Point Lighthouse to do some earth work artwork. It was a lot of fun, some people did works inspired by the wonderful Andy Goldsworthy, and others just had a lot of fun being creative by using only things found on the beach.\nMy favorite piece was my friend Hailey’s earthwork which she made out of snail shells she found on the beach. It reminded me of Andy Goldsworthy a lot and was beautiful.\nA couple of friends worked with me to make a zen balancing rock garden in a tide pool on the beach. It was a lot of fun and I worked on making archway rock pilings which were a little difficult but fun to do.\nIt was only part of the field trip but it was my favorite. There is something so rewarding about creating art and having fun doing it. Working with a group of friends and taking only what the earth provides to make artwork that is creative and fun to do. Most of all, it is just so much fun enjoying nature with some of your best friends.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101214_earth/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn a field trip with the other IB art students at my school we went on an\nadventure to Pebble Beach near Pigeon Point Lighthouse to do some earth work\nartwork. It was a lot of fun, some people did works inspired by the wonderful\nAndy Goldsworthy, and others just had a lot of fun being creative by using\nonly things found on the beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101214_earth/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101214_earth/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy favorite piece was my friend Hailey’s earthwork which she made out of snail\nshells she found on the beach. It reminded me of Andy Goldsworthy a lot and\nwas beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Earth Works"},{"content":"She leaves her hearts\nIn the strangest of places\nHidden around the world\nEach heart for its owner\nWho lost it long ago\nBut she kept them safe\nIn the dark of the night\nMaking sure their fire\nNever truly died\nKeeping them alive\nIn the darkest of hours\nNursing them back to life\nAfter they were broken\nAfter they were discarded\nWith the drop of a hat\nShe is the keeper of the hearts\nHolding each within her own\nWaiting on the outskirts\nFor when it is finally time\nTo return them to their owners\nThe empty ones\nThe ones without purpose\nLiving a meaningless life\nShe waits ever patient\nThe unsung hero of hearts\nWho keeps the fire of life burning\nIn this ever darkening world\nAs long as the hidden hearts remain\nThere is hope for humanity\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101213_hearts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShe leaves her hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the strangest of places\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden around the world\u003cbr\u003e\nEach heart for its owner\u003cbr\u003e\nWho lost it long ago\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she kept them safe\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the dark of the night\u003cbr\u003e\nMaking sure their fire\u003cbr\u003e\nNever truly died\u003cbr\u003e\nKeeping them alive\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the darkest of hours\u003cbr\u003e\nNursing them back to life\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter they were broken\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter they were discarded\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the drop of a hat\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is the keeper of the hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding each within her own\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting on the outskirts\u003cbr\u003e\nFor when it is finally time\u003cbr\u003e\nTo return them to their owners\u003cbr\u003e\nThe empty ones\u003cbr\u003e\nThe ones without purpose\u003cbr\u003e\nLiving a meaningless life\u003cbr\u003e\nShe waits ever patient\u003cbr\u003e\nThe unsung hero of hearts\u003cbr\u003e\nWho keeps the fire of life burning\u003cbr\u003e\nIn this ever darkening world\u003cbr\u003e\nAs long as the hidden hearts remain\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is hope for humanity\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hidden Hearts"},{"content":"\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101212_raindrops/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101212_raindrops/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Raindrops"},{"content":"Come sit with me in the dark\nLet me introduce you\nA first acquaintance\nThat quickly becomes\nA long drawn out partnership\nWith a parasite\nA monkey you can’t\nSeem to get off your back\nSit me with\nStand with me\nCry with me\nLaugh with me\nIn darkness\nThis is a whole new world\nWhere Hell\nIs only Hell\nNo heaven behind\nClosed off gates\nAnd a smiling face\nIs the one you must beware\nShake hands\nPolitely speak to one another\nSoft drums beat near by\nWhere children giggle\nPointing at you\nStaring at you\nWith eyes to big\nAnd too dark\nSitting here\nDoes it make you nervous\nYou seem nervous\nYou shouldn’t be\nThis is home\nWelcome back son\nThe lost child\nLong returned home\nWe’ve been waiting\nSighing out each breath\nInto darkness\nWhere words fall\nFrom mouths\nSo uncouth and unforgiving\nAn ugly world full of beauty\nA contradictory that has\nNo limitations or boundaries\nWhere no ends meet\nThe path just ends\nFrom the corners\nYou are watched\nStalked day and night\nBy what\nYou may never know\nEvery time the lights go out\nYou know I am waiting\nWaiting just for you\nI have lingered on the outside\nWatching from the sidelines\nBut not for long\nSo come sit with me\nIn the dark\nWhere secrets are told\nAnd lies are whispered\nAnd eyes are always looking\nWelcome home\nMake sure to shut the door\nBehind you tight\nDon’t let the darkness out\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101212_sit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCome sit with me in the dark\u003cbr\u003e\nLet me introduce you\u003cbr\u003e\nA first acquaintance\u003cbr\u003e\nThat quickly becomes\u003cbr\u003e\nA long drawn out partnership\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a parasite\u003cbr\u003e\nA monkey you can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nSeem to get off your back\u003cbr\u003e\nSit me with\u003cbr\u003e\nStand with me\u003cbr\u003e\nCry with me\u003cbr\u003e\nLaugh with me\u003cbr\u003e\nIn darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is a whole new world\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere Hell\u003cbr\u003e\nIs only Hell\u003cbr\u003e\nNo heaven behind\u003cbr\u003e\nClosed off gates\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a smiling face\u003cbr\u003e\nIs the one you must beware\u003cbr\u003e\nShake hands\u003cbr\u003e\nPolitely speak to one another\u003cbr\u003e\nSoft drums beat near by\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere children giggle\u003cbr\u003e\nPointing at you\u003cbr\u003e\nStaring at you\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes to big\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd too dark\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting here\u003cbr\u003e\nDoes it make you nervous\u003cbr\u003e\nYou seem nervous\u003cbr\u003e\nYou shouldn’t be\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is home\u003cbr\u003e\nWelcome back son\u003cbr\u003e\nThe lost child\u003cbr\u003e\nLong returned home\u003cbr\u003e\nWe’ve been waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nSighing out each breath\u003cbr\u003e\nInto darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere words fall\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom mouths\u003cbr\u003e\nSo uncouth and unforgiving\u003cbr\u003e\nAn ugly world full of beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nA contradictory that has\u003cbr\u003e\nNo limitations or boundaries\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere no ends meet\u003cbr\u003e\nThe path just ends\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the corners\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are watched\u003cbr\u003e\nStalked day and night\u003cbr\u003e\nBy what\u003cbr\u003e\nYou may never know\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery time the lights go out\u003cbr\u003e\nYou know I am waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting just for you\u003cbr\u003e\nI have lingered on the outside\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching from the sidelines\u003cbr\u003e\nBut not for long\u003cbr\u003e\nSo come sit with me\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the dark\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere secrets are told\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd lies are whispered\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd eyes are always looking\u003cbr\u003e\nWelcome home\u003cbr\u003e\nMake sure to shut the door\u003cbr\u003e\nBehind you tight\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t let the darkness out\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sit With Me"},{"content":"I think it is tragically cute when children have mullets. Either that child’s hair just grew in strangely, which I can emphasize with because that was my case as well. (I had a bowl-shaped cut for the longest time because my hair would not grow, and yes I looked like a boy). Or else for some demented reason, the parents thought it would be adorable if their child had a mullet. The answer to that is no, even though children can pull off a mullet it is ill-advised. It is hard not to laugh when you see a kid with a mullet, but this child was adorable and laughable.\nThe fact that he is eating an apple is even cuter. It is always comic to watch a child eat an apple because the apple is so big in their little hands trying to take bites that are too big for them. This kid would make the funniest faces as he tried to eat this apple that dwarfed him.\nKids always seem to be cute no matter the circumstances, doesn’t seem fair, does it?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101209_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think it is tragically cute when children have mullets. Either that child’s\nhair just grew in strangely, which I can emphasize with because that was my\ncase as well. (I had a bowl-shaped cut for the longest time because my hair\nwould not grow, and yes I looked like a boy). Or else for some demented\nreason, the parents thought it would be adorable if their child had a mullet.\nThe answer to that is no, even though children can pull off a mullet it is\nill-advised. It is hard not to laugh when you see a kid with a mullet, but\nthis child was adorable and laughable.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Apple Mullet"},{"content":"I find you dull and inconsistent\nYou find me aloof and contrived\nWe find each other irritated\nBy one another\nWe see each other\nMore often than we both please\nCatching each others eyes\nAs we turn around corners\nTrying to avoid eye contact\nWhen it is inevitable\nWe always find ourselves\nFace to face with the things we hate\nThe things we fear and wish never would be\nBut yet here they are\nOpposites of nothing\nSimilar in absence\nMeaningless in all\nI find you heartbreaking\nYou find me despairing\nYet we are the same\nThe face in the mirror\nYou wish you couldn’t see\nThe devil on your shoulder\nWho told you who to be\nYou are my adversary\nYet you are me\nBut every day I realize\nToo long I have been my own enemy\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101208_adversary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI find you dull and inconsistent\u003cbr\u003e\nYou find me aloof and contrived\u003cbr\u003e\nWe find each other irritated\u003cbr\u003e\nBy one another\u003cbr\u003e\nWe see each other\u003cbr\u003e\nMore often than we both please\u003cbr\u003e\nCatching each others eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAs we turn around corners\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to avoid eye contact\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen it is inevitable\u003cbr\u003e\nWe always find ourselves\u003cbr\u003e\nFace to face with the things we hate\u003cbr\u003e\nThe things we fear and wish never would be\u003cbr\u003e\nBut yet here they are\u003cbr\u003e\nOpposites of nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nSimilar in absence\u003cbr\u003e\nMeaningless in all\u003cbr\u003e\nI find you heartbreaking\u003cbr\u003e\nYou find me despairing\u003cbr\u003e\nYet we are the same\u003cbr\u003e\nThe face in the mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nYou wish you couldn’t see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe devil on your shoulder\u003cbr\u003e\nWho told you who to be\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are my adversary\u003cbr\u003e\nYet you are me\u003cbr\u003e\nBut every day I realize\u003cbr\u003e\nToo long I have been my own enemy\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adversary"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101207_illumination/","summary":"","title":"Illumination"},{"content":"Winter is waiting\nLike an old hospital room\nWhite and clean\nYet so foreboding\nThey will wash the walls\nOf my presence\nScrub away\nUntil there is nothing left of me\nStrip down my pictures\nReplace them with plaster\nA life cast of me\nMolded too tight\nUntil I cannot breathe\nSuffocating and gasping for air\nInside a white washed room\nSterilized of life\nWhere dolls sit\nWith clairvoyant glassy eyes\nOf Ovid’s butterfly\nFluttering helplessly\nSettling down\nIn a flourish of color\nOnly to die slowly\nCaught in the grip\nOf Winter’s cold fist\nSuch an absence\nSuch a silence\nIt deafens me\nEchoing off white walls\nThe screams of the plastered casts\nOf those who came before me\nFaces protruding like the gates of hell\nLeaving me too blind to see\nStaring blankly\nAt the horror before me\nI wonder why I am here\nWhy I wound up\nIn this white washed room\nSuffocating in a prison\nWith no windows\nNo sound\nExcept the noise of madness\nAnd the sound\nOf a rotting brain\nAs the butterfly takes its last gasps\nYou left me here\nTo slowly decay\nI watch the butterfly\nCurl, wither, and deform\nFrom the beauty it had been\nWatching my fate\nUnfurl before me\nWith a merciless slowness\nI am waiting now\nFor the white to capture me\nTo whisk me away\nInto some fairytale dream\nA reprieve of this white washed room\nBut the butterfly’s ashes\nLay around me\nStaining my palms\nIt will never leave me\nWinter is here\nWith its worn cold hands\nI refuse to go with you\nBut I cannot stay\nTake me with you butterfly\nFor where I am going\nI hoped I would never be\nSee you on the other side\nOf this damned eternity\nFor now I will hope for a better destiny\nAnd try to avoid the inevitable\nBy hiding behind the mask\nOf a butterfly’s face\nIn plain sight\nA flourish of color in a white room\nWaiting for fate to find me\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101205_hospital/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWinter is waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nLike an old hospital room\u003cbr\u003e\nWhite and clean\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so foreboding\u003cbr\u003e\nThey will wash the walls\u003cbr\u003e\nOf my presence\u003cbr\u003e\nScrub away\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil there is nothing left of me\u003cbr\u003e\nStrip down my pictures\u003cbr\u003e\nReplace them with plaster\u003cbr\u003e\nA life cast of me\u003cbr\u003e\nMolded too tight\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil I cannot breathe\u003cbr\u003e\nSuffocating and gasping for air\u003cbr\u003e\nInside a white washed room\u003cbr\u003e\nSterilized of life\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere dolls sit\u003cbr\u003e\nWith clairvoyant glassy eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nOf Ovid’s butterfly\u003cbr\u003e\nFluttering helplessly\u003cbr\u003e\nSettling down\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a flourish of color\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly to die slowly\u003cbr\u003e\nCaught in the grip\u003cbr\u003e\nOf Winter’s cold fist\u003cbr\u003e\nSuch an absence\u003cbr\u003e\nSuch a silence\u003cbr\u003e\nIt deafens me\u003cbr\u003e\nEchoing off white walls\u003cbr\u003e\nThe screams of the plastered casts\u003cbr\u003e\nOf those who came before me\u003cbr\u003e\nFaces protruding like the gates of hell\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving me too blind to see\u003cbr\u003e\nStaring blankly\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the horror before me\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder why I am here\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy I wound up\u003cbr\u003e\nIn this white washed room\u003cbr\u003e\nSuffocating in a prison\u003cbr\u003e\nWith no windows\u003cbr\u003e\nNo sound\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept the noise of madness\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the sound\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a rotting brain\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the butterfly takes its last gasps\u003cbr\u003e\nYou left me here\u003cbr\u003e\nTo slowly decay\u003cbr\u003e\nI watch the butterfly\u003cbr\u003e\nCurl, wither, and deform\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the beauty it had been\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching my fate\u003cbr\u003e\nUnfurl before me\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a merciless slowness\u003cbr\u003e\nI am waiting now\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the white to capture me\u003cbr\u003e\nTo whisk me away\u003cbr\u003e\nInto some fairytale dream\u003cbr\u003e\nA reprieve of this white washed room\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the butterfly’s ashes\u003cbr\u003e\nLay around me\u003cbr\u003e\nStaining my palms\u003cbr\u003e\nIt will never leave me\u003cbr\u003e\nWinter is here\u003cbr\u003e\nWith its worn cold hands\u003cbr\u003e\nI refuse to go with you\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I cannot stay\u003cbr\u003e\nTake me with you butterfly\u003cbr\u003e\nFor where I am going\u003cbr\u003e\nI hoped I would never be\u003cbr\u003e\nSee you on the other side\u003cbr\u003e\nOf this damned eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nFor now I will hope for a better destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd try to avoid the inevitable\u003cbr\u003e\nBy hiding behind the mask\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a butterfly’s face\u003cbr\u003e\nIn plain sight\u003cbr\u003e\nA flourish of color in a white room\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for fate to find me\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hospital Room (Butterfly)"},{"content":"It seems as if all of the most childish and supposedly innocent things are the most twisted. One of the most twisted is the kids game Twister. It seems so innocent, but it actually is a perverse and awkward game unlike any other. Hidden under the guise of childhood innocence, it is deviously deceptive in its twisted ways.\nCase and point, need I say more? Yes, I do. The main problem about this game is it’s total lack of boundary space. There is no such thing as personal space in this game, with arms and legs crossing and criss-crossing across numerous people. Nothing is sacred.\nThis game is meant for little children, so for teenagers it was slightly difficult to fit on the mat making the space issue even more of a problem as you can see. There is always something awkward waiting around the corner in this game.\nThe main way to win is to get into such an awkward position that your opponent can not continue due to death by laughter.\nIt just makes me wonder the people who invented this game, they must be twisted people indeed. The name twister is perfect for what this game actually is, a perverted and twisted thing. But damn is it fun to watch!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101203_twister/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt seems as if all of the most childish and supposedly innocent things are the\nmost twisted. One of the most twisted is the kids game Twister. It seems so\ninnocent, but it actually is a perverse and awkward game unlike any other.\nHidden under the guise of childhood innocence, it is deviously deceptive in\nits twisted ways.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101203_twister/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCase and point, need I say more? Yes, I do. The main problem about this game is\nit’s total lack of boundary space. There is no such thing as personal space in\nthis game, with arms and legs crossing and criss-crossing across numerous\npeople. Nothing is sacred.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Twisted Twister"},{"content":"At Natural Bridges State Park in California there is a spectacular little lagoon that looks like the ground it is so filled with mosses. The entire water is green and looks solid enough to walk on even though there are ducks swimming in it. Life seems to spring from it, with long stretching reeds that reach outward like arms and old logs reposing in the green water. There is something about this green lagoon that is eerie and beautiful, maybe it is the illusion, or maybe it is just the presence of life all around. I hope to go back very soon and see it again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101201_reeds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAt Natural Bridges State Park in California there is a spectacular little\nlagoon that looks like the ground it is so filled with mosses. The entire\nwater is green and looks solid enough to walk on even though there are ducks\nswimming in it. Life seems to spring from it, with long stretching reeds that\nreach outward like arms and old logs reposing in the green water. There is\nsomething about this green lagoon that is eerie and beautiful, maybe it is the\nillusion, or maybe it is just the presence of life all around. I hope to go\nback very soon and see it again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Reeds and Greens"},{"content":"Many people when they see my creeper photos either think it is totally strange or very interesting. One of the questions I get most often is what if they see you taking the picture? For most people, I take every possible precaution to make sure they don’t see. If they do see me there is a special tactic I imploy to sooth their suspicion.\nIf you notice you have been spotted, don’t run away in fear of being called out. Most people will not call you out, so keep it cool and they will just give you a weird look then walk away. People are not very confrontational and if you keep it cool nothing will happen. Most people assume they are being paranoid and don’t do anything about it. Occasionally though, they will call you out. So if a person seems a little peeved here is my strategy. Still, do not run away. Stay put and then put your camera up again like you are going to take another photo and wait till the are out of the frame and take a new photo. Make a real spectacle of what you are doing and make it as apparent as possible that your intent for that picture was not the person. Once they see you do this, they will not do anything about it because they assume that you were taking a picture of what is behind them and they just happen to be in the shot. They never think they they are the shot. So, disaster averted and the world does not end. If those don’t work, then run. However, with children I let them see that I am taking their picture. Like this little girl, children make some of the most amazing eye contact with strangers and in that moment of eye contact is a connection like you are peering into their life. Their eyes, like this little girls beautiful blue eyes, become a window into who they are. Even though I will never know who these kids become, for just a single moment it feels like I do know.\nKids often seem to enjoy it and smile or just stare. This little girl waved to me and I waved back then just smiled and walked away. Sometimes I fancy what the parents reactions are if later the kid tells them that some stranger took a picture of them. I wonder how this makes parents feel, how vulnerable must they be in that moment. Not knowing me, or knowing my intentions of taking these photos. I just want to give my hearts out to these people that I take pictures of, by letting me have their picture they are helping me better understand humanity one person at a time. My intentions are pure and often I feel people don’t understand that. Yes, this idea may be strange or creepy to people, but to me it is about uncovering mystery from thousands of perspectives. Taking pictures not of the people themselves but the stories that build up that person’s image.\nSo to all of my creeper photo subjects, thank you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101129_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMany people when they see my creeper photos either think it is totally strange\nor very interesting. One of the questions I get most often is \u003cem\u003ewhat if they see\nyou taking the picture?\u003c/em\u003e For most people, I take every possible precaution to\nmake sure they don’t see. If they do see me there is a special tactic I imploy\nto sooth their suspicion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf you notice you have been spotted, don’t run away in fear of being called\nout. Most people will not call you out, so keep it cool and they will just\ngive you a weird look then walk away. People are not very confrontational and\nif you keep it cool nothing will happen. Most people assume they are being\nparanoid and don’t do anything about it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOccasionally though, they will call you out. So if a person seems a little\npeeved here is my strategy. Still, do not run away. Stay put and then put your\ncamera up again like you are going to take another photo and wait till the are\nout of the frame and take a new photo. Make a real spectacle of what you are\ndoing and make it as apparent as possible that your intent for that picture\nwas not the person. Once they see you do this, they will not do anything about\nit because they assume that you were taking a picture of what is behind them\nand they just happen to be in the shot. They never think they they are the\nshot.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, disaster averted and the world does not end. If those don’t work, then\nrun. However, with children I let them see that I am taking their picture.\nLike this little girl, children make some of the most amazing eye contact with\nstrangers and in that moment of eye contact is a connection  like you are\npeering into their life. Their eyes, like this little girls beautiful blue\neyes, become a window into who they are. Even though I will never know who\nthese kids become, for just a single moment it feels like I do know.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Eye Contact"},{"content":"This picture is at Pictured Rocks National Park in Northern Michigan. In a place of such pristine beauty, were the sandstone rock walls stand like monoliths looming over Lake Superior, there is wonder in everything. Most people would expect a picture of these cliffs, but my favorite shot when I was there, was not of the towering monoliths or the emerald green waters, but of the forest hidden behind it all. People will tell you where to find the most beautiful sights in places like this, but the real beauty is found in the unspoken places. Down the little untreaded paths were no ranger or tour guide will lead you. It is up to you to discover it and keep the little wonder a secret in your heart. Find your own beauty, mine lies in the forest. Where the trees are white as snow and the ground is red with fallen leaves and pines. This is were I find beauty, in the unsuspected place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101121_unsuspected/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis picture is at Pictured Rocks National Park in Northern Michigan. In a\nplace of such pristine beauty, were the sandstone rock walls stand like\nmonoliths looming over Lake Superior, there is wonder in everything. Most\npeople would expect a picture of these cliffs, but my favorite shot when I was\nthere, was not of the towering monoliths or the emerald green waters, but of\nthe forest hidden behind it all. People will tell you where to find the most\nbeautiful sights in places like this, but the real beauty is found in the\nunspoken places. Down the little untreaded paths were no ranger or tour guide\nwill lead you. It is up to you to discover it and keep the little wonder a\nsecret in your heart. Find your own beauty, mine lies in the forest. Where the\ntrees are white as snow and the ground is red with fallen leaves and pines.\nThis is were I find beauty, in the unsuspected place.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Unsuspected Place"},{"content":"Crossing names out of address books\nAfter showers patter on a closed coffin\nJust a passing moment gone\nPutting down the pencil\nTo look at the rain as it shifts\nDancing in front of the window\nAs the drops send ripples outward\nPirouetting hand in hand with the grass\nas each petal bends slightly under the weight\nThe water pulling its face down like a tear drop\nThe face turned upward catches the rain\nBetween the lines in your face\nCatching in the corner of your lips\nAs a smile sneaks its way to your face\nThe rain brushes your face\nWith the tenderness of a lovers embrace\nSliding down cheeks so the tears don’t show\nYou face the sky alone\nWith forgotten names rolling off of you\nFalling into muddied puddles\nNever to be recovered, never to be remembered\nSifting into the soil, becoming part of the earth\nLike seeds weaving into the ground\nReturning home from life\nTo the warm embrace of the world’s womb\nWrapped in a veil of the earth’s tears\nFrom the earth but not of the earth\nNot yet, for now you rest among the tulips\nA shimmering rain drop\nSending ripples into dreams\nInto the minds of those who never knew you\nDancing with the grass\nI still miss you\nI will find you in the tulips in the earths embrace\nThere your name will be written again\nNot in a book but in stone\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101120_tulip/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCrossing names out of address books\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter showers patter on a closed coffin\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a passing moment gone\u003cbr\u003e\nPutting down the pencil\u003cbr\u003e\nTo look at the rain as it shifts\u003cbr\u003e\nDancing in front of the window\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the drops send ripples outward\u003cbr\u003e\nPirouetting hand in hand with the grass\u003cbr\u003e\nas each petal bends slightly under the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nThe water pulling its face down like a tear drop\u003cbr\u003e\nThe face turned upward catches the rain\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween the lines in your face\u003cbr\u003e\nCatching in the corner of your lips\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a smile sneaks its way to your face\u003cbr\u003e\nThe rain brushes your face\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the tenderness of a lovers embrace\u003cbr\u003e\nSliding down cheeks so the tears don’t show\u003cbr\u003e\nYou face the sky alone\u003cbr\u003e\nWith forgotten names rolling off of you\u003cbr\u003e\nFalling into muddied puddles\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to be recovered, never to be remembered\u003cbr\u003e\nSifting into the soil, becoming part of the earth\u003cbr\u003e\nLike seeds weaving into the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nReturning home from life\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the warm embrace of the world’s womb\u003cbr\u003e\nWrapped in a veil of the earth’s tears\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the earth but not of the earth\u003cbr\u003e\nNot yet, for now you rest among the tulips\u003cbr\u003e\nA shimmering rain drop\u003cbr\u003e\nSending ripples into dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the minds of those who never knew you\u003cbr\u003e\nDancing with the grass\u003cbr\u003e\nI still miss you\u003cbr\u003e\nI will find you in the tulips in the earths embrace\u003cbr\u003e\nThere your name will be written again\u003cbr\u003e\nNot in a book but in stone\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tulip Tears"},{"content":"For my friends seventeenth birthday we went paint balling at a paintball course over the hill. I had never done this before but it was loads of fun. It had been pouring so the course was totally muddy and I was slipping everywhere as we were running around trying not to get shot. We were on the Jeep course which had a bunch of playground pieces and a Jeep in the center of the course. We were divided up into teams and had to get ready for the fight.\nClara was my main paintball buddy, we stuck together the entire time. Back to back dominating the paintball field. There were basically three groups of people on our course,\nOur group, composed of four girls who had never paint balled before. In other terms, Noobs. The child’s birthday group, a pack of young boys and their dad who have played many times before and know the entire course. The hard-core group, four adult guys who own at paint balling and kill everyone else on the course. The teams wound up being half of our group plus the children’s group against the other half of our group with the hardcore group.\nIt is pretty exciting when you realize you got someone out. At one point I was having a little war with someone on the other team. They were hiding behind a stack of tires on one side of the field and I was hiding behind a different structure. They kept popping up and shooting at me. After a long time of nothing I finally hit them on the top of the head with an explosion of yellow paint all over their hair. I noticed that they had blonde hair and I wanted to see who I had hit when the round was over. As I was leaving the field and searching for the mysterious blonde who I had defeated I realized it was my friend’s mom who had taken us here. I felt so bad for hitting her on the head and eventually told her it was me but it all turned out okay. I had to watch my butt though because I feared her vengeance for the rest of the day xD\nBetween running and hiding behind various structures and shooting at the other team I got shot three times in total. Once in the arm, one in the chest, and once on the back of my leg. I got surprised by an ambush attack and got the hits to my arm and chest which I still have a welt from today. It is more shocking than painful when you get hit.\nThe last shot I got was during the very ast round. The hardcore group decided that they could take the rest of the people playing. So new teams of everybody versus the hardcore group. Somehow they actually won the round. Clara and I were one of the last ones out of the game. Finally they snuck up behind me and yelled surrender. Before I could even turn around he shot me at close range right on the back of my thigh. It hurt a lot and I was really pissed because when you yell surrender you are supposed to not shoot them because you are so close. Later when talking to Clara we realized that when he yelled surrender she shot at him so instead of shooting her he decided to shoot me.\nIt was really fun, even though I was shot several times I really enjoyed the experience. It is really thrilling to run around shooting people without having to worry about really hurting someone. I hope to do it again sometime.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101112_paint/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor my friends seventeenth birthday we went paint balling at a paintball course\nover the hill. I had never done this before but it was loads of fun. It had\nbeen pouring so the course was totally muddy and I was slipping everywhere as\nwe were running around trying not to get shot. We were on the Jeep course\nwhich had a bunch of playground pieces and a Jeep in the center of the course.\nWe were divided up into teams and had to get ready for the fight.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Paint Balling"},{"content":"Bobbing for apples is one of the funniest games to watch ever. Watching people vainly dunk their heads in water and try to scrounge out an apple is pretty entertaining. That being so, this games is really only entertaining when you can stand back and watch the people getting soaked and frustrated. When it is your turn, it is no longer a laughing matter. The duality of bobbing for apples, fun to watch and torture the people doing it, annoying and frustrating when you are being watched and tortured as you try to bob for an apple.\nThere are several phases of bobbing for apples that the bobbers go through in the process.\nDisgust: It is all fun and games until it is your turn. When you get up to the bucket and you are staring down into that gross pail of water filled with a few measly apples you can’t help but think, God please give me an excuse right now to bail out of this game. Of course you don’t get one, and as you kneel down right next to the water you realize something disgusting. That water you are about to shove your face in, mouth wide open, has been the home to several other people’s mouths searching for apples as well. Yes, you are about to dunk your face into a cess-pool of germs to pick out an apple.\nEmbarrassment: The embarrassment comes in right as you first dunk your head. Then you lift your head out of the water soaking wet and totally embarrassed that first, you don’t have an apple, and second you just ruined your hair, outfit, makeup or any other thing you put on your face that morning. Yes, you are embarrassed to lift your head out of the water, apple-less to face your friends who are now dying of laughter because you look like a drowned rat.\nFrustration: At this point you have gotten past the initial embarrassment and disgust. Because you have already gotten totally soaked, you are now committed and become an unstoppable force of trying desperately to get that apple. You have to get the apple, and fast so you can get out of here. So very quickly your embarrassment at not getting an apple turns into frustration. After time and time again of not getting and apple you are at the point of gnashing violently at the water in a desperate attempt to grab an apple. All sort of tactics to get an apple fly away from your mind, you are a single-minded apple grabbing machine.\nVictory: The final and best phase of bobbing for apples is victory. And the surge of over exuberant energy where you just start smack talking the apple and its mother. At this point your friends look at you like you are crazy and are thinking, geez you were just bobbing for apples. To this I respond. I was bobbing for my life, you wouldn’t understand but that apple had back talked me for the last time!\nA little over the top? Maybe, but it is all justified due to that stage of frustration, when you are frustrated any overreaction is justified, even if it ends with yelling at inanimate objects…. which I definitely don’t do. Bobbing for apples is not a simple game, it is actually quite difficult and takes some amount of strategy, which I am not going to share so next time I see you at a party I can watch you fail at bobbing for apples and then when you finally get one and overreact, you will know the truth. The truth that bobbing for apples is a cruel game meant only for the pleasure of those watching, kind of like gladiators.Yeah it is just like that -.-\nP.S. Bobbing for apples makes for awesome photos\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101103_bobbing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBobbing for apples is one of the funniest games to watch ever. Watching people\nvainly dunk their heads in water and try to scrounge out an apple is pretty\nentertaining. That being so, this games is really only entertaining when you\ncan stand back and watch the people getting soaked and frustrated. When it is\nyour turn, it is no longer a laughing matter. The duality of bobbing for\napples, fun to watch and torture the people doing it, annoying and frustrating\nwhen you are being watched and tortured as you try to bob for an apple.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bobbing for Apples"},{"content":"This post has been a long time coming, my shout out of the day today is Philomena! She is one of the coolest people in the world, she even has her own talk show at school called Phridays with Phil. Yes, she is that cool. She sticks with me even in my strangest of times, and loves Rocky Horror as much as me, which is quite a feat, believe me. She has sat with me in Spanish for about the past three years and has gotten me through the full IB years and many golf sessions. Yes, Philomena child, you are a wonderful person and I love you!! See you in Spanish 🙂\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101101_philomena/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis post has been a long time coming, my shout out of the day today is\nPhilomena! She is one of the coolest people in the world, she even has her own\ntalk show at school called Phridays with Phil. Yes, she is that cool. She\nsticks with me even in my strangest of times, and loves Rocky Horror as much\nas me, which is quite a feat, believe me. She has sat with me in Spanish for\nabout the past three years and has gotten me through the full IB years and\nmany golf sessions. Yes, Philomena child, you are a wonderful person and I\nlove you!! See you in Spanish 🙂\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shout Out: Philomena"},{"content":"To those of you who have not seen Rocky Horror Picture Show,\nSHAME ON YOU This post probably won’t make any sense because only die-hard fans of Rocky Horror can truly understand other die-hard fans. If you think you understand this post because you watched the Rocky Horror episode of Glee, and that is the only reason you have ever heard of Rocky Horror Picture Show, SHAME ON YOU MORE. Don’t tell me you get Rocky Horror because you saw weird people on T.V. singing along to the words, it is nowhere near the same thing. Take Glee, add more transvestites, more crudeness, nudity and make up, then, and only then, can we maybe start to talk. Let me explain first the long months of hoping and planing that went into us doing this. I have been dying to see the midnight showing ever since I first became a die-hard fan of Rocky Horror. Going to this made my life in unexplainable ways. We didn’t get to go to the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Friday but we were able to get tickets for the Saturday night show which was a huge relief. We were so close to not getting in at all, I would have been heart-broken. But we got in and saw it at last. Failure avoided.\nOn the left is Philomena, who went as Columbia, me in the middle as Magenta (afro and all), and on the right, Sarah as a mixture of a time warp dancer and Columbia. Let me explain my costume for you, it goes like this.\nLow cut black dress + maid’s apron, cuffs and head band = slutty maid\nslutty maid + afro of teased/ crimped hair = Magenta\nBasically that is my costume and it works. The hair was an interesting experience. I never really work my hair so the effort of crimping and teasing it nearly killed me if not for the help of my lovely and amazing friends.\nAfter the struggle with my hair and makeup (as well as some interesting interruptions from my little brother), did we get to go to the show. We got a good place in the line (which went all the way around the block) and had to wait there for an hour to get into the theatre. Waiting in line was annoying in high-heeled boots but we got to see some pretty special people and their costumes. We saw Mario and Luigi, a man dressed up as Little Bo Peep being followed around by about seven women dressed as sheep, and quite a few overweight people shoved into tiny corsets with skin popping out in unimaginable and scarring ways. I saw many things that night that will be burned into my memory for a long, long, time.\nWe finally got in, during a mad dash for good seats at midnight. Then the fun began. Slugs in Fish-Nets, the UCSC group that puts on the show, got up on the stage to introduce all the actors that would be acting out the movie as it played behind them on the screen. First method of business: Attitude Check\nAn attitude check is when the entire audience stands up, faces the front stage, flips off the actors and screams about eight times, F@#k You! To test how pumped up the audience is. Very interesting experience.\nAfter that everyone got settled for the movie to start. Because the movie is an interactive experience we all brought little props to use during the movie like noise makers, rice, newspapers, bells, toast, cards, and rubber gloves. During certain parts of the movie everyone uses their props to act out the movie, it is really fun. One of my favorites was using the noise makers during the time warp dance. The whole audience gets up and reenacts the dance. It is really amazing to be in a large group of people, all passionate about one thing and to express that passion in a fun and creative way.\nThere is some adult content however… like the initiation of virgins. Being a virgin means you have never experience Rocky Horror at a midnight showing before. They take six virgins and vote which has the best costume, one boy, one girl. They then use them to go on stage and perform mock sex on stage. It was horrifying and fascinating and all together funny though inappropriate. Let me just say, I have never seen anything like that in a movie theatre before and probably will never see it again (unless I go to another showing :)).\nBy the end, we were all tired but extremely happy. We got out about three and went home. Then came the hard part, getting my hair undone. This included trying to untangle my hair and try to wash it all out. It took quite some time but it was all worth it a hundred times over.It was quite the night, and I will never forget it. I hope I can do it again soon. Stay true Rocky Horror fans!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101031_rockyhorror/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTo those of you who have not seen Rocky Horror Picture Show,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSHAME ON YOU\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis post probably won’t make any sense because only die-hard fans of Rocky\nHorror can truly understand other die-hard fans.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf you think you understand this post because you watched the Rocky Horror\nepisode of Glee, and that is the only reason you have ever heard of Rocky\nHorror Picture Show, SHAME ON YOU MORE. Don’t tell me you get Rocky Horror\nbecause you saw weird people on T.V. singing along to the words, it is nowhere\nnear the same thing. Take Glee, add more transvestites, more crudeness, nudity\nand make up, then, and only then, can we maybe start to talk.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me explain first the long months of hoping and planing that went into us\ndoing this. I have been dying to see the midnight showing ever since I first\nbecame a die-hard fan of Rocky Horror. Going to this made my life in\nunexplainable ways. We didn’t get to go to the Rocky Horror Picture Show on\nFriday but we were able to get tickets for the Saturday night show which was a\nhuge relief. We were so close to not getting in at all, I would have been\nheart-broken. But we got in and saw it at last. Failure avoided.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rocky Horror Picture Show"},{"content":"Driving through the Arizona deserts and the flatlands around Utah, we found a little turquoise stand amongst precariously perched rock pilings. There were also the remains of an old adobe house, it had no roof, no floors, nothing except for a turquoise framed door and window. This was one of my favorite places that we stopped at during our road trip. It felt like an entirely different world. A place of red sand, monstrous rock pilings, and windows within windows that let us look into this strange alien place. There is something haunting in this forgotten building and the lonely doorway left behind. Looking through those windows you can see the world the way it once was, before grand cities or electronics. Just the simplicity of nature.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101030_doorway/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDriving through the Arizona deserts and the flatlands around Utah, we found a\nlittle turquoise stand amongst precariously perched rock pilings. There were\nalso the remains of an old adobe house, it had no roof, no floors, nothing\nexcept for a turquoise framed door and window. This was one of my favorite\nplaces that we stopped at during our road trip. It felt like an entirely\ndifferent world. A place of red sand, monstrous rock pilings, and windows\nwithin windows that let us look into this strange alien place. There is\nsomething haunting in this forgotten building and the lonely doorway left\nbehind. Looking through those windows you can see the world the way it once\nwas, before grand cities or electronics. Just the simplicity of nature.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adobe Doorway"},{"content":"Tonight my friends and I were going to the midnight showing of Rocky Horror picture show. We got all dressed up, I even had an afro going because I was Magenta. However it was all sold out tonight. So…\nFAIL\nWe did get tickets for tomorrows show however so that\u0026rsquo;s awesome! So take two tomorrow, stay tuned for the epic photos of us dressed up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101029_rockyhorror/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTonight my friends and I were going to the midnight showing of Rocky Horror\npicture show. We got all dressed up, I even had an afro going because I was\nMagenta. However it was all sold out tonight. So…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFAIL\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe did get tickets for tomorrows show however so that\u0026rsquo;s awesome! So take two\ntomorrow, stay tuned for the epic photos of us dressed up.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rocky Horror Picture Show FAIL"},{"content":"I have had a myriad of experiences with dogs on my many road trips across the country including this one. This picture really epitomizes Montana for me, a woman pulled into her local post office on a four-wheeler with her big dog patiently waiting for her on the back. Basically, you know you’re in the middle of nowhere Montana when you see people riding around town in four wheelers. It is kind of like how you know you’re in Michigan when you see that tractors are basically the only cars on the road for miles. Let me just say, it is beyond annoying to drive behind a tractor, one you can’t see around it, two it goes about five miles per hour on flat roads. Don’t get me started on up hill roads.\nBack to my initial point, the picture itself. I really enjoy this dog. Driving across the country I have seen all kinds of dogs, paired with all sorts of vehicles going around little towns. Like in Big Basin Nevada when we saw this little white lab with goggles, a cape, and the biggest smile you will ever see on a dog riding around in a motorcycle compartment. Quite the sight. The fact that this dog was just sitting there, precariously perched on the back of this four-wheeler is somehow funnier. It makes me wonder how often this dog goes for joy rides in this thing.\nI miss the road trips, the weird experiences, and odd sights like these. I hope I get to do another adventure soon so I can take all of you along with me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101028_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have had a myriad of experiences with dogs on my many road trips across the\ncountry including this one. This picture really epitomizes Montana for me, a\nwoman pulled into her local post office on a four-wheeler with her big dog\npatiently waiting for her on the back. Basically, you know you’re in the\nmiddle of nowhere Montana when you see people riding around town in four\nwheelers. It is kind of like how you know you’re in Michigan when you see that\ntractors are basically the only cars on the road for miles. Let me just say,\nit is beyond annoying to drive behind a tractor, one you can’t see around it,\ntwo it goes about five miles per hour on flat roads. Don’t get me started on\nup hill roads.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: You Know You’re in Montana When…"},{"content":"I have been having requests to re-post the lemon water rant lately, so why not. This was one of my very first rants and I need to bring back the rants so here you go! There will be more to come.\nI really, really hate it when at a restaurant they put lemon slices into your glasses of water. It ruins the water entirely.\nI have four theories as to why someone might commit this heinous crime.\nThey are punishing us for not spending ridiculously large amounts on sodas or other beverages we don’t necessarily need but want. If they ruin the water, the customers need to drink something, as in my case while eating at a spicy Thai restaurant, so the customers will be forced to either endure the gross lemon water or spend large sums of money on something else. They are hiding something. Don’t know what. Don’t know why. They use the horrible lemon taste to mask some sort of other taste for god knows what reason. Then I am forced to wonder, whatever could be so wrong with their water, unless they take it from a restroom or some other unbeknownst place. (My mom mentioned this second reason and I agreed wholeheartedly) They just plain don’t like us. They for some unknown reason just want our taste buds to burn and suffer. I don’t even believe this option is possible but here it is. They believe it actually tastes good. I shudder at the thought of someone believing this and hope that I am wrong. So please, no more lemons in my water. There is only one thing that bugs me more than lemons in water, is limes in coke. WHY? So now they not only ruin the free water but the coke you paid three bucks for? Don’t get me started, it just makes me sick.\nI know some of you are thinking this is pointless and wonder, why doesn’t she just take it out and stop whining. My reply, it doesn’t fix the problem. I don’t know how they genetically engineer these lemons to spread there juices the second it hits the water, but once the lemon goes in, the taste never leaves. Not to mention the uncouth methods for retrieving the drowning lemon. You can either stick your whole hand in and fish around or dig around with a utensil for a while cussing until you can spear it and drag it out. Take your pick, either way the lemon taste still contaminates it entirely.\nThis isn’t just because I dislike lemons, which isn’t true, I enjoy things with lemon flavors, or things with lemon in it. JUST NOT MY WATER. So again, please no more lemons in my water.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101027_lemon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have been having requests to re-post the lemon water rant lately, so why not.\nThis was one of my very first rants and I need to bring back the rants so here\nyou go! There will be more to come.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really, really hate it when at a restaurant they put lemon slices into your\nglasses of water. It ruins the water entirely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have four theories as to why someone might commit this heinous crime.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lemon Water"},{"content":"Write in Pen\nHe says blandly\nI look up surprised\nWhat?\nAlways use a pen\nPencils are worthless\nHe blows out smoke\nFrom a drooping mouth\nPulled down by age\nIf you want your work\nTo be serious\nWrite in pen\nAll else will be forgotten\nIf it can be erased,\nIt will be erased.\nI look at the old pencil\nSitting in my hands\nIt had grown small\nAnd grungy\nFrom repeated and relentless use\nBut I always write in pencil\nI say as I watch\nHis indifference\nSmirking at me\nOver the top\nOf a wilted old newspaper\nHe shrugs\nThen you will be forgotten\nThat was all he said\nAs he folded his paper\nDropped his cigarette\nSnuffing it out\nWith the toe\nOf his fancy shoes\nI told myself to forget him\nHis words meant nothing\nJust smoke and mirrors\nFrom a strange old man\nYet here I am writing in pen\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100927_pen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWrite in Pen\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says blandly\u003cbr\u003e\nI look up surprised\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat?\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways use a pen\u003cbr\u003e\nPencils are worthless\u003cbr\u003e\nHe blows out smoke\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom a drooping mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nPulled down by age\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you want your work\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be serious\u003cbr\u003e\nWrite in pen\u003cbr\u003e\nAll else will be forgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nIf it can be erased,\u003cbr\u003e\nIt will be erased.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI look at the old pencil\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting in my hands\u003cbr\u003e\nIt had grown small\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd grungy\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom repeated and relentless use\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I always write in pencil\u003cbr\u003e\nI say as I watch\u003cbr\u003e\nHis indifference\u003cbr\u003e\nSmirking at me\u003cbr\u003e\nOver the top\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a wilted old newspaper\u003cbr\u003e\nHe shrugs\u003cbr\u003e\nThen you will be forgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nThat was all he said\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he folded his paper\u003cbr\u003e\nDropped his cigarette\u003cbr\u003e\nSnuffing it out\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the toe\u003cbr\u003e\nOf his fancy shoes\u003cbr\u003e\nI told myself to forget him\u003cbr\u003e\nHis words meant nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nJust smoke and mirrors\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom a strange old man\u003cbr\u003e\nYet here I am writing in pen\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Write in Pen"},{"content":"Missing the beautiful Begonia Festival.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101026_begonia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMissing the beautiful Begonia Festival.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Missing Begonia"},{"content":"Yes ladies and gents it is Halloween time again, and what does this mean? Normally, jack-o-lanterns, candy, and costumes. This year is different however, this year Halloween screams LADY GAGA! The costume to be, it seems, is Lady Gaga. Of course there are many to choose from, like the soda can outfits like this one.\nVery interesting indeed, and many other strange and mysterious outfits that Lady Gaga seems to constantly be pulling out of her magician’s hat. Everyone is going gaga for be GaGa. It is understandable, she is a pretty cool chick with some crazy costumes. I know I am going to go sit on the sidewalk and count all the different GaGa’s roaming the street in a half crazed stupor dressed like…. strumpets. (Look it up, its a Shakespeare word, yes I am a geek deal with it.)\nIf you don’t get the meaning from this picture then I don’t think even a dictionary can help you. Sorry. The most popular outfit seems to be the caution tape outfit. Yes, a costume made solely up of thin pieces of caution tape. Censor your poor children’s virgin eyes. I fear for the innocents!\nAnyway, happy Halloween, don’t forget to count your GaGa’s!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101025_ladygaga/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYes ladies and gents it is Halloween time again, and what does this mean?\nNormally, jack-o-lanterns, candy, and costumes. This year is different\nhowever, this year Halloween screams LADY GAGA! The costume to be, it seems,\nis Lady Gaga. Of course there are many to choose from, like the soda can\noutfits like this one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101025_ladygaga/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVery interesting indeed, and many other strange and mysterious outfits that\nLady Gaga seems to constantly be pulling out of her magician’s hat. Everyone\nis going gaga for be GaGa. It is understandable, she is a pretty cool chick\nwith some crazy costumes. I know I am going to go sit on the sidewalk and\ncount all the different GaGa’s roaming the street in a half crazed stupor\ndressed like…. strumpets. (Look it up, its a Shakespeare word, yes I am a geek\ndeal with it.)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween: Lady GaGa"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101023_mussels/","summary":"","title":"Mussels"},{"content":"There is something mystical about bubbles. They feel as if each has its own little world hidden away inside of their iridescent centers. I love how they capture the color of what is around them and reflect it back at you. It is amazing and whimsical to watch bubbles just drifting away in the breeze. I recommend it on a hard day. Each bubble consumes your worries and carries them away. It is a life saver, try it some time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101021_bubbles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is something mystical about bubbles. They feel as if each has its own\nlittle world hidden away inside of their iridescent centers. I love how they\ncapture the color of what is around them and reflect it back at you. It is\namazing and whimsical to watch bubbles just drifting away in the breeze. I\nrecommend it on a hard day. Each bubble consumes your worries and carries them\naway. It is a life saver, try it some time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Iridescent Bubbles"},{"content":"Last weekend my mom and I went to San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Saturday we spent at the expo gathering as many free goodies as we could. This consisted of about ten Pom drinks, a billion Luna bars and Ghiradelli chocolates (yes they give you chocolate!). We visited Niketown to get some awesome marathon merchandise and find our name on the wall. There is a wall filled with all of the names of the women participating in the Marathon. It took forever to find ours but we eventually did.\nAfter unloading our massive booty back at our apartment we took a trolley down to Fisherman’s Wharf for some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Somehow I managed to never have been on a trolley, or have eaten clam chowder in a bread bowl even though I have been to San Francisco many, many times. Sad, I know. But now I can say I have done both! That was all fun and good but we couldn’t find a taxi back to our apartment for the life of us and had to beat out a group of guys to jump a taxi after walking for like a mile. Sorry about stealing your taxi, we knew it was yours but we needed it more than you I think…. sorry.\nWe then met up with the rest of our group that we would be doing the half marathon with which consisted of mother’s and their daughters. We had a lovely dinner at Scallas and had a lot of fun talking with each other.\nThat was enough fun and games for the night before, we had an early morning the next day to begin our journey. I got up at five in the morning to get ready in the pitch black. We met down at the starting line at 6:30 and started to walk our half marathon. We started a little earlier than the pack of 20,000 people so we wouldn’t get stampeded by the mob. It was an amazing feeling to walk down the normally busy streets of San Francisco in the dark where no one is around except for you and your group of friends. All of the course was blocked off so we had the whole road to ourselves. It was really amazing.\nAround mile three the first of the runners started to pass us and the marathon had really begun! It was so much fun just walking and running through the entirety of San Francisco with our group. We got to see almost every inch of San Francisco it felt like. We walked along the piers, out to Fort Point and beyond. Every few miles there were stops with food or water that was also fun. You could stock pile goodies like shock blocks and luna bars for later on in the walk.\nI was totally fine until around mile seven when my foot started to really cramp up and never stopped hurting for the rest of the walk. I tried to not let it hinder the experience however. We got to see so much beautiful scenery that I never knew existed all around San Francisco like the rolling hills overlooking a stormy ocean. There was so much to see, not one second was boring.\nAt about mile ten it started to rain, then it started to pour. The last stretch was nice, especially the chocolate mile. The chocolate mile is at mile twelve where they have a food station. They hand out Ghiradelli chocolates. I stashed about six of those…. for later of course 😀\nAfter that it was the final leg, we ran the rest of the way and the best part of the whole experience was turning that finally corner and looking down the shoot at the finish line and all of the people cheering you on to the finish. Running over the finish line with my mom was an unexplainable feeling. By that time it was pouring and we kind of looked like drowned rats but we sure where some proud drowned rats. A half marathon finished, thirteen point one miles done!\nAfter crossing the finish line we had firefighters in nice suits and Nike shoes give us our Tiffany necklaces. They give you these cute little boxes and then you know you really are done.\nThen came the painful part, the way back to the apartment. To get back to the start line we have to get on a bus and drive back. The line to get on the bus was miles long! After running all that way the last thing we wanted to do was wait in a line eons long in the pouring rain. It was so cold and all we had where the emergency blankets to shield us from the rain as we waited in line. I got so sore from standing there I still hurt. That was definitely the worst part. The ride back seemed like it took forever but at least we weren’t in the rain any more.\nWe then had to walk up all the hills of San Francisco to our apartment which was terrible after getting totally sore, cold, and tired. Besides the last part, I had an awesome time. I will never forget this experience and hope to do it again someday. For now I am a one time half marathon finisher!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101019_marathon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast weekend my mom and I went to San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Half\nMarathon on Sunday morning. Saturday we spent at the expo gathering as many\nfree goodies as we could. This consisted of about ten Pom drinks, a billion\nLuna bars and Ghiradelli chocolates (yes they give you chocolate!). We visited\nNiketown to get some awesome marathon merchandise and find our name on the\nwall. There is a wall filled with all of the names of the women participating\nin the Marathon. It took forever to find ours but we eventually did.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nike Women’s Half Marathon Finisher!"},{"content":"Tomorrow my mom and I are heading up to San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. This is my first time ever participating in this even and I am really excited and a little nervous. The expo is tomorrow and we get to explore San Francisco before we do the actual race on Sunday. I will update the posts tomorrow and the day of the race. Stay tuned for photos soon!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101015_marathon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTomorrow my mom and I are heading up to San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Half\nMarathon. This is my first time ever participating in this even and I am\nreally excited and a little nervous. The expo is tomorrow and we get to\nexplore San Francisco before we do the actual race on Sunday. I will update\nthe posts tomorrow and the day of the race. Stay tuned for photos soon!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nike Women’s Half Marathon"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101008_egret/","summary":"","title":"Snowy Egret"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101007_peace/","summary":"","title":"Peace Now"},{"content":"Dear Friends and Family,\nHey everyone! I will be walking/running my first half marathon, next week in San Francisco. This will be my first time participating in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. This event is to raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.\nThere are so many people whose lives are touched by this illness and this is my way of doing my part. I am writing to see if I might gain your financial support. A personal donation or sponsorship from you at any level will be much appreciated. I hope you will help me support this amazing cause. Thank you all!\nChecks should be made payable to:\nThe Leukemia \u0026amp; Lymphoma Society\nThanks in advance for your participation. Please let me know if you have any questions.\nSincerely, Monica Multer\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101005_marathon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDear Friends and Family,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHey everyone! I will be walking/running my first half marathon, next week in\nSan Francisco. This will be my first time participating in the Nike Women’s\nHalf Marathon. This event is to raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia and\nLymphoma Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101005_marathon/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are so many people whose lives are touched by this illness and this is my\nway of doing my part. I am writing to see if I might gain your financial\nsupport. A personal donation or sponsorship from you at any level will be much\nappreciated. I hope you will help me support this amazing cause. Thank you\nall!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nike Women’s Half Marathon"},{"content":"I will find the time for you again\nAnother time\nWhen time has stretched out\nLike that old black cat\nJust laying\nAlways laying there\nWhen time has come back\nLike the birds to my feeder\nWhen time comes back\nIt will leave again\nFlowing back home\nThen out again\nTime has drifted by my window\nKnocking quietly\nBut leaves as I crack open my window\nI leave a note for her\nA little song\nThat says\nWhen you come back\nCome back again\nI will be waiting\nWaiting for you my friend\nI seal my window\nWith that little scrap of paper\nLeft on the outside\nFluttering dangerously in the breeze\nBut it never flies away\nIt is still waiting\nFor time\nTime to come back again\nTo cross this side of the tracks\nAnd face me again\nWhy did you leave\nAre the words\nWords that left holes\nIn frosted glass\nWords whispered\nIn a desperate time\nThat won’t leave now\nEven though their meaning has\nThe cat is still stretched out\nThe birds have left the feeder\nThe love note has blown away\nAnd the window is shut\nBut where are you?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101004_time/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI will find the time for you again\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother time\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen time has stretched out\u003cbr\u003e\nLike that old black cat\u003cbr\u003e\nJust laying\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways laying there\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen time has come back\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the birds to my feeder\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen time comes back\u003cbr\u003e\nIt will leave again\u003cbr\u003e\nFlowing back home\u003cbr\u003e\nThen out again\u003cbr\u003e\nTime has drifted by my window\u003cbr\u003e\nKnocking quietly\u003cbr\u003e\nBut leaves as I crack open my window\u003cbr\u003e\nI leave a note for her\u003cbr\u003e\nA little song\u003cbr\u003e\nThat says\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you come back\u003cbr\u003e\nCome back again\u003cbr\u003e\nI will be waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for you my friend\u003cbr\u003e\nI seal my window\u003cbr\u003e\nWith that little scrap of paper\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft on the outside\u003cbr\u003e\nFluttering dangerously in the breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it never flies away\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is still waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nFor time\u003cbr\u003e\nTime to come back again\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cross this side of the tracks\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd face me again\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy did you leave\u003cbr\u003e\nAre the words\u003cbr\u003e\nWords that left holes\u003cbr\u003e\nIn frosted glass\u003cbr\u003e\nWords whispered\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a desperate time\u003cbr\u003e\nThat won’t leave now\u003cbr\u003e\nEven though their meaning has\u003cbr\u003e\nThe cat is still stretched out\u003cbr\u003e\nThe birds have left the feeder\u003cbr\u003e\nThe love note has blown away\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the window is shut\u003cbr\u003e\nBut where are you?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Time Again"},{"content":"My aunt, Valri Peyser, is doing Open Studios this weekend. She has work that includes fabulous paintings with marvelous colors.\nShe also has a line of painted wine bottles, with patterns, faces, and wonderful colors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20101003_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy aunt, Valri Peyser, is doing Open Studios this weekend. She has work that includes fabulous paintings with marvelous colors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101003_openstudios/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe also has a line of painted wine bottles, with patterns, faces, and\nwonderful colors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101003_openstudios/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20101003_openstudios/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Open Studios: Valri Peyser"},{"content":"You were adorable with your little baby doll. I think you parents owned the shop you were outside of playing. You were talking with your little doll and then slapped it. I wonder what you were speaking of with the plastic face of an American doll. What did you have to speak about and why did it make you angry? Then you simply proceeded to drool on yourself. It was an interesting interaction to witness. Interesting indeed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100929_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were adorable with your little baby doll. I think you parents owned the\nshop you were outside of playing. You were talking with your little doll and\nthen slapped it. I wonder what you were speaking of with the plastic face of\nan American doll. What did you have to speak about and why did it make you\nangry? Then you simply proceeded to drool on yourself. It was an interesting\ninteraction to witness. Interesting indeed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Baby Doll"},{"content":"This was a strange combination of the elegant colors of a sari and the manufactured colors of a theme park. The bubble-gum pinks and orange creamsicle with the elegance of a deep blue. Yes, this is where cultures meet and ideas clash. I rather enjoy this, when things don’t work together but somehow manage to co-exist. In the small place where these two things meet there is an understanding, a harmony that is not found anywhere else.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100926_sari/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was a strange combination of the elegant colors of a sari and the\nmanufactured colors of a theme park. The bubble-gum pinks and orange\ncreamsicle with the elegance of a deep blue. Yes, this is where cultures meet\nand ideas clash. I rather enjoy this, when things don’t work together but\nsomehow manage to co-exist.  In the small place where these two things meet\nthere is an understanding, a harmony that is not found anywhere else.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sari Colors"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100925_growing/","summary":"","title":"Growing"},{"content":"If I bet on Humanity\nI would be betting on a dream\nAn idea that never truly formed\nI would be betting on hope\nOn thin air\nGrasping for the wisps\nOf a shadow slipping away\nThe half drawn portrait\nof a beautiful woman\nNot finished, never finished\nBetting on an abstract thing\nThat could have been\nBut never was\nIf I bet on Humanity\nI would be a poor woman\nWith empty pockets\nBut a heart full of hope\nLeft with nothing but everything\nBetting on the underdog\nKnowing it will loose\nBut hoping\nOnly hoping\nThey will pull through in the end\nBut never do\nIf I didn’t bet on Humanity\nI wouldn’t be who I am\nI would be rooting for the winner\nThe full formed idea\nBetting on some surety\nBut that isn’t me\nI bet on the loser\nIn the face of failure\nHoping they will make it out\nOf the hole they dug\nThe shadow of what could be\nHoping in vain for victory\nBut victory never came\nI wouldn’t be who I am\nIf I didn’t bet on Humanity\nBecause I am humanity\nI am the child of thousands\nThe idea not yet formed\nI am betting on us\nOn me and who I can be\nBut never turned out to be\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100924_bet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIf I bet on Humanity\u003cbr\u003e\nI would be betting on a dream\u003cbr\u003e\nAn idea that never truly formed\u003cbr\u003e\nI would be betting on hope\u003cbr\u003e\nOn thin air\u003cbr\u003e\nGrasping for the wisps\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a shadow slipping away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe half drawn portrait\u003cbr\u003e\nof a beautiful woman\u003cbr\u003e\nNot finished, never finished\u003cbr\u003e\nBetting on an abstract thing\u003cbr\u003e\nThat could have been\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never was\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I bet on Humanity\u003cbr\u003e\nI would be a poor woman\u003cbr\u003e\nWith empty pockets\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a heart full of hope\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft with nothing but everything\u003cbr\u003e\nBetting on the underdog\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing it will loose\u003cbr\u003e\nBut hoping\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly hoping\u003cbr\u003e\nThey will pull through in the end\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never do\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Loosing Bet"},{"content":"What first caught my attention, believe it or not, was your tattoo on your neck of a pair of lips. I am not sure why it wasn’t your hair that caught my attention because it is so noticeable. Then of course I noticed all of your piercings, you ears, nose, and your upper lip. That was the strange one, a small ring inside your upper lip that showed only when you smiled. I thought that was an interesting concept. Did you do that so only the people who made you smile would get to see this hidden symbol of happiness? You were intriguing overall and it took me a while to get this shot because you disappeared for some amount of time in the New Leaf. I finally asked you for your picture. You seemed a little confused, but who wouldn’t be? Thanks for letting me take your picture, thanks for smiling.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100920_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhat first caught my attention, believe it or not, was your tattoo on your neck\nof a pair of lips. I am not sure why it wasn’t your hair that caught my\nattention because it is so noticeable. Then of course I noticed all of your\npiercings, you ears, nose, and your upper lip. That was the strange one, a\nsmall ring inside your upper lip that showed only when you smiled. I thought\nthat was an interesting concept. Did you do that so only the people who made\nyou smile would get to see this hidden symbol of happiness? You were\nintriguing overall and it took me a while to get this shot because you\ndisappeared for some amount of time in the New Leaf. I finally asked you for\nyour picture. You seemed a little confused, but who wouldn’t be? Thanks for\nletting me take your picture, thanks for smiling.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Lips"},{"content":"This was definitely one of my favorite pictures from my road trip to Michigan this year. There were old dock pilings that went on forever until they disappeared into the mist. The water was os placid and clear that the pilings reflected upon themselves causing a near ghostly effect.\nThe juxtaposition of this dead ghostly image with the fresh, new green plant growing out of it was splendid. The idea of old things growing into the new. This haunting and wonderful picture reminds me just how much I love driving across the country. You never know what sort of strange sights you will see in the most obscure of places. I wish I was out exploring instead of stressing over school. But hey, no use wishing away life, the next chances I get, I will be on the road again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100914_ghosts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was definitely one of my favorite pictures from my road trip to Michigan\nthis year. There were old dock pilings that went on forever until they\ndisappeared into the mist. The water was os placid and clear that the pilings\nreflected upon themselves causing a near ghostly effect.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe juxtaposition of this dead ghostly image with the fresh, new green plant\ngrowing out of it was splendid. The idea of old things growing into the new.\nThis haunting and wonderful picture reminds me just how much I love driving\nacross the country. You never know what sort of strange sights you will see in\nthe most obscure of places. I wish I was out exploring instead of stressing\nover school. But hey, no use wishing away life, the next chances I get, I will\nbe on the road again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ghosts"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100912_flower/","summary":"","title":"Passion Flower"},{"content":"It was a tough night yesterday, and I knew I had to get Nick to lower elevation to help him feel better. So it\u0026rsquo;s back down the trail to see how he feels when we get to the Pear Lake turnoff. Plenty of great views along the way, and I\u0026rsquo;m happy to see Nick starting to feel better. Unfortunately Nick is in no mood for another tough night in the back country, so it\u0026rsquo;s back to the car for the both of us. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to our next trip, with a little more time to acclimate.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100911_sequoia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was a tough night yesterday, and I knew I had to get Nick to lower elevation\nto help him feel better. So it\u0026rsquo;s back down the trail to see how he feels when\nwe get to the Pear Lake turnoff. Plenty of great views along the way, and I\u0026rsquo;m\nhappy to see Nick starting to feel better. Unfortunately Nick is in no mood\nfor another tough night in the back country, so it\u0026rsquo;s back to the car for the\nboth of us. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to our next trip, with a little more time to\nacclimate.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking with Nick in Sequoia - Day 2"},{"content":"You were definitely my favorite outfit that I saw at the Lady GaGa Concert. You basically only had on underwear and caution tape. Not including the sunglasses and the soda cans in your hair. It was amazing to see how willing people where to bear all in front of a massive crowd of strangers in the name of their dedication to a musical artist. Whatever your motivation behind this outfit, I enjoyed it. Also, kudos for putting yourself out there, maybe it would be best to do it in a slightly different way than walking around basically nude. Still, kudos 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100911_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were definitely my favorite outfit that I saw at the Lady GaGa Concert. You\nbasically only had on underwear and caution tape. Not including the sunglasses\nand the soda cans in your hair. It was amazing to see how willing people where\nto bear all in front of a massive crowd of strangers in the name of their\ndedication to a musical artist. Whatever your motivation behind this outfit, I\nenjoyed it. Also, kudos for putting yourself out there, maybe it would be best\nto do it in a slightly different way than walking around basically nude.\nStill, kudos 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper photo: Caution Tape"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since I\u0026rsquo;ve gone backpacking with any of the kids, and this fall it\u0026rsquo;s Nick\u0026rsquo;s turn to enjoy the great outdoors with his grizzly dad. We\u0026rsquo;re headed to a new hike for me out in Sequoia National Park. We drove out early in hopes of getting a permit for one of the nicer areas. We decided on the Lakes Trail route out to Alta Peak for the first night, then over to Pear Lakes for the second night. It was a dusty hike with a good amount of climbing, up through Panther Gap and on to Mehrten Meadow. Unfortunately I didn\u0026rsquo;t anticipate that Nick might get hit with altitude issues, so we took it easy and setup camp in the Meadow. It was a tough night for him getting up every hour or so.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100910_sequoia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since I\u0026rsquo;ve gone backpacking with any of the kids, and\nthis fall it\u0026rsquo;s Nick\u0026rsquo;s turn to enjoy the great outdoors with his grizzly dad.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re headed to a new hike for me out in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/seki/\"\u003eSequoia National Park\u003c/a\u003e.\nWe drove out early in hopes of getting a permit for one of the nicer areas. We\ndecided on the Lakes Trail route out to Alta Peak for the first night, then\nover to Pear Lakes for the second night. It was a dusty hike with a good\namount of climbing, up through Panther Gap and on to Mehrten Meadow.\nUnfortunately I didn\u0026rsquo;t anticipate that Nick might get hit with altitude\nissues, so we took it easy and setup camp in the Meadow. It was a tough night\nfor him getting up every hour or so.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking with Nick in Sequoia - Day 1"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100909_blackberry/","summary":"","title":"Blackberry"},{"content":"I couldn’t really tell what your float was about but the people on it with you were very interesting. Your mask was enchanting something utterly demonic about it and at the same time it was almost childish. It matched your tattoo very well on your arm. You seemed like a stoic protector over your float. Like a silent ghost set down there, you hardly moved, just stared forward with your mask unmoving. You captivated me, thanks for being there, and thanks for the mask.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100908_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI couldn’t really tell what your float was about but the people on it with you\nwere very interesting. Your mask was enchanting something utterly demonic\nabout it and at the same time it was almost childish. It matched your tattoo\nvery well on your arm. You seemed like a stoic protector over your float. Like\na silent ghost set down there, you hardly moved, just stared forward with your\nmask unmoving. You captivated me, thanks for being there, and thanks for the\nmask.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Mask"},{"content":"There were also big begonia floating parade boats that people created. They showed them off as they slowly tooled down the river to be judged. There were some very nice ones that I really enjoyed like the octopus float.\nI also enjoyed the none to pleased looking mermaids on the float, especially the little mermaid inside of the clam. The others were really cool as well and the people manning them were very interesting as well.\nOne of the strangest things we saw was… Ronald McDonald. McDonald’s sponsored the Begonia festival so he got to take a ride on a little boat to wave at everyone. It was an interesting sight to say the least.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100907_begonia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere were also big begonia floating parade boats that people created. They\nshowed them off as they slowly tooled down the river to be judged. There were\nsome very nice ones that I really enjoyed like the octopus float.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI also enjoyed the none to pleased looking mermaids on the float, especially\nthe little mermaid inside of the clam. The others were really cool as well and\nthe people manning them were very interesting as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Begonia Festival Part 2"},{"content":"This was the first year I got to attend the Capitola Begonia Festival.\nThis first part consisted of the Sand Castle Contest. Some of them were quite interesting.\nMy favorites where the giant great white sand castle, and the giant sand sculpture of Poseidon and the BP oil spill.\nThis one was definitely the best, it had a message about the BP Oil Spill and of course the quality of the sculpture was amazing. The eyes and teeth made out of shells where so amazing and life-like. The seaweed oil spill was an interesting and unique touch as well. It was the last one on the beach and looking out over the whole crowd was quite a spectacle.\nIt was interesting looking at all of the people. It was a mob of beach goers all looking and appreciating the work of these sand artists.\nI am glad I went, Part two will be coming up next.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was the first year I got to attend the Capitola Begonia Festival.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis first part consisted of the Sand Castle Contest. Some of them were quite\ninteresting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy favorites where the giant great white sand castle, and the giant sand\nsculpture of Poseidon and the BP oil spill.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100906_begonia/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one was definitely the best, it had a message about the BP Oil Spill and\nof course the quality of the sculpture was amazing. The eyes and teeth made\nout of shells where so amazing and life-like. The seaweed oil spill was an\ninteresting and unique touch as well. It was the last one on the beach and\nlooking out over the whole crowd was quite a spectacle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Begonia Festival Part 1"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100905_trash/","summary":"","title":"One Man’s Trash…"},{"content":"There is a relationship between all living things, a dependence, a connection that you have to look very closely to find. Yet at times it is so obvious you would have to be blind not to notice. A bee’s romance with the flower it seeks life from. A child’s connection to its mother as they grow old together with a bond that surpasses that of genetics. Or the look in an animals eye as it looks upon a potential predator but neither make a menacing move. It is a dance, a balance between one beings life and another’s. Can you see it, the connection, the relationships of the world around you. If you can’t now, start looking before it is too late to look at the harmony in the world around you. It is beautiful.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100904_harmony/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a relationship between all living things, a dependence, a connection\nthat you have to look very closely to find. Yet at times it is so obvious you\nwould have to be blind not to notice. A bee’s romance with the flower it seeks\nlife from. A child’s connection to its mother as they grow old together with a\nbond that surpasses that of genetics. Or the look in an animals eye as it\nlooks upon a potential predator but neither make a menacing move. It is a\ndance, a balance between one beings life and another’s. Can you see it, the\nconnection, the relationships of the world around you. If you can’t now, start\nlooking before it is too late to look at the harmony in the world around you.\nIt is beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Harmony"},{"content":"In my earlier travel update on our trip to Yellowstone this summer and the black bear we saw walking right next to the road. I wasn’t very smart about it and was running down the road after him to get good pictures along with a missive crowd of people. This are the best photos of him that I thought were worth re-posting on their own. So here he is.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100902_bear/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn my earlier travel update on our trip to Yellowstone this summer and the\nblack bear we saw walking right next to the road. I wasn’t very smart about it\nand was running down the road after him to get good pictures along with a\nmissive crowd of people. This are the best photos of him that I thought were\nworth re-posting on their own. So here he is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100902_bear/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Re-Post: Black Bear"},{"content":"Out in Cooke City Montana there is an old house. It has new glass in the windows, it’s doors hang on rusted hinges, the inside was long ago torn out and slowly accumulated junk within, and the house itself has been weathered by time so much that it now more resembles an old haunted house. I love this house. Every time I see it I have to take a picture. This year it was different. The ground around the old broken down house was covered in purple flowers. Slowly but surely all that was old becomes new and all that is new will soon be old. It just takes time, all things change in time. You will only see it though if you are willing to wait. So wait for change and bring in the new from the old and maybe even the old from the new.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100901_house/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOut in Cooke City Montana there is an old house. It has new glass in the\nwindows, it’s doors hang on rusted hinges, the inside was long ago torn out\nand slowly accumulated junk within, and the house itself has been weathered by\ntime so much that it now more resembles an old haunted house. I love this\nhouse. Every time I see it I have to take a picture. This year it was\ndifferent. The ground around the old broken down house was covered in purple\nflowers. Slowly but surely all that was old becomes new and all that is new\nwill soon be old. It just takes time, all things change in time. You will only\nsee it though if you are willing to wait. So wait for change and bring in the\nnew from the old and maybe even the old from the new.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where the Old Meets the New"},{"content":"Yesterday was a long drive up to Bishop, but the route up Highway 95 and then over to Bishop was really beautiful. We start nice the day early and head for Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile for some excellent hiking. We checked out the rock formations from above and below, and then hiked out to Rainbow Falls.\nOur next stop is Mono Lake.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s up and over Tioga Pass into Yosemite via Tuolumne Meadows. I\u0026rsquo;ve really wanted to do some backpacking out this way, but permits are always so tough to come by. One of these days I\u0026rsquo;m thinking I\u0026rsquo;ll have to do the Pacific Crest Trail from here down to Whitney. One of these days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a long drive up to Bishop, but the route up Highway 95 and then\nover to Bishop was really beautiful. We start nice the day early and head for\nMammoth Lakes and \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/depo/\"\u003eDevils Postpile\u003c/a\u003e for some\nexcellent hiking. We checked out the rock formations from above and below, and\nthen hiked out to Rainbow Falls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur next stop is \u003ca href=\"https://www.monolake.org\"\u003eMono Lake\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100831_postpile/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s up and over Tioga Pass into \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e via Tuolumne Meadows.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve really wanted to do some backpacking out this way, but permits are always\nso tough to come by. One of these days I\u0026rsquo;m thinking I\u0026rsquo;ll have to do the\nPacific Crest Trail from here down to Whitney. One of these days.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Devils Postpile, Mono Lake, and Tuolumne Meadows"},{"content":"We arrived at the North Rim yesterday, and this morning it\u0026rsquo;s pretty cold, but that certainly doesn\u0026rsquo;t hinder any of the beauty of this place. Charlotte and I hike around the edge of the canyon, but we don\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of time today as we\u0026rsquo;ve got a long drive up to Bishop for our last night of the road trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe arrived at the North Rim yesterday, and this morning it\u0026rsquo;s pretty cold, but\nthat certainly doesn\u0026rsquo;t hinder any of the beauty of this place. Charlotte and I\nhike around the edge of the canyon, but we don\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of time today as\nwe\u0026rsquo;ve got a long drive up to Bishop for our last night of the road trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100830_grandcanyon/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice morning in the Grand Canyon"},{"content":"You were sitting out by the Boardwalk when a friend and I walked by. You had a mantra on a cardboard sign in front of you. It was nice to read it and talk with you. Thanks for the mantra and the picture, keep Santa Cruz weird.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100829_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were sitting out by the Boardwalk when a friend and I walked by. You had a\nmantra on a cardboard sign in front of you. It was nice to read it and talk\nwith you. Thanks for the mantra and the picture, keep Santa Cruz weird.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Mantra"},{"content":"We arrived in Bryce Canyon yesterday, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to dive into a new National Park to see what it has to offer. It\u0026rsquo;s a spectacular morning and a good chance to capture some great lighting.\nThis is easily the most unique hike I\u0026rsquo;ve ever done. Everywhere you look there are amazing rock formations. The colors and quiet trails lead you on a wonderfully meandering path. We spend most of the day exploring as many areas as we can find.\nOn the way out we decide to squeeze in another hiking trail over at Fairyland Point. We don\u0026rsquo;t get very far before we decide to take a little ridge path off the main trail for a nice view.\nI decide to scramble down by some rocks and wind up stumbling on a hiker that fell and hurt himself. It was an amazing piece of luck that I found him, as it appears he was unconscious for at least two hours. He was wobbly, bleeding badly, and appeared to have broken his collarbone. We help him back to his car, then we both drive back to the ranger station to get him some help. It sure feels great having a chance to save someone, I wish him the best.\nCharlotte wanted to stop at this touristy cave on our drive out, but it\u0026rsquo;s closed and we continue on to the mighty Grand Canyon.\nAfter a long drive, we check in at the lodge and then drive out to Cape Royal. Now that is one big hole in the ground!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s blowing like a hurricane back at the lodge, but we manage to tough it out long enough for a somewhat decent view of the sunset.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe arrived in Bryce Canyon yesterday, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to dive into a new National\nPark to see what it has to offer. It\u0026rsquo;s a spectacular morning and a good chance\nto capture some great lighting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100829_bryce/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is easily the most unique hike I\u0026rsquo;ve ever done. Everywhere you look there\nare amazing rock formations. The colors and quiet trails lead you on a\nwonderfully meandering path. We spend most of the day exploring as many areas\nas we can find.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking Bryce Canyon, then off to the North Rim"},{"content":"Yesterday was a great day of hiking in Zion, so this morning we\u0026rsquo;re headed to the Kolobs Canyon entrance for a hike on the Taylor Creek trail. The Double Arch Alcove at the end was an impressive sight. I hope to come back this way for some backpacking in the future. It looks like a fun multi-day hike across the park.\nA little of the wildlife and wildflowers along the way.\nNext stop on the road trip is Cedar Breaks. A nice taste of more to come at Bryce.\nOur final stop for the day is in Bryce Canyon. We take the drive along the park for the many views. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to hiking down in the canyon tomorrow.\nTime to say goodnight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a great day of hiking in Zion, so this morning we\u0026rsquo;re headed to\nthe Kolobs Canyon entrance for a hike on the Taylor Creek trail. The Double\nArch Alcove at the end was an impressive sight. I hope to come back this way\nfor some backpacking in the future. It looks like a fun multi-day hike across\nthe park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100828_zionbryce/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little of the wildlife and wildflowers along the way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another hike in Zion, then it's off to Bryce"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100828_weird/","summary":"","title":"Pretty Self-Explanatory"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are off for a big road trip to various national parks. Our first stop is Zion. After a long drive from Santa Cruz and a peaceful hotel night just outside the park, we head to the Angels Landing hike bright and early. The only problem is that it\u0026rsquo;s actually dark outside when we start hiking. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say we\u0026rsquo;ve got a few switchbacks to traverse before getting to the top of Scout Lookout.\nNow that I get a view of the incredibly narrow and terrifying trail up the last bit to the top, I think I\u0026rsquo;ll let Charlotte take it from here. It totally reminds me of that Half Dome hike many years ago.\nThanks to Charlotte for all the photos at the very top of Angels Landing. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I don\u0026rsquo;t have to climb back down that peak.\nWe pass lots of hikers on their way up the switchbacks, and we\u0026rsquo;ve still got most of the day for more hiking!\nWe\u0026rsquo;re plenty wary of the thunderstorm and flash flood warnings while we head up the Riverside Walk towards the narrows. Once you get your boots wet, it\u0026rsquo;s actually tons of fun hiking in the river. We almost make it to the narrows before safety turns us around to head back.\nWe end the day with a nice drive up Highway 9 through the tunnels. On the way back, I spot a group of bighorn sheep, including this highly protective male looking after his family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100827_zion/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are off for a big road trip to various national parks. Our\nfirst stop is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/zion/\"\u003eZion\u003c/a\u003e. After a long drive from Santa\nCruz and a peaceful hotel night just outside the park, we head to the Angels\nLanding hike bright and early. The only problem is that it\u0026rsquo;s actually dark\noutside when we start hiking. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say we\u0026rsquo;ve got a few switchbacks to\ntraverse before getting to the top of Scout Lookout.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking Zion with Charlotte"},{"content":"There are memories now\nOf a long lost love\nOf a passion who could have been\nBut never was\nResting in her eyes\nYou can see the place where\nHis kisses\nLeft a burned out hole\nIn her heart\nFragile like a robin’s egg\nSo nurtured so loved\nBut it shattered on the ground\nShe held her face so daintily once\nBut no more\nNow she hangs it low\nAs if it is too heavy\nTo hold up on her own\nOnce she had a fire\nThat burned in her eyes\nBut now all that is left\nAre the blackened coals\nLeft behind\nSmoldering and decaying\nDo you know her name\nOnce she was love\nOnce she was loved\nOnce she was a lover\nBut now she is no one\nLove had carved out her heart\nAnd left her empty inside\nNow she is a shell\nOf her beauty\nOf her spirit\nThat along with love\nEver slowly died\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100827_love/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere are memories now\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a long lost love\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a passion who could have been\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never was\u003cbr\u003e\nResting in her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can see the place where\u003cbr\u003e\nHis kisses\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft a burned out hole\u003cbr\u003e\nIn her heart\u003cbr\u003e\nFragile like a robin’s egg\u003cbr\u003e\nSo nurtured so loved\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it shattered on the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nShe held her face so daintily once\u003cbr\u003e\nBut no more\u003cbr\u003e\nNow she hangs it low\u003cbr\u003e\nAs if it is too heavy\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hold up on her own\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce she had a fire\u003cbr\u003e\nThat burned in her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now all that is left\u003cbr\u003e\nAre the blackened coals\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft behind\u003cbr\u003e\nSmoldering and decaying\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you know her name\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce she was love\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce she was loved\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce she was a lover\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now she is no one\u003cbr\u003e\nLove had carved out her heart\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd left her empty inside\u003cbr\u003e\nNow she is a shell\u003cbr\u003e\nOf her beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nOf her spirit\u003cbr\u003e\nThat along with love\u003cbr\u003e\nEver slowly died\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Love’s Shell"},{"content":"So it is official now, I have had this blog up and running for a whole year. This time last year I decided that I would publish my own work and share what I thought and how I felt with the world. I just wanted to take a quick look back at some of my favorite works I have done, photographs and writing a like.\nOf course there was the Shoe Tree from last years road trip that we found out in Oregon. The dawn of the creeper photos early on in the beginning of the blog. Who could forget the somewhat haunting video of Hood doing his she wolf performance. One of my favorites, the baby shoe gangster.\nThis one is for my mom. Her favorite, the abandoned truck bed out in Salt Lake City.\nThe rants were fun and I think quite a few people enjoyed them as well. Rants like the Mosquito Hunter seemed popular. My favorite Creeper Photo of them all, the infamous red hat.\nThis one is for my grandpa, my most faithful and loving reader. 😀 Thanks for all of your support, I know you really liked this gecko a lot so here he is again.\nShort stories like the Blind Man and poems like Mary all try to explain and explore what it means to be a human. And of course my persona motto, If Only It Were That Simple, to explain how I try to see the world.\nFinally here are just a couple of photos that I really liked over the course of my blog.\nThe list could go on forever. Thank you to me readers or anyone just poking in to get the occasional read. It has been a good year. I look forward to many more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100826_anniversary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo it is official now, I have had this blog up and running for a whole year.\nThis time last year I decided that I would publish my own work and share what\nI thought and how I felt with the world. I just wanted to take a quick look\nback at some of my favorite works I have done, photographs and writing a\nlike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course there was the Shoe Tree from last years road trip that we found out\nin Oregon. The dawn of the creeper photos early on in the beginning of the\nblog. Who could forget the somewhat haunting video of Hood doing his she wolf\nperformance. One of my favorites, the baby shoe gangster.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"1 Year Anniversary"},{"content":"The colors in the rainforest are stunning. The water and moisture bring out the color in everything making something ordinary into the most extraordinary experiences.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100823_rainforest/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe colors in the rainforest are stunning. The water and moisture bring out the\ncolor in everything making something ordinary into the most extraordinary\nexperiences.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rainforest Red"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100822_rust/","summary":"","title":"Rust"},{"content":"There were some of the most amazing looking people at the Lady Gaga concert at HP Pavilion. She was one of the first people we saw. She had on these interesting leggings, booty shorts/ basically underwear, and was smoking a cigarette. And just as I took a picture she walked into the picture position; with the do not enter caution tape right over her crouch. I don’t think that could be any more perfect. What can I say but DO NOT ENTER!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100821_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere were some of the most amazing looking people at the Lady Gaga concert at\nHP Pavilion. She was one of the first people we saw. She had on these\ninteresting leggings, booty shorts/ basically underwear, and was smoking a\ncigarette. And just as I took a picture she walked into  the picture position;\nwith the do not enter caution tape right over her crouch. I don’t think that\ncould be any more perfect. What can I say but DO NOT ENTER!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Do Not Enter"},{"content":"I have yet again found myself\nStanding in front of the old wooden door\nOnce it was beautiful\nBut now no more\nIt is broken and withered\nDestroyed by age\nBut still I remember the time\nWhen behind that door\nA life was held\nBorn and raised\nSomeone lived behind that closed door\nBut now they are gone\nLeaving the door wide open\nTo let all evil inside\nIt is empty now\nOnly filled with time\nThe only remnant left\nThe old wooden door\nLong ago left behind\nIt is hanging now\nBy one rusty hinge\nHidden in over grown grasses\nBlowing slowly in the wind\nI can’t remember the child’s name\nWho once lived behind this door\nNo memories remain\nI try to remember\nBut there is nothing left\nJust the old wooden door\nAnd a forgotten address\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100820_door/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have yet again found myself\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding in front of the old wooden door\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce it was beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now no more\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is broken and withered\u003cbr\u003e\nDestroyed by age\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still I remember the time\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen behind that door\u003cbr\u003e\nA life was held\u003cbr\u003e\nBorn and raised\u003cbr\u003e\nSomeone lived behind that closed door\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now they are gone\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving the door wide open\u003cbr\u003e\nTo let all evil inside\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is empty now\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly filled with time\u003cbr\u003e\nThe only remnant left\u003cbr\u003e\nThe old wooden door\u003cbr\u003e\nLong ago left behind\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is hanging now\u003cbr\u003e\nBy one rusty hinge\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden in over grown grasses\u003cbr\u003e\nBlowing slowly in the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nI can’t remember the child’s name\u003cbr\u003e\nWho once lived behind this door\u003cbr\u003e\nNo memories remain\u003cbr\u003e\nI try to remember\u003cbr\u003e\nBut there is nothing left\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the old wooden door\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a forgotten address\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Old Door"},{"content":"I always call chipmunks chippies now from a summer of hearing them being called that up in Northern Michigan. It is almost instinctual but after I saw it I always stop and wonder, did I really just call that chipmunk a chippy? Then I remember, yes, I have spent way to long using Yooper slang.\nAnyway, this cute little chippy was in Yellowstone out by the confluence of the Yellowstone River and the Llamar River. He was definitely the smallest chipmunk I have ever seen. You can sort of tell by the proportion of that piece of grass to his entire body. I just love how he is precariously perched in the bush just munching away.\nIt is interesting that some of the most common wildlife can still be so extraordinary at times. I ask myself how I can appreciate this little guy so much when I have pictures of other more rare wildlife like a red-tailed fox and a black bear that seem so hard to compare to this picture. Still, I find even the most common of wildlife amazes me. It isn’t the animal, or its rarity that appeals to me but rather the idea that it is life in its most raw and savage form. Even these little cute guys, it is nature, it is life, and to capture any level of life within the eye of my camera is an extraordinary experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100819_chippies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI always call chipmunks chippies now from a summer of hearing them being called\nthat up in Northern Michigan. It is almost instinctual but after I saw it I\nalways stop and wonder, did I really just call that chipmunk a chippy? Then I\nremember, yes, I have spent way to long using Yooper slang.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway, this cute little chippy was in Yellowstone out by the confluence of the\nYellowstone River and the Llamar River. He was definitely the smallest\nchipmunk I have ever seen. You can sort of tell by the proportion of that\npiece of grass to his entire body. I just love how he is precariously perched\nin the bush just munching away.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chippies"},{"content":"My mom and I went on a beautiful hike at Mt. Rainier, Washington. We went through a field of wild flowers like these ones, along with many lupines, and others that I cannot begin to name. Flowers light up my life 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100818_lily/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I went on a beautiful hike at Mt. Rainier, Washington. We went\nthrough a field of wild flowers like these ones, along with many lupines, and\nothers that I cannot begin to name. Flowers light up my life 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Avalanche Lily"},{"content":"I went to my first ever concert yesterday with my lovely friends Golnoosh and Hailey. Lady GaGa is amazing! It was such a good show because it wasn’t just a singer doing their songs, or even just an amazing performer, it was that she interacted with the audience on such a personal level. She talked with the audience, at one point people where even throwing their clothes on stage and she made her own outfit out of all of it. She had such personality, and not to mention her dancing and singing skills that just made such an awesome concert.\nOne of the best parts of the show was just watching the way the crowd responded to her. The whole building felt like it was shaking from the base and the jumping throng of people. She would ask the crowd to do something, jump, throw their hands up, or just scream and they would. It was amazing to see how much control she had of such a massive bundle of chaos.\nAnyways, to start off, the people where insane. So many people were dressed up in the wackiest of ways ( many were dressed in a more than slightly whorish fashion though). I was dying to get creeper photos but sadly didn’t have my big camera, so I got a few but you will have to stay tuned for them. We got our picture taken with this really creepy guy that had an awesome outfit on.\nSome of my favorite outfits where this guy, all the people with tin cans wrapped in their hair like curlers, and the people wrapped in only caution tape. It was an interesting night full of interesting people. The opening band was also… interesting. Semi Precious Weapons opened the show and at first I thought the lead singer was GaGa and I got all excited. As soon as I saw his face on the camera view television I was so shocked.\nI just said, Oh my God, THAT’S A GUY! I really thought it was a woman, he was wearing a long grey t-shirt and fish nets, that was it. At one point he even pulled up his shirt and gave a nice full shot of his butt in fish nets and even gave us a little shake. Let me tell you, I saw my fair share of ass this concert, more than my fair share.\nAfter quite a wait, the show began. At first it wasn’t even GaGa, it was just her shadow.\nYou know you’re famous when a giant crowd will wig out just because they see your shadow. When her shadow came out, the crowd went wild! Then slowly we could find GaGa’s figure in the dark and man did everyone go insane! Every time she moved it was a torrent of new screams and applause.\nShe was rocking those purple shoulder pads in a big way. This set was really cool because within the hood of the car was a piano and she just ripped it open and started playing. It was so cool. Then everyone moved over to a big neon fluorescent jungle gym.\nI think it was some sort of modernized stripper pole but I could be wrong. It was fun to see all of the dancers, and of course Gaga just crawling all over this thing. After this Gaga made the first of her many wardrobe changes. It was something like eight times that she changed her clothes.\nI loved the nun outfit which was totally see through and to compliment the saintly attire, a bloody skeleton hand. The dancing was phenomenal and the sets were amazing to look at. It follow a sort of Wizard of Oz plot of descension into scarier and scarier places until the final set, the monster itself.\nBut along the yellow brick road there was a lot of dancing, outfit changes, singing, and insanity.\nOh and the coolest outfit of all was this strange fairy electronic dress.\nThe entire dress moved on its own and even had wings in the back, photos can’t capture the life in this outfit. definitely the most spectacular outfit of the night.\nOh yes and lots of blood and tiny dresses. I thought she was going to pop out of this dress. She kept having to grab it and fix it while she was dancing around.\nAnd finally, the monster with Gaga in its clutches. Strange that it appears to be an angler fish…. Still it was really cool to watch Gaga interact with the monster. And what Lady Gaga performance is complete without boob and crotch fire?\nAnd yes, the monster is watching in the background along with tons of little children that are sitting there wishing they too could have sparklers come out of their crotches. The poor minds of the younger generation.\nAfter that it seemed like the show was over, which was very sad because she hadn’t played Bad Romance. But then the lights went out again, and the encore began! More singing, more Gaga, and more dancing!\nThanks Gaga for an awesome night, an awesome first concert experience, and just a bunch of fun, music and dancing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100817_gaga/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went to my first ever concert yesterday with my lovely friends Golnoosh and\nHailey. Lady GaGa is amazing! It was such a good show because it wasn’t just a\nsinger doing their songs, or even just an amazing performer, it was that she\ninteracted with the audience on such a personal level. She talked with the\naudience, at one point people where even throwing their clothes on stage and\nshe made her own outfit out of all of it. She had such personality, and not to\nmention her dancing and singing skills that just made such an awesome\nconcert.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lady GaGa Concert"},{"content":"\nThis child was so beyond precious. Words almost can’t describe how cute she was. She truly was a baby of a thousand faces. The range of emotion ( and the range of positions of her hair) were phenomenal for that short amount of time.\nI found her at Mt. Rainer in Washington and she killed me. Even trying to post this photos makes me almost die of laughter. Just take a second, look at her hair. Then look at her face. Now back to the hair. And finally back to the face. How can you not laugh? You made my day, you are still making my day. Thanks for the hair, and the face, and the lollipop. You’re amazing.\nOh and yes, I did just post five pictures of one person, that is how much I love this baby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100815_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100815_creeper/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis child was so beyond precious. Words almost can’t describe how cute she\nwas. She truly was a baby of a thousand faces. The range of emotion ( and the\nrange of positions of her hair) were phenomenal for that short amount of\ntime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100815_creeper/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100815_creeper/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found her at Mt. Rainer in Washington and she killed me. Even trying to post\nthis photos makes me almost die of laughter. Just take a second, look at her\nhair. Then look at her face. Now back to the hair. And finally back to the\nface. How can you not laugh? You made my day, you are still making my day.\nThanks for the hair, and the face, and the lollipop. You’re amazing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Baby Face"},{"content":"Books are like life, with a new chapter every day. Books are like traveling, for you visit a new place ever day. Book are like a heart that hasn’t been broken.\nSo here are Golnoosh and Monica’s conversation as I write…\nGolnoosh: Let me play With it!!!\nMonica: How do you like the underside of my bench?\nGolnoosh: I feel like a cat. I cannot sleep. Ok come on. I GOT IT.\nMonica: I don’t appreciate my pig being forced fed to me. IT’s MY PIG I CAN JIGGLE IT IF I WANT\nGolnoosh: You’re the jiggle master. Well I hate you. Well then you have Gaga (dancing)\nMonica: laughing. OH WOW\nGolnoosh: BYE beautiful.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100814_guest/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBooks are like life, with a new chapter every day. Books are like traveling,\nfor you visit a new place ever day. Book are like a heart that hasn’t been\nbroken.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo here are Golnoosh and Monica’s conversation as I write…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGolnoosh: Let me play With it!!!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica: How do you like the underside of my bench?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGolnoosh: I feel like a cat. I cannot sleep. Ok come on. I GOT IT.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Guest Blogger: Books"},{"content":"My mom and I decided to dub North Dakota the sunflower state because all along the road we were driving on where rows and rows of sunflower fields. They were dazzling, just miles and miles it felt like were filled with the yellow faces of sunflowers. It really helped brighten up a long drive, because who won’t smile at a field of sunflowers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100812_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I decided to dub North Dakota the sunflower state because all along\nthe road we were driving on where rows and rows of sunflower fields. They were\ndazzling, just miles and miles it felt like were filled with the yellow faces\nof sunflowers. It really helped brighten up a long drive, because who won’t\nsmile at a field of sunflowers.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Field of Flowers"},{"content":"This was one of the stranger looking animals that I stumbled upon on my road trip home. I nearly stepped on him while I was stalking the infamous white buffalo in Jamestown, White Cloud. I was trying to run away from packs of mosquitoes while also attempting to spy the elusive White Cloud who decided it would be a perfect to hide behind a bush as soon as I decided to show up when I saw a small movement on the ground. At first I thought it was a squirrel but it didn’t have a tail and had a bunch of these weird stripes on its back. Then I decided it had to be a chipmunk but I had never seen one like this, with that many stripes and no fluffy little tail. I started thinking that maybe it was a mutated breed between a squirrel and a chipmunk maybe with a third wheel prairie dog thing going on, just maybe. So I was confused and a little creeped out by his eyes. He had such weird black doll eyes that just sought you out no matter where you moved. It was fun though seeing an interesting and mysterious animal like this. My aunt Karen told me that it was indeed a 13 striped squirrel which was something I had never heard of before. So yea, I saw a 13 striped squirrel. Jealous much?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100811_squirrel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was one of the stranger looking animals that I stumbled upon on my road\ntrip home. I nearly stepped on him while I was stalking the infamous white\nbuffalo in Jamestown, White Cloud. I was trying to run away from packs of\nmosquitoes while also attempting to spy the elusive White Cloud who decided it\nwould be a perfect to hide behind a bush as soon as I decided to show up when\nI saw a small movement on the ground. At first I thought it was a squirrel but\nit didn’t have a tail and had a bunch of these weird stripes on its back. Then\nI decided it had to be a chipmunk but I had never seen one like this, with\nthat many stripes and no fluffy little tail. I started thinking that maybe it\nwas a mutated breed between a squirrel and a chipmunk maybe with a third wheel\nprairie dog thing going on, just maybe. So I was confused and a little creeped\nout by his eyes. He had such weird black doll eyes that just sought you out no\nmatter where you moved. It was fun though seeing an interesting and mysterious\nanimal like this. My aunt Karen told me that it was indeed a 13 striped\nsquirrel which was something I had never heard of before. So yea, I saw a 13\nstriped squirrel. Jealous much?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"13 Striped Squirrel"},{"content":"I just loved your hair, it had such a life of it’s own and really complimented everything about you. I saw you inside and didn’t get a picture of you and I was really sad but as soon as I walked outside there you were just sitting there eating your lunch overlooking Mt. Rainier. It was perfect. The wind kept throwing your hair around and making the red really light up. Anyways I just wanted to tell you, I love your hair and don’t change it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100810_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just loved your hair, it had such a life of it’s own and really complimented\neverything about you. I saw you inside and didn’t get a picture of you and I\nwas really sad but as soon as I walked outside there you were just sitting\nthere eating your lunch overlooking Mt. Rainier. It was perfect. The wind kept\nthrowing your hair around and making the red really light up. Anyways I just\nwanted to tell you, I love your hair and don’t change it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Red Hair"},{"content":"Today was our last day on the road and we got home around dinner. It was a really long vacation starting on June 28, driving for a week to Upper Michigan, four weeks in Michigan one of which was in Chicago, then a week drive back. So it was a long trip and we are glad to be home. The experiences we have had are unforgettable and will stay with us forever. Glad to be home, but missing the adventures. I can’t wait to see what sort of adventures we go on next.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100809_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was our last day on the road and we got home around dinner. It was a\nreally long vacation starting on June 28, driving for a week to Upper\nMichigan, four weeks in Michigan one of which was in Chicago, then a week\ndrive back. So it was a long trip and we are glad to be home. The experiences\nwe have had are unforgettable and will stay with us forever. Glad to be home,\nbut missing the adventures. I can’t wait to see what sort of adventures we go\non next.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Home"},{"content":"Yesterday we stayed over night in Aberdeen Washington in a nice location on Heron Street. It was very aptly named because in the morning behind the hotel on a really nice water way there were tons of great blue herons flying back and forth.\nI love looking at these majestic great blue herons but I have to say, blue herons make one of the most ugly calls I have ever heard from a pretty bird. It is like the sound of an animal being strangled and it is just so guttural and loud. It is a very gross sound for such a nice bird.\nAfter that we started heading south along the Washington coast all the way down to Long Beach Washington where we were going to meet one of my good friends Mackenzie and her family who stay in a cabin there sometimes. It was a huge but wonderful coincidence that we were both there at the same time. We got to hang out and go around Long Beach looking for adventure. Our adventures started with driving on the beach; Long Beach, Washington is one of the biggest driving beaches in the U.S. with 26 miles of beach driving.\nThe beach was really nice but it was a little nerve-racking to drive on a beach with a brand new car. We really didn’t want to get stuck. I enjoyed it a lot because I had only been there once in eighth grade when Mackenzie took me there in the summer for a week. It was so strange being back there after such a long time and visit the places I had about four years ago.\nWe headed over to Oysterville after the beach drive to take a look at the massive piles of shucked oyster shells. It did smell a little but it was so cool to look at just mounds and mounds of oyster shells.\nIt was great to see my friend and after that we headed down to Ashland Oregon where the Shakespeare festival is held. It was a beautiful city and we ate right nest to a creek. It was a long day, but our last on our road trip back home from Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100809_longbeach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we stayed over night in Aberdeen Washington in a nice location on\nHeron Street. It was very aptly named because in the morning behind the hotel\non a really nice water way there were tons of great blue herons flying back\nand forth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100809_longbeach/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love looking at these majestic great blue herons but I have to say, blue\nherons make one of the most ugly calls I have ever heard from a pretty bird.\nIt is like the sound of an animal being strangled and it is just so guttural\nand loud. It is a very gross sound for such a nice bird.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Long Beach"},{"content":"We began our day yesterday in Seattle on a typical rainy over cast but wonderful day in Pike’s Place Market. The night before it had been closed so we were planning on squeezing out every drop of Seattle goodness from this brief visit. We bought all kinds of fruit including my favorite, the giant sweet Fuji apples. I have to say, Pike’s Place Market has the most amazing flowers I have ever seen. It is a feast for the eyes and the nose. It is amazing to walk through there smelling the flowers and looking at the vast variety of flowers. I would buy all of them if I could.\nWe took our large bounty of fresh market goods over to the Washington State Ferries on pier 52 to catch our ferry to Bainbridge across the way. So we sat in our car waiting to load eating all of our food. I was really excited because I had never been on a ferry before let alone one where you take your car on with you. It was strange driving onto a ship but very cool. Can you spot our car?\nWe got out and went up on top to look around and it was so beautiful. I wonder if that is what it felt like to be on the titanic. Before it crashed of course. Just getting to see the Seattle skyline and the market place from out in the water was incredible. It was an experience I was very glad to have.\nOnce we were in Bainbridge we had to make a long trek around the Olympic Peninsula to get to the Hoh National Rain forest. The entire peninsula felt like a rain forest to me and let me tell you, it wasn’t lacking on the forest or the rain part. The one road going around the park took us along the way through Port Angeles and Forks which are better known through the Twilight books and movies.\nNo I am not going to totally bash Twilight but I do have something to say. The books were not bad. I read them when they first came out as a gift in like sixth grade and I enjoyed them because they are a simply written romance book and it is a nice reprieve to read an easy book like that after reading so much classical literature that is my natural choice. The movies however I despise, a reasonable nice book has just become so gimmicky and obsessed over that it is enough to make you puke. So it made me a little sad to see such a beautiful place as the Olympic Peninsula only sought after because of these movies. There is so much beauty and extraordinary wonders there but all people think of when they here about it is this movie franchise. So my request; don’t think of the Olympic Peninsula as home to Twilight, it is home to forests and mountains that will blow your mind. Respect it for its beauty not the gimmicks surrounding it.\nWell, now that that is said let me move on to the best part; Hoh National rainforest. My pictures can’t really do it justice to how haunting and dazzling this place was. It felt as if the trees where reaching out and were frozen in time letting the moss accumulate and grow dripping and stretching out towards you. In there it feels like time has reverse and you went back to the time of the dinosaurs.\nWe hiked along the Hall of the Mosses which took us to some mind-blowing maple trees that were just so incredible it is hard to explain. Seeing this for the first time is really extraordinary. It feels otherworldly.\nAfter leaving the rain forest we headed down to Kalaloch beach and lodge for some dinner and a trip down to the driftwood covered beach. It was so foggy and rainy but it was still really cool to see these massive tree trunks and branches coating the beach. It too felt otherworldly like giants had dropped their Lincoln logs on the shore and left them behind to grow, shift, and drift away.\nSide Note: Everything in Washington grows. EVERYTHING. Houses, streets, chimneys, logs, rocks, sand, even telephone booths. It is kind of ridiculous but really funny. I wish I could list all of the strange things that I saw that had moss or something growing on it.\nWe spent the night in Aberdeen and where very happy to finally be out of the car. We are so close to home 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100808_olympic/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe began our day yesterday in Seattle on a typical rainy over cast but\nwonderful day in Pike’s Place Market. The night before it had  been closed so\nwe were planning on squeezing out every drop of Seattle goodness from this\nbrief visit. We bought all kinds of fruit including my favorite, the giant\nsweet Fuji apples. I have to say, Pike’s Place Market has the most amazing\nflowers I have ever seen. It is a feast for the eyes and the nose. It is\namazing to walk through there smelling the flowers and looking at the vast\nvariety of flowers. I would buy all of them if I could.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Olympic National Park and Rainforest"},{"content":"We started our morning out by going to Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington. We walked around the campus and enjoyed checking out the church. It was a pretty nice little school.\nAfter that we decided to drive to Mount Rainer National Park.\nAfter having a nice lunch overlooking Mt. Rainer we went out on a hike to Nisqually Vista trail. It was an amazing hike through a meadow of wildflowers and finally to an overlook of the Nisqually Glacier and the river that came down from it.\nOur next and final stop of the day was Seattle Washington. We went to Pikes Place Market but it was closed for the day.\nSo tomorrow we are heading back before we go to Olympic National Park. It was a long but mostly uneventful day. Tomorrow is going to be lots of fun and I can’t wait to explore the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100806_seattle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe started our morning out by going to Gonzaga University in Spokane\nWashington. We walked around the campus and enjoyed checking out the church.\nIt was a pretty nice little school.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100806_seattle/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100806_seattle/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter that we decided to drive to Mount Rainer National Park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100806_seattle/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter having a nice lunch overlooking Mt. Rainer we went out on a hike to\nNisqually Vista trail. It was an amazing hike through a meadow of wildflowers\nand finally to an overlook of the Nisqually Glacier and the river that came\ndown from it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Seattle"},{"content":"I couldn’t post last night because we were staying in Silver Gate Montana just one mile outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.\nWe started our day with the Enchanted Highway whihc is almost to the border of North Dakota and Montana. It is a thirty two mile long road that is peppered with statues ranging from ones like this to huge pheasant statues and fisherman. It i really interesting but we only saw the very begining and had to move onward to Roosevelt National Park.\nTruthfully there isn’t a whole lot of stuff in Roosevelt National Park but I can guarantee one thing if you go there: great prairie dog shots. There are tons of prairie dog towns along the side of the road and they are quite funny to watch. The funniest thing they would do is squeak and stand up on their hind legs while whipping their arms in the air. It was quite the sight.\nBy the way none of these are cropped so you can tell just how close I got to these guys. I love their feet and hands, they are surprisingly creepy for such an adorable creature. This has got to be one of my favorite photo of a prairie dog; I caught this one in mid-yawn and it makes him look positively evil.\nAfter that we headed into Montana, the Big Sky state.\nWe headed down Beartooth Pass which took us to our place of lodging, Silver Gate. Coming over the pass was a little scary because there was a storm and the mountain was cloaked in fog and mist. At some points you couldn’t see anything. It did clear up finally in the end leaving a beautiful day.\nAfter the pass in Silver Gate we checked into our cabins which were these really quaint cabins right outside of the park. Before we even have time to settle I hear my mom yell to me as I am in the bathroom, There’s a coyote right outside!\nSo naturally I flip out and rip out of the house looking frantically for my camera before he runs off. The neighbors thought I was a mad woman they way I ran out of the cabin. As I snagged my camera and run up the hill behind our cabin I saw him. It wasn’t a coyote, but a red tailed fox with a kill. So I prayed for him not to move so I could get just one shot and I did. I got one shot of him before he took off behind a cabin.\nHe was one of the most beautiful animals I have seen in a while with his angled face, long neck and color markings. Of course naturally I ran up the hill and into a small ravine looking for him but he had vanished. We hadn’t even been there for five minutes and already I had a wild life shot.\nWe decided to head into the park with the few hours of day that remained to see if we could spot anything at dusk. We found a big kill out far in a creek bed that had five grizzlies on it. The crowd surrounding the area was enormous even though you could barely discern the grizzlies from the surroundings. It was really interesting to see. I had never seen a grizzly before.\nWe moved on through the park and found some buffalo that we running around and across the road. We were still a little wary about buffaloes from our trip to Custard where we got charged. So I stayed in the car, standing up through the sunroof to get photos.\nWe then watched the sun set on Lamar Valley and the rivers. It was so beautiful.\nLamar Valley coated in the fading light of sunset was really a treat. To watch the light change the entire way the valley looked, literally night to day. It was so different and so gorgeous.\nThe next day was a full morning of Yellowstone. Stay tuned for me catching up on our trip. There is even better wildlife to come 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100805_silvergate/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI couldn’t post last night because we were staying in Silver Gate Montana just\none mile outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe started our day with the Enchanted Highway whihc is almost to the border of\nNorth Dakota and Montana. It is a thirty two mile long road that is peppered\nwith statues ranging from ones like this to huge pheasant statues and\nfisherman. It i really interesting but we only saw the very begining and had\nto move onward to Roosevelt National Park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Silver Gate"},{"content":"We spent all of this morning venturing through Yellowstone National Park looking for wildlife. Before we even left the house this morning guess who showed up behind our cabin again? You guessed it, the red-tailed fox. He caught me by surprise yet again as I heard my mom yell again, There’s a coyote!\nSo as I frantically dashed to the car yet again to get my camera I yelled back, It’s the fox again, not a coyote!\nSo I run behind the cabin and spot him in a field. I thought he was hunting at first but then he started to circle and bed down.\nAfter he laid down, I started to slowly inch forward and he didn’t even really seem to notice. So bit by bit I got closer and closer until finally I was standing right over him. I could have reached down and pet him he was so close.\nHe was so beautiful and his eyes were so big and curious looking. As I stood over him he heard my camera click and looked right at me with those big brown eyes. It was an amazing thing to sit there just a foot away from this beautiful wild animal and look him right in the eye. After that I didn’t want to disturb him any further so I backed off and let him fall back to sleep.\nWe then headed into the park looking for more wildlife. We weren’t actually very lucky on the wildlife front. We saw a couple of antelope playing in the field. But not a lot else for a while\nThe little baby was adorable, he was prancing around and going wild while the parent just sat there eating. The best part of the day was the black bear. Out by the petrified tree we spotted a black bear up on a hill. We took pictures of him and then I started to notice him moving so I knew he was going to try to cross the road.\nHe started to slowly move closer and closer to the road picking his way across fallen logs scavenging for food along the way. As always in Yellowstone within minutes the place was completely mobbed with people scrambling to take pictures. A regular road became a dead locked parking lot of people.\nMy mom was yelling at me to get back in the car and I probably should have listened but I wanted a good shot. I let him get a little closer than I probably should have and it was a little scary. (I did have bear mace though). He was so cool and so very close to me. It was quite the experience.\nHe finally did cross the road and we moved on to let the bear have his peace. We didn’t see a lot more wildlife except for a nice field full of buffalo next to the Yellowstone River.\nStrangely we didn’t see any elk the entire trip which has never happened to me before. So we ended our Yellowstone trip in Mammoth Hot Springs which was mobbed with people so we headed out.\nSo tonight we are staying in Coeur D’Alene. The hotel situation was a nightmare! We booked a room and then we couldn’t get into it so we had a master-key open it only to realize someone was still staying there. So we then figure out they are actually booked and have to move us to a different hotel because we don’t actually have a room. This is also after we took off our bikes because apparently they would have been stolen. And let me tell you, those bikes are so hard to get on and off that rack. So here we are in a different hotel, without the lake view, and way out of downtown. It was a good day but a frustrating night to say the least.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100805_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe spent all of this morning venturing through Yellowstone National Park\nlooking for wildlife. Before we even left the house this morning guess who\nshowed up behind our cabin again? You guessed it, the red-tailed fox. He\ncaught me by surprise yet again as I heard my mom yell again, There’s a\ncoyote!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo as I frantically dashed to the car yet again to get my camera I yelled back,\nIt’s the fox again, not a coyote!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Yellowstone"},{"content":"Today was the first day of our road trip back home to Santa Cruz and we stopped for the night in Bismarck, North Dakota. Along the way during our 15 hour-long day we saw a lot of interesting things. We started out with Amnicon Falls State Park in Wisconsin which was really beautiful. The falls were really running and the water looked like a mixture of coffee and cream.\nIt was a really nice way to start off a long day. We spent a long time in Minnesota passing from lake to lake and we got a really good feel for the land of ten thousand lakes. After that was a long stretch of nothing in North Dakota. We did get to see the world’s largest buffalo in the middle of nowhere.\nWe also learned that at this place there were three white buffaloes in the prairie near by so we staked out the spot and tried to find them. We spent a long time trying to find them but they were nowhere to be seen. Just as we were giving up and leaving I spotted one of them coming out of a little ravine. Naturally I flung myself from the car like a mad woman to try to get the photo. Sadly by the time I ran down the hill he had moved behind a big tree. So I paced frantically for a short time as mosquitoes gnawed me to pieces. (yes even as I write I itch like you can’t even imagine). So we drove to the other side and lo and behold there was the white buffalo.\nSadly he was far away but still, I GOT A PICTURE OF A WHITE BUFFALO. If I had the time I would have waited all day to get a better shot but we had to move on to Bismarck. So here we are, tired and still have a long way to go. We are going to Silver Gate outside of Yellowstone tomorrow and we can’t wait to get some awesome photos. Stay tuned for more 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100803_ndakota/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was the first day of our road trip back home to Santa Cruz and we stopped\nfor the night in Bismarck, North Dakota. Along the way during our 15 hour-long\nday we saw a lot of interesting things. We started out with Amnicon Falls\nState Park in Wisconsin which was really beautiful. The falls were really\nrunning and the water looked like a mixture of coffee and cream.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100803_ndakota/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100803_ndakota/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: North Dakota"},{"content":"By 5 a.m. tomorrow morning my mom and I will be on our way back home to Santa Cruz California on a week-long road trip. We will be heading across the top of the US all the way to Seattle and then straight down to home. I am excited to be on the road again and to go home in order to see all of my friends and family.However going home is bittersweet. I will miss Bootjack dearly, its serenity, its untainted beauty, and all of the wonders of our compound. I will miss the lake and the water. I will miss the bald eagles. I will miss the flowers. I will miss the storms that come sweeping across the lake. I will miss my grandpa until I see him again. I will miss the library. I will miss everything. So thank you Bootjack for a nice summer, I will see you next year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100802_home/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBy 5 a.m. tomorrow morning my mom and I will be on our way back home to Santa\nCruz California on a week-long road trip. We will be heading across the top of\nthe US  all the way to Seattle and then straight down to home. I am excited to\nbe on the road again and to go home in order to see all of my friends and\nfamily.However going home is bittersweet. I will miss Bootjack dearly, its\nserenity, its untainted beauty, and all of the wonders of our compound. I will\nmiss the lake and the water. I will miss the bald eagles. I will miss the\nflowers. I will miss the storms that come sweeping across the lake. I will\nmiss my grandpa until I see him again. I will miss the library. I will miss\neverything. So thank you Bootjack for a nice summer, I will see you next\nyear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Heading Home"},{"content":"My little brother and I were having fun jumping on hotel beds and trying to get some air-borne pictures. He was doing tricks and just having fun jumping around while I took photos.\nSo this is a shout out to my little brother, thanks for being weird and going along with my shenanigans all the time. Stay golden pony boy, stay golden.\nP.S. whenever you landed on the bed it looked like you were being eaten by the mattress or as if a black hole was sucking you in that happened to be at the center of the bed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100801_hopping/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy little brother and I were having fun jumping on hotel beds and trying to get\nsome air-borne pictures. He was doing tricks and just having fun jumping\naround while I took photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100801_hopping/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100801_hopping/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo this is a shout out to my little brother, thanks for being weird and going\nalong with my shenanigans all the time. Stay golden pony boy, stay golden.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100801_hopping/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eP.S. whenever you landed on the bed it looked like you were being eaten by the\nmattress or as if a black hole was sucking you in that happened to be at the\ncenter of the bed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shout Out: Hotel Bed Hopping"},{"content":"My mom and I happened upon this peculiar yellow mushroom on a hike above the Hungarian Falls in Upper Michigan. It really did look fake, like a rubber mushroom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100731_mushroom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I happened upon this peculiar yellow mushroom on a hike above the\nHungarian Falls in Upper Michigan. It really did look fake, like a rubber\nmushroom.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellow Mushroom"},{"content":"\nAs I said before in my earlier post, The Horrors of Butterflies, butterflies are so creepy yet so beautiful. It is this deceiving nature of the butterflies beauty that I find horrifying just how easy it is to look at a butterfly and fawn over its beauty only to realize just how truly scary looking and ugly they really are. Here are a few more photos of butterflies that illustrate not only they beauty but their ugliness as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100729_butterflies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100729_butterflies/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I said before in my earlier post, The Horrors of Butterflies, butterflies\nare so creepy yet so beautiful. It is this deceiving nature of the butterflies\nbeauty that I find horrifying just how easy it is to look at a butterfly and\nfawn over its beauty only to realize just how truly scary looking and ugly\nthey really are. Here are a few more photos of butterflies that illustrate not\nonly they beauty but their ugliness as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Horrors of Butterflies 2"},{"content":"One of the most amazing things about Michigan is the majestic bald eagle. The bald eagle is a frequent sight were I stay in upper Michigan and we love every second of it. These birds are truly amazing and beautiful. I have to say though they seem a little creepy at times because they are always so aware of your presence. Whenever I go near them they always watch me and never take their eyes off until they fly away. I love seeing them and for those of you who don’t get to see them often, here is one of my best shots of him this year for all of you to enjoy!\nThis is the eagle down on the point. He is always sitting in this tree watching us no matter what time it is. He just took of when I got this picture and you can still see his watching eyes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100728_eagle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the most amazing things about Michigan is the majestic bald eagle. The\nbald eagle is a frequent sight were I stay in upper Michigan and we love every\nsecond of it. These birds are truly amazing and beautiful. I have to say\nthough they seem a little creepy at times because they are always so aware of\nyour presence. Whenever I go near them they always watch me and never take\ntheir eyes off until they fly away. I love seeing them and for those of you\nwho don’t get to see them often, here is one of my best shots of him this year\nfor all of you to enjoy!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bald Eagle"},{"content":"I think this photo could be a DR. Pepper advertisement or something. You were really cute and I thought it was funny the way you were sitting. You seemed like you wished you could stay right there over looking Monument Valley with your doctor pepper but when I came back all that was left of you was the empty bottle. Thanks for the photo 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100726_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think this photo could be a DR. Pepper advertisement or something. You were\nreally cute and I thought it was funny the way you were sitting. You seemed\nlike you wished you could stay right there over looking Monument Valley with\nyour doctor pepper but when I came back all that was left of you was the empty\nbottle. Thanks for the photo 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Dr. Pepper"},{"content":"\nThere are always things in places where they don’t really belong. Take this pear for example, left half eaten on a Lake Superior shore of an old copper smelting factory. No person for miles that could have left it there, yet it looked fresh. Not even a few hours old. Just sitting perched on the edge of a sandstone wall. How did it get there, who left it and why. It doesn’t belong but it still is. This is an ode to the things that seem out-of-place, the lone person you see standing in a moving crowd, a child’s shoe in the middle of a market place, all of the things that stand out like something colored in a world of greys, notice them before they all disappear into the ordinary.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100725_pear/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100725_pear/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are always things in places where they don’t really belong. Take this\npear for example, left half eaten on a Lake Superior shore of an old copper\nsmelting factory. No person for miles that could have left it there, yet it\nlooked fresh. Not even a few hours old. Just sitting perched on the edge of a\nsandstone wall. How did it get there, who left it and why. It doesn’t belong\nbut it still is. This is an ode to the things that seem out-of-place, the lone\nperson you see standing in a moving crowd, a child’s shoe in the middle of a\nmarket place, all of the things that stand out like something colored in a\nworld of greys, notice them before they all disappear into the ordinary.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ode to the Out of Place Things"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100723_chicago/","summary":"","title":"Chicago River Blue"},{"content":"Today was an interesting day, I had an MRI. On the many avenues I have traveled down in search of a diagnosis for my unknown illness, this was the most intense of all the methods of diagnosing. It was in an open bore MRI machine but there really wasn’t anything open about it…\nAs the doctor was briefing me on the procedure we tells me the only side effect to inserting the contrast that has been seen is nausea and vomiting. He said it only happened in about 4 out of 300 people who had contrast injected along with the MRI procedure so I had nothing to worry about. He also told me that if I got nauseated that I would throw up, no question about it. I would definitely throw up if I didn’t feel good. As soon as he said this I knew I would be one of those people who got sick. He injected the contrast and lo and behold I just looked at him and said, I am going throw up. So he ran over and took of all the head-gear and gave me a basket. I almost threw up but actually didn’t which was surprising. He just laughed and said, you proved me wrong, you are the only one who didn’t throw up after feeling sick.\nLucky me.\nMany people have told me they wanted to see my brain and the way I think. Also many people have questioned if I had a brain. Here is the answer. Here is about every view of my brain, enjoy 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100722_brain/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was an interesting day, I had an MRI. On the many avenues I have traveled\ndown in search of a diagnosis for my unknown illness, this was the most\nintense of all the methods of diagnosing. It was in an open bore MRI machine\nbut there really wasn’t anything open about it…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100722_brain/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the doctor was briefing me on the procedure we tells me the only side effect\nto inserting the contrast that has been seen is nausea and vomiting. He said\nit only happened in about 4 out of 300 people who had contrast injected along\nwith the MRI procedure so I had nothing to worry about. He also told me that\nif I got nauseated that I would throw up, no question about it. I would\ndefinitely throw up if I didn’t feel good. As soon as he said this I knew I\nwould be one of those people who got sick. He injected the contrast and lo and\nbehold I just looked at him and said, I am going throw up. So he ran over and\ntook of all the head-gear and gave me a basket. I almost threw up but actually\ndidn’t which was surprising. He just laughed and said, you proved me wrong, you\nare the only one who didn’t throw up after feeling sick.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Welcome to my Brain…"},{"content":"At first I wasn’t sure what you were doing but then I saw the little wooden cow sculpture in your hands. You were making a wooden carving of the cow sculpture. I wonder what made you choose this sculpture as your inspiration. It seems a little bit strange to have a sculpture as the model for a sculpture, but who am I to judge. You were interesting to watch as you marked the places on your little cow that needed work and more carving. You were so serious and intent on your work, it is nice to see an artist so committed to their work. Keep it up cow man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100721_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAt first I wasn’t sure what you were doing but then I saw the little wooden cow\nsculpture in your hands. You were making a wooden carving of the cow\nsculpture. I wonder what made you choose this sculpture as your inspiration.\nIt seems a little bit strange to have a sculpture as the model for a\nsculpture, but who am I to judge. You were interesting to watch as you marked\nthe places on your little cow that needed work and more carving. You were so\nserious and intent on your work, it is nice to see an artist so committed to\ntheir work. Keep it up cow man.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Cow Man"},{"content":"For the last couple of days I have been in Chicago to celebrate my grandmothers 70th birthday with my dad’s side of the family. My mom, brother, and I drove down to Chicago and we met the rest of our family there. We stayed right downtown and it was really nice but ridiculously hot and humid out. So here is the recap of our days happenings.\nThe first day after we arrived we walked around downtown Chicago after a few interesting incidents…. like Gabe humping the entering Wisconsin sign. Yes my little brother is strange.\nThe first thing we did in Chicago was an architectural design river tour on the Chicago River. It was very interesting to travel through Chicago by river and then go out into Lake Michigan to see the Chicago skyline. We also went along the navy pier.\nIt was nice hanging out with our Philadelphia cousins and seeing all of our family in such a cool setting. The heat was not very enjoyable though, especially walking blocks after blocks in the boiling heat and humidity. We met my grandmother’s brother and sister-in-law at a nice restaurant right on the river. They gave us about four free desserts because they thought they took a long time to get our food out but I thought it was really normal. The desserts were amazing, like one which was a mint ice cream cake coated in a marshmallow cream that had chocolate drizzled on it. So good!\nAfter that we walked around some more and headed over to Millennium Park. By that time we are running from one shady spot to another trying desperately to escape the sun. So we were hiding in the shade while I was trying to get pictures. Meanwhile Aunt Eileen was having fun with a cow sculpture…\nWe had a brief visit to the Art Institute of Chicago after a long day but we were so tired that we bailed out quickly to go back to the hotel room for resting time.\nThe next day my family went to Gino’s East a famous pizza place in downtown Chicago. It was featured on Man v.s. Food, my family are big fans of that show and try to go to the places on the show any time we can. Like when we visited the Crab Pot in Seattle. We got to Gino’s and the decorations were amazing. The entire building was graffiti up and covered in writing and pictures. Not to mention the food. I never had deep dish pizza before so Chicago’s Gino’s was the best place to start I figured. I was totally right. I was worried I wouldn’t like it but it was so good. It had an amazing cornmeal crust that just blew us away.\nWe also went to Al’s Italian Beef restaurant which was also featured on Man v.s Food. We had it catered to my uncle’s home for my grandma’s birthday dinner. We got to make it ourselves which was quite the experience. It was so good and you got to dip your sandwich in the sauce and it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.\nOver all we had a lot of fun and it was really nice to hang out with my whole family. There were a lot of laughs and very strange things but it was so great to see all of my family that I normally don’t see.\nGrandma’s birthday party was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for another little re-union like this one to get to see everyone together again. Happy Birthday Grandma!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100718_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor the last couple of days I have been in Chicago to celebrate my grandmothers\n70th birthday with my dad’s side of the family. My mom, brother, and I drove\ndown to Chicago and we met the rest of our family there. We stayed right\ndowntown and it was really nice but ridiculously hot and humid out. So here is\nthe recap of our days happenings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first day after we arrived we walked around downtown Chicago after a few\ninteresting incidents…. like Gabe humping the entering Wisconsin sign. Yes my\nlittle brother is strange.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Catching Up: Chicago"},{"content":"Basically I am way to tired to post anything decent so…. sorry. Here is the re-cap. Yesterday my mom, little brother and I drove down to Chicago for my grandmother’s 70th birthday. It is kind of a big family reunion with all of the family from my dad’s side. We have been walking, taking tours, visiting museums, and of course eating lots of food. I am tired now, and don’t feel good so I will give you a random photo from my road trip to mask the lack of attention to the actual writing within this post.\nI will give a more detailed update when I am feeling better. But one quick little tidbit of info, they are filming transformers three right now, right here and blowing up a dock we were on today. Yea…. goodnight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100715_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBasically I am way to tired to post anything decent so…. sorry. Here is the\nre-cap. Yesterday my mom, little brother and I drove down to Chicago for my\ngrandmother’s 70th birthday. It is kind of a big family reunion with all of\nthe family from my dad’s side. We have been walking, taking tours, visiting\nmuseums, and of course eating lots of food. I am tired now, and don’t feel\ngood so I will give you a random photo from my road trip to mask the lack of\nattention to the actual writing within this post.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Chicago"},{"content":"My mom and I took a hike up to Hungarian falls in Hubbell, Michigan this morning. It was really nice. There are two sets of falls and we visited both. The first was a this big pool covered in greenery and ferns.\nThen we headed around the top of the falls seeing many others on our way. It was a really nice hike and the water was beautiful. I really enjoyed the greenery and the beautiful Michigan woods.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100713_falls/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I took a hike up to Hungarian falls in Hubbell, Michigan this\nmorning. It was really nice. There are two sets of falls and we visited both.\nThe first was a this big pool covered in greenery and ferns.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100713_falls/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen we headed around the top of the falls seeing many others on our way. It\nwas a really nice hike and the water was beautiful. I really enjoyed the\ngreenery and the beautiful Michigan woods.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hungarian Falls"},{"content":"Right near our homes in Bootjack is White City, a park on the Lake Superior with an amazing pier stretching out between the Portage Channel and the vast depths of Lake Superior. There is an interesting lighthouse at the end of the pier that some of my cousins like to jump off of; It is really high up, and the water is really cold.\nMy cousin brought up KT and I got some good pictures of her leaping off the lighthouse. She definitely had the best form and was the most graceful.\nOthers took a less graceful leap, like Doug with his flying squirrel style.\nIn the end the jumping style didn’t matter but the fact that they jumped. Soon I am going to get over my fear and jump it too. Till then I will have to vicariously live through my cousins.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100712_lighthouse/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRight near our homes in Bootjack is White City, a park on the Lake Superior\nwith an amazing pier stretching out between the Portage Channel and the vast\ndepths of Lake Superior. There is an interesting lighthouse at the end of the\npier that some of my cousins like to jump off of; It is really high up, and\nthe water is really cold.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy cousin brought up KT and I got some good pictures of her leaping off the\nlighthouse. She definitely had the best form and was the most graceful.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lighthouse Jump"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100711_window/","summary":"","title":"Green Window Watching"},{"content":"Say hello to my new best friend. I found him on a hike down to Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. We had to walk on a long desert sand path to get to the spectacular view. On our way there, right on the side of the path was this little guy. I freaked out when I saw this and scrambled for my telephoto lens thinking he was about to bolt off and I couldn’t miss this shot.\nHe was just standing there and no one noticed him at all. Tons of people walked by me as I was taking pictures but no one else stopped to look or take notice. I don’t understand that. This creature is beautiful and amazing but so many people wouldn’t take the two seconds of their time to appreciate this little marvel of nature. It made me a little sad but at the same time, more shots of a cool lizard just for me.\nHe was just posing away for me. Watching me as he cocked his head back and forth. He didn’t move at all. I thought he would run away as soon as I pulled the camera out (that would be my usual luck) but he stayed for a good five minutes as I crept closer and closer. He didn’t really seem to mind. After a while he started doing little push ups and picking up his feet and shaking them because of the hot sand. I was so excited when I got these shots, it made me realize something else. I love doing action shots of animals. It makes me so much happier if I get a good shot of an animal rather than a good shot of landscape. Anyways, it was a lot of fun and I hope that next time you see a girl (or boy) frantically taking pictures of something, stop and take a look; you may never know what you are missing if you just stay locked into your own world. There is a big beautiful world out there, take notice before it is too late.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100710_lizard/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSay hello to my new best friend. I found him on a hike down to Horseshoe Bend\nin Arizona. We had to walk on a long desert sand path to get to the\nspectacular view. On our way there, right on the side of the path was this\nlittle guy. I freaked out when I saw this and scrambled for my telephoto lens\nthinking he was about to bolt off and I couldn’t miss this shot.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lizard at Horseshoe Bend"},{"content":"Guess what this is a picture of :D. This was taken in a rest stop parking lot in Minnesota (after my fall). I loved this a lot, the wet ground made them look really cool. Yeah for randomness!!\nI will post the answer tomorrow as a comment for this post but I am sure you all will figure if out pretty quickly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100709_guess/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGuess what this is a picture of :D. This was taken in a rest stop parking lot\nin Minnesota (after my fall). I loved this a lot, the wet ground made them\nlook really cool. Yeah for randomness!!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100709_guess/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI will post the answer tomorrow as a comment for this post but I am sure you\nall will figure if out pretty quickly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Guess What"},{"content":"Just going to throw this out there, Bootjack has the best sunsets. No competition. Every single night there is an amazing sunset just waiting outside of our window. It truly is spectacular. We have a front row seat every night of a sunset over a beautiful lake. Let me re-iterate. Every night, beautiful sunset, right outside. We are very lucky to have this spectacular natural wonder be our guest every night. We really enjoy it and I want all of you to enjoy it as well.\nI mean look at the colors on the water alone. This is just a fraction of the real beauty of the sunset but the reflection of the sunset on the lake always adds a little grandeur and wonder to the entire spectacle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100708_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust going to throw this out there, Bootjack has the best sunsets. No\ncompetition. Every single night there is an amazing sunset just waiting\noutside of our window. It truly is spectacular. We have a front row seat every\nnight of a sunset over a beautiful lake. Let me re-iterate. Every night,\nbeautiful sunset, right outside. We are very lucky to have this spectacular\nnatural wonder be our guest every night. We really enjoy it and I want all of\nyou to enjoy it as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack Sunset"},{"content":"In the Navajo National Monument there were these really intriguing yellow yucca plants with this cool little wiry curls breaking off from the plants limbs. I thought this was an interesting hairy little plant. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100707_yucca/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Navajo National Monument there were these really intriguing yellow yucca\nplants with this cool little wiry curls breaking off from the plants limbs. I\nthought this was an interesting hairy little plant. I hope you enjoy it as\nmuch as I did.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellow Yucca"},{"content":"You were adorable. It is amazing to see how such a simple thing as a spraying water fountain can amuse and bring happiness to someone. You were having so much fun trying to grab the water as it shot up. You seemed to have so much fun even when you saw that the water simply slipped away because you knew in a few seconds more chances to catch it would arise time and time again. It was refreshing to see you having fun even though you never really could succeed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100706_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were adorable. It is amazing to see how such a simple thing as a spraying\nwater fountain can amuse and bring happiness to someone. You were having so\nmuch fun trying to grab the water as it shot up. You seemed to have so much\nfun even when you saw that the water simply slipped away because you knew in a\nfew seconds more chances to catch it would arise time and time again. It was\nrefreshing to see you having fun even though you never really could succeed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Water Catcher"},{"content":"Today was our last day on the road. We finally arrived safe and sound, just slightly busted up (me) ready for fun in Michigan. We started out our day with a nice ride along the Lake Superior coast in Ashland. We passed some really cool old dock pilings out in the water mostly covered by fog.\nWe are tired but very glad to be at our home away from home with out family. I am glad to have the library and the time to relax finally.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100705_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was our last day on the road. We finally arrived safe and sound, just\nslightly busted up (me) ready for fun in Michigan. We started out our day with\na nice ride along the Lake Superior coast in Ashland. We passed some really\ncool old dock pilings out in the water mostly covered by fog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100705_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are tired but very glad to be at our home away from home with out family. I\nam glad to have the library and the time to relax finally.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Bootjack"},{"content":"Today was an entire day of nothing. We went through Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and finally here in Ashland, Wisconsin. It rained almost the entire day and there was nothing to take pictures of at all. The only real event was me slipping in the rain.\nYes, a little know fact about me (unless you know me really well) is that I am a total klutz. So\nMe + Rain + Sandals + Slippery Surfaces = bad fall\nWe stopped at a rest area to throw away some trash and take a much-needed bathroom break. It had been pouring all morning and was still pouring out. So I slipped on my sandals and ran to the rest stop bathrooms. Just as I stopped running and took a few sure-footed steps I stepped on a slippery patch in a puddle and my crappy sandals just flew off. Next thing I know I am rolling around in a puddle in front of a rest stop full of people, probably laughing. I was so surprised I just lay there in a puddle getting soaking wet, thoroughly coating myself in mud and water. I looked over at my mom while I was laying there hoping she hadn’t seen my wipe out.\nFinally I got up and limped into the rest stop. I was entirely soaked and freezing. I had busted up my hand and my butt in a major way. Next thing I know my mom comes in asking me if I was okay between her laughs. So we both start laughing at the image of me rolling around on the floor. I was okay but my hand really really hurts and I probably broke my tail bone -.-. Another reason for my utter dislike for Nebraska and Iowa. Sorry for those of you that live there, it may be for you but definitely not for me.\nSo right now we are in Ashland, Wisconsin on Lake Superior and watching the sunset over the lake and fireworks. Tomorrow I will finally be arriving in Michigan and I can’t wait.\nOh and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100704_ashland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was an entire day of nothing. We went through Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota,\nand finally here in Ashland, Wisconsin. It rained almost the entire day and\nthere was nothing to take pictures of at all. The only real event was me\nslipping in the rain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, a little know fact about me (unless you know me really well) is that I am\na total klutz. So\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMe + Rain + Sandals + Slippery Surfaces = bad fall\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Ashland"},{"content":"Butterflies are crafty creatures. They look so beautiful and graceful but when you look at them closely they are horrifying. Butterflies must be one of the scariest looking animals up close. Like this one here that I found in the Navajo National Monument in Arizona feeding on a Paintbrush flower. I was trying really hard to get a photo of him and was so jazzed when I got these but when I looked at them up close I realized they look like monsters. No wonder Mothra in Godzilla was so scary, it is the same sort of thing. Nature is a very deceiving thing some of the cutest or prettiest things are really scary. I don’t think I can ever look at butterflies the same again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100704_butterflies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eButterflies are crafty creatures. They look so beautiful and graceful but when\nyou look at them closely they are horrifying. Butterflies must be one of the\nscariest looking animals up close. Like this one here that I found in the\nNavajo National Monument in Arizona feeding on a Paintbrush flower. I was\ntrying really hard to get a photo of him and was so jazzed when I got these\nbut when I looked at them up close I realized they look like monsters. No\nwonder Mothra in Godzilla was so scary, it is the same sort of thing. Nature\nis a very deceiving thing some of the cutest or prettiest things are really\nscary. I don’t think I can ever look at butterflies the same again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Horrors of Butterflies"},{"content":"Today was the last day of anything really interesting at all sadly. The first interesting note of our day was some wildlife in an odd place. As we were packing the car my mom noticed a coyote walking on a running path right towards us. The coyote just strolled through the parking lot right by us, took a quick glance and nonchalantly moved onward.\nWe proceeded to start our day out in Colorado Springs and visited the Garden of the Gods.\nIt was a really beautiful landscape full of red rock mountains that you could walk around between.\nAfter that we headed up to Boulder Colorado which my mom was very excited about. I really loved Boulder and took a look at the University of Colorado at Boulder for a while and then headed to Pearl Street to get a feel for the Boulder experience. This also included a car full of college kids, one of which is yelling out the window,\nYEAH BOOTJACK! MY MOM IS FROM HANCOCK, BOOTJACK IS THE SHIT!\nVery interesting indeed…\nDown on Pearl Street we had lunch at the Boulder Cafe and I got an excellent veggie pita wrap. We went shopping a little and took a good look around. It was beautiful and I really loved the atmosphere and how friendly the people were. It reminded me of Santa Cruz a little because of the different street performers.\nThis guy dressed in a shaggy dog suit was pretty interesting. He acted just like a dog, wagging his tail, rolling over for belly rubs, and shaking hands. I thought it was strange because you are actually petting a person, plenty of people had no problem with this though and did it anyways.\nFrom then on out we have nothing to do because we entered Nebraska. There really is nothing there.\nWe did have an interesting event happen at our hotel tonight. We walked into our room but it was freezing so I turned the air off. When I walk back the smoke alarm is beeping and there is smoke in the room. So my mom runs for the phone which is disconnected and does not work. So we book it out of the room thinking it is going to burn down at any second. No, we still don’t know what happened. We are safely in another room now. Tomorrow will be our last night on the road and I can’t wait to be in Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100703_boulder/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was the last day of anything really interesting at all sadly. The first\ninteresting note of our day was some wildlife in an odd place. As we were\npacking the car my mom noticed a coyote walking on a running path right\ntowards us. The coyote just strolled through the parking lot right by us, took\na quick glance and nonchalantly moved onward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100703_boulder/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe proceeded to start our day out in Colorado Springs and visited the Garden of\nthe Gods.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Boulder"},{"content":"Today was an amazing day because we spent almost the entire day checking out the different Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde. I have always wanted to see these ruins and finally I did, and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. The first ruins we visited was the Cliff Palace ruins. This dwelling is the biggest in North America and is approximately 700 to 900 years old.\nAfter the Cliff Palace we went to the Balcony House. This was an extremely intimidating hike for me. To get to the cliff dwellings you have to go down a huge amount of stairs and from there it gets really tricky. You have to climb up a 32 foot ladder. I am not particularly afraid of heights but I got pretty freaked out by this. It was a huge ladder over an even bigger cliff. It also didn’t help that the ladder got super heated so it burned to hold onto the rungs. By the end I was ready to freak out. Can you tell by my face that I was slightly concerned?\nI made it though and it was worth it. At the top we got to go through the dwellings which were significantly smaller than the Cliff Palace but still very interesting. It had an overlook over a huge canyon without any walls to separate you from the huge drop.\nThe big ladder was not the only difficult part of this trek. You also have to pass through a tunnel only 18 inches wide. INCHES not feet, think about it. It was not for the fainthearted but I didn’t think it was that difficult.\nIt was really funny watching people trying to squeeze into the tiny space. What is interesting about this is that it was really the only way out of the cliff dwellings during the 11 hundreds and 12 hundreds besides a foot hold climb up a 150 foot wall. So that means every day to go anywhere the inhabitants had to go through this tunnel. After this there were two more 15 feet ladders for us to climb but with the idea that the inhabitants had much worse to go through it wasn’t as bad.\nThe last ruins we saw was the Spruce Tree House dwellings. This one was really fun because you could go right into the living spaces and felt more interactive than the other ruins.\nWe ended the day here in Colorado Springs and we are almost done with our trip. Just a few more days until we get to Michigan. I hope to have more time soon to go back over some of these posts and make new posts with more details and more photos. Stay tuned.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100702_mesaverde/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday was an amazing day because we spent almost the entire day checking out\nthe different Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde. I have always wanted to see these\nruins and finally I did, and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. The first\nruins we visited was the Cliff Palace ruins. This dwelling is the biggest in\nNorth America and is approximately 700 to 900 years old.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100702_mesaverde/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100702_mesaverde/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100702_mesaverde/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the Cliff Palace we went to the Balcony House. This was an extremely\nintimidating hike for me. To get to the cliff dwellings you have to go down a\nhuge amount of stairs and from there it gets really tricky. You have to climb\nup a 32 foot ladder. I am not particularly afraid of heights but I got pretty\nfreaked out by this. It was a huge ladder over an even bigger cliff. It also\ndidn’t help that the ladder got super heated so it burned to hold onto the\nrungs. By the end I was ready to freak out. Can you tell by my face that I was\nslightly concerned?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Mesa Verde"},{"content":"Yesterday was our biggest day yet. We woke up really early to watch the sunrise on the Grand Canyon. We got the best spot, a small upraised platform of a rock that we sat on over looking Bright Angel’s Point. It was a nice sunrise but very cold out, I spotted Waldo from up there ;).\nAfter sunrise we said goodbye to our beautiful cabin and started our long trek across Arizona to get to Mesa Verde National Park. We made a lot of little stops along our way. The first of which was the Vermillion Cliffs. They were these magnificent red rock cliffs that were gigantic.\nRight next to the cliffs were the Cliff Dweller’s houses. They were tiny little houses made out of these leaning rock sculptures. It was incredible. There were Native American jewelry stands all lined up in front of it.\nThe next big thing we saw was Horseshoe Bend. This was beyond incredible. Also a little scary. Out in the middle f nowhere the Colorado River wraps around this huge stone pillar and creates a gooseneck. The water was so green and it was beautiful. We were incredibly high up from it and to get the full shot we had to stand on the edge of these little cliffs super high off the ground. I swear I had like three heart attacks while trying to get the picture. But I got it and it was amazing.\nSadly we didn’t get to go to Antelope Canyon where the Slot Canyons were because we didn’t have enough time. I really wanted to go but time wise it was impossible. Next in our line up was the Navajo National monument. It was an overlook at an old cliff dwelling that had been abandoned after a twenty year drought.\nMonument Valley was next on our list to tackle. We headed into the tribal park and looked at all the cool rock structures like the Mittens. It was very interesting but we didn’t go deep into the park because it would take to long. We still got some good shots though.\nWe were going to go to four corners and take a picture of me doing a bridge into all four states but for some unknown reason it was closed. It was really disappointing, I had been looking forward to that for a long time. Even with the minor pit falls it was still incredibly fun but tiring. We made it into Mesa Verde and we will be exploring that today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100702_monument/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was our biggest day yet. We woke up really early to watch the sunrise\non the Grand Canyon. We got the best spot, a small upraised platform of a rock\nthat we sat on over looking Bright Angel’s Point.  It was a nice sunrise but\nvery cold out, I spotted Waldo from up there ;).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100702_monument/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter sunrise we said goodbye to our beautiful cabin and started our long trek\nacross Arizona to get to Mesa Verde National Park. We made a lot of little\nstops along our way. The first of which was the Vermillion Cliffs. They were\nthese magnificent red rock cliffs that were gigantic.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Monument Valley"},{"content":"I didn’t get to post last night due to the lack of internet connection in our wonderful, western facing room in the Grand Canyon National Park. We left the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas for the peace and tranquility of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Don’t ask me how but my mother is a miracle worker. Some how she managed to get one of the best rooms in the entire lodge which are always book a year in advance. We had a balcony that looked right over the edge of the Grand Canyon. It was beyond gorgeous.\nWe didn’t waste any time relaxing in our cabin and instead set out for a hike to the point of Cape Royal. We had a lot of fun posing on the edge of rock cliffs and trying to find the best views possible. There was just so much to see.\nAs soon as we were done with Cape Royal we headed back to the lodge to watch the sunset from the Transept Trail. Sadly we got the time changes mixed up and showed up an hour early thinking we were right on time. The left over time we had was used well though. We became the photo-takers of the Grand Canyon view-point. Every five minutes a family would come by and we would take the picture of their whole family together. Pretty Interesting, we met some amusing characters. We did meet two really nice people, Christopher and Charity. We talked to them a long time because they too were waiting for a sunset shot of the Grand Canyon. They were really nice and became our Grand Canyon buddies. With their friendship I realized that people down here are actually really really friendly. Anyways, the sunset was gorgeous and people lined up like a flocks of sheep to come watch. It was a good and fulfilling day of travel and hiking.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100701_grandcanyon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI didn’t get to post last night due to the lack of internet connection in our\nwonderful, western facing room in the Grand Canyon National Park. We left the\nhustle and bustle of Las Vegas for the peace and tranquility of Arizona’s\nGrand Canyon. Don’t ask me how but my mother is a miracle worker. Some how she\nmanaged to get one of the best rooms in the entire lodge which are always book\na year in advance. We had a balcony that looked right over the edge of the\nGrand Canyon. It was beyond gorgeous.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Grand Canyon"},{"content":"We are staying another night in Vegas but during the daytime my mom and I took a day trip up to Zion National Park in Utah.\nThe park was really beautiful, it reminded us a lot about Yosemite in California except it was in the desert and with red rocks. We went on two hikes today, up to the lower, then upper Emerald pools and after that we headed up to the top of the park to go hike in Zion’s Narrows. It was really hot out and slightly hard to hike in but we had a lot of fun and had some great views of the park.\nWe met a nice Israeli couple on our trip and we became photo buddies. We would take a picture of them together with their camera then they would do that for us. We basically leap frogged up to the Emerald Pools and met up again on the shuttle up to the Narrows. It was really fun meeting them and I liked his yarmulke.\nThe Narrows were not quite what I was expecting but that is because we didn’t get to go up all the way. The Narrows is the very top of Zion where the road narrows to just a river. So to get into the Narrows you have to hike up a river with high currents and deep water.\nAfter we left Zion we had to book it back to Vegas because we had a showing of Cirque du Soleil’s KA. I have been trying to go to a Cirque du Soleil show so naturally I was psyched out of my mind.\nKA is a show about two twins that get separated by another tribe of warriors and their journey’s. The show was beyond amazing. The music, acrobatics, costumes, and everything else was mind-blowing. I wish I could have taken photos to show just how amazing the show was. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take photos so you will just have to take my word for it.\nIt was a perfect ending to a very long but fun day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100629_zion/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe are staying another night in Vegas but during the daytime my mom and I took\na day trip up to Zion National Park in Utah.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100629_zion/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe park was really beautiful, it reminded us a lot about Yosemite in\nCalifornia except it was in the desert and with red rocks. We went on two\nhikes today, up to the lower, then upper Emerald pools and after that we\nheaded up to the top of the park to go hike in Zion’s Narrows. It was really\nhot out and slightly hard to hike in but we had a lot of fun and had some\ngreat views of the park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip: Zion \u0026 KA"},{"content":"Day one of my journey to Michigan by car began today at 4:30. I miss the rest of my family already and my dog. The first day of our trip ended in Las Vegas Nevada. First thing I am going to say is this: IT WAS 111 DEGREES OUT WHEN WE ENTERED NEVADA!!\nI thought it being sunny was brutal but this heat was unbearable. I kept seeing cars on the side of the road overheated and I felt so horrible for those people and grateful at the same time because if we hadn’t gotten the new car that would probably be us on the side of the road. Our trip out was relatively uneventful but fun. I watched the Hangover in the car to prepare myself for staying in Caesar’s Palace.\nThese hotels on the strip are so amazingly cool in my mind because last time we went to Vegas we spent a majority of the time in an R.V. park. So in comparison it is amazingly nice. Sadly I didn’t feel good at all for the first part of our time in the Hotel. I had to get over feeling bad though because my favorite part of Vegas was coming up. Eating at the Bellagio buffet. Sad I know that I look forward to food so much but this buffet is the best thing in the entire world. My biggest regret last time I was in Vegas was not getting to try the desserts because they looked amazing.\nNaturally I fixed that this year by taking every type of desert they had and taking one bite out of each. It was fun but to say that I was stuffed by the end is a gross understatement. So much fun! We spent some time walking around the Bellagio and checking out there cool gardens which consisted of animal sculptures made from flowers and giant glass flowers.\nThe frog was my favorite out of the bees, lady bugs and snails. After the Bellagio we went back to Caesar’s to do a little shopping. It has been a long day and tomorrow is going to be a longer one. Stay tuned for more stories about the rest of the trip!\nP.S. I will be posting more elaborate stories on the parts of this day in later posts when my schedule isn’t so hectic.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100628_vegas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDay one of my journey to Michigan by car began today at 4:30. I miss the rest\nof my family already and my dog. The first day of our trip ended in Las Vegas\nNevada. First thing I am going to say is this: \u003cstrong\u003eIT WAS 111 DEGREES OUT WHEN WE\nENTERED NEVADA!!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100628_vegas/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI thought it being sunny was brutal but this heat was unbearable. I kept seeing\ncars on the side of the road overheated and I felt so horrible for those\npeople and grateful at the same time because if we hadn’t gotten the new car\nthat would probably be us on the side of the road. Our trip out was relatively\nuneventful but fun. I watched the Hangover in the car to prepare myself for\nstaying in Caesar’s Palace.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road Trip 2010: Las Vegas"},{"content":"Tomorrow morning at 4 o’clock my mom and I will be beginning again our yearly road trip to Michigan. This time around we are swinging low down to the blistering southern states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and so on. Everyday I will be updating my blog with details about our trip like Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and more. So stay tuned to see if I survive another road trip up to Michigan. This one is going to be long and hot but hopefully all worth it!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100627_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTomorrow morning at 4 o’clock my mom and I will be beginning again our yearly\nroad trip to Michigan. This time around we are swinging low down to the\nblistering southern states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and so on.\nEveryday I will be updating my blog with details about our trip like Las\nVegas, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley and more. So stay tuned to\nsee if I survive another road trip up to Michigan. This one is going to be\nlong and hot but hopefully all worth it!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Michigan Road Trip"},{"content":"\nToday I went to the Woodies on the Wharf for the first time. Sad I know, I have lived in Santa Cruz almost all of my life and I have never actually been to the Woodies on the Wharf. Let me tell you, it was mobbed. There were so many cars there. I know it is all about cars but it there were rows after rows of these awesome oldie cars, ranging from the shiniest things you will ever see to cars made out of wood and cars of every color.\nMy mom, brother and I rode our bikes down to the wharf and it was sheer insanity. Having so many people packed onto that dock made it seem like it would almost collapse at any moment. Anyways, the show was very interesting but frustrating to take pictures at because it is nearly impossible to get a photo without five random people standing right in your way. Here are a couple of my favorites.\nThis futuristic yellow car almost didn’t appear to be a Woodie but all the same it was a really cool car. Normally yellow screams taxi cab but this car pulled off the blinding sun colored yellow. It was just so sleek and the front was very interestingly shaped. On the opposite end of the spectrum was this car, the Monster Woodie as it’s license plate implies. This car was gigantic. I think you could drive clear over other cars with this thing. It really was a monster.\nAnother part of the show that I really enjoyed was all the hood ornaments.\nIt was an interesting show. I have one question though, how the heck do they get these cars so shiny? It is ridiculous, you have to wear sunglasses to even get near them because the reflection coming off these bad boys can kill. I look forward to it next year and I am happy I finally got to see the Woodies on the Wharf.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100626_woodies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100626_woodies/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I went to the Woodies on the Wharf for the first time. Sad I know, I have\nlived in Santa Cruz almost all of my life and I have never actually been to\nthe Woodies on the Wharf. Let me tell you, it was mobbed. There were so many\ncars there. I know it is all about cars but it there were rows after rows of\nthese awesome oldie cars, ranging from the shiniest things you will ever see\nto cars made out of wood  and cars of every color.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Woodies on the Wharf"},{"content":"You were an interesting person and made me a little sad. You felt out-of-place, almost like you were heading upstream. You were headed somewhere but I do not know where. Maybe it was the fact that you wouldn’t look anyone in the eye that caught my attention. You just kept moving with your head held down and tried to ignore the rest of the world around you. I wonder what you were trying to hide from, who you were trying to block out. I wonder if it worked.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100625_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were an interesting person and made me a little sad. You felt out-of-place,\nalmost like you were heading upstream. You were headed somewhere but I do not\nknow where. Maybe it was the fact that you wouldn’t look anyone in the eye\nthat caught my attention. You just kept moving with your head held down and\ntried to ignore the rest of the world around you. I wonder what you were\ntrying to hide from, who you were trying to block out. I wonder if it worked.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Eye Contact"},{"content":"In a dark forest of old oak trees, where no human would enter there was a desperate fluttering of wings and the movement of tangled branches. A baby bird struggled to free itself from the gnarled grip of the trees limbs. It had fallen in the night from its nest and hung in the balance of life and death. Caught by the hands of an old oak tree. It hadn’t yet learned to fly so it was doomed to fall or be set free. Learn to fly fast or die trying.\nA girl watched from a short distance away, the bird’s futile attempt to be freed. She knew the forest was a place forbidden and had been told by her elders it was a cursed and evil place. But still she picked herself up from her little stone perch and walked towards the old gnarled tree. She looked up at the bird and the bird looked down on her.\n“You are going to fall baby bird and probably die. I want to save you but I don’t know how. If you could lend me your wings, maybe I could use them to save you from that tree.”\n“Little girl little girl,” the poor baby bird cried, “please help me, I am too young to die. I will give you my wings, but you will have to learn to fly. I cannot teach you because I too am just a child. If I give you my wings, you could fly up and save me. You have hands that are gentle and could easily remove me from the tangled fingers that embrace me.”\nSo the little bird lent the girl its wings so the girl could fly and save the birds life. “You have to find my mother to teach you to fly, she said I was not ready yet. But it can’t hurt for you to try. She lives in the very top of the tree, alone in a nest made of black leaves. Look for the black leaves and her dark blue eyes, and then you will know it is my mother. She will teach you how to survive with my wings. Be careful girl, now you have my wings and my life. The trees are a dangerous place for a little girl to be. The birds can be jealous because they cannot leave the trees. You are of the children of the ground and many will try to be like you. Be wary of those with strange colored eyes for they will try to deceive you like they deceived me. They said I could fly but they tricked me, it is how I ended up stuck in this tree. Go fast now because I grow tired and weak. My little fragile heart is dying slowly.”\nThe little girl climbed up into the great old tree. Winding her way through branches of that twisted oak tree. The farther she went, the darker it got and soon she knew she would never be able to see the black leaves because everything was dark, not just the leaves. She found herself lost with no help in sight. With twigs in her hair and scratches on her hands she curled herself up and began to cry. It shuttered the leaves and brought about the cold wind. The little girl sobbed and didn’t know how to stop.\n“What is a little girl like you doing up here where only the birds and leaves belong?”\nThe girl picked up her head and found a dark bird. It stood there before her with feathers black as coal and eyes that had a gold shine. “What brings you here child from the ground into the world of the children from the sky.”\n“I am looking for a mother who has lost her child. A bird who lives in a nest of black leaves. I found the baby bird and she asked me for help. So she gave me her wings to go get some help. Are you a mommy who lives in a black nest?”\n“Why yes dear child, and I have lost my baby bird. I guess that you need me to teach you how to use your wings, so you can save my baby child.”\n“Yes, that is exactly why I am here. Teach me mother black bird to fly amidst the trees, to navigate the gnarled ways of the old oak tree so I can save the baby bird and bring it back to you safely. I just have one question to ask, why don’t you go save your baby yourself?”\n“I can’t you see for I hurt my own wing. For now I am like you. All I can do is sing. I am bound to the ground and cannot fly to save my child’s life.”\nSo the little girls training began. The black bird taught her to fly so she could save the baby bird. One thing remained that bothered the little girl still. Something the baby bird had said but she couldn’t remember it now.\nNow the little girl with twigs in hr hair had learned the techniques and the skill but had not flown, not quite yet. The bird with the golden eyes sat on the branch next to her and said. “It is time now for you to fly. I have given you my knowledge now it is up to you to fly. “\nSomething didn’t feel right though to the little girl, maybe it was the gleam in the black birds golden eyes. “ Are you sure I am ready, I feel I have just begun to learn.”\n“Oh yes dear child, and I am sure your time is short to save the baby bird. Every minute you wait, is one heart beat less of its fluttering heart.”\nSo the little girl knew she would have to move fast to save the baby’s life. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She opened her wings and leaned off the branch. But then she was falling, falling way too fast. The limbs reaching out to claw her as she fell down amongst the trees. Tearing at her and hurting her as she tried to fly. She beat her wings but they were just too weak. Then she remembered the warning from the baby bird, the birds were jealous and would try to trick her. The mother had blue eyes, not gold. She knew she was deceived and like the little bird before her was doomed to fall and die. The little girl tried to let out a scream but it was too late.\nThe black bird with golden eyes lazily drifted down in spirals from the top of the trees. Singing a quiet song of sweet victory. The bird landed on the little girls back as she lay motionless on the ground. It picked out a few twigs and walked along her back.\n“Now I have a body to use so I can become a child of the ground, no more bound by the twisted branches of the cursed oak tree. Free I will be, free at last.”\nSo the deceitful bird with golden eyes took the little girls body and made it her own. To live, breath, and die as a human would. The only remnants of the birds old past, was a tattoo of a pair of black wings that no one could see.\nThe baby bird was left to die, also tricked by the evil black bird, without wings or a chance to fight. It’s poor little heart just stopped beating one day. Two birds with one stone fell by the black birds hand. Leaving the old oak tree a few people emptier. With nothing left but the twisted branches of that gnarled old tree reaching out, beckoning to newcomers to enter into the forest where no child of the ground ever leaves.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100624_blackbird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn a dark forest of old oak trees, where no human would enter there was a\ndesperate fluttering of wings and the movement of tangled branches. A baby\nbird struggled to free itself from the gnarled grip of the trees limbs. It had\nfallen in the night from its nest and hung in the balance of life and death.\nCaught by the hands of an old oak tree. It hadn’t yet learned to fly so it was\ndoomed to fall or be set free. Learn to fly fast or die trying.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Black Bird"},{"content":"Show me what it means to be you\nPour out your soul\nLet me look into the pool\nIt leaves behind\nWhat will I see in the reflection\nWill it be just you\nLooking back at me\nWith somber eyes\nAnd thin face that doesn’t smiles\nOr will I see something\nI will wish I had not\nA demon or just the other side\nThe side you never show\nThat hides behind you silent eyes\nJust draw and let me see\nWhat comes out to see me\nWill you use black or grey\nTo outline your mind\nOr will there be color\nSpring out which\nI never thought I would find\nIs there something left in there\nYou have been hiding from me\nIs there life left\nIn your dead eyes\nSilently looking back at me\nIs there love\nIs there mercy\nIs their feeling\nTucked away deep inside\nIn a place\nYou keep just for yourself\nThat you hide far from the world\nTrying to protect what little\nIs sacred in your heart\nWill you show me\nAnd open up you heart\nDraw it\nWrite it\nOr scream it out loud\nPlease just do something\nSo I know not to give up\nSo I know you’re still alive\nSo I know to keep digging\nNo matter what horrors I find\nBecause somewhere in there\nIs the person\nI once knew and loved\nPlease show me\nWhat happened to you?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100623_showme/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShow me what it means to be you\u003cbr\u003e\nPour out your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nLet me look into the pool\u003cbr\u003e\nIt leaves behind\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat will I see in the reflection\u003cbr\u003e\nWill it be just you\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking back at me\u003cbr\u003e\nWith somber eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd thin face that doesn’t smiles\u003cbr\u003e\nOr will I see something\u003cbr\u003e\nI will wish I had not\u003cbr\u003e\nA demon or just the other side\u003cbr\u003e\nThe side you never show\u003cbr\u003e\nThat hides behind you silent eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nJust draw and let me see\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat comes out to see me\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you use black or grey\u003cbr\u003e\nTo outline your mind\u003cbr\u003e\nOr will there be color\u003cbr\u003e\nSpring out which\u003cbr\u003e\nI never thought I would find\u003cbr\u003e\nIs there something left in there\u003cbr\u003e\nYou have been hiding from me\u003cbr\u003e\nIs there life left\u003cbr\u003e\nIn your dead eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nSilently looking back at me\u003cbr\u003e\nIs there love\u003cbr\u003e\nIs there mercy\u003cbr\u003e\nIs their feeling\u003cbr\u003e\nTucked away deep inside\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a place\u003cbr\u003e\nYou keep just for yourself\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you hide far from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to protect what little\u003cbr\u003e\nIs sacred in your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you show me\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd open up you heart\u003cbr\u003e\nDraw it\u003cbr\u003e\nWrite it\u003cbr\u003e\nOr scream it out loud\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease just do something\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I know not to give up\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I know you’re still alive\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I know to keep digging\u003cbr\u003e\nNo matter what horrors I find\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause somewhere in there\u003cbr\u003e\nIs the person\u003cbr\u003e\nI once knew and loved\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease show me\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat happened to you?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Show Me"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100622_bells/","summary":"","title":"Bells"},{"content":"I went on a small adventure with my mom and my camera and ended up in an interesting place. I found this cemetery with one of my friends near the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter and finally returned to get a better look. This cemetery is a somewhat creepy place mainly because many of the tombs are cracked, old, and written all over. It has an extreme air of a melancholy, and forgotten place that once used to be beautiful but was left to wither in time by vandalism and time itself.\nSome of the headstone still intact were extremely beautiful like this one that just have such a haunting air about them. Some of the tombs still had flowers near them, but very few are still intact. Just a few people, it seems, keep coming back to visit and honor their dead while most others simple destroy a place once so beautiful. Even the graffiti on the wall seems haunting.\nI look forward to finding more hidden places like this around Santa Cruz or anywhere, if you know of any cool haunts are Santa Cruz county please share. I would like some new places to explore.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100619_holycross/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went on a small adventure with my mom and my camera and ended up in an\ninteresting place. I found this cemetery with one of my friends near the Santa\nCruz Animal Shelter and finally returned to get a better look. This cemetery\nis a somewhat creepy place mainly because many of the tombs are cracked, old,\nand written all over. It has an extreme air of a melancholy, and forgotten\nplace that once used to be beautiful but was left to wither in time by\nvandalism and time itself.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Holy Cross Cemetery"},{"content":"\nMy aunt Valri Peyser is an amazing artist and she is going to be a part of this next up in-coming Open Studios in October. I got to photograph some of her most recent projects she is working on that will be a part of the open studios show like these amazing decorated wine bottles.\nThe bottles are really amazing, each with its own personality and flare that is unique in itself. The front portrays a person ranging from a head shot to a half body portrait and the back is a beautiful pattern like flowers, stripes, dots, swirls, or any other design you can think of.\nHer beautiful wine bottles won’t be the only art on display, her paintings will also be there for Open Studios.\nBright, colorful, fun, and artfully crafted, I can’t wait to see what else she will have come the date of the Open Studios in October.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100618_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100618_openstudios/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy aunt Valri Peyser is an amazing artist and she is going to be a part of this\nnext up in-coming Open Studios in October. I got to photograph some of her\nmost recent projects she is working on that will be a part of the open studios\nshow like these amazing decorated wine bottles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100618_openstudios/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bottles are really amazing, each with its own personality and flare that is\nunique in itself. The front portrays a person ranging from a head shot to a\nhalf body portrait and the back is a beautiful pattern like flowers, stripes,\ndots, swirls, or any other design you can think of.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Valri Peyser: Open Studios"},{"content":"To me, you were Santa Cruz. Everything that Santa Cruz stood for in my mind I saw in you. Maybe it was the dreads, or the cruiser bike you were riding but I think it was the sunglasses that made me curious. The blue reflecting glasses made you more than just a person on the street. It blocked you from me but made me see myself when I tried to look into you. It reminded me that you can never look into someone else’s eyes seeking an answer without looking into yourself first.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100617_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTo me, you were Santa Cruz. Everything that Santa Cruz stood for in my mind I\nsaw in you. Maybe it was the dreads, or the cruiser bike you were riding but I\nthink it was the sunglasses that made me curious. The blue reflecting glasses\nmade you more than just a person on the street. It blocked you from me but\nmade me see myself when I tried to look into you. It reminded me that you can\nnever look into someone else’s eyes seeking an answer without looking into\nyourself first.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photos: Surfer Dreads"},{"content":"I just finished watching the movie, The Road and it helped me learn something about myself:\nI am horrible at watching suspense movies and I just shouldn’t do it.\nGranted I can be pretty horrible at watching any movies. Yes I am one of those horrible people who talk throughout the entire movie. I just can’t help myself, I mean I sit there for two hours watching other people talk non-stop on a screen, why can’t I talk too? I am aware of my faulty logic but it makes sense in my mind. Plus I feel the need to share my thoughts about every single thing the characters say to everyone else watching the movie. People who watch movies with me understand, I am so very sorry.\nAnyways, I digress, suspense movies oh yes where do I begin. First of my points is this movie, The Road. Dear lord people this movie has some sick things in it. I may actually have nightmares tonight. That’s not my point though, in movies like this you just know, KNOW, something horrible can and will happen at some point. I feel as the viewer it is my duty to help these characters escape that evil fate, even if they can’t hear me. It helps me sleep better at night knowing at least that I tried to save them.\nI do two main things while watching suspenseful movies.\nI yell at the television. Oh boy do I get riled up. I do one of two things, on rare occasions both; I either sit bolt up right and make frantic gestures usually in broad circles or pointing, and the other options is I shrink deep into the creases of the couch and try to disappear while slowly curling into a fetal position. You may be thinking at this point, how can you do that at the same time, yes ladies ad gentlemen I am just that good because I have enough skill to do them at the same time. Normally I just sit there yelling at the characters telling them how dumb they are for doing something, try to warn them of upcoming danger, or just make inarticulate sounds that only a dying baby squirrel can make. Usually my sounds slowly degrade into incoherent gibberish or whining depending on how scary or suspenseful the movie is. The other thing I do is actually worse than the first, I yell at the other people watching the movie. I get so into it and frustrated that I will yell at the other people to help stop the characters on the screen. They never do. I don’t know if I am alone in my efforts but it usually seems so. I either just gesture frantically yelling, DO SOMETHING or something like WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT, MAKE THEM STOP! I always feel bad for the people who I watch movies with because not only do I yell at them but I usually grab onto the them, maybe give them a shake or two. But it is all for the characters. I can’t help it that I am just one of those people who gets why too involved in movies. I basically have conversations with the television. I have no idea why, I just do. The sad part is, is that this usually just leaves me frustrated and always ends in the same way. I get all worked up and then the movie ends and I sit up and say, wait, but nothing actually happened! See that is the thing about suspense movies is that they really are a lot of nothing. While you are watching the movie you are totally sucked in and involved thinking this is the best most intense movie ever. But as soon as it is over you snap out of your suspense induced trance and realize you just wasted two hours of your life watching a string of loosely connected, horrifying, disturbing, and suspenseful events that in the end led up to a climax of absolutely nothing.\nThis is why I do not watch suspense movies.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100616_movies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just finished watching the movie, The Road and it helped me learn something\nabout myself:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI am horrible at watching suspense movies and I just shouldn’t do it.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGranted I can be pretty horrible at watching any movies. Yes I am one of those\nhorrible people who talk throughout the entire movie. I just can’t help\nmyself, I mean I sit there for two hours watching other people talk non-stop\non a screen, why can’t I talk too? I am aware of my faulty logic but it makes\nsense in my mind. Plus I feel the need to share my thoughts about every single\nthing the characters say to everyone else watching the movie. People who watch\nmovies with me understand, I am so very sorry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Suspense Movies"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100615_shadows/","summary":"","title":"Mission’s Shadows"},{"content":"I have a confession to make, about my driving. No I am not admitting that I am a bad driver, because I am not. My confession is this:\nI can be an evil driver.\nI love road trips, but when you have been driving for hours in the middle of nowhere, you have to find ways to amuse and entertain yourself so you don’t go insane. My remedy? To be EVIL. When there is nothing to look at on the road except for other cars, have fun with the other cars. I am expert, or you could call me an evil genius, at being an evil driver.\nYou may be wondering, what is it that I do to make me or anyone, an evil driver. There are many ways one could fit the criteria of an evil driver. Here are a few that I do:\nMess with the other drivers. The key to this is to not appear to blatantly be messing with the other drivers. Don’t be obvious, act like you aren’t doing anything or as if this is how you normally drive. One way I do this is with the left lane. Keep in mind this can only be done when several other cars are present (not totally crowded but cars every few minutes or so). When I get really bored I switch into the fast lane and go just fast enough to be passing people, but just slow enough to drive the person behind me crazy. This make it so they have to either pass me in the right lane or just tail gait me and get pissed off and wait until I leave. Another slight modification of my first point is not letting the person behind you pass when they want. Not just not letting them pass, just not exactly when they want to. This is best to do with those crazy drivers on the road that think everyone will move over when they come speeding up. They are easy to spot, and easy to bother. This can be the most entertaining fun on a long road trip. Again you must have several cars on the road for this to work. Get in the fast lane before these people come up, pass a couple of cars until the road master comes right up behind you. They will probably tail gait you but don’t let it bother you. That is when you slow down just enough to slowly pass the car in the right lane. After you have cleared the car, they will expect ou to immediately get out of their way and into the right lane; don’t. After they figure out you aren’t going into the right lane, even though you should, you know the person behind you, as soon as they clear the car in the right lane, they will switch out of the left lane and try to pass you in the right lane. This is where you act. As you see them start to get into the other lane, speed up just enough so they don’t have enough room to pass you. Then they have to go back behind you in their shame and rage. It is very entertaining to watch them try again and again to pass you. You have to make sure not to make them too angry so after a few times of this actually let them pass. And always, always look at them when they finally pass you. It is pretty funny. Yes, evil I know. Can you blame me? Boredom really is a source of evil. One thing I am going to point out is that no I do not do this normally. This is not how I drive so don’t worry about it. I only do this on road trips when I am really bored or if a driver is bothering me. The point of being an evil driver is to not push them too far, just enough to get a little reaction but nothing bad. To be a true evil driver you have to understand when the fun has gone to far or where there is room for more mischief. There are always more people on the road to mess with, don’t get attached to a certain car. If you ever go on a road trip with me you can always tell when I start messing with people because I sit there and snicker evilly to myself for no apparent reason.\nDon’t be afraid my evil driving, it is very rare, but is very real. Hopefully my evil tips will help save your brain on a long road trip from insanity and boredom. Be evil, but be safe, not stupid.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100614_driver/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have a confession to make, about my driving. No I am not admitting that I am\na bad driver, because I am not. My confession is this:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI can be an evil driver.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love road trips, but when you have been driving for hours in the middle of\nnowhere, you have to find ways to amuse and entertain yourself so you don’t go\ninsane. My remedy? To be EVIL. When there is nothing to look at on the road\nexcept for other cars, have fun with the other cars. I am expert, or you could\ncall me an evil genius, at being an evil driver.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Confessions of an Evil Driver"},{"content":"I found God\nOh really, where\nHe was underneath\nMy grandpa’s old apple tree\nWell isn’t that silly\nDid you ask him\nWhat he was doing\nUnderneath that tree\nYep\nHe said he was trying\nTo understand\nAdam and Eve\nI don’t know who they are\nBut he said they looked\nJust like me\nHe said it made him sad\nThat his children\nHad fallen so far away\nI told him maybe\nThey would come back some day\nDid you say anything else\nI sure did\nI asked about Grandpa\nAnd my old dog Brick\nGod just laughed and said\nThey were happy here\nBut they missed me so\nGod told me\nTo be patient\nThat one-day\nI would grow up\nAnd the world would change\nHe said to me\nThat my soul\nWould forever remain\nThen he just got up\nAnd smile down at me\nGave me an apple\nAnd said one last thing\nI am sorry dear child\nThis is the last time\nYou will ever see me\nI have a lot of work\nAnd no more time for play\nI have to bring in Adam\nAnd bring back Eve\nTake them from the serpents grasp\nSo they can remember me at last\nGoodbye my child\nThis is the last time\nYou will ever see me\nWhy I asked\nBut he was already gone\nThe little boy turned to me\nUnsure and sad\nWhere does God go\nWhen he leaves the apple tree\nDoes he find others\nOr is he just too busy\nI don’t know\nI somberly replied\nBut I am sure he is watching\nAnd making sure you’re all right\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100612_appletree/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI found God\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nOh really, where\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHe was underneath\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eMy grandpa’s old apple tree\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nWell isn’t that silly\u003cbr\u003e\nDid you ask him\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat he was doing\u003cbr\u003e\nUnderneath that tree\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYep\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHe said he was trying\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTo understand\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAdam and Eve\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI don’t know who they are\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eBut he said they looked\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eJust like me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHe said it made him sad\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThat his children\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHad fallen so far away\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI told him maybe\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThey would come back some day\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nDid you say anything else\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI sure did\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI asked about Grandpa\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd my old dog Brick\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eGod just laughed and said\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThey were happy here\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eBut they missed me so\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eGod told me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTo be patient\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThat one-day\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI would grow up\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd the world would change\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHe said to me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThat my soul\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWould forever remain\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThen he just got up\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd smile down at me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eGave me an apple\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd said one last thing\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI am sorry dear child\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThis is the last time\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou will ever see me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI have a lot of work\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd no more time for play\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eI have to bring in Adam\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAnd bring back Eve\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTake them from the serpents grasp\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eSo they can remember me at last\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eGoodbye my child\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eThis is the last time\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou will ever see me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhy I asked\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eBut he was already gone\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little boy turned to me\u003cbr\u003e\nUnsure and sad\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhere does God go\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhen he leaves the apple tree\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eDoes he find others\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eOr is he just too busy\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nI somberly replied\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I am sure he is watching\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd making sure you’re all right\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Apple Tree"},{"content":"There is something unspeakable beautiful about this water lily. I took this at the Mission San Antonio near King City and it was so gorgeous I had to share it with all of you. The idea of a water lily reminds me very much of that of the lotus flower. This beautiful majestic flower blooming amidst mud, dirt, and grime but yet it retains a radiant beauty that no amount of dirt can damper. Enjoy this, it stands for all of you who do not give up in the face of hardship and shine through no matter the circumstance.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100611_waterlily/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is something unspeakable beautiful about this water lily. I took this at\nthe Mission San Antonio near King City and it was so gorgeous I had to share\nit with all of you. The idea of a water lily reminds me very much of that of\nthe lotus flower. This beautiful majestic flower blooming amidst mud, dirt,\nand grime but yet it retains a radiant beauty that no amount of dirt can\ndamper. Enjoy this, it stands for all of you who do not give up in the face of\nhardship and shine through no matter the circumstance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Water Lily"},{"content":"I am off to go pick up my brother from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My brother just completed his first year of college which is exciting and I am more excited to spend the summer with him after his long absence. So here we come Cal Poly, we are going to have some fun!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100610_calpoly/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am off to go pick up my brother from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My brother\njust completed his first year of college which is exciting and I am more\nexcited to spend the summer with him after his long absence. So here we come\nCal Poly, we are going to have some fun!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cal Poly"},{"content":"Gabe has been very excited about moving on from Middle School to High School for some time now, and today is that day. He\u0026rsquo;s looking so fine in his new business attire, and I think he even likes the tie. His friends Joe and Connor take their turn up at the podium, while Monica the photographer works the crowd.\nThe big man heads up to get his diploma. A few more friends and then it\u0026rsquo;s time to party.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has been very excited about moving on from \u003ca href=\"https://svms.scottsvalleyusd.org\"\u003eMiddle School\u003c/a\u003e\nto High School for some time now, and today is that day. He\u0026rsquo;s looking so fine\nin his new business attire, and I think he even likes the tie. His friends Joe\nand Connor take their turn up at the podium, while Monica the photographer\nworks the crowd.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100610_graduation/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe big man heads up to get his diploma. A few more friends and then it\u0026rsquo;s time\nto party.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's SVMS graduation"},{"content":"Today I went to a high school graduation. It was pretty thrilling. I also have a new best friend. His name is Sarcasm.\nHe and I go everywhere together. One time, we went to a bonfire on the beach of the ocean. The party was actually not that fun. All they had to eat there was chicken, and who the heck likes chicken??????? Because my friend Sarcasm is so outspoken and hard to control, he made some hurtful but witty comments about the party and the person who threw it. Needless to say, we were shunned.\nWe found a cat on the road it had been hit by a car very sad but what can I say Sarcasm would not let me stop. He ran over it again, then backed up over it, then said some more witty comments, then drove away. I think he was drunk.\nWe then ate at Chef Wiu (which serves Italian food, contrary to popular belief), where they actually serve dead cat but they call it chicken. I don’t see the reason to lie about this fact because I happen to like dead cat. I eat it all the time and sometimes I even go out in the mornings and hunt and then make a cereal out of my kills. It’s better to get your food nice and fresh because otherwise who knows where that stuff has been. Like this one time, my friend Sarcasm had a chocolate bar. He gave it to me, but not before he did some gross stuff with it (use your imagination…). And I ate it.\nBecause chocolate bars are supposed to be brown, right?\nWell, lesson #1 of the night: Do not eat stuff that is brown, because then it is impossible to tell just where it has been. Trust me, I definitely knew where the chocolate bar had been right after it put it in my mouth. I actually liked it. It changed my entire perspective of food, and now I like to try new and exotic things.\nDid you know that there is a species of cat called the exotic????????? Yeah. I didn’t either. Until today.\nAlso, on average, men spend about 28 minutes in the bathroom in the morning while women spend on average 32 minutes in the morning (John Tesh Radio Show). Fascinating, right?\nAlso, turtles breathe out of their butts (common knowledge). Yes.\nToday my friend Sarcasm and I did something bad, aka something bad. You may be wondering what we did. Well, I can’t tell you. But it has something to do with this joke……\nWhat did the egg say to the pot of boiling water?\nIt might take me a while to get hard. I just got laid by some chick.\nHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA\nFunny, right?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100609_guest/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I went to a high school graduation.  It was pretty thrilling.  I also\nhave a new best friend.  His name is Sarcasm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe and I go everywhere together.  One time, we went to a bonfire on the beach\nof the ocean.  The party was actually not that fun.  All they had to eat there\nwas chicken, and who the heck likes chicken??????? Because my friend Sarcasm\nis so outspoken and hard to control, he made some hurtful but witty comments\nabout the party and the person who threw it.  Needless to say, we were\nshunned.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Guest Blogger! #2"},{"content":"I got to experience something very new to me the other day: acupuncture. It was an interesting experience that I will probably partake in again. My homeopathic doctor recommended getting acupuncture just to see if it helped me at all, so I agreed to try it out.\nIt was a good experience let me say, it didn’t really hurt and was pretty soothing. I was worried when she started putting them on my face though. It is one thing being poked in the arms or legs, but your face? It was alright though. I even had one in my ear and two on the top of my head. It was strange to think about. I do feel like I have gained a new perspective though, I think I know what it feels like to be a pin cushion. I also learned that the pin in your forehead is to help relax people, I thought that was very interesting.\nI thought it would hurt more than it did but the needles are really small and are much gentler than having blood drawn. So naturally with all my practice of having my blood drawn I thought it would be a walk in the park doing this. I really enjoyed learning about acupuncture and the ideas behind it, and I am ready to go back again to become a human pin cushion once more. 😀 Yeah for trying new things!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100608_acupuncture/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI got to experience something very new to me the other day: acupuncture. It was\nan interesting experience that I will probably partake in again. My\nhomeopathic doctor recommended getting acupuncture just to see if it helped me\nat all, so I agreed to try it out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a good experience let me say, it didn’t really hurt and was pretty\nsoothing. I was worried when she started putting them on my face though. It is\none thing being poked in the arms or legs, but your face? It was alright\nthough. I even had one in my ear and two on the top of my head. It was strange\nto think about. I do feel like I have gained a new perspective though, I think\nI know what it feels like to be a pin cushion. I also learned that the pin in\nyour forehead is to help relax people, I thought that was very interesting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Acupuncture"},{"content":"A woman stands\nWith a red balloon in her hand\nShe looks tired\nAnd lonely\nStanding there by herself\nHer only company\nThe little red balloon\nSome say she is looking\nfor innocence she lost long ago\nSome claim she is waiting\nFor her little girl\nTo come home\nSome say she is watching\nFor her husband to return\nAnd others say\nShe is just a woman\nWaiting to grow old\nShe had stood there\nEach day\nSince I can remember\nAlways silent\nAlways standing\nWith her little red balloon\nShe doesn’t approach anyone\nOr utter a word\nJust silently watching\nFor something untold\nOne day I returned\nTo find that woman\nBut she was gone\nVanished\nFrom the spot\nThat had become hers\nAll that was left\nHas the popped red balloon\nShriveled and empty\nLeft lying in her place\nI walked over\nTo the remnants\nOf that balloon\nIt didn’t seem right\nTo throw it away\nSo I vowed to keep it\nUntil I would see her again\nI would return it to her\nAnd she would finally say\nWhy she had been waiting for so long\nAnd who the balloon belong to\nBut she never came back\nAnd I forgot about the balloon\nBut I wonder now\nWhy did she leave\nDid she find what she needed\nOr did she just grow too weary\nTo stay in her place\nSo I bought my own\nLittle red balloon\nAnd took it to her spot\nAnd let it go\nI watched it drift\nFarther and farther away\nNow they have gone together\nWhere I do not know\nBut the woman\nAnd her little red balloon\nAre together at last\nNo longer waiting\nBut found at last\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100606_balloon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA woman stands\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a red balloon in her hand\u003cbr\u003e\nShe looks tired\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd lonely\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding there by herself\u003cbr\u003e\nHer only company\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little red balloon\u003cbr\u003e\nSome say she is looking\u003cbr\u003e\nfor innocence she lost long ago\u003cbr\u003e\nSome claim she is waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nFor her little girl\u003cbr\u003e\nTo come home\u003cbr\u003e\nSome say she is watching\u003cbr\u003e\nFor her husband to return\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd others say\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is just a woman\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting to grow old\u003cbr\u003e\nShe had stood there\u003cbr\u003e\nEach day\u003cbr\u003e\nSince I can remember\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways silent\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways standing\u003cbr\u003e\nWith her little red balloon\u003cbr\u003e\nShe doesn’t approach anyone\u003cbr\u003e\nOr utter a word\u003cbr\u003e\nJust silently watching\u003cbr\u003e\nFor something untold\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Little Red Balloon"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100605_sunshine/","summary":"","title":"Summer Sunshine"},{"content":"SAT, ACT and anything of the sort = death. Sorry no time for posts, my future is in the balance.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100604_sat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSAT, ACT and anything of the sort = death. Sorry no time for posts, my future\nis in the balance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SAT"},{"content":"Oh wolf eyed lover\nLook into my eyes\nAnd know\nI am not your enemy\nI am a part of you\nA dark soul\nTo complete\nYour hollow entity\nDance with me\nOh wolf eyed lover\nUnder the dying moon\nAs the deserts burn\nAnd the ashes settle\nSway with me\nLike the deserts\nTreasured flower\nLet the moon\nBear silent witness\nAs the earth stands still\nOh wolf eyed lover\nHowl to the moon\nWhen I am gone\nCall me back\nWhen it has been\nFar too long\nYou won these lands\nThe barren deserts\nAnd forsaken lands\nOh wolf eyed lover\nDon’t you see\nIt is no longer\nA dog’s world\nBut mans\nWe are dying company\nHunted and alone\nWe can’t fight them\nOff forever\nTogether we stand\nOh wolf eyed lover\nThe deserts dying flowers\nFloat gently to the ground\nWhere the ashes have settled\nAnd there is no longer sand\nHere we face the moon\nAs our last stand\nWhere once we danced\nIs now a deserted land\nOh wolf eyed lover\nCan’t you see\nThe world has moved on\nAnd left us behind\nThere is no more room\nFor happiness and love\nOnly survival\nIn these hard times\nOh wolf eyed lover\nDon’t you understand\nThis is the end\nThe separation\nOf you and me\nHas finally become reality\nOur entity once whole\nRipped to pieces\nTo be no more\nOh wolf eyed lover\nI will wait for you forever\nTurn on eye to the desert\nAnd one ear to the wind\nTo listen for your cry\nCarried by the moonlight\nI will dance with the moon\nWishing it was you\nOh wolf eyed lover\nSave me a grave\nUnder the cactus tree\nWhere flowers fall\nAnd the moon watches\nAs the dust finally settles\nTogether we lay\nAs it was meant to be\nSeparated by life\nBrought together by death\nOh wolf eyed lover\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100602_lover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nLook into my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd know\u003cbr\u003e\nI am not your enemy\u003cbr\u003e\nI am a part of you\u003cbr\u003e\nA dark soul\u003cbr\u003e\nTo complete\u003cbr\u003e\nYour hollow entity\u003cbr\u003e\nDance with me\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nUnder the dying moon\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the deserts burn\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the ashes settle\u003cbr\u003e\nSway with me\u003cbr\u003e\nLike the deserts\u003cbr\u003e\nTreasured flower\u003cbr\u003e\nLet the moon\u003cbr\u003e\nBear silent witness\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the earth stands still\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nHowl to the moon\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen I am gone\u003cbr\u003e\nCall me back\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen it has been\u003cbr\u003e\nFar too long\u003cbr\u003e\nYou won these lands\u003cbr\u003e\nThe barren deserts\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd forsaken lands\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t you see\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is no longer\u003cbr\u003e\nA dog’s world\u003cbr\u003e\nBut mans\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are dying company\u003cbr\u003e\nHunted and alone\u003cbr\u003e\nWe can’t fight them\u003cbr\u003e\nOff forever\u003cbr\u003e\nTogether we stand\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nThe deserts dying flowers\u003cbr\u003e\nFloat gently to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the ashes have settled\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd there is no longer sand\u003cbr\u003e\nHere we face the moon\u003cbr\u003e\nAs our last stand\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere once we danced\u003cbr\u003e\nIs now a deserted land\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nCan’t you see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe world has moved on\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd left us behind\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no more room\u003cbr\u003e\nFor happiness and love\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly survival\u003cbr\u003e\nIn these hard times\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t you understand\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is the end\u003cbr\u003e\nThe separation\u003cbr\u003e\nOf you and me\u003cbr\u003e\nHas finally become reality\u003cbr\u003e\nOur entity once whole\u003cbr\u003e\nRipped to pieces\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be no more\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nI will wait for you forever\u003cbr\u003e\nTurn on eye to the desert\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd one ear to the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nTo listen for your cry\u003cbr\u003e\nCarried by the moonlight\u003cbr\u003e\nI will dance with the moon\u003cbr\u003e\nWishing it was you\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003cbr\u003e\nSave me a grave\u003cbr\u003e\nUnder the cactus tree\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere flowers fall\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the moon watches\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the dust finally settles\u003cbr\u003e\nTogether we lay\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it was meant to be\u003cbr\u003e\nSeparated by life\u003cbr\u003e\nBrought together by death\u003cbr\u003e\nOh wolf eyed lover\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wolf Eyed Lover"},{"content":"It is an odd thing traveling across the country because I always find myself looking for towns just like Santa Cruz. No matter where I go I always see Santa Cruz in every place I go. I love Santa Cruz because it always feels like home and I hope someday I find a place that makes me feel just as at home as my first love and home, Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100621_santacruz/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt is an odd thing traveling across the country because I always find myself\nlooking for towns just like Santa Cruz. No matter where I go I always see\nSanta Cruz in every place I go. I love Santa Cruz because it always feels like\nhome and I hope someday I find a place that makes me feel just as at home as\nmy first love and home, Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Bees are such fascinating creatures, and beautiful ones at that. I love trying to photograph them. Thanks for sitting still just long enough for me Mr. Bumblebee!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100531_bumble/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBees are such fascinating creatures, and beautiful ones at that. I love trying\nto photograph them. Thanks for sitting still just long enough for me Mr.\nBumblebee!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100531_bumble/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100531_bumble/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bumblebee"},{"content":"I think it is time for me to share with you a story very near and dear to my heart; the story about why I am afraid of spiders.\nLet me start off by saying that I wasn’t always afraid of spiders, I was never very keen on them but I didn’t freak out on site about them. I just thought they were disgusting. Living in a wooded area with a canyon in my backyard, naturally we have lots of spiders in our house. About every three months or so, a giant spider pops up in a very inconvenient time or place. Normally in my room and most recently in the bathroom. They just show up out of nowhere and they are ridiculously huge. Honestly, it just makes me want to yell at them “Where in God’s name have you been hiding all this time to grow that freakin big!” When I say big, I mean big. Most people don’t believe me, these guys are so big, you can’t really squish them because they would explode and create a black hole due to its collapsing mass. Seriously, they are too big to squish.\nSo my story begins about three years ago at midnight. I was the last person up doing homework and watching some T.V. when I finally returned to my room to go to bed. Low and behold as I go to my closet for clothes do I spy a huge spider in the crook of my doorway. So I back out slowly, an evil plan forming in my mind of all the devious ways I could squish this giant sucker. I grab a big book and sneak back over to my door.\nSide note: the picture of the spider above, this one in my doorway from so long ago was much bigger.\nSo I wryly look down upon this spider and smile knowing soon it will be dead and I can sleep soundly tonight. So I smash the book against the door frame and grind it in a little just to make sure it is dead. Just as I am about positive the thing is one hundred and ten percent dead, this monstrosity climbs over the top of the book and up my arm. At first I didn’t do anything because I was so shocked but then instinct kicked in along with a lot of cursing. I fling my arm back trying to get the thing of me as I am screaming and listing of a laundry list of profanities. Then I think I feel it on my back, which I realized was my pony tail only after I ripped off all of my clothes trying to find the spider. After the inital horror subsided, knowing the spider was not on my person, a new horror dawned on me. As I turn around and follow the trajectory the spider must have followed after its sudden flight from my arm, I find my bed right in the line of fire. After desperately searching the floor to find the spider but to no avail, I am forced to acknowledge the fact that, that monster spider is somewhere in my bed right now.\nYes I know, Karma right, this is what I get for taking a small amount of pleasure in killing this spider.\nSo I frantically rip off all of my sheets meticulously searching for the spider. In the end nothing. I found nothing, anywhere. I searched every foot of my room but couldn’t find it. Let me tell you something, I never found that spider. Never. The only thing I ever found that may have been the spider was a small crinkled ball of something I tried to convince myself was indeed the dead body of that spider that haunted my dreams. All so I could sleep soundly in my bed again without jumping at the slightest tickle on my legs. Thinking that it was that horrible spider that got away.\nI never got over that thing, so to this day I am horrified by spiders. So every time one of these giants shows its ugly head I scream like a little school girl and run to my dad to go squish the big meany spider.\nSo to all of you arachnophobes out there, I am right there with you. Oh and here is another creepy spider shot, just to make you cringe. I know I will.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100530_spiders/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think it is time for me to share with you a story very near and dear to my\nheart; the story about why I am afraid of spiders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me start off by saying that I wasn’t always afraid of spiders, I was never\nvery keen on them but I didn’t freak out on site about them. I just thought\nthey were disgusting. Living in a wooded area with a canyon in my backyard,\nnaturally we have lots of spiders in our house. About every three months or\nso, a giant spider pops up in a very inconvenient time or place. Normally in\nmy room and most recently in the bathroom. They just show up out of nowhere\nand they are ridiculously huge. Honestly, it just makes me want to yell at\nthem “Where in God’s name have you been hiding all this time to grow that\nfreakin big!” When I say big, I mean big. Most people don’t believe me, these\nguys are so big, you can’t really squish them because they would explode and\ncreate a black hole due to its collapsing mass. Seriously, they are too big to\nsquish.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Arachnophobia"},{"content":"I had the honor along with 16 other Full International Baccalaureate students to talk about the IB learner profiles in the new IB orientation welcoming ceremony for incoming Full IB students. This was the first year that Scotts Valley High decided to have a nice ceremony put together by the wonderful Mr. Crawford, Ms. Brooke, and Ms. Reiner. Thank you for a wonderful night.\nI got to talk about how being reflective is an integral part of being an IB student because I was nominated by all of the teachers to portray that aspect of the learner profile. In a slightly cultish but fun manner we all went up one by one and lit a candle before we talked about the learner profiles. The other IB students handed the incoming IB students flowers in a welcoming gesture.\nLuckily no one got set on fire, and everything went very well. Then everyone talked and had deserts. It was a very nice night and reminds me that being in IB is like having a big family. So… I love my IB family!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100529_ib/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had the honor along with 16 other Full International Baccalaureate students\nto talk about the IB learner profiles in the new IB orientation welcoming\nceremony for incoming Full IB students. This was the first year that Scotts\nValley High decided to have a nice ceremony put together by the wonderful Mr.\nCrawford, Ms. Brooke, and Ms. Reiner. Thank you for a wonderful night.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI got to talk about how being reflective is an integral part of being an IB\nstudent because I was nominated by all of the teachers to portray that aspect\nof the learner profile. In a slightly cultish but fun manner we all went up\none by one and lit a candle before we talked about the learner profiles. The\nother IB students handed the incoming IB students flowers in a welcoming\ngesture.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"IB Orientation"},{"content":"This really is a case of saving the best for last. In February I went to Yellowstone on a photography mission where I followed coyotes, river otters, bison, elk, bighorn sheep and wolves for a week in the snow. I saved my best shot as a present for one of my very best friends. So here is the grand unveiling of my best shot: the coyote headshot.\nI got this close up headshot of a coyote when we were driving along the road and happened upon a coyote trotting down the middle of the road.\nWe slowed down as he weaved in and out of the road. It almost seemed like he was trying to make sure we didn’t pass him. During this time I had whipped out the four hundred lens and was hanging out the window trying to get a good shot of him. It was painful and pretty ridiculous looking as we stopped and went; me being jerked around the whole time yelling at the driver to stop the car. Just in time, I got my shot.\nHe was beautiful but I could tell he had been in some sort of fight recently because his ear was bloody and gnarled. He had some mean scars on his muzzle as well. So that’s it, that raps up my Yellowstone trip finally, with my best shot of the trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100528_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis really is a case of saving the best for last. In February I went to\nYellowstone on a photography mission where I followed coyotes, river otters,\nbison, elk, bighorn sheep and wolves for a week in the snow. I saved my best\nshot as a present for one of my very best friends. So here is the grand\nunveiling of my best shot: the coyote headshot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI got this close up headshot of a coyote when we were driving along the road\nand happened upon a coyote trotting down the middle of the road.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Coyote Headshot"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100527_flower/","summary":"","title":"Flower Light"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100526_tips/","summary":"","title":"Tips"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100525_texture/","summary":"","title":"Tree Texture"},{"content":"I was watching you at a track meet the other day. I didn’t really notice you until you crossed under the line where discus was being thrown and your mom had to come save you from being hit by a discus. I watched you for a while after that, you seemed very attached to you lollipop. You sat there watching the discus like your mom but I could tell you weren’t really watching, you were just trying to act like your mom. IT was very amusing actually. I hope you enjoyed your lollipop and the rest of the track meet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100520_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was watching you at a track meet the other day. I didn’t really notice you\nuntil you crossed under the line where discus was being thrown and your mom\nhad to come save you from being hit by a discus. I watched you for a while\nafter that, you seemed very attached to you lollipop. You sat there watching\nthe discus like your mom but I could tell you weren’t really watching, you\nwere just trying to act like your mom. IT was very amusing actually. I hope\nyou enjoyed your lollipop and the rest of the track meet.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photos: Lollipop"},{"content":"It was a blast watching the Amgen Tour of California yesterday in Santa Cruz, and today we\u0026rsquo;re off to San Jose to watch the riders start from downtown. We get a few glimpses of Horner and Hincapie, then Gabe camps out right in front of the Saxo Bank team RV and lucks out. There\u0026rsquo;s Andy Schleck, Jens Voigt, and Fabian Cancellara. He\u0026rsquo;s even got a signed tshirt to prove it!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s pretty easy at the start to see lots of famous riders as they slowly roll out towards the starting line. There goes Levi, Hincapie, and other Radio Shack and Bissell riders. And there\u0026rsquo;s Bjarne Riis chatting with an HTC rider.\nFirst it\u0026rsquo;s the HTC and Radio Shack team cars (say hi to Johan Bruyneel) and then they\u0026rsquo;re off!\nThanks to Charlotte for helping get some great photos today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100519_amgen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was a blast watching the Amgen Tour of California yesterday in Santa Cruz,\nand today we\u0026rsquo;re off to San Jose to watch the riders start from downtown. We\nget a few glimpses of Horner and Hincapie, then Gabe camps out right in front\nof the Saxo Bank team RV and lucks out. There\u0026rsquo;s Andy Schleck, Jens Voigt, and\nFabian Cancellara. He\u0026rsquo;s even got a signed tshirt to prove it!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California San Jose"},{"content":"This flower just looks like a big billow pillow to me. It looks so soft and welcoming I really loved it. I love flowers if you can’t tell from my other pictures. Flowers really just are fascinating because they remind me of people. No one is exactly the same, the come in different shapes, colors and sizes and each is beautiful in its own way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100519_flower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis flower just looks like a big billow pillow to me. It looks so soft and\nwelcoming I really loved it. I love flowers if you can’t tell from my other\npictures. Flowers really just are fascinating because they remind me of\npeople. No one is exactly the same, the come in different shapes, colors and\nsizes and each is beautiful in its own way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pillow Flower"},{"content":"The AMGEN Tour of California is back in Santa Cruz again this year, but this year springtime and hopefully the cold, wind, and rain will be replaced with beautiful days like today. Charlotte headed down to the finish area at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk with some friends.\nWhile Gabe and I camped out on Bonny Doon Road to catch the riders struggling up this great climb. Gabe made a very nice ecologically correct road sign saying \u0026ldquo;Go Levi\u0026rdquo;. Meanwhile plenty of local riders headed past us to find their spot to watch the race.\nCharlotte joined Sally and friends for the cancer walk along West Cliff to the finish line.\nMatt and Allison were showing off the unbelievably cool surfboard, made by local legend Doug Haut, the city was giving to the winner of today\u0026rsquo;s stage.\nBack on the mountain, Levi, Zabriskie, and Rogers are the first guys to come by. Not far behind were Lance and other notable riders. We also enjoyed the crazy afro guy with a cape.\nIt took quite some time for all the other riders to come by, but plenty of well known faces like Hincapie pedaled past.\nFinally the main peloton rolled through. Thanks to Dmitriy Muravyev from Radio Shack for tossing his water bottle right at Gabe\u0026rsquo;s feet. It\u0026rsquo;s now his favorite bottle on his rides.\nAnd finally it\u0026rsquo;s the procession of team cars.\nBack at the finish Charlotte gets to see the three front runners scream towards the line, with Dave Zabriskie getting to take home that sweet surfboard.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100518_amgen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe AMGEN Tour of California is back in Santa Cruz again this year, but this\nyear springtime and hopefully the cold, wind, and rain will be replaced with\nbeautiful days like today. Charlotte headed down to the finish area at the\nSanta Cruz Boardwalk with some friends.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100518_amgen/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100518_amgen/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100518_amgen/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe and I camped out on Bonny Doon Road to catch the riders struggling\nup this great climb. Gabe made a very nice ecologically correct road sign\nsaying \u0026ldquo;Go Levi\u0026rdquo;. Meanwhile plenty of local riders headed past us to find\ntheir spot to watch the race.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California Santa Cruz"},{"content":"He plays the piano\nRocking back and forth\nCradling each note\nGiving life\nBut holding onto each\nFor just a single moment\nBefore it is released\nSent out into the cold world\nTo die or survive\nIt all lay in fate’s hands\nNot his\nNot anymore\nThe artist, the musician\nWith starving eyes\nAnd frantic fingers\nHe swayed\nWith his head held back\nListening to the birth\nOf each note\nAs it sprung forth\nFrom nothingness\nBut the barren plane of his soul\nHe breathed life\nInto each ivory key\nAs his fingers danced\nPlaying a sad\nYet beautiful song\nThe song of the sirens\nSet out at sea\nThe bewitching words\nOf a long forgotten curse\nThe notes passed through\nHis ragged body\nEach throb of his veins\nPushed tired blood and music\nThat begged for life\nAnd took everything\nFrom it’s living master\nA master who would die\nFor his masterpiece\nWith bleeding fingers\nPressed against bone keys\nEach print left\nOn the piano\nLeft it’s bloodied print\nOn his haunted soul\nBut when the music\nHas finally left\nHe has nothing\nIs nothing\nBut a starving artist\nDeprived of paint\nHe has nothing left\nHe gave it all up\nFor his sacred art\nHis Bible of notes\nGave his heart and soul\nAnd all else he could give\nBut his ears to listen\nAnd his fingers to play\nAs he cradled each new life\nAnd sent it away\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100518_musician/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHe plays the piano\u003cbr\u003e\nRocking back and forth\u003cbr\u003e\nCradling each note\u003cbr\u003e\nGiving life\u003cbr\u003e\nBut holding onto each\u003cbr\u003e\nFor just a single moment\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore it is released\u003cbr\u003e\nSent out into the cold world\u003cbr\u003e\nTo die or survive\u003cbr\u003e\nIt all lay in fate’s hands\u003cbr\u003e\nNot his\u003cbr\u003e\nNot anymore\u003cbr\u003e\nThe artist, the musician\u003cbr\u003e\nWith starving eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd frantic fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nHe swayed\u003cbr\u003e\nWith his head held back\u003cbr\u003e\nListening to the birth\u003cbr\u003e\nOf each note\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it sprung forth\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom nothingness\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the barren plane of his soul\u003cbr\u003e\nHe breathed life\u003cbr\u003e\nInto each ivory key\u003cbr\u003e\nAs his fingers danced\u003cbr\u003e\nPlaying a sad\u003cbr\u003e\nYet beautiful song\u003cbr\u003e\nThe song of the sirens\u003cbr\u003e\nSet out at sea\u003cbr\u003e\nThe bewitching words\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a long forgotten curse\u003cbr\u003e\nThe notes passed through\u003cbr\u003e\nHis ragged body\u003cbr\u003e\nEach throb of his veins\u003cbr\u003e\nPushed tired blood and music\u003cbr\u003e\nThat begged for life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd took everything\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom it’s living master\u003cbr\u003e\nA master who would die\u003cbr\u003e\nFor his masterpiece\u003cbr\u003e\nWith bleeding fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nPressed against bone keys\u003cbr\u003e\nEach print left\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the piano\u003cbr\u003e\nLeft it’s bloodied print\u003cbr\u003e\nOn his haunted soul\u003cbr\u003e\nBut when the music\u003cbr\u003e\nHas finally left\u003cbr\u003e\nHe has nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nIs nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a starving artist\u003cbr\u003e\nDeprived of paint\u003cbr\u003e\nHe has nothing left\u003cbr\u003e\nHe gave it all up\u003cbr\u003e\nFor his sacred art\u003cbr\u003e\nHis Bible of notes\u003cbr\u003e\nGave his heart and soul\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd all else he could give\u003cbr\u003e\nBut his ears to listen\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd his fingers to play\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he cradled each new life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sent it away\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Starving Musician"},{"content":"This last weekend was Prom for my high school. I have to say, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Prom, but I can tell you, I don’t regret going. I had a lot of fun seeing all my friends all dressed up and beautiful.\nGetting ready for Prom was fun, my friends did my hair and make up and made me look pretty. I loved my dress and my shoes. Most people liked the back of my dress more than the front I think. Watching everyone hobble around in their high heels and smile for what seemed like an eternity for all the photos is something I will remember for a while. I also think I will remember for a while how much my feet hurt from standing in line for forever to get Breathalyzer.\nI just wanted to say thanks to my friends for making me go and have fun. And thanks to Tyler for asking me. Love all of you!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100517_prom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis last weekend was Prom for my high school. I have to say, I wasn’t sure how\nI was going to feel about Prom, but I can tell you, I don’t regret going. I\nhad a lot of fun seeing all my friends all dressed up and beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting ready for Prom was fun, my friends did my hair and make up and made me\nlook pretty. I loved my dress and my shoes. Most people liked the back of my\ndress more than the front I think. Watching everyone hobble around in their\nhigh heels and smile for what seemed like an eternity for all the photos is\nsomething I will remember for a while. I also think I will remember for a\nwhile how much my feet hurt from standing in line for forever to get\nBreathalyzer.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Prom 2010"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m headed over to San Jose today for an awesome Judo clinic at Silicon Valley Judo. Japanese champion Shintaro Nakano is explaining his outstanding Seoi Nage technique to a big group of eager Judoka, including myself. Unfortunately Peel hurt himself and couldn\u0026rsquo;t participate, but my Sensei from Aptos Judo is my very capable partner.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100516_judo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m headed over to San Jose today for an awesome Judo clinic at\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.svjudo.com\"\u003eSilicon Valley Judo\u003c/a\u003e. Japanese champion Shintaro Nakano is explaining\nhis outstanding Seoi Nage technique to a big group of eager Judoka, including\nmyself. Unfortunately Peel hurt himself and couldn\u0026rsquo;t participate, but my\nSensei from Aptos Judo is my very capable partner.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100516_judo/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Silicon Valley Judo clinic with Shintaro Nakano"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s Scotts Valley High School prom night, and Monica and her friends are all dressed and ready to go. First stop is a party over at Capella\u0026rsquo;s house.\nThen a bunch of group shots over by the pool. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe the size of this party!\nBut wait, there\u0026rsquo;s more action inside the house.\nBack at the school, everyone gets loaded into buses for the trip over to Monterey. A very nice, safe alternative way for everyone to get there and back safely. It\u0026rsquo;s good to see Joe here also.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100515_prom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s Scotts Valley High School prom night, and Monica and her friends are all\ndressed and ready to go. First stop is a party over at Capella\u0026rsquo;s house.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen a bunch of group shots over by the pool. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe the size of this\nparty!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut wait, there\u0026rsquo;s more action inside the house.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_prom/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the school, everyone gets loaded into buses for the trip over to\nMonterey. A very nice, safe alternative way for everyone to get there and back\nsafely. It\u0026rsquo;s good to see Joe here also.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's High School prom"},{"content":"The Scotts Valley Grand Prix is a brand new NCNCA bike race we\u0026rsquo;re very happy to see come to our area. Charlotte and her Kiwanis buddies are helping with the stage, food, and drinks.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s great to see Vladan out there racing for his Bike Trip team. There\u0026rsquo;s also a great Specialized presence, though it doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like Larry was able to make it to this race. A slight finish line malfunction made for an interesting lap.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Scotts Valley Grand Prix is a brand new NCNCA bike race we\u0026rsquo;re very happy to\nsee come to our area. Charlotte and her Kiwanis buddies are helping with the\nstage, food, and drinks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100515_svgrandprix/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s great to see Vladan out there racing for his Bike Trip team. There\u0026rsquo;s also\na great Specialized presence, though it doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like Larry was able to\nmake it to this race. A slight finish line malfunction made for an interesting\nlap.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scotts Valley Grand Prix bike race"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the final track meet, and the last Gabe will ever do in Middle School. First it\u0026rsquo;s the shot put.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the 400m relay.\nAnd then one last chance at the discus record. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s happy with his throw, but the record falls to another guy on his team. Second place is a great placing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100514_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the final track meet, and the last Gabe will ever do in Middle School.\nFirst it\u0026rsquo;s the shot put.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the 400m relay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then one last chance at the discus record. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s happy with his throw, but\nthe record falls to another guy on his team. Second place is a great placing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100514_track/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's final track meet"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100514_hurdles/","summary":"","title":"Hurdles"},{"content":"I noticed you while at a park, your were just a baby standing there all alone. You didn’t seem to have any family around, but it really didn’t seem to faze you at all. For such a small child you seemed very mature. You just stood there stoically watching all the other children play, while you stood just on the outside. Truthfully you caught my interest because even though you are just a baby, I saw myself in you. I don’t know why but you fascinated me, a child so independent, pensive, and watchful. I couldn’t help but wonder who you will grow up to be. I wonder if you will lose you watchful nature and your silent seriousness as you grow, or will you forever be that person, always on the outside watching those within the norm. For now all anyone will see is a baby in a sun dress, cute and adorable, but that isn’t what I see. I see who you can be, the potential of who you will be.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100513_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI noticed you while at a park, your were just a baby standing there all alone.\nYou didn’t seem to have any family around, but it really didn’t seem to faze\nyou at all. For such a small child you seemed very mature. You just stood\nthere stoically watching all the other children play, while you stood just on\nthe outside. Truthfully you caught my interest because even though you are\njust a baby, I saw myself in you. I don’t know why but you fascinated me, a\nchild so independent, pensive, and watchful. I couldn’t help but wonder who\nyou will grow up to be. I wonder if you will lose you watchful nature and your\nsilent seriousness as you grow, or will you forever be that person, always on\nthe outside watching those within the norm. For now all anyone will see is a\nbaby in a sun dress, cute and adorable, but that isn’t what I see. I see who\nyou can be, the potential of who you will be.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: The Pensive Child"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100512_shining/","summary":"","title":"Shining"},{"content":"I am old now and broken\ntravel one to many times\nthe unbeaten trail\nnow it has left me beaten\nwonder what happened\nin its forgotten trail\nstanding on a dusty path\nI thought I knew\nbut never did\nfollowing you until the end\nbut I lost you along the way\nI don’t remember how\nor why you left me standing here\nbroken and betrayed\nbut I am still waiting\non this burning dusty day\nto not feel so broken\nand not feel so alone\nmaybe I will wait forever\njust praying you will come home\npraying for strength\nto leave it be\nfor all we have\nmay never have been\nwhat was meant to be\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100510_spoke/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am old now and broken\u003cbr\u003e\ntravel one to many times\u003cbr\u003e\nthe unbeaten trail\u003cbr\u003e\nnow it has left me beaten\u003cbr\u003e\nwonder what happened\u003cbr\u003e\nin its forgotten trail\u003cbr\u003e\nstanding on a dusty path\u003cbr\u003e\nI thought I knew\u003cbr\u003e\nbut never did\u003cbr\u003e\nfollowing you until the end\u003cbr\u003e\nbut I lost you along the way\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t remember how\u003cbr\u003e\nor why you left me standing here\u003cbr\u003e\nbroken and betrayed\u003cbr\u003e\nbut I am still waiting\u003cbr\u003e\non this burning dusty day\u003cbr\u003e\nto not feel so broken\u003cbr\u003e\nand not feel so alone\u003cbr\u003e\nmaybe I will wait forever\u003cbr\u003e\njust praying you will come home\u003cbr\u003e\npraying for strength\u003cbr\u003e\nto leave it be\u003cbr\u003e\nfor all we have\u003cbr\u003e\nmay never have been\u003cbr\u003e\nwhat was meant to be\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Broken Spoke"},{"content":"Leave the light on for the person standing next to you. Don’t leave them in the dark even if you don’t need the light anymore. Think of the light in your life. Tell me what it is. I gave away the light. To help some one else. And the gift was squandered and ignored. Don’t waste the light. Give it shape. Give it life. Give it meaning to take away the night.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100509_nightlight/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLeave the light on for the person standing next to you. Don’t leave them in the\ndark even if you don’t need the light anymore. Think of the light in your\nlife. Tell me what it is. I gave away the light. To help some one else. And\nthe gift was squandered and ignored. Don’t waste the light. Give it shape.\nGive it life. Give it meaning to take away the night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Night Light"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100507_arboretum/","summary":"","title":"Arboretum"},{"content":"In Depot Bay there were some amazing cliffs that had pockets in them. This allowed waves to spout jets of water over 60 feet high. It was amazing to see this because the wind was really going and blowing us literally off our feet while the waves crashed over the cliffs.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100506_ocean/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn Depot Bay there were some amazing cliffs that had pockets in them. This\nallowed waves to spout jets of water over 60 feet high. It was amazing to see\nthis because the wind was really going and blowing us literally off our feet\nwhile the waves crashed over the cliffs.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ocean View"},{"content":"It is too heavy\nHe says\nFor me to carry this alone\nI am slowly being buried\nDon’t leave me here in the cold\nWhat can I do\nShe asks\nBut is afraid\nCarry it with me\nHe says\nWithout looking away\nMake this one man’s burden\nInto two\nSaving me\nBut damning you\nDo you care enough\nTo give yourself up for me\nTo be buried alive\nUnder the weight\nOf eternity\nWill you carry my burden\nUntil there is nothing left\nWill you save me\nFrom my curse\nAnd damn all the rest\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100505_snow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt is too heavy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says\u003cbr\u003e\nFor me to carry this alone\u003cbr\u003e\nI am slowly being buried\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t leave me here in the cold\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat can I do\u003cbr\u003e\nShe asks\u003cbr\u003e\nBut is afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nCarry it with me\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout looking away\u003cbr\u003e\nMake this one man’s burden\u003cbr\u003e\nInto two\u003cbr\u003e\nSaving me\u003cbr\u003e\nBut damning you\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you care enough\u003cbr\u003e\nTo give yourself up for me\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be buried alive\u003cbr\u003e\nUnder the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nOf eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you carry my burden\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil there is nothing left\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you save me\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom my curse\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd damn all the rest\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snow Laden"},{"content":"Everyone as a kid was a wave runner. Playing tag with the in coming waves. It makes me smile to watch a little kid doing exactly what I used to do. Dancing with water on a sunny day. Sometimes you have to be reminded of what makes you happy in life. I had forgotten how much I missed that and I have to thank this kid for reminding me that you don’t have to be a little kid to be a wave runner.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100502_waves/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone as a kid was a wave runner. Playing tag with the in coming waves. It\nmakes me smile to watch a little kid doing exactly what I used to do. Dancing\nwith water on a sunny day. Sometimes you have to be reminded of what makes you\nhappy in life. I had forgotten how much I missed that and I have to thank this\nkid for reminding me that you don’t have to be a little kid to be a wave\nrunner.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wave Runner"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100430_blooming/","summary":"","title":"Blooming"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s another track meet over at SLV, and Gabe is working hard to break the school record. Unfortunately it\u0026rsquo;s not today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100430_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s another track meet over at SLV, and Gabe is working hard to break the\nschool record. Unfortunately it\u0026rsquo;s not today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100430_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100430_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's track meet"},{"content":"Kid leashes drive me crazy. I don’t get it. Sure I understand that parents don’t want their kid to run away, but putting them on leash? It just seems plain wrong. Maybe I am just weird but whenever I see someone with there kid on a leash I just stop to watch. I part of me is slightly horrified but the other part (the bigger part) is laughing.\nOne thing that just cracks me up about these leashes is that they are disguised as cute adorable little backpacks like this one. The kid sees a fuzzy little monkey when truthfully it is a direct tie to mommy. Even when the parents are yanking the kid around I really don’t think the kid gets why he is being held back. They just don’t connect the two things and go on with life believe their parents just got them a cute backpack, not a tether.\nI saw this kid once with a leash on, they didn’t even disguise it though, it was a full on harness wrapped around this kid. He still didn’t get it that as soon as he ran three feet away, he would get tugged back. It was pretty funny to watch this kid get whiplash from a leash. I know it sounds horrible but the funny part wasn’t the kid getting tugged back but the parents response. They did nothing. They thought the leash was enough to keep their kid contained and didn’t even bother asking the kid to stay put. They just let him run and then fall down.\nThe whole business doesn’t really make sense to me to treat your kid like an untrained puppy. Oh well, more entertainment for me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100429_leash/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKid leashes drive me crazy. I don’t get it. Sure I understand that parents\ndon’t want their kid to run away, but putting them on  leash? It just seems\nplain wrong. Maybe I am just weird but whenever I see someone with there kid\non a leash I just stop to watch. I part of me is slightly horrified but the\nother part (the bigger part) is laughing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing that just cracks me up about these leashes is that they are disguised\nas cute adorable little backpacks like this one. The kid sees a fuzzy little\nmonkey when truthfully it is a direct tie to mommy. Even when the parents are\nyanking the kid around I really don’t think the kid gets why he is being held\nback. They just don’t connect the two things and go on with life believe their\nparents just got them a cute backpack, not a tether.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Kid Leash"},{"content":"When the sun has finally fallen\nAnd the clouds lay out of reach\nWhere will you turn\nWhen open arms become traps\nAnd smiles become masks\nWhere will you turn\nWhen the world looses color\nAnd everything fades to gray\nWhere will you turn\nWhen a child cries\nAnd no one listens\nWhere will you turn\nWhen the fog is too thick to see\nAnd the ground falls out below you\nWhere will you turn\nWhen the heaviness of night weighs you down\nAnd not even darkness can hide you\nWhere will you turn\nWhen the flower blooms\nBut there is no beauty there\nWhere will you turn\nWhen the voices of loved ones\nBecomes a noise you dread\nWhere will you turn\nWhen you can’t look yourself in the face\nAnd you hate what you’ve become\nWhere will you turn\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100428_turn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhen the sun has finally fallen\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the clouds lay out of reach\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen open arms become traps\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd smiles become masks\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the world looses color\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd everything fades to gray\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen a child cries\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd no one listens\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the fog is too thick to see\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the ground falls out below you\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the heaviness of night weighs you down\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd not even darkness can hide you\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the flower blooms\u003cbr\u003e\nBut there is no beauty there\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the voices of loved ones\u003cbr\u003e\nBecomes a noise you dread\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you can’t look yourself in the face\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd you hate what you’ve become\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere will you turn\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where Will You Turn"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100426_corridor/","summary":"","title":"Corridor"},{"content":"While driving through Oregon my mom and I happened upon many signs claiming there were elk in the area. For three days we drove through Oregon and guess what we didn’t see? ELK. So we decided the people who made those signs were liars. LIARS! We didn’t believe there were elk in Oregon at all. And you know what? We didn’t see any elk in Oregon. But we did see elk as soon as we crossed over into California in the Redwood National Park. There was a pile of elk just sitting on the side of the road. We decided Oregon sign makers are liars and California ones are not. Yeah for California.\nSurprisingly, elk are very different depending on were you see them. It makes sense but I never really thought about it before. I am an expert on elk though since going to Yellowstone. The elk in California were so much smaller and skinnier than the Yellowstone elk. It was kind of weird. Thats not the point, it was just plain weird seeing elk in California, especially so near the coast. It just doesn’t really make sense in my mind. Oh well, I enjoyed poking out of the sun roof to get these shots.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100424_elk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile driving through Oregon my mom and I happened upon many signs claiming\nthere were elk in the area. For three days we drove through Oregon and guess\nwhat we didn’t see? ELK. So we decided the people who made those signs were\nliars. LIARS! We didn’t believe there were elk in Oregon at all. And you know\nwhat? We didn’t see any elk in Oregon. But we did see elk as soon as we\ncrossed over into California in the Redwood National Park. There was a pile of\nelk just sitting on the side of the road. We decided Oregon sign makers are\nliars and California ones are not. Yeah for California.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Oregon Elk"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the time of year again for everyone that rides in Scotts Valley to raise money for our local schools while enjoying our great mountain roads. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve got a few changes. Charlotte got a lot of help from Aura, Mike, and others in pulling off this great SVEF event. And this year Gabe joined me in riding the 50km route. I\u0026rsquo;ll miss doing Mt. Charlie with the usual crew, but riding with Gabe is a treat and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of climbing to enjoy.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a little gray and cool at the start, but we\u0026rsquo;re expecting a beautiful sunny day. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see our biggest turnout ever yet again.\nOur fundraising ride always has great food, prizes, sun, and music every year. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve even got a band made up of local students. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait till next year when Gabe plans to do the 100km route with me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100424_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the time of year again for everyone that rides in Scotts Valley to raise\nmoney for our local schools while enjoying our great mountain roads. This year\nwe\u0026rsquo;ve got a few changes. Charlotte got a lot of help from Aura, Mike, and\nothers in pulling off this great SVEF event. And this year Gabe joined me in\nriding the 50km route. I\u0026rsquo;ll miss doing Mt. Charlie with the usual crew, but\nriding with Gabe is a treat and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of climbing to enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge bike ride"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100423_flower/","summary":"","title":"Altered Flower"},{"content":" I was watching you at the beach doing somersaults. You seemed so serious about it though. It wasn’t a game I could tell. To most people a kid doing somersaults is a whimsical thing, but with you it was different. There was nothing really childish about it. I wonder why it seemed so serious a thing, maybe you aspire to be a professional gymnast one day. It made me a little sad to se you though. Have fun sometimes, it isn’t all serious business. You were at the beach, be a kid and have some fun playing in the sand. Good luck in the future and don’t forget the present on your way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100422_somersaults/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100422_somersaults/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100422_somersaults/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was watching you at the beach doing somersaults. You seemed so serious about\nit though. It wasn’t a game I could tell. To most people a kid doing\nsomersaults is a whimsical thing, but with you it was different. There was\nnothing really childish about it. I wonder why it seemed so serious a thing,\nmaybe you aspire to be a professional gymnast one day. It made me a little sad\nto se you though. Have fun sometimes, it isn’t all serious business. You were\nat the beach, be a kid and have some fun playing in the sand. Good luck in the\nfuture and don’t forget the present on your way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Somersaults"},{"content":"\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100420_caution/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100420_caution/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Caution in the Wind"},{"content":"Bukowski was right\nWith good fortune\nComes stagnation\nI always thought\nWhen fortunes comes\nKnocking on my doorstep\nI would open the door\nGreet her as a friend\nAnd invite her in\nInto my life\nInto my heart\nFor a long time to come\nBut now I find myself\nStanding on the otherside\nOf that door\nI hear her knocking\nCalling out for me\nBut I just stand there\nStaring at the thin wall\nBetween me and my dreams\nI pick my head up\nTo stare at the door\nI am no longer sure\nThat what is on the otherside\nIs what I want\nShe calls and beckons\nAsking for an answer\nBut I just turn\nAnd walk the other way\nLeaving fortune to it’s own ends\nMine hasn’t come yet\nI am not ready\nTo open that door\nMaybe someday\nWhen I become tired\nOf the suffering of the world\nBut I know\nThis is were I belong\nWith a pen in my hand\nAnd a burden on my shoulders\nI walk away\nFrom destiny on my doorstep\nWaiting on the otherside\nNo I am not\nAbandoning my dreams\nNot at all\nI have to chase them\nIf I don’t now\nI never will\nAnd what good\nIs an unearned prize\nThe door remains\nAs it always was\nLeaving destiny\nOn one side\nAnd me on the\notherside\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100419_otherside/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBukowski was right\u003cbr\u003e\nWith good fortune\u003cbr\u003e\nComes stagnation\u003cbr\u003e\nI always thought\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen fortunes comes\u003cbr\u003e\nKnocking on my doorstep\u003cbr\u003e\nI would open the door\u003cbr\u003e\nGreet her as a friend\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd invite her in\u003cbr\u003e\nInto my life\u003cbr\u003e\nInto my heart\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a long time to come\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now I find myself\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding on the otherside\u003cbr\u003e\nOf that door\u003cbr\u003e\nI hear her knocking\u003cbr\u003e\nCalling out for me\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I just stand there\u003cbr\u003e\nStaring at the thin wall\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween me and my dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nI pick my head up\u003cbr\u003e\nTo stare at the door\u003cbr\u003e\nI am no longer sure\u003cbr\u003e\nThat what is on the otherside\u003cbr\u003e\nIs what I want\u003cbr\u003e\nShe calls and beckons\u003cbr\u003e\nAsking for an answer\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I just turn\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd walk the other way\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving fortune to it’s own ends\u003cbr\u003e\nMine hasn’t come yet\u003cbr\u003e\nI am not ready\u003cbr\u003e\nTo open that door\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe someday\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen I become tired\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the suffering of the world\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I know\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is were I belong\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a pen in my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a burden on my shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nI walk away\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom destiny on my doorstep\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting on the otherside\u003cbr\u003e\nNo I am not\u003cbr\u003e\nAbandoning my dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nNot at all\u003cbr\u003e\nI have to chase them\u003cbr\u003e\nIf I don’t now\u003cbr\u003e\nI never will\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd what good\u003cbr\u003e\nIs an unearned prize\u003cbr\u003e\nThe door remains\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it always was\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nOn one side\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd me on the\u003cbr\u003e\notherside\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Otherside"},{"content":"Yesterday my mom and I walked from our home down to Capitola. All in all coming to a 7 mile hike. It was fun but my feet still hurt and I definitely need new shoes now. On our excursion we spotted a little lemonade stand that we decided to stop at. Fun stuff. This little girl was a adorable and I felt horrible for her because while we were there the balloons they had floated away and got caught in some trees. The poor kid started hyperventilating. It was very sad. I liked her sign…\nOur trip was actually full of little children waving signs. In Capitola nearing the end of our walk we happened upon another child frantically waving a sign. Hers was for a bake sale and she was dancing on a street corner yelling at passersby. It was really funny. She was pointing at a guy in a car yelling incoherent nonsense at him, he drove away. I told her I liked her socks then we walked on.\nYou may ask why we walked all this way, believe it or not the answer is food. Yes, I walked seven miles for food. Does that tell you anything? Due to my eating predicament (I have food allergies to 35 different things) it is hard to find good places to eat. My mom had been telling me about this natural food restaurant for a while so I said heck if we are being healthy in our diets why not walk the whole way too? Who wouldn’t right? Anyway we walked 7 miles for food and I wound up not actually liking it. Not the point though, the walk was fun and it was a really nice day. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I am not enjoying the blisters though. I hope to do it again soon, ending in a different location though.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100418_7mile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday my mom and I walked from our home down to Capitola. All in all coming\nto a 7 mile hike. It was fun but my feet still hurt and I definitely need new\nshoes now. On our excursion we spotted a little lemonade stand that we decided\nto stop at. Fun stuff. This little girl was a adorable and I felt horrible for\nher because while we were there the balloons they had floated away and got\ncaught in some trees. The poor kid started hyperventilating. It was very sad.\nI liked her sign…\u003c/p\u003e","title":"7 Mile"},{"content":"Nature’s gradient is a beautiful thing. The slight variations of color that follow you through the woods. The slow transition from one thing into the next. It is everywhere, it is always changing into something better and newer.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100417_gradient/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNature’s gradient is a beautiful thing. The slight variations of color that\nfollow you through the woods. The slow transition from one thing into the\nnext. It is everywhere, it is always changing into something better and\nnewer.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gradient"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100415_moss/","summary":"","title":"Beach Moss"},{"content":"I love living in Santa Cruz, the people, the culture, the lifestyles. Everything about Santa Cruz is different. I love it because I enjoy people, I don’t have to go far to find a character, someone interesting to talk to, people who have lived life and want to share. There is so much potential here and that is what I love. Art lingers beneath the surface of everything. This is home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100414_santacruz/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love living in Santa Cruz, the people, the culture, the lifestyles.\nEverything about Santa Cruz is different. I love it because I enjoy people, I\ndon’t have to go far to find a character, someone interesting to talk to,\npeople who have lived life and want to share. There is so much potential here\nand that is what I love. Art lingers beneath the surface of everything. This\nis home.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Follow me\nYou say as you run\nBut how do I know\nWhich way to run\nWhen you leave me tracks\nLeading in every direction\nCatch me\nYou say with a laugh\nBut how can I catch you\nIf you were out of my grasp\nSo long ago\nOut of reach\nOut of sight\nOut of my control\nWe are running\nIn two different directions\nStill trying to find each other\nBut we are lost\nNot with each other this time\nBut alone\nI will be waiting at the crossroads\nWhen you are ready\nTo come home\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100413_crossroads/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFollow me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYou say as you run\u003cbr\u003e\nBut how do I know\u003cbr\u003e\nWhich way to run\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you leave me tracks\u003cbr\u003e\nLeading in every direction\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eCatch me\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYou say with a laugh\u003cbr\u003e\nBut how can I catch you\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you were out of my grasp\u003cbr\u003e\nSo long ago\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of reach\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of sight\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of my control\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are running\u003cbr\u003e\nIn two different directions\u003cbr\u003e\nStill trying to find each other\u003cbr\u003e\nBut we are lost\u003cbr\u003e\nNot with each other this time\u003cbr\u003e\nBut alone\u003cbr\u003e\nI will be waiting at the crossroads\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you are ready\u003cbr\u003e\nTo come home\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crossroads"},{"content":"\nMeet my creepy yet lovable “family”. We spent a night running around West Cliff in Santa Cruz having fun, being teenagers, and taking pictures. I just wanted to shout out to my best friends, LOVE YOU GUYS.\nI have so much fun when I am with you and you make me forget the things that make life hard. Thats what friends are for right? I am lucky to have friends like you guys. Even if Golnoosh gives me killer tackle hugs and Hailey has creeped me for nearly two years now xD you guys make my life. I hope you don’t need this post to know that though.\nYou guys hold up the sun for me, I hope I do the same. So there it is, I love our little family and think you are both beautiful and wonderful people. Thanks for being there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100412_family/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100412_family/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeet my creepy yet lovable “family”. We spent a night running around West Cliff\nin Santa Cruz having fun, being teenagers, and taking pictures. I just wanted\nto shout out to my best friends, LOVE YOU GUYS.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have so much fun when I am with you and you make me forget the things that\nmake life hard. Thats what friends are for right? I am lucky to have friends\nlike you guys. Even if Golnoosh gives me killer tackle hugs and Hailey has\ncreeped me for nearly two years now xD you guys make my life.  I hope you\ndon’t need this post to know that though.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shout Out: Family #2"},{"content":"The waterfall of your heart\nIs drowning me\nSlowly but surely\nWhen I think the surface is near\nI find myself upside down\nThe mask you once wore\nIs now attached to my face\nWhen did it happen\nWhy didn’t I see\nThat you were slowly killing me\nYour taint still won’t leave\nFollowing me like a shadow\nJust a step behind me\nThat single step\nSeems to be getting closer every day\nLeading me down a path\nI saw but pleaded not to be\nIt seems my words\nMeant nothing\nBut here I am again\nTrying to escape\nYour shadows tyranny\nI can’t help but hate you\nIt isn’t your fault\nI fell into your shadow\nAnd couldn’t get out\nThe waterfall of your suffering\nOnly hid mine\nNow I am suffering\nWhile you are free\nDrowning right in front of you\nAnd you can’t see me\nThrough the screen of a waterfall\nThat never ceases\nI reach out across the river Acheron\nBut can never really escape\nYou received a hand of help\nWhere is mine\nI ask you\nWhere is mine\nOr am I destined to forever lie\nIn Acheron’s wake\nDrowning until you find me\nIn the shadow of destiny\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100411_acheron/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe waterfall of your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nIs drowning me\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly but surely\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen I think the surface is near\u003cbr\u003e\nI find myself upside down\u003cbr\u003e\nThe mask you once wore\u003cbr\u003e\nIs now attached to my face\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen did it happen\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy didn’t I see\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you were slowly killing me\u003cbr\u003e\nYour taint still won’t leave\u003cbr\u003e\nFollowing me like a shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a step behind me\u003cbr\u003e\nThat single step\u003cbr\u003e\nSeems to be getting closer every day\u003cbr\u003e\nLeading me down a path\u003cbr\u003e\nI saw but pleaded not to be\u003cbr\u003e\nIt seems my words\u003cbr\u003e\nMeant nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut here I am again\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to escape\u003cbr\u003e\nYour shadows tyranny\u003cbr\u003e\nI can’t help but hate you\u003cbr\u003e\nIt isn’t your fault\u003cbr\u003e\nI fell into your shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd couldn’t get out\u003cbr\u003e\nThe waterfall of your suffering\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly hid mine\u003cbr\u003e\nNow I am suffering\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile you are free\u003cbr\u003e\nDrowning right in front of you\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd you can’t see me\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough the screen of a waterfall\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never ceases\u003cbr\u003e\nI reach out across the river Acheron\u003cbr\u003e\nBut can never really escape\u003cbr\u003e\nYou received a hand of help\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere is mine\u003cbr\u003e\nI ask you\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere is mine\u003cbr\u003e\nOr am I destined to forever lie\u003cbr\u003e\nIn Acheron’s wake\u003cbr\u003e\nDrowning until you find me\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the shadow of destiny\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Acheron"},{"content":"Yesterday was a great bike ride down from Santa Cruz, but no one is excited to head back in the saddle this morning. Instead our intrepid group explores Garland Ranch park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a great bike ride down from Santa Cruz, but no one is excited to\nhead back in the saddle this morning. Instead our intrepid group explores\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.mprpd.org/garland-ranch-regional-park\"\u003eGarland Ranch\u003c/a\u003e park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100410_carmel/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in Carmel Valley with friends"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m off for a long bike ride down to Carmel along with some friends, while Charlotte enjoys some hiking with her friends. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day for both cycling and hiking.\nThe cliffs and ocean along 17 Mile Drive are always fantastic. I\u0026rsquo;ve already gotten a lot of this view when we cycled past here a few hours ago.\nMore of that great cliff scenery.\nWe hooked up with the ladies in Carmel Valley where we enjoyed a nice evening at the Los Laureles Lodge, and a great dinner at Cafe Rustica. I can tell that Sally really enjoyed herself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m off for a long bike ride down to Carmel along with some friends, while\nCharlotte enjoys some hiking with her friends. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day for both\ncycling and hiking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cliffs and ocean along 17 Mile Drive are always fantastic. I\u0026rsquo;ve already\ngotten a lot of this view when we cycled past here a few hours ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore of that great cliff scenery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100409_carmel/32.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe hooked up with the ladies in Carmel Valley where we enjoyed a nice evening\nat the \u003ca href=\"https://loslaureles.com\"\u003eLos Laureles Lodge\u003c/a\u003e, and a great dinner at\n\u003ca href=\"https://caferusticacv.com\"\u003eCafe Rustica\u003c/a\u003e. I can tell that Sally really\nenjoyed herself.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and friends hiking Carmel"},{"content":"The best thing about my trip to Yellowstone is that it taught me how to understand animal body movement so I can predict what an animal is going to do and henceforth get an awesome shot of exactly what I want. Right place and the right time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100409_seagull/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe best thing about my trip to Yellowstone is that it taught me how to\nunderstand animal body movement so I can predict what an animal is going to do\nand henceforth get an awesome shot of exactly what I want. Right place and the\nright time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Seagull"},{"content":"I saw you at a Flea Market or Farmers Market in Eugene, Oregon during a big rain storm. I loved your hair, the purple looked great. I wonder what you act like, you look eccentric but when I saw you I felt that you were very level-headed and quiet. Your image conflicted with your true self and I wonder if that is true or maybe just what I thought I saw.\nI think you saw me taking the photo but you didn’t say anything, I almost wanted you to say something. You really intrigued me. You were different and made me wonder who you really were. Anyway, I loved your hair and your eyes, enjoy your coffee.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100408_dreadlocks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you at a Flea Market or Farmers Market in Eugene, Oregon during a big\nrain storm. I loved your hair, the purple looked great. I wonder what you act\nlike, you look eccentric but when I saw you I felt that you were very\nlevel-headed and quiet. Your image conflicted with your true self and I wonder\nif that is true or maybe just what I thought I saw.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Dreadlocks"},{"content":"I don’t know why but in Oregon there are so many sheep! We passed by dozens upon dozens of sheep flocks throughout Oregon. I must say they are some of the most adorable babies. They resemble my dog…\nWe pulled over when I spotted this bunch of sheep, they were too cute to pass by. So I hung out the window to get these pictures of the little guys and their mom. They seemed somewhat amused at the entire spectacle.\nThese two little cuties were the best. They were adorable but I have to say they didn’t look very smart at all. They just sat there with their mouths hanging open and staring at me. I guess it is warranted that a seventeen year old girl was hanging out of a car with a camera pointed right at them cooing about how cute they were. Either way they looked like a few screws were loose up there and sadly that made them look so much cuter.\nI think more farms in California should have sheep, it makes road trips so much more enjoyable. I get tired of cows… seriously. Get sheep much cuter, much more entertaining to look at. My mom and I were almost considering kidnapping a baby sheep and putting it in the back of the car to take home. We decided we shouldn’t though because Gracie would be jealous. One day though, one day I will own a sheep and enjoy its stupid stare all day long.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100407_sheep/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI don’t know why but in Oregon there are so many sheep! We passed by dozens\nupon dozens of sheep flocks throughout Oregon. I must say they are some of the\nmost adorable babies. They resemble my dog…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe pulled over when I spotted this bunch of  sheep, they were too cute to pass\nby. So I hung out the window to get these pictures of the little guys and\ntheir mom. They seemed somewhat amused at the entire spectacle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Oregon Sheep"},{"content":"Hi! My name is Artemis, and I am the guest blogger for today! How exciting is that! Does this annoy you that I am ending everything in an exclamation mark! Because it should! In real life, I don’t actually talk like this! I actually talk very monotone and it is quite boring and nobody listens to me wahhh wahhh well except my pet snake. His name is Pez. I picked him out from the pet store down the street when I was five, and he has been my best friend every since. One time I put him in an urn because I thought he would like it in there. He got stuck because he is a boa constrictor. I had to break the urn to get him out.\nMy mom was very upset because that was her favorite urn. She got it from Egypt in the year 1920. Yes, she is that old. She is also not Egyptian, but Mongolian. I went to Mongolia once when I was ten. I ate this raw fish and it made my very sick. I spent fifteen days in the general Mongolian hospital while my mother (who was younger at the time), my father (who is Australian), and my older sister did tourist stuff around the country. I dislike tourist stuff. So maybe it was a good thing I was sick.\nThat was definitely the trip from hell. We went to India afterward which was a huge mistake because that was the pre-Slumdog Millionaire days. Whatever that means. Anyway our flight was delayed and I missed the episode of “Glee” that I had been dreaming about the entire 6 – month trip. I MISSED IT. OH NO NOW I’M TALKING IN ALL CAPS. WELL I MISSED THE SHOW AND I WAS SUPER DUPER ANGRY. SO ANGRY THAT I DECIDED I WOULD NEVER TRAVEL OUT OF THE COUNTRY AGAIN. So, I have not left this nation, nay, this state, nay, this little town of nobody, in TWELVE YEARS. YES THIS PIECE OF INFORMATION DESERVES TO BE WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS.\nAnyway, I’m known in my hometown as The Girl Who Never Leaves. They all expect me to live here forever with my sixteen pet cats (I actually have ten but one is pregnant and due any day). But little do they know that I have actually have had an arranged marriage waiting for me with a millionaire from India. That’s right folks. While I was pacing, worried about missing Glee, the only show worth watching on this earth, my loving parents had set up a marriage between me and the richest man in India. So now I’m just waiting to gain my citizenship for India, and then it will be adios, Americans! My children will be beautiful, half Indian, quarter Mongolian, and quarter Australian. I already have names picked out: Athena, Hermes, and Zeus. Lovely, right? I hope it will convey their inner strength.\nBy the way, Pez died last year. We had a serene burial in my backyard, which all of my loving family and friends attended. He was buried next to my pet hermit crabs which had accidentally died two years ago. But that’s a different story.\nAnyway, where was I? Oh yes. My children will be gods and goddesses. My cats will not be able to join me in India because I am afraid they will be eaten. Iam leaving them in the care of my old sister, who is an old maid and will never make anything of her life. She is the true cat lady of our family. She will love my cats like the children she will never have because she will remain a virgin for the rest of her life. Sad, right? I know. A while ago I thought it would be nice of me to help her, so I set her up on a date with this nice young man from New Jersey. He looked clean-cut, articulate, and no tattoos. However, little did I know that he was actually a serial killer. My sister barely escaped with her life; however, the creep was put in jail. My sister did not speak to me for years after, but she eventually got over it. How was I to know that the man was a killer? Really, sister, really?\nThis is a picture of my sister. Her hair is so large it covers her face, which is probably a good thing, if you know what I mean. We do not get along, in case you cannot tell. However, she loves cats. So that is why I am giving mine to her when I go marry my millionaire.\nAnd that is my story.\nThe end.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100406_guest/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHi!  My name is Artemis, and I am the guest blogger for today! How exciting is\nthat! Does this annoy you that I am ending everything in an exclamation mark!\nBecause it should!  In real life, I don’t actually talk like this!  I actually\ntalk very monotone and it is quite boring and nobody listens to me wahhh wahhh\nwell except my pet snake.  His name is Pez.  I picked him out from the pet\nstore down the street when I was five, and he has been my best friend every\nsince. One time I put him in an urn because I thought he would like it in\nthere.  He got stuck because he is a boa constrictor.  I had to break the urn\nto get him out.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Guest Blogger!"},{"content":"Today we started our day with my favorite college of the visit, Reed. The campus was beyond gorgeous with old brick buildings and mossy surroundings. We walked all over campus from the old dorms, to the new dorms, from hall to student center, and all around.\nWe stopped on a bridge to talk with a freshman Reedie to get the down low about the college. She said she loved the small classes and the way students got to explore all avenues of their passions which is something that I am really interested in. I really liked this school, I can’t wait for more information in the future. I mean seriously the school had a swing set.. I am a sucker for swings 😀\nNext was Linfield, a school out in the middle of nowhere on the way to the coast from Portland. Yet again, another beautiful school. We didn’t get to spend that much time but we got to look around and it looked very nice.\nThat is it for colleges we visited on our trip but all of the little adventures we had in between have yet to be shown. Stay tuned for the rest of our trip. A sneak peek of something we did, a stop at the Multnomah Falls in the Columbian Gorge.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100404_reed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we started our day with my favorite college of the visit, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reed.edu\"\u003eReed\u003c/a\u003e.\nThe campus was beyond gorgeous with old brick buildings and mossy surroundings.\nWe walked all over campus from the old dorms, to the new dorms, from hall to\nstudent center, and all around.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100404_reed/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100404_reed/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe stopped on a bridge to talk with a freshman Reedie to get the down low about\nthe college. She said she loved the small classes and the way students got to\nexplore all avenues of their passions which is something that I am really\ninterested in. I really liked this school, I can’t wait for more information\nin the future. I mean seriously the school had a swing set.. I am a sucker for\nswings 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Updates: Reed and Linfield"},{"content":"\nThe first college we visited on our road trip through Oregon was University of Oregon. We toured around the campus while it was pouring rain outside in Eugene, Oregon. We met up with Maddy, a first year student of University of Oregon, showed us around her dorm. I really enjoyed it and was able to get a very good feeling of the school. I enjoyed it a lot. After looking around we checked out downtown Eugene, which had an amazing farmers/ craft fair going on which spanned over about three blocks. It was full of all kinds of characters and talents. I really enjoyed it, even though I was being rained on the whole time.\nAfter Eugene we headed up to Salem Oregon to check out the tiny, but beyond amazing liberal arts school of Willamette. This campus is beautiful! I just wish I had been able to see it when it was full of students. The buildings were gorgeous brick and were so interesting and old fashion.\nOne of my favorite things were the white lawn chairs spread out around campus. We visited an amazing library which had an overlook of the Willamette River.\nThe whole school had a feeling of tranquil genius :D. I look forward to learning more about this school.\nWe then headed up all the way to Portland for a quick stop at Lewis and Clark University. This school was so nice and quaint. I really enjoyed it. We didn’t get to look around that much because we were so tired, but what I did see was beautiful.\nTomorrow we will be visiting Reed in Portland and from there on out we are winging it!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100403_colleges/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100403_colleges/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first college we visited on our road trip through Oregon was \u003ca href=\"https://www.uoregon.edu\"\u003eUniversity of\nOregon\u003c/a\u003e. We toured around the campus while it was\npouring rain outside in Eugene, Oregon. We met up with Maddy, a first year\nstudent of University of Oregon,  showed us around her dorm. I really enjoyed\nit and was able to get a very good feeling of the school. I enjoyed it a lot.\nAfter looking around we checked out downtown Eugene, which had an amazing\nfarmers/ craft fair going on which spanned over about three blocks. It was\nfull of all kinds of characters and talents. I really enjoyed it, even though\nI was being rained on the whole time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Oregon Colleges"},{"content":"On our road trip up to Oregon we stopped for a snack in Corning, California which proclaimed itself as the olive capital. I am a huge olive fan so I pulled off at a tourist shop full of olives of every kind. I was a kid in a candy shop… the Olive Pit.\nThey even had a huge sample bar for all kinds of olives from Cajun spiced, Texas hot, garlic, Kalamata, and smoked. First note, Texas spicy green olives were definitely the best, I had many, many samples of it. The woman kept eyeing me, I guess I wasn’t sneaky enough. Second note, smoked olives are disgusting. I won’t make that mistake again. They had really cool little scoopers to pick the olives out, it was quite the experience.\nThat was about it for the beginning of our trip. There was a lot of rain but it cleared up after a bit leaving behind remnants of beautiful storm clouds. When the sun set I was dying to take a picture but I was driving. That put me in a bit of a bad mood, I always get a little peeved when I see a shot and miss it. Let me tell you what it would have been: Big cumulous clouds, some light and some very dark, framed in orange and pink, hanging over an orchard. Do you understand now why I was upset?\nWe have stopped for the night in Redding. Tomorrow, University of Oregon and hopefully Willamette.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100402_olivepit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn our road trip up to Oregon we stopped for a snack in Corning, California\nwhich proclaimed itself as the olive capital. I am a huge olive fan so I\npulled off at a tourist shop full of olives of every kind. I was a kid in a\ncandy shop…  the \u003ca href=\"https://www.olivepit.com\"\u003eOlive Pit\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey even had a huge sample bar for all kinds of olives from Cajun spiced,\nTexas hot, garlic, Kalamata, and smoked. First note, Texas spicy green olives\nwere definitely the best, I had many, many samples of it. The woman kept\neyeing me, I guess I wasn’t sneaky enough. Second note, smoked olives are\ndisgusting. I won’t make that mistake again. They had really cool little\nscoopers to pick the olives out, it was quite the experience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Olive Pit"},{"content":"So for the first part of my spring break I am going to be heading up to Portland Oregon for some college visits. My mom and I are road trippin it up and we are going to be having fun along the way.\nTop on my list is Reed. I can’t wait to see it, Reed is one of my top choices at this point and I am ready to learn more.\nI will also be stopping along the way in Eugene Oregon to stop and see University of Oregon. There is no saying what else I will do, or what I will see. Stay tuned for photos and posts about my trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100402_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo for the first part of my spring break I am going to be heading up to\nPortland Oregon for some college visits. My mom and I are road trippin it up\nand we are going to be having fun along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTop on my list is Reed. I can’t wait to see it, Reed is one of my top choices\nat this point and I am ready to learn more.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Oregon"},{"content":"Something like a pot of flowers can seem so ordinary, not because it actually is but because we have become so accustomed to it that it has lost it’s uniqueness in our eyes. In my eyes this is a crime. My job is to provide perspective to all of you, it may not be right, different, or even worth your time, but it is something to remind people that nothing is one dimensional. Here is a series of photos, all of this seemingly normal flower bouquet. (P.S. I love flowers that is why I chose them, I think they are beautiful beyond compare)\nThis is a magnified perspective of one flower in the bouquet. Already, just a photo closer to the flower reveals so much more about the flower. This perspective allows us to study detail, to notice what people would normally brush over. Look beyond what you normally see, instead of seeing a flower, look at each petal, how are they different, how are they the same? Look at the center and how it darkens, drawing your eye. Don’t just see it, question it. Why would a flower have a darker center on such a vibrantly colored plant, why not make it a more colorful hue instead of black. There are a million and one ways to look at the same thing and each is unique within itself.\nIt isn’t always the front of a flower that holds the beauty. Try looking at things from a different angle. Sideways, upside down, from underneath and from above. Each new view can change the object entirely. Even the slightest shift from the first photo to the second, changes the view dramatically. Drawing your eye to one point, instead of to all of the flowers. Positioning is key, it can change how others look at an object and the message that they receive from it.\nThe objects standing right in front of you are not always the most important. Sometimes the things that seem so blatantly obvious are just masks for the real beauty that is staring you right in the face. Focus forward, don’t let what stands in front of you stop your ascent or progress. Look beyond and between the obvious and seek out the third path that leads you to your own future.\nBeauty frames the world around us, I know it is hard but try to notice all of it. Not what stands in front of you, but all of it. At first it can be overwhelming to try to take in all of it, but the world will seems so much brighter because of it. Perspective is everything, without it, we would not be able to fully appreciate the minute details that build up the beautiful world around us.\nSo take some time, look at the ordinary things in your day in a brand new way. Notice what you would have never look at before. That is my only goal, to make people look at the world with eyes that can truly see.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100401_perspective/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSomething like a pot of flowers can seem so ordinary, not because it actually\nis but because we have become so accustomed to it that it has lost it’s\nuniqueness in our eyes. In my eyes this is a crime. My job is to provide\nperspective to all of you, it may not be right, different, or even worth your\ntime, but it is something to remind people that nothing is one dimensional.\nHere is a series of photos, all of this seemingly normal flower bouquet.\n(P.S. I love flowers that is why I chose them, I think they are beautiful\nbeyond compare)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Perspective"},{"content":"Here is the last photo of otters while I was in Yellowstone. I saved this picture for a friend but here it is now, the trio. Three little rambunctious river otters that teased us all day and finally gave us some good pictures, they even posed.\nI will miss them, I miss the quiet of Yellowstone the serenity, the wildlife, and the feeling of being a part of nature, not an adversary of it. Life seems so much simpler in the wild, yet so much more complicated. I hope I can come back again soon.\nP.S. There is one more Yellowstone photo, I am saving the best for last. I am saving it for a friend, so it will show up sooner or later. Just wait for it, the best will come as long as you wait.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100331_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is the last photo of otters while I was in Yellowstone. I saved this\npicture for a friend but here it is now, the trio. Three little rambunctious\nriver otters that teased us all day and finally gave us some good pictures,\nthey even posed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI will miss them, I miss the quiet of Yellowstone the serenity, the wildlife,\nand the feeling of being a part of nature, not an adversary of it. Life seems\nso much simpler in the wild, yet so much more complicated. I hope I can come\nback again soon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: The Trio"},{"content":"Even the murkiest of waters can still reveal a reflection that is true. Many people forget a major aspect of their lives and aren’t even aware of it; they forget to reflect. Not just on their actions but upon themselves. It is so easy to forget that to truly understand others, you have to first understand yourself and the only way to achieve this is through self-reflection. So I say to you, take a moment and look in a mirror, or a puddle on a rainy day like this, and take a good hard look. Not at what you look like but who you have become over time. Is it someone you like, is it something you hate? Or is it who you always said you would be? Take a look at yourself and tell me what you see.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100330_reflection/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven the murkiest of waters can still reveal a reflection that is true. Many\npeople forget a major aspect of their lives and aren’t even aware of it; they\nforget to reflect. Not just on their actions but upon themselves. It is so\neasy to forget that to truly understand others, you have to first understand\nyourself and the only way to achieve this is through self-reflection. So I say\nto you, take a moment and look in a mirror, or a puddle on a rainy day like\nthis, and take a good hard look. Not at what you look like but who you have\nbecome over time. Is it someone you like, is it something you hate? Or is it\nwho you always said you would be? Take a look at yourself and tell me what you\nsee.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Reflection"},{"content":"Mary is watching\nWaiting for you\nStanding ever patient\nIn a field of green\nThat never dies\nOr withers with time\nShe stands in a place\nUntouched by time\nSorrow or shame\nMary is watching\nFrom very far away\nBecause the world we live in\nIs to dark for her\nAnd too unforgiving\nFor her to enter\nSo she stands\nOn the other side\nPatiently waiting\nBecause she has\nAll the time in the world\nBut you don’t\nMary has been waiting\nBut now her wait is done\nShe slowly walks forward\nAnd crosses the threshold\nInto where she doesn’t belong\nTo retrieve her children\nShe has missed for so long\nTo take them to her pastures\nHave untouched eternity\nWhere she stands\nSmiling gently\nWith open arms\nAnd a bowed head\nWelcoming her children home\nBack from the land of the dead\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100329_mary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMary is watching\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for you\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding ever patient\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a field of green\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never dies\u003cbr\u003e\nOr withers with time\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands in a place\u003cbr\u003e\nUntouched by time\u003cbr\u003e\nSorrow or shame\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMary is watching\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom very far away\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the world we live in\u003cbr\u003e\nIs to dark for her\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd too unforgiving\u003cbr\u003e\nFor her to enter\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she stands\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the other side\u003cbr\u003e\nPatiently waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause she has\u003cbr\u003e\nAll the time in the world\u003cbr\u003e\nBut you don’t\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mary"},{"content":"Even the dimmest light, in the darkest of places can illuminate your way. Who lights your way? Is it a best friend, a parent, your imagination, or God? It doesn’t matter who or what your light is, follow it, because it will always lead you to brighter times.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100328_light/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEven the dimmest light, in the darkest of places can illuminate your way. Who\nlights your way? Is it a best friend, a parent, your imagination, or God? It\ndoesn’t matter who or what your light is, follow it, because it will always\nlead you to brighter times.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Dimmest Light"},{"content":"Yeah I know, another flower shot. There is just something magical about flowers and how each one is so monumentally different from the next.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100327_flower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYeah I know, another flower shot. There is just something magical about flowers\nand how each one is so monumentally different from the next.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another Flower"},{"content":"Antelopes are one of the strangest looking creatures I have encountered. They appear so alien, but at times like this, so funny. I like his blue tongue…\nAnyways, I love the way they look because they just have such huge eyes and amazing color patterns.\nI was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see any on my trip out to Yellowstone, but on the last day we spotted some out in a field and they wound up coming right up next to the road. We got to watch them for some time jut grazing. They really are majestic and wonderful. Even though they are so simple compared to coyotes or wolves and even buffalo I still enjoy watching them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100326_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAntelopes are one of the strangest looking creatures I have encountered. They\nappear so alien, but at times like this, so funny. I like his blue tongue…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyways, I love the way they look because they just have such huge eyes and\namazing color patterns.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100326_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see any on my trip out to Yellowstone,\nbut on the last day we spotted some out in a field and they wound up coming\nright up next to the road. We got to watch them for some time jut grazing.\nThey really are majestic and wonderful. Even though they are so simple\ncompared to coyotes or wolves and even buffalo I still enjoy watching them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Antelope"},{"content":"I love these photos of my little brother up in Northern Michigan while the sun is setting. They are just so intriguing. Love the lighting :D. They seem almost like they could be posters. Power to the People.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100325_power/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love these photos of my little brother up in Northern Michigan while the sun\nis setting. They are just so intriguing. Love the lighting :D. They seem\nalmost like they could be posters. Power to the People.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100325_power/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Power to the People"},{"content":"While I was in Yellowstone, I met a new friend along the roadside. There was a coyote trotting in the middle of the road when we drove by. He would not get out of the road to let us pass. So we spent a good ten minutes with him. Every time he would move to the side of the road we would make to pass him, but he would dart out in front of us as if he was trying to keep us there. It was very strange.\nHe was a beautiful creature but had clearly been in a fight, his ear was mangled and bloody and had scars on his muzzle. I of course was hanging out of the window trying to get a photo of him as I always do. My training on the road trips to Michigan really paid off with my camera ninja skills.\nWe finally departed from our new roadside friend to go seek out more adventures in the majestic Yellowstone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100324_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile I was in Yellowstone, I met a new friend along the roadside. There was a\ncoyote trotting in the middle of the road when we drove by. He would not get\nout of the road to let us pass. So we spent a good ten minutes with him. Every\ntime he would move to the side of the road we would make to pass him, but he\nwould dart out in front of us as if he was trying to keep us there. It was\nvery strange.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Roadside Friend"},{"content":"My question for you today is this; do you believe in dichotomy? Are there really only two sides, two options, black or white. One side or another to choose from. Or is there a third path that is yet undiscovered that you must find before you travel.\nI believe it is easier to think of the world in black and white because it makes the world a little less complicated. But that doesn’t mean it is true or right. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, as I say and it is true. It can be hard though trying to find the third path in life. There is no denying the fact that the third road is the hardest to travel because it is unpaved. Many people believe in a dichotomous world because it is much easier to travel the well beaten path. This is not how I live, this is not how I think anyone should live.\nSo I say, seek the untraveled path and find a new way. Escape the black and white to live in a new world that you create.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100323_dichotomy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy question for you today is this; do you believe in dichotomy? Are there\nreally only two sides, two options, black or white. One side or another to\nchoose from. Or is there a third path that is yet undiscovered that you must\nfind before you travel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI believe it is easier to think of the world in black and white because it\nmakes the world a little less complicated. But that doesn’t mean it is true or\nright. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, as I say and it is true. It can\nbe hard though trying to find the third path in life. There is no denying the\nfact that the third road is the hardest to travel because it is unpaved. Many\npeople believe in a dichotomous world because it is much easier to travel the\nwell beaten path. This is not how I live, this is not how I think anyone\nshould live.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dichotomy"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100322_lock/","summary":"","title":"Lock and Key"},{"content":"There is the quiet hum\nOf a T.V. on silent\nSterilized white walls\nEverything is so quiet\nYet so very loud\nFootsteps echo in the halls\nWhispers sound like screams\nAs they fall on dying ears\nDo you know who you are\nOr why you are here?\nWho ever knows\nWho ever will\nAs they roll\nAnother one away\nDown a long hallway\nThat they never come back from\nHe is the one who remains\nLocked in by\nSee through curtains\nThat cast shadows around him\nlike ghosts\nAnd thousands of tubes\nHe is always alone\nNo one ever at his side\nNo family\nNo friends\nNo memories in the night\nTo keep him company\nIn the darkest hours of night\nWhere the ghosts are so close\nAnd death stands at the foot\nOf his skinny little bed\nTelling him to come along\nIt is finally your time\nThere is just a pile of old postcards\nThat he bought for himself\nWhat feels like a lifetime ago\nFrom all the places he had been\nAnd said he would never forget\nBut now he can’t remember\nAnything at all\nHe forgets where he is\nAnd who he is\nHe is separated and detached\nFrom reality\nBy what he lacks\nWaiting all alone\nIn a white washed room\nWith only a T.V. on mute\nFor company\nAnd a stack of empty postcards\nAll waiting for the inevitable\nThe one thing he can never forget\nThat death is lingering\nSo very close\nHe can feel its breath\nWhispering in his ear\nIn a hospital room where Lethe\nSwept him away from all he knew\nAnd ever loved\nFor him there is no future\nOr a past\nHe is floating in an abyss\nStuck between heaven and hell\nThe monitor beeps\nSlower and slower\nThe man turns his head\nAnd looks at the postcards\nWith old weary eyes\nHe reaches up with his weighted hands\nShaking and fumbling\nAs he picks one up\nA little smile on his dried cracked lips\nI remember\nHe whispers but no one hears\nAs the monitor stops\nAnd a lone tear\nSlips from his eye\nStaining the postcard\nAs it falls\nDrifting slowly to the ground\nRemembered at last\nBut forgotten forever\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100321_postcards/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is the quiet hum\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a T.V. on silent\u003cbr\u003e\nSterilized white walls\u003cbr\u003e\nEverything is so quiet\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so very loud\u003cbr\u003e\nFootsteps echo in the halls\u003cbr\u003e\nWhispers sound like screams\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they fall on dying ears\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you know who you are\u003cbr\u003e\nOr why you are here?\u003cbr\u003e\nWho ever knows\u003cbr\u003e\nWho ever will\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they roll\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother one away\u003cbr\u003e\nDown a long hallway\u003cbr\u003e\nThat they never come back from\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe is the one who remains\u003cbr\u003e\nLocked in by\u003cbr\u003e\nSee through curtains\u003cbr\u003e\nThat cast shadows around him\u003cbr\u003e\nlike ghosts\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd thousands of tubes\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is always alone\u003cbr\u003e\nNo one ever at his side\u003cbr\u003e\nNo family\u003cbr\u003e\nNo friends\u003cbr\u003e\nNo memories in the night\u003cbr\u003e\nTo keep him company\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the darkest hours of night\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the ghosts are so close\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd death stands at the foot\u003cbr\u003e\nOf his skinny little bed\u003cbr\u003e\nTelling him to come along\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is finally your time\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Postcards"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100320_grass/","summary":"","title":"Hidden in the Grass"},{"content":"We found a coyote laying down on top of a snow hatted rock that just looked really amazing. We decided that we would wait for him to stand up on top of the rock because the composition of the shot would be perfect. He seemed pretty content just laying there though, trying to take a nap.\nHe really was beautiful and I almost missed him. I hadn’t even noticed him at the time because I was watching another coyote out in the fields when another person pointed him out to me. It is funny how easy it is to miss things. It makes me wonder what else did I miss, what other wondrous creatures did I pass by as I was consumed by some other thing?\nHe was watching us, it was amazing because you could almost see what he was thinking as he eyed us warily.\nHis nice little nesting place did give me an opportunity to try out and practice my newly learned photography skills.\nHe unfortunately did not work with us quiet as well as we had wanted. Instead of standing up as we had hoped he would, he sort of nonchalantly slide off the backside of the rock. We missed a possible great shot but still we did get to watch him for a while. I wish he would have stood up though so I could be showing you much better pictures. Oh well. Thanks Mr. Coyote for posing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100319_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe found a coyote laying down on top of a snow hatted rock that just looked\nreally amazing. We decided that we would wait for him to stand up on top of\nthe rock because the composition of the shot would be perfect. He seemed\npretty content just laying there though, trying to take a nap.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100319_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe really was beautiful and I almost missed him. I hadn’t even noticed him at\nthe time because I was watching another coyote out in the fields when another\nperson pointed him out to me. It is funny how easy it is to miss things. It\nmakes me wonder what else did I miss, what other wondrous creatures did I\npass by as I was consumed by some other thing?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Coyote Rock"},{"content":"Seek out what has never been sought\nReach out and try\nWhat fear has always stopped\nFind the line between evil and divine\nIf you search you will find\nThey’re between this very thin line\nI will stand perpetually\nWith one blind eye\nCast down on thee\nAnd one shut tight\nTo seal your image away for infinity\nI watched you fall\nAnd rise again\nI watched your torment and pain\nAs you reveled in your own sin\nI stood helpless\nPulled between right and wrong\nWere justice is a price\nAnd mercy is strength less\nCross the great divide\nAs I reach out to you\nSnatch me from Limbo’s grasp\nAnd bring me back to you\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100318_limbo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSeek out what has never been sought\u003cbr\u003e\nReach out and try\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat fear has always stopped\u003cbr\u003e\nFind the line between evil and divine\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you search you will find\u003cbr\u003e\nThey’re between this very thin line\u003cbr\u003e\nI will stand perpetually\u003cbr\u003e\nWith one blind eye\u003cbr\u003e\nCast down on thee\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd one shut tight\u003cbr\u003e\nTo seal your image away for infinity\u003cbr\u003e\nI watched you fall\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd rise again\u003cbr\u003e\nI watched your torment and pain\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you reveled in your own sin\u003cbr\u003e\nI stood helpless\u003cbr\u003e\nPulled between right and wrong\u003cbr\u003e\nWere justice is a price\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd mercy is strength less\u003cbr\u003e\nCross the great divide\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I reach out to you\u003cbr\u003e\nSnatch me from Limbo’s grasp\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd bring me back to you\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Limbo (The Great Divide)"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100318_gate/","summary":"","title":"The Broken Gate"},{"content":"You may be wondering at this point in connection to the title, why the flowers. They aren’t green, there is no leprechaun hiding inside of it, and there is no possible way this photo can be related to Saint Patrick’s Day. My response to that would be:\nYou are correct. There is absolutely no correlation between Saint Patrick’s Day and this flower.\nThe question now remains as to way I chose this picture out of all the pictures I have (and that is quiet a collection to choose from). My answer, I don’t like Saint Patrick’s Day. To me, it is pointless, almost as pointless as connecting a totally unrelated photo to an irrelevant day.\nNo, a little leprechaun didn’t steal my gold or my four-leaf clover when I was little, I just never saw the point in this day. That is, until now.\nIt dawned on me today while I was downtown Santa Cruz just how genius of an idea Saint Patrick’s Day is. Think about it for a moment. On one day of the year, every person has been convinced to wear one color, green. As I was walking around I saw this, everyone was wearing the same color. Crowds of people all dressed in various shades of green.\nThese people are smart, we should pick random days throughout the year for each color. I just wonder how exactly did this idea get so deeply engraved into the mind of every man, woman, and child to wear green on March 17. I want to know the secret (I promise I won’t use it for brainwashing the random populace… well most of the time)\nThe power of suggestion it seems is a powerful one, or just the fear of being pinched. Who knows, at least I have somewhat more respect for Saint Patrick’s Day.\nSlán go fóill\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100317_stpatricks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou may be wondering at this point in connection to the title, why the flowers.\nThey aren’t green, there is no leprechaun hiding inside of it, and there is no\npossible way this photo can be related to Saint Patrick’s Day. My response to\nthat would be:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou are correct. There is absolutely no correlation between Saint Patrick’s\nDay and this flower.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe question now remains as to way I chose this picture out of all the pictures\nI have (and that is quiet a collection to choose from). My answer, I don’t\nlike Saint Patrick’s Day. To me, it is pointless, almost as pointless as\nconnecting a totally unrelated photo to an irrelevant day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Saint Patrick’s Day"},{"content":"The moon is framed with reaching hands\nHolding out waiting\nTo cradle the child’s leaning head\nWhen sleep hangs\nOn the starry eyes\nOf Midnight’s child\nWe will be waiting\nTo catch you\nAs you fall\nTo wrap you up\nIn lights warm embrace\nTo cradle the fragile\nFluttering heart of a baby bird\nWe will hold you tight\nUntil it is time\nTo let you go\nUntil your heart\nGrows strong again\nSo close your eyes\nChild of the night\nWe will cradle you\nAs you sink\nPast the point\nWere you can\nRe-open your eyes\nLay down your head\nIn a cradle of hands\nWe will hold you\nWe will keep you safe\nUntil midnight comes again\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100316_child/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe moon is framed with reaching hands\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding out waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cradle the child’s leaning head\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen sleep hangs\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the starry eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nOf Midnight’s child\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will be waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nTo catch you\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you fall\u003cbr\u003e\nTo wrap you up\u003cbr\u003e\nIn lights warm embrace\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cradle the fragile\u003cbr\u003e\nFluttering heart of a baby bird\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will hold you tight\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil it is time\u003cbr\u003e\nTo let you go\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nGrows strong again\u003cbr\u003e\nSo close your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nChild of the night\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will cradle you\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you sink\u003cbr\u003e\nPast the point\u003cbr\u003e\nWere you can\u003cbr\u003e\nRe-open your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nLay down your head\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a cradle of hands\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will hold you\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will keep you safe\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil midnight comes again\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Midnight’s Child"},{"content":"While in Yellowstone I was searching for Big Horned Sheep. We didn’t have much luck because they always sat in the same place up on top of a mountain where we couldn’t get good pictures of them. Finally on our last day though we spotted a herd of big horned sheep grazing on a hill.\nThey were so interesting to look at, they really are unique creatures. It was really fun to watch them chomping on grass.\nI got to experiment with using the 600 lens some more while taking pictures of these guys. I guess I owe it to them my learning more about using my camera to its full potential. So thank you big horned sheep for your lovely composition.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100315_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile in Yellowstone I was searching for Big Horned Sheep. We didn’t have much\nluck because they always sat in the same place up on top of a mountain where\nwe couldn’t get good pictures of them. Finally on our last day though we\nspotted a herd of big horned sheep grazing on a hill.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100315_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey were so interesting to look at, they really are unique creatures. It was\nreally fun to watch them chomping on grass.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Big Horned Sheep"},{"content":"Yellowstone is a beautiful place, it can be both a snowy wonderland and a snowy wasteland. While I was there I got to see both sides of the coin in numerous occasions. At many times it would just be huge stretches of white nothingness, empty and solitary. However at some moments you would see bright fields of red brush or a flower poking through the snow. You never know which side you will get, just cross your fingers for a wonderland where the color splashes across the snow. You will find me there waiting, as always for those who seek out the third path. Not black or white, but the colors that lie between.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100314_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYellowstone is a beautiful place, it can be both a snowy wonderland and a snowy\nwasteland. While I was there I got to see both sides of the coin in numerous\noccasions. At many times it would just be huge stretches of white nothingness,\nempty and solitary. However at some moments you would see bright fields of red\nbrush or a flower poking through the snow. You never know which side you will\nget, just cross your fingers for a wonderland where the color splashes across\nthe snow. You will find me there waiting, as always for those who seek out the\nthird path. Not black or white, but the colors that lie between.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Color"},{"content":"The first real wildlife we happened upon in Yellowstone was the majestic elk. We spotted a group of bucks off on the side of the road in a snowy valley and decided to follow them for a bit. They had huge antlers because they hadn’t dropped them yet. It was quite the sight to see.\nThey were just roaming around eating grass. The funny part about going on wildlife hunts is that at first every little thing you see is amazing and you stop for an hour to watch it, but as time goes on it becomes normal. At the beginning of the trip we stopped a good hour and a half to watch these elk go around a valley and across the road, which was amazing. But my point is that by the end of the week we would drive right past them without a thought.\nYou would just say, hey look elk… okay moving on. It become normal so easily. This beautiful animal that I don’t see often, in a weeks time became something entirely ordinary in my mind. There seems to be something twisted in this idea. Maybe just how easily things can be taken for granted in life. Learn what you want from it, but appreciate it now because nothing is ever as ordinary as it seems.\nAs usual we got to watch how an elk finds food in this snowy terrain. It is actually very interesting but not as amusing as watch a buffalo find food.\nBuffalo’s strategy: If I roll around in the snow enough, or grind my face deep enough into the snow, eventually I will find some sort of tiny shrub to munch on until I move on to the next snow pile in which to shove my face.\nThe elk just paw at the snow and push it aside with their noses to try to find some brush to chew on for some time.\nI actually really enjoy this shot with the tourists in the background and the elk on the road. It has a corky quality to it. It is like a creeper photo and wildlife shot combined. The elk one by one would cross over the road. It was cool to watch because they would come right up close to us as we stood there with out tripods and huge cameras. It really was an experience to be so close to these huge creatures, and I will never take for granted this experience ever again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100313_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe first real wildlife we happened upon in Yellowstone was the majestic elk.\nWe spotted a group of bucks off on the side of the road in a snowy valley and\ndecided to follow them for a bit. They had huge antlers because they hadn’t\ndropped them yet. It was quite the sight to see.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100313_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey were just roaming around eating grass. The funny part about going on\nwildlife hunts is that at first every little thing you see is amazing and you\nstop for an hour to watch it, but as time goes on it becomes normal. At the\nbeginning of the trip we stopped a good hour and a half to watch these elk go\naround a valley and across the road, which was amazing. But my point is that\nby the end of the week we would drive right past them without a thought.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Elk"},{"content":"Silence is not something we today hear a lot of in our lives. How many times can you just stop everything you are doing and listen. And when you listen, the only answer is silence. In Yellowstone this is a luxury I indulged in quite often. You could be walking around and just stop in the middle of nowhere. All there would be is silence.\nI would hold my breath and look around, all you could hear was the sound of falling snow and the world breathing around you. It is something very special to experience. I never really was aware of just how noisy and bustling life was until I escaped to the wilderness for that week. It was actually really hard to come back to Santa Cruz, especially school because there was so much noise that it was almost suffocating.\nI miss the silent moments, where it was just me and the living wilderness talking in utter silence. Many people ask if silence can speak and I can answer this for you; yes, it most definitely can. But what is it saying is the real question. When the world falls silent, what will you hear the wind whisper in your ear? Or will you even remember how to listen at that point.\nIt is important to remember the voice that nature holds, and to never forget how to listen to it. When it speaks, listen because it will tell you the secrets of the world. And that is not something you want to miss, believe me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100312_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSilence is not something we today hear a lot of in our lives. How many times\ncan you just stop everything you are doing and listen. And when you listen,\nthe only answer is silence. In Yellowstone this is a luxury I indulged in\nquite often. You could be walking around and just stop in the middle of\nnowhere. All there would be is silence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI would hold my breath and look around, all you could hear was the sound of\nfalling snow and the world breathing around you. It is something very special\nto experience. I never really was aware of just how noisy and bustling life\nwas until I escaped to the wilderness for that week. It was actually really\nhard to come back to Santa Cruz, especially school because there was so much\nnoise that it was almost suffocating.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Sound Of Silence"},{"content":"This time around we watched an otter hunting in a river. It was at the same place where we had spotted the otter trio except at the first otter lodge. The otter was bobbing up and down in the water trying to get some food.\nThere was a whole line of photographers trying to get good pictures of it,I was just one of about ten trying to score a shot. I got to talk with a man who took photography trips to Africa. He had photographed, lions, elephants and much more. It was amazing to listen to his adventures while we waited for the otter to catch something.\nThe funniest part is that whenever the otter would pop up there would be a storm of camera clicks. All you could hear was people frantically pushing the button to take a photo, desperately trying to catch something interesting.\nHe was teasing us with his presence. He would go under and swim to one end of the river. Wait there until we all picked up our gear and walked over. As soon as we got there he would swim back upstream. We chased him around for quite some time.\nWe finally got our wish when the little guy popped out of the water with a Cutthroat Trout in his mouth. The whole energy of the area was abuzz as people tried to get good pictures of it.\nHe was just chomping away on this fish. He was really enjoying it, for most of the time he had his eyes closed as he was eating. He, unlike the coyote, didn’t play with it, he chewed on it for a tiny bit, then swallowed it.\nHe almost swallowed the fish whole. It was pretty amazing. As soon as he was done, he went back to his fishing and swimming. He just slinked away in search for his next meal.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100311_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis time around we watched an otter hunting in a river. It was at the same\nplace where we had spotted the otter trio except at the first otter lodge. The\notter was bobbing up and down in the water trying to get some food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100311_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was a whole line of photographers trying to get good pictures of it,I was\njust one of about ten trying to score a shot. I got to talk with a man who\ntook photography trips to Africa. He had photographed, lions, elephants and\nmuch more. It was amazing to listen to his adventures while we waited for the\notter to catch something.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Feeding Time 2"},{"content":"When I was in Yellowstone, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery in my whole life. Valleys of snow and brush, trees lit by fading sunlight, and the bluest sky you will ever know. Montana is called big sky country for a reason (yes I know Yellowstone is Wyoming but we stayed in Montana). This tree was so pretty even though it was barren, the sunset hit it in a beautiful light making something dead look beautiful beyond words. I wish this photo could have captured it better but here it is anyway.\nThis is a grove of trees we camped out near when we were waiting to see the river otters. It was so cool and a bunch of the trees had been knocked over by beavers or almost gnawed down. Very interesting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100310_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhen I was in Yellowstone, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery in my whole\nlife. Valleys of snow and brush, trees lit by fading sunlight, and the bluest\nsky you will ever know. Montana is called big sky country for a reason (yes I\nknow Yellowstone is Wyoming but we stayed in Montana). This tree was so pretty\neven though it was barren, the sunset hit it in a beautiful light making\nsomething dead look beautiful beyond words. I wish this photo could have\ncaptured it better but here it is anyway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: The Trees"},{"content":"Feeding time is a sacred time in the snowy valleys of Yellowstone in the winter. Here, every chance at a meal is essential to survival. We were lucky enough to watch a coyote hunting around in a small valley.\nJust got to say, check out the pink little feet on that vole…\nAnyway, we waited around for a long time watching this coyote roaming about when he started to stop and was clearly listening. It was adorable, he would freeze and then cock his head to either side and wait then swivel to the other side. It was amazing to watch this creature hunt.\nThe take off jump!\nIt was extremely amusing watching the coyote pouncing in and out of the snow. It reminded me a lot of my dog who does the same exact thing… except to rocks. She has amazing survival skills. Anyways, I digress. I must say I was rooting for the coyote the whole time. It must be so hard just to find a couple of meals a day out here where the snow covers everything. I just wanted him to find some food so he could survive. We all practically cheer when the coyote snagged something.\nHe snatched a little vole out of a hole in the snow. He seemed to really be reveling in his victorious catch. He played with it for at least fifteen minutes.\nI would also like to mention at this point about how I am getting these shots. Previously I was using a 600 lens, but that was when the coyote was lying down taking a nap. My dad got to use it when the coyote was hunting. …. No I am not jealous 😀 But at this time I was using a 400 lens… minus a tripod. This was extremely difficult because that thing gets heavy after holding it for a while. So I resorted to using a rock and my arm at a 90 degree angle as a tripod. Nifty huh? Still when we left my arm was so dead, but it was worth it.\nAs mentioned, the coyote was playing with his food like in this picture. He would pick it up, drop it, or spit it out like here. Also in the first picture he was tossing the vole into the air and catching it. It was really amazing to watch, but I did feel bad for the vole.\nA moment of silence for the vole.\nAnd we’re done. Hey, the coyote deserved to play with his food, even if it was bad manners to play with his food. He worked hard for it. If I worked that hard for my food I would play with it too. Anyways we left the coyote in peace with his prize and moved on with our day. Just another day in a winter wonderland where survival is earned every snow trodden step of the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100309_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFeeding time is a sacred time in the snowy valleys of Yellowstone in the\nwinter. Here, every chance at a meal is essential to survival. We were lucky\nenough to watch a coyote hunting around in a small valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJust got to say, check out the pink little feet on that vole…\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway, we waited around for a long time watching this coyote roaming about\nwhen he started to stop and was clearly listening. It was adorable, he would\nfreeze and then cock his head to either side and wait then swivel to the other\nside. It was amazing to watch this creature hunt.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Feeding Time"},{"content":"Welcome to a place\nwhere desolation meets\nsilent tranquility\nhere is my isolation\namidst the winter’s snow\nthere is no place\nto bury the dead\nno time or will\nto dig deep\nbeneath the barren forsaken land\nthe dead lay as they fall\nno ceremony as the wind\nclaws at your face\nwhen you scream\nno one is there to listen\nin a place\nriddle with unmarked graves\nyou walk amongst the dead\nbut do not know it\nkill or be killed\nat the Gate’s of Desolation\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100308_gates/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to a place\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere desolation meets\u003cbr\u003e\nsilent tranquility\u003cbr\u003e\nhere is my isolation\u003cbr\u003e\namidst the winter’s snow\u003cbr\u003e\nthere is no place\u003cbr\u003e\nto bury the dead\u003cbr\u003e\nno time or will\u003cbr\u003e\nto dig deep\u003cbr\u003e\nbeneath the barren forsaken land\u003cbr\u003e\nthe dead lay as they fall\u003cbr\u003e\nno ceremony as the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nclaws at your face\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen you scream\u003cbr\u003e\nno one is there to listen\u003cbr\u003e\nin a place\u003cbr\u003e\nriddle with unmarked graves\u003cbr\u003e\nyou walk amongst the dead\u003cbr\u003e\nbut do not know it\u003cbr\u003e\nkill or be killed\u003cbr\u003e\nat the Gate’s of Desolation\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gates of Desolation"},{"content":"\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100307_art/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100307_art/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Art Show: My pieces"},{"content":"This was my first year taking part in the Scotts Valley High School Art Show as an art student. I had three pieces in the show, my cigarette made out of matches and Marlboro Light packs, and the two pieces from my pencil shavings series. The whole week before hand I was just a nervous wreak and I am glad it is over. During it’s course I remembered why I do art or anything creative that I share with the public.\nI was explaining my pieces to a group of people at the art show and when they walked away left over was a little girl standing there. I asked her if she wanted to hear my explanation and she said she already had, then she just walked forward and hugged me. I had never met this person before in my life but here she was hugging me. When she let go I asked what it was for and she just said\nIt was for sharing with me something beautiful\nThat meant so much to me, not just to hear someone compliment my work but to understand that the meaning behind my pieces were understood. All I ever wanted from my art is to share with people a perspective that they are not used to seeing like I also do here on my blog. This little girl is why I do art, I do this so I can help people see the ordinary things of everyday life in an entirely new and beautiful way.\nI don’t care what people think about my work, whether they say it is weird, ugly or just nonsensical. All that matters is that I can share something with people. I just wanted to say thank you to that little girl. I wish I had asked your name, but you helped me. I hope I really did help you too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100306_artshow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was my first year taking part in the Scotts Valley High School Art Show as\nan art student. I had three pieces in the show, my cigarette made out of\nmatches and Marlboro Light packs, and the two pieces from my pencil shavings\nseries. The whole week before hand I was just a nervous wreak and I am glad it\nis over. During it’s course I remembered why I do art or anything creative\nthat I share with the public.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Art Show"},{"content":"Gabe joined the wrestling team along with Doug and a few of his friends this year. He had a lot of fun with practice, but the meets were a bit too stressful for him. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I got to see one of his meets before wrestling became a thing of the past. Maybe one day he\u0026rsquo;ll be back, as he\u0026rsquo;s got some natural ability.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe joined the wrestling team along with Doug and a few of his friends this\nyear. He had a lot of fun with practice, but the meets were a bit too\nstressful for him. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I got to see one of his meets before wrestling\nbecame a thing of the past. Maybe one day he\u0026rsquo;ll be back, as he\u0026rsquo;s got some\nnatural ability.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100306_wrestling/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's wrestling meet"},{"content":"Sneak peek of lots more photos of coyotes coming up, because I didn’t get any great wolf photos I am making it up with great coyote shots. I know what people think,\nOh great coyotes, the lesser more whinny wolf.\nYes admit, I too have spent many hours yelling at the coyote out my window to shut up as you all know. This trip however changed that thinking. I always thought coyotes as pests but in Yellowstone they were still just such majestic beasts. They like everyone else there would have to fight for their life and had earned their living out there in Lamar Valley. Yellowstone definitely gave me a whole new light on coyotes.\nThere will be more to come.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100305_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSneak peek of lots more photos of coyotes coming up, because I didn’t get any\ngreat wolf photos I am making it up with great coyote shots. I know what\npeople think,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh great coyotes, the lesser more whinny wolf.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes admit, I too have spent many hours yelling at the coyote out my window to\nshut up as you all know. This trip however changed that thinking. I always\nthought coyotes as pests but in Yellowstone they were still just such majestic\nbeasts. They like everyone else there would have to fight for their life and\nhad earned their living out there in Lamar Valley. Yellowstone definitely gave\nme a whole new light on coyotes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sneak Peak: Yellowstone Coyotes"},{"content":"I had never seen a river otter before I went to Yellowstone, and let me say\nTHEY ARE ADORABLE\nWe heard that at the confluence of the Lamar River and the Soda Butte River in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone there were some otter lodges. So we all hiked out of the car dragging our giant cameras and all the equipment out of the car and then walked a half mile to the second otter lodge along the river. We set up the tripods and waited for quite some time when we finally spotted one otter. He was bobbing in and out of the water regularly teasing us with his appearance as we tried to catch a good picture of him. We were about to head back in when Mark turned around and saw the three otters playing.\nKeep in mind we can’t exactly yell at each other to tell us that the otters were right behind me and I hadn’t noticed; so there was a lot of frantic gestures and quiet yelling. Not to mention as we ran in the snow with our equipment to relocate in a better spot for the magnificent otter trio. It was quiet the mad dash.\nThey were rolling around on their backs, sliding in and out of the water just having a good time. They were climbing all over each other, this picture captures some of the playful spirit I got to witness from these little creatures. They really look a lot like little Loch Ness monsters as they crane their necks out of the water, it is really funny to watch especially because of their whiskers.\nIt really was an amazing experience watching these guys play around. We wanted to let them have their fun and not disturb them so after they crawled back into their lodges we left them behind with a very satisfied day behind us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100304_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had never seen a river otter before I went to Yellowstone, and let me say\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHEY ARE ADORABLE\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe heard that at the confluence of the Lamar River and the Soda Butte River in\nLamar Valley, Yellowstone there were some otter lodges. So we all hiked out of\nthe car dragging our giant cameras and all the equipment out of the car and\nthen walked a half mile to the second otter lodge along the river. We set up\nthe tripods and waited for quite some time when we finally spotted one otter.\nHe was bobbing in and out of the water regularly teasing us with his\nappearance as we tried to catch a good picture of him. We were about to head\nback in when Mark turned around and saw the three otters playing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: River Otters"},{"content":"Here is the site I got to see everyday when I was in Yellowstone. This picture can’t truly describe how beautiful this place really is. I must say it is extremely different than Santa Cruz and this is one of the hardest parts of being back home.\nI keep looking outside expecting to see snow and gorgeous mountains but instead I see rain and lots of trees. I am not complaining, it is just such a shock because it is so entirely different. It really reminds me just how lucky I am to get to travel like this because I can experience all the different terrains and lifestyles of the world around me. That is why I believe it is essential to travel because people have to get out of their normal atmosphere and see the world in all of it’s different lights.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100303_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is the site I got to see everyday when I was in Yellowstone. This picture\ncan’t truly describe how beautiful this place really is. I must say it is\nextremely different than Santa Cruz and this is one of the hardest parts of\nbeing back home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI keep looking outside expecting to see snow and gorgeous mountains but instead\nI see rain and lots of trees. I am not complaining, it is just such a shock\nbecause it is so entirely different. It really reminds me just how lucky I am\nto get to travel like this because I can experience all the different terrains\nand lifestyles of the world around me. That is why I believe it is essential\nto travel because people have to get out of their normal atmosphere and see\nthe world in all of it’s different lights.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone: Lamar Valley"},{"content":"As you know I have been in Yellowstone for the past week without time or internet access to post so sorry for the lack of posts. I will be catching up and posting photos from my trip over time. Stay tuned, more photos on the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100302_update/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs you know I have been in Yellowstone for the past week without time or\ninternet access to post so sorry for the lack of posts. I will be catching up\nand posting photos from my trip over time. Stay tuned, more photos on the\nway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Catching Up"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s our last day in Yellowstone as we head into the park once again. The antelope finally make an appearance at the entrance, as well as a hungry raven that keeps us company while we eat our lunch.\nWe head to Lamar Valley again to visit with the river otters. This guy shows off a fish he just caught.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a little company while we photograph the otters. I know Monica is enjoying herself immensely.\nOne last look at the fabulous Lamar Valley.\nWe finally get a good day for sheep out towards Pebble Creek.\nUnfortunately we didn\u0026rsquo;t get any good photos of wolves on this trip, so this huge footprint in the snow will have to do. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to come and do this again next year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s our last day in Yellowstone as we head into the park once again. The\nantelope finally make an appearance at the entrance, as well as a hungry raven\nthat keeps us company while we eat our lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe head to Lamar Valley again to visit with the river otters. This guy shows\noff a fish he just caught.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100227_yellowstone/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a little company while we photograph the otters. I know Monica is\nenjoying herself immensely.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adventures in Yellowstone - Day 5"},{"content":"Yesterday was a big coyote day, and today is going to be all about river otters. Before we meet the otters, a few random shots from the hotel and wandering about in the park.\nWe heard the otters might be down towards Pebble Creek, and we spotted some ducks and a group of otters. They were too far for photos most of the time, but we\u0026rsquo;ll head back to Lamar Valley and their lodge to catch some good shots.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a crowd camped out by the lodge. Time to drag out the big lenses baby.\nSure enough the three otters were having a blast playing out in front of the downstream lodge. They are just totally freakin adorable.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100226_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a big coyote day, and today is going to be all about river\notters. Before we meet the otters, a few random shots from the hotel and\nwandering about in the park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100226_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100226_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100226_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe heard the otters might be down towards Pebble Creek, and we spotted some\nducks and a group of otters. They were too far for photos most of the time,\nbut we\u0026rsquo;ll head back to Lamar Valley and their lodge to catch some good shots.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adventures in Yellowstone - Day 4"},{"content":"We had a great day in the park yesterday, but Yellowstone has another great day lined up for us again. We passed a nice group of bull elk on our drive into the park.\nToday we\u0026rsquo;ll be snowshoeing in another area I really love by the confluence of the Lamar and Yellowstone rivers. Mark and Monica found a nice elk carcass that didn\u0026rsquo;t mind posing for some photos.\nSpeaking of photos, Monica is working on her pro skills with her new favorite lens.\nShe got a few nice photos of a beat up coyote that followed us on the road for a short while.\nWe spent a good chunk of the day camped out watching a few coyotes in this field. One of them was sleeping on a snow covered rock, while we waited for him to wake. He looked really comfortable. He then treated us to a nice successful hunting display. He really seemed to enjoy himself playing with the rodent. I suppose if I had to work that hard for my food, I would savor it much as he did.\nThen some nice sunset shots over near Pebble Creek. You\u0026rsquo;ve gotta love this place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had a great day in the park yesterday, but Yellowstone has another great day\nlined up for us again. We passed a nice group of bull elk on our drive into\nthe park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;ll be snowshoeing in another area I really love by the confluence of\nthe Lamar and Yellowstone rivers. Mark and Monica found a nice elk carcass\nthat didn\u0026rsquo;t mind posing for some photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100225_yellowstone/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adventures in Yellowstone - Day 3"},{"content":"We enjoyed yesterday in Yellowstone, but only had part of the day and didn\u0026rsquo;t explore the whole park. Today we\u0026rsquo;ll head all the way through Lamar Valley and the north eastern entrance. The road from Gardiner out to Cooke City is the only road open to cars, so we make the most of the beautiful drive. I thought I would throw some photos of the cars totally loaded with camera gear, food, and clothes that we\u0026rsquo;ll be using on our trip. Mark\u0026rsquo;s in the Outback and we\u0026rsquo;re in the Tahoe.\nMonica and Mark are busy getting shots of pooping coyotes and some bison having no trouble staying warm.\nOne of my favorite places to snowshoe is around Pebble Creek. I think Monica enjoyed the area also. Who doesn\u0026rsquo;t enjoy exploring the mountains in snowshoes.\nMonica is really enjoying using the 400mm DO lens.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100224_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe enjoyed yesterday in Yellowstone, but only had part of the day and didn\u0026rsquo;t\nexplore the whole park. Today we\u0026rsquo;ll head all the way through Lamar Valley and\nthe north eastern entrance. The road from Gardiner out to Cooke City is the\nonly road open to cars, so we make the most of the beautiful drive. I thought\nI would throw some photos of the cars totally loaded with camera gear, food,\nand clothes that we\u0026rsquo;ll be using on our trip. Mark\u0026rsquo;s in the Outback and we\u0026rsquo;re\nin the Tahoe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adventures in Yellowstone - Day 2"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m off to another winter photography trip to Yellowstone, but this time Monica is joining us. She\u0026rsquo;s very excited to hone her photo skills, enjoy the wildlife, and of course have some fun in the snow. I love the new direct flight to Bozeman, then it\u0026rsquo;s an easy drive down to the hotel in Gardiner.\nThe elk have been waiting in Mammoth Springs for us all year.\nThe hot springs have changed a lot since I was last year, but the eerie feeling hasn\u0026rsquo;t. It\u0026rsquo;s good to be back, and I know Monica is totally jazzed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m off to another winter photography trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e,\nbut this time Monica is joining us. She\u0026rsquo;s very excited to hone her photo\nskills, enjoy the wildlife, and of course have some fun in the snow. I love\nthe new direct flight to Bozeman, then it\u0026rsquo;s an easy drive down to the hotel in\nGardiner.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe elk have been waiting in Mammoth Springs for us all year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hot springs have changed a lot since I was last year, but the eerie feeling\nhasn\u0026rsquo;t. It\u0026rsquo;s good to be back, and I know Monica is totally jazzed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Adventures in Yellowstone - Day 1"},{"content":"So here I am in wonderful, snowy, freezing, beautiful, wild, Yellowstone. Let me just start out by saying I haven’t seen snow since seventh grade so me+snow= crazy child jumping in snow banks every time I see a puddle of snow. I swear I have been reduced to a five-year old. I have been to Yellowstone twice before this, both in summer but opposite sides of the park. Never before have I gotten to see Yellowstone in such a beautiful way as this. This is my first time visiting anywhere in winter time. Let me say this:\nIt is beautiful beyond compare here.\nThere is a majestic quality to everything around here, the air is crisp, everything is so bright, and everything here fills you with awe. Side note: I haven’t even gotten to see wolves yet, and I am already totally stoked out of my mind. It is cold though, I am not used to having to wear layers let alone snow and high altitude.\nFor the wildlife sittings of the day: Bald eagle, lots of deer, and a whole pile of elk grazing in around the buildings in Mammoth Hot springs.\nWe poked around Mammoth after quickly settling into our hotel and did a tiny bit of exploring before the sun went down. This is only the beginning, for the next five days there is much in store. Hopefully lots of wolves and beautiful days full of photography, snowshoeing, and fun in the snow!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100223_yellowstone2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo here I am in wonderful, snowy, freezing, beautiful, wild, Yellowstone. Let\nme just start out by saying I haven’t seen snow since seventh grade so\nme+snow= crazy child jumping in snow banks every time I see a puddle of snow.\nI swear I have been reduced to a five-year old. I have been to Yellowstone\ntwice before this, both in summer but opposite sides of the park. Never before\nhave I gotten to see Yellowstone in such a beautiful way as this. This is my\nfirst time visiting anywhere in winter time. Let me say this:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Yellowstone"},{"content":"For the next week I will be in northern Yellowstone on a photography mission. We will be following wolves and other wildlife in the snow from dusk till dawn each day. I will be updating hopefully with pictures and stories of my days, stay tuned. I am planning on posting some good stuff, you will just have to wait and see.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100222_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor the next week I will be in northern Yellowstone on a photography mission.\nWe will be following wolves and other wildlife in the snow from dusk till dawn\neach day. I will be updating hopefully with pictures and stories of my days,\nstay tuned. I am planning on posting some good stuff, you will just have to\nwait and see.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone Photography Trip"},{"content":"Do you remember the path\nWe once walked together\nIt was so long ago\nIn a childhood dream\nIt led us to nowhere\nBut we where still happy\nIt didn’t matter\nWe had everything\nWe didn’t need a tour guide\nOr a guiding hand\nJust each other and a smile\nTo follow a path\nYet to be paved\nHere we were safe\nAmongst the guardian trees\nWhere the strongest voice\nWas the quietest\nAnd the world belong to our dreams\nWere has it gone now\nI can’t remember where it is\nI lost it in time\nLead me back\nTo the path we dared to pave\nI fear it is gone now\nIf it couldn’t last\nThe test of time\nWhat can?\nWhat about our dreams\nWill they be forgotten to\nIn the end of time\nRemind me\nGuide me\nWe will find it together\nAnd never forget\nThat once we walked\nA path unpaved\nWith the world in our hands\nAnd the future in our minds\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100221_path/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDo you remember the path\u003cbr\u003e\nWe once walked together\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was so long ago\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a childhood dream\u003cbr\u003e\nIt led us to nowhere\u003cbr\u003e\nBut we where still happy\u003cbr\u003e\nIt didn’t matter\u003cbr\u003e\nWe had everything\u003cbr\u003e\nWe didn’t need a tour guide\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a guiding hand\u003cbr\u003e\nJust each other and a smile\u003cbr\u003e\nTo follow a path\u003cbr\u003e\nYet to be paved\u003cbr\u003e\nHere we were safe\u003cbr\u003e\nAmongst the guardian trees\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the strongest voice\u003cbr\u003e\nWas the quietest\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the world belong to our dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nWere has it gone now\u003cbr\u003e\nI can’t remember where it is\u003cbr\u003e\nI lost it in time\u003cbr\u003e\nLead me back\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the path we dared to pave\u003cbr\u003e\nI fear it is gone now\u003cbr\u003e\nIf it couldn’t last\u003cbr\u003e\nThe test of time\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat can?\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat about our dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nWill they be forgotten to\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the end of time\u003cbr\u003e\nRemind me\u003cbr\u003e\nGuide me\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will find it together\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never forget\u003cbr\u003e\nThat once we walked\u003cbr\u003e\nA path unpaved\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the world in our hands\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the future in our minds\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Path We Pave"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100220_slug/","summary":"","title":"Banana Slug"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100218_stoptional/","summary":"","title":"Stoptional"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100216_orange/","summary":"","title":"Underneath the Orange Tree"},{"content":" My mom and I found a beautiful little niche in the woods full of rock piles. It was astonishing. There were so many of them of all shapes and sizes. Even some on tree branches. It amazed me because people took such care and time to make this little corner of the woods into an amazing place. I just wanted to thank those people for brightening up my day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100215_rockart/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100215_rockart/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100215_rockart/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy mom and I found a beautiful little niche in the woods full of rock piles. It\nwas astonishing. There were so many of them of all shapes and sizes. Even some\non tree branches. It amazed me because people took such care and time to make\nthis little corner of the woods into an amazing place. I just wanted to thank\nthose people for brightening up my day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rock Art"},{"content":"Today I shook\nThe hand of a man\nWho truly has suffered\nBut lived his life\nHe is from Sudan\nOn his face\nA story is told\nSun made wrinkles\nMake him look old\nHis dark complexion\nShows who he is\nA Lost Boy\nHe saw death\nBut refused to die\nHe fought for his life\nAnd earned every second\nHis parents shot down\nRight before his five year old eyes\nSo he turned and ran\nAnd never looked back\nThrough starvation and thirst\nHe walked the hard land\nOver one thousand miles\nEthiopia, Sudan, Kenya\nAll called home\nBut never truly settled\nHis entire past gone\nLost in gun shots and screams\nBlue rivers run red\nBut still this boy ran\nTrying to keep up his head\nTrying not to fall in the sand\nHis fellow comrades\nThe other lost children\nTrek along desert ridges\nAcross barren lands\nNowhere in mind\nJust trying to survive\nCarried everything on his back\nHis history and hardships\nA burden weighed down\nSomething pushing from behind\nTo keep him from falling down\nSo many fallen who never get back up\nHis name on a board\nThat guided his destiny\nBrought him from nothing\nBut gave him everything\nFrom Kenya to America\nHe traveled at last\nTo freedom, a home\nBut her could never forget his past\nSo he took what he had\nAnd made something of it\nFinally coming to our school\nTo tell us his story\nOf a time so sad\nHe stands here before us\nShowing his burden\nSharing his life\nAt the end of it all\nI shook the hand of a man\nWho had earned his way\nRough calloused hands\nWith a strong hard grip\nThat never let go\nBut yet still he smiles\nEven after his time\nTraveling through lands\nOf blood and fire\nTo find a home\nHe is a Lost Boy\nTorn from his home\nAt only five years old\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100214_lostboy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I shook\u003cbr\u003e\nThe hand of a man\u003cbr\u003e\nWho truly has suffered\u003cbr\u003e\nBut lived his life\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is from Sudan\u003cbr\u003e\nOn his face\u003cbr\u003e\nA story is told\u003cbr\u003e\nSun made wrinkles\u003cbr\u003e\nMake him look old\u003cbr\u003e\nHis dark complexion\u003cbr\u003e\nShows who he is\u003cbr\u003e\nA Lost Boy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe saw death\u003cbr\u003e\nBut refused to die\u003cbr\u003e\nHe fought for his life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd earned every second\u003cbr\u003e\nHis parents shot down\u003cbr\u003e\nRight before his five year old eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nSo he turned and ran\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never looked back\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough starvation and thirst\u003cbr\u003e\nHe walked the hard land\u003cbr\u003e\nOver one thousand miles\u003cbr\u003e\nEthiopia, Sudan, Kenya\u003cbr\u003e\nAll called home\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never truly settled\u003cbr\u003e\nHis entire past gone\u003cbr\u003e\nLost in gun shots and screams\u003cbr\u003e\nBlue rivers run red\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still this boy ran\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to keep up his head\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying not to fall in the sand\u003cbr\u003e\nHis fellow comrades\u003cbr\u003e\nThe other lost children\u003cbr\u003e\nTrek along desert ridges\u003cbr\u003e\nAcross barren lands\u003cbr\u003e\nNowhere in mind\u003cbr\u003e\nJust trying to survive\u003cbr\u003e\nCarried everything on his back\u003cbr\u003e\nHis history and hardships\u003cbr\u003e\nA burden weighed down\u003cbr\u003e\nSomething pushing from behind\u003cbr\u003e\nTo keep him from falling down\u003cbr\u003e\nSo many fallen who never get back up\u003cbr\u003e\nHis name on a board\u003cbr\u003e\nThat guided his destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nBrought him from nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut gave him everything\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom Kenya to America\u003cbr\u003e\nHe traveled at last\u003cbr\u003e\nTo freedom, a home\u003cbr\u003e\nBut her could never forget his past\u003cbr\u003e\nSo he took what he had\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd made something of it\u003cbr\u003e\nFinally coming to our school\u003cbr\u003e\nTo tell us his story\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a time so sad\u003cbr\u003e\nHe stands here before us\u003cbr\u003e\nShowing his burden\u003cbr\u003e\nSharing his life\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the end of it all\u003cbr\u003e\nI shook the hand of a man\u003cbr\u003e\nWho had earned his way\u003cbr\u003e\nRough calloused hands\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a strong hard grip\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never let go\u003cbr\u003e\nBut yet still he smiles\u003cbr\u003e\nEven after his time\u003cbr\u003e\nTraveling through lands\u003cbr\u003e\nOf blood and fire\u003cbr\u003e\nTo find a home\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is a Lost Boy\u003cbr\u003e\nTorn from his home\u003cbr\u003e\nAt only five years old\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lost Boy Found"},{"content":"\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100213_barbed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100213_barbed/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Barbed Wire"},{"content":"I find myself standing downhill sometimes and feeling that the way to the top is so very far. When you stand at the bottom of the mountain everything else just seems so much bigger. Everything gets out of perspective and it is during times like these that we need to remember that things can seem out of your hands but nothing ever truly is. You just have to be up to the task. You have to start walking up the mountain at some point. It will be a long and hard journey, but the top will be insight eventually. Laying at the bottom of the hill doesn’t make it seem any better and won’t get you any closer to the top. So get up and climb. Let the journey begin.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100212_downhill/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI find myself standing downhill sometimes and feeling that the way to the top\nis so very far. When you stand at the bottom of the mountain everything else\njust seems so much bigger. Everything gets out of perspective and it is during\ntimes like these that we need to remember that things can seem out of your\nhands but nothing ever truly is. You just have to be up to the task. You have\nto start walking up the mountain at some point. It will be a long and hard\njourney, but the top will be insight eventually. Laying at the bottom of the\nhill doesn’t make it seem any better and won’t get you any closer to the top.\nSo get up and climb. Let the journey begin.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Standing Downhill"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100210_mossy/","summary":"","title":"Mossy Love"},{"content":"\nOne of the best parts about living in California are the magnificent redwood trees. They are so beautiful and they just make the nature in California so much more enjoyable. I go on hikes and runs with my mom and our dog Gracie all the time. My mom is the true redwood lover in this family. I just have to say\nWith trees like these, who wouldn’t be a tree hugger?\nThey are just amazing and majestic. When I am out in the woods I am just filled with awe by this green giants (or red I should say) because they tower high above us all and you can hear them whisper in the breeze. They are nature’s skyscrapers. It really makes it a joy to live in California and reminds me how lucky I am to live in a place like Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100209_redwoods/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100209_redwoods/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the best parts about living in California are the magnificent redwood\ntrees. They are so beautiful and they just make the nature in California so\nmuch more enjoyable. I go on hikes and runs with my mom and our dog Gracie all\nthe time. My mom is the true redwood lover in this family. I just have to say\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith trees like these, who wouldn’t be a tree hugger?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"California Redwoods"},{"content":"I just wanted to congratulate the amazing students at my high school, Scotts Valley High for doing an amazing job raising money for people in Haiti with their winter concert. I am so impressed by my fellow students, there is so much talent at my school I never really knew about. Raising money for this great cause and watching my friends and fellow students performing was so inspiring and I just wanted to say\nBRAVO!\nA special shout out to Maiya Moncino and Chris Youmans for hosting this wonderful event. You guys are amazing!\nKeep it up everyone, I am proud of you guys. If anyone needs photos of the event I photographed it so just email me or leave a comment if you want any.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100208_concert/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just wanted to congratulate the amazing students at my high school, Scotts\nValley High for doing an amazing job raising money for people in Haiti with\ntheir winter concert. I am so impressed by my fellow students, there is so\nmuch talent at my school I never really knew about. Raising money for this\ngreat cause and watching my friends and fellow students performing was so\ninspiring and I just wanted to say\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scotts Valley Winter Concert"},{"content":"Downtown Santa Cruz has a Thai restaurant called Pacific Thai and out front it almost always has really interesting fruit carvings. My favorite are the watermelon ones, they are always fascinating to look at. Thanks Pacific Thai for being amazing!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100206_watermelon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDowntown Santa Cruz has a Thai restaurant called Pacific Thai and out front it\nalmost always has really interesting fruit carvings. My favorite are the\nwatermelon ones, they are always fascinating to look at. Thanks Pacific Thai\nfor being amazing!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Watermelon Carving"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100205_life/","summary":"","title":"Life"},{"content":"At first I wasn’t sure what to think of you two because I didn’t understand your relationship but then it became clear to me that you were partners. You and your partner seemed so sad.I wonder what happened, you seemed to be comforting him as if something horrible had happened. I really wanted to ask what tragedy had befallen you and your partner, but I refrained. I wonder what it would be like to be you. How hard it must be for you and your partner, I wanted to say I was sorry. I am sorry life never seems fair, I really wish it was. I really do. I wish you both well in the future, and a reminder that your sorrows may someday pass. Be strong and sooner or later the sun will rise.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100204_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAt first I wasn’t sure what to think of you two because I didn’t understand\nyour relationship but then it became clear to me that you were partners. You\nand your partner seemed so sad.I wonder what happened, you seemed to be\ncomforting him as if something horrible had happened. I really wanted to ask\nwhat tragedy had befallen you and your partner, but I refrained. I wonder what\nit would be like to be you. How hard it must be for you and your partner, I\nwanted to say I was sorry. I am sorry life never seems fair, I really wish it\nwas. I really do. I wish you both well in the future, and a reminder that your\nsorrows may someday pass. Be strong and sooner or later the sun will rise.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Unfair"},{"content":"There is a message in a bottle\nSomewhere out there for me\nLost among stormy seas\nAnd faraway lands\nI don’t know whom it is from\nOr when it will arrive\nBut I know\nIt is out there somewhere\nSearching for me\nTo deliver its message\nIt kept safe for me\nIt survived the winds\nThe hurricanes at sea\nThe harsh unmerciful waves\nPassed from hand to hand\nSea to sea\nI know it will find me someday\nAnd that day when it arrives at last\nI will find it among the rocks\nNestled and safe\nWaiting just for me\nInside is a letter\nAbout what I do not know\nJust a small little note\nFrom an author unknown\nTelling me a secret\nI have lived my whole life just to know\nFor now I am waiting\nWith my eyes turned to the sea\nWatching for the glint of a bottle\nLost at sea\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100203_message/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a message in a bottle\u003cbr\u003e\nSomewhere out there for me\u003cbr\u003e\nLost among stormy seas\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd faraway lands\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know whom it is from\u003cbr\u003e\nOr when it will arrive\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I know\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is out there somewhere\u003cbr\u003e\nSearching for me\u003cbr\u003e\nTo deliver its message\u003cbr\u003e\nIt kept safe for me\u003cbr\u003e\nIt survived the winds\u003cbr\u003e\nThe hurricanes at sea\u003cbr\u003e\nThe harsh unmerciful waves\u003cbr\u003e\nPassed from hand to hand\u003cbr\u003e\nSea to sea\u003cbr\u003e\nI know it will find me someday\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd that day when it arrives at last\u003cbr\u003e\nI will find it among the rocks\u003cbr\u003e\nNestled and safe\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting just for me\u003cbr\u003e\nInside is a letter\u003cbr\u003e\nAbout what I do not know\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a small little note\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom an author unknown\u003cbr\u003e\nTelling me a secret\u003cbr\u003e\nI have lived my whole life just to know\u003cbr\u003e\nFor now I am waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nWith my eyes turned to the sea\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching for the glint of a bottle\u003cbr\u003e\nLost at sea\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Message In A Bottle"},{"content":"\nI saw you on the beach dancing around with a hula hoop playing catch with your dog. You seemed so happy and care free, you didn’t care who saw you or what they thought. You were just there to have fun. I was a little worried you would steal my dog, you seemed to like her a lot and wanted to play with her. Sorry I couldn’t stick around keep up the good attitude. I hope to see you again some time hula hooping on the beach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100202_hula/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100202_hula/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI saw you on the beach  dancing around with a hula hoop playing catch with your\ndog. You seemed so happy and care free, you didn’t care who saw you or what\nthey thought. You were just there to have fun. I was a little worried you\nwould steal my dog, you seemed to like her a lot and wanted to play with her.\nSorry I couldn’t stick around keep up the good attitude. I hope to see you\nagain some time hula hooping on the beach.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Hula Hooper"},{"content":"I know Hawaii is a place of relaxation and time to let all your worries go, but somethings do need to be held onto. Your bathing suit top for starters and your decency. This really cracks me up because I don’t know what it is about vacations but for some reason the second people go on vacation there is a little switch in their heads that says\nHey I am on vacation all that normally applies no longer does as long as I am vacationing.\nI am not saying I don’t do this because I definitely do, not to the extreme this woman took it to with her bikini top hanging as low as it can go, but I am much more lax about things I wouldn’t normally be. Letting it all hang out doesn’t even begin to cover this woman’s idea of vacationing I am sure.\nMaybe it is because we feel we have no credibility due to the fact that we know we will never see these people again. Maybe it is just pent-up stress being expelled through this small form of rebellion, aka breaking from the norm of our daily schedules. Who knows, I just wonder what goes through people’s minds when they leave their hotel room looking like this woman. Seriously, the poor children of the beach and their virgin eyes. Well for me I had a good laugh but really? Have some decency or at least retain some common sense from normal life.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100201_hang/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know Hawaii is a place of relaxation and time to let all your worries go, but\nsomethings do need to be held onto. Your bathing suit top for starters and\nyour decency. This really cracks me up because I don’t know what it is about\nvacations but for some reason the second people go on vacation there is a\nlittle switch in their heads that says\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHey I am on vacation all that normally applies no longer does as long as I am\nvacationing.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Let it all Hang Out"},{"content":"Black striped nails\nFox with nine tails\nAll our efforts fail\nTime to let our dreams sail\nBlack striped claws\nStaring calmly into the lion’s maw\nTrying not to cry with a locked jaw\nForever remember the horrors you saw\nBlack striped hair\nLeave behind those who care\nStepping off a cliff if you dare\nWalking into darkness unless you’re scared\nBlack striped skin\nThe game you play but never win\nLook at your face you’re guilty as sin\nThis is my hell go on jump in\nI am black striped\nI will always have to fight\nI am the darkness inside of light\nI am blind but do not lack sight\nThis story will end here tonight\nI keep on fighting using all my might\nPlease hold on and squeeze my hand tight\nThis is going to be a very long night\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100131_striped/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBlack striped nails\u003cbr\u003e\nFox with nine tails\u003cbr\u003e\nAll our efforts fail\u003cbr\u003e\nTime to let our dreams sail\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack striped claws\u003cbr\u003e\nStaring calmly into the lion’s maw\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying not to cry with a locked jaw\u003cbr\u003e\nForever remember the horrors you saw\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack striped hair\u003cbr\u003e\nLeave behind those who care\u003cbr\u003e\nStepping off a cliff if you dare\u003cbr\u003e\nWalking into darkness unless you’re scared\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack striped skin\u003cbr\u003e\nThe game you play but never win\u003cbr\u003e\nLook at your face you’re guilty as sin\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is my hell go on jump in\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Black Striped"},{"content":"One of the nicest things about living in Santa Cruz is the redwoods. My mom and I often go running in the woods and sometimes it really does appear divine. My mom goes in much more often than I do and she took this picture. God truly is in the little things like this. I am just glad that I have gotten see things like this.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100130_things/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the nicest things about living in Santa Cruz is the redwoods. My mom and I often go running in the woods and sometimes it really does appear divine. My mom goes in much more often than I do and she took this picture. God truly is in the little things like this. I am just glad that I have gotten see things like this.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Little Things"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100129_window/","summary":"","title":"Open Flowers, Locked Windows"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100128_goldengate/","summary":"","title":"Golden Gate Cargo"},{"content":"You were such a cute little girl. You seemed to be having so much fun with all of your friends playing on the beach. You were very expressive and seemed to have a story to tell.\nYou just brightened up my day with your exuberance. I wonder what story you were chronicling for your friend. It seemed interesting, tales told by children are always so much more amusing than tales told by adults. I wish I could have listened in, maybe one day I will know, for now it remains your secret.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100127_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were such a cute little girl. You seemed to be having so much fun with all\nof your friends playing on the beach. You were very expressive and seemed to\nhave a story to tell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100127_creeper/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100127_creeper/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou just brightened up my day with your exuberance. I wonder what story you\nwere chronicling for your friend. It seemed interesting, tales told by\nchildren are always so much more amusing than tales told by adults. I wish I\ncould have listened in, maybe one day I will know, for now it remains your\nsecret.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Storyteller"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100126_hawaii/","summary":"","title":"Hawaiian Beauty"},{"content":"The fence gate\nGuards the bell towers\nWhere the pigeons wait\nLet the bells ring\nLet the bells toll\nIt is time\nLet it go\nLet it go\nFor so long\nYou stood on\nThe wrong side\nOf the white picket fence\nCross over\nIt is time now\nTo leave behind\nWhat you were\nTo become\nWho you really are\nShut the gate behind you\nIt won’t on it’s own\nSeal it tight\nDon’t let the demons in\nHere is a place of safety\nWelcome\nTo the garden\nWhere we are alone now\nBut never alone\nUnder the shadow\nOf the bell that tolls\nWaiting for the sign\nFrom no one\nTo take up our arms\nAnd walk away\nTo cross the threshold\nTo become something new\nCome take my hand\nWalk with me\nWe can cross it together\nAnd leave the gate\nSwinging shut behind us\nDon’t be afraid\nI have done this before\nAll you have to do\nIs open your heart\nAnd sigh out your miseries\nThen fill your heart back up\nwith the worlds gentle beauty\nIt is there\nI promise\nIt is just hard to see\nJust don’t get lost along the way\nIn the shadow of the bell that tolls\nIt can shallow you hole\nYou wont come back the same\nTo got o hell and back\nTo look down upon\nYou very own grave\nCome back with me\nI will guide you\nBack to the gate\nThat stands guard\nOver the bell tower\nThat watches us\nFrom the garden\nDon’t be afraid\nThis is life\nThis is who we are\nThis is who we have become\nEclipsed by the shadows\nOf the bell tower\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100125_belltower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe fence gate\u003cbr\u003e\nGuards the bell towers\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the pigeons wait\u003cbr\u003e\nLet the bells ring\u003cbr\u003e\nLet the bells toll\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is time\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it go\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it go\u003cbr\u003e\nFor so long\u003cbr\u003e\nYou stood on\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wrong side\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the white picket fence\u003cbr\u003e\nCross over\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is time now\u003cbr\u003e\nTo leave behind\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat you were\u003cbr\u003e\nTo become\u003cbr\u003e\nWho you really are\u003cbr\u003e\nShut the gate behind you\u003cbr\u003e\nIt won’t on it’s own\u003cbr\u003e\nSeal it tight\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t let the demons in\u003cbr\u003e\nHere is a place of safety\u003cbr\u003e\nWelcome\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the garden\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere we are alone now\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never alone\u003cbr\u003e\nUnder the shadow\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the bell that tolls\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for the sign\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom no one\u003cbr\u003e\nTo take up our arms\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd walk away\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cross the threshold\u003cbr\u003e\nTo become something new\u003cbr\u003e\nCome take my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nWalk with me\u003cbr\u003e\nWe can cross it together\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd leave the gate\u003cbr\u003e\nSwinging shut behind us\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t be afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nI have done this before\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you have to do\u003cbr\u003e\nIs open your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sigh out your miseries\u003cbr\u003e\nThen fill your heart back up\u003cbr\u003e\nwith the worlds gentle beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is there\u003cbr\u003e\nI promise\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is just hard to see\u003cbr\u003e\nJust don’t get lost along the way\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the shadow of the bell that tolls\u003cbr\u003e\nIt can shallow you hole\u003cbr\u003e\nYou wont come back the same\u003cbr\u003e\nTo got o hell and back\u003cbr\u003e\nTo look down upon\u003cbr\u003e\nYou very own grave\u003cbr\u003e\nCome back with me\u003cbr\u003e\nI will guide you\u003cbr\u003e\nBack to the gate\u003cbr\u003e\nThat stands guard\u003cbr\u003e\nOver the bell tower\u003cbr\u003e\nThat watches us\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the garden\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t be afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is life\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is who we are\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is who we have become\u003cbr\u003e\nEclipsed by the shadows\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the bell tower\u003c/p\u003e","title":"In the Shadow of the Bell Tower"},{"content":"I rather enjoy this photo that I took in Hawaii of my dad and brother inside of a lava tube. They are standing right below a hole to the surface which makes them look like aliens are about to beam them up or God sent down a light upon them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100124_beamup/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI rather enjoy this photo that I took in Hawaii of my dad and brother inside of\na lava tube. They are standing right below a hole to the surface which makes\nthem look like aliens are about to beam them up or God sent down a light upon\nthem.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beam Me Up"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100123_light/","summary":"","title":"Light up the Night"},{"content":"Why is it that right before some plants die they become so beautiful? Like this one, it was so colorful yet so close to its death.\nIs it to remind us what we will be missing when it finally is gone? One last bang to always remain in our minds. It is like a person’s final bow as they look at the audience, with a wide grin that speaks miles. It says:\nIt has been a good run, through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, it all turned out. It was a good long run and now it is over. A final goodbye.\nOr maybe it is a desperate plea to hold on to life. A denial of the next step. Its beauty blossoms fully, trying to make up for all the time lost and spent on other things.\nBut my question is, did it work?\nDid all your beauty, all your effort change that the end was so near? And if not, then what was the effort for? Was it for yourself? Trying to cling on what you know you will miss forever, or one last laugh at all who laughed at you. Tell me your secrets, I am listening. To the young, the old, the living and the dead. I am listening and waiting for your answer always and forever.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100122_bow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhy is it that right before some plants die they become so beautiful? Like this\none, it was so colorful yet so close to its death.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs it to remind us what we will be missing when it finally is gone? One last\nbang to always remain in our minds. It is like a person’s final bow as they\nlook at the audience, with a wide grin that speaks miles. It says:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Final Bow"},{"content":"I saw you walking around in the crowd with your buddies and your skateboards. You joined the crowd to watch the waves crash on the rocks. The waves were huge the other day but you hopped over the railing anyway. You went out onto the edge even though it was dangerous. You just sat down on your skateboard and watched. You were interesting, why was it so important for you to be right out there next to the water when the waves were crashing so close. I bet you got water on you. I had to leave though so I never got to ask, maybe I will next time I see a skater-boy wave watching on a stormy day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100121_skater/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you walking around in the crowd with your buddies and your skateboards.\nYou joined the crowd to watch the waves crash on the rocks. The waves were\nhuge the other day but you hopped over the railing anyway. You went out onto\nthe edge even though it was dangerous. You just sat down on your skateboard\nand watched. You were interesting, why was it so important for you to be right\nout there next to the water when the waves were crashing so close. I bet you\ngot water on you. I had to leave though so I never got to ask, maybe I will\nnext time I see a skater-boy wave watching on a stormy day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Wave Watching Skater Boy"},{"content":"I saw you from the balcony at my hotel in Hawaii. I was actually quite concerned because I had been watching the empty stroller for a good ten minutes wondering where the baby was and why the stroller remained. I was glad to finally see you and your baby. I just have one question, why take the baby and leave the stroller outside? Why not take both?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100120_stroller/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you from the balcony at my hotel in Hawaii. I was actually quite\nconcerned because I had been watching the empty stroller for a good ten\nminutes wondering where the baby was and why the stroller remained. I was glad\nto finally see you and your baby. I just have one question, why take the baby\nand leave the stroller outside? Why not take both?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Stroller Mom"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100119_paradise/","summary":"","title":"Birds of Paradise"},{"content":"The storm down here in Santa Cruz sure does stir up some gnarly waves. At the lighthouse the waves were bouncing off the rocks and making huge waves that crashed into each other. It was pretty epic. This photo doesn’t do it justice.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100119_waves/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe storm down here in Santa Cruz sure does stir up some gnarly waves. At the\nlighthouse the waves were bouncing off the rocks and making huge waves that\ncrashed into each other. It was pretty epic. This photo doesn’t do it\njustice.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monster Waves"},{"content":"A little boy runs\nThrough a crowded market place\nHis arms held out\nAs he weaves between all the people\nA little toy airplane\nHeld tight in his outstretched hand\nHe runs along\nWith a smile plastered on his face\nMaking airplane noises\nAll around him is the sound\nOf a society\nPerpetually on the move\nHaggling, arguing\nAgreeing, thanking\nAll the mouths moving\nAs they converse amongst each other\nThe boy hears a loud noise\nHe slows as he runs\nIt alone stands out\nOne noise in a world of clatter\nIt rings in his ears\nFinally he stops\nAs the pounding noise\nIs right in front of him\nLooking at the market stall\nPlaced before him\nA butcher stands\nA meat cleaver in one hand\nHumming happily\nAs he chops into the meat\nOf an animals dead corpse\nThe crack of bones\nAs the metal crushes\nThe animal’s dead body\nCrack crack crack\nIt echoes in the boys ears\nAs the butcher wedges the knife\nOut of the cutting board\nOut of the pile of pulverized meat\nThe butcher wipes the blood\nOn his white apron\nLaughing as he notices the boy\nStanding there motionless\nHis arms dangling limp\nAt his sides\nThe butcher brings the cleaver down\nAgain and again\nThe boy flinches each time\nFollowing each little movement\nWith eyes wide\nHands gripping tightly onto\nThe little toy airplane\nThe butcher spits to the side\nAnd looks down his nose\nAt the small innocent boy\nHe snorts again\nYou wanna try kid?\nIt’s fun\nHe holds out the cleaver\nStained in blood\nThe little boy drops the toy\nAnd steps forward\nOut of his old world\nAnd into a new one\nAs he grabs onto the knife\nTo big for his tiny hands\nThe forgotten toy sits on the ground\nIt is crushed beneath the crowd\nAs it moves forward\nAlways moving\nThe boy doesn’t notice\nThe crack of bones resounds\nEchoing into a crowd that doesn’t listen\nAnd doesn’t care\nExcept for the little crushed airplane toy\nThat lays broken and forgotten\nAs a boy walks away from innocence\nInto a world of blood\nAs the cleaver falls\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100119_butcher/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA little boy runs\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough a crowded market place\u003cbr\u003e\nHis arms held out\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he weaves between all the people\u003cbr\u003e\nA little toy airplane\u003cbr\u003e\nHeld tight in his outstretched hand\u003cbr\u003e\nHe runs along\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a smile plastered on his face\u003cbr\u003e\nMaking airplane noises\u003cbr\u003e\nAll around him is the sound\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a society\u003cbr\u003e\nPerpetually on the move\u003cbr\u003e\nHaggling, arguing\u003cbr\u003e\nAgreeing, thanking\u003cbr\u003e\nAll the mouths moving\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they converse amongst each other\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy hears a loud noise\u003cbr\u003e\nHe slows as he runs\u003cbr\u003e\nIt alone stands out\u003cbr\u003e\nOne noise in a world of clatter\u003cbr\u003e\nIt rings in his ears\u003cbr\u003e\nFinally he stops\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the pounding noise\u003cbr\u003e\nIs right in front of him\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking at the market stall\u003cbr\u003e\nPlaced before him\u003cbr\u003e\nA butcher stands\u003cbr\u003e\nA meat cleaver in one hand\u003cbr\u003e\nHumming happily\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he chops into the meat\u003cbr\u003e\nOf an animals dead corpse\u003cbr\u003e\nThe crack of bones\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the metal crushes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe animal’s dead body\u003cbr\u003e\nCrack crack crack\u003cbr\u003e\nIt echoes in the boys ears\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the butcher wedges the knife\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of the cutting board\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of the pile of pulverized meat\u003cbr\u003e\nThe butcher wipes the blood\u003cbr\u003e\nOn his white apron\u003cbr\u003e\nLaughing as he notices the boy\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding there motionless\u003cbr\u003e\nHis arms dangling limp\u003cbr\u003e\nAt his sides\u003cbr\u003e\nThe butcher brings the cleaver down\u003cbr\u003e\nAgain and again\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy flinches each time\u003cbr\u003e\nFollowing each little movement\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes wide\u003cbr\u003e\nHands gripping tightly onto\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little toy airplane\u003cbr\u003e\nThe butcher spits to the side\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd looks down his nose\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the small innocent boy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe snorts again\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou wanna try kid?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eIt’s fun\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHe holds out the cleaver\u003cbr\u003e\nStained in blood\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little boy drops the toy\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd steps forward\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of his old world\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd into a new one\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he grabs onto the knife\u003cbr\u003e\nTo big for his tiny hands\u003cbr\u003e\nThe forgotten toy sits on the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is crushed beneath the crowd\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it moves forward\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways moving\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy doesn’t notice\u003cbr\u003e\nThe crack of bones resounds\u003cbr\u003e\nEchoing into a crowd that doesn’t listen\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd doesn’t care\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept for the little crushed airplane toy\u003cbr\u003e\nThat lays broken and forgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a boy walks away from innocence\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a world of blood\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the cleaver falls\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Butcher"},{"content":"\nI love visiting missions, there is always something magical about them. The feeling of history. Knowing that this place held so much meaning to so many people. There is always a hint of sadness, an emptiness that surrounds them. I have posted some photos of other missions like Mission San Miguel and Mission Hallways. This mission in San Juan Bautista is one of my favorites. Not just because it has a red door, but because I went there as a kid. It was the first mission I ever went to and I still loving going there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100118_mission/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100118_mission/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love visiting missions, there is always something magical about them. The\nfeeling of history. Knowing that this place held so much meaning to so many\npeople. There is always a hint of sadness, an emptiness that surrounds them. I\nhave posted some photos of other missions like Mission San Miguel and Mission\nHallways. This mission in San Juan Bautista is one of my favorites. Not just\nbecause it has a red door, but because I went there as a kid. It was the first\nmission I ever went to and I still loving going there.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Mission"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100117_arboretum/","summary":"","title":"Arboretum"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100116_bridge/","summary":"","title":"Bridge Over Troubled Waters"},{"content":"You were so cute, I saw you on the beach playing with your dog. I wonder why you were wearing a bee suit. It doesn’t really matter though you looked amazingly cute in it. You are actually the main reason I came down to the beach. I saw you from up above and knew I had to see you up close. Thank you for being so cute, never loose it 😉\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100116_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were so cute, I saw you on the beach playing with your dog. I wonder why\nyou were wearing a bee suit. It doesn’t really matter though you looked\namazingly cute in it. You are actually the main reason I came down to the\nbeach. I saw you from up above and knew I had to see you up close. Thank you\nfor being so cute, never loose it 😉\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Little Bee"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100115_cola/","summary":"","title":"Coca Cola"},{"content":"All the things we see around us everyday we start to take for granted after a while. One way I combat this is trying to look at things in a different way. Here is a simple recipe to remind you of the greatness of everyday things (or things you simply become very acquainted with):\nLook at it from a different angle. Whether it is standing only centimeters away from it so you can see the dust standing on the tip of a needle, or in this cause a cactus, or looking at it upside down. The world can be viewed through a million different angles. Pick one and use it to change your perspective.\nEvery person sees from a different angle, so maybe just try looking through another persons eyes. Have a friend or just some random person describe the object in great detail while you have your eyes closed. Is it the same as you would have described it? If it isn’t think about it, why would that person see it the way they do rather than the way you do?\nThink about why you come in contact with this object so often. Just choose a random object you deal with in your everyday life, and think about that object. How different would life be without it? Would you miss it? Or do you need it at all? And if you don’t need it then why are you using it?\nLook closer, not just physically moving closer but look at what it is. People take things for face value way too often. Everything is made out of smaller things. Understand that what you see is not a single object but many. Look at all the tiny details you always look past and fully appreciate how complex life truly is.\nInstead of just accepting things the way they are, question. It is the only true form of living, to seek knowledge and awareness. You can only have this if you make the effort though. So tomorrow look at something right up close or lie on your back and look at it from upside down. Appreciate what you have, appreciate every detail that is put into life around you. Nothing is as simple as it seems.\nHow do you ensure that the things in your life aren’t taken for granted, share your methods for appreciating and understanding life that happens everyday all around you?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100113_simple/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAll the things we see around us everyday we start to take for granted after a\nwhile. One way I combat this is trying to look at things in a different way.\nHere is a simple recipe to remind you of the greatness of everyday things\n(or things you simply become very acquainted with):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook at it from a different angle. Whether it is standing only centimeters\naway from it so you can see the dust standing on the tip of a needle, or in\nthis cause a cactus, or looking at it upside down. The world can be viewed\nthrough a million different angles. Pick one and use it to change your\nperspective.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"If Only it was that Simple"},{"content":"There is the quiet hum\nOf a T.V. on silent\nSterilized white walls\nEverything is so quiet\nYet so very loud\nFootsteps echo in the halls\nWhispers sound like screams\nAs they fall on dying ears\nDo you know who you are\nOr why you are here?\nWho ever knows\nWho ever will\nAs they roll\nAnother one away\nDown a long hallway\nThat they never come back from\nHe is the one who remains\nLocked in by\nSee through curtains\nThat cast shadows around him\nAnd thousands of tubes\nHe is always alone\nNo one ever at his side\nNo family\nNo friends\nNo memories in the night\nTo keep him company\nIn the darkest hours of night\nWhere the ghosts are so close\nAnd death stands at the foot\nOf his skinny little bed\nTelling him to come along\nIt is finally your time\nThere is just a pile of old postcards\nThat he bought for himself\nWhat feels like a lifetime ago\nFrom all the places he had been\nAnd said he would never forget\nBut now he can’t remember\nAnything at all\nHe forgets where he is\nAnd who he is\nHe is separated and detached\nFrom reality\nBy what he lacks\nWaiting all alone\nIn a white washed room\nWith only a T.V. on mute\nFor company\nAnd a stack of empty postcards\nAll waiting for the inevitable\nThe one thing he can never forget\nThat death is lingering\nSo very close\nHe can feel its breath\nWhispering in his ear\nIn a hospital room where Lethe\nSwept him away from all he knew\nAnd ever loved\nFor him there is no future\nOr a past\nHe is floating in an abyss\nStuck between heaven and hell\nAs the monitor beeps\nSlower and slower\nThe man turns his head\nAnd looks at the postcards\nWith old weary eyes\nHe reaches with his weighted hands\nShaking and fumbling\nAs he picks one up\nA little smile on his dried cracked lips\nI remember\nHe whispers but no one hears\nAs the monitor stops\nAnd a lone tear\nSlips from his eye\nStaining the postcard\nAs it falls\nDrifting slowly to the ground\nRemembered at last\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100113_postcards/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is the quiet hum\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a T.V. on silent\u003cbr\u003e\nSterilized white walls\u003cbr\u003e\nEverything is so quiet\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so very loud\u003cbr\u003e\nFootsteps echo in the halls\u003cbr\u003e\nWhispers sound like screams\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they fall on dying ears\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you know who you are\u003cbr\u003e\nOr why you are here?\u003cbr\u003e\nWho ever knows\u003cbr\u003e\nWho ever will\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they roll\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother one away\u003cbr\u003e\nDown a long hallway\u003cbr\u003e\nThat they never come back from\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is the one who remains\u003cbr\u003e\nLocked in by\u003cbr\u003e\nSee through curtains\u003cbr\u003e\nThat cast shadows around him\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd thousands of tubes\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is always alone\u003cbr\u003e\nNo one ever at his side\u003cbr\u003e\nNo family\u003cbr\u003e\nNo friends\u003cbr\u003e\nNo memories in the night\u003cbr\u003e\nTo keep him company\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the darkest hours of night\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the ghosts are so close\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd death stands at the foot\u003cbr\u003e\nOf his skinny little bed\u003cbr\u003e\nTelling him to come along\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is finally your time\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is just a pile of old postcards\u003cbr\u003e\nThat he bought for himself\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat feels like a lifetime ago\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom all the places he had been\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd said he would never forget\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now he can’t remember\u003cbr\u003e\nAnything at all\u003cbr\u003e\nHe forgets where he is\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd who he is\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is separated and detached\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom reality\u003cbr\u003e\nBy what he lacks\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting all alone\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a white washed room\u003cbr\u003e\nWith only a T.V. on mute\u003cbr\u003e\nFor company\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a stack of empty postcards\u003cbr\u003e\nAll waiting for the inevitable\u003cbr\u003e\nThe one thing he can never forget\u003cbr\u003e\nThat death is lingering\u003cbr\u003e\nSo very close\u003cbr\u003e\nHe can feel its breath\u003cbr\u003e\nWhispering in his ear\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a hospital room where Lethe\u003cbr\u003e\nSwept him away from all he knew\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd ever loved\u003cbr\u003e\nFor him there is no future\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a past\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is floating in an abyss\u003cbr\u003e\nStuck between heaven and hell\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the monitor beeps\u003cbr\u003e\nSlower and slower\u003cbr\u003e\nThe man turns his head\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd looks at the postcards\u003cbr\u003e\nWith old weary eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nHe reaches with his weighted hands\u003cbr\u003e\nShaking and fumbling\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he picks one up\u003cbr\u003e\nA little smile on his dried cracked lips\u003cbr\u003e\nI remember\u003cbr\u003e\nHe whispers but no one hears\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the monitor stops\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a lone tear\u003cbr\u003e\nSlips from his eye\u003cbr\u003e\nStaining the postcard\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it falls\u003cbr\u003e\nDrifting slowly to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nRemembered at last\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Postcards"},{"content":"Here is a little known fact about me, I am actually very afraid of roosters. Not chickens.. just roosters. They are beautiful creatures but very nasty. I really enjoy looking at them but I know not to get to close to them because they are very territorial and won’t hesitate in showing you how they feel. There is just something very threatening about the way a rooster looks at you. Especially ones like I was taking pictures of in San Juan Batista. They were everywhere, it felt kind of like a cult of chickens, it was slightly frightening. They were all over the place, even on the mission. All watching me, getting ready to attack.\nI am not sure why they scare me so much, I guess scared isn’t the right word, I am extremely wary of roosters. I feel like you can’t trust them. They seem deceptive because at first you go in thinking, Oh look at that pretty chicken!\nNo, sorry not a pretty chicken a mean rooster with big claws. So I stay my distance and mind my own business. Oh, and of course, why did the chicken cross the road? To join the cult of chickens on the other side to attack an innocent girl. Enough said.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100112_roosters/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a little known fact about me, I am actually very afraid of roosters.\nNot chickens.. just roosters. They are beautiful creatures but very nasty. I\nreally enjoy looking at them but I know not to get to close to them because\nthey are very territorial and won’t hesitate in showing you how they feel.\nThere is just something very threatening about the way a rooster looks at you.\nEspecially  ones like I was taking pictures of in San Juan Batista. They were\neverywhere, it felt kind of like a cult of chickens, it was slightly\nfrightening. They were all over the place, even on the mission. All watching\nme, getting ready to attack.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Roosters"},{"content":"Reach out and grasp onto the sun. The things that seem so out of reach are actually at your fingertips. But what are you reaching for? What is it that when you look at the sky that you are looking for? Some of you may know, some may not. That goal is attainable though, it may seem so very hard at times but remember you will never know just how close you are until you try.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100111_reach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eReach out and grasp onto the sun. The things that seem so out of reach are\nactually at your fingertips. But what are you reaching for? What is it that\nwhen you look at the sky that you are looking for? Some of you may know, some\nmay not. That goal is attainable though, it may seem so very hard at times but\nremember you will never know just how close you are until you try.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"What Do You Reach For?"},{"content":"I love the lighting of this photo of a palm tree while I was in Hawaii. Sometimes doing things the wrong way turns out really well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100110_shadow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love the lighting of this photo of a palm tree while I was in Hawaii.\nSometimes doing things the wrong way turns out really well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"In the Shadow"},{"content":"The fragility of life\nIs a very scary thing\nThe thought that\nAll you ever have worked at\nIs for nothing\nWith just a cut\nA scratch\nYour life could be taken away\nAn accident\nA slip\nCould send you astray\nThat your life\nCould all just be\nAnother burning ash\nIn a cigarette try\nJust a walk\nCould be your last\nA fight with family\nCould bring an end\nSo very fast\nJust a word softly uttered\nCould end it all\nA little slip\nCould wind up\nBeing a very big fall\nShowing you that\nYou really are\nInsignificant and small\nJust a speck\nIn the eyes of all others\nIn the face of God\nEvery bone, every muscle\nEvery word\nEvery moment\nCould be taken away\nRipped from you\nWith just a thought\nYour world destroyed\nNever to return\nAnd no one\nWould ever know\nThat you were gone\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100109_fragile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe fragility of life\u003cbr\u003e\nIs a very scary thing\u003cbr\u003e\nThe thought that\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you ever have worked at\u003cbr\u003e\nIs for nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nWith just a cut\u003cbr\u003e\nA scratch\u003cbr\u003e\nYour life could be taken away\u003cbr\u003e\nAn accident\u003cbr\u003e\nA slip\u003cbr\u003e\nCould send you astray\u003cbr\u003e\nThat your life\u003cbr\u003e\nCould all just be\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother burning ash\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a cigarette try\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a walk\u003cbr\u003e\nCould be your last\u003cbr\u003e\nA fight with family\u003cbr\u003e\nCould bring an end\u003cbr\u003e\nSo very fast\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a word softly uttered\u003cbr\u003e\nCould end it all\u003cbr\u003e\nA little slip\u003cbr\u003e\nCould wind up\u003cbr\u003e\nBeing a very big fall\u003cbr\u003e\nShowing you that\u003cbr\u003e\nYou really are\u003cbr\u003e\nInsignificant and small\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a speck\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the eyes of all others\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the face of God\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery bone, every muscle\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery word\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery moment\u003cbr\u003e\nCould be taken away\u003cbr\u003e\nRipped from you\u003cbr\u003e\nWith just a thought\u003cbr\u003e\nYour world destroyed\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to return\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd no one\u003cbr\u003e\nWould ever know\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you were gone\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fragile"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100107_hawaii/","summary":"","title":"Essence of Hawaii"},{"content":"Can I even begin to explain to you just how much I miss this? Beautiful sky, lying on the beach just watching clouds roll by in eighty degree weather. Can I even begin?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100106_missyou/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCan I even begin to explain to you just how much I miss this? Beautiful sky,\nlying on the beach just watching clouds roll by in eighty degree weather. Can\nI even begin?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"I Miss You"},{"content":"You guys made me smile. It was so clear you two loved each other and were having so much fun together. You and your son were trying to walk with one shoe shared and having a lot of fun doing it. It just reminds that there is so much good and so much love between people even in the darkest times. Yet again, you still make me smile and for that I thank you both.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100105_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou guys made me smile. It was so clear you two loved each other and were\nhaving so much fun together. You and your son were trying to walk with one\nshoe shared and having a lot of fun doing it. It just reminds that there is so\nmuch good and so much love between people even in the darkest times.  Yet\nagain, you still make me smile and for that I thank you both.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Smile"},{"content":"Here is a short story I wrote for fun.\nWould you live for a single moment? Would you die for it, if it meant the world to you? Alanna’s world was a very small one and she had it all to herself. Except for Lumi, her little dog. Her entire life, all she could remember was snow. Her world was covered with a blanket of snow, relentless and unforgiving.\nAlanna lived in this world all on her own, no parents or friends to give her company in the heart of a never-ending blizzard. Lumi was the only friend she ever had, she had always been there when the snow froze over her heart. In her heart she knew she would never be free of her home.\nAlanna trudged through the thick snow with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest to keep what warmth she had inside her. Lumi pranced around in the snow leaving little footprints behind. The duo headed towards the little cabin that was nestled safely in the forest. Alanna let her breathe out in white clouds as she laughed at her dog’s antics as she tried to catch a lone butterfly that fluttered always just out of reach of the dog. She bent down grabbing the defeated dog and looked up at their home. The house was made from logs and was very simple. Two windows and a faded red door looked out from the front of the house. In the windowsills sat little figurines carved out of wood. Alanna reached out uncurling her frozen fingers and opened the door with an audible protest of creaks. Warmth wrapped around Alanna and Lumi as their home welcomed them back. Alanna tapped her shoes together as snow fell off them and dropped Lumi. She hit the ground running, heading straight for the kitchen. Alanna watched her go, and let one last puff of cold air out looking at her home. Straight ahead of her was the kitchen that had a little wooden table and cabinets full of all kinds of food that Alanna had found or learned to make from what the forest gave her. Lumi’s water and food bowls sat right next to Alanna’s chair. The only other room in the house was her room, which contained a bed that laid on the ground, a desk, and a window above her mattress.\nAlanna walked softly across the wooden floors into the kitchen where Lumi was pushing around an empty food dish with her nose. She looked up expectantly towards Alanna as she slowly walked into the kitchen. Lumi saw the drag in Alanna’s feet and run up to her. Lumi jumped up putting her little front legs on Alanna’s thighs as Alanna bent down and picked up the dog. Alanna sat down heavily into the chair with Lumi. Alanna looked out the window as the snow beat against it and sighed. She rubbed behind Lumi’s ears and looked on longingly. The butterfly flew into the window and flapped insistently as it looked for safety. Alanna watched it and began to cry. She cried silently since there was no one to listen to her. Her shoulders shook with sadness as she watched the creature that she envied so much die in the snow. Lumi looked up at her and cocked her head in confusion.\n“Oh Lumi, all I ever wanted was to fly. If I could fly I could leave this wretched place. We could be free forever of this snow and this emptiness. But look even the butterfly is trapped here, destined to die without friends or family.”\nAlanna rubbed away her tears and stood sadly. With heavy shoulders she walked to her room and lay down on her bed. She wrapped herself up in a blanket and looked at Lumi and smiled.\n“I’ll find a way to fly. We’ll be free together, I won’t give up I promise.”\nShe closed her eyes and fell asleep as a lone tear fell down onto Lumi’s snout. Lumi looked at Alanna and crawled into the bed snuggling in close.\nAlanna stood outside of the cabin looking at clear blue sky. She opened her arms up to the sun and a smile spread across her face. The wind tousled her long hair and blew strands into her eyes. The trees swayed around her and she opened up her beautiful wings towards the sky. She pushed off the snow-covered ground and was free. She swooped down over the treetops brushing them with her fingertips. She closed her eyes as she flew, feeling the warmth of the sun and the wind kissing her face. She let out a scream of happiness and flew straight up into the sky. She hit something, hard. Her wings flapped as she looked for the culprit but saw nothing. She reached out and laid her hand on glass. She looked in horror at the glass dome she was concealed in. A hand reached down picking up the dome and shook it hard. The snow started to fall again and beat down on her wings sending her plummeting towards the unforgiving ground. She felt the cold eat up the warmth of the sun while she fell back towards her prison.\nAlanna let out an anguished cry sitting bolt upright in bed, sending Lumi flailing across the floor. She let out an angry bark in protest at being woken up. Alanna looked around in sadness as the dream faded. She knew it was true, she would always be trapped. She sighed getting up and went towards the kitchen to feed Lumi. She started to bend over but froze suddenly. A smile spread across her lips as a plan unfolded in her mind. She looked down at Lumi with a wide smile. “Today Lumi, we are going to fly. Today we will be free forever!” She picked up the confused dog and spun her around as she ran out the front door. Alanna knew what she had to do. She ran outside without a jacket or shoes into the barren wasteland she called home. She grabbed the little butterfly that had died in the snow on her windowsill. Then she ran with Lumi. She ran until she found the wall that was the dome keeping her trapped here. She ignored the cold and set Lumi down. A look of dead determination in her blue eyes.\n“You ready to fly Lumi?” she smiled at the dog as she placed her freezing hands on the glass. She started to push. Slowly she felt the dome start to inch forward. She kept pushing until she felt nothingness beneath her. She picked up Lumi and kissed her, as she got ready to fly. She ran back one more time and gave it everything she had. One last push.\nThat one moment meant everything for Alanna. She gave everything she had for just that single moment as the snow globe spun off the shelf towards the ground. Finally she was free to fly. She lived her whole life for that single moment, and it was everything she had dreamt it would be.\nThere was a crash and then only a winter’s silence was left with shards of broken glass.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100105_dream/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a short story I wrote for fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWould you live for a single moment? Would you die for it, if it meant the world to you? Alanna’s world was a very small one and she had it all to herself. Except for Lumi, her little dog. Her entire life, all she could remember was snow. Her world was covered with a blanket of snow, relentless and unforgiving.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlanna lived in this world all on her own, no parents or friends to give her company in the heart of a never-ending blizzard. Lumi was the only friend she ever had, she had always been there when the snow froze over her heart. In her heart she knew she would never be free of her home.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dream"},{"content":"This photo makes me really sad every time I look at it. Even in Paradise there are reminders that even though this place feels like heaven, it isn’t.\nAn empty wheelchair sitting in the shade viewing the beautiful young people on the beach bathing in the sun and swimming in the water.\nIt weighs down on my heart. I wonder who sits in that chair. What that person must feels as they sit there and watch this scene with a heavy heart wishing that they could join in.\nWhat makes me wonder even more is why is the chair empty? Did the person leave finally fed up with this, could they not take it anymore? Or maybe, just maybe that person got up and joined all those people who said they never could because of their handicap.\nHow hard would that be? To me it is unfathomable. Exile is a very real thing, all around us, we have to take a moment from our lives and step back to look not at our lives but at the lives of those around us. There is so much tragedy and yet so much joy in all the people around you but it seems like no one ever notices. So take a step back look at that empty wheelchair and ask yourself, what if it was me? You never know, one day it might be you, waiting for fate to finally turn in your favor again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100104_wheelchair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis photo makes me really sad every time I look at it. Even in Paradise there\nare reminders that even though this place feels like heaven, it isn’t.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn empty wheelchair sitting in the shade viewing the beautiful young people on\nthe beach bathing in the sun and swimming in the water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt weighs down on my heart. I wonder who sits in that chair. What that person\nmust feels as they sit there and watch this scene with a heavy heart wishing\nthat they could join in.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wheelchair"},{"content":"I seriously die from laughter when I see this, I decided to put it up because I am in need of a good laugh. So here you go, the Lei Woman.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100103_lei/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI seriously die from laughter when I see this, I decided to put it up because I\nam in need of a good laugh. So here you go, the Lei Woman.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Lei Woman"},{"content":"Gabe has been so excited about cycling that he asked me about racing. I figured a mentoring session at the Early Bird Criterium in Fremont would be a perfect introduction to racing for him. He\u0026rsquo;s really bummed he doesn\u0026rsquo;t have drop bars and clipless pedals, but let\u0026rsquo;s see how he does today.\nOf course Larry Nolan is here just as he\u0026rsquo;s been doing for many years. Nothing like having a world champion sweeping the turn for you.\nI was glad to see Gabe was listening and learning the skills needed for safe and fun racing. I heard two kids took a light spill right around Gabe, but fortunately they didn\u0026rsquo;t take him down. Gabe was feeling pretty confident about the race after riding with this group. Now we hang out for the start.\nGabe was a bit shocked when he saw that a whole different group of juniors lined up for his race. Lots of older kids that all looked very serious. Right away he was popped off the back into a small group of young kids. A few laps later Gabe had enough of a taste for racing that he was satisfied with riding the hills around home instead. Maybe we\u0026rsquo;ll try again in a few years. It sure was fun seeing him out there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100103_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has been so excited about cycling that he asked me about racing. I figured\na mentoring session at the Early Bird Criterium in Fremont would be a perfect\nintroduction to racing for him. He\u0026rsquo;s really bummed he doesn\u0026rsquo;t have drop bars\nand clipless pedals, but let\u0026rsquo;s see how he does today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100103_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100103_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2010/20100103_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course Larry Nolan is here just as he\u0026rsquo;s been doing for many years. Nothing\nlike having a world champion sweeping the turn for you.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's first bike race"},{"content":"I may be alone in this belief but I might as well put it out there, I believe that the flamingo is natures idiot. I have never encountered an animal that just instantly strikes me as stupid, except for this weird looking bird. It may be its color or even the way it is shaped but when I walk near one I swear I can feel my IQ dropping.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100102_flamingos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI may be alone in this belief but I might as well put it out there, I believe\nthat the flamingo is natures idiot. I have never encountered an animal that\njust instantly strikes me as stupid, except for this weird looking bird. It\nmay be its color or even the way it is shaped but when I walk near one I swear\nI can feel my IQ dropping.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Flamingos: Nature’s Idiot"},{"content":"Come in\nCome back\nIt is cold outside\nWe wouldn’t want\nYou to catch a chill\nNow would I\nThere is no reason\nTo venture outside\nI have everything\nYou could ever want\nOr ever desire\nShut the door behind you\nIt is dark out there\nIt is scary and unknown\nYou must beware\nDon’t you know\nI am just trying\nTo keep you safe\nLike a good mother would\nIt is dangerous out there\nDark and twisted\nSo don’t even think\nFor a moment\nThat is where you belong\nYou belong here\nSafe inside\nWhere the light always shines\nDon’t walk away\nNever leave me behind\nDon’t you understand\nYou need me\nYou are mine\nIf you wont shut the door\nThen I sure will\nIt will never open again\nI may sound mean but I swear\nMy fragile love\nIt is for the best\nThe outside world\nIsn’t for people like you\nSo shut the door\nAnd leave your\nSilly imagination behind\nI have all you could ever want\nBut the freedom of the wind\nAnd a world unknown\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2010/20100101_shut/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCome in\u003cbr\u003e\nCome back\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is cold outside\u003cbr\u003e\nWe wouldn’t want\u003cbr\u003e\nYou to catch a chill\u003cbr\u003e\nNow would I\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no reason\u003cbr\u003e\nTo venture outside\u003cbr\u003e\nI have everything\u003cbr\u003e\nYou could ever want\u003cbr\u003e\nOr ever desire\u003cbr\u003e\nShut the door behind you\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is dark out there\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is scary and unknown\u003cbr\u003e\nYou must beware\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t you know\u003cbr\u003e\nI am just trying\u003cbr\u003e\nTo keep you safe\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a good mother would\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is dangerous out there\u003cbr\u003e\nDark and twisted\u003cbr\u003e\nSo don’t even think\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nThat is where you belong\u003cbr\u003e\nYou belong here\u003cbr\u003e\nSafe inside\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the light always shines\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t walk away\u003cbr\u003e\nNever leave me behind\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t you understand\u003cbr\u003e\nYou need me\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are mine\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you wont shut the door\u003cbr\u003e\nThen I sure will\u003cbr\u003e\nIt will never open again\u003cbr\u003e\nI may sound mean but I swear\u003cbr\u003e\nMy fragile love\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is for the best\u003cbr\u003e\nThe outside world\u003cbr\u003e\nIsn’t for people like you\u003cbr\u003e\nSo shut the door\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd leave your\u003cbr\u003e\nSilly imagination behind\u003cbr\u003e\nI have all you could ever want\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the freedom of the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a world unknown\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shut the Door"},{"content":"So it has been a long year for me and my family. With good and bad happenings. We went to go see Lance Armstrong race at the AmGen in Sacramento. I got to stand right next to him.\nBasically my year was full of trips, our RV trip to Las Vegas being one of the first for my mom’s 50 birthday. It didn’t work quite as well as we wanted but in hindsight was all right. It had its goods and bads. Mojave, Death Valley, and Las Vegas. it was interesting all five of us in an RV. I don’t think I would or could do it again.\nI had two cousins go off to war, one in the army and one in the navy. Kayleen and Charlie we are very proud of you both, and wish you well.\nMy mom and dad went with me to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.\nWe had some fun hikes and one encounter with a rattle snake. I think for a moment my mother took on the visage of a majestic Springbok to escape it.\nMy older brother Nick graduated High School.\nWe did a lot of talking with him over Skype this year because he was off at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.\nMy dad had fun when we went up to the Lick Observatory and visited the awesome telescopes when school got out. With my sophomore year ended I had a lot of fun with my friends and was soon off to Michigan on our road trip. This time it was just my mom and I along with our dog. Together we are the travel buddies!! Also this is when I got my new camera, you will notice the improved quality of the photos from here out :D\nWe stopped everywhere, Nevada, Utah (Mormon Tabernacle), Idaho (with a flat tire), and most memorable, Yellowstone.\nWe saw tons of wildlife in Wyoming and South Dakota, the best being the buffalo. Especially when we got charged by a buffalo in Custer State Park. They were all over the place just walking in the road.\nMichigan this year was tons of fun. Full of tubing, the creation of creeper photos, and trips to Copper Harbor. It was also the first time I jumped off the pier into Lake Superior. And of course hanging out with all the cousins.\nOn our road trip back home we stopped in North Dakota, Montana (Glacier National Park), Washington, and Oregon. Glacier National Park was really fun, I swam in a freezing glacier river and saw a bear right up close.\nIn Oregon we saw the famous Shoe Tree and visited Bend. We loved it and I can’t wait to go back soon.\nBack home school soon started with my first year of Full IB. In golf this year I was captain of the team and had amazing amounts of fun.\nI had a good friend year, making new friends that I love, and making my existing friendships even better. A somewhat disappointing year in terms of health. Many people I know became seriously ill and that was emotionally taxing on all of us. To everyone with Cancer or some other illness, I wish you good health and happiness. Visiting Nick for his 19 birthday in Cal Poly was very fun with kayaking in Morro Bay. One of the highlights of my year was my birthday and the trip I took with my mom to Seattle Washington.\nThis year I also bought my first piece of original artwork by myself from Bruce Telopa. It was a good year for art, I became an IB art student and my Aunt let me have one of her amazing paintings.\nThe other best of the year was our trip to Hawaii. We had so much fun snorkeling, going to the Volcanoes, and just enjoying 80 degree weather in December.\nThis year has had its ups and downs. I am excited for the new year to start over. So Happy New Years everyone. My biggest wish is for health and happiness for everyone. My New Years resolution is to see the world with open eyes, I hope everyone can do the same.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091231_year/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo it has been a long year for me and my family. With good and bad happenings.\nWe went to go see Lance Armstrong race at the AmGen in Sacramento. I got to\nstand right next to him.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091231_year/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBasically my year was full of trips, our RV trip to Las Vegas being one of the\nfirst for my mom’s 50 birthday. It didn’t work quite as well as we wanted but\nin hindsight was all right. It had its goods and bads. Mojave, Death Valley,\nand Las Vegas. it was interesting all five of us in an RV. I don’t think I\nwould or could do it again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Looking Back on 2009"},{"content":"\nYour dancing was interesting but I really loved your dress. I really enjoyed the woman with the ukulele, she was wonderful. I saw her on a billboard somewhere so you must be famous for what you do. I loved listening to you. Thank you for a lovely night of entertainment in Paradise.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091229_hula/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091229_hula/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour dancing was interesting but I really loved your dress. I really enjoyed\nthe woman with the ukulele, she was wonderful. I saw her on a billboard\nsomewhere so you must be famous for what you do. I loved listening to you.\nThank you for a lovely night of entertainment in Paradise.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hula the Night Away"},{"content":"In Hawaii. Yes, we found a zebra in Hawaii. Strange but true. We were just driving along when my brother in the backseat just yelled out that there was a zebra. I barely got this picture but here it is. My zebra from Hawaii.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091229_zebra/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn Hawaii. Yes, we found a zebra in Hawaii. Strange but true. We were just\ndriving along when my brother in the backseat just yelled out that there was a\nzebra. I barely got this picture but here it is. My zebra from Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"I Spy A Zebra"},{"content":"When in Hawaii, my family and I visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I must say it was pretty disappointing to most of us. It took us three hours to drive there, then it started pouring rain. And I mean POURING. So I had to quickly put pants on because of course I was wearing a dress since it is Hawaii and I am horrible at predicting the weather. So we had to make a mad dash from the car into the Visitor Center, which kept routinely losing it’s power which made things very hard to buy when tha cash register keeps shutting down. I forgot my passport book as well(you get stamps from national parks all over the country.. I have had mine since eighth grade) so that wasn’t as fun. I had to safeguard my little tiny piece of paper which I had stamped and would later put into my book, which was nearly impossible since I didn’t have a jacket, was wearing a dress with pants, and had no were to hide it from the downpour.\nI think you see where I am going.\nThe most disappointing part was the fact that the lava wasn’t flowing. The whole thing we drove three hours to see, wasn’t happening today. Can I explain my disappointment.\nBut you have to push through, so instead we went to go see this really interesting crater. There were also some nice steam vents along the way. Can I also say how hard it is to take pictures when it is pouring? I was running around getting soaked with my camera shoved in a plastic bag whipping it out to take pictures then stuff it back in.\nThe crater was very cool, but it still didn’t quite fill the void of the unseen lava. But I did get quite a few good creeper photos there. I also learned quite and interesting bit about Hawaiian Mythology which is one of the only types of Mythology I haven’t looked into. Pele is an interesting woman… goddess.\nNext was a stop at the Lava Tubes which is basically a giant tunnel underground. It was very impressive. We also had a lot of fun with the mad dash back to car out of the pouring rain. The area around the park was amazing. It was just like a rainforest with giant ferns, and so much green all around you. It really was a beautiful place.\nAfter the disappointment I had a lot of fun at the park. As we left the park the rain got even worse. I love rain but this was scary, we couldn’t even see the road it was coming down so hard. On our ride home a huge storm followed us. Thunder storms chased us along the mountain road back to the hotel. The storm lasted until noon the next day. But that is a different story.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091228_volcano/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhen in Hawaii, my family and I visited \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm\"\u003eHawaii Volcanoes National Park\u003c/a\u003e.\nI must say it was pretty disappointing to most of us. It took us three hours to\ndrive there, then it started pouring rain. And I mean POURING. So I had to\nquickly put pants on because of course I was wearing a dress since it is\nHawaii and I am horrible at predicting the weather. So we had  to make a mad\ndash from the car into the Visitor Center, which kept routinely losing it’s\npower which made things very hard to buy when tha cash register keeps shutting\ndown. I forgot my passport book as well(you get stamps from national parks all\nover the country.. I have had mine since eighth grade) so that wasn’t as fun.\nI had to safeguard my little tiny piece of paper which I had stamped and would\nlater put into my book, which was nearly impossible since I didn’t have a\njacket, was wearing a dress with pants, and had no were to hide it from the\ndownpour.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Volcano National Park: Hawaii"},{"content":"Hells gate is always open\nFor the son of man\nNo closing time\nWe keep our doors open\nJust for you\nWe value your partnership\nYou keep us alive\nOur only faithful sponsor\nAlways coming back for more\nWe have no doubts\nFor your future\nWe can see the path\nYou have paved\nThere is no denying it\nFor in the end\nYou will wind up\nOn our doorstep\nJust begging to be let in\nAnd we will oblige you\nWe have been expecting you\nWe will say\nOpening our arms\nWith a grin so wide\nIt could split your face open\nBut you have no idea\nWhat you are getting into\nSadly though\nThere is no escape\nThis is your unwavering fate\nYou were born into\nDamned from the start\nIt is not your fault\nIt is not mine\nIt is just your nature\nTo always have mischief on your mind\nDo not worry or be sad\nWe here are welcoming\nYou can think of me\nAs an extended family\nWere home is hell\nAnd your reality is damnation\nDon’t be afraid\nOur door is always open\nAll you have to do is knock\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091228_home/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHells gate is always open\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the son of man\u003cbr\u003e\nNo closing time\u003cbr\u003e\nWe keep our doors open\u003cbr\u003e\nJust for you\u003cbr\u003e\nWe value your partnership\u003cbr\u003e\nYou keep us alive\u003cbr\u003e\nOur only faithful sponsor\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways coming back for more\u003cbr\u003e\nWe have no doubts\u003cbr\u003e\nFor your future\u003cbr\u003e\nWe can see the path\u003cbr\u003e\nYou have paved\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no denying it\u003cbr\u003e\nFor in the end\u003cbr\u003e\nYou will wind up\u003cbr\u003e\nOn our doorstep\u003cbr\u003e\nJust begging to be let in\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd we will oblige you\u003cbr\u003e\nWe have been expecting you\u003cbr\u003e\nWe will say\u003cbr\u003e\nOpening our arms\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a grin so wide\u003cbr\u003e\nIt could split your face open\u003cbr\u003e\nBut you have no idea\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat you are getting into\u003cbr\u003e\nSadly though\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no escape\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is your unwavering fate\u003cbr\u003e\nYou were born into\u003cbr\u003e\nDamned from the start\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is not your fault\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is not mine\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is just your nature\u003cbr\u003e\nTo always have mischief on your mind\u003cbr\u003e\nDo not worry or be sad\u003cbr\u003e\nWe here are welcoming\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can think of me\u003cbr\u003e\nAs an extended family\u003cbr\u003e\nWere home is hell\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your reality is damnation\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t be afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nOur door is always open\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you have to do is knock\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Welcome Home"},{"content":"You were sitting in a hammock with your boyfriend at the beach. You looked so peaceful, I had seen you walking around with him, standing on the tide pools. You two looked very happy together. You might have been sleeping but I wasn’t sure. I wonder what brought you here to Hawaii, maybe your boyfriend was going to ask to marry you here, or maybe you came here to get to know him better. Whatever your reason I hope your stay went well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091227_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were sitting in a hammock with your boyfriend at the beach. You looked so\npeaceful, I had seen you walking around with him, standing on the tide pools.\nYou two looked very happy together. You might have been sleeping but I wasn’t\nsure. I wonder what brought you here to Hawaii, maybe your boyfriend was going\nto ask to marry you here, or maybe you came here to get to know him better.\nWhatever your reason I hope your stay went well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Sleeping"},{"content":"People need to remember to watch for falling stars all around them. The world is full of beauty and stars. Some can remain up high, but most fall. Keep an eye open, they are all around you. The ones with a light so bright but try to hold that light inside. Ask them, they are just afraid to shine.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091226_stars/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePeople need to remember to watch for falling stars all around them. The world\nis full of beauty and stars. Some can remain up high, but most fall. Keep an\neye open, they are all around you. The ones with a light so bright but try to\nhold that light inside. Ask them, they are just afraid to shine.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Falling Stars"},{"content":"I wish everyone a happy holiday season and Merry Christmas. I wish you an abstract Christmas in which you look at tradition and don’t fear going outside of the norm. Look at a Christmas light and don’t see a tree behind it see the light shining within each individual light itself. Switch things up and remember the significance of the traditions, don’t do them because that is the way it has always been but because you truly understand.\nMerry Abstract Christmas\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI wish everyone a happy holiday season and Merry Christmas. I wish you an\nabstract Christmas in which you look at tradition and don’t fear going outside\nof the norm. Look at a Christmas light and don’t see a tree behind it see the\nlight shining within each individual light itself. Switch things up and\nremember the significance of the traditions, don’t do them because that is the\nway it has always been but because you truly understand.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Merry Christmas"},{"content":"I found Santa, prior to contrary belief he actually spends most of his time in Hawaii not the North Pole. I rather enjoy his rubber boots.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091224_santa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI found Santa, prior to contrary belief he actually spends most of his time in\nHawaii not the North Pole. I rather enjoy his rubber boots.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"I Found Santa"},{"content":"It is actually kind of creepy how many wild cats live in Hawaii. They are everywhere. They are creepy because they look different from most cats, I assume it is because they are feral cats but who knows. The other day I saw thirty all sitting together, they act like a lion’s pack. Some are nice and others won’t let you within a ten foot radius.\nCan you spot all the kitties? There are five, one is really hard to find. Keep in mind this is just a fraction of the big pack lying on the rocks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091223_cats/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt is actually kind of creepy how many wild cats live in Hawaii. They are\neverywhere. They are creepy  because they look different from most cats, I\nassume it is because they are feral cats but who knows. The other day I saw\nthirty all sitting together, they act like a lion’s pack. Some are nice and\nothers won’t let you within a ten foot radius.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCan you spot all the kitties? There are five, one is really hard to find. Keep\nin mind this is just a fraction of the big pack lying on the rocks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Can You Find All the Cats?"},{"content":"I must say this image sickens me slightly. The fact that this little girl, maybe four years old, is dressed in high heels and black spandex tights. Is it just me or is something wrong with this picture? I don’t understand how parents could dress, or let her dress like this.\nNot to mention it was in Hawaii, it was so hot out I don’t understand how she could wear this without overheating.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091222_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI must say this image sickens me slightly. The fact that this little girl,\nmaybe four years old, is dressed in high heels and black spandex tights. Is it\njust me or is something wrong with this picture? I don’t understand how\nparents could dress, or let her dress like this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot to mention it was in Hawaii, it was so hot out I don’t understand how she\ncould wear this without overheating.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Dress Up"},{"content":"I got to swim with a bunch of sea turtles in the ocean. Turtles I must say are very strange looking animals, they feel like leather and have giant eyes. I just got to float around next to them while I was snorkeling.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091222_turtles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI got to swim with a bunch of sea turtles in the ocean. Turtles I must say are\nvery strange looking animals, they feel like leather and have giant eyes. I\njust got to float around next to them while I was snorkeling.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming with Turtles"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re having lunch at the Mauna Kea Resort before heading over to Hapuna Beach for some fun in the surf. Lunch is always great at the Mauna Lani, but it\u0026rsquo;s nice to do something different. The waves are great for body surfing, but I wish I had my boogie board from back home. It sure is nice not wearing a wetsuit for a change.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091222_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re having lunch at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.maunakearesort.com\"\u003eMauna Kea Resort\u003c/a\u003e before heading over\nto Hapuna Beach for some fun in the surf. Lunch is always great at the Mauna\nLani, but it\u0026rsquo;s nice to do something different. The waves are great for body\nsurfing, but I wish I had my boogie board from back home. It sure is nice not\nwearing a wetsuit for a change.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091222_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091222_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091222_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting the Mauna Kea Resort in Hawaii"},{"content":"Today is a very big day. Gabe the fisherman is finally going out on the ocean with me for his first sport fishing charter. We\u0026rsquo;re aiming to catch some very big fish, so we\u0026rsquo;re hoping our luck delivers. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a full day charter lined up on theLepika as we head south looking for the fish. Gabe gets in a little rest time while the big rods wait patiently.\nWe spent the whole day without any luck, but just when it was looking bad, we finally spotted the dolphin pod just outside the harbor. The storm last night threw off their usual routine, so now we need to get busy and catch some fish. There are a couple of other boats working the pod, while Russ bobs his squid rig trying to entice a yellowfin tuna (ahi) to bite. The dolphin must be having so much fun flying through the air.\nJust when I\u0026rsquo;m sure Russ is going to say it\u0026rsquo;s time to head in, we finally get a bite. Gabe had a really hard time sitting down in the fighting chair, and cranking up the monster fish. Russ gaffs and drags in Gabe\u0026rsquo;s biggest fish catch ever. He is one happy man.\nBack at the dock, Gabe\u0026rsquo;s ahi weighs in at 147 pounds. I felt bad turning down having the fish stuffed for display on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s wall, but these photos will have to be it. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to come back again for another fishing trip with Gabe and Russ.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is a very big day. Gabe the fisherman is finally going out on the ocean\nwith me for his first sport fishing charter. We\u0026rsquo;re aiming to catch some very\nbig fish, so we\u0026rsquo;re hoping our luck delivers. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a full day charter\nlined up on the\u003ca href=\"https://www.lepikasportfishing.com\"\u003eLepika\u003c/a\u003e as we head south\nlooking for the fish. Gabe gets in a little rest time while the big rods wait\npatiently.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091221_hawaii/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sport fishing with Gabe in Hawaii"},{"content":"Let’s have a talk about something serious right now. Today I had a wonderful day in Hawaii, snorkeling, walking around, sunbathing, all that jazz. My whole day came to a very quick stop though.\nWhile I was on the beach I heard a mother yelling. At first I paid it no heed thinking it was just a bunch of rowdy people in the water, until it continued for another good ten minutes. So I sat up and looked out at the water. There is a mother and her little eight year old boy standing in the water.\nShe was yelling at him, chastising him and dragging him into the water. For a moment I thought they where just playing but after she started cursing at him and he started crying, it became very clear it wasn’t just playing.\nShe was trying to get him to go snorkeling but the kid really didn’t want to. He was bawling and trying to run back to the beach but his mom kept grabbing him and trying to force him to go under even though he was so clearly terrified. She kept yelling at him to “put your f*@#ing mask on” and “put your f\u0026amp;%@ing head under he water”.\nI was appalled.\nThe dad was sitting on the beach laughing as he kept yelling “the sharks are coming, the sharks are coming”. The kid was screaming and crying. The mother even went as far as to grab the kid as he ran away, drag him into the deep part of the water, and force him to stay there.\nI didn’t know what to do. I was alone watching this poor kid being verbally and emotional abused by his parents. I noticed a few other people watching as well and I got up to go talk to them. I talked with two old women and a family of three also watching.\nI asked them if we should stop them, step in, ask them to stop. We decided we had to do something so we went down on the beach edge to go talk to them. The mother noticed all of us standing there and got out of the water and walked away. I guess she gave up.\nThis means nothing to me. The fact that she walked away isn’t what matters. That poor kid was probably so traumatized because we let that go on for so long. So I ask you:\nWhen do you step in?\nIt is really none of my business how a parent raises their child, but when is it appropriate to step in and do something. Do I have any right at all in doing this? It isn’t my child, it isn’t my business. But if a child is being abused emotionally, verbally, or physically, when is it up to me to do something?\nIt shocked me so much that someone could do this to their child. I am glad we did something but I feel like it wasn’t enough. So I ask you the reader, when do you step in, share that with me.And don’t let this happen.\nNext time I don’t want to be unprepared.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091221_abuse/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLet’s have a talk about something serious right now. Today I had a wonderful\nday in Hawaii, snorkeling, walking around, sunbathing, all that jazz. My whole\nday came to a very quick stop though.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile I was on the beach I heard a mother yelling. At first I paid it no heed\nthinking it was just a bunch of rowdy people in the water, until it continued\nfor another good ten minutes. So I sat up and looked out at the water. There\nis a mother and her little eight year old boy standing in the water.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"When Do You Step In: Abuse"},{"content":"\nAlright remember my post, Creeper Photo: I Got Creeped? I must say I was quite sore about having been so scared by the Tiki Guy, so I decided I had to get revenge on him by scaring him back. My plan was to scare him somehow and it worked perfectly.\nI snuck up behind him while he was lighting the torches and used my flash on my camera to blind him. He got really scared and surprised. My revenge was complete, except for one little detail:\nIt wasn’t the same guy\nApparently they switch off people who light the torches. I did not know this, so sorry for flashing you with my camera.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091220_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_creeper/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlright remember my post, Creeper Photo: I Got Creeped? I must say I was quite\nsore about having been so scared by the Tiki Guy, so I decided I had to get\nrevenge on him by scaring him back. My plan was to scare him somehow and it\nworked perfectly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI snuck up behind him while he was lighting the torches and used my flash on my\ncamera to blind him. He got really scared and surprised. My revenge was\ncomplete, except for one little detail:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Revenge"},{"content":"My new gecko friend, I named him Phillip. I spotted him on my way to go on bike ride around our hotel, the Mauna Lani in Hawaii. This little guy is so cool looking, my favorite part of him is his eyes. And of course, his little toes.\nThese geckos are all over the place but I got really close to this one. I hope to see you again Phillip, but then again I probably won’t even know it is you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091220_gecko/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy new gecko friend, I named him Phillip. I spotted him on my way to go on bike\nride around our hotel, the Mauna Lani in Hawaii. This little guy is so cool\nlooking, my favorite part of him is his eyes. And of course, his little toes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese geckos are all over the place but I got really close to this one. I hope\nto see you again Phillip, but then again I probably won’t even know it is\nyou.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gecko"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re headed over to the Hilton Waikoloa Village to check it out. The shops are a good place to stop for lunch and a visit with Santa. They have nicer fleet of matching bikes than back at the Mauna Lani.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of waterfalls and statues at the hotel.\nIt was fun watching the dolphins for a while.\nhen we walked around the paths amidst the crazy crowds. Monica was dying to take a million creeper photos.\nLastly it was time to take the boat tour. Lots more statues and birds to entertain the family.\nI was happy to get back to the calmness of our hotel. Tonight it\u0026rsquo;s torch lighting and some marshmallows by the fire.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re headed over to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/koahwhh-hilton-waikoloa-village/\"\u003eHilton Waikoloa Village\u003c/a\u003e to check\nit out. The shops are a good place to stop for lunch and a visit with Santa.\nThey have nicer fleet of matching bikes than back at the Mauna Lani.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of waterfalls and statues at the hotel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was fun watching the dolphins for a while.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091220_hawaii/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehen we walked around the paths amidst the crazy crowds. Monica was dying to\ntake a million creeper photos.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting the Hilton Waikoloa in Hawaii"},{"content":"I saw you at the airport in Hawaii. You didn’t seem so happy to be there, it was probably the heat but it could have been anything. I just wanted to tell you to cheer up. Even if you aren’t happy now you will remember this experience forever.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091219_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you at the airport in Hawaii. You didn’t seem so happy to be there, it\nwas probably the heat but it could have been anything. I just wanted to tell\nyou to cheer up. Even if you aren’t happy now you will remember this\nexperience forever.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Cheer Up"},{"content":"After another spinning class, it\u0026rsquo;s time to explore the lava caves along this cool walking path at the Mauna Lani. Fancy running into Charlotte out for a run!\nCharlotte and Monica continue their exploration out to the point.\nToday we\u0026rsquo;re headed south to check out the volcanoes. There are a few funny sights along the way, but overall it\u0026rsquo;s just a really long drive in dreary weather.\nHawaii Volcanoes National Park was pretty cool, even if we didn\u0026rsquo;t see any red hot magma, and it was raining, and everyone was grumpy after the long drive. It sure was one big smoking hole in the ground. The walk through the lava tube was definitely very cool. It reminded me of the copper mines in Michigan.\nAfter a long drive home through Hilo, it\u0026rsquo;s time to enjoy some well earned relaxation in the pool with my swim buddy Gabe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter another spinning class, it\u0026rsquo;s time to explore the lava caves along this\ncool walking path at the Mauna Lani. Fancy running into Charlotte out for a\nrun!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica continue their exploration out to the point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re headed south to check out the volcanoes. There are a few funny\nsights along the way, but overall it\u0026rsquo;s just a really long drive in dreary\nweather.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091219_hawaii/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring lava and volcanoes in Hawaii"},{"content":"Morning in Hawaii starts with koi, flowers, and an awesome buffet. I get in a spinning class to make up for all the eating and lack of cycling, though I do enjoy touring around on the hotel\u0026rsquo;s cruisers with the kids.\nThis afternoon I\u0026rsquo;m heading up to the top of Mauna Kea to visit the observatories and get in a little observing on slightly smaller scopes just below the summit. It\u0026rsquo;s a crazy long drive to the top at over 13,000 feet, and the upper parts are all gravel. I didn\u0026rsquo;t see any invisible cows, but I knew Monica would love this sign. I thought the very unique Silver Sword plant was quite interesting. It only grows around the visitor center and higher elevations. I also got my first view of Mauna Loa here above the clouds.\nMeanwhile, my family enjoys the sunset and turtles down at sea level.\nWhile I take a tour of the most powerful telescopes in the world. I sure wish we could go in and see them.\nOur timing is perfect as the sun sets for the day. The big Keck dome opens for a busy night of observing I\u0026rsquo;m sure. Once the sun is down, we head down a few thousand feet to setup some scopes for an observing session of our own. I can see why everyone builds their observatories up here, as it\u0026rsquo;s the clearest and darkest skies I have ever seen. It\u0026rsquo;s amazing how many stars you can see as people once could long ago.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been a really long day with so much driving, so let\u0026rsquo;s say goodnight to the torch bearing dude that Monica seems to like so much.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMorning in Hawaii starts with koi, flowers, and an awesome buffet. I get in a\nspinning class to make up for all the eating and lack of cycling, though I do\nenjoy touring around on the hotel\u0026rsquo;s cruisers with the kids.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091218_hawaii/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis afternoon I\u0026rsquo;m heading up to the top of Mauna Kea to visit the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.maunakeaobservatories.org\"\u003eobservatories\u003c/a\u003e and get in a little\nobserving on slightly smaller scopes just below the summit. It\u0026rsquo;s a crazy long\ndrive to the top at over 13,000 feet, and the upper parts are all gravel. I\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t see any invisible cows, but I knew Monica would love this sign. I\nthought the very unique Silver Sword plant was quite interesting. It only\ngrows around the visitor center and higher elevations. I also got my first\nview of Mauna Loa here above the clouds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Astronomy day on Mauna Kea in Hawaii"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091218_newspaper/","summary":"","title":"Japanese Newspaper"},{"content":"So today in Hawaii the tables got turned on me by this guy. I have decided to call him Tiki Guy, wait maybe Conch Guy, anyway the name doesn’t matter because what really matters is him scaring me to death.\nI was walking around in the lobby of my hotel trying to get a creeper photo of someone and not paying attention. Then all of a sudden right in front of me is a half-naked man with a flaming torch and a giant conch shell in hand. He blew it right in my face and I screamed because I got so scared.\nYes, I screamed right in the middle of the lobby in front of many people. It was so embarrassing. He just smiled and ran off down the hallway to terrify someone else. This photo is all I could manage as he ran off. It was a strange moment, but it did put things in a bit of perspective. I am always creeping people and today I feel I got creeped because I was so completely unaware of this guy right in front of me.\nNo this does not mean I am going to stop. That would be no fun. But I am aware that it is very odd and awkward at times when I get caught creeping someone. Thanks Tiki Guy, Conch Guy, whatever for scaring the crap out of me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091217_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo today in Hawaii the tables got turned on me by this guy. I have decided to\ncall him Tiki Guy, wait maybe Conch Guy, anyway the name doesn’t matter\nbecause what really matters is him scaring me to death.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was walking around in the lobby of my hotel trying to get a creeper photo of\nsomeone and not paying attention. Then all of a sudden right in front of me is\na half-naked man with a flaming torch and a giant conch shell in hand. He blew\nit right in my face and I screamed because I got so scared.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: I Got Creeped"},{"content":"My family and I have officially arrived at Mauna Lani Bay Resort in Hawaii. I can’t begin to explain just how excited I am to be here. It is sunny, warm, and beautiful. I am rather fond of leis myself. My brother loves leis for another reason, because he gets to say he got layed in Hawaii. Yes, he is a teenage boy and can’t help making sexual innuendos everywhere he goes.\nFor the next six days I will be residing in a small piece of paradise. I can’t wait to see what will happen along my vacation. I remember a lot from the last time I was in Hawaii…. when I was I third grade. I have only been once and can’t wait to make new experiences. Stay tuned.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy family and I have officially arrived at Mauna Lani Bay Resort in Hawaii. I can’t begin to explain just how excited I am to be here. It is sunny, warm, and beautiful. I am rather fond of leis myself. My brother loves leis for another reason, because he gets to say he got layed in Hawaii. Yes, he is a teenage boy and can’t help making sexual innuendos everywhere he goes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Hawaii"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been way too many years since the family has been to Hawaii, so we\u0026rsquo;ve made a last minute decision to go for a week right before Christmas. Sitting for over five hours on a plane is a piece of cake when you\u0026rsquo;re heading to a place like the Big Island.\nParadise has been waiting for us here at the Mauna Lani hotel. Birds, flowers, and a lovely fruit place are waiting as well.\nA quick tour of the hotel grounds to bring back the old Hawaii memories, and get us ready for a great week of relaxation and fun.\nCharlotte and I have been dreaming of having a chi-chi by the beach again after so many years. They\u0026rsquo;re as good as I remembered.\nSunset in Hawaii with the turtles and palm trees is just perfection. The torch lighting ceremony closes out the first night of our vacation. Yeah baby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been way too many years since the family has been to Hawaii, so we\u0026rsquo;ve made\na last minute decision to go for a week right before Christmas. Sitting for\nover five hours on a plane is a piece of cake when you\u0026rsquo;re heading to a place\nlike the Big Island.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091217_hawaii/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParadise has been waiting for us here at the \u003ca href=\"https://auberge.com/mauna-lani/\"\u003eMauna Lani\u003c/a\u003e hotel.\nBirds, flowers, and a lovely fruit place are waiting as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vacation time in Hawaii"},{"content":"\nIt is finally Christmas time! Enjoy the holiday season, kiss under the mistletoe, give a random person a hug and don’t forget to smile. Let the holidays light up your day.\nHappy Holidays!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091216_light/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091216_light/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is finally Christmas time! Enjoy the holiday season, kiss under the\nmistletoe, give a random person a hug and don’t forget to smile. Let the\nholidays light up your day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHappy Holidays!!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Light Up Your Day"},{"content":"So, I know I have been somewhat neglecting my blog and I apologize for that.\nSORRY BLOG\nNow that vacation is starting I will finally have some time to work on my writing. Currently my family and I are leaving for Hawaii in the morning for our Christmas break. I will be leaving travel updates everyday so stay tuned to see Hawaii in all it’s glory.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091216_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo, I know I have been somewhat neglecting my blog and I apologize for that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSORRY BLOG\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that vacation is starting I will finally have some time to work on my\nwriting. Currently my family and I are leaving for Hawaii in the morning for\nour Christmas break. I will be leaving travel updates everyday so stay tuned\nto see Hawaii in all it’s glory.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel: Hawaii"},{"content":"People walk around as if they are living in a dream. Wondering from one destination to the next without thought or questioning.\nFrankly it sickens me to no extent. The fact that people can so blindly pass through life, the impassiveness of humanity is frightening.\nWhat makes people care so little?\nWhat is the root of humanity’s disconnect with the rest of the world around them? How can people stand to live a life without curiosity or adventure?\nIs it even living?\nIf that is how you want to waste your life, walking around like a ghost. Watching your feet as you put one in front of the other, so be it. But I refuse to live like that.\nAs you watch me pass you, or maybe you won’t notice me at all. Don’t tread on me, don’t get in my way. I am going to live my life and if you are going to waste so precious a gift stay away from me.\nIf you are lost, come find me. If you seek change, to leave behind a ghost world that sticks to you like a shadow, come find me. Maybe we can scare away your demons together. Follow me down a path which is tread by so few. If you are walking the other way just make sure not to get in my way. I will not be stopped.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091215_tread/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePeople walk around as if they are living in a dream. Wondering from one\ndestination to the next without thought or questioning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrankly it sickens me to no extent. The fact that people can so blindly pass\nthrough life, the impassiveness of humanity is frightening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat makes people care so little?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is the root of humanity’s disconnect with the rest of the world around\nthem? How can people stand to live a life without curiosity or adventure?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Don’t Tread On Me"},{"content":"On a hot day when the sun is beating down mercilessly there is always a sprinkler to give rain to the hungry soil. So rain down cries the budding seeds, let us grow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091214_rain/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn a hot day when the sun is beating down mercilessly there is always a\nsprinkler to give rain to the hungry soil. So rain down cries the budding\nseeds, let us grow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rain Down"},{"content":"My friends wanted me to take this photo outside of the Art Museum in San Jose. So here you go, a picture of a pregnant woman walking to no where.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091213_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy friends wanted me to take this photo outside of the Art Museum in San Jose.\nSo here you go, a picture of a pregnant woman walking to no where.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: They made me do it"},{"content":"Look into my eyes\nPlease tell me what you see\nDo you know who I am\nOr have you seen someone\nJust like me\nStanding in the background\nWith dark solemn eyes\nWe are the Rebel Children\nBroken yet strong\nWe can be found everywhere\nOr nowhere at all\nWe are the vacant eyes\nOf a forsaken god\nAlways watching\nBut who sees nothing\nAnd does nothing\nHollow and dark\nWe are the stain glass windows\nPeering deep into your soul\nWe do not pass judgment\nWe are the just the eyes\nOf a century\nHow foolish for anyone\nTo have ever believe\nWe as humans\nWere the images of angels\nWe are god’s Rebel Children\nNever what we are expected\nTo be in the end\nWe fight through silence\nWith our angry eyes\nCast not at heaven\nBut into the passersbys\nGod didn’t make us this way\nWe did\nWe are the rampant soul\nOf a stubborn child\nWe want only what we do not have\nAnd hate all else\nThe consumers and buyers\nBurning a hole in your soul\nGrinding in a cigarette butt\nNo chance for a fire ever again\nSnuff out that spark of life\nLeaving you in an eternity of darkness\nThat you yourself created\nSo empty and hollow\nJust trying to fill that hole\nThe hole you burned\nWith your money and lies\nWith your jealousy and hate\nSlowly destroying your life\nWe are the Rebel Children\nWho just don’t belong\nThe ones who can’t sleep at night\nBut can’t ever really wake up\nWe are everything\nAnd nothing at all\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091213_rebels/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLook into my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease tell me what you see\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you know who I am\u003cbr\u003e\nOr have you seen someone\u003cbr\u003e\nJust like me\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding in the background\u003cbr\u003e\nWith dark solemn eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the Rebel Children\u003cbr\u003e\nBroken yet strong\u003cbr\u003e\nWe can be found everywhere\u003cbr\u003e\nOr nowhere at all\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the vacant eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a forsaken god\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways watching\u003cbr\u003e\nBut who sees nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd does nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nHollow and dark\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the stain glass windows\u003cbr\u003e\nPeering deep into your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nWe do not pass judgment\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the just the eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a century\u003cbr\u003e\nHow foolish for anyone\u003cbr\u003e\nTo have ever believe\u003cbr\u003e\nWe as humans\u003cbr\u003e\nWere the images of angels\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are god’s Rebel Children\u003cbr\u003e\nNever what we are expected\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be in the end\u003cbr\u003e\nWe fight through silence\u003cbr\u003e\nWith our angry eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nCast not at heaven\u003cbr\u003e\nBut into the passersbys\u003cbr\u003e\nGod didn’t make us this way\u003cbr\u003e\nWe did\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the rampant soul\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a stubborn child\u003cbr\u003e\nWe want only what we do not have\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd hate all else\u003cbr\u003e\nThe consumers and buyers\u003cbr\u003e\nBurning a hole in your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nGrinding in a cigarette butt\u003cbr\u003e\nNo chance for a fire ever again\u003cbr\u003e\nSnuff out that spark of life\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving you in an eternity of darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you yourself created\u003cbr\u003e\nSo empty and hollow\u003cbr\u003e\nJust trying to fill that hole\u003cbr\u003e\nThe hole you burned\u003cbr\u003e\nWith your money and lies\u003cbr\u003e\nWith your jealousy and hate\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly destroying your life\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are the Rebel Children\u003cbr\u003e\nWho just don’t belong\u003cbr\u003e\nThe ones who can’t sleep at night\u003cbr\u003e\nBut can’t ever really wake up\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are everything\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd nothing at all\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rebel Children"},{"content":"Yeah, you know you are jealous. I bet you wish you had a BBQ place named after you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091212_bbq/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYeah, you know you are jealous. I bet you wish you had a BBQ place named after\nyou.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mo’s BBQ"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091211_flight/","summary":"","title":"The Flight"},{"content":"A strange short story I just wrote quickly, not sure whether I like it or not.\nLet me tell you of the story of the man with no eyes. He was a man of simple needs. A man perpetually waiting for nothing.\nEveryday he would take walks. He would leave his home, the screen door swinging shut behind him, left for the wind to play with as it was blown open again and again, he walked down his front step and straight down his walkway bordered by a small sea of neatly kept grass. He would always turn left no matter the day. He would walk for hours his head bent down walking to nowhere talking to no one. He would walk to the park and sit on his bench. Alone and silent. Listening to the children play and the wind dance past him. He would walk to the market but never walk inside. Just stand there looking at the doors that opened at his presence and then closed once again. He would walk to the ocean and stand by the sea. His arms folded behind him, his chin held to the breeze. He would stand there in silence all alone again. He was a man of simple needs.\nWhat he needed and what he received where very different things. He wished for solitude and instead received ridicule. The man with no eyes was mocked as he wandered. He could go nowhere in peace as he was always followed. Mostly by children and the occasional cruel parent. But he was followed mainly by whispers of fear and disgust. Haunted by his pursues he was never alone.\n“Look at him, the man who cannot see. What a horrible life he must lead, oh I do pity the poor man who cannot even see his own hands.”\n“What did you do old man to loose your eyes? Did you kill someone, or just loose to the Devil one to many times?”\n“He can’t see anything, we are better than him. Poor soul, poor blind man. We are better than you.”\nHe would shake his head but never answer, just continue on his way in silent torture. As he walked out his door, letting the screen door bang. He wondered down his walkway and was knocked to the ground. He couldn’t see the men who did it, or make them stop. They beat him yelling\n“We can get away free with all that we want, the blind man can’t tell. He doesn’t know who we are because he can’t see. Poor blind man with no eyes to see!”\nThey laughed at him as he bled on the ground. The neighbors watched but didn’t utter a sound. His torturers left him bleeding on the ground the old man picked up his head and uttered a sound. The boys stopped surprised by his voice. It was not weak or feeble but loud and sure. Not the voice of an old man but that of a wizened soul.\n“You will see one day, that I am the lucky one. I don’t need my eyes to see my punishers. I don’t need to see to know whom you are, to know what you’ve done. When judgement comes, everyone will know. I don’t need my eyes to see you, to see through you into your small pitiful world. One day you will see just how lucky I am. Then you will know who the poor soul is.”\nThe boys stopped, looking back in silent horror. Their voices ripped out as they stared at their would be prey who laughed and laughed at their ignorance. They ran like cowards to hide in their world of light. To seek out justification for what the man without eyes had said against their crimes.\nThe neighbors left leaving the man to his own accord. He stood up slowly wiping the blood from his face. He shook his head and uttered a word of disgrace. They would see, he knew. They would pay one day but when he didn’t know.\nThat one day came in the old man’s final years. Decades after the boys on his lawn had punished him for a fault he knew was to be his greatest asset. The day the earth fell from the sun, and the lights went out the old man had won.\nHe sat in the darkness as everyone screamed. Panic and discord ran through the streets. They yelled for help because they couldn’t see. The sons of light left alone in darkness. No matter how loud they screamed no one would hear them. The old man laughed and laughed as he took his daily walk. He walked out his front door leaving the screen banging but it wasn’t heard in the loud clamor of panic. He walked down his walkway surrounded by grass. He turned left into the world that had so drastically changed.\nHe laughed and laughed because he knew it was going to come, and here it was at last, and no one had listened to the man with no eyes who saw all but never told.\nThere was no change for him, all was as it had ever been to the man with no eyes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091210_blindman/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA strange short story I just wrote quickly, not sure whether I like it or not.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet me tell you of the story of the man with no eyes. He was a man of simple\nneeds. A man perpetually waiting for nothing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryday he would take walks. He would leave his home, the screen door swinging\nshut behind him, left for the wind to play with as it was blown open again and\nagain, he walked down his front step and straight down his walkway bordered by\na small sea of neatly kept grass. He would always turn left no matter the day.\nHe would walk for hours his head bent down walking to nowhere talking to no\none. He would walk to the park and sit on his bench. Alone and silent.\nListening to the children play and the wind dance past him. He would walk to\nthe market but never walk inside. Just stand there looking at the doors that\nopened at his presence and then closed once again. He would walk to the ocean\nand stand by the sea. His arms folded behind him, his chin held to the breeze.\nHe would stand there in silence all alone again. He was a man of simple\nneeds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Blind Man (Short Story)"},{"content":"You were so cute on your bike. You were trying so hard to stay ahead of everyone. I don’t know if your face was sunburnt or maybe it just looked red, but you were putting so much effort into it. I congratulate you on that but what made you so bent on trying to be first? Maybe you are just trying to get your training wheels off, but still, the effort is what counts. Keep it up kid.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091210_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were so cute on your bike. You were trying so hard to stay ahead of\neveryone. I don’t know if your face was sunburnt or maybe it just looked red,\nbut you were putting so much effort into it. I congratulate you on that but\nwhat made you so bent on trying to be first? Maybe you are just trying to get\nyour training wheels off, but still, the effort is what counts. Keep it up\nkid.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: The Effort"},{"content":"In San Jose next to the Art Museum my friends and I wondered around in a little winter wonderland. In there we found this tree, an International Baccalaureate tree. Yes, it exists and here is my evidence.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091210_ibtree/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn San Jose next to the Art Museum my friends and I wondered around in a little\nwinter wonderland. In there we found this tree, an International Baccalaureate\ntree. Yes, it exists and here is my evidence.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"IB Tree"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091207_pigs/","summary":"","title":"When Pigs Fly"},{"content":"I saw you out in front of the San Jose Museum of Art with my friends. They got to see my creepering in action for the first time because of you. I really enjoyed your sunglasses and hat. I wonder where you were headed because you didn’t go into the art museum you just walked by leaving your bike chained out front.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091206_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw you out in front of the San Jose Museum of Art with my friends. They got\nto see my creepering in action for the first time because of you. I really\nenjoyed your sunglasses and hat. I wonder where you were headed because you\ndidn’t go into the art museum you just walked by leaving your bike chained out\nfront.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Biker Woman"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091206_palms/","summary":"","title":"Palms and the Moon"},{"content":"Charlotte, Gordon, and I decided it was about time we went to see the annual Santa Cruz Lighted Boat Parade down at the harbor this year. We bundled ourselves up, grabbed a little food, and camped out on a bench to enjoy the show. I headed out to the end of one of the docks to get some photos. They didn\u0026rsquo;t come out great, but I do like the colors. The highlights had to be the hula dancers on the outrigger, and the kayaks. It was also pretty funny when the end of our dock started to sink with all the people crowded on the end.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091205_boatparade/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Gordon, and I decided it was about time we went to see the annual\n\u003ca href=\"https://scyc.org/lighted-boat-parade\"\u003eSanta Cruz Lighted Boat Parade\u003c/a\u003e down at\nthe harbor this year. We bundled ourselves up, grabbed a little food, and\ncamped out on a bench to enjoy the show. I headed out to the end of one of the\ndocks to get some photos. They didn\u0026rsquo;t come out great, but I do like the\ncolors. The highlights had to be the hula dancers on the outrigger, and the\nkayaks. It was also pretty funny when the end of our dock started to sink with\nall the people crowded on the end.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz Lighted Boat Parade"},{"content":"\nI am an avid art lover and these are my two newest additions to my room. The first picture is the first original piece of artwork that I have ever bought on my own. I got it at Bruce Telopa’s show last night at the Dead Cow Gallery. The other is a gorgeous painting my aunt did and gave to me called Wolf Whistle. However now I have to rearrange my walls. Which means taking ever bit of work up on my walls (which is way to much stuff) and trying to figure out how to put the pieces back together.\nThat doesn’t matter, I am just ridiculously happy about my art. I can’t wait to see what they will look like up on my walls.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091205_additions/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091205_additions/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am an avid art lover and these are my two newest additions to my room. The\nfirst picture is the first original piece of artwork that I have ever bought\non my own. I got it at Bruce Telopa’s show last night at the Dead Cow Gallery.\nThe other is a gorgeous painting my aunt did and gave to me called Wolf\nWhistle. However now I have to rearrange my walls. Which means taking ever bit\nof work up on my walls (which is way to much stuff) and trying to figure out\nhow to put the pieces back together.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The New Additions"},{"content":"You were watching the sun set over the pier. You looked like a man waiting for something. What I do not know. You seemed content in your isolation, everyone was so happy around you but you were all alone sitting in your chair watching and waiting. I don’t know how you sat there staring at the sun, I couldn’t it was so bright. What were you looking for on that horizon. Whatever it is I hope you find it out there somewhere, someday. Just don’t stop looking, one day you will find it but it might not be what you thought you were looking for.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091204_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were watching the sun set over the pier. You looked like a man waiting for\nsomething. What I do not know. You seemed content in your isolation, everyone\nwas so happy around you but you were all alone sitting in your chair watching\nand waiting. I don’t know how you sat there staring at the sun, I couldn’t it\nwas so bright. What were you looking for on that horizon. Whatever it is I\nhope you find it out there somewhere, someday. Just don’t stop looking, one\nday you will find it but it might not be what you thought you were looking\nfor.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: The Waiting Game"},{"content":"A Palm Tree’s spines, I love the texture of palm trees. They have so much personality. Like the back bones of a tree with spines sticking out and the leaves like fingers fanning out trying to reach everything in it’s grasp.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091204_palm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA Palm Tree’s spines, I love the texture of palm trees. They have so much\npersonality. Like the back bones of a tree with spines sticking out and the\nleaves like fingers fanning out trying to reach everything in it’s grasp.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Palm Tree"},{"content":"There are hands in my mind\nReaching in and rummaging around\nThrowing out what is unwanted\nDigging deeper for treasure\nPulling out string\nAnd throwing it up into the sky\nMaking a spider web\nTo hold up the stars\nSuspended on the strings\nOf my diseased mind\nPulling out words\nLike building blocks\nLying them on the ground\nAll around you\nLocking you in\nYet building you up\nJust to knock you down\nFilling me back up\nUnraveling the web\nOf the universe\nPutting it neatly away\nBack were it belongs\nBut it will never be the same\nBecause at one point\nIt existed as a whole\nIt was real for even the slightest\nOf moments not just a thought\nBut a real tangible thing\nWhere you could reach out\nAnd grasp onto the\nThe trail of stars\nThe spider web threads\nWeaving in the cold night air\nEach lone star lighting up\nThe dark night sky\nOnce it has a taste of reality\nIt becomes a hunger that never abides\nBecoming a monster\nAlways wanting something more\nBut you can’t give it life\nYou can’t give when you have\nNothing left for your self\nMy head is empty\nYou took out all the words\nAll the thoughts\nAnd left me nothing\nBut a darkness and sadness\nThat consumes my entity\nAll that is left\nIs the string of a spider web\nOn which I weave the sky\nYou can’t fix me\nI don’t want to be fixed\nThis is who I am\nWhat I was meant to become\nSo I close my mouth\nAnd lookup at that sky\nOf spider web stars\nKnowing within them\nLay the words\nSlowly unraveling into\nSomething entirely new\nThat the world has never seen\nThe sky sags under its burden\nCrying as its words fall forth\nFalling to the worlds feet\nWhere we pick them up\nAnd use them as we will\nTaking something that never belonged to us\nAbusing them and destroying them\nWith no regards to the spider webs\nThat held them up for so long\nHeld the words of power\nThe words of life and creation\nMy words\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091204_spiderweb/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere are hands in my mind\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching in and rummaging around\u003cbr\u003e\nThrowing out what is unwanted\u003cbr\u003e\nDigging deeper for treasure\u003cbr\u003e\nPulling out string\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd throwing it up into the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nMaking a spider web\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hold up the stars\u003cbr\u003e\nSuspended on the strings\u003cbr\u003e\nOf my diseased mind\u003cbr\u003e\nPulling out words\u003cbr\u003e\nLike building blocks\u003cbr\u003e\nLying them on the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nAll around you\u003cbr\u003e\nLocking you in\u003cbr\u003e\nYet building you up\u003cbr\u003e\nJust to knock you down\u003cbr\u003e\nFilling me back up\u003cbr\u003e\nUnraveling the web\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the universe\u003cbr\u003e\nPutting it neatly away\u003cbr\u003e\nBack were it belongs\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it will never be the same\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause at one point\u003cbr\u003e\nIt existed as a whole\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was real for even the slightest\u003cbr\u003e\nOf moments not just a thought\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a real tangible thing\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere you could reach out\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd grasp onto the\u003cbr\u003e\nThe trail of stars\u003cbr\u003e\nThe spider web threads\u003cbr\u003e\nWeaving in the cold night air\u003cbr\u003e\nEach lone star lighting up\u003cbr\u003e\nThe dark night sky\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce it has a taste of reality\u003cbr\u003e\nIt becomes a hunger that never abides\u003cbr\u003e\nBecoming a monster\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways wanting something more\u003cbr\u003e\nBut you can’t give it life\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can’t give when you have\u003cbr\u003e\nNothing left for your self\u003cbr\u003e\nMy head is empty\u003cbr\u003e\nYou took out all the words\u003cbr\u003e\nAll the thoughts\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd left me nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut a darkness and sadness\u003cbr\u003e\nThat consumes my entity\u003cbr\u003e\nAll that is left\u003cbr\u003e\nIs the string of a spider web\u003cbr\u003e\nOn which I weave the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can’t fix me\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t want to be fixed\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is who I am\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat I was meant to become\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I close my mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd lookup at that sky\u003cbr\u003e\nOf spider web stars\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing within them\u003cbr\u003e\nLay the words\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly unraveling into\u003cbr\u003e\nSomething entirely new\u003cbr\u003e\nThat the world has never seen\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sky sags under its burden\u003cbr\u003e\nCrying as its words fall forth\u003cbr\u003e\nFalling to the worlds feet\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere we pick them up\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd use them as we will\u003cbr\u003e\nTaking something that never belonged to us\u003cbr\u003e\nAbusing them and destroying them\u003cbr\u003e\nWith no regards to the spider webs\u003cbr\u003e\nThat held them up for so long\u003cbr\u003e\nHeld the words of power\u003cbr\u003e\nThe words of life and creation\u003cbr\u003e\nMy words\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spider Web Stars"},{"content":"Say hello to a very pissed off bride, she was marrying a sailor. My mom took this one leaning out of the car. Then she made my brother stop the car. She got out of the car and proceeded to take another picture of her. She was so pissed, I was afraid she was going to yell at us. My mom isn’t the camera ninja I am, this is a good picture but not so subtle in the way it was taken. Sorry sailor bride for intruding, good luck in your marriage.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091203_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSay hello to a very pissed off bride, she was marrying a sailor. My mom took\nthis one leaning out of the car. Then she made my brother stop the car. She\ngot out of the car and proceeded to take another picture of her. She was so\npissed, I was afraid she was going to yell at us. My mom isn’t the camera\nninja I am, this is a good picture but not so subtle in the way it was taken.\nSorry sailor bride for intruding, good luck in your marriage.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Pissed Off Bride"},{"content":"I love this photo, it was in Pismo Beach when I took my brother back down to Cal Poly. It is an interesting concept one I think about a lot, the evolution of humans or de-evolution as this graffiti seems to express. Progress in humanity is a strange thing because it seems as if people are striving not for one thing but everything because they do not truly understand or know what they want from life so instead they take everything thinking that it will fill the ever widening gap in their hearts or pockets. Which ever is more present in their lives.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091203_evolve/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this photo, it was in Pismo Beach when I took my brother back down to\nCal Poly. It is an interesting concept one I think  about a lot, the evolution\nof humans or de-evolution as this graffiti seems to express. Progress in\nhumanity is a strange thing because it seems as if people are striving not for\none thing but everything because they do not truly understand or know what\nthey want from life so instead they take everything thinking that it will fill\nthe ever widening gap in their hearts or pockets. Which ever is more present\nin their lives.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Evolve"},{"content":"The camera’s eye\nSwivels and rotates\nFocusing and unfocusing\nTrying to capture you\nIn your purest form\nOr your darkest moment\nTo swallow you whole\nIn the blink of an eye\nIt is watching you\nWith it’s great eye\nExtending and retracting\nThe glass reflects\nBack on you\nIt reaches out for\nYour sprit\nYour very soul\nThat brilliant shine\nThe smile\nAlways on your lips\nThe laugh\nBubbling out of you\nAnd the life\nThat never dies\nNow lives on\nIn the camera’s\nUnforgiving eye\nThat swivels and rotates\nAs it watches\nBe careful\nIt is always watching\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091202_camera/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe camera’s eye\u003cbr\u003e\nSwivels and rotates\u003cbr\u003e\nFocusing and unfocusing\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to capture you\u003cbr\u003e\nIn your purest form\u003cbr\u003e\nOr your darkest moment\u003cbr\u003e\nTo swallow you whole\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the blink of an eye\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is watching you\u003cbr\u003e\nWith it’s great eye\u003cbr\u003e\nExtending and retracting\u003cbr\u003e\nThe glass reflects\u003cbr\u003e\nBack on you\u003cbr\u003e\nIt reaches out for\u003cbr\u003e\nYour sprit\u003cbr\u003e\nYour very soul\u003cbr\u003e\nThat brilliant shine\u003cbr\u003e\nThe smile\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways on your lips\u003cbr\u003e\nThe laugh\u003cbr\u003e\nBubbling out of you\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the life\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never dies\u003cbr\u003e\nNow lives on\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the camera’s\u003cbr\u003e\nUnforgiving eye\u003cbr\u003e\nThat swivels and rotates\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it watches\u003cbr\u003e\nBe careful\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is always watching\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camera"},{"content":"Reminds me of Snow White. The single fallen apple in a garden of dead leaves. Interesting. I wonder if the apple of Adam and Eve looked like this before it fell. Before it was plucked from the Tree of Knowledge. Yet again, interesting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091202_apple/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eReminds me of Snow White. The single fallen apple in a garden of dead leaves.\nInteresting. I wonder if the apple of Adam and Eve looked like this before it\nfell. Before it was plucked from the Tree of Knowledge. Yet again,\ninteresting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Poisoned Apple"},{"content":"You didn’t seem very happy for this carousel ride, you should be because there are only so many times in your childhood that you get the chance. One day you will grow up and wonder where your chariot has gone, where your carousel ride went off to. Part of me thinks it was a show for your father. Playing the spoiled kid, the one who doesn’t appreciate what you are given. I could see that somewhere inside of you, you did though, you loved it. You cheered up as you went around. Enjoy it princess before your fairy tale is gone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091202_chariot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou didn’t seem very happy for this carousel ride, you should be because there\nare only so many times in your childhood that you get the chance. One day you\nwill grow up and wonder where your chariot has gone, where your carousel ride\nwent off to. Part of me thinks it was a show for your father. Playing the\nspoiled kid, the one who doesn’t appreciate what you are given. I could see\nthat somewhere inside of you, you did though, you loved it. You cheered up as\nyou went around. Enjoy it princess before your fairy tale is gone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Your Chariot Awaits"},{"content":"I took this photo of my cousin just for fun with the mirrors reflecting making the infinity look. Very cool, thanks Doug for the face.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091201_infinity/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI took this photo of my cousin just for fun with the mirrors reflecting making\nthe infinity look. Very cool, thanks Doug for the face.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mirror Infinity"},{"content":"I wrote this poem in English class today, I think I like it. Not sure where it came from though.\nThe razor runs over the boy’s head\nHe doesn’t move or flinch\nJust stares ahead into oblivion\nWith deadlocked eyes\nInto a future of unknown miseries\nWith eyes held firm in a choice\nHe had no part in making\nThey shave his head\nPut a warm gun in his hands\nAnd teach him how to kill\nTeach him to steal a life without remorse\nThey say Learn fast boy\nOr get ready to die young\nThey smack him around\nTake the boy’s soft exterior\nAnd turn it into cold hard stone\nRip out his heart and memories\nOf a time when safety was a given\nAnd love was always near\nTake all that he ever knew\nAnd throw it away\nThe boy soldier hefts up his gun\nHis lips sealed and dead eyes\nHe has nothing left\nBut the eternal fight for his soul\nEveryone runs from him\nLike he is a monster\nBecause he is a monster\nOne they made him into\nRipped him from his home\nAnd gave him hate\nTo battle an unknown enemy\nThere is no escape for him\nJust a bloody sentence\nThat he has no choice but to accept\nThey label him and fear all like him\nAnd run at the sight of his gun\nRun they yell\nIt is the boy soldier come home again\nBut he won’t let it continue\nAs he stands over the body\nOf a little girl the same age as him\nA bullet in her chest\nBlood blooming on her white dress\nLike a ruby flower blooming\nA bullet he shot from his gun\nThe tip of the gun digs into the earth\nAs he falls to his knees beside her\nHe grips the dusty earth\nAs he watches the last breathes\nLeave the dying angel\nLook how far he has fallen\nAnd for what, for whom\nNo more he swears to the dry earth\nNo more blood\nHe turns the gun around\nIn his rough scarred hands\nCovered in dust and blood\nThey belong to an old man\nNot a twelve-year-old boy\nHe put the gun to his head\nAnd pulled the trigger\nThat he was taught to pull\nOne more time\nThe boy soldier fell\nNext to the dead angel girl\nThere will be no more wars\nFor this tortured soul\nNo more rivers of blood\nJust the peace he never had\nBut always deserved\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091130_soldier/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI wrote this poem in English class today, I think I like it. Not sure where it\ncame from though.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe razor runs over the boy’s head\u003cbr\u003e\nHe doesn’t move or flinch\u003cbr\u003e\nJust stares ahead into oblivion\u003cbr\u003e\nWith deadlocked eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a future of unknown miseries\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes held firm in a choice\u003cbr\u003e\nHe had no part in making\u003cbr\u003e\nThey shave his head\u003cbr\u003e\nPut a warm gun in his hands\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd teach him how to kill\u003cbr\u003e\nTeach him to steal a life without remorse\u003cbr\u003e\nThey say Learn fast boy\u003cbr\u003e\nOr get ready to die young\u003cbr\u003e\nThey smack him around\u003cbr\u003e\nTake the boy’s soft exterior\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd turn it into cold hard stone\u003cbr\u003e\nRip out his heart and memories\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a time when safety was a given\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd love was always near\u003cbr\u003e\nTake all that he ever knew\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd throw it away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy soldier hefts up his gun\u003cbr\u003e\nHis lips sealed and dead eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nHe has nothing left\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the eternal fight for his soul\u003cbr\u003e\nEveryone runs from him\u003cbr\u003e\nLike he is a monster\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause he is a monster\u003cbr\u003e\nOne they made him into\u003cbr\u003e\nRipped him from his home\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd gave him hate\u003cbr\u003e\nTo battle an unknown enemy\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no escape for him\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a bloody sentence\u003cbr\u003e\nThat he has no choice but to accept\u003cbr\u003e\nThey label him and fear all like him\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd run at the sight of his gun\u003cbr\u003e\nRun they yell\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is the boy soldier come home again\u003cbr\u003e\nBut he won’t let it continue\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he stands over the body\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a little girl the same age as him\u003cbr\u003e\nA bullet in her chest\u003cbr\u003e\nBlood blooming on her white dress\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a ruby flower blooming\u003cbr\u003e\nA bullet he shot from his gun\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tip of the gun digs into the earth\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he falls to his knees beside her\u003cbr\u003e\nHe grips the dusty earth\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he watches the last breathes\u003cbr\u003e\nLeave the dying angel\u003cbr\u003e\nLook how far he has fallen\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd for what, for whom\u003cbr\u003e\nNo more he swears to the dry earth\u003cbr\u003e\nNo more blood\u003cbr\u003e\nHe turns the gun around\u003cbr\u003e\nIn his rough scarred hands\u003cbr\u003e\nCovered in dust and blood\u003cbr\u003e\nThey belong to an old man\u003cbr\u003e\nNot a twelve-year-old boy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe put the gun to his head\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd pulled the trigger\u003cbr\u003e\nThat he was taught to pull\u003cbr\u003e\nOne more time\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy soldier fell\u003cbr\u003e\nNext to the dead angel girl\u003cbr\u003e\nThere will be no more wars\u003cbr\u003e\nFor this tortured soul\u003cbr\u003e\nNo more rivers of blood\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the peace he never had\u003cbr\u003e\nBut always deserved\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boy Soldier"},{"content":"I guess you got married today, congratulations. You waited in line like everyone else with all your bridesmaids around you. I wonder how it feels, did you feel free or did you know this might be your last moment of childhood leaving you behind. I loved your roses and I bet your wedding was beautiful. I wish you a good marriage and good luck because not everything will be a carousel ride.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091130_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI guess you got married today, congratulations. You waited in line like\neveryone else with all your bridesmaids around you. I wonder how it feels, did\nyou feel free or did you know this might be your last moment of childhood\nleaving you behind. I loved your roses and I bet your wedding was beautiful. I\nwish you a good marriage and good luck because not everything will be a\ncarousel ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Carousel Wedding"},{"content":"I love my dog, she follows me around my yard. I wonder if she even noticed this leaf fall onto her face.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091130_dogleaf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love my dog, she follows me around my yard. I wonder if she even noticed this\nleaf fall onto her face.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dog Leaf"},{"content":"This year I found out about NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month, where writers try to hit a word goal for a novel they are trying to write in month. Sadly I found this program halfway into the month so I wasn’t able to really truly do as well as I wanted but I still hit my word goal so technically I won but I definitely do not have a novel. So here it is, my award. I guess.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091130_nanowrimo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year I found out about NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month,\nwhere writers try to hit a word goal for a novel they are trying to write in\nmonth. Sadly I found this program halfway into the month so I wasn’t able to\nreally truly do as well as I wanted but I still hit my word goal so\ntechnically I won but I definitely do not have a novel. So here it is, my\naward. I guess.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"NaNoWriMo"},{"content":"You were really nice and let me take a picture of your dog. Your husband scared me because he said I would have to pay a dollar to take a picture. that is why I normally don’t ask for permission to take these photos but you seemed so nice so I had to ask. Your little puppy was so cute all bundled up in your shirt. You said she was tired from playing on the beach. Her owner loves her very much, it makes me happy to see love like that even if it is a tired love. It is nice you know you can sleep safely in the arms of a loved one. 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091129_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were really nice and let me take a picture of your dog. Your husband scared\nme because he said I would have to pay a dollar to take a picture. that is\nwhy I normally don’t ask for permission to take these photos but you seemed so\nnice so I had to ask. Your little puppy was so cute all bundled up in your\nshirt. You said she was tired from playing on the beach. Her owner loves her\nvery much, it makes me happy to see love like that even if it is a tired love.\nIt is nice you know you can sleep safely in the arms of a loved one. 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Dog Tired"},{"content":"I went for a walk along West Cliff down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz to get some photos. The adventure was close to a failure. I couldn’t get a good parking spot because I always pick the days were West Cliff is the most packed and took forever walking down to the Boardwalk. Finally when I got there the sun was setting so I basically had to run back to my car because I ddin’t want to be out alone in the dark.\nWould you like to see the blisters on my feet?\nWell I got some good photos, but it seems my gut was correct in wanting to be out of the dark in the Beach Flats because an hour later someone was murdered there. Kind of scary, I guess blisters are better than being dead. An interesting night, maybe next time my adventure will go better.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091129_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went for a walk along West Cliff down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz to get\nsome photos. The adventure was close to a failure. I couldn’t get a good\nparking spot because I always pick the days were West Cliff is the most packed\nand took forever walking down to the Boardwalk. Finally when I got there the\nsun was setting so I basically had to run back to my car because I ddin’t want\nto be out alone in the dark.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ocean Sunset"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091128_buddha/","summary":"","title":"Contemplative Buddha"},{"content":"You were walking in the middle of nowhere along the road. You were all alone. What where you doing out there? Did your car break down, I never saw it. Or did you just decide to leave behind society. Maybe we should have stopped to ask if you needed help. You seemed like you knew where you were headed though, you never even looked up as we passed you.\nWhy were you wearing all those clothes, it was Nevada and very hot out, but you were all bundled up. I didn’t understand you at all.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091128_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou were walking in the middle of nowhere along the road. You were all alone.\nWhat where you doing out there? Did your car break down, I never saw it. Or\ndid you just decide to leave behind society. Maybe we should have stopped to\nask if you needed help. You seemed like you knew where you were headed though,\nyou never even looked up as we passed you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy were you wearing all those clothes, it was Nevada and very hot out, but you\nwere all bundled up. I didn’t understand you at all.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Walking Mystery"},{"content":"A beautiful sunset in the middle of nowhere Utah. It was beautiful, I wish I could have gone to Moab or Zion. So close yet so far away. Another trip I guess.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091127_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA beautiful sunset in the middle of nowhere Utah. It was beautiful, I wish I\ncould have gone to Moab or Zion. So close yet so far away. Another trip I\nguess.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Golden Sunset"},{"content":"There is a baby crying\nUttering wails of fear\nAs its face contorts\nScreaming and screaming\nSitting in a shopping cart\nIn a nearby empty lot\nThe baby looks around\nTwisting from side to side\nBawling loudly\nAs it screams for help\nBut she doesn’t possess\nThe words to yell\nHer tiny hands\nGripping the cold steel\nOf the handle bar\nDesperation etching\nLines of age\nInto the infant’s\nSoft face\nThe woman stands\nOn the other side\nOf her car\nShe slides down\nAgainst it as her body quakes\nHer tiny frame\nRattled by her sobs\nThat she snuffs out\nWith a bony fist\nThe mother sits crying\nCurled up into a ball\nWondering\nIf she should leave\nCan she do it\nJust walk away\nAs her child screams\nShe can’t take it\nShe can’t do it anymore\nShe is listening to her\nPrecious baby wailing\nJust feet away\nYet so very far from her\nThe mother sits\nOn the edge of a choice\nBetween love and desperation\nShe gave everything for her child\nAnd there is nothing left for her\nShe can’t even feed herself now\nShe has nothing left to give\nExcept her love\nThe infant\nAnd the mother\nAre separated by a car\nAnd a long space\nA need\nAnd a lack of everything\nStands between them\nAs they both cry\nWishing for what\nNeither of them has\nWondering what comes next\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091127_desperation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a baby crying\u003cbr\u003e\nUttering wails of fear\u003cbr\u003e\nAs its face contorts\u003cbr\u003e\nScreaming and screaming\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting in a shopping cart\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a nearby empty lot\u003cbr\u003e\nThe baby looks around\u003cbr\u003e\nTwisting from side to side\u003cbr\u003e\nBawling loudly\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it screams for help\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she doesn’t possess\u003cbr\u003e\nThe words to yell\u003cbr\u003e\nHer tiny hands\u003cbr\u003e\nGripping the cold steel\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the handle bar\u003cbr\u003e\nDesperation etching\u003cbr\u003e\nLines of age\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the infant’s\u003cbr\u003e\nSoft face\u003cbr\u003e\nThe woman stands\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the other side\u003cbr\u003e\nOf her car\u003cbr\u003e\nShe slides down\u003cbr\u003e\nAgainst it as her body quakes\u003cbr\u003e\nHer tiny frame\u003cbr\u003e\nRattled by her sobs\u003cbr\u003e\nThat she snuffs out\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a bony fist\u003cbr\u003e\nThe mother sits crying\u003cbr\u003e\nCurled up into a ball\u003cbr\u003e\nWondering\u003cbr\u003e\nIf she should leave\u003cbr\u003e\nCan she do it\u003cbr\u003e\nJust walk away\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her child screams\u003cbr\u003e\nShe can’t take it\u003cbr\u003e\nShe can’t do it anymore\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is listening to her\u003cbr\u003e\nPrecious baby wailing\u003cbr\u003e\nJust feet away\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so very far from her\u003cbr\u003e\nThe mother sits\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the edge of a choice\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween love and desperation\u003cbr\u003e\nShe gave everything for her child\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd there is nothing left for her\u003cbr\u003e\nShe can’t even feed herself now\u003cbr\u003e\nShe has nothing left to give\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept her love\u003cbr\u003e\nThe infant\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the mother\u003cbr\u003e\nAre separated by a car\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a long space\u003cbr\u003e\nA need\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a lack of everything\u003cbr\u003e\nStands between them\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they both cry\u003cbr\u003e\nWishing for what\u003cbr\u003e\nNeither of them has\u003cbr\u003e\nWondering what comes next\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shopping Cart (Desperation)"},{"content":"I am thankful for all the weird people in the world and the strangeness of the world we live in.\nI don’t know what was wrong with you, but you made me laugh. You kind of looked like you were twitching out because someone was touching your merchandise. I was thankful for the laugh and this picture.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091126_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am thankful for all the weird people in the world and the strangeness of the\nworld we live in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI don’t know what was wrong with you, but you made me laugh. You kind of looked\nlike you were twitching out because someone was touching your merchandise. I\nwas thankful for the laugh and this picture.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Thanksgiving"},{"content":"A big thanks to Valri and her family for hosting the big turkey event this year. Not many photos this year, but the usual crew stuffed themselves silly once again. It\u0026rsquo;s always fun to see all the cousins get together. Nick joined us from Cal Poly, Chris from Chico, and Charlie had a break from his Navy duties. And did I mention that I love my awesome wife.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091126_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA big thanks to Valri and her family for hosting the big turkey event this\nyear. Not many photos this year, but the usual crew stuffed themselves silly\nonce again. It\u0026rsquo;s always fun to see all the cousins get together. Nick joined\nus from Cal Poly, Chris from Chico, and Charlie had a break from his Navy\nduties. And did I mention that I love my awesome wife.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091126_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at the Peysers"},{"content":"I saw this dog a long time ago at the SPCA and I really wanted to adopt you.I still think of you.\nI know I was meant to be your owner. It was so hard for me to walk away from you. I wonder what happened along the road that split our paths?\nI think of you a lot. I wonder what happened to you. You were adorable so I am sure you are in a nice home some where. I just wish it was my home. I wonder what your owner named you. I wanted to name you Kita. I guess it was even harder for me to walk away with a name on my lips. It is the nameless and the faceless that are forgotten.\nBy now you are probably old and have become accustomed to your new home. I wonder why you were abandoned. It said you were deserted, but I can’t think of why. You are so nice and cute, who would give you up? Maybe they couldn’t afford you, maybe they weren’t prepared, or maybe they just didn’t care.\nThe SPCA probably took good care of you in the time being. I hope you are happy and loved. I still miss you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091125_pet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI saw this dog a long time ago at the SPCA and I really wanted to adopt you.I\nstill think of you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know I was meant to be your owner. It was so hard for me to walk away from\nyou. I wonder what happened along the road that split our paths?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think of you a lot. I wonder what happened to you. You were adorable so I am\nsure you are in a nice home some where. I just wish it was my home. I wonder\nwhat your owner named you. I wanted to name you Kita. I guess it was even\nharder for me to walk away with a name on my lips. It is the nameless and the\nfaceless that are forgotten.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ode to the Absent Pet"},{"content":"Charlotte and Gordon continue their trip south after spending the night in Cambria with a stop at Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and an awesome tour.\nThe interior is ridiculously elegant.\nThe Christmas decorations add quite the touch.\nI wouldn\u0026rsquo;t mind this pool in my backyard.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Gordon continue their trip south after spending the night in\nCambria with a stop at \u003ca href=\"https://hearstcastle.org\"\u003eHearst Castle\u003c/a\u003e in San\nSimeon. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and an awesome tour.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interior is ridiculously elegant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Christmas decorations add quite the touch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/33.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wouldn\u0026rsquo;t mind this pool in my backyard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091124_hearst/40.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Gordon visiting Hearst Castle"},{"content":"No this isn’t animal abuse, my dog enjoys hats, especially my polar bear one.\nHer fur almost matches, maybe the next genetic hybrid should be the polar dog. Well Gracie, at least you can be the first.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091124_polardog/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo this isn’t animal abuse, my dog enjoys hats, especially my polar bear one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer fur almost matches, maybe the next genetic hybrid should be the polar dog.\nWell Gracie, at least you can be the first.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Polar Dog"},{"content":"The woman walks\nAlong in a crowded street\nSurrounded by people\nYet so alone\nA scarf like a noose\nWrapped around her frail neck\nHands shoved deep\nInto her pockets\nShe only looks\nAt the ground\nThe rhythmic step of her feet\nHer wide hat\nShields her from the world\nShe ignores them\nIs afraid of them\nShe wraps herself tighter\nIn what is safe and comforting\nAnd is content in isolation\nSo she walks along\nIn a crowd of people\nWithout faces\nThe wind picks up\nFor a moment it whispers\nA soft secret in her ear\nA riddle told to fast\nAs the wind\nCarried her hat away\nThe woman let out\nA short little gasp\nAs her barrier was removed\nShe reached forward\nFingertips grazing it\nJust out of reach\nAs it bounces and rolls\nAlong the dirty street\nShe chases in vain\nAnd no one will help\nFinally out of breath\nAnd out of heart\nShe gives up\nStanding in the crowd\nPuffs of winter breath\nClouding before her as she watches\nHer hat dance away\nHer hair billowing about her\nWatching with sad longing eyes\nShe stands still among thousands\nAs she turns to leave\nA tap on her shoulder\nShe turns in surprise\nA man stands before her\nHer hat in hand\nHolding it out towards her\nA smile but no words\nShe takes it and offers\nA shy little smile in return\nAs she starts to pull it\nBack into place\nHe reaches out to stop her\nWhy\nHe asks her\nYou have such a pretty face\nHe smiles and lets go\nGiving an impartial shrug\nYou don’t need to hide\nYou are beautiful you know\nHe leaves her with\nHis few soft words\nAnd a knowing smile\nShe stands there\nHat in hand\nFilled with his offerings\nHer eyes are wide\nAnd her hands slightly quake\nShe lifts the hat\nLooking at it now\nAnd tosses it away\nShe watches it\nFlit and dance in the sky\nGone forever\nShe smiles slightly\nThe stranger’s knowing smile\nShe doesn’t need it anymore\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091124_hat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe woman walks\u003cbr\u003e\nAlong in a crowded street\u003cbr\u003e\nSurrounded by people\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so alone\u003cbr\u003e\nA scarf like a noose\u003cbr\u003e\nWrapped around her frail neck\u003cbr\u003e\nHands shoved deep\u003cbr\u003e\nInto her pockets\u003cbr\u003e\nShe only looks\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nThe rhythmic step of her feet\u003cbr\u003e\nHer wide hat\u003cbr\u003e\nShields her from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nShe ignores them\u003cbr\u003e\nIs afraid of them\u003cbr\u003e\nShe wraps herself tighter\u003cbr\u003e\nIn what is safe and comforting\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd is content in isolation\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she walks along\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a crowd of people\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout faces\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wind picks up\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment it whispers\u003cbr\u003e\nA soft secret in her ear\u003cbr\u003e\nA riddle told to fast\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the wind\u003cbr\u003e\nCarried her hat away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe woman let out\u003cbr\u003e\nA short little gasp\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her barrier was removed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe reached forward\u003cbr\u003e\nFingertips grazing it\u003cbr\u003e\nJust out of reach\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it bounces and rolls\u003cbr\u003e\nAlong the dirty street\u003cbr\u003e\nShe chases in vain\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd no one will help\u003cbr\u003e\nFinally out of breath\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd out of heart\u003cbr\u003e\nShe gives up\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding in the crowd\u003cbr\u003e\nPuffs of winter breath\u003cbr\u003e\nClouding before her as she watches\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hat dance away\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hair billowing about her\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching with sad longing eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands still among thousands\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she turns to leave\u003cbr\u003e\nA tap on her shoulder\u003cbr\u003e\nShe turns in surprise\u003cbr\u003e\nA man stands before her\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hat in hand\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding it out towards her\u003cbr\u003e\nA smile but no words\u003cbr\u003e\nShe takes it and offers\u003cbr\u003e\nA shy little smile in return\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she starts to pull it\u003cbr\u003e\nBack into place\u003cbr\u003e\nHe reaches out to stop her\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWhy\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHe asks her\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou have such a pretty face\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHe smiles and lets go\u003cbr\u003e\nGiving an impartial shrug\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou don’t need to hide\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou are beautiful you know\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHe leaves her with\u003cbr\u003e\nHis few soft words\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a knowing smile\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands there\u003cbr\u003e\nHat in hand\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled with his offerings\u003cbr\u003e\nHer eyes are wide\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd her hands slightly quake\u003cbr\u003e\nShe lifts the hat\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking at it now\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd tosses it away\u003cbr\u003e\nShe watches it\u003cbr\u003e\nFlit and dance in the sky\u003cbr\u003e\nGone forever\u003cbr\u003e\nShe smiles slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nThe stranger’s knowing smile\u003cbr\u003e\nShe doesn’t need it anymore\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hat"},{"content":"Charlotte is heading down to San Luis Obispo to bring Nick back home from Cal Poly for Thanksgiving. This time she\u0026rsquo;s heading south down the Big Sur coast with her dad. The view always blows you away.\nA nice stop at Nepenthe for some coffee, while soaking in some of the soothing statues and views.\nA beautiful sunset ends the day in Cambria for our intrepid travelers. Tomorrow it\u0026rsquo;s down to San Simeon and then picking up Nick.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is heading down to San Luis Obispo to bring Nick back home from Cal\nPoly for Thanksgiving. This time she\u0026rsquo;s heading south down the Big Sur coast\nwith her dad. The view always blows you away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nice stop at \u003ca href=\"https://www.phoenixshopbigsur.com\"\u003eNepenthe\u003c/a\u003e for some coffee,\nwhile soaking in some of the soothing statues and views.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091123_cambria/29.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA beautiful sunset ends the day in Cambria for our intrepid travelers. Tomorrow\nit\u0026rsquo;s down to San Simeon and then picking up Nick.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Gordon driving to Cambria"},{"content":"Sandpiper in Morro Bay.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091123_sandpiper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSandpiper in Morro Bay.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sand Piper"},{"content":"This little sculpture reminds me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus who was a crafty king seeking to elude death. His punishment was to push a giant boulder up a steep hill for eternity. I really love this sculpture and they way it is done. Congrats artist!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091122_sisyphus/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis little sculpture reminds me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus who was a crafty\nking seeking to elude death. His punishment was to push a giant boulder up a\nsteep hill for eternity. I really love this sculpture and they way it is done.\nCongrats artist!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sisyphus"},{"content":"Every second\nYouth wasted\nOn planning\nAdulthood\nHow your\nLife will\nEnd up\nAnd should\nEvery second\nOf life\nWashed away\nNever to get back\nMy house\nMy career\nMy husband\nAnd family\nSet in stone\nFinally I\nReach my planned\nLife and happiness\nThe perfect\nHusband\nSits, reads the newspaper\nDrinks coffee\nHe says\nHe loves me\nThe perfect\nBaby\nA little girl\nSits in her high chair\nAngel with black hair\nPale face\nBlue eyes\nThe perfect\nDog\nNever barks\nNor bites\nThe perfect\nHouse\nJust as I\nHad dreamed\nHigh ceilings\nIn the rainy woods\nThe perfect\nJob\nWriting and teaching\nAlways published\nStudents love me\nI am perfect\nMy life complete\nExcept I\nHad no childhood\nI wish I\nHad a perfect\nChildhood\nI am not\nPerfect\nMy life is incomplete\nTo live\nA perfect life\nI must\nSacrifice\nWho I am\nI think to myself\n“This isn’t\nWhat I wanted”\nI don’t want\nTo be\nPerfect\n“This isn’t\nWhat I wanted”\nI can’t\nBe perfect\nBecause I am\nUnhappy\nI look\nAt everything\nJust as I wanted\nJust as I planned\nEverything\nPlanned out\nPerfect\nBut now that\nI have it\nI don’t want it\n“This isn’t\nWhat I wanted”\nI planned\nSo I could\nBe happy\nBut now I have\nLost everything\nThat was really important\nPerfection\nIs a joke\nYou can’t be\nPerfect\nBecause to get\nSomething\nYou must give\nSomething else up\nTo be perfect\nOr happy\nYou choose\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091121_perfection/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery second\u003cbr\u003e\nYouth wasted\u003cbr\u003e\nOn planning\u003cbr\u003e\nAdulthood\u003cbr\u003e\nHow your\u003cbr\u003e\nLife will\u003cbr\u003e\nEnd up\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd should\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery second\u003cbr\u003e\nOf life\u003cbr\u003e\nWashed away\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to get back\u003cbr\u003e\nMy house\u003cbr\u003e\nMy career\u003cbr\u003e\nMy husband\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd family\u003cbr\u003e\nSet in stone\u003cbr\u003e\nFinally I\u003cbr\u003e\nReach my planned\u003cbr\u003e\nLife and happiness\u003cbr\u003e\nThe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nHusband\u003cbr\u003e\nSits, reads the newspaper\u003cbr\u003e\nDrinks coffee\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says\u003cbr\u003e\nHe loves me\u003cbr\u003e\nThe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nBaby\u003cbr\u003e\nA little girl\u003cbr\u003e\nSits in her high chair\u003cbr\u003e\nAngel with black hair\u003cbr\u003e\nPale face\u003cbr\u003e\nBlue eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nDog\u003cbr\u003e\nNever barks\u003cbr\u003e\nNor bites\u003cbr\u003e\nThe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nHouse\u003cbr\u003e\nJust as I\u003cbr\u003e\nHad dreamed\u003cbr\u003e\nHigh ceilings\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the rainy woods\u003cbr\u003e\nThe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nJob\u003cbr\u003e\nWriting and teaching\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways published\u003cbr\u003e\nStudents love me\u003cbr\u003e\nI am perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nMy life complete\u003cbr\u003e\nExcept I\u003cbr\u003e\nHad no childhood\u003cbr\u003e\nI wish I\u003cbr\u003e\nHad a perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nChildhood\u003cbr\u003e\nI am not\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfect\u003cbr\u003e\nMy life is incomplete\u003cbr\u003e\nTo live\u003cbr\u003e\nA perfect life\u003cbr\u003e\nI must\u003cbr\u003e\nSacrifice\u003cbr\u003e\nWho I am\u003cbr\u003e\nI think to myself\u003cbr\u003e\n“This isn’t\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat I wanted”\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t want\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfect\u003cbr\u003e\n“This isn’t\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat I wanted”\u003cbr\u003e\nI can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nBe perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause I am\u003cbr\u003e\nUnhappy\u003cbr\u003e\nI look\u003cbr\u003e\nAt everything\u003cbr\u003e\nJust as I wanted\u003cbr\u003e\nJust as I planned\u003cbr\u003e\nEverything\u003cbr\u003e\nPlanned out\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfect\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now that\u003cbr\u003e\nI have it\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t want it\u003cbr\u003e\n“This isn’t\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat I wanted”\u003cbr\u003e\nI planned\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I could\u003cbr\u003e\nBe happy\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now I have\u003cbr\u003e\nLost everything\u003cbr\u003e\nThat was really important\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfection\u003cbr\u003e\nIs a joke\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can’t be\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfect\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause to get\u003cbr\u003e\nSomething\u003cbr\u003e\nYou must give\u003cbr\u003e\nSomething else up\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be perfect\u003cbr\u003e\nOr happy\u003cbr\u003e\nYou choose\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Perfection"},{"content":"The boy without a pet, how sad. Every kid needs a little animal to love and cherish for however short amount of time that creature is destined to spend with them. This picture makes me sad yet happy in a way. The poor kid just looks like he wants that little hamster so badly. He has the look of a kid who comes here everyday just to stare at that hamster. Not any hamster mind you, but that hamster in particular. I bet he named it too. I hope one day he gets his hamster and it is all he hoped it would be.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091120_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe boy without a pet, how sad. Every kid needs a little animal to love and\ncherish for however short amount of time that creature is destined to spend\nwith them. This picture makes me sad yet happy in a way. The poor kid just\nlooks like he wants that little hamster so badly. He has the look of a kid who\ncomes here everyday just to stare at that hamster. Not any hamster mind you,\nbut that hamster in particular. I bet he named it too. I hope one day he gets\nhis hamster and it is all he hoped it would be.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Hamster Boy"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091120_wool/","summary":"","title":"Pure Wool. No Bull."},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091119_crab/","summary":"","title":"Crab Sun"},{"content":"You seemed really alone, maybe I should have sat down with you. Maybe you were just on a break. Maybe you are just unhappy with the direction your life has taken. You wouldn’t look at me, what where you looking at? You looked so far away.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091118_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou seemed really alone, maybe I should have sat down with you. Maybe you were\njust on a break. Maybe you are just unhappy with the direction your life has\ntaken. You wouldn’t look at me, what where you looking at? You looked so far\naway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Fisherwoman"},{"content":"“I love you today, I love you tomorrow and forever my little Pandora.” She whispered shutting the door behind her with a soft but audible click as it sealed off all the light except for my little dancing light next to my bed on a bedpost. My eyes where slowly closing as I watched the little princess emit different colors casting shadows on my walls. I sighed sleepily shutting out the world as I slipped into sweet dreams of my four year old life. A click woke me up. I curled up not wishing to be disturbed but my eyes watched as the door opened slowly. I looked away and tried to go back to sleep. Footsteps approaching across my carpet floors towards my bed.\n“Ma?” I say drowsily and try to sit up as I look at the woman across from my bed. “Da?” I say curiously.\n“Hello honey, my you are a perfect little creature aren’t you?” an unfamiliar voice said softly and lovingly.\nI turn around to look at the open door, “Ma?” I say questioningly. The woman approaches my bed and I shrink away in fright. She stretches out her arms for me and I scream as her cold fingers brush my pudgy arms. “MA! MA!” I scream pulling away from the stranger who tries to shush me. Her cold fingers turn into talons and grab my arms roughly. Her nails dig into my soft flesh as I whimper and start to cry. I can’t scream any more as she ensnares me pulling me to her.\n“You’re safe now my darling,” she scoops me up in her freezing arms, they are wet from the outside snow. I whimper softly unable to scream. “ You’re mine now.” She whispers clutching my little body to her.\n“Pandora?” a confused voice from the hall calls, a light flicks on in the hallway. I whimper again trying to yell. The woman looks up towards the hall and walks briskly towards the open door, me still in her arms bundled up in my blankie. She picks something out of her back pocket and shows it to me. It is shiny and black. I shrink away from it. She moves into the hallway, I see my mom and dad there. Their faces turn into horrified masks as they see me with the woman. She points the black object at them and they freeze. She starts to back towards the stairs still holding it towards them, they don’t move.\n“Please don’t take my baby,” My mom pleads “ we will give you anything you want, just don’t harm her.” She begs holding her arms toward us as if to take me back.\nThe woman laughs and says, “She is all I want.” She points the thing at my mom. My dad lunges for us but the woman back pedals and points the thing at me. I turn to look at it, it has a little whole in the end; I look at it and hear a click come from it. My mom is sobbing now and my dad stares in horror. I reach for the gun with both hands and place them on the little hole. My dad grabs something while she isn’t looking ad tries to hit her with it but the click comes again and I try to push it away. Then it got really hot, there was a loud bang. Everything else was blurry and numb as the woman ran down the stairs with me in hand and out the door into the snow.\n“Pandora!” I hear my mother scream after me as I am carried away into a world of darkness. So cold, and so numb inside and out.\nDarkness is the only thing I remember, soon it was all I remembered at all. Mom was a thing of the past, so was warmth and love. It wasn’t part of my new life; it wasn’t part of me at all just a shadow of a very different time. Darkness became my whole life, not necessarily in a bad way. It was just the spectrum I viewed things through now instead of light like everyone else. I am special. I am special, that was what they always told me. I never understood, I still don’t; I’m not special we are all capable of what I do we just have to open our eyes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091118_harlequin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e“I love you today, I love you tomorrow and forever my little Pandora.” She\nwhispered shutting the door behind her with a soft but audible click as it\nsealed off all the light except for my little dancing light next to my bed on\na bedpost. My eyes where slowly closing as I watched the little princess emit\ndifferent colors casting shadows on my walls. I sighed sleepily shutting out\nthe world as I slipped into sweet dreams of my four year old life. A click\nwoke me up. I curled up not wishing to be disturbed but my eyes watched as\nthe door opened slowly. I looked away and tried to go back to sleep.\nFootsteps approaching across my carpet floors towards my bed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Harlequin’s Dance: A Story WIP"},{"content":"This is an odd picture in New York. Maybe they sell fake arms. well it seems a little creepy to me. Thanks mom for the photo.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091117_hand/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an odd picture in New York. Maybe they sell fake arms. well it seems a\nlittle creepy to me. Thanks mom for the photo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lending a Hand"},{"content":"The boy sits\nAlone on the beach\nWith glowering eyes\nAnd a heart\nFull of hate and anger\nHe listens to the ocean\nRoaring day and night\nArms wrapped tight around\nHis scraped and bleeding knees\nTattoos run up his arms\nLike black veins\nA fire burns before him\nAs he stares deep into it\nWatching the fickle flame\nDancing too and fro\nHow unfair it is\nFor it to be free\nWhen he stands in chains\nHe waves his hand\nSlowly through the flames\nBut he doesn’t feel the pain\nHe doesn’t feel anything anymore\nSo he takes what is left\nOf his meager belongings\nAnd throws them into the fire\nIt crackles and waves\nSparking to life\nAs it consumes another’s\nThe boy watches\nHis life go up in flames\nBurning slowly to ashes\nAs it withers and curls\nHe stands\nAnd walks away\nHe is done\nHe is finally done\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091116_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe boy sits\u003cbr\u003e\nAlone on the beach\u003cbr\u003e\nWith glowering eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a heart\u003cbr\u003e\nFull of hate and anger\u003cbr\u003e\nHe listens to the ocean\u003cbr\u003e\nRoaring day and night\u003cbr\u003e\nArms wrapped tight around\u003cbr\u003e\nHis scraped and bleeding knees\u003cbr\u003e\nTattoos run up his arms\u003cbr\u003e\nLike black veins\u003cbr\u003e\nA fire burns before him\u003cbr\u003e\nAs he stares deep into it\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching the fickle flame\u003cbr\u003e\nDancing too and fro\u003cbr\u003e\nHow unfair it is\u003cbr\u003e\nFor it to be free\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen he stands in chains\u003cbr\u003e\nHe waves his hand\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly through the flames\u003cbr\u003e\nBut he doesn’t feel the pain\u003cbr\u003e\nHe doesn’t feel anything anymore\u003cbr\u003e\nSo he takes what is left\u003cbr\u003e\nOf his meager belongings\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd throws them into the fire\u003cbr\u003e\nIt crackles and waves\u003cbr\u003e\nSparking to life\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it consumes another’s\u003cbr\u003e\nThe boy watches\u003cbr\u003e\nHis life go up in flames\u003cbr\u003e\nBurning slowly to ashes\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it withers and curls\u003cbr\u003e\nHe stands\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd walks away\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is done\u003cbr\u003e\nHe is finally done\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire"},{"content":"You seemed upset, maybe you missed your ride home, maybe your boyfriend stood you up. You were just standing there next to the road at a bus stop. There were lots of people but you stood alone. Maybe your anger isolates you. Or maybe you just wanted to be alone. I wish I had asked. I like your scarf by the way.\nMaybe I will write a poem about you, if so I will post it later so you won’t be alone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091116_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou seemed upset, maybe you missed your ride home, maybe your boyfriend stood\nyou up. You were just standing there next to the road at a bus stop. There\nwere lots of people but you stood alone. Maybe your anger isolates you. Or\nmaybe you just wanted to be alone. I wish I had asked. I like your scarf by\nthe way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe I will write a poem about you, if so I will post it later so you won’t be\nalone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Left Behind"},{"content":"Hello Tiger. I enjoy your tail. And your ears.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091115_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHello Tiger. I enjoy your tail. And your ears.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: Tiger"},{"content":"I know people\nHow so?\nI can understand people\nBetter than most\nBecause I can see\nThrough their eyes\nFeels as their hearts feel\nHow do you do that?\nI don’t know\nI just do\nWell, who are you?\nI don’t know truthfully\nI am nothing I guess\nBecause I am everything\nOr everyone I should say\nI don’t mean I am\nAll powerful or all knowing\nYou mean like god?\nSure\nI am my writing\nI am my characters\nEvery face I paint\nWith my words\nis me\nTheir face is mine\nI don’ have my own anymore\nI am a mosaic\nOf everything I have seen\nWill see\nAnd have made\nHow did this happen?\nI don’t know\nI have always been this way\nIs it hard?\nYes\nIt is never easy\nNot having an identity\nof your own\nit is hard not knowing\nwho you really are\nI can’t remember\nThe last time\nI have seen my own face\nSo you are saying\nYou have no face?\nI laugh\nI guess so\nI am the portrait of a person\nWithout a face\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091115_portrait/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI know people\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHow so?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI can understand people\u003cbr\u003e\nBetter than most\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause I can see\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough their eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nFeels as their hearts feel\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHow do you do that?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nI just do\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eWell, who are you?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know truthfully\u003cbr\u003e\nI am nothing I guess\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause I am everything\u003cbr\u003e\nOr everyone I should say\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t mean I am\u003cbr\u003e\nAll powerful or all knowing\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou mean like god?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nSure\u003cbr\u003e\nI am my writing\u003cbr\u003e\nI am my characters\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery face I paint\u003cbr\u003e\nWith my words\u003cbr\u003e\nis me\u003cbr\u003e\nTheir face is mine\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’ have my own anymore\u003cbr\u003e\nI am a mosaic\u003cbr\u003e\nOf everything I have seen\u003cbr\u003e\nWill see\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd have made\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eHow did this happen?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nI have always been this way\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eIs it hard?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is never easy\u003cbr\u003e\nNot having an identity\u003cbr\u003e\nof your own\u003cbr\u003e\nit is hard not knowing\u003cbr\u003e\nwho you really are\u003cbr\u003e\nI can’t remember\u003cbr\u003e\nThe last time\u003cbr\u003e\nI have seen my own face\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eSo you are saying\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eYou have no face?\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nI laugh\u003cbr\u003e\nI guess so\u003cbr\u003e\nI am the portrait of a person\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout a face\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Portrait of a Person (Interview)"},{"content":"You know you are in Seattle when one room in a building has four different cans for recycling. I mean seriously, that is a little absurd. I am all for recycling but four? Really, four?\nThis is in University of Washington for those wondering where this phenomena occurred.\nI guess this post is for my dad, the recycling man of our house. I guess we don’t have it so bad, because he could have four different cans for us to recycle with. Don’t get any ideas.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091115_recycle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou know you are in Seattle when one room in a building has four different cans\nfor recycling. I mean seriously, that is a little absurd. I am all for\nrecycling but four? Really, four?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is in University of Washington for those wondering where this phenomena\noccurred.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess this post is for my dad, the recycling man of our house. I guess we\ndon’t have it so bad, because he could have four different cans for us to\nrecycle with. Don’t get any ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Recycle"},{"content":"What is that in the distance? Could it really be?\nYep it is: BALTO!!!\nThis is mainly for the benefit of my Disney loving friends. I love Balto too. I remember seeing him when I was little in New York. My mom got this photo the other day, but I need to get back to New York personally. This will have to do for now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091114_balto/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhat is that in the distance? Could it really be?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYep it is: \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBALTO!!!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is mainly for the benefit of my Disney loving friends. I love Balto too. I\nremember seeing him when I was little in New York. My mom got this photo the\nother day, but I need to get back to New York personally. This will have to do\nfor now.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Balto"},{"content":"This was in Pikes Place Market in Seattle during Halloween. Surprisingly the costumes where not as outrageous as I thought they would be. I was prepared to see some crazy things but it wasn’t absurd. Actually it was pretty normal.\nWell this guy just cracked me up. Standing on a corner smoking in a skeleton outfit. There is just something funny about that.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091114_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was in Pikes Place Market in Seattle during Halloween. Surprisingly the\ncostumes where not as outrageous as I thought they would be. I was prepared to\nsee some crazy things but it wasn’t absurd. Actually it was pretty normal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell this guy just cracked me up. Standing on a corner smoking in a skeleton\noutfit. There is just something funny about that.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo: A Skeleton’s Death Wish"},{"content":"Little kid running at University of Washington. I have the same sweatshirt. yeah.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091113_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLittle kid running at University of Washington. I have the same sweatshirt. yeah.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo of the Day: Run"},{"content":"This woman at University of Washington caught my eye mainly because of her face, hair and glasses. I really like her attire as well. It just felt like she belonged there and she knew it. She seemed to fit in right where she belonged.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091112_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis woman at University of Washington caught my eye mainly because of her\nface, hair and glasses. I really like her attire as well. It just felt like\nshe belonged there and she knew it. She seemed to fit in right where she\nbelonged.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo of the Day: Belong"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m with Matt again for another day at the conference. Meanwhile Charlotte enjoys more travels around the city. This time she\u0026rsquo;s headed uptown, with a visit to the Empire State building and some big city panoramas.\nThen some pretty sites in Central Park.\nA few more great midtown sites, then it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back to the hotel before indulging in a ridiculous steak at the Primehouse with friends.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m with Matt again for another day at the conference. Meanwhile Charlotte\nenjoys more travels around the city. This time she\u0026rsquo;s headed uptown, with a\nvisit to the Empire State building and some big city panoramas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen some pretty sites in Central Park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091112_nyc/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more great midtown sites, then it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back to the hotel before\nindulging in a ridiculous steak at the Primehouse with friends.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"More New York City with Charlotte"},{"content":"I have been telling my friends all day so now I am going to tell you:\nI hate mosquitoes with a fiery passion that is unparalleled.\nI have a little creek in my backyard so lucky me, every time it rains my family gets a wonderous gift of a thousand biting monsters in our home which used to be so safe and secure. It is like a battlefield in my house. Whenever mosquitoes are spotted, the war is on, no holding back now. There are rolled magazines and books handy for quick squashing access because we don’t tolerate these nasty buggers. Seriously I always find them in the bathroom and I spot it and suddenly the house is alive,\nDAD! MOSQUITO!\nLock the doors, barricade the windows and get ready for the hunt because this bug isn’t getting out alive. It almost makes me sad to think about it from the bugs point of view. I mean really\nSo you are minding your own business when suddenly there is all this loud noise and then just like that your are trapped with no way out. There is something repeatedly being swung at you which you narrowly escape. Each time it gets closer and closer. They find you no matter where you hide. And you know that soon you won’t be able to get away and that will be it. SQWASH\nBut then I remember, that bugger bit me five times last night and I am going to itch like the dickens for the next week. Then I don’t feel so bad.\nThe two main things that bug me about mosquitoes are this:\nThey only seem to bite you when you are sleeping. You can be lost in the deepest and most pleasant dreams when suddenly that buzzing sounds invades your mind and takes what security in your sleep you had. There is no mistaking that noise either, you can’t say oh well maybe it was the wind. No, you know it is a mosquito. You can’t ignore it either because it will just keep coming back and buzzing you. The worst part about that is when you hear the buzzing stop. We all know that means it has landed on you somewhere and is about to take a nibble out of you. Then of course you thrash around for a while and get so frustrated that you smack yourself in the head trying to squash it. Then you throw back your covers, stomp over to the light, and crawl into your bed with a book (good squashing qualities) and wait. So you sit there like a twitched out heroin addict knowing it is near and the second you give up it will come back. Sometimes you are lucky enough to get it but most nights not so much. So there will be no sleep tonight.\nMosquitoes have no purpose. I might tolerate it (probably not) if I knew that this bug was annoying the hell out of me for some greater purpose. But really we all know there isn’t. The mosquito just happens to be one of very few animals that has no higher purpose in life except to bug the crap out of you like coyotes or ticks.\nThey drive me insane. So if I come to school looking like I haven’t slept in three days it is because I haven’t. I have stayed up trying to succeed ( but failing) at being the champion mosquito hunter.\nA side note, I don’t know if this is just me, but has anyone else noticed that mosquitoes in different places are different? Like in some places they are faster, or fatter, or slower, or some other trait. Yes I have witnessed this, it is not just the product of a deranged mind.\nA side side note; South Dakota in June… don’t do it. There are clouds and clouds of mosquitoes. We drove through and kept hitting these clouds and couldn’t figure out what it was until their dead carcasses started to block our windshield. The wipers couldn’t even get them off, we had to stop and seek shelter it was so bad. Don’t even get me started on the hotel we were forced to stay in. Just a warning if you want to keep your soul don’t ask me about Motel 6.\nAnyway I digress as usual. So the point if there is one is this. I wish to hunt down every mosquito in the world and kill it. And I want to kill that guy from Lilo and Stitch who is trying to preserve them because they are an endangered species. No, they are not. And if they were.. they wouldn’t be missed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091112_mosquito/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have been telling my friends all day so now I am going to tell you:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI hate mosquitoes with a fiery passion that is unparalleled.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have a little creek in my backyard so lucky me, every time it rains my family gets a wonderous gift of a thousand biting monsters in our home which used to be so safe and secure. It is like a battlefield in my house. Whenever mosquitoes are spotted, the war is on, no holding back now. There are rolled magazines and books handy for quick squashing access because we don’t tolerate these nasty buggers. Seriously I always find them in the bathroom and I spot it and suddenly the house is alive,\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mosquito Hunter"},{"content":"This photo I took in Salt Lake City is basically famous in my family. Well at least to my mom and me. I don’t really know why, but it is basically the photo that represents our road trips. We love it, so here it is.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091112_truck/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis photo I took in Salt Lake City is basically famous in my family. Well at\nleast to my mom and me. I don’t really know why, but it is basically the photo\nthat represents our road trips. We love it, so here it is.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Truck Bed"},{"content":"Love truly is blind, this woman in Pikes Place Market was singing on a corner and was truly blind. There was something really sad about this, yet she seemed so happy. Maybe she just loved blindly enough that she didn’t need to see, she could just believe. Some times it is better to live that way. It is easier to believe blindly than have to stare the truth in the face everyday. I wonder which kind of person she is, a believer or a seeker.\nWhich are you?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091111_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLove truly is blind, this woman in Pikes Place Market was singing on a corner\nand was truly blind. There was something really sad about this, yet she seemed\nso happy. Maybe she just loved blindly enough that she didn’t need to see, she\ncould just believe. Some times it is better to live that way. It is easier to\nbelieve blindly than have to stare the truth in the face everyday. I wonder\nwhich kind of person she is, a believer or a seeker.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo of the Day: Love is Blind"},{"content":"While Matt and I enjoy attending the Global Sourcing Forum in NYC, Charlotte enjoys herself walking the city. It\u0026rsquo;s a lucky treat that the Veteran\u0026rsquo;s Day Parade is going on, so there are plenty of fun sights and people to take in.\nCharlotte really loves shopping in the Lower East Side. That girl of mine loves getting a good deal.\nMatt and I head downtown to meet up at Katz\u0026rsquo;s Deli. I\u0026rsquo;ve had a wicked hankering for pastrami on rye, a potato knish, and some cream soda. I realized after I ordered that I should have gotten an egg cream. Guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to come back again soon.\nMatt and I head back to the conference, while Charlotte heads further downtown via Chinatown.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s past some downtown justice, including a prison surprise.\nA very cool church and cemetery.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s back through the village and Soho.\nFor dinner we enjoyed excellent Italian food with lots of family I was so happy to see. Mom came with Lynda and Steve, my aunt Carole, uncle David, and Jonathan and Joni. Needless to say, we all had a total blast being the rowdiest group at the restaurant. David was recovering from some brutal dermatology unfortunately, I hope he gets better soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile Matt and I enjoy attending the Global Sourcing Forum in NYC, Charlotte\nenjoys herself walking the city. It\u0026rsquo;s a lucky treat that the Veteran\u0026rsquo;s Day\nParade is going on, so there are plenty of fun sights and people to take in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte really loves shopping in the Lower East Side. That girl of mine loves\ngetting a good deal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091111_nyc/37.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMatt and I head downtown to meet up at \u003ca href=\"https://katzsdelicatessen.com\"\u003eKatz\u0026rsquo;s Deli\u003c/a\u003e. I\u0026rsquo;ve had a wicked\nhankering for pastrami on rye, a potato knish, and some cream soda. I realized\nafter I ordered that I should have gotten an egg cream. Guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to\ncome back again soon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying New York City with Charlotte"},{"content":"I wish I could go on a Ferris wheel right now. Go on a slow ride up to the clouds take a handful and bring it back down to earth with me. Here is my cloud, want some? It tastes like cotton candy.\nAnyway.. sorry about that, this is a Ferris wheel somewhere off in South Dakota in an abandoned sideshow amusement park. I wish I had stopped to take a ride. I feel like on road trips you need to stop every time you have an inkling to do so because you never know if you will ever see anything like it again. I regret not stopping at some things and I will remember some for the rest of my life for the things I did stop at.\nLeave nothing undone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091111_ferriswheel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI wish I could go on a Ferris wheel right now. Go on a slow ride up to the\nclouds take a handful and bring it back down to earth with me. Here is my\ncloud, want some? It tastes like cotton candy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway.. sorry about that, this is a Ferris wheel somewhere off in South Dakota\nin an abandoned sideshow amusement park. I wish I had stopped to take a ride.\nI feel like on road trips you need to stop every time you have an inkling to\ndo so because you never know if you will ever see anything like it again. I\nregret not stopping at some things and I will remember some for the rest of my\nlife for the things I did stop at.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ferris Wheel"},{"content":"I took this photo in Seattle of this little girl and it reminded me of a poem I wrote once, here it is.\nThere is a little girl\nSitting on the sidewalk\nShe cries with little\nHiccups of breath\nAs silver drops\nRun rivers down her face\nHer hair bobs with her bouncing breaths\nShe squeezes her eyes hut\nCreasing a face\nSo soft and young\nMaking cardboard out of dough\nHolding her knee in her hands\nI bend as I near her\nAnd crouch down next to her\nShe hiccups and sniffles\nAs she tilts her head my way\nHer blue eyes swampy\nAnd clouded as a stormy day\nHer dress lies in tatters\nA wand broken at her side\nA basket of belongings\nStrewn around her\nAs if blown into a warfield\nI offer a smile\nAs I block the sun from her eyes\nIt is the least I could do\nDragging an arm across her face\nShe looks at me quizzically\n“What’s wrong?” I ask\nAs I survey this battlefield\nShe looks from me to her dress\nAs she sniffles again\nA Cinderella dress\nReady for the grand ball\nI notice her tiara\nRattled in the snarls of her hair\n“I fell and ripped my dress”\nShe whispers in a way only children can\nAudible and loud\nYet you have to lean in to hear\n“That’s alright” I reply\n“Everyone falls down sometimes”\nShe shakes her head fiercely\nAs if trying to rid herself of a bad dream\n“All I wanted to do”\nShe cried sobbing all anew now\n“Was be a princess\nBut look at what I have done”\nShe points to her wand\nBroken and destroyed\nLooks at her dress\nRuined and dirty\n“How can I be a princess now?”\n“You don’t need a wand,” I say\nAs I pick up the pieces\n“Or a dress” I put the pieces in her lap\nFull of torn and ruffled clothes\n“To be a princess all you need\nIs a good heart and a quick mind”\nYet again I offer a smile\nShe tilts her head at me no longer crying\nExamining me and my words\nAs they lay at her feet\nI watch as she picks them up\nStudies them and their worth\nAnd offers me a smile back in return\nSmall but honest and true\n“Remember that,” I say\n“And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise”\nI help her to her feet\nShe sniffles one last time\nAs she picks up the debris\nOf a life she no longer needs\nI nod and she nods\nI walk past her smiling\nI turn back once\nAnd the little princess waves\nI wave back\nWishing my little princess in me\nHadn’t left me so long ago\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091110_princess/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI took this photo in Seattle of this little girl and it reminded me of a poem I\nwrote once, here it is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a little girl\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting on the sidewalk\u003cbr\u003e\nShe cries with little\u003cbr\u003e\nHiccups of breath\u003cbr\u003e\nAs silver drops\u003cbr\u003e\nRun rivers down her face\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hair bobs with her bouncing breaths\u003cbr\u003e\nShe squeezes her eyes hut\u003cbr\u003e\nCreasing a face\u003cbr\u003e\nSo soft and young\u003cbr\u003e\nMaking cardboard out of dough\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding her knee in her hands\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Little Princess"},{"content":"Are you afraid\nOf the dark\nOr just what\nLies inside of it\nWhen you see darkness\nDo you see the shadows\nOr the light\nThat hides within\nWhen you look\nInto a mirror\nDo you see yourself\nOr a reflection\nStaring back\nAs life slips\nFrom your heart\nDo you think back\nOr wonder ahead\nAs the sun sets\nDo you see\nThe beautiful colors\nOr the impending\nDarkness that it brings\nDo you see\nThe glass as\nHalf full\nOr half empty\nTell me which\nSide of the coin\nDo you prefer\nChoose your side wisely\nIt decides your fate\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091109_coinflip/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAre you afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the dark\u003cbr\u003e\nOr just what\u003cbr\u003e\nLies inside of it\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you see darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you see the shadows\u003cbr\u003e\nOr the light\u003cbr\u003e\nThat hides within\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you look\u003cbr\u003e\nInto a mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you see yourself\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a reflection\u003cbr\u003e\nStaring back\u003cbr\u003e\nAs life slips\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you think back\u003cbr\u003e\nOr wonder ahead\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the sun sets\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe beautiful colors\u003cbr\u003e\nOr the impending\u003cbr\u003e\nDarkness that it brings\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe glass as\u003cbr\u003e\nHalf full\u003cbr\u003e\nOr half empty\u003cbr\u003e\nTell me which\u003cbr\u003e\nSide of the coin\u003cbr\u003e\nDo you prefer\u003cbr\u003e\nChoose your side wisely\u003cbr\u003e\nIt decides your fate\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Coin Flip"},{"content":"“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose\nBy any other name would smell as sweet.”\nAh Shakespeare, here is a beautiful rose picture I took. I love the little rain drop in the middle of the flower. it adds a little something to the photo.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091109_rose/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose\u003cbr\u003e\nBy any other name would smell as sweet.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAh Shakespeare, here is a beautiful rose picture I took. I love the little rain\ndrop in the middle of the flower. it adds a little something to the photo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Rose by any other Name"},{"content":"Say hello to Mr. Buffalo from Yellowstone. They were everywhere.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091109_buffalo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSay hello to Mr. Buffalo from Yellowstone. They were everywhere.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Buffalo"},{"content":"Gabe and I are off to ride the hills around Scotts Valley. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to have another potential crazy road cyclist in the family. I figure eventually everyone will come around as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091109_roadies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are off to ride the hills around Scotts Valley. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to have\nanother potential crazy road cyclist in the family. I figure eventually\neveryone will come around as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the budding cyclist"},{"content":"Creeper Photo of the day goes to the Smoker. She was on Pikes Place Market smoking in the street. Her glasses and face caught my attention. I wonder who she is talking to and why it is so important to go sit in the street to talk. She seemed upset, I wonder why.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091109_smoker/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCreeper Photo of the day goes to the Smoker. She was on Pikes Place Market\nsmoking in the street. Her glasses and face caught my attention. I wonder who\nshe is talking to and why it is so important to go sit in the street to talk.\nShe seemed upset, I wonder why.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Smoker"},{"content":"\nI am a huge fan of the television show called Man v. Food on the travel channel. So naturally when in Seattle I checked out the places he went to on his show, one of them was a seafood eatery called the Crab Pot. It has something called a Sea Feast, and it truly is. They bring out a giant pot filled with crab, mussels, clams, sausage, potatoes, and shrimp, then dump it onto your table. There are no forks or knives just a mallet and a little picking fork. It really is a battle with your food.\nMy mom and I had a lot of fun going at our food. Personally I was having fun with the shrimp that were still full clothed. I named mine Jerry. Then I ate him. Sorry Jerry.\nAnyway, the food was good and I learned some new things about myself.\nI am a master at de-shelling crab. I would get in there with my mallet, whack the crap out of it and like magic the entire piece of crab meat would come out untouched and ready for devouring. Yes, I am just that talented.\nI don’t like mussels or clams. I had never tried them before so I tired them there. They just don’t work with me, what can I say.\nI am definitely a kid at heart. I basically played with my food the entire time. It is hard not to when they give you a bib, a hammer and a pile full of food and say go at it. I mean what did they expect? My dad would have had a lot of fun there I believe.\nIt is a good place to just act like a kid and get messy with your food, and don’t be afraid to play with your food. They give you a whole roll of wet naps basically when you are done. Seriously though, you use all of them. It is really messy, really fun, and I recommend going for some fun food in Seattle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091108_crabpot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091108_crabpot/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am a huge fan of the television show called Man v. Food on the travel\nchannel. So naturally when in Seattle I checked out the places he went to on\nhis show, one of them was a seafood eatery called the Crab Pot. It has\nsomething called a Sea Feast, and it truly is. They bring out a giant pot\nfilled with crab, mussels, clams, sausage, potatoes, and shrimp, then dump it\nonto your table. There are no forks or knives just a mallet and a little\npicking fork. It really is a battle with your food.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crab Pot"},{"content":"This is my favorite creeper photo I have ever taken. It was in the airport on my way to Seattle. Her hat was what caught my attention. There is just something sad and mysterious about her that I love. It made me wonder why she was going to Seattle and who she was. She has the honor of being my first creeper photo.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091108_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is my favorite creeper photo I have ever taken. It was in the airport on\nmy way to Seattle. Her hat was what caught my attention. There is just\nsomething sad and mysterious about her that I love. It made me wonder why she\nwas going to Seattle and who she was. She has the honor of being my first\ncreeper photo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photo of the Day: Red Hat"},{"content":"So my little brother had the great idea to have a section for Creeper Photo of the Day because I take so many. So starting today there will be a new photo every day of some random person that I have never met but took a picture of without their knowledge of me doing so. A warning, none of these are meant to be stalker photos or anything. These photos are solely of people I found fascinating in some way or another and wanted to remember them for it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091108_creeperintro/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo my little brother had the great idea to have a section for Creeper Photo of the Day because I take so many. So starting today there will be a new photo every day of some random person that I have never met but took a picture of without their knowledge of me doing so. A warning, none of these are meant to be stalker photos or anything. These photos are solely of people I found fascinating in some way or another and wanted to remember them for it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Intro: Creeper Photo of the Day"},{"content":"As always, I love the color red. This photo is interesting, I love how the sky is reflected in the window. Ivy always makes for good photos, there is a photography tip for you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091108_redivy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAs always, I love the color red. This photo is interesting, I love how the sky\nis reflected in the window. Ivy always makes for good photos, there is a\nphotography tip for you.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Red Ivy"},{"content":"Wow I just found this poem I wrote in eighth grade. Kind of interesting.\nI open my eyes and see you\nYour soul so happy and filled with joy\nTwo peas in a pod always together\nArm in arm right by my side\nSun shinning on your soft face\nWind tousling your brown hair\nSilence, laughing\nHiding in prickly bushes away from the world\nOur little hideout made out of blackberries\nOne so sweet, one so sour\nNo one can touch us\nOur world of dreams and fantasies\nI open my ears and hear you\nVoice so strong and filled with love\nNow cracks with every word\nTears like rain fall from your round face\nHugging each other to make the cruel world go away\nDarkness threatens to swallow us\nSilence, screaming\nParents yelling, how could this be\nEyes once filled with spirit and light\nWeighed down by a burden\nThey are taking you from me\nOur last words farewell, goodbye\nI open my heart and remember you\nTall white house, too many windows\npeering out like eyes covered in fall leaves\nPlace of love now filled with sorrow\nImpenetrable fort of bushes grown over, forgotten\nRemember our promises, our whispered dreams\nRemember our guards the ever-present red wood trees\nSilence, crying\nI miss your voice, I miss your laugh\nI miss our time as best friends\nOur dreams now forgotten\nBut I will always remember you\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091107_remember/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWow I just found this poem I wrote in eighth grade. Kind of interesting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI open my eyes and see you\u003cbr\u003e\nYour soul so happy and filled with joy\u003cbr\u003e\nTwo peas in a pod always together\u003cbr\u003e\nArm in arm right by my side\u003cbr\u003e\nSun shinning on your soft face\u003cbr\u003e\nWind tousling your brown hair\u003cbr\u003e\nSilence, laughing\u003cbr\u003e\nHiding in prickly bushes away from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nOur little hideout made out of blackberries\u003cbr\u003e\nOne so sweet, one so sour\u003cbr\u003e\nNo one can touch us\u003cbr\u003e\nOur world of dreams and fantasies\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Remember"},{"content":"Of course going to Seattle entitles the Space Needle. Very impressive from the outside but it wasn’t really so amazing from the inside. This may partly be contributed to the fact that I don’t do well in elevators (not because I am claustrophobic, but because I get really dizzy).\nBut really, it wasn’t that great. You go up, say oh, ah at the view, and then go back down and leave. Frankly the monorail ride over was just as exciting if not more.\nI do believe you have to see it just to say you have been to it, but otherwise not on my top ten list of things to see in Seattle. Anyways, I liked this photo of it, it was very tall and majestic.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091107_spaceneedle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOf course going to Seattle entitles the Space Needle. Very impressive from the\noutside but it wasn’t really so amazing from the inside. This may partly be\ncontributed to the fact that I don’t do well in elevators (not because I am\nclaustrophobic, but because I get really dizzy).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut really, it wasn’t that great. You go up, say oh, ah at the view, and then\ngo back down and leave. Frankly the monorail ride over was just as exciting if\nnot more.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Space Needle"},{"content":"So on our tour of Seattle we took a stop at the Fremont Troll which is a giant sculpture of a troll underneath a bridge. Creative and weird. I enjoyed it very much.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091105_troll/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo on our tour of Seattle we took a stop at the Fremont Troll which is a giant\nsculpture of a troll underneath a bridge. Creative and weird. I enjoyed it\nvery much.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fremont Troll"},{"content":"So today is my birthday and I am seventeen years of age. This is a shout out to all of my friends who gave me things, hugged me, and said happy birthday. I love all of you!\nBasically two of my best friends gave me a boat load of balloons, literally. I think there was like fifteen. They swallowed me and everyone who was brave enough to come within a five meter diameter of me. (yes I said meter because I think American measurements are stupid).\nAnyway, I have a ton of sweets that my family are quickly devouring as I write, and today was a great birthday thanks to everyone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091105_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo today is my birthday and I am seventeen years of age. This is a shout out to\nall of my friends who gave me things, hugged me, and said happy birthday. I\nlove all of you!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBasically two of my best friends gave me a boat load of balloons, literally. I\nthink there was like fifteen. They swallowed me and everyone who was brave\nenough to come within a five meter diameter of me. (yes I said meter because I\nthink American measurements are stupid).\u003c/p\u003e","title":"I’m Seventeen!"},{"content":"Here are a few of my favorite Halloween costumes I saw while in Seattle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091104_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere are a few of my favorite Halloween costumes I saw while in Seattle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091104_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091104_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween in Seattle"},{"content":"Empty store\nA TV. On mute\nIt feels so empty\nIn a corner\nA high chair sits\nCovered in dust\nLong forgotten\nI wonder\nWas it ever used\nDid a child\nSo loved\nOnce sit in it\nNow gone\nBlue with colorful\nCotton candy designs\nWhere is the baby\nDid tragedy strike\nTo steal it away\nFrom it’s loving parents\nPlucked like a flower\nCut down before its prime\nFeathers floating\nSoftly to the ground\nDid an angel take it away\nOr perhaps\nThe child just\nGrew up\nThe chair\nJust unneeded and unnecessary\nAs a child\nGrows to big\nFor it’s former joy\nGrowing apart\nFrom all it\nEver knew and loved\nThe child was taken\nAway from it’s chair\nBecause it no longer needed\nA baby’s chair\nSo now\nSo empty\nA blue high chair sits\nWith cotton candy designs\nIn a corner\nForgotten\nGathering dust\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091104_highchair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEmpty store\u003cbr\u003e\nA TV. On mute\u003cbr\u003e\nIt feels so empty\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a corner\u003cbr\u003e\nA high chair sits\u003cbr\u003e\nCovered in dust\u003cbr\u003e\nLong forgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder\u003cbr\u003e\nWas it ever used\u003cbr\u003e\nDid a child\u003cbr\u003e\nSo loved\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce sit in it\u003cbr\u003e\nNow gone\u003cbr\u003e\nBlue with colorful\u003cbr\u003e\nCotton candy designs\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere is the baby\u003cbr\u003e\nDid tragedy strike\u003cbr\u003e\nTo steal it away\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom it’s loving parents\u003cbr\u003e\nPlucked like a flower\u003cbr\u003e\nCut down before its prime\u003cbr\u003e\nFeathers floating\u003cbr\u003e\nSoftly to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nDid an angel take it away\u003cbr\u003e\nOr perhaps\u003cbr\u003e\nThe child just\u003cbr\u003e\nGrew up\u003cbr\u003e\nThe chair\u003cbr\u003e\nJust unneeded and unnecessary\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a child\u003cbr\u003e\nGrows to big\u003cbr\u003e\nFor it’s former joy\u003cbr\u003e\nGrowing apart\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom all it\u003cbr\u003e\nEver knew and loved\u003cbr\u003e\nThe child was taken\u003cbr\u003e\nAway from it’s chair\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause it no longer needed\u003cbr\u003e\nA baby’s chair\u003cbr\u003e\nSo now\u003cbr\u003e\nSo empty\u003cbr\u003e\nA blue high chair sits\u003cbr\u003e\nWith cotton candy designs\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a corner\u003cbr\u003e\nForgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nGathering dust\u003c/p\u003e","title":"High Chair"},{"content":"I had the pleasure of meeting an extremely talented African Gray Parrot at Pike’s Place Market. On a street corner a man was performing with his bird. It was amazing. He could play dead, be thrown up into the air and do a 360, meow, and do flips on your hand. Truly incredible. I even got to hold him.\nJust one of many weird things we encountered in Pike’s Place Market. Here is a little video I took.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091103_parrot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had the pleasure of meeting an extremely talented African Gray Parrot at\nPike’s Place Market. On a street corner a man was performing with his bird. It\nwas amazing. He could play dead, be thrown up into the air and do a 360, meow,\nand do flips on your hand. Truly incredible. I even got to hold him.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust one of many weird things we encountered in Pike’s Place Market. Here is a\nlittle video I took.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Parrot Friend"},{"content":"\nMy little brother, Gabe, is the shout out of the day mainly because of his amazing costume for Halloween as a playboy bunny. Yes this horrifies me, and yes I fell off my chair laughing. So here you go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091103_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091103_gabe/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy little brother, Gabe, is the shout out of the day mainly because of his\namazing costume for Halloween as a playboy bunny. Yes this horrifies me, and\nyes I fell off my chair laughing. So here you go.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shout Out of the Day: Gabe"},{"content":"In University of Washington I found a gigantic leaf.\nYes, that leaf is as big as my torso. I loved that leaf for 48 hours but sadly I had to let it go when I got on the airport to leave. We had some good times walking around on campus and everyone on the tour commenting on it. Good times, good times. I wish it could have come with me, but I couldn’t put it in my bag.\nSo I did what any normal person would do. I threw it off the top of a parking garage. Oh wait, that isn’t normal. Oh well, my leaf deserved an abnormal departure because it was so abnormal. I let it go and watched it fall to the ground five stories below.\nIn retrospect this wasn’t such a good idea becuase it could have landed on a car windshield which would have been very bad due to its huge proportions.\nHowever this did not happen, it drifed down to the sidewalk where it lay forever as far as my knowledge will ever go. I hope someone else picked it up and realized how cool it was. Otherwise it will probably pass of as a piece of trash to the rest of the world who couldn’t care enough to stop and notice beauty lying in the middle of the street. Well at least you know about it now.\nGood bye my leaf, I will miss you. I do know the irony about writing 300 words all about a leaf I found. I don’t care.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091102_leaf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn University of Washington I found a gigantic leaf.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, that leaf is as big as my torso. I loved that leaf for 48 hours but sadly\nI had to let it go when I got on the airport to leave. We had some good times\nwalking around on campus and everyone on the tour commenting on it. Good\ntimes, good times. I wish it could have come with me, but I couldn’t put it in\nmy bag.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"RIP: My Big Leaf"},{"content":"Cream in coffee is good for my mom because she can get her caffeine and sugar high at the same time, I like it for photography. Same difference….. well maybe not. I feel like I should have gotten murdered in Seattle because I don’t drink coffee. It almost seems mandatory when you visit, let alone live. What can I say, i just don’t like coffee. Looks like marble to me. Thanks Starbucks for the shot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091102_cream/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCream in coffee is good for my mom because she can get her caffeine and sugar\nhigh at the same time, I like it for photography. Same difference….. well\nmaybe not. I feel like I should have gotten murdered in Seattle because I\ndon’t drink coffee. It almost seems mandatory when you visit, let alone live.\nWhat can I say, i just don’t like coffee. Looks like marble to me. Thanks\nStarbucks for the shot.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Would You Like Some Coffee With Your Cream?"},{"content":"\nPike Place Market in Seattle really was an extraordinary experience. There were so many people, so many colors, and so much life. People just offer you food, sing and laugh, it really is a place to see. There will be many more photos from here coming up so stay tuned.\nOh and a lady walked into the back of a car and whipped out. Funny but sad.\nHere are some color pictures of the market. The first is a dried pepper chain, (mom bought one) and of course the classic fruit line up. I can’t wait to go back again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091101_pikeplace/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091101_pikeplace/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePike Place Market in Seattle really was an extraordinary experience. There were\nso many people, so many colors, and so much life. People just offer you food,\nsing and laugh, it really is a place to see. There will be many more photos\nfrom here coming up so stay tuned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOh and a lady walked into the back of a car and whipped out. Funny but sad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some color pictures of the market. The first is a dried pepper chain,\n(mom bought one) and of course the classic fruit line up. I can’t wait to go\nback again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pike Place Market"},{"content":"Gabe and Doug are planning an early Halloween around the neighborhood in an attempt to bring in a big haul. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s also decided to go as a Playboy bunny. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure he really looks like one, but he sure does pull off the young girl look look nicely. The bunny mask really just makes me frightened.\nI think it really terrifies Doug.\nA little basketball and then it\u0026rsquo;s time to skip off to scare the neighbors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug are planning an early Halloween around the neighborhood in an\nattempt to bring in a big haul. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s also decided to go as a Playboy bunny.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure he really looks like one, but he sure does pull off the young\ngirl look look nicely. The bunny mask really just makes me frightened.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think it really terrifies Doug.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091031_halloween/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little basketball and then it\u0026rsquo;s time to skip off to scare the neighbors.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the Halloween bunny girl"},{"content":"Don your masks\nyour alter egos\nit’s time for the dance\na dark waltz\nfull of mischief and grief\nhide your face\nand smile anew\nthe night is yours\nno light lies between you\nno boundaries\njust a moon\nand a cry\nto keep the night alive\ngrinning faces\nwith twisted smiles\nchildren running\ntricks to be played\nunder the night’s watch\nfor a night\nyou are who you truly are\nwhen the masks go on\nthey finally are off\nlet out your darkness\nto share with the world\nclose your eyes\npull down your veil\nit’s time to play\nlet out a howl\nit Halloween day!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091031_halloween2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDon your masks\u003cbr\u003e\nyour alter egos\u003cbr\u003e\nit’s time for the dance\u003cbr\u003e\na dark waltz\u003cbr\u003e\nfull of mischief and grief\u003cbr\u003e\nhide your face\u003cbr\u003e\nand smile anew\u003cbr\u003e\nthe night is yours\u003cbr\u003e\nno light lies between you\u003cbr\u003e\nno boundaries\u003cbr\u003e\njust a moon\u003cbr\u003e\nand a cry\u003cbr\u003e\nto keep the night alive\u003cbr\u003e\ngrinning faces\u003cbr\u003e\nwith twisted smiles\u003cbr\u003e\nchildren running\u003cbr\u003e\ntricks to be played\u003cbr\u003e\nunder the night’s watch\u003cbr\u003e\nfor a night\u003cbr\u003e\nyou are who you truly are\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen the masks go on\u003cbr\u003e\nthey finally are off\u003cbr\u003e\nlet out your darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nto share with the world\u003cbr\u003e\nclose your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\npull down your veil\u003cbr\u003e\nit’s time to play\u003cbr\u003e\nlet out a howl\u003cbr\u003e\nit Halloween day!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween"},{"content":"We visited UW as a possible college for me and it was amazing. This campus is beautiful. They said they have 17 libraries which suits my fancy and they are right on the water. With it being fall there is so much color here and vibrancy in everything even though it is gray out. The architecture is also amazing. The building I would probably be in is called Savory which is in the most beautiful part of campus, the quad.\nAfter all the tours we sat down to take some creeper photos, which we had monumental fun with. Lots of interesting people with some costumes since Halloween is tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091031_washington/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe visited UW as a possible college for me and it was amazing. This campus is\nbeautiful. They said they have 17 libraries which suits my fancy and they are\nright on the water. With it being fall there is so much color here and\nvibrancy in everything even though it is gray out. The architecture is also\namazing. The building I would probably be in is called Savory which is in the\nmost beautiful part of campus, the quad.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"University of Washington"},{"content":"Well what can I say, it’s Seattle and it’s beautiful. I really love it here. Weather isn’t so bad, windy mostly with just a little rain last night. So far the journey has been great. Our flight went smoothly with lots of beautiful sunset pictures from the airplane window. A change from my normal taking pictures from a car window to a plane window.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091031_plane/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWell what can I say, it’s Seattle and it’s beautiful. I really love it here. Weather isn’t so bad, windy mostly with just a little rain last night. So far the journey has been great. Our flight went smoothly with lots of beautiful sunset pictures from the airplane window. A change from my normal taking pictures from a car window to a plane window.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Washington Plane and Arrival"},{"content":"Sitting in an airport with my super travel buddy, my mom. Drinking Starbucks and perfecting the skill that is creeper photos.\nWe prefer cars, simple as that. We are road trippin’ travel buddies not air trippin’. It just isn’t the same. So much is lost when you travel by airplane, all you see is your destination not what is in between. I know it sounds corny and cliche but it really is about the journey not your destination. I have not gone on an airplane for about two and a half years now. So naturally this is my first flight in a while and I have practically no idea what I am doing.\nI have already forgotten my book, the Scarlet Letter. No chapstick, what is a girl to do? Well at least I didn’t loose my knives like Nick or go to the wrong airport…. like someone.\nLooking forward to Seattle and being on an airplane totally jacked up on chocolate frappuccino goodness. Mom is pounding back the ice coffee, this is going to be a fun trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091029_seattle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSitting in an airport with my super travel buddy, my mom. Drinking Starbucks\nand perfecting the skill that is creeper photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe prefer cars, simple as that.  We are road trippin’ travel buddies not air\ntrippin’. It just isn’t the same. So much is lost when you travel by airplane,\nall you see is your destination not what is in between. I know it sounds corny\nand cliche but it really is about the journey not your destination. I have not\ngone on an airplane for about two and a half years now. So naturally this is\nmy first flight in a while and I have practically no idea what I am doing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Travel Update: Seattle Adventure"},{"content":"I am off to Seattle, Washington for my 17 birthday so I am not sure whether new posts will be up this weekend but I will try. Happy Halloween people!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091029_vacation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am off to Seattle, Washington for my 17 birthday so I am not sure whether new\nposts will be up this weekend but I will try. Happy Halloween people!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vacation Time!"},{"content":"\nRed is my favorite color in the world. It is so bold and in your face. When you see something red you look twice whether it is a trees fall leaves, a nice red car, a woman’s lipstick, or the bright red dress you have been wanting to buy. There always seems to be an unearthly power behind the color red, I love it, love it, to no end.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091028_red/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091028_red/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRed is my favorite color in the world. It is so bold and in your face. When you\nsee something red you look twice whether it is a trees fall leaves, a nice red\ncar, a woman’s lipstick, or the bright red dress you have been wanting to buy.\nThere always seems to be an unearthly power behind the color red, I love it,\nlove it, to no end.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Red"},{"content":"Smile real wide\nLet the Cheshire cat inside\nHe has been waiting\nTo be let in\nEver patient\nWith a demon’s grin\nWaiting outside your window\nLooking inside your life\nLooking for a way in\nTo your lonely little world\nHe has a fancy for games\nAnd riddles it seems\nSo play a game\nLet down your wall\nAnd let the Cheshire cat in\nWatch as its face splits open\nWith the devil’s smile\nAs it laughs\nAnd laughs\nAnd laughs\nAt you\nAnd the game you call your life\nYet there is nothing\nThat you can do\nAs you sit paralyzed and wait\nInsanity is knocking on your door\nYou have blocked and barricaded\nAnd sealed all the locks\nYet every moment the clock\nTicks faster\nUntil all your time is lost\nThe cat is laughing\nAs you loose your mind\nYou plead for help\nBut it just keeps going\nAnd going\nAs the pendulum swings faster\nYou pray for silence\nAnd your eyes to block out\nThe demon’s smile\nIt is eating you away\nUntil you realize it is nothing\nJust a cat and its smile\nJust a laugh and a whisper\nThat all is not well\nLook the cat in the eye\nAnd walk away\nDown the path you came\nSmile real wide\nAt the forest’s darkness\nAnd let the Cheshire cat inside\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091027_cheshire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSmile real wide\u003cbr\u003e\nLet the Cheshire cat inside\u003cbr\u003e\nHe has been waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be let in\u003cbr\u003e\nEver patient\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a demon’s grin\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting outside your window\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking inside your life\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking for a way in\u003cbr\u003e\nTo your lonely little world\u003cbr\u003e\nHe has a fancy for games\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd riddles it seems\u003cbr\u003e\nSo play a game\u003cbr\u003e\nLet down your wall\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd let the Cheshire cat in\u003cbr\u003e\nWatch as its face splits open\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the devil’s smile\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it laughs\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd laughs\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd laughs\u003cbr\u003e\nAt you\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the game you call your life\u003cbr\u003e\nYet there is nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you can do\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you sit paralyzed and wait\u003cbr\u003e\nInsanity is knocking on your door\u003cbr\u003e\nYou have blocked and barricaded\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sealed all the locks\u003cbr\u003e\nYet every moment the clock\u003cbr\u003e\nTicks faster\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil all your time is lost\u003cbr\u003e\nThe cat is laughing\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you loose your mind\u003cbr\u003e\nYou plead for help\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it just keeps going\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd going\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the pendulum swings faster\u003cbr\u003e\nYou pray for silence\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your eyes to block out\u003cbr\u003e\nThe demon’s smile\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is eating you away\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil you realize it is nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a cat and its smile\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a laugh and a whisper\u003cbr\u003e\nThat all is not well\u003cbr\u003e\nLook the cat in the eye\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd walk away\u003cbr\u003e\nDown the path you came\u003cbr\u003e\nSmile real wide\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the forest’s darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd let the Cheshire cat inside\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cheshire Grin"},{"content":"There is something magical about sunflowers. They just make you smile. So I say, put down your homework, get up off the couch, stop working, stop stressing, stop everything you are doing and take that extra look at the sunflower you didn’t notice today.\nBend down and put your eye level to the flower and notice all you would never have originally. This is what you are missing every day of your life while you slave away on menial tasks that will probably never better you as a person. This one moment. This one flower can do what none of the other things could.\nSo take the time. The things you normally walk by, stop and look, say hello, and move on but remember it. Because those little moments will never happen again and you will never have that chance. So stop and smell the flowers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091026_sunflower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is something magical about sunflowers. They just make you smile. So I\nsay, put down your homework, get up off the couch, stop working, stop\nstressing, stop everything you are doing and take that extra look at the\nsunflower you didn’t notice today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBend down and put your eye level to the flower and notice all you would never\nhave originally. This is what you are missing every day of your life while you\nslave away on menial tasks that will probably never better you as a person.\nThis one moment. This one flower can do what none of the other things could.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sunflower Light"},{"content":"Every chair occupied\nTables covered\nNewspapers open\nShowing crime\nPain\nMisfortune\nAll born by man\nIncessant clicking\nOf fingers\nSwiftly moving\nOn keyboards\nCoffee beans ground\nThick heavy scent\nOf coffee\nMixed, tainted\nBy the ugly scent\nOf humans\nSo many blank\nOpen faces\nTrying unsuccessfully\nTo communicate\nWith one another\nBut the space\nBetween them\nIs just too far\nThe gap of worlds\nTo large to cross\nOpen mouths\nLacking any sound\nHand gestures\nTo a blind man\nA woman sits\nIn the far corner\nLaughs\nBig teeth\nOpen abyss\nConsuming all\nPutting nothing out\nPeople talk\nBut nothing\nEver comes out\nMaybe\nThey just have\nNothing to say\nWishing out of habit\nNot necessity\nHere in a coffee shop\nSo close\nYet so far from the world\nCoffee and people\nSo very different\nForced to live\nIn silent harmony\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091025_coffeeshop/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery chair occupied\u003cbr\u003e\nTables covered\u003cbr\u003e\nNewspapers open\u003cbr\u003e\nShowing crime\u003cbr\u003e\nPain\u003cbr\u003e\nMisfortune\u003cbr\u003e\nAll born by man\u003cbr\u003e\nIncessant clicking\u003cbr\u003e\nOf fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nSwiftly moving\u003cbr\u003e\nOn keyboards\u003cbr\u003e\nCoffee beans ground\u003cbr\u003e\nThick heavy scent\u003cbr\u003e\nOf coffee\u003cbr\u003e\nMixed, tainted\u003cbr\u003e\nBy the ugly scent\u003cbr\u003e\nOf humans\u003cbr\u003e\nSo many blank\u003cbr\u003e\nOpen faces\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying unsuccessfully\u003cbr\u003e\nTo communicate\u003cbr\u003e\nWith one another\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the space\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween them\u003cbr\u003e\nIs just too far\u003cbr\u003e\nThe gap of worlds\u003cbr\u003e\nTo large to cross\u003cbr\u003e\nOpen mouths\u003cbr\u003e\nLacking any sound\u003cbr\u003e\nHand gestures\u003cbr\u003e\nTo a blind man\u003cbr\u003e\nA woman sits\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the far corner\u003cbr\u003e\nLaughs\u003cbr\u003e\nBig teeth\u003cbr\u003e\nOpen abyss\u003cbr\u003e\nConsuming all\u003cbr\u003e\nPutting nothing out\u003cbr\u003e\nPeople talk\u003cbr\u003e\nBut nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nEver comes out\u003cbr\u003e\nMaybe\u003cbr\u003e\nThey just have\u003cbr\u003e\nNothing to say\u003cbr\u003e\nWishing out of habit\u003cbr\u003e\nNot necessity\u003cbr\u003e\nHere in a coffee shop\u003cbr\u003e\nSo close\u003cbr\u003e\nYet so far from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nCoffee and people\u003cbr\u003e\nSo very different\u003cbr\u003e\nForced to live\u003cbr\u003e\nIn silent harmony\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coffee Shop"},{"content":"On our kayaking trip in Morro Bay we went out to a small oyster farming spot covered in pelicans. It seemed to be the go spot for pelicans looking for a rest. It was really beautiful, pelicans are really interesting birds.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091025_pelican/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn our kayaking trip in Morro Bay we went out to a small oyster farming spot\ncovered in pelicans. It seemed to be the go spot for pelicans looking for a\nrest. It was really beautiful, pelicans are really interesting birds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pelican Rest Stop"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091024_cactus/","summary":"","title":"Cactus"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091023_balance/","summary":"","title":"Balance"},{"content":"\nI love playing Frisbee with my poodle in our backyard. She just gets so excited and hops all over the place giving great opportunities for amazing jump photos. Love you wonder dog.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091022_gracie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091022_gracie/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love playing Frisbee with my poodle in our backyard. She just gets so excited\nand hops all over the place giving great opportunities for amazing jump\nphotos. Love you wonder dog.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie the Frisbee Dog Extraordinaire"},{"content":"There is a blue buddha in our garden… and I don’t know how it got there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091022_buddha/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a blue buddha in our garden… and I don’t know how it got there.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mystery of the Blue Buddha"},{"content":"Little Alice\nSitting in a tea cup\nSwimming in a sea\nOf tea leaf prophecy\nSinking into a\nDeceiving warmth\nOf false security\nA spider’s lullaby\nSo sweet and comforting\nYou could die\nAnd never know it\nLittle Alice\nTakes a big breath\nAnd goes under\nShe opens her eyes\nPeering through a\nRefracted world\nWhere lines are blurred\nAnd everything shines\nWhere you are\nSimply floating\nNo heaviness here\nNo weight\nHolding you down\nShe blinks\nIn slow motion\nAs her hair floats\nA halo framing her face\nLittle Alice\nIs weightless\nAs her lungs\nBegin to ache\nBut she still\nStays under\nAs her eyes\nStart to tear\nAnd her mind\nBegins to fog\nHere the world\nIs so beautiful\nYour souls only mirror\nShe opens her mouth\nThe last bubble escapes\nFloating to the surface\nFor a moment it waits\nJust below the surface\nBut then it pops\nA whisper escapes it\nBut no one hears\nLittle Alice\nIs sleeping\nIn her little tea cup\nPeaceful and beautiful\nA sleeping angel\nAs a sparrow lands\nBalancing on a line\nBetween our world and the next\nOn the tea cup’s rim\nSinging a tea leaf prophecy\nOf a water angel\nNot afraid to die\nLittle Alice\nWas the brave one\nWho stood up in the end\nTook a look\nInto the abyss\nAnd jumped right in\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091021_alice/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLittle Alice\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting in a tea cup\u003cbr\u003e\nSwimming in a sea\u003cbr\u003e\nOf tea leaf prophecy\u003cbr\u003e\nSinking into a\u003cbr\u003e\nDeceiving warmth\u003cbr\u003e\nOf false security\u003cbr\u003e\nA spider’s lullaby\u003cbr\u003e\nSo sweet and comforting\u003cbr\u003e\nYou could die\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never know it\u003cbr\u003e\nLittle Alice\u003cbr\u003e\nTakes a big breath\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd goes under\u003cbr\u003e\nShe opens her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nPeering through a\u003cbr\u003e\nRefracted world\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere lines are blurred\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd everything shines\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere you are\u003cbr\u003e\nSimply floating\u003cbr\u003e\nNo heaviness here\u003cbr\u003e\nNo weight\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding you down\u003cbr\u003e\nShe blinks\u003cbr\u003e\nIn slow motion\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her hair floats\u003cbr\u003e\nA halo framing her face\u003cbr\u003e\nLittle Alice\u003cbr\u003e\nIs weightless\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her lungs\u003cbr\u003e\nBegin to ache\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she still\u003cbr\u003e\nStays under\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nStart to tear\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd her mind\u003cbr\u003e\nBegins to fog\u003cbr\u003e\nHere the world\u003cbr\u003e\nIs so beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nYour souls only mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nShe opens her mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nThe last bubble escapes\u003cbr\u003e\nFloating to the surface\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment it waits\u003cbr\u003e\nJust below the surface\u003cbr\u003e\nBut then it pops\u003cbr\u003e\nA whisper escapes it\u003cbr\u003e\nBut no one hears\u003cbr\u003e\nLittle Alice\u003cbr\u003e\nIs sleeping\u003cbr\u003e\nIn her little tea cup\u003cbr\u003e\nPeaceful and beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nA sleeping angel\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a sparrow lands\u003cbr\u003e\nBalancing on a line\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween our world and the next\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the tea cup’s rim\u003cbr\u003e\nSinging a tea leaf prophecy\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a water angel\u003cbr\u003e\nNot afraid to die\u003cbr\u003e\nLittle Alice\u003cbr\u003e\nWas the brave one\u003cbr\u003e\nWho stood up in the end\u003cbr\u003e\nTook a look\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the abyss\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd jumped right in\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Alice (Tea Leaf Prophecy)"},{"content":"Fall is finally here, this is my favorite season by far. I just wish that in California there were more trees that changed colors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091021_fall/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFall is finally here, this is my favorite season by far. I just wish that in\nCalifornia there were more trees that changed colors.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fall Colors"},{"content":"I love how in college, people become so dependent on bikes. If everyone in the world did what college kids do (well a majority of college kids) then the world would be a whole lot greener. People need to stop trying to just advertise everything as green and just get out and do something about it.\nAdvertisement gets you no where, action gets you everything. So people… ride a bike, take the bus, carpool, recycle and all that good stuff.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091020_bike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love how in college, people become so dependent on bikes. If everyone in the\nworld did what college kids do (well a majority of college kids) then the\nworld would be a whole lot greener. People need to stop trying to just\nadvertise everything as green and just get out and do something about it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdvertisement gets you no where, action gets you everything. So people… ride a\nbike, take the bus, carpool, recycle and all that good stuff.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bike Green"},{"content":"\nI love old decrepit buildings, especially significant ruins like this old mission near Cal Poly, Mission San Miguel. Someday I hope to explore other ruins like in Pompeii or Rome. Some day. Hey a girl’s got to have dreams.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091020_dreaming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091020_dreaming/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love old decrepit buildings, especially significant ruins like this old\nmission near Cal Poly, Mission San Miguel. Someday I hope to explore other\nruins like in Pompeii or Rome. Some day. Hey a girl’s got to have dreams.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dreaming in the Past"},{"content":"I think a lovely neighbor of mine needs a little mentioning currently. This neighbor is a terror in my life and last night was horrible! You may be asking who this neighbor is and can we go egg his house. The answer is no… because egging is bad, and because this neighbor is in fact a coyote. Or several coyotes I suppose. Let me lay out my night in detail for you:\nI didnt want to do my homework (what self-respecting kid does?) so I had found everything in life to do besides sit down and concentrate on math. (Which is what I am doing right now… don’t tell anyone) So I had done everything in existence by, oh lets say, ten o’clock about. So I finally am faced with the inevitable fact that I must do my homework. I realize now is that one golden moment a day when I actually feel like doing my homework finally. I sit down and begin. The moment I am ready to start the second point of my night begins.\nThe coyotes. Our outdoor neighbors come a knock knock knocking on our door step. None to quietly either. I look up, my mom looks up, my dog freaks out, and the whole homework zen mood dissipates in a flash with my moms words, “What the heck is that?” So we scramble up leaving behind everything we had been doing to go outside and stand on our porch for a moment. We are standing there when we hear it. The most god awful noise in existence. I swear it was like a mix of the noise of a cat being strangled, a goat with a chicken bone stuck in its throat, and a horror films clique scream. YES IT WAS THAT BAD. It seriously gave me chills, that was a noise no living creature should make. And the worst part, it didn’t stop. Routinely every two or so minutes it would do it again.\nWe head back inside knowing that the hideous sound outside is not Satan rising up from our canyon and wait for it to stop. IT DIDN\u0026rsquo;T. I was just trying to do my math and it won’t shut up! Seriously it was creepy and annoying, a perfect combination typically reserved for little brothers. I couldn’t concentrate so I give up after a half hour and resign to my room.\nLying in bed, trying to sleep, our wonderfully courteous neighbors, still won’t shut up. Even a pillow, three comforters, two fleece blankets, my dog, and a mini buffalo couldn’t block out that noise. So I am lying awake for easily an hour listening to the embodiment of Satan in our backyard, and hating every ounce of its being.\nThat pretty much was my whole night. A little recap:\nNo homework done because of coyotes Totally disrupted life because of coyotes Totally irritated because of coyotes No sleep because of coyotes and finally Wishing to kill every coyote in existence because OF COYOTES. As I lay awake all night I had time to think about this damned creature and asked myself finally, What on earth is making that coyote so pissed off it is making that noise?\nI mean really, what would prompt suck a ruckus out of these mangy creatures that I have grown to despise. It really makes me wonder, and I know some people instantly went to this option\nMating\nIf that was your thought, and it is true… i fear for the coyote’s race. If that is the mating call of a coyote, I am baffled. How could anything find that attractive. That is like saying I can get a boyfriend by screaming bloody murder at them for five hours straight. Which believe me, doesn’t work. And if that isn’t the reason, only god knows what is.\nJust a side note…. coyotes are just ugly dogs, trying to act like wolves but can’t because dogs and wolves hate them. There I said it, but I digress.\nCoyotes are like, ticks, wasps, and mosquitoes. Why you ask? Because they have absolutely no purpose. Their sole purpose in life is to make other creatures lives miserable. They do nothing but bite, scream, and put you in a generally irritated mood. So yes I would do just fine without those things, that doesn’t make me cruel or heartless, just honest.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091020_knock/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think a lovely neighbor of mine needs a little mentioning currently. This neighbor is a terror in my life and last night was horrible! You may be asking who this neighbor is and can we go egg his house. The answer is no… because egging is bad, and because this neighbor is in fact a coyote. Or several coyotes I suppose. Let me lay out my night in detail for you:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Knock Knock, it’s your Neighbor!"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091019_piling/","summary":"","title":"Piling Line Up"},{"content":"Wire teeth\nFrame a smile\nPulling up corners\nLike a curtain\nLet the show begin\nFeather plumed lips\nFall into a pale face\nWith cheekbones of glass\nEach jutting out\nRagged yet beautiful\nStained glass eyes\nGleam in refracted shards\nColor shines through\nEmpty yet bewitching\nA gate into a hollow soul\nSpider web hair\nBrushes her face\nIn the breeze\nShifting and changing eternally\nSoft as silk\nAnd fine as diamonds\nHere you are\nThe portrait girl\nThey love you for\nYour eyes\nThey love you for\nYour smile\nThey love you for\nAll the wrong reasons\nUntil you die inside\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091018_portrait/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWire teeth\u003cbr\u003e\nFrame a smile\u003cbr\u003e\nPulling up corners\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a curtain\u003cbr\u003e\nLet the show begin\u003cbr\u003e\nFeather plumed lips\u003cbr\u003e\nFall into a pale face\u003cbr\u003e\nWith cheekbones of glass\u003cbr\u003e\nEach jutting out\u003cbr\u003e\nRagged yet beautiful\u003cbr\u003e\nStained glass eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nGleam in refracted shards\u003cbr\u003e\nColor shines through\u003cbr\u003e\nEmpty yet bewitching\u003cbr\u003e\nA gate into a hollow soul\u003cbr\u003e\nSpider web hair\u003cbr\u003e\nBrushes her face\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nShifting and changing eternally\u003cbr\u003e\nSoft as silk\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd fine as diamonds\u003cbr\u003e\nHere you are\u003cbr\u003e\nThe portrait girl\u003cbr\u003e\nThey love you for\u003cbr\u003e\nYour eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nThey love you for\u003cbr\u003e\nYour smile\u003cbr\u003e\nThey love you for\u003cbr\u003e\nAll the wrong reasons\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil you die inside\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Portrait Girl"},{"content":"Can I even begin to explain how much I love this picture of me… no, I don’t think I can, so I won’t.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091018_takeoff/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCan I even begin to explain how much I love this picture of me… no, I don’t\nthink I can, so I won’t.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Take Off and Landing 3"},{"content":"Tomorrow is the start of the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon, but today is an opportunity for the ladies to enjoy San Francisco. A few shots from the hotel as the fog clears and the day awaits.\nCharlotte always enjoys Chinatown, and today she has a special interest in people\u0026rsquo;s apartment windows. The underwear on display is pretty funny.\nIt looks like they\u0026rsquo;re making their way through North Beach and can\u0026rsquo;t resist the pastries along the way.\nA quick pass by the SF Art Institute and down the hill to Fisherman\u0026rsquo;s Wharf. Don\u0026rsquo;t ask me what the deal is with that toilet.\nWelcome to tourist central, home to scary street performers and tons of candy and seafood.\nLooks like the fog is still hanging on over by the Golden Gate Bridge. And yes, that is a million sea lions that have taken over the docks.\nLooks like there\u0026rsquo;s lots of action downtown including music, a kids marching drum band, and art on display. They\u0026rsquo;re also busy building an ice skating rink. Not what I would expect in downtown San Francisco.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s back up through Nob Hill to the hotel. Looks like a wedding party had some fun with a passing fire truck, and I\u0026rsquo;m hoping Charlotte didn\u0026rsquo;t stop by the Nob Hill Theater to check out the revue.\nToday was walk like a girl, and tomorrow it\u0026rsquo;s time to run like a girl.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091017_nike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTomorrow is the start of the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon, but today is an opportunity\nfor the ladies to enjoy San Francisco. A few shots from the hotel as the fog\nclears and the day awaits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte always enjoys Chinatown, and today she has a special interest in\npeople\u0026rsquo;s apartment windows. The underwear on display is pretty funny.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_nike/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt looks like they\u0026rsquo;re making their way through North Beach and can\u0026rsquo;t resist the\npastries along the way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying San Francisco before the Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"Dark hands\nReach for you\nSuffocating, drowning\nBut yet you see\nThere is nothing\nI can do\nWater rushing up\nAll around you\nA dark embrace\nNever letting go\nJust another puppet\nIn a marionette show\nPuppets dance\nJointed dolls twirl\nThen fall\nBroken limbs, empty eyes\nA shattered face\nA ruined disguise\nStrings plucked\nDark hands stream\nThe chords of your soul\nAny moment to break\nTo fall back to earth\nJust the devil’s stake\nFrowns pulled\nInto fake smiles\nMasks drift towards you\nJust people turned puppets\nNever ending nightmare\nNothing to do to stop this\nMarionettes twirl you about\nJust pathetic toys\nFor a dark twisted God\nTorn from the world\nInto this evil façade\nDark hands\nEmpty eyes, broken masks\nSway on stage\nAn empty abyss\nA song rising\nCan’t you hear it\nDrifting on the wind\nPuppets sing, scream\nDo you hear\nTheir desperate cry\nThis my dear\nIs the\nHarlequin’s lullaby\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091017_harlequin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDark hands\u003cbr\u003e\nReach for you\u003cbr\u003e\nSuffocating, drowning\u003cbr\u003e\nBut yet you see\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nI can do\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater rushing up\u003cbr\u003e\nAll around you\u003cbr\u003e\nA dark embrace\u003cbr\u003e\nNever letting go\u003cbr\u003e\nJust another puppet\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a marionette show\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePuppets dance\u003cbr\u003e\nJointed dolls twirl\u003cbr\u003e\nThen fall\u003cbr\u003e\nBroken limbs, empty eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nA shattered face\u003cbr\u003e\nA ruined disguise\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStrings plucked\u003cbr\u003e\nDark hands stream\u003cbr\u003e\nThe chords of your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nAny moment to break\u003cbr\u003e\nTo fall back to earth\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the devil’s stake\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Harlequin’s Lullaby"},{"content":"\nMy brother taking the sand dune leap. Very cool take off and flight pattern Nick, way to go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091017_takeoff/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091017_takeoff/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy brother taking the sand dune leap. Very cool take off and flight pattern\nNick, way to go.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Take Off and Landing 2"},{"content":"Really busy, here is a buoy in Morro Bay from our kayaking trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091016_buoy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eReally busy, here is a buoy in Morro Bay from our kayaking trip.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Buoy"},{"content":"Charlotte, Sally, and Michele are off to San Francisco again this year for the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. On Sunday, Charlotte will be proudly running like a girl.\nAnd there are their names up in lights. You go girls.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091016_nike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Sally, and Michele are off to San Francisco again this year for the\nNike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. On Sunday, Charlotte will be proudly running like a\ngirl.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd there are their names up in lights. You go girls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091016_nike/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and friends off to the Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"“I am done being scared”\nShe said\nPicking herself up defiantly\n“I won’t be pushed around anymore\nI’m gonna be the toughest girl around”\nShe balls her tiny fists\nAnd looks me in the eye\nI just feel old\nLooking the avatar of defiance\nRight in the eye\nI sigh sadly\nAt the visage of a girl\nGoing done a difficult path\n“You don’t have to be tough\nYou just have to be smarter\nThan them to win”\nI say sitting in a chair\nI feel so tired\n“No”\nShe says flexing\nAnd unlacing her fists\nThat should never know\nThe feeling of anger or hate\nHer faces tightens\nAs she shakes her head vehemently\n“I will show them\nI am not just some stupid girl”\nShe is angry now\nBut so am I\n“Well maybe you are just some stupid girl\nWhat then\nWhat if you can’t change”\nI yell at her\n“What if you are stuck forever\nJust being that dumb girl\nWith the angry fists\nWhat then\nWhen all they see is a girl with\nHate coiled in her eyes and\nA fist for a heart”\nShe looks at me\nWith shattered eyes\nAnd the beginning of tears\n“I’m sorry”\nI say desperately\nAs I reach for her\nTo cradle her sadness away\n“I didn’t mean-”\nShe turns and runs away\nLeaving me with open arms\nAs I watch her run\nBut for a moment\nShe stops\nTurns back to me\nWith a pinched face\nAnd defiant eyes\n“You’re wrong”\nShe whispers\nThose two tiny words\nRing in my ears\nRicochet through my brain\nAnd she is gone\nI sit back\nRub my weary eyes\nAnd sigh\n“I hope you’re right”\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091015_defiance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e“I am done being scared”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe said\u003cbr\u003e\nPicking herself up defiantly\u003cbr\u003e\n“I won’t be pushed around anymore\u003cbr\u003e\nI’m gonna be the toughest girl around”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe balls her tiny fists\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd looks me in the eye\u003cbr\u003e\nI just feel old\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking the avatar of defiance\u003cbr\u003e\nRight in the eye\u003cbr\u003e\nI sigh sadly\u003cbr\u003e\nAt the visage of a girl\u003cbr\u003e\nGoing done a difficult path\u003cbr\u003e\n“You don’t have to be tough\u003cbr\u003e\nYou just have to be smarter\u003cbr\u003e\nThan them to win”\u003cbr\u003e\nI say sitting in a chair\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel so tired\u003cbr\u003e\n“No”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe says flexing\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd unlacing her fists\u003cbr\u003e\nThat should never know\u003cbr\u003e\nThe feeling of anger or hate\u003cbr\u003e\nHer faces tightens\u003cbr\u003e\nAs she shakes her head vehemently\u003cbr\u003e\n“I will show them\u003cbr\u003e\nI am not just some stupid girl”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is angry now\u003cbr\u003e\nBut so am I\u003cbr\u003e\n“Well maybe you are just some stupid girl\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat then\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat if you can’t change”\u003cbr\u003e\nI yell at her\u003cbr\u003e\n“What if you are stuck forever\u003cbr\u003e\nJust being that dumb girl\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the angry fists\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat then\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen all they see is a girl with\u003cbr\u003e\nHate coiled in her eyes and\u003cbr\u003e\nA fist for a heart”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe looks at me\u003cbr\u003e\nWith shattered eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the beginning of tears\u003cbr\u003e\n“I’m sorry”\u003cbr\u003e\nI say desperately\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I reach for her\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cradle her sadness away\u003cbr\u003e\n“I didn’t mean-”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe turns and runs away\u003cbr\u003e\nLeaving me with open arms\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I watch her run\u003cbr\u003e\nBut for a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stops\u003cbr\u003e\nTurns back to me\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a pinched face\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd defiant eyes\u003cbr\u003e\n“You’re wrong”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe whispers\u003cbr\u003e\nThose two tiny words\u003cbr\u003e\nRing in my ears\u003cbr\u003e\nRicochet through my brain\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd she is gone\u003cbr\u003e\nI sit back\u003cbr\u003e\nRub my weary eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sigh\u003cbr\u003e\n“I hope you’re right”\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Defiance"},{"content":"More Open Studios art….\nHere is a nice combination of my photography and an open studios artists work.\nI really enjoyed the way this photo turned out and learning about this woman\u0026rsquo;s style of art.\nI think it was called encaustic, but anyway it was very cool use of wax and paper. Very interesting.\nIt is always fun during open studios to find not only new artists but the ways they execute their art.\nI just loved the white flowers so I decided to use them as the center point of the photo. Turned out better than I thought.\nEncore weekend, I can’t wait.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091015_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMore Open Studios art….\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere is a nice combination of my photography and an open studios artists work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really enjoyed the way this photo turned out and learning about this woman\u0026rsquo;s\nstyle of art.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think it was called encaustic, but anyway it was very cool use of wax and\npaper. Very interesting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is always fun during open studios to find not only new artists but the ways\nthey execute their art.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Flowers and Art"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been wanting to pickup a new bike to use at the velodrome for a long time now. I finally spotted a great deal on a barely used Felt TK2 someone in Santa Cruz was looking to unload on Craigslist. I jumped all over that action. Now my current road bike (Sweetness) has someone to keep her company. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the next trip down to the velodrome.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091015_tk2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been wanting to pickup a new bike to use at the velodrome for a long time\nnow. I finally spotted a great deal on a barely used Felt TK2 someone in Santa\nCruz was looking to unload on Craigslist. I jumped all over that action. Now\nmy current road bike (Sweetness) has someone to keep her company. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait\nfor the next trip down to the velodrome.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sweetness 2 for the track"},{"content":"My latest piece of nothing art I did in IB art. I gave it to my brother for his birthday. It is a wire 3-D heart with a key I paint red in the middle. I think I might make a series of these with different objects in the middle. Not sure, maybe if I have time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091015_heart/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy latest piece of nothing art I did in IB art. I gave it to my brother for his\nbirthday. It is a wire 3-D heart with a key I paint red in the middle. I think\nI might make a series of these with different objects in the middle. Not sure,\nmaybe if I have time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wire Heart"},{"content":"I love this photo with a passion. There is something about these tiny little baby shoes that just really gets me, I have no idea why. This was in a store in Downtown SLO.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091014_shoe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this photo with a passion. There is something about these tiny little\nbaby shoes that just really gets me, I have no idea why. This was in a store\nin Downtown SLO.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Baby Shoe Gangster"},{"content":"This is a part of s strange poem I wrote. I think I have an idea branching off of this for an actual story. I will continue to work on it.\nEveryone comes to me\nAnd I say tell me your sad song\nYou look upon me\nWith pleading eyes looking to be strong\nThey look for hope out of desperation\nSo tell me tell me\nWhy you cry so loud at night\nHelp me see\nEach song is different\nFilled with woe and pain\nYou fall down on your knees begging\nPlease release these chains\nSome whisper some scream\nNeeding to rid themselves of their misery\nTo spill their taint\nAnd give them some company\nTo share a burden\nTo pass on their shame\nThey need someone\nTo always remember their name\nThey come in flocks with trudging feet\nHeavy souls to weak to weep\nSeeking out a listener to her their cry\nTo help them fill in a hole they dug to deep\nWe listeners are burdened\nNot with ourselves but others\nWe open our hearts for the people\nSaying yes sir I’ll help you brother\nWe cannot deny those who seek help\nNo matter the tale or the stories told\nWe must wait and listen this is our curse\nThat we will suffer until we are past the years of old\nWe may look like children, or maybe the old\nWe are always different with the same design\nIt is our misfortune to be born\nTo forever listen to other’s crime\nWe must grow old in silence\nBecause it isn’t our place to talk\nWe are the ones who listen\nwe must travel this alone the long last walk\nwe cannot love another for we must suffer alone\nwe share our hearts with the world\nwe cannot claim it for ourselves\nso our hearts wither never unfurled\nListeners never die because they cannot forget\nTheir message must never go unheard\nWhen their time comes and they are to old to listen\nAnd teach another the silent words\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091014_listeners/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a part of s strange poem I wrote. I think I have an idea branching off of this for an actual story. I will continue to work on it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone comes to me\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I say tell me your sad song\u003cbr\u003e\nYou look upon me\u003cbr\u003e\nWith pleading eyes looking to be strong\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey look for hope out of desperation\u003cbr\u003e\nSo tell me tell me\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy you cry so loud at night\u003cbr\u003e\nHelp me see\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Listeners (Work in Progress)"},{"content":"This was a really cool old mission near Cal Poly. Very nice and old, my kind of style.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091013_mission/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was a really cool old mission near Cal Poly. Very nice and old, my kind of\nstyle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mission Hall Ways"},{"content":"\nMy family and I went down to San Luis Obispo for my brother’s birthday and went kayaking for fun in Morro Bay. We stopped on this strip of sand where we had lots of fun. For me, sand cliff jumping. Here are a couple of shots of me jumping off the sand hills. Enjoyable, but sandy, very sandy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091012_liftoff/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091012_liftoff/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy family and I went down to San Luis Obispo for my brother’s birthday and went\nkayaking for fun in Morro Bay. We stopped on this strip of sand where we had\nlots of fun. For me, sand cliff jumping. Here are a couple of shots of me\njumping off the sand hills. Enjoyable, but sandy, very sandy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lift Off and Landing"},{"content":"The woman sits\nHer third eye gone blind\nOnce one with sight\nIs cursed and damned\nShe foretold a world\nWithout boundaries\nFilled with hate and despair\nWhere man turned against\nHis brother and sister\nA fate wound tight\nWith deception and fear\nSo they gouged out her eyes\nAnd sealed her fate\nOut of fear disguised\nAs anger and hate\nBut she could hear\nThrough their petty lies\nThey were scared\nOf this world foretold\nAnd decided instead\nTo kill the messenger\nTwo birds with one stone\nShe could see everything\nBut nothing at all\nShe didn’t even see\nHer own decided fate\nSealed by a hand that quaked\nShe could hear the dead talking\nAnd the living moan\nBut the simple prophet\nJust wished to be left alone\nTo abandon her burden\nAnd simply go home\nShe wanted nothing\nBut received the world\nBalanced delicately\nAtop her head\nOne step\nOne mistake\nCould mean a great fall\nUnder the weight\nShe faltered\nAnd spilled out her words\nMeant only for gods\nNot the poor common soul\nSo she was punished\nForever to be the damned prophet\nOf a forgotten age\nBut an unforgettable name\nThe seer with no sight\nJust a girl\nA child\nGiven the gift of night\nFilled with shadows and deceit\nThat waited ever patiently\nFor just the right time\nShe is now a woman\nWith a regret\nAnd a third eye gone blind\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091012_sybil/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe woman sits\u003cbr\u003e\nHer third eye gone blind\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce one with sight\u003cbr\u003e\nIs cursed and damned\u003cbr\u003e\nShe foretold a world\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout boundaries\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled with hate and despair\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere man turned against\u003cbr\u003e\nHis brother and sister\u003cbr\u003e\nA fate wound tight\u003cbr\u003e\nWith deception and fear\u003cbr\u003e\nSo they gouged out her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sealed her fate\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of fear disguised\u003cbr\u003e\nAs anger and hate\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she could hear\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough their petty lies\u003cbr\u003e\nThey were scared\u003cbr\u003e\nOf this world foretold\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd decided instead\u003cbr\u003e\nTo kill the messenger\u003cbr\u003e\nTwo birds with one stone\u003cbr\u003e\nShe could see everything\u003cbr\u003e\nBut nothing at all\u003cbr\u003e\nShe didn’t even see\u003cbr\u003e\nHer own decided fate\u003cbr\u003e\nSealed by a hand that quaked\u003cbr\u003e\nShe could hear the dead talking\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the living moan\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the simple prophet\u003cbr\u003e\nJust wished to be left alone\u003cbr\u003e\nTo abandon her burden\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd simply go home\u003cbr\u003e\nShe wanted nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut received the world\u003cbr\u003e\nBalanced delicately\u003cbr\u003e\nAtop her head\u003cbr\u003e\nOne step\u003cbr\u003e\nOne mistake\u003cbr\u003e\nCould mean a great fall\u003cbr\u003e\nUnder the weight\u003cbr\u003e\nShe faltered\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd spilled out her words\u003cbr\u003e\nMeant only for gods\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the poor common soul\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she was punished\u003cbr\u003e\nForever to be the damned prophet\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a forgotten age\u003cbr\u003e\nBut an unforgettable name\u003cbr\u003e\nThe seer with no sight\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a girl\u003cbr\u003e\nA child\u003cbr\u003e\nGiven the gift of night\u003cbr\u003e\nFilled with shadows and deceit\u003cbr\u003e\nThat waited ever patiently\u003cbr\u003e\nFor just the right time\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is now a woman\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a regret\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a third eye gone blind\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sybil"},{"content":"Strange cats seem to have some sort of attraction to me, here is another weird one on the dock in Morro Bay before my family and I went out kayaking.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091012_cat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eStrange cats seem to have some sort of attraction to me, here is another weird\none on the dock in Morro Bay before my family and I went out kayaking.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Weird Cat (The Evil Eye)"},{"content":"I really enjoy this photo, especially the gold caps. Fun stuff.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091011_bottles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI really enjoy this photo, especially the gold caps. Fun stuff.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bottles"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re heading home after visiting Nick for his birthday, so it seems like a perfect opportunity to visit an important landmark along the way. Mission San Miguel here we come. The old walls, doors, and walkways welcome us in.\nThe old chapel and entry ways were particularly beautiful.\nThe central courtyard was so peaceful and inviting.\nIt really was a great idea to stop and enjoy this great place.\nA few more modern sights on the route back to Santa Cruz. Castroville is sporting one gigantic artichoke.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re heading home after visiting Nick for his birthday, so it seems like a\nperfect opportunity to visit an important landmark along the way.\n\u003ca href=\"https://oldmissionsanmiguel.org\"\u003eMission San Miguel\u003c/a\u003e here we come. The old walls, doors,\nand walkways welcome us in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe old chapel and entry ways were particularly beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe central courtyard was so peaceful and inviting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091011_sanmiguel/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt really was a great idea to stop and enjoy this great place.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Mission San Miguel"},{"content":"The family is heading down to San Luis Obispo to spend the weekend with Nick for his birthday. Nick was up for some kayaking over at Morro Bay, and everyone else is excited to enjoy the day on the water as well. Everybody into their kayaks!\nPlenty of cool birds are out today enjoying the sunshine.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a lot of work paddling all day, especially with strong currents in some directions. Gabe takes a break occasionally, while pelicans and sea lions are diving and jumping after bait fish.\nWe get a welcome break on the beach across the bay. The kids have fun rolling and jumping around in the sand, while Charlotte and I do a bit of exploring. Back to the boats for the paddle home!\nAfter a stop for lunch, it\u0026rsquo;s back to Nick\u0026rsquo;s apartment for presents and cake. Charlotte made prints of a few great photos to help decorate his walls. I think he really liked them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091010_slo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe family is heading down to San Luis Obispo to spend the weekend with Nick\nfor his birthday. Nick was up for some kayaking over at Morro Bay, and\neveryone else is excited to enjoy the day on the water as well. Everybody into\ntheir kayaks!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of cool birds are out today enjoying the sunshine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091010_slo/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a lot of work paddling all day, especially with strong currents in some\ndirections. Gabe takes a break occasionally, while pelicans and sea lions are\ndiving and jumping after bait fish.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Kayaking with Nick on his birthday"},{"content":"This weekend is my big brother’s 19th birthday so I am going up for the whole weekend to Cal Poly to hang with him. Therefore I will not be able to post anything new I don’t think.\nWell enjoy the weekend people, poke around the old stuff, you might find a little surprise somewhere in it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091009_getaway/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis weekend is my big brother’s 19th birthday so I am going up for the whole\nweekend to Cal Poly to hang with him. Therefore I will not be able to post\nanything new I don’t think.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell enjoy the weekend people, poke around the old stuff, you might find a\nlittle surprise somewhere in it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Weekend Getaway"},{"content":"A blossom bloomed\nOpening slowly\nShyly\nShowing it’s new found beauty\nOpening to the sun\nReaching up high\nTo the bright blue sky\nNot knowing\nThat the sun\nDoesn’t always shine\nWhen the rain comes\nThe blossom wilts\nHiding its beautiful face\nTurning from the pain\nThe heavy drops\nWeigh it down\nPulling away\nIt’s beauty\nPetal by petal\nUntil nothing is left\nThe blossom\nLays broken\nShredded on the ground\nIn its place\nA bud pokes through\nA new chance\nA new face\nA new beauty\nAs a blossom blooms\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091008_beauty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA blossom bloomed\u003cbr\u003e\nOpening slowly\u003cbr\u003e\nShyly\u003cbr\u003e\nShowing it’s new found beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nOpening to the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nReaching up high\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the bright blue sky\u003cbr\u003e\nNot knowing\u003cbr\u003e\nThat the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nDoesn’t always shine\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the rain comes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe blossom wilts\u003cbr\u003e\nHiding its beautiful face\u003cbr\u003e\nTurning from the pain\u003cbr\u003e\nThe heavy drops\u003cbr\u003e\nWeigh it down\u003cbr\u003e\nPulling away\u003cbr\u003e\nIt’s beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nPetal by petal\u003cbr\u003e\nUntil nothing is left\u003cbr\u003e\nThe blossom\u003cbr\u003e\nLays broken\u003cbr\u003e\nShredded on the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nIn its place\u003cbr\u003e\nA bud pokes through\u003cbr\u003e\nA new chance\u003cbr\u003e\nA new face\u003cbr\u003e\nA new beauty\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a blossom blooms\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beauty"},{"content":"Something about this photo really strikes me as funny.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091008_cork/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSomething about this photo really strikes me as funny.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cork it Up"},{"content":"This thing is so cool and so creepy. Kind of like a violin baby. found it in Open Studios again. I really do like it though, maybe I will you musical instruments in an art project.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091008_violin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis thing is so cool and so creepy. Kind of like a violin baby. found it in\nOpen Studios again. I really do like it though, maybe I will you musical\ninstruments in an art project.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Violin Baby"},{"content":"Come take my hand\nand lets fly away\nfly away from here\nlets find a world\nwithout the constant\nof noise and death\nwe will stand together\non the brink of insanity\nwith out hands held tight\nand we will never let go\nbear with me\nthe pain of the coming years\nwhen I grow distant\npull me back down\nwhen I become darkened\nbe my only light\nwhen everything is just too much\nbe my simple love\nlets watch the world burn\nfrom atop our aeroplane\nheld up by strings\nso thin it could cut\nbe careful you say\nthe world isn’t our toy to play\noh how right you are\nwe are the toys\nof a globe spun too fast\nwhere reality and insanity\ncome frighteningly close\nlets fly\nfly away\nput your hands over my ears\nprotect me from the onslaught\nof the world’s words\nbe the barrier between\nthe world and me\nsave me\nwhisk me away\nso we can forever fly away\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091007_flyaway/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCome take my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nand lets fly away\u003cbr\u003e\nfly away from here\u003cbr\u003e\nlets find a world\u003cbr\u003e\nwithout the constant\u003cbr\u003e\nof noise and death\u003cbr\u003e\nwe will stand together\u003cbr\u003e\non the brink of insanity\u003cbr\u003e\nwith out hands held tight\u003cbr\u003e\nand we will never let go\u003cbr\u003e\nbear with me\u003cbr\u003e\nthe pain of the coming years\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen I grow distant\u003cbr\u003e\npull me back down\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen I become darkened\u003cbr\u003e\nbe my only light\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen everything is just too much\u003cbr\u003e\nbe my simple love\u003cbr\u003e\nlets watch the world burn\u003cbr\u003e\nfrom atop our aeroplane\u003cbr\u003e\nheld up by strings\u003cbr\u003e\nso thin it could cut\u003cbr\u003e\nbe careful you say\u003cbr\u003e\nthe world isn’t our toy to play\u003cbr\u003e\noh how right you are\u003cbr\u003e\nwe are the toys\u003cbr\u003e\nof a globe spun too fast\u003cbr\u003e\nwhere reality and insanity\u003cbr\u003e\ncome frighteningly close\u003cbr\u003e\nlets fly\u003cbr\u003e\nfly away\u003cbr\u003e\nput your hands over my ears\u003cbr\u003e\nprotect me from the onslaught\u003cbr\u003e\nof the world’s words\u003cbr\u003e\nbe the barrier between\u003cbr\u003e\nthe world and me\u003cbr\u003e\nsave me\u003cbr\u003e\nwhisk me away\u003cbr\u003e\nso we can forever fly away\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fly Away (Aeroplane)"},{"content":"I love this piece, it is called Snow White. I found it in the Tannery during Open Studios. I think I would like to do a piece like this for IB Art. Looks really fun just gluing big empty paint cans to a canvas. My kind of art.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091007_snowwhite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this piece, it is called Snow White. I found it in the Tannery during\nOpen Studios. I think I would like to do a piece like this for IB Art. Looks\nreally fun just gluing big empty paint cans to a canvas. My kind of art.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snow White"},{"content":"I am not sure why or how, but I feel like this explains my life right now. Kind of sad.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091006_nails/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am not sure why or how, but I feel like this explains my life right now. Kind\nof sad.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nails"},{"content":"I stand above a river\nOn a thin plank of wood\nBelow the rapids rage\nAbove the sky is blue\nI hold my arms out\nAs if I could fly\nI squeeze my eyes shut\nAnd imagine what it is to die\nHow easy would it be\nTo totter off to one side\nLoose my balance and fall\nInto the churning waters\nWould anyone notice\nWould anyone care\nIf I jumped\nWould I scream\nFrom fear or the rush\nThe finality of it all\nWould I smile\nAs time seems to erase\nWhen you fall\nFor a moment you fly\nThe wind rushing past your face\nAnd then there is nothing at all\nSo I open my eyes\nAnd let out a sigh\nPut one foot in front of the other\nAnd start to move forward again\nSlowly but surely\nAcross this balance beam\nThin as a knife\nOnly the pure can make it\nOnly the true survive\nAm I strong enough\nOr will my sin\nCause me to take\nThat final dive\nWalking on a knifes edge\nThis is my final test\nTo put one foot in front of the other\nAnd never look down\nTo balance on my shoulders\nThe worlds good and evil\nAnd never loose my footing\nSo I keep my head held up high\nEyes only on my goal\nOf redemption\nIn the blood red sky\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091005_balance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI stand above a river\u003cbr\u003e\nOn a thin plank of wood\u003cbr\u003e\nBelow the rapids rage\u003cbr\u003e\nAbove the sky is blue\u003cbr\u003e\nI hold my arms out\u003cbr\u003e\nAs if I could fly\u003cbr\u003e\nI squeeze my eyes shut\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd imagine what it is to die\u003cbr\u003e\nHow easy would it be\u003cbr\u003e\nTo totter off to one side\u003cbr\u003e\nLoose my balance and fall\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the churning waters\u003cbr\u003e\nWould anyone notice\u003cbr\u003e\nWould anyone care\u003cbr\u003e\nIf I jumped\u003cbr\u003e\nWould I scream\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom fear or the rush\u003cbr\u003e\nThe finality of it all\u003cbr\u003e\nWould I smile\u003cbr\u003e\nAs time seems to erase\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you fall\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment you fly\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wind rushing past your face\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd then there is nothing at all\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I open my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd let out a sigh\u003cbr\u003e\nPut one foot in front of the other\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd start to move forward again\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly but surely\u003cbr\u003e\nAcross this balance beam\u003cbr\u003e\nThin as a knife\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly the pure can make it\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly the true survive\u003cbr\u003e\nAm I strong enough\u003cbr\u003e\nOr will my sin\u003cbr\u003e\nCause me to take\u003cbr\u003e\nThat final dive\u003cbr\u003e\nWalking on a knifes edge\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is my final test\u003cbr\u003e\nTo put one foot in front of the other\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never look down\u003cbr\u003e\nTo balance on my shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nThe worlds good and evil\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never loose my footing\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I keep my head held up high\u003cbr\u003e\nEyes only on my goal\u003cbr\u003e\nOf redemption\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the blood red sky\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Balance"},{"content":"I love Mattie Leeds backyard, it is amazing what else do I have to say? The guy has a chop suey sign back here! Open Studios, the wonders you show me 😀\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091005_chopsuey/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love Mattie Leeds backyard, it is amazing what else do I have to say? The guy has a chop suey sign back here! Open Studios, the wonders you show me 😀\u003c/p\u003e","title":"CHOP SUEY"},{"content":"I was just thinking about something, in school teachers always want students to have everything double spaced because it is MLA format. I don’t understand that. I mean maybe it makes it easier to look at and mark up but all it does is make it easier for students to have their work look twice as long as it actually is.\nI think it is bad to do things double spaced because when will you ever really do that in life? I mean you don’t see books double spaced unless they are for two year olds. Your boss isn’t going to ask for a double spaced paper or resume.\nSo why? It really just feels like a shortcut for people who can’t write large quantities of work. For people like me it is actually a gigantic pain because I do write an appropriate amount, but when converted into double spaced format it makes it way too long.\nYes I understand that it is used as a universal format so everything is done the same way, but really can’t we make it reasonable. No double spaced, it is just a space filler. Give me real content, that is what people should really be looking for in papers, not length.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091004_spaced/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was just thinking about something, in school teachers always want students to\nhave everything double spaced because it is MLA format. I don’t understand\nthat. I mean maybe it makes it easier to look at and mark up but all it does\nis make it easier for students to have their work look twice as long as it\nactually is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think it is bad to do things double spaced because when will you ever really\ndo that in life? I mean you don’t see books double spaced unless they are for\ntwo year olds. Your boss isn’t going to ask for a double spaced paper or\nresume.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Double Spaced"},{"content":"This painting was really cool, it was basically a gigantic Where’s Waldo painting full of cool little things. Pikachu was just one of many, I thought some of my friends would appreciate this. The artist had a lot of cool work.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091004_pikachu/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis painting was really cool, it was basically a gigantic Where’s Waldo\npainting full of cool little things. Pikachu was just one of many, I thought\nsome of my friends would appreciate this. The artist had a lot of cool work.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pikachu I Choose You"},{"content":"\nIs this not one of the cutest dogs in the world? Cooper, my neighbors labradoodle is so amazing and fluffy. This to me is a face of happiness. I can’t help but smile. So if you need a good smile look no further.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091004_happiness/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091004_happiness/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this not one of the cutest dogs in the world? Cooper, my neighbors\nlabradoodle is so amazing and fluffy. This to me is a face of happiness. I\ncan’t help but smile. So if you need a good smile look no further.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Face of Happiness"},{"content":"Yesterday we drove up to Santa Rosa for Levi\u0026rsquo;s Gran Fondo ride. This morning it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to the start for the big event.\nI\u0026rsquo;m hooking up with Matt Twisselman to do the 100km route. Besides being a great guy, he\u0026rsquo;s also the LOC chairman for the the Santa Cruz stage of the Amgen Tour of California. He\u0026rsquo;s also the guy I have to thank for the great Chairman\u0026rsquo;s Ride jersey I\u0026rsquo;ll be wearing today. Matt is busy working the VIP area with Levi and the other ToC honchos.\nSome cool sculptures to keep us busy while we wait outside the VIP area.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to the start area with thousands of other cyclists.\nThe front of the pack is filled with pros including guys from the Bissell team, though Ben and Andy are out racing somewhere far away this weekend. Odessa is ready to roll as well.\nBob Roll and other friends kick things off.\nAnd then we slowly start to roll out. I love the two photos below of Levi and Odessa heading out for the start.\nI was a bit lost in the mass of riders. I\u0026rsquo;ll see you again in a little over 60 miles.\nPhotographers were taking photos at different points along the route. There were so many photos, it was almost impossible to find any that might include me, but I did happen to stumble across this one at the top of Coleman Valley Road. The ride down the coast was beautiful, but it was a sudden touch climb when we turned on Coleman. Nothing like a photo of you after working your butt off on a climb. The original photo is available here. You can also see me at 1:02 into this movie from the ride.\nBack at the finish it\u0026rsquo;s time for food and a little fun. I loved the old-style bicycle vehicles they had puttering around.\nWe drove home via San Francisco and the coast. Plenty of great sights along the way as usual.\nA beautiful sunset greeted us back in Santa Cruz. Now to enjoy some spectacular local Santa Cruz cycling. Hopefully we\u0026rsquo;ll have our own Gran Fondo here one day as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091003_granfondo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we drove up to Santa Rosa for \u003ca href=\"https://www.levisgranfondo.com\"\u003eLevi\u0026rsquo;s Gran Fondo\u003c/a\u003e ride.\nThis morning it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to the start for the big event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091003_granfondo/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091003_granfondo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091003_granfondo/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m hooking up with Matt Twisselman to do the 100km route. Besides being a\ngreat guy, he\u0026rsquo;s also the LOC chairman for the the Santa Cruz stage of the\nAmgen Tour of California. He\u0026rsquo;s also the guy I have to thank for the great\nChairman\u0026rsquo;s Ride jersey I\u0026rsquo;ll be wearing today. Matt is busy working the VIP\narea with Levi and the other ToC honchos.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Levi's Gran Fondo bicycle ride"},{"content":"Can you say new favorite artist? I went to open studios today and found some really great artists in Tannery Row. By far my new favorite artist is number 43 Camille Krilanoviche. Her art was amazing, I wish I could buy some of the originals. Here is one piece I really enjoyed called Flex Flight. Keep up the good work artists.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091003_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCan you say new favorite artist? I went to open studios today and found some\nreally great artists in Tannery Row. By far my new favorite artist is number\n43 Camille Krilanoviche. Her art was amazing, I wish I could buy some of the\noriginals. Here is one piece I really enjoyed called Flex Flight. Keep up the\ngood work artists.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Open Studios"},{"content":"Shout out of the day goes to Hailey, love you honey bunches of oats!! Thanks for hanging out with me, I can’t wait to give Golnoosh our present!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091002_hailey/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to Hailey, love you honey bunches of oats!! Thanks\nfor hanging out with me, I can’t wait to give Golnoosh our present!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hailey"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are headed up to Santa Rosa to do Levi\u0026rsquo;s Gran Fondo ride tomorrow. First we need to get through San Francisco.\nThen there are a few cool sites while we make our way through Marin. There sure is a ton of traffic around here.\nA few interesting shots now that we\u0026rsquo;ve made it to Santa Rosa.\nThey\u0026rsquo;re just starting to set things up for tomorrow\u0026rsquo;s expo while I wait in line for my registration. Looks like local framebuilder Calfee is getting his stuff together. I think this is the closest I will get to actually riding with Levi unfortunately.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are headed up to Santa Rosa to do \u003ca href=\"https://www.levisgranfondo.com\"\u003eLevi\u0026rsquo;s Gran Fondo\u003c/a\u003e ride\ntomorrow. First we need to get through San Francisco.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen there are a few cool sites while we make our way through Marin. There sure\nis a ton of traffic around here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few interesting shots now that we\u0026rsquo;ve made it to Santa Rosa.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20091002_granfondo/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey\u0026rsquo;re just starting to set things up for tomorrow\u0026rsquo;s expo while I wait in line\nfor my registration. Looks like local framebuilder Calfee is getting his stuff\ntogether. I think this is the closest I will get to actually riding with Levi\nunfortunately.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Heading up to Santa Rosa for Levi's Gran Fondo"},{"content":"I stand alone\nBut never truly alone\nI see myself in the mirror\nBut it doesn’t follow me\nIt shakes a finger\nLaughing\nI wave it waves\nCopies me but not me\nI wonder if it is\nAnother world\nBoring world\nAll you do is copy others\nSounds familiar\nMimic me\nLet me see\nShow me the greatest you can be\nNot much\nIt steps from the mirror\nA barren lake\nShe grabs me pulling me through\nHer eyes empty and black\nLifeless\nHair tattered, a mess\nSkin pale and sticky\nBlood\nShe pulls me into the water\nDrowning in her arms\nMimic me, mimic this\nTake my breath a deadly kiss\nDrowning slowly\nIt laughs at me\nYour mine now\nShe whispers into my ear\nShe steps from the mirror\nI am stuck\nI am dead she lives\nI watch\nHer hair straightens\nHer eyes gain color, life\nSkin grows warm\nShe looks back and winks\nMimic me, mimic this bitch\nShe laughs\nI pound against glass as she laughs\nStuck forever drowning\nIn another world\nA boring world\nI give up\nShe walks like me\nTalks like me\nBreathes like me\nShe is me in very way\nI can only watch sadly\nFrom the other world\nShe is living my life\nHugging my family\nKissing my boyfriend\nLiving in my room\nI scream at how unfair it is\nShe looks at me\nEvery morning and laughs\nMimic me, mimic this stupid bitch\nWhat did I do to deserve this\nNothing bitch just mimic this\nI never do\nI just watch my life pass me by\nYears pass, I wait\nA child in her arms\nMy baby, my husband\nShe mocks me\nShows me my beautiful life\nWell what would have been\nMimic me mimic this stupid dead bitch\nSo I finally do\nI become a mimic\nOf what I used to be\nCopying me but not really me\nI am dead\nShe lives but I swear\nI will get her\nStupid bitch\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091002_mimic/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI stand alone\u003cbr\u003e\nBut never truly alone\u003cbr\u003e\nI see myself in the mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it doesn’t follow me\u003cbr\u003e\nIt shakes a finger\u003cbr\u003e\nLaughing\u003cbr\u003e\nI wave it waves\u003cbr\u003e\nCopies me but not me\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder if it is\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother world\u003cbr\u003e\nBoring world\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you do is copy others\u003cbr\u003e\nSounds familiar\u003cbr\u003e\nMimic me\u003cbr\u003e\nLet me see\u003cbr\u003e\nShow me the greatest you can be\u003cbr\u003e\nNot much\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt steps from the mirror\u003cbr\u003e\nA barren lake\u003cbr\u003e\nShe grabs me pulling me through\u003cbr\u003e\nHer eyes empty and black\u003cbr\u003e\nLifeless\u003cbr\u003e\nHair tattered, a mess\u003cbr\u003e\nSkin pale and sticky\u003cbr\u003e\nBlood\u003cbr\u003e\nShe pulls me into the water\u003cbr\u003e\nDrowning in her arms\u003cbr\u003e\nMimic me, mimic this\u003cbr\u003e\nTake my breath a deadly kiss\u003cbr\u003e\nDrowning slowly\u003cbr\u003e\nIt laughs at me\u003cbr\u003e\nYour mine now\u003cbr\u003e\nShe whispers into my ear\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mimic"},{"content":"What does this look like to you? Me, I think it looks like a drag queen being abused by some strange deranged person. Actually, that is just me being attacked by my friends.\nCan you tell how much my friends love me? 🙂 Well I love them no matter what they do to me. Let me give you a brief glimpse of my life through this picture.\nI hate it when people touch my hair. Two of my best friends attacked me, dragged me out onto the grassy knoll, ditched me, then tackled me, dragged me back to our spot, then held me down and put my hair into the most hideous pair of pig tails you will ever see.\nYeah, that is my normal day. That and my retaliation of getting them back, that part is yet to come. 😉\nPeople say I am weird, but what they don’t get is that my friends are just as weird as me in their own way. That is why I love them. They attack me, I attack them back, that is my life and I am pretty content with that.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091002_love/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhat does this look like to you? Me, I think it looks like a drag queen being\nabused by some strange deranged person. Actually, that is just me being\nattacked by my friends.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCan you tell how much my friends love me? 🙂 Well I love them no matter what\nthey do to me. Let me give you a brief glimpse of my life through this\npicture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hate it when people touch my hair. Two of my best friends attacked me,\ndragged me out onto the grassy knoll, ditched me, then tackled me, dragged me\nback to our spot, then held me down and put my hair into the most hideous pair\nof pig tails you will ever see.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tough Love"},{"content":"I am still not really sure what the heck this thing is, but I thought it looked pretty cool.\nIt kind of reminds me of the movie Monsters Inc where the little girl wore the antennas made out of things that looked like what ever this is.\nAnyway, I enjoy it, therefore you should enjoy it. I mean you are reading my blog.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20091001_antennas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am still not really sure what the heck this thing is, but I thought it looked\npretty cool.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt kind of reminds me of the movie Monsters Inc where the little girl wore the\nantennas made out of things that looked like what ever this is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway, I enjoy it, therefore you should enjoy it. I mean you are reading my\nblog.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Antennas"},{"content":"I just have to put this out here,\nI NEVER WANT TO LISTEN TO U2 EVER AGAIN!\nSorry U2, but it isn’t your fault, blame IB. We had to write an essay on the song “One” by U2 that was a little absurd. By now I have watched tha buffalo video (which by the way still makes no sense to me even though I have dragged bits of meaning out of it)\nI love buffalo, but I can’t stand them anymore because I break out into song. Which isn’t so pretty a thing in itself. I am still wondering.. why did the buffalo jump off a cliff? WHY?\nI basically threw my alarm clock against my wall because it turned on at an ungodly hour playing that song. The first thought of my day shouldn’t have to be what the meaning of slow motion buffaloes mean. That is just wrong.\nI will catch myself singing it as I walk around, and the funniest part is, I will notice all around me people are doing the same thing and hating themselves for it. You can just see people walk around and they start to hum or sing and then they start pounding on their head and screaming the question “WHY!?”\nNo, they are not trying to punch out voices in their head, they are trying to get rid of that song. I swear that song will haunt me for the rest of my life.\nDon’t get me wrong, it isn’t because the essay was so hard, it is because I had to listen to that song so many times and analyze the death out of it while knowing we are pulling out so much more meaning then there was ever meant to be.\nSo I ask, no more. I don’t ever want to hear it again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090930_one/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI just have to put this out here,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI NEVER WANT TO LISTEN TO U2 EVER AGAIN!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSorry U2, but it isn’t your fault, blame IB. We had to write an essay on the\nsong “One” by U2 that was a little absurd. By now I have watched tha buffalo\nvideo (which by the way still makes no sense to me even though I have dragged\nbits of meaning out of it)\u003c/p\u003e","title":"One (IB English Essay)"},{"content":"\nShout out of the day goes to Sarah! I love you and your buff arms babyluv!!! Just don’t get stronger than me okay? Love yah babyluv.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090930_sarah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_sarah/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to Sarah! I love you and your buff arms babyluv!!!\nJust don’t get stronger than me okay? Love yah babyluv.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sarah"},{"content":"Charlotte and Gordon have finished up closing everything for the winter. One last walk around the camp before heading out to California tomorrow.\nCharlotte missed the fall peak, but it\u0026rsquo;s not so bad anyway.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s time for one last visit with Betty in Rabbit Bay as well\nThen a trip to Cyndi\u0026rsquo;s Jam Shop in Bootjack for some sweets to take back home followed by a drive out to Calumet and Tamarac Waterworks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Gordon have finished up closing everything for the winter. One\nlast walk around the camp before heading out to California tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte missed the fall peak, but it\u0026rsquo;s not so bad anyway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s time for one last visit with Betty in Rabbit Bay as well\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090930_bootjack/37.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen a trip to Cyndi\u0026rsquo;s Jam Shop in Bootjack for some sweets to take back home\nfollowed by a drive out to Calumet and Tamarac Waterworks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Saying goodbye to Bootjack for the winter"},{"content":"I love this photo with a passion, it really gets me for some reason, it is even in my art book know. I am not sure why it strikes me as beautiful and intriguing but it really does.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090929_light/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this photo with a passion, it really gets me for some reason, it is even\nin my art book know. I am not sure why it strikes me as beautiful and\nintriguing but it really does.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Light it Up"},{"content":"Sunsets like this just make me wish I was up in Bootjack with Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090929_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSunsets like this just make me wish I was up in Bootjack with Charlotte.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090929_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090929_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sunset in Bootjack"},{"content":"Not my normal style, but I will try it. Here is a happy poem. I hope you take heart to what I am saying, take a step back, look at yourself and ask, “When did my eclipse being?” Take a peak behind that curtain.\nLift your feet\nAnd make a wish\nClose your eyes\nAnd feel the world\nWithout touching\nOr searching\nJust know\nAs you have always known\nYour heart beats\nWith the worlds heartbeat\nBreathe out your worries\nAnd breathe in consciousness\nLet it cleanse your soul\nThat has wilted and withered\nLet it go\nLet it go\nYou can still be free\nLet your chains fall\nAnd sigh out the darkness\nThat has gathered\nAround your heart\nThreatening to suffocate you\nTo drown you in doubt\nTo snuff out the brilliance\nOf your individual soul\nFeel the breeze\nBrushing through your hair\nKissing your skin\nAnd know\nYou are alive\nAnd you are lucky\nThe world lies in front of you\nWith a big red bow\nSitting patiently on top\nYes child\nIt is in reach\nBut to reach it\nYou have to\nStep out of the eclipse\nShadowing your life\nLook beyond\nWhat fate has decreed\nMake your own destiny\nDon’t listen to them\nThey don’t know\nThey can’t understand\nWhat the world truly is\nThey are blinded\nBy pride and foolishness\nThey don’t know\nWhat the world whispers\nLate at night\nWhen no one is listening\nBut I listen\nSo raise your arms up\nAnd scream out loud\nThrough your head back\nLaugh a little louder\nPut a little bounce into your step\nSmile from ear to ear\nA real smile\nFrom the bottom of your heart\nMake a wish\nTo never again\nFall into the eclipse\nTo never be a victim\nOf the darkness again\nWish for a world\nFull of sun kisses\nAnd rose petals falling\nWish it\nBelieve it\nMake it real\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090929_wish/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot my normal style, but I will try it. Here is a happy poem. I hope you take\nheart to what I am saying, take a step back, look at yourself and ask, “When\ndid my eclipse being?” Take a peak behind that curtain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLift your feet\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd make a wish\u003cbr\u003e\nClose your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd feel the world\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout touching\u003cbr\u003e\nOr searching\u003cbr\u003e\nJust know\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you have always known\u003cbr\u003e\nYour heart beats\u003cbr\u003e\nWith the worlds heartbeat\u003cbr\u003e\nBreathe out your worries\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd breathe in consciousness\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it cleanse your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has wilted and withered\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it go\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it go\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can still be free\u003cbr\u003e\nLet your chains fall\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sigh out the darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has gathered\u003cbr\u003e\nAround your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nThreatening to suffocate you\u003cbr\u003e\nTo drown you in doubt\u003cbr\u003e\nTo snuff out the brilliance\u003cbr\u003e\nOf your individual soul\u003cbr\u003e\nFeel the breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nBrushing through your hair\u003cbr\u003e\nKissing your skin\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd know\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are alive\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd you are lucky\u003cbr\u003e\nThe world lies in front of you\u003cbr\u003e\nWith a big red bow\u003cbr\u003e\nSitting patiently on top\u003cbr\u003e\nYes child\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is in reach\u003cbr\u003e\nBut to reach it\u003cbr\u003e\nYou have to\u003cbr\u003e\nStep out of the eclipse\u003cbr\u003e\nShadowing your life\u003cbr\u003e\nLook beyond\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat fate has decreed\u003cbr\u003e\nMake your own destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t listen to them\u003cbr\u003e\nThey don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nThey can’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat the world truly is\u003cbr\u003e\nThey are blinded\u003cbr\u003e\nBy pride and foolishness\u003cbr\u003e\nThey don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat the world whispers\u003cbr\u003e\nLate at night\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen no one is listening\u003cbr\u003e\nBut I listen\u003cbr\u003e\nSo raise your arms up\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd scream out loud\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough your head back\u003cbr\u003e\nLaugh a little louder\u003cbr\u003e\nPut a little bounce into your step\u003cbr\u003e\nSmile from ear to ear\u003cbr\u003e\nA real smile\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the bottom of your heart\u003cbr\u003e\nMake a wish\u003cbr\u003e\nTo never again\u003cbr\u003e\nFall into the eclipse\u003cbr\u003e\nTo never be a victim\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the darkness again\u003cbr\u003e\nWish for a world\u003cbr\u003e\nFull of sun kisses\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd rose petals falling\u003cbr\u003e\nWish it\u003cbr\u003e\nBelieve it\u003cbr\u003e\nMake it real\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wish (Post #100)"},{"content":"The fragility of life\nIs a very scary thing\nThe thought that\nAll you ever have worked at\nIs for nothing\nWith just a cut\nA scratch\nYour life could be taken away\nAn accident\nA slip\nCould send you astray\nThat your life\nCould all just be\nAnother burning ash\nIn a cigarette try\nJust a walk\nCould be your last\nA fight with family\nCould bring an end\nSo very fast\nJust a word softly uttered\nCould end it all\nA little slip\nCould wind up\nBeing a very big fall\nShowing you that\nYou really are\nInsignificant and small\nJust a speck\nIn the eyes of all others\nIn the face of God\nEvery bone, every muscle\nEvery word\nEvery moment\nCould be taken away\nRipped from you\nWith just a thought\nYour world destroyed\nNever to return\nAnd no one\nWould ever know\nThat you were gone\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090928_fragile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe fragility of life\u003cbr\u003e\nIs a very scary thing\u003cbr\u003e\nThe thought that\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you ever have worked at\u003cbr\u003e\nIs for nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nWith just a cut\u003cbr\u003e\nA scratch\u003cbr\u003e\nYour life could be taken away\u003cbr\u003e\nAn accident\u003cbr\u003e\nA slip\u003cbr\u003e\nCould send you astray\u003cbr\u003e\nThat your life\u003cbr\u003e\nCould all just be\u003cbr\u003e\nAnother burning ash\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a cigarette try\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a walk\u003cbr\u003e\nCould be your last\u003cbr\u003e\nA fight with family\u003cbr\u003e\nCould bring an end\u003cbr\u003e\nSo very fast\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a word softly uttered\u003cbr\u003e\nCould end it all\u003cbr\u003e\nA little slip\u003cbr\u003e\nCould wind up\u003cbr\u003e\nBeing a very big fall\u003cbr\u003e\nShowing you that\u003cbr\u003e\nYou really are\u003cbr\u003e\nInsignificant and small\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a speck\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the eyes of all others\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the face of God\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery bone, every muscle\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery word\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery moment\u003cbr\u003e\nCould be taken away\u003cbr\u003e\nRipped from you\u003cbr\u003e\nWith just a thought\u003cbr\u003e\nYour world destroyed\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to return\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd no one\u003cbr\u003e\nWould ever know\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you were gone\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fragile"},{"content":"Life sure can be a joke some times, so remember people, JK. 😉\nJust a side note, but isn’t joke a weird word?\nI am going to make a weird word list and post it if you have any ideas of weird words post it in the comments section.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090928_joke/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLife sure can be a joke some times, so remember people, JK. 😉\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJust a side note, but isn’t joke a weird word?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am going to make a weird word list and post it if you have any ideas of weird\nwords post it in the comments section.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Joke"},{"content":"\nShout out of the day goes to Natalie. Thanks for sticking with me in golf even though I am a crazy pain in the butt. Sorry for cursing and driving you insane with my antics, but you know in the end you are just as crazy as me. Admit it. I am glad I met you Natalie, and WE WON A MATCH!! Betty’s soon okay?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090928_natalie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090928_natalie/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to Natalie. Thanks for sticking with me in golf even\nthough I am a crazy pain in the butt. Sorry for cursing and driving you insane\nwith my antics, but you know in the end you are just as crazy as me. Admit it.\nI am glad I met you Natalie, and WE WON A MATCH!! Betty’s soon okay?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Natalie"},{"content":"I love this photo, the candle with the scrabble pieces are so inspiring I think I will use this for my IB art class. Not sure how. I will think of something, I always do!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090927_scrabble/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this photo, the candle with the scrabble pieces are so inspiring I think\nI will use this for my IB art class. Not sure how. I will think of something,\nI always do!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Candle Scrabble"},{"content":"Shout out of the day goes to Clara! Best friends since Kindergarten and still going. As you asked you are shout out number five, your lucky number 😉 Love yah Clarabell\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090927_clara/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to Clara! Best friends since Kindergarten and still\ngoing. As you asked you are shout out number five, your lucky number 😉 Love\nyah Clarabell\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Clara"},{"content":"I was driving\nUp a long twisty road\nGuarded on both sides\nBy trees standing tall\nThey hunch over the road\nCreating a great canopy\nAs they try to peer\nInto the car’s windows\nHidden among them\nAre small homes\nLike rabbit holes\nNestled safely away\nIn a bed of evergreen\nI drive along\nBut something rolls\nOut in front of me\nA tennis ball\nBounced its way toward the road\nI thought nothing of it\nThen I saw the little boy\nHe ran with arms outstretched\nEyes on only the ball\nJust like daddy told him\nHe ran blindly into the road\nAfter his renegade ball\nRight in front of my car\nI slam on the brakes\nAnd hear the squeal\nOf burning rubber\nI push against the wheel\nAs I hear the ball\nPop under my tire\nThe little boy looks up\nRight into my eyes\nThe car screams\nI scream\nAnd squeeze my eyes shut\nI can hear a mother screaming\nWho will never\nSee her son grow or succeed\nWho had fate snatch away\nThe little amount of joy\nIn her sad lonely life\nBut then I open my eyes\nThe ball bounces\nIn front of my car\nI turn slightly\nAnd see that little boy\nStanding on the edge\nOf the evergreen road\nOn the edge of safety and sanity\nWatching the death of a toy\nI start to cry\nAll I can think is\nSee how thin the line\nIs between me\nAnd a murderer\nOr is there a difference at all\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090927_toy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was driving\u003cbr\u003e\nUp a long twisty road\u003cbr\u003e\nGuarded on both sides\u003cbr\u003e\nBy trees standing tall\u003cbr\u003e\nThey hunch over the road\u003cbr\u003e\nCreating a great canopy\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they try to peer\u003cbr\u003e\nInto the car’s windows\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden among them\u003cbr\u003e\nAre small homes\u003cbr\u003e\nLike rabbit holes\u003cbr\u003e\nNestled safely away\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a bed of evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\nI drive along\u003cbr\u003e\nBut something rolls\u003cbr\u003e\nOut in front of me\u003cbr\u003e\nA tennis ball\u003cbr\u003e\nBounced its way toward the road\u003cbr\u003e\nI thought nothing of it\u003cbr\u003e\nThen I saw the little boy\u003cbr\u003e\nHe ran with arms outstretched\u003cbr\u003e\nEyes on only the ball\u003cbr\u003e\nJust like daddy told him\u003cbr\u003e\nHe ran blindly into the road\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter his renegade ball\u003cbr\u003e\nRight in front of my car\u003cbr\u003e\nI slam on the brakes\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd hear the squeal\u003cbr\u003e\nOf burning rubber\u003cbr\u003e\nI push against the wheel\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I hear the ball\u003cbr\u003e\nPop under my tire\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little boy looks up\u003cbr\u003e\nRight into my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe car screams\u003cbr\u003e\nI scream\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd squeeze my eyes shut\u003cbr\u003e\nI can hear a mother screaming\u003cbr\u003e\nWho will never\u003cbr\u003e\nSee her son grow or succeed\u003cbr\u003e\nWho had fate snatch away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little amount of joy\u003cbr\u003e\nIn her sad lonely life\u003cbr\u003e\nBut then I open my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe ball bounces\u003cbr\u003e\nIn front of my car\u003cbr\u003e\nI turn slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd see that little boy\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding on the edge\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the evergreen road\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the edge of safety and sanity\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching the death of a toy\u003cbr\u003e\nI start to cry\u003cbr\u003e\nAll I can think is\u003cbr\u003e\nSee how thin the line\u003cbr\u003e\nIs between me\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a murderer\u003cbr\u003e\nOr is there a difference at all\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Death of a Toy"},{"content":"Charlotte is in Bootjack to help Gordon close things down for the winter before he heads back to Capitola for another winter with us. The sunsets are great any time of year on Portage Lake.\nGeorge and his buddies are up north for some fishing, hunting, and good times in general. I heard from Charlotte that the stories were hilarious.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is in Bootjack to help Gordon close things down for the winter before\nhe heads back to Capitola for another winter with us. The sunsets are great\nany time of year on Portage Lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his buddies are up north for some fishing, hunting, and good times\nin general. I heard from Charlotte that the stories were hilarious.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte in Bootjack"},{"content":"Coffee shop in Palo Alto, with flowers in it? Not really sure, but I thought it looked cute anyway.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090926_coffee/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCoffee shop in Palo Alto, with flowers in it? Not really sure, but I thought it\nlooked cute anyway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coffee Shop"},{"content":"\nShout out of the day goes to the Nooshmiester!!!!! Love yah Nooshers and I am thinking about you and your craziness! KEWAH!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090926_golnoosh/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090926_golnoosh/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to the Nooshmiester!!!!! Love yah Nooshers and I am\nthinking about you and your craziness! KEWAH!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Golnoosh"},{"content":"\nShout out of the day goes to my woods loving mom. Love yah :D. I will miss you while you are away.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090925_charlotte/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090925_charlotte/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to my woods loving mom. Love yah :D. I will miss you\nwhile you are away.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte"},{"content":" At my high school we had a Harry Potter themed day for a rally. My junior class was Griffindor and many of my friends got really excited.\nClearly.\nThey really got dressed up and had fun. Me? I don’t really get Harry Potter, magic isn’t my thing. I am my own level of mystical being ;). Here are some of my favorite outfits my friends were wearing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090925_potter/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090925_potter/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090925_potter/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt my high school we had a Harry Potter themed day for a rally. My junior class\nwas Griffindor and many of my friends got really excited.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClearly.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey really got dressed up and had fun. Me? I don’t really get Harry Potter,\nmagic isn’t my thing. I am my own level of mystical being ;). Here are some of\nmy favorite outfits my friends were wearing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Harry Potter Day"},{"content":"This is my first year of school without P.E. (I am super jazzed!!) This means many things to me. But the biggest thing is this, and it may sound weird but as always an explanation will ensue\nI don’t have to walk through the locker room doors anymore.\nAlright, so for the explanation. It really is simple but it makes me frustrated and annoyed every time I walk through those doors. It is the same for many doors, not just high school locker rooms.\nI hate it when you and some other people walk up to a door and it looks big enough to fit to people at a time but it isn’t.\nIt is so misleading. You walk up knowing in every fiber of your being that you and the person walking next to you, whether it is the worlds skinniest or fattest, that both of you will fit. As you get closer you start to question that notion. When you reach it you aren’t sure at all, it looks maybe just big enough, MAYBE.\nThen as you walk through you realize, No it isn’t big enough. At that point the awkward moment comes, (only if you make it awkward ;)) This always happens as you and the person next to walk in, both noticing the shrunken door frame, one or even both of you still try to act as if the door is big enough. You think that if you have enough will power that door frame will grow.\nIt Never Does.\nThen you get stuck with an awkward stream of sorry and excuse me as you try to squirm your way through. It is just annoying and deceiving. It is bearable when it is just friends because you can just laugh it off but when it is someone you don’t know, it can get really bad.\nLet’s say it is a business owner, or even worse, a person you are applying to get a job from. You try to go in through the door and it catches you, and then you just feel lost and start bumbling about in a sea of excuses for rubbing you boob up against their arm.\nYeah, no further explanation needed, I think you get my point. I just try to avoid that situation entirely and go through doors in a single file fashion.\nP.S. I am one of those people who walking down the street you always run into because neither one of you know which way to walk. That drives me insane but I always run into them with that awkward shuffle and then the final dive out of the way to escape the situation. I guess I am just an awkward person in general. My friends can tell you that much.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090925_doors/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is my first year of school without P.E. (I am super jazzed!!) This means\nmany things to me. But the biggest thing is this, and it may sound weird but\nas always an explanation will ensue\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI don’t have to walk through the locker room doors anymore.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlright, so for the explanation. It really is simple but it makes me frustrated\nand annoyed every time I walk through those doors. It is the same for many\ndoors, not just high school locker rooms.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shrunken Door Frame (Alice and Wonderland Effect)"},{"content":"Shout out of the day goes to my bestie, Mackenzie. I love you, thanks for putting up with me and giving me a shoulder to lean on when I need it most!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090924_mackenzie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to my bestie, Mackenzie. I love you, thanks for\nputting up with me and giving me a shoulder to lean on when I need it most!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mackenzie"},{"content":"Great streets of silence\nHave filled the network of my life\nIn times of necessity\nSilence overtakes my faint heart\nSwallowing whole\nThe words so desperately\nFloating up in bubbles\nThat quiver in their fragile state\nWhenever words are needed\nThey have failed me\nThe power of that word\nFalling swiftly, heavily\nFrom an uncouth mouth\nCan change the world\nIn a movement too fast\nFor the eye to register\nThe pregnant silence\nGrows between you and I\nLike a deep festering wound\nSomething that will\nLeave a big nasty scar\nFor the whole world\nTo bear witness to\nIn horror and disgust\nLike a canary in a cage\nMy words are sealed away\nWith a lock and key\nFar too advanced\nFor such a petty thief as I\nThe mystery of this labyrinth\nIs too complex for me\nSo I will suffer\nIn my silence alone\nAn ocean’s expanse\nStretches far and long\nAbove, between, and below\nMy feet that stand\nOn ground built only\nFrom the promise of words\nYet to surface and be heard\nIn the deep eddies of the water\nTruth is that words\nAre a terror, a horror\nAll in themselves\nTheir own maze of nothing\nLeading to nowhere\nSo silence is safety\nFrom a world full of words\nThat I do just fine without\nWhere every word\nIs a potential knife\nAwaiting a new victim\nA new heart to ruin\nRip open and bear forth\nThe fruit of an innocent\nOf ignorance in truth\nAnd within this deadly flower\nLies life’s only truth\nWe are all monsters\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090924_silence/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGreat streets of silence\u003cbr\u003e\nHave filled the network of my life\u003cbr\u003e\nIn times of necessity\u003cbr\u003e\nSilence overtakes my faint heart\u003cbr\u003e\nSwallowing whole\u003cbr\u003e\nThe words so desperately\u003cbr\u003e\nFloating up in bubbles\u003cbr\u003e\nThat quiver in their fragile state\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhenever words are needed\u003cbr\u003e\nThey have failed me\u003cbr\u003e\nThe power of that word\u003cbr\u003e\nFalling swiftly, heavily\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom an uncouth mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nCan change the world\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a movement too fast\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the eye to register\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Silence"},{"content":" Alright so let me explain. I had an interesting day today, it consisted of several parts:\nSchool ( well duh, I go to school everyday) In school I did nothing but worry about the next step of the day.\nDoctor. Yes I went up to Stanford to go see a Hematologist to check out my blood. This was horrible, I thought I wasn’t getting blood drawn but instead I get there and they saw, Oh, go down to the lab and get blood drawn. I hate doing this, I had four drawn but I have to give credit where credit is due, the woman did a fantastic job. Then we go back up to the office where I meet the doctor. He basically tells me I am not anemic at all, and that isn’t the problem. Which I promptly ask, Then what is? His answer? I don’t know I am just a hematologist. My basic point, my other doctor has been B.S.ing me about being really anemic, I don’t even have to take the pills any more. Little to say, I am pissed out of my mind about wasting my own time, this new doctors time, and my parents money on an untrue diagnosis. Biggest part, I have no idea what is wrong with me and no leads to what happens next. Yeah, story of my life. Next step gets better though, this is why I love my mom\nShopping. Do I need to say more? Apparently yes. For those of you that know me, you know I am not a huge fan of shopping. But this trip to Anthropology in Palo Alto cheered me right up. No, I was not dress shopping or buying ridiculously priced clothes. I was trying on extremely strange clothes and having my mom take pictures of me. Yes that is where the pictures came from. It was a lot of fun and cheered me up. Then I went around the store taking pictures for inspiration. I feel better now thanks to my mom. What next? Not sure, but I have some funny pictures now that I will be posting over the next few days. Weird clothes are pretty great. The blue coat thing, I don’t even know what that was, it had no arm holes except on the very bottom. And who doesn’t love odd felt and crocheted hats? I put like four different ridiculously decorated headbands on my head at once and it looked really funny!\nAnyway, I am frustrated to hell with doctors currently and have pretty much lost faith in them. Oh well, at least I have some good pictures out of this.\nP.S. I now know I don’t have a brain tumor.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090924_shopping/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090924_shopping/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090924_shopping/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090924_shopping/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlright so let me explain. I had an interesting day today, it consisted of several parts:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSchool ( well duh, I go to school everyday) In school I did nothing but worry about the next step of the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoctor. Yes I went up to Stanford to go see a Hematologist to check out my blood. This was horrible, I thought I wasn’t getting blood drawn but instead I get there and they saw, \u003cem\u003eOh, go down to the lab and get blood drawn.\u003c/em\u003e I hate doing this, I had four drawn but I have to give credit where credit is due, the woman did a fantastic job. Then we go back up to the office where I meet the doctor. He basically tells me I am not anemic at all, and that isn’t the problem. Which I promptly ask, \u003cem\u003eThen what is?\u003c/em\u003e His answer? \u003cstrong\u003eI don’t know I am just a hematologist.\u003c/strong\u003e My basic point, my other doctor has been B.S.ing me about being really anemic, I don’t even have to take the pills any more. Little to say, I am pissed out of my mind about wasting my own time, this new doctors time, and my parents money on an untrue diagnosis. Biggest part, \u003cstrong\u003eI have no idea what is wrong with me and no leads to what happens next.\u003c/strong\u003e Yeah, story of my life. Next step gets better though, this is why I love my mom\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Incompetence of Doctors and the Joy of Shopping"},{"content":"I really like this photo for no real reason. Fun stuff during golf.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090923_ball/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI really like this photo for no real reason. Fun stuff during golf.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ball of Yellow Sunshine"},{"content":"Shout out of the day goes to Heidi my wondrous new golf buddy!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090923_heidi/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eShout out of the day goes to Heidi my wondrous new golf buddy!!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Heidi"},{"content":"Let the paint drip\nLet it dry\nIgnore it\nWalk on it\nRefuse its existence\nDeny it the life\nIt was owed\nYes\nIt is just that easy\nOne day you will find yourself\nAnd stop\nYou stand on hollowed ground\nWhere just a single\nRed drops stands\nOld and worn\nIt still remains\nHidden but present\nIn a cement jungle\nOf cross-hatched lies\nYou will stand there\nAnd look at that single drop\nAnd wonder\nHow could I have let this pass\nHow could I have let\nThese things go so unnoticed\nReflected at you\nIn a single drop\nAre your mistakes\nThey never really go away do they\nThey leave behind a mark\nA remembrance\nOf the deeds your soul\nHas withered from\nSo bend down\nPut that red stain\nIn the center of your palm\nAnd understand\nFeel the cold harshness\nOf the unyielding ground\nFeel that mark\nFeel that scar on you\nOn the world\nAnd remember\nAlways remember\nThat it exists\nBecause of your follies\nNever forget that\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090923_paint/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLet the paint drip\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it dry\u003cbr\u003e\nIgnore it\u003cbr\u003e\nWalk on it\u003cbr\u003e\nRefuse its existence\u003cbr\u003e\nDeny it the life\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was owed\u003cbr\u003e\nYes\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is just that easy\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne day you will find yourself\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd stop\u003cbr\u003e\nYou stand on hollowed ground\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere just a single\u003cbr\u003e\nRed drops stands\u003cbr\u003e\nOld and worn\u003cbr\u003e\nIt still remains\u003cbr\u003e\nHidden but present\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a cement jungle\u003cbr\u003e\nOf cross-hatched lies\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou will stand there\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd look at that single drop\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd wonder\u003cbr\u003e\nHow could I have let this pass\u003cbr\u003e\nHow could I have let\u003cbr\u003e\nThese things go so unnoticed\u003cbr\u003e\nReflected at you\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a single drop\u003cbr\u003e\nAre your mistakes\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Paint Drops"},{"content":"This has got to be one of my all time favorite barn pictures, the slanted barn. Well truthfully it is more like a shed out in the middle of nowhere. Still, it was really cool and totally slanted.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090922_barn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis has got to be one of my all time favorite barn pictures, the slanted barn.\nWell truthfully it is more like a shed out in the middle of nowhere. Still, it\nwas really cool and totally slanted.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Slanted Barn"},{"content":"Here we are, yet again without a purpose for writing this. I am feeling rather morbid and ill contented so bear with me. I just had kind of a crappy day. Why? I am not really sure.\nI hate it when you feel like you had a good day but in the end you look back and say,\nWhat the Hell, that sucked.\nThat is where I am right now. Individual divided up, my day was alright. I had some fun with Nooshers in Math, and fun but time consuming day in Art. But here I am now thinking to myself,\nWhy am I in such a bad mood?\nI really don’t know, maybe it has to do with being tired. When I am really tired I can either be a really funny person to be around or a miserable one. Sometimes I get really hyper and pumped up because I am just so tired I act the exact opposite, or I am just such a downer and a whiner nobody wants to be around me. Yeah, that pretty much explains my life.\nBeing Tired Sucks\nThat is all I am going to say about that. I am tired of being tired all the time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090922_tired/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere we are, yet again without a purpose for writing this. I am feeling rather\nmorbid and ill contented so bear with me. I just had kind of a crappy day.\nWhy? I am not really sure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hate it when you feel like you had a good day but in the end you look back\nand say,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat the Hell, that sucked.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is where I am right now. Individual divided up, my day was alright. I had\nsome fun with Nooshers in Math, and fun but time consuming day in Art. But\nhere I am now thinking to myself,\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tired of Being Tired"},{"content":"Just a random photo along my travels. Mine is in the middle, yeah for McDonald’s hot chocolate. I survived off of that for a week.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090922_trash/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust a random photo along my travels. Mine is in the middle, yeah for\nMcDonald’s hot chocolate. I survived off of that for a week.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trash"},{"content":"Muahaha, we are the evil traveling buddies disobeying rules across the country! I just thought it would be funny to get this picture, worked out pretty well. Dogs gotta do, what a dogs gotta do.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090921_law/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMuahaha, we are the evil traveling buddies disobeying rules across the country!\nI just thought it would be funny to get this picture, worked out pretty well.\nDogs gotta do, what a dogs gotta do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Breakin’ the Law"},{"content":"Hmmm… I am not really sure what to say. So lets talk, just you and me. Converse, speak, chat, communicate, discuss, gossip, prattle, sing, yell, scream, twitter, or maybe just blog.\nA lot of people talk, they can talk for minutes, hours, or days straight. We can all do it, some of us do it without even noticing it, but the problem is that\nPeople talk, and talk, and talk but never say a word.\nYou know it is true, some people call it annoyance, some call it word vommit. Whatever the name, many people in society do it. Even I do it sometimes, when I get nervous I talk. Talk about nothing or maybe everything. People say a lot of things but what people don’t seem to notice is that the words these people are speaking mean absoltely nothing. They go off on great tangents that in the end stop in the middle of nowhere leaving you hanging.It may sound meaningful, but when word vomit occurs I am just throwing things at you to either scare you away or give me enough time to think of something to say.\nWhich is precisely what I am doing now. Could you tell?\nPeople seem to have the illusion that just because people are talking it means they have something meaningful to say. Even the so called “smart” people most of the time are b.s.ing their way to hell every time the open their mouths. They can be tricky, I give myself credit for being very talented in this aspect. Most people are, but just don’t know how to use this skill correctly. This talent has a name, I call it careful wording, others call it\nLying\nIn my opinion lying is not a bad thing. Actually to me it is an essential part of life. Everyone lies and if they tell you they don’t, they are lying. Simple as that. Lying is speaking. We may not even be aware that what we are saying is a lie, but half the time it is. People say it is oky to tell little white lies but not big lies. What exactly consitiutes a big lie? I mean really, people make rules so vague they are almost meant to be broken. Lie, but don’t hurt people with lies. It may even be good for you. The truth is a heavy thing and some people need to tell lies just to survive. So I say, go ahead, lie a little. But don’t tell lies just for the sake of lying. That is a waste of your time and mine.\nAnyways you might be asking where in the heck this little string of nonesense thoughts is heading. The answer to that is\nNOWHERE\nSorry, this is me having nothing and everything to say. Just a little word vomit for you 😉\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090921_talk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHmmm… I am not really sure what to say. So lets talk, just you and me.\nConverse, speak, chat, communicate, discuss, gossip, prattle, sing, yell,\nscream, twitter, or maybe just blog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lot of people talk, they can talk for minutes, hours, or days straight. We\ncan all do it, some of us do it without even noticing it, but the problem is\nthat\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeople talk, and talk, and talk but never say a word.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Let’s Talk"},{"content":"\nWhile Downtown the other day with a friend I saw a postcard of two prarie dogs kissing. I then picked it up, showed it to my friend and said:\nI have seen them do that.\nShe didn’t believe me, here is my proof of prairie dogs kissing. The second picture just cracks me up because I caught it sticking his tongue out. Very funny.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090921_prairiedog/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090921_prairiedog/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Downtown the other day with a friend I saw a postcard of two prarie dogs kissing. I then picked it up, showed it to my friend and said:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI have seen them do that.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe didn’t believe me, here is my proof of prairie dogs kissing. The second picture just cracks me up because I caught it sticking his tongue out. Very funny.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Prairie Dog Love"},{"content":"Sorry about the crappy picture I had to use my old camera. This is me after being locked away working on my IB art project for four and a half hours straight. Still, not that much progress. I like where it is heading though. However I am still unsure about a lot of things.\nI am trying to make a cigarette out of matches, but I am having a lot of problems. I am not sure how to color it accordingly to make it look like a cigarette. I really don’t want to have to paint over it because then you couldn’t tell if they were matches but I don’t know what else to do.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090920_art/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSorry about the crappy picture I had to use my old camera. This is me after\nbeing locked away working on my IB art project for four and a half hours\nstraight. Still, not that much progress. I like where it is heading though.\nHowever I am still unsure about a lot of things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am trying to make a cigarette out of matches, but I am having a lot of\nproblems. I am not sure how to color it accordingly to make it look like a\ncigarette. I really don’t want to have to paint over it because then you\ncouldn’t tell if they were matches but I don’t know what else to do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"IB Art Project"},{"content":"Here is a very generic poem of mine, I dislike it but I have nothing else to put up currently. This is why I think classes don’t make writers, they create canned poetry. Here is some good evidence of the fact.\nThe leaves are falling\nGone in a blur\nBut who will remember\nThe fallen leaves\nEach color unique\nAs they drift away\nForever forgotten\nGone in the breeze\nThe trees protectors\nForgotten, when they fall\nNever to be remembered\nFor who they really are\nWhen they have fallen\nThey freeze in the snow\nForsaken and discarded\nLike an old broken toy\nThe trees stand bare\nBelieving they can stand\nForgetting the leaves\nAnd their role in its life\nWinter pushes forward\nThe tree cannot stand\nBut the leaves all fallen\nCan never be returned\nAs the snow melts\nThe tree must see\nIts horrible mistake\nThe fallen leaves lay dead\nBuried by snow\nNow the tree stands bitter and alone\nSo it grows more leaves\nTo replace those loyal to it\nSo easily forgetting its treason\nBut as years pass by\nAnd seasons replay\nOver and over\nThe tree repeats its mistake\nNever learning its lesson\nCursed forever to relive its life\nThe leave’s revenge\nFor they never fall alone\nBecause inside they know\nEach fall that passes\nHas its winter in turn\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090920_trees/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a very generic poem of mine, I dislike it but I have nothing else to\nput up currently. This is why I think classes don’t make writers, they create\ncanned poetry. Here is some good evidence of the fact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe leaves are falling\u003cbr\u003e\nGone in a blur\u003cbr\u003e\nBut who will remember\u003cbr\u003e\nThe fallen leaves\u003cbr\u003e\nEach color unique\u003cbr\u003e\nAs they drift away\u003cbr\u003e\nForever forgotten\u003cbr\u003e\nGone in the breeze\u003cbr\u003e\nThe trees protectors\u003cbr\u003e\nForgotten, when they fall\u003cbr\u003e\nNever to be remembered\u003cbr\u003e\nFor who they really are\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen they have fallen\u003cbr\u003e\nThey freeze in the snow\u003cbr\u003e\nForsaken and discarded\u003cbr\u003e\nLike an old broken toy\u003cbr\u003e\nThe trees stand bare\u003cbr\u003e\nBelieving they can stand\u003cbr\u003e\nForgetting the leaves\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd their role in its life\u003cbr\u003e\nWinter pushes forward\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tree cannot stand\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the leaves all fallen\u003cbr\u003e\nCan never be returned\u003cbr\u003e\nAs the snow melts\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tree must see\u003cbr\u003e\nIts horrible mistake\u003cbr\u003e\nThe fallen leaves lay dead\u003cbr\u003e\nBuried by snow\u003cbr\u003e\nNow the tree stands bitter and alone\u003cbr\u003e\nSo it grows more leaves\u003cbr\u003e\nTo replace those loyal to it\u003cbr\u003e\nSo easily forgetting its treason\u003cbr\u003e\nBut as years pass by\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd seasons replay\u003cbr\u003e\nOver and over\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tree repeats its mistake\u003cbr\u003e\nNever learning its lesson\u003cbr\u003e\nCursed forever to relive its life\u003cbr\u003e\nThe leave’s revenge\u003cbr\u003e\nFor they never fall alone\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause inside they know\u003cbr\u003e\nEach fall that passes\u003cbr\u003e\nHas its winter in turn\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Trees and The Leaves"},{"content":"It is fun to be a kid sometimes. This is me playing in a park near Bend Oregon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090919_ladybug/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt is fun to be a kid sometimes. This is me playing in a park near Bend\nOregon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ladybug Ride"},{"content":"The woman stands\nArms full of grocery bags\nIn front of a store\nShe doesn’t move\nShe is frozen\nThose that pass her\nLook to try and see\nWhat her far away stare\nIs focused upon\nWhat horror she is witnessing\nBut what they don’t see\nIs that it isn’t\nAn image her stricken eyes\nHave fallen upon\nBut the absence of it\nAlone the mother stands\nHer child is nowhere\nGone from sight\nDisappeared into a world\nBeyond the safety of a mother’s touch\nWhere there is no play\nOnly a harsh reality\nOf survival and death\nShe wonders\nHow could this happen\nWhat did I do\nTo deserve this punishment\nThe statue begins\nTo regain life\nAs a scream burst forth\nFrom petrified lungs\nDying for release\nThe bags fall\nAs her arms reach out\nFor something that\nIs no longer there\nHer child is gone\nIn just a blink of an eye\nShe has vanished\nThe mother screams\nOver and over again\nFor her child\nBut there is no answer\nJust the stares of the passersby\nShe falls to her knees\nHer child’s favorite foods\nLay strewn about\nThe mother of a missing child\nShe hears nothing\nSees nothing\nBut her child\nBefore she was gone\nRemembering that last look\nThe last moment before\nDestiny was changed\nTaking her baby away from her\nSo she sits on her knees\nHer arms held out to nothing\nWith her child’s favorite foods\nBut no child\nNo one stops to help\nBecause they don’t understand\nWhat it means to lose\nA part of them\nBut now she does\nThe wailing statue\nWaiting with empty arms\nAnd a horrible plea\nFor a missing child to come back\nAnd never again leave\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090919_child/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe woman stands\u003cbr\u003e\nArms full of grocery bags\u003cbr\u003e\nIn front of a store\u003cbr\u003e\nShe doesn’t move\u003cbr\u003e\nShe is frozen\u003cbr\u003e\nThose that pass her\u003cbr\u003e\nLook to try and see\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat her far away stare\u003cbr\u003e\nIs focused upon\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat horror she is witnessing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut what they don’t see\u003cbr\u003e\nIs that it isn’t\u003cbr\u003e\nAn image her stricken eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nHave fallen upon\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the absence of it\u003cbr\u003e\nAlone the mother stands\u003cbr\u003e\nHer child is nowhere\u003cbr\u003e\nGone from sight\u003cbr\u003e\nDisappeared into a world\u003cbr\u003e\nBeyond the safety of a mother’s touch\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere there is no play\u003cbr\u003e\nOnly a harsh reality\u003cbr\u003e\nOf survival and death\u003cbr\u003e\nShe wonders\u003cbr\u003e\nHow could this happen\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat did I do\u003cbr\u003e\nTo deserve this punishment\u003cbr\u003e\nThe statue begins\u003cbr\u003e\nTo regain life\u003cbr\u003e\nAs a scream burst forth\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom petrified lungs\u003cbr\u003e\nDying for release\u003cbr\u003e\nThe bags fall\u003cbr\u003e\nAs her arms reach out\u003cbr\u003e\nFor something that\u003cbr\u003e\nIs no longer there\u003cbr\u003e\nHer child is gone\u003cbr\u003e\nIn just a blink of an eye\u003cbr\u003e\nShe has vanished\u003cbr\u003e\nThe mother screams\u003cbr\u003e\nOver and over again\u003cbr\u003e\nFor her child\u003cbr\u003e\nBut there is no answer\u003cbr\u003e\nJust the stares of the passersby\u003cbr\u003e\nShe falls to her knees\u003cbr\u003e\nHer child’s favorite foods\u003cbr\u003e\nLay strewn about\u003cbr\u003e\nThe mother of a missing child\u003cbr\u003e\nShe hears nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nSees nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nBut her child\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore she was gone\u003cbr\u003e\nRemembering that last look\u003cbr\u003e\nThe last moment before\u003cbr\u003e\nDestiny was changed\u003cbr\u003e\nTaking her baby away from her\u003cbr\u003e\nSo she sits on her knees\u003cbr\u003e\nHer arms held out to nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nWith her child’s favorite foods\u003cbr\u003e\nBut no child\u003cbr\u003e\nNo one stops to help\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause they don’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat it means to lose\u003cbr\u003e\nA part of them\u003cbr\u003e\nBut now she does\u003cbr\u003e\nThe wailing statue\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting with empty arms\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a horrible plea\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a missing child to come back\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd never again leave\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Missing Child"},{"content":" A year ago my dad, Nick, and I went to visit Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to see if Nick would want to go there. He is there now. I miss him a lot, but i am sure he is enjoying his time as a college student. These are some photos of an alley way we found downtown in San Luis Obispo.\nYes, That is Gum Coating the Entire Wall.\nVery cool, but kind of gross. My heart of gum goes out to you big brother!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090918_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090918_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090918_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA year ago my dad, Nick, and I went to visit Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to see if\nNick would want to go there. He is there now. I miss him a lot, but i am sure\nhe is enjoying his time as a college student. These are some photos of an\nalley way we found downtown in San Luis Obispo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYes, That is Gum Coating the Entire Wall.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thinking of Nick (Cal Poly)"},{"content":"I am trying out some black and white photo styles. This is in Natural Bridges if you couldn’t tell.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090917_bridges/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am trying out some black and white photo styles. This is in Natural Bridges\nif you couldn’t tell.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Natural Bridges"},{"content":"I went into Kmart today and you know what I saw that just made me sick to my stomach? They have those shopping carts you push your kid around in shaped like a mini car that had T.V.s in them.\nGIVE ME A BREAK?!\nDo you dislike your kid that much that you don’t even want to have to deal with them while you shop? This just makes me cringe when I think about it. People seem to think if you plop a T.V. down in front of their rambunctious toddler it will shut them up and make them into a polite little angel.\nT.V.’s are the new babysitters of the century and parents are not thinking twice about indulging in this practice.\nPeople are putting T.V.s everywhere now a days. They are even in cars. Ever notice how it is always in the back seat? That is so the parents can get their kids to sit down and be quiet for a change. They use the T.V. to deal with their kids.\nIt just makes me sad to see things like this. People, talk to your kids. Some may seem like they don’t want to but you never know whether or not they are waiting for you to ask.\nDon’t get me wrong, sometimes it can be nice to have some peace and quiet for a little bit and if a T.V. is what does the trick, I guess that is the solution. What I am saying is that it is just ridiculous to have T.V.s everywhere you go so kids can interact with virtual companies instead of the plain old reality. I say interact with your kid you never know what you’ll find out. Sometimes little kids are the most enlightened beings you will ever find, you just have to ask the right way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090917_tv/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI went into Kmart today and you know what I saw that just made me sick to my\nstomach?  They have those shopping carts you push your kid around in shaped\nlike a mini car that had T.V.s in them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGIVE ME A BREAK?!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo you dislike your kid that much that you don’t even want to have to deal with\nthem while you shop? This just makes me cringe when I think about it. People\nseem to think if you plop a T.V. down in front of their rambunctious toddler\nit will shut them up and make them into a polite little angel.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"T.V. Reality"},{"content":"How fast does\nThe human heart die\nWhen a cry\nIs all that portrays\nA desperate agony\nThe sound of a heart\nRipping itself into pieces\n“No more” it cries\n“I am done\nIt hurts too much\nTo keep going”\nSo does it take years\nOr maybe only seconds\nFor the heart to implode\nSlowly collapse in on itself\nTo bleed out on the streets\nWhere people watch\nBut no one moves\nTo save an innocent from death\nThere is just a silent horror\nReflected in dull empty eyes\nWatch as a hand\nDips into my chest\nPulls out my heart\nIt cries and it cries\n“I am done, I am done”\nOne last rebellion\nTo die before the sun\nIt was hidden away\nFor it’s whole life\nNow in death it is shown\nLooking into the light\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090916_implosion/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHow fast does\u003cbr\u003e\nThe human heart die\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen a cry\u003cbr\u003e\nIs all that portrays\u003cbr\u003e\nA desperate agony\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sound of a heart\u003cbr\u003e\nRipping itself into pieces\u003cbr\u003e\n“No more” it cries\u003cbr\u003e\n“I am done\u003cbr\u003e\nIt hurts too much\u003cbr\u003e\nTo keep going”\u003cbr\u003e\nSo does it take years\u003cbr\u003e\nOr maybe only seconds\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the heart to implode\u003cbr\u003e\nSlowly collapse in on itself\u003cbr\u003e\nTo bleed out on the streets\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere people watch\u003cbr\u003e\nBut no one moves\u003cbr\u003e\nTo save an innocent from death\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is just a silent horror\u003cbr\u003e\nReflected in dull empty eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nWatch as a hand\u003cbr\u003e\nDips into my chest\u003cbr\u003e\nPulls out my heart\u003cbr\u003e\nIt cries and it cries\u003cbr\u003e\n“I am done, I am done”\u003cbr\u003e\nOne last rebellion\u003cbr\u003e\nTo die before the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was hidden away\u003cbr\u003e\nFor it’s whole life\u003cbr\u003e\nNow in death it is shown\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking into the light\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Implosion"},{"content":"This is a window on a bus I saw in San Francisco. I love taking random photos of things in San Francisco, they always turn out great.\nThis is kind of how I feel right now, just say it. Speak out. Talk to me, let me talk to you. Write something on my blog, I want to hear it.\nSay it\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090916_sayit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a window on a bus I saw in San Francisco. I love taking random photos\nof things in San Francisco, they always turn out great.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is kind of how I feel right now, just say it. Speak out. Talk to me, let\nme talk to you. Write something on my blog, I want to hear it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSay it\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Say It"},{"content":"Here is another poem from mythology. This myth is about Helios’ (the sun in Greek mythology) daughter and how she is locked away because she is the daughter of the sun.\nYou of light\nWhose heart is ever growing\nLay down your hair\nAnd watch the lilies bloom\nYou, the child\nOf the greater gods\nWith eyes that glow\nAs bright as the sun\nAnd your smile\nCould make flowers bloom\nAnd your soul\nSo pure and untouched\nSheltered in a world\nNever scarred by hate\nEvil, or disgrace\nYet they fear you\nThe titan child\nYour brilliance\nBrings darkness\nInto their envious eyes\nRun child, run\nThey come for you now\nThere is no where to hide\nAnd they will find you\nIt is only a matter of time\nYou can’t scream\nOr shout out for help\nThey are the help\nThe good guys\nGone so bad\nHave turned on you\nBetrayed you\nPut a knife in your back\nEven though you did them no wrong\nIt is your heart they fear\nSo they must carve it out\nSnuff out its brilliance\nKill off the sun\nThen they’ll bury you away\nWhere the sun can’t shine\nYour heart still beating\nAnd your eyes gone wide\nThey seal you in darkness\nYou, the child of the sun\nWill never again see the sky\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090915_aega/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is another poem from mythology. This myth is about Helios’ (the sun in\nGreek mythology) daughter and how she is locked away because she is the\ndaughter of the sun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou of light\u003cbr\u003e\nWhose heart is ever growing\u003cbr\u003e\nLay down your hair\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd watch the lilies bloom\u003cbr\u003e\nYou, the child\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the greater gods\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes that glow\u003cbr\u003e\nAs bright as the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your smile\u003cbr\u003e\nCould make flowers bloom\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your soul\u003cbr\u003e\nSo pure and untouched\u003cbr\u003e\nSheltered in a world\u003cbr\u003e\nNever scarred by hate\u003cbr\u003e\nEvil, or disgrace\u003cbr\u003e\nYet they fear you\u003cbr\u003e\nThe titan child\u003cbr\u003e\nYour brilliance\u003cbr\u003e\nBrings darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nInto their envious eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nRun child, run\u003cbr\u003e\nThey come for you now\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no where to hide\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd they will find you\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is only a matter of time\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can’t scream\u003cbr\u003e\nOr shout out for help\u003cbr\u003e\nThey are the help\u003cbr\u003e\nThe good guys\u003cbr\u003e\nGone so bad\u003cbr\u003e\nHave turned on you\u003cbr\u003e\nBetrayed you\u003cbr\u003e\nPut a knife in your back\u003cbr\u003e\nEven though you did them no wrong\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is your heart they fear\u003cbr\u003e\nSo they must carve it out\u003cbr\u003e\nSnuff out its brilliance\u003cbr\u003e\nKill off the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nThen they’ll bury you away\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere the sun can’t shine\u003cbr\u003e\nYour heart still beating\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd your eyes gone wide\u003cbr\u003e\nThey seal you in darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nYou, the child of the sun\u003cbr\u003e\nWill never again see the sky\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Aega"},{"content":"I love bald eagles, they are so cool and majestic. Here is a picture of one I took in Michigan sitting in a tree right out in front of our house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090914_eagle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love bald eagles, they are so cool and majestic. Here is a picture of one I\ntook in Michigan sitting in a tree right out in front of our house.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bald Eagle"},{"content":"In golf they want you to wear tan shorts or khakis. Wait, what exactly are khakis? That is beside the point, tan. The color tan is my point. Tan and cream-colored things drive me insane. If you are one of my friends you probably know this. If not, please endure. These colors bug me for several reasons:\nCream is not a color. Plain as that, the same way white isn’t. Cream bothers me though because it isn’t white, but it is close enough to trick you. Cream is just an ugly white. I mean why make something cream when it could be white? WHY? It confounds me and makes me angry to an extent. It is just a dirty white color. It makes me want to wash it, but I know it won’t come off. Ugh, makes me sick.\nMy main issue of the day is tan. Yeah I have a beef to pick with the color tan. I will never wear tan clothes. Simple as that, I will wear grey, you can even force me to wear white, but I will not wear tan. Want to know why? Simple, when people wear tan they look like they are naked. Don’t even begin to tell me you haven’t been driving along and seen someone from a far and thought, Oh my god, is that person naked? Thus upon closer inspection you find they are just wearing tan pants. Yeah, happens a lot. It is disturbing and highly disruptive in my life. I can be driving and see an old lady walking around as if she is naked just because she decided by, some catastrophe of fate, to wear all tan-colored clothes.\nSorry golf team, I will never wear tan, I like people to be aware that I am fully clothed. It is just how I roll. If you disagree tell me so, but don’t tell me you never thought that, because that would be a lie. Why do these colors even exist?\nI asked someone this and they gave me an excuse I just have to mention. Here it is, the main reason the color tan was invented:\nTo blend in with the ground.\nWhy are you tying to blend in with the ground?! Answer me that first, because truly I want to know. No that is not a valid reason. I will slap you if you say that to me. Tan is not camouflage, no matter the excuse, maybe if you are trying to blend in with your own skin. I just hate those colors, simple as that. They are a blight on society.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090914_tan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn golf they want you to wear tan shorts or khakis. Wait, what exactly are\nkhakis? That is beside the point, tan. The color tan is my point. Tan and\ncream-colored things drive me insane. If you are one of my friends you\nprobably know this. If not, please endure. These colors bug me for several\nreasons:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCream is not a color. Plain as that, the same way white isn’t. Cream bothers\nme though because it isn’t white, but it is close enough to trick you. Cream\nis just an ugly white. I mean why make something cream when it could be white?\nWHY? It confounds me and makes me angry to an extent. It is just a dirty white\ncolor. It makes me want to wash it, but I know it won’t come off. Ugh, makes\nme sick.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cream and Tan"},{"content":"I love this old decrepit barn. Very pretty with the teal roof. I have a lot of great barn pictures taken along my journeys.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090914_barn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this old decrepit barn. Very pretty with the teal roof. I have a lot of\ngreat barn pictures taken along my journeys.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Teal Barn"},{"content":"I sit in a\nWhite tiled room\nI feel like I\nWas dropped here\nA camera is sitting\nIn my hands\nResting peacefully\nBut why am I\nTo capture this\nA walled in cell\nMade completely\nOf glass\nStands tall\nIn the middle of the room\nA man paces\nInside of its\nSee through barrier\nThe walls are so thin\nThere is so little standing\nBetween him and me\nImprisoned and watching\nHis eyes only on me\nA wolf’s eyes\nBurning into me\nI shift uncomfortable\n“Be careful with him”\nHe says to me\nIn a dark cold voice\nThe edge in it surprises\nAnd scares me\n“Who?”\nI ask\nMy eyes\nBeing held by the wolf\nHe doesn’t take his eyes away\nBut nods at my lap\nA wry grin splitting\nOpen his face\nI look down\nA baby boy\nLies where my\nCamera had been\nHis head is bent\nAt an awkward angle\nI scream and scream\nLooking down at him\nHis tiny broken body\nAnd his broken neck\nWith blue skin and unstaring eyes\nDying in my arms\nI plead for help\nLooking frantically\nFrom the baby\nTo the prisoner\nBut all he does\nIs laugh at me\nHe puts his hands\nAgainst the glass\nAnd starts to push\nAnd as the glass\nStarts to crack\nHe says\n“You can only help yourself”\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090913_dream/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI sit in a\u003cbr\u003e\nWhite tiled room\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel like I\u003cbr\u003e\nWas dropped here\u003cbr\u003e\nA camera is sitting\u003cbr\u003e\nIn my hands\u003cbr\u003e\nResting peacefully\u003cbr\u003e\nBut why am I\u003cbr\u003e\nTo capture this\u003cbr\u003e\nA walled in cell\u003cbr\u003e\nMade completely\u003cbr\u003e\nOf glass\u003cbr\u003e\nStands tall\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the middle of the room\u003cbr\u003e\nA man paces\u003cbr\u003e\nInside of its\u003cbr\u003e\nSee through barrier\u003cbr\u003e\nThe walls are so thin\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is so little standing\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween him and me\u003cbr\u003e\nImprisoned and watching\u003cbr\u003e\nHis eyes only on me\u003cbr\u003e\nA wolf’s eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nBurning into me\u003cbr\u003e\nI shift uncomfortable\u003cbr\u003e\n“Be careful with him”\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says to me\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a dark cold voice\u003cbr\u003e\nThe edge in it surprises\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd scares me\u003cbr\u003e\n“Who?”\u003cbr\u003e\nI ask\u003cbr\u003e\nMy eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nBeing held by the wolf\u003cbr\u003e\nHe doesn’t take his eyes away\u003cbr\u003e\nBut nods at my lap\u003cbr\u003e\nA wry grin splitting\u003cbr\u003e\nOpen his face\u003cbr\u003e\nI look down\u003cbr\u003e\nA baby boy\u003cbr\u003e\nLies where my\u003cbr\u003e\nCamera had been\u003cbr\u003e\nHis head is bent\u003cbr\u003e\nAt an awkward angle\u003cbr\u003e\nI scream and scream\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking down at him\u003cbr\u003e\nHis tiny broken body\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd his broken neck\u003cbr\u003e\nWith blue skin and unstaring eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nDying in my arms\u003cbr\u003e\nI plead for help\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking frantically\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom the baby\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the prisoner\u003cbr\u003e\nBut all he does\u003cbr\u003e\nIs laugh at me\u003cbr\u003e\nHe puts his hands\u003cbr\u003e\nAgainst the glass\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd starts to push\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd as the glass\u003cbr\u003e\nStarts to crack\u003cbr\u003e\nHe says\u003cbr\u003e\n“You can only help yourself”\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Very Strange Dream"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090913_dandelions/","summary":"","title":"Dandelions"},{"content":"This weekend we\u0026rsquo;re moving Nick into his apartment and new life at Cal Poly. It\u0026rsquo;s still hard to believe that this day has actually arrived, but I\u0026rsquo;m excited for Nick to start this stage of his life. I have to say I never had a view like this from my freshman college dorms. Pretty sweet.\nHis apartment has four private rooms, a shared living room, and kitchen. As if it wasn\u0026rsquo;t good enough, one of his roommates brought a big flat panel TV.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s Nick\u0026rsquo;s new bedroom. He\u0026rsquo;s settling in quickly, but he\u0026rsquo;s leaving an empty room in our house that just isn\u0026rsquo;t right without our big boy. We may have to come visit as often as we can.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090913_calpoly/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis weekend we\u0026rsquo;re moving Nick into his apartment and new life at\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.calpoly.edu\"\u003eCal Poly\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s still hard to believe that this day has\nactually arrived, but I\u0026rsquo;m excited for Nick to start this stage of his life. I\nhave to say I never had a view like this from my freshman college dorms.\nPretty sweet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090913_calpoly/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090913_calpoly/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090913_calpoly/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090913_calpoly/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis apartment has four private rooms, a shared living room, and kitchen. As if\nit wasn\u0026rsquo;t good enough, one of his roommates brought a big flat panel TV.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick starts at Cal Poly"},{"content":"I was in my Theory of Knowledge class the other day, and because of my cold medicine, I was totally wired. I typically am really interested in that class but I just couldn’t pay attention because\nMe + Cold Medicine = Bad News and Weird Things\nSo I am sitting in the back of the classroom when suddenly it dawns on me, I can’t sit in this chair a second longer. So what does my brain go to? Of course, what else? The floor. I just stand up in my seat and go around my desk and plunk down on the floor.\nOf course, magically no one seems to notice that I just basically climbed over my desk to the middle of the floor. Ever notice how that always happens? When you do weird stuff like that, no one beats an eyelash. I mean I could have levitated over my desk and no one would have noticed. There is always one person that always notices though and no one believes them. I love messing with that person. It just makes my day.\nAnyways so now I am sitting on the floor enjoying life three feet below everyone else in the class. So from there my mind starts to get hopelessly lost in the possibilities of my new vantage point of the class. I am staring at all the feet under the tables and I really want to crawl under them and scare everyone. But I decided to reframe from that and do the next best thing.\nBug some of my friends.\nSo I crawl over, still undercover feeling like freaking Batman with my ninja status of stealth, and sit down next to a table with three of my friends sitting there. They don’t notice. I reach under the table and poke the second person, Philomena, in the leg. They keep talking, she doesn’t seem to notice. So I poke her again. She shifts but doesn’t look under the table. So at this point I know she think it is my friend Allison sitting next to her. So I smile and keep it up. I poke her again and she moves but doesn’t notice still. The final poke gets her attention and she looks under the table to find me.\nShe of course freaks out wondering why I am under their table poking her so Luke and Allison both look and start laughing. By then I am laugh really hard because Allison thought I was a backpack.\nI kind of phantom my way back to my desk, and no one notices still. They are still talking to me like I am under the table, they look up and notice I am back in my seat. Still cracking up, I love being strange.\nMorale of the story, I am BATMAN!!!!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090913_tok/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was in my Theory of Knowledge class the other day, and because of my cold\nmedicine, I was totally wired. I typically am really interested in that class\nbut I just couldn’t pay attention because\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMe + Cold Medicine = Bad News and Weird Things\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo I am sitting in the back of the classroom when suddenly it dawns on me, I\ncan’t sit in this chair a second longer. So what does my brain go to? Of\ncourse, what else? The floor. I just stand up in my seat and go around my desk\nand plunk down on the floor.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"TOK and Stupidity (Batman)"},{"content":" Goodbye my brother, I will miss you so!!! Good luck at Cal Poly. I still think you are a mountain goat.\nLOVE YOU!!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090912_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090912_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090912_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoodbye my brother, I will miss you so!!! Good luck at Cal Poly. I still think\nyou are a mountain goat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLOVE YOU!!!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Goodbye Nick"},{"content":"I try to avoid parking lots by all costs. Parking lots have got bad news written all over them, so I just try to stay away. They are a pain in the butt too. Here are my reasons and pet peeves about parking lots:\nThey are one of the most accident prone places. Whenever I am in a parking lot I feel like some body is going to come whipping around the corner and smash into me. I never feel safe, and I get really paranoid.\nThe ways that people park are horrendous. Seriously it looks like a two year old parked half of the cars there. The one parking manuever I despise the most is this: There is always someone who takes the second to last parking spot, but makes sure you can’t have the last. This drives me insane. They either park just far enough over the white line to the point that you are extremely uncomfortable parking there, or they just park as if they had a seizure driving in and the front half of the car is in one spot and the back is in the other. They must do it on purpose because I don’t think anyone can actually drive that bad and have been allowed to get their license. And you always think about parking there, but you don’t because this person decided to be an ass and make you drive around for another hour trying to find a spot.\nAnother thing I can’t help think about when I am trying to find a spot is when you drive up and there is a nice spot right there in front of you, but the car parked next to it is all busted up as if someone rear ended it five times and then took a sledgehammer to the side. So you sit there wanting the spot but you think : I wonder how that car got like that. Then all the scenarios pop into your head of this guy backing out next to my car and just grinding all the way alongside it and not even noticing. So you shudder at that image and try to find a different spot.\nCompact spaces. What does that even mean? Whenever I ask this, people tell me they are for compact cars. Yeah, thanks I couldn’t guess that much. But what exactly does a compact car consists of? I have seen fatty trucks fit into those spots but for some reason I feel wrong when I park in one with my CRV even though it isn’t exactly a giant car. They must be for smart cars, they don’t get much more compact than that. Maybe a clown car, but it is pretty close.\nThe place I hate parking the almost is in my high school parking lot. I always feel endangered there. I don’t even have to be in my car, I feel as a pedestrian I will be hit. I have been hit once in my car, well twice if you count the idiot who opened their car door into my car. The first time I have got to say was a really sad way to get hit.\nJust a little note about where I park: I park in an isolated space where no one can park on either side so I can’t get hit.\nAnother side note: THIS IS WHERE I GOT HIT\nI was just getting into my car when the whole thing lurches forward towards a small hill right in front of my car. Naturally I freak out and look behind me and sure enough there is someone who backed up right into me. So I get out to asses the damage done and the only thing wrong is my license plate is a little pushed in. That is all.\nThe worst part about getting in an accident in the high school paring lot is everyone just stands there and watches you. So embarrassing.\nAnyway, I ask the guy who hit me what the hell he was doing to back up straight into my car. Apparently he was trying to escape the parking lot the wrong way and decided the best way to do this was back straight out, not turn.\nMy car is pretty much indestructible I have to say. But obviously accidents still happen. So yet again, parking lots, not my first choice.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090912_parking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI try to avoid parking lots by all costs. Parking lots have got bad news\nwritten all over them, so I just try to stay away. They are a pain in the butt\ntoo. Here are my reasons and pet peeves about parking lots:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are one of the most accident prone places. Whenever I am in a parking\nlot I feel like some body is going to come whipping around the corner and\nsmash into me. I never feel safe, and I get really paranoid.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Parking Lot Paranoia"},{"content":"I climb the stairs\nAs doors close with a hiss behind\nThousands of eyes watching\nWalking down death row\nCalmly\nI sit down in a chair\nImages rush past me\nPeople walking away forever\nNever aware of me watching\nSilently\nI put my hand against glass\nCold and warm from other days\nEverything rocks back and worth\nPeople whisper, cry, laugh\nQuietly\nI look down beside me\nA little girl sits there\nLollipop to big for her small mouth\nShe licks relentlessly at it\nNoisily\nI hear everything at that moment\nTwo rows up a baby howls, hungry\nThree rows back a man coughs, dying\nAcross the isle a man and woman fight\nAngrily\nI see everything at that moment\nFive rows back a woman with a black eye\nFour rows ahead a man without an arm\nAcross and seven rows back a blind man sighs\nSadly\nI sigh too and stare at my hands\n“My mom says it is rude to stare at people”\nThe little girl looks up at me questioning\n“Why do you stare at them” she asks\nCuriously\nI speak to this girl so much younger than me\n“Because there is so much to see” I reply\n“I see nothing” she whines\n“Look very closely and you see everything”\n“Everyone tells a story, but your mother is right”\nSimply\nI listen to her as I do everyone\n“Well what’s your story?”\n“A long and sad one” I reply\nI don’t see it” she says\nConfused\n“I see your story” I say grinning\n“You like lollipops”\nShe stares blankly at her lollipop and says “No”\n“My mom gave it to me before she died”\nSilence bustling\nPeople get up and leave the bus\nShe stands alone and waves to me\nStill sucking “Goodbye” she says\nI just sit there wondering\nCalmly\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090911_lollipop/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI climb the stairs\u003cbr\u003e\nAs doors close with a hiss behind\u003cbr\u003e\nThousands of eyes watching\u003cbr\u003e\nWalking down death row\u003cbr\u003e\nCalmly\u003cbr\u003e\nI sit down in a chair\u003cbr\u003e\nImages rush past me\u003cbr\u003e\nPeople walking away forever\u003cbr\u003e\nNever aware of me watching\u003cbr\u003e\nSilently\u003cbr\u003e\nI put my hand against glass\u003cbr\u003e\nCold and warm from other days\u003cbr\u003e\nEverything rocks back and worth\u003cbr\u003e\nPeople whisper, cry, laugh\u003cbr\u003e\nQuietly\u003cbr\u003e\nI look down beside me\u003cbr\u003e\nA little girl sits there\u003cbr\u003e\nLollipop to big for her small mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nShe licks relentlessly at it\u003cbr\u003e\nNoisily\u003cbr\u003e\nI hear everything at that moment\u003cbr\u003e\nTwo rows up a baby howls, hungry\u003cbr\u003e\nThree rows back a man coughs, dying\u003cbr\u003e\nAcross the isle a man and woman fight\u003cbr\u003e\nAngrily\u003cbr\u003e\nI see everything at that moment\u003cbr\u003e\nFive rows back a woman with a black eye\u003cbr\u003e\nFour rows ahead a man without an arm\u003cbr\u003e\nAcross and seven rows back a blind man sighs\u003cbr\u003e\nSadly\u003cbr\u003e\nI sigh too and stare at my hands\u003cbr\u003e\n“My mom says it is rude to stare at people”\u003cbr\u003e\nThe little girl looks up at me questioning\u003cbr\u003e\n“Why do you stare at them” she asks\u003cbr\u003e\nCuriously\u003cbr\u003e\nI speak to this girl so much younger than me\u003cbr\u003e\n“Because there is so much to see” I reply\u003cbr\u003e\n“I see nothing” she whines\u003cbr\u003e\n“Look very closely and you see everything”\u003cbr\u003e\n“Everyone tells a story, but your mother is right”\u003cbr\u003e\nSimply\u003cbr\u003e\nI listen to her as I do everyone\u003cbr\u003e\n“Well what’s your story?”\u003cbr\u003e\n“A long and sad one” I reply\u003cbr\u003e\nI don’t see it” she says\u003cbr\u003e\nConfused\u003cbr\u003e\n“I see your story” I say grinning\u003cbr\u003e\n“You like lollipops”\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stares blankly at her lollipop and says “No”\u003cbr\u003e\n“My mom gave it to me before she died”\u003cbr\u003e\nSilence bustling\u003cbr\u003e\nPeople get up and leave the bus\u003cbr\u003e\nShe stands alone and waves to me\u003cbr\u003e\nStill sucking “Goodbye” she says\u003cbr\u003e\nI just sit there wondering\u003cbr\u003e\nCalmly\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lollipop"},{"content":"One of my favorite sweets is salt water taffy. It makes my life like nothing else… well except corks. In Calumet Michigan there is a mercantile store where they sell taffy by the bucket.\nI love this place, I would move in if I could. Just row after row of giant taffy barrels filled with all kinds of flavors of glorious taffy. My favorite flavor has got to be watermelon.\nJust a side note, don’t you just love unwrapping the taffy. You just pull on either side of the candy wrapper and it magically untwists making that sticky noise. I love that to no end.\nThey not only sell taffy, they sell fudge there also that is from the gods. I love when stores like this give free samples and you always try to sample every flavor just to eat the fudge. By the time you’re done you have eaten the equivalent of what you where planning on buying.\nAnyways, taffy is the best, don’t say otherwise or I might have to beat you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090911_taffy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne of my favorite sweets is salt water taffy. It makes my life like nothing\nelse… well except corks. In Calumet Michigan there is a mercantile store where\nthey sell taffy by the bucket.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love this place, I would move in if I could. Just row after row of giant\ntaffy barrels filled with all kinds of flavors of glorious taffy. My favorite\nflavor has got to be watermelon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taffy"},{"content":"\nSorry, no time for posts so here is something I wish I was doing instead of piles of homework, rock picking. These are some photos of rocks we found in Lake Superior off the Keewenaw coastline. Very cool agates and such.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090910_agates/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090910_agates/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSorry, no time for posts so here is something I wish I was doing instead of\npiles of homework, rock picking. These are some photos of rocks we found in\nLake Superior off the Keewenaw coastline. Very cool agates and such.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Agates"},{"content":"This was a dessert I had at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. I made him look like a Pac Man.\nSome how this picture is slighty depressing and at the same time makes me laugh until I cry.\nIf any of you have ever eaten at the buffet at the Bellagio, you know what I am talk about when I say:\nYOU CAN NEVER LOOK AT FOOD THE SAME AGAIN!\nI don’t know how or why, but this food was the best meal I have ever eaten, and there was every type of food also from sushi, to pasta, to Alaskan crab legs. AMAZING My only regret is that I ate so much food that I didn’t actually eat the fabulous dessert. And they were quite fabulous.\nIf you haven’t eaten there, you have to. Experience of a life time, I swear by it. Even though we waited in like an hour and a half line. It was so worth it, every second of it.\nJust go there, if you are in Vegas, go. Nothing else to say about that.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090909_flan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis was a dessert I had at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. I made him look\nlike a Pac Man.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome how this picture is slighty depressing and at the same time makes me laugh\nuntil I cry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf any of you have ever eaten at the buffet at the Bellagio, you know what I am\ntalk about when I say:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYOU CAN NEVER LOOK AT FOOD THE SAME AGAIN!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Flan Pac Man"},{"content":"This is the beginning of a story I am working on, not sure where it will go if it does go somewhere. I thought it was interesting though and thought I would share this little excerpt. Enjoy.\nThis is the way the heart dies. It dies slowly without a sound. Some people never even notice when it is gone. The person still stands put nothing inside remains.\nWe have nothing left but misery, an empty hole that gapes yawning in its existence. When the clock stops ticking what will you do? Where will you go?\nNowhere. A place called Nowhere.\nThis is the land of the dead, where only a body wonders with no heart intact. But how do you save a dying heart? Can you bring it back to life with a wish? Can a final kiss wake it up with a smile and say good morning?\n“Welcome to Nowhere” Death says.\n“Come join us, we the walking dead. We who live without mind or soul. “\nI walked into Nowhere with no intent of leaving. I had abandoned my heart and its misery because I couldn’t take it, I couldn’t handle it anymore. Being human hurt too much. I walked through my life without a second thought as to what I was missing. Just waiting for an end.\nSometimes, life just happens. Even if you don’t want it. My life happened to me as I stood a bystander to a catastrophe.\nA woman died today, I did not know her. I never wanted to meet her. I never knew her name, or anything about her. But she saved me. She saved me from myself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090909_nowhere/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the beginning of a story I am working on, not sure where it will go if\nit does go somewhere. I thought it was interesting though and thought I would\nshare this little excerpt. Enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the way the heart dies. It dies slowly without a sound. Some people\nnever even notice when it is gone. The person still stands put nothing inside\nremains.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have nothing left but misery, an empty hole that gapes yawning in its\nexistence. When the clock stops ticking what will you do? Where will you go?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nowhere"},{"content":"There is always a pause\nBefore death finally comes\nA moment that lingers\nBetween so very different worlds\nAfter such labor\nAnd such pain\nWhen the breathing\nBecomes so rapid\nIt screeches out\nScreaming its way\nOut of your dry mouth\nEach breath is an effort\nLike no other\nAs your lungs heave\nTrying to keep going\nKnowing you are almost there\nThe race is almost over\nYour time has come\nAs your eyes\nHang open\nIn deep empty sockets\nThat have become\nAs dark as a storm\nWatching every movement\nKnowing it will be your last\nYou will ever see\nHoping to find an answer\nTo all the questions\nYou still had left\nYour fingers twitch desperately\nTry to fix\nAll the things left broken\nYour skin prickles\nTrying to feel\nAll that was never known\nYour legs become restless\nTrying to run that last\nStretch of the race\nWhen suddenly you hear it\nThe noise you have been waiting for\nDying for inside\nA soft yet urgent call\nSo you let your muscles loosen\nAnd forget about all else\nThere is nothing left to see\nNothing left to touch\nAll that is left broken\nShall remain that way forever\nAnd the race\nIs finally complete\nAs your breathing slows\nA smile plays\nOn your cracked lips\nYou know it is time to go\nThen the world seems to stop\nStanding on its toes\nThen the long pause\nAnd you are no more\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090909_pause/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is always a pause\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore death finally comes\u003cbr\u003e\nA moment that lingers\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween so very different worlds\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter such labor\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd such pain\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen the breathing\u003cbr\u003e\nBecomes so rapid\u003cbr\u003e\nIt screeches out\u003cbr\u003e\nScreaming its way\u003cbr\u003e\nOut of your dry mouth\u003cbr\u003e\nEach breath is an effort\u003cbr\u003e\nLike no other\u003cbr\u003e\nAs your lungs heave\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to keep going\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing you are almost there\u003cbr\u003e\nThe race is almost over\u003cbr\u003e\nYour time has come\u003cbr\u003e\nAs your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nHang open\u003cbr\u003e\nIn deep empty sockets\u003cbr\u003e\nThat have become\u003cbr\u003e\nAs dark as a storm\u003cbr\u003e\nWatching every movement\u003cbr\u003e\nKnowing it will be your last\u003cbr\u003e\nYou will ever see\u003cbr\u003e\nHoping to find an answer\u003cbr\u003e\nTo all the questions\u003cbr\u003e\nYou still had left\u003cbr\u003e\nYour fingers twitch desperately\u003cbr\u003e\nTry to fix\u003cbr\u003e\nAll the things left broken\u003cbr\u003e\nYour skin prickles\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to feel\u003cbr\u003e\nAll that was never known\u003cbr\u003e\nYour legs become restless\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to run that last\u003cbr\u003e\nStretch of the race\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen suddenly you hear it\u003cbr\u003e\nThe noise you have been waiting for\u003cbr\u003e\nDying for inside\u003cbr\u003e\nA soft yet urgent call\u003cbr\u003e\nSo you let your muscles loosen\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd forget about all else\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is nothing left to see\u003cbr\u003e\nNothing left to touch\u003cbr\u003e\nAll that is left broken\u003cbr\u003e\nShall remain that way forever\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the race\u003cbr\u003e\nIs finally complete\u003cbr\u003e\nAs your breathing slows\u003cbr\u003e\nA smile plays\u003cbr\u003e\nOn your cracked lips\u003cbr\u003e\nYou know it is time to go\u003cbr\u003e\nThen the world seems to stop\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding on its toes\u003cbr\u003e\nThen the long pause\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd you are no more\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pause"},{"content":" One of my hobbies is making rock pile art. It is a lot of fun but can be frustrating at times. Especially when there is a pack of wild little children Hell bent on knocking them over every time you build a new one!\nBut that isn’t the point. I make rock pile art all over the place. Just spreading a bit of man made beauty.\nThese are some rock piles that I made on my family’s trip down to Las Vegas. Fun idea, not such a success in reality. But hey, we tried it, that has to count for something doesn’t it? We did see some cool things on our way but five people in a R.V. is just not for me. Say what you want but I would much rather go in a car than an R.V.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090909_rockpile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090909_rockpile/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090909_rockpile/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of my hobbies is making rock pile art. It is a lot of fun but can be\nfrustrating at times. Especially when there is a pack of wild little children\nHell bent on knocking them over every time you build a new one!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that isn’t the point. I make rock pile art all over the place. Just\nspreading a bit of man made beauty.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are some rock piles that I made on my family’s trip down to Las Vegas.\nFun idea, not such a success in reality. But hey, we tried it, that has to\ncount for something doesn’t it? We did see some cool things on our way but\nfive people in a R.V. is just not for me. Say what you want but I would much\nrather go in a car than an R.V.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rock Pile Art"},{"content":"\nI love it when I see colors in everything. Here are some random pictures full of vibrant colors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090908_colors/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090908_colors/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love it when I see colors in everything. Here are some random pictures full\nof vibrant colors.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Colors"},{"content":"\nJust some beautiful things in nature, a spider’s web at Pictured Rocks, and a nice sunset at Estes Park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090908_beauty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090908_beauty/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust some beautiful things in nature, a spider’s web at Pictured Rocks, and a\nnice sunset at Estes Park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nature’s Beauty"},{"content":"Old bones creak\nAs I stand\nDust falls\nFrom my heavy shoulders\nRaining down\nOn old wooden floors\nBoth wood and bone\nCreak in protest\nStand up\nCome now old one\nThere is much to be done\nYour time hasn’t come\nThe day still awaits\nThe birds are still singing\nThe flowers are blooming\nSo drop your\nCloak of age\nLet if fall\nSlip from your shoulders\nOnce weighed down\nBy a burden\nAbout knowledge and age\nLet it pool on the floor\nStep over it\nLeave it behind\nStand up\nThere is much\nTo be done\nOld mistakes to fix\nOld friendships to mend\nThere is time\nThere is time\nWatch the sun fall\nAnd the moon rise\nSmell lavender\nDancing in your home\nWelcome winter\nThe coming storm\nOpen your arms\nAnd scream\nTo no one\nAbout nothing\nWhisper out your misery\nBow to destiny\nIt’s time to wake up\nLeave behind\nYour worries\nAnd regrets\nOf those you leave behind\nStand up\nSmile at death\nGreet him nicely\nAnd say\n“I have been\nwaiting for you”\nHe will smile back at you\nAnd say\n“Stand up\nthere is much work\nto be done”\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090908_standup/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOld bones creak\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I stand\u003cbr\u003e\nDust falls\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom my heavy shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nRaining down\u003cbr\u003e\nOn old wooden floors\u003cbr\u003e\nBoth wood and bone\u003cbr\u003e\nCreak in protest\u003cbr\u003e\nStand up\u003cbr\u003e\nCome now old one\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is much to be done\u003cbr\u003e\nYour time hasn’t come\u003cbr\u003e\nThe day still awaits\u003cbr\u003e\nThe birds are still singing\u003cbr\u003e\nThe flowers are blooming\u003cbr\u003e\nSo drop your\u003cbr\u003e\nCloak of age\u003cbr\u003e\nLet if fall\u003cbr\u003e\nSlip from your shoulders\u003cbr\u003e\nOnce weighed down\u003cbr\u003e\nBy a burden\u003cbr\u003e\nAbout knowledge and age\u003cbr\u003e\nLet it pool on the floor\u003cbr\u003e\nStep over it\u003cbr\u003e\nLeave it behind\u003cbr\u003e\nStand up\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is much\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be done\u003cbr\u003e\nOld mistakes to fix\u003cbr\u003e\nOld friendships to mend\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is time\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is time\u003cbr\u003e\nWatch the sun fall\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd the moon rise\u003cbr\u003e\nSmell lavender\u003cbr\u003e\nDancing in your home\u003cbr\u003e\nWelcome winter\u003cbr\u003e\nThe coming storm\u003cbr\u003e\nOpen your arms\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd scream\u003cbr\u003e\nTo no one\u003cbr\u003e\nAbout nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nWhisper out your misery\u003cbr\u003e\nBow to destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nIt’s time to wake up\u003cbr\u003e\nLeave behind\u003cbr\u003e\nYour worries\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd regrets\u003cbr\u003e\nOf those you leave behind\u003cbr\u003e\nStand up\u003cbr\u003e\nSmile at death\u003cbr\u003e\nGreet him nicely\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd say\u003cbr\u003e\n“I have been\u003cbr\u003e\nwaiting for you”\u003cbr\u003e\nHe will smile back at you\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd say\u003cbr\u003e\n“Stand up\u003cbr\u003e\nthere is much work\u003cbr\u003e\nto be done”\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stand Up"},{"content":"This is Arnold, he was the baby raccoon we found in Michigan.\nHis mommy died so we gave him a home and fed him until he was old enough to live on his own.\nI miss him. He lived in the Peyser household. He is still out there somewhere. He was so cute and small.\nI was just thinking about him and wanted to wish him well where ever he is.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_raccoon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is Arnold, he was the baby raccoon we found in Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis mommy died so we gave him a home and fed him until he was old enough to\nlive on his own.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI miss him. He lived in the Peyser household. He is still out there somewhere.\nHe was so cute and small.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was just thinking about him and wanted to wish him well where ever he is.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Arnold the Raccoon"},{"content":" Call me creepy, I don’t really care. One of my favorite things to do is take photos of random people. You can find some of the most amazing things in random people, whether it is beauty, innocence, creativity, a sense of adventure, or just being human. People interest me greatly. So here are a few of my creeper pictures that I have taken. Hopefully you can see what I see in these people, human nature in all of its tiny facets.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_creeper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_creeper/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_creeper/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_creeper/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCall me creepy, I don’t really care. One of my favorite things to do is take\nphotos of random people. You can find some of the most amazing things in random\npeople, whether it is beauty, innocence, creativity, a sense of adventure, or\njust being human. People interest me greatly. So here are a few of my creeper\npictures that I have taken. Hopefully you can see what I see in these people,\nhuman nature in all of its tiny facets.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Creeper Photos"},{"content":"There is a banshee\nStanding on my window sill\nLooking through frosted glass\nWith eyes that always see\nHollow and empty\nThey stare onward frigidly\nBlack as coal\nBurrowing into me\nA porcelain face\nFrozen forever\nIn a horrified scream\nAn abomination\nA disgrace\nIt taps its cold fingers\nOn my window panes\nBegging pleading to be let in\nFrozen forever in many winters\nIt beckons sadly\nTrying to warn me\nA sign or forwarding\nOf ending tragically\nA banshee is telling me\nThere is death\nOn my doorstep\nWeeping and crying\nIt is trying to warn me\nTo make my ends meet\nBefore death can ever find me\nIt is telling me in the end\nThere is no place left to hide\nWhen winter comes\nThe breeze brings a whisper\nOf forewarned death\nAnd a child too foolish\nTo bear heed to a banshees warning\nOf death on my window sill\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_death/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a banshee\u003cbr\u003e\nStanding on my window sill\u003cbr\u003e\nLooking through frosted glass\u003cbr\u003e\nWith eyes that always see\u003cbr\u003e\nHollow and empty\u003cbr\u003e\nThey stare onward frigidly\u003cbr\u003e\nBlack as coal\u003cbr\u003e\nBurrowing into me\u003cbr\u003e\nA porcelain face\u003cbr\u003e\nFrozen forever\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a horrified scream\u003cbr\u003e\nAn abomination\u003cbr\u003e\nA disgrace\u003cbr\u003e\nIt taps its cold fingers\u003cbr\u003e\nOn my window panes\u003cbr\u003e\nBegging pleading to be let in\u003cbr\u003e\nFrozen forever in many winters\u003cbr\u003e\nIt beckons sadly\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to warn me\u003cbr\u003e\nA sign or forwarding\u003cbr\u003e\nOf ending tragically\u003cbr\u003e\nA banshee is telling me\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is death\u003cbr\u003e\nOn my doorstep\u003cbr\u003e\nWeeping and crying\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is trying to warn me\u003cbr\u003e\nTo make my ends meet\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore death can ever find me\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is telling me in the end\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is no place left to hide\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen winter comes\u003cbr\u003e\nThe breeze brings a whisper\u003cbr\u003e\nOf forewarned death\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a child too foolish\u003cbr\u003e\nTo bear heed to a banshees warning\u003cbr\u003e\nOf death on my window sill\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Death On My Window Sill"},{"content":"I personally am not a fan of haikus, they don’t mean much to me, but I got bored so here are some little useless haikus of mine.\nUncertainty lives\nIn the eyes of the wicked\nWhere sin is just sin\nRemember the names\nOf the forgotten and lost\nFor no one else will\nKnow your hearts true grief\nBehold your life’s agonies\nThere is nothing left\nDon’t despair dear child\nMonsters bumping in the night\nYou are not alone\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_haikus/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI personally am not a fan of haikus, they don’t mean much to me, but I got\nbored so here are some little useless haikus of mine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUncertainty lives\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the eyes of the wicked\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere sin is just sin\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemember the names\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the forgotten and lost\u003cbr\u003e\nFor no one else will\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnow your hearts true grief\u003cbr\u003e\nBehold your life’s agonies\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is nothing left\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon’t despair dear child\u003cbr\u003e\nMonsters bumping in the night\u003cbr\u003e\nYou are not alone\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Haikus"},{"content":"I think it is about time to start thinking about what I really love. I have been writing since fourth grade. On my birthday during my freshman year I received a book. A nice leather bound, four hundred page journal for me to write in. I decided that what I was going to put in it were two things, one: Poetry, two: Book Ideas.\nSo since my freshman year I have been writing in this little book here, and the two year mark is coming up on my seventeenth birthday. I am almost done with the book, I have fifty pages left in it. I never thought I would actually get this far with my writing. I never imagined that I would have my own blog, but here I am. I am inching my way toward what I believe is my future.\nSo here is what I am trying to say. I want to make a book out of my poetry. I have already started self publishing it on my blog, but I want a real book full of my work. I don’t know how or when, but I wanted to share with all of you this idea, that I soon hope will become a reality.\nIf anyone knows anything about publishing please inform me, because I don’t really know where to start except to have my writing.\nWhat comes next? I am not sure, probably more work.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_publish/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think it is about time to start thinking about what I really love. I have\nbeen writing since fourth grade. On my birthday during my freshman year I\nreceived a book. A nice leather bound, four hundred page journal for me to\nwrite in. I decided that what I was going to put in it were two things, one:\nPoetry, two: Book Ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo since my freshman year I have been writing in this little book here, and the\ntwo year mark is coming up on my seventeenth birthday. I am almost done with\nthe book, I have fifty pages left in it. I never thought I would actually get\nthis far with my writing. I never imagined that I would have my own blog, but\nhere I am. I am inching my way toward what I believe is my future.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Publishing my Work"},{"content":" I have seen sunsets all around the country and they are always different. They really are amazing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090907_sunsets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_sunsets/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_sunsets/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090907_sunsets/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have seen sunsets all around the country and they are always different. They\nreally are amazing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sunsets"},{"content":"This poem was based off of the legend of a river in Hades, that once you step foot into, your memories are washed away causing total forgetfulness.\nBe my guide\nTo the river banks\nWalk with me\nThrough darkness\nSo I may\nFind the light\nThat has been absent\nFrom my life\nFor what feels like\nAn eternity in darkness\nHold my hand\nAnd sing to me\nA soft melody\nTo sooth my raging heart\nLead me to\nThe waters edge\nWhere memories are erased\nWhere past are forgiven\nAnd forgotten\nStand with me\nAs I look down\nAs waves lap at my feet\nFeeling its icy grip\nStart inching up me\nAs stars watch overhead\nAnd the wind\nHeaves a heavy sigh\nPushing forward\nUrging me to take\nMy final leap of faith\nWatch me from the banks\nAs I wade deep\nInto frigid waters\nEach step determined\nPremeditated and unstoppable\nI don’t look back\nI can’t\nMy thanks are washed\nAway in the rivers tide\nCarried away on the wind\nLet me go\nAs I disappear forever\nBe my guide\nInto another world\nWhere no darkness exists\nLet me walk away\nInto the unknown\nWhere no man or beast\nCan ever touch me again\nLet the water swallow me\nAnd whisk me away forever\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090906_lethe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis poem was based off of the legend of a river in Hades, that once you step\nfoot into, your memories are washed away causing total forgetfulness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBe my guide\u003cbr\u003e\nTo the river banks\u003cbr\u003e\nWalk with me\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I may\u003cbr\u003e\nFind the light\u003cbr\u003e\nThat has been absent\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom my life\u003cbr\u003e\nFor what feels like\u003cbr\u003e\nAn eternity in darkness\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHold my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd sing to me\u003cbr\u003e\nA soft melody\u003cbr\u003e\nTo sooth my raging heart\u003cbr\u003e\nLead me to\u003cbr\u003e\nThe waters edge\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere memories are erased\u003cbr\u003e\nWhere past are forgiven\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd forgotten\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lethe (guide me)"},{"content":" Here are some beautiful flowers found all over the country during our road trip. I think flowers are God’s children more than we are personally.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090906_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090906_flowers/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090906_flowers/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some beautiful flowers found all over the country during our road\ntrip. I think flowers are God’s children more than we are personally.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wild Flowers"},{"content":"\nDoes this photo really need an explanation besides the fact that this cat is hideous. This makes me laugh so much every time I see it. Cats can truly be horrifying at times.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090905_cat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090905_cat/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoes this photo really need an explanation besides the fact that this cat is\nhideous. This makes me laugh so much every time I see it. Cats can truly be\nhorrifying at times.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Funny Cat"},{"content":"I have a special love, hate relationship with iTunes. Yeah, I am sure a lot of people do. My reason? It actually is really simple, but it drives me up a wall even to think about it.\nI hate it on iTunes when you really, really want a song but for some reason they only sell that song with the whole album.\nI go crazy when this happens.It just happened to me again. Regina Spektor is my favorite music artist by miles, and I really wanted to buy her song, The Call. Which is amazing I have to say. But you can’t buy it anywhere unless you buy a whole freaking album.\nSome people when they hear this say, Well maybe the whole album is good? Maybe you should just buy the whole thing. I always do check. I listen to the whole album, weigh the pros and cons on wasting ten bucks for a whole CD that really only has one good song on it and decide against it. That is the worst part, that one song is always amazing, and all the others suck like there is no tomorrow.\nFor an example, take this Regina Spektor song that I am dying to have. It can only be bought on two albums. Guess what they are?? Come on guess.\nChronicles of Narnia, Prince of Caspian, and Disney Box Office Hits. Some of these songs make me bleed from my ears. They make me want to tear out my hair I get so frustrated!! It must be a strategy because no one in their right mind would ever buy those songs even if they were being tortured.\nIt just drives me insane because I know iTunes knows that people hate that, so why do they do it????\nThe world may never know, maybe it’s greediness or perhaps they just like watching us squirm. I wonder if people actually do buy the album just for one song. I know I am always tempted, but I haven’t broken yet. Same thing happened to me with an Atreyu song I loved but will never own because iTunes is a stickler.\niTunes little stunts like this one are the reasons people use free downloading illegal sites. I disagree totally with downloading illegally because I think someone should get paid for their hard work, but I can now understand why people do it. Because of tricks like this one where in no way you can buy the single song you want.\nIt isn’t just iTunes either, Amazon does the same thing also. Just a recommendation for these companies: If you want people to buy the music, just let them buy it. No strings, or sneaky tricks just put a price next to every song with a button that says buy. It would work a lot easier for everyone.\nI am still dying for that song, when iTunes decides to actually put it on sale I will be there.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090905_itunes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI have a special love, hate relationship with iTunes. Yeah, I am sure a lot of\npeople do. My reason? It actually is really simple, but it drives me up a wall\neven to think about it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI hate it on iTunes when you really, really want a song but for some reason\nthey only sell that song with the whole album.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI go crazy when this happens.It just happened to me again. Regina Spektor is my\nfavorite music artist by miles, and I really wanted to buy her song, The Call.\nWhich is amazing I have to say. But you can’t buy it anywhere unless you buy a\nwhole freaking album.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"iTunes Tricks"},{"content":" Here are some funny road signs along our way to Michigan. Strange things that people put on these signs. I wonder what possessed these people to do this.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090904_signs/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090904_signs/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090904_signs/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some funny road signs along our way to Michigan. Strange things that\npeople put on these signs. I wonder what possessed these people to do this.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Funny Road Signs"},{"content":"I found this photo of me, my best friends and my cousin at Raging Waters. Fun stuff, fun stuff. Shout out to my best friends!!\nWith that said, I have to say something.\nWHAT IS UP WITH THE BOTTOMS OF THEIR POOLS?\nI know you know what I am talking about. They must use some sort of special cement in their pools that no matter how careful you are, will cut you some time during your adventures. Whether it is in the lazy river, or the wave pool, you will at some point hit your toe, or scrape your knees along the bottom and you will be cut to pieces.\nThat stuff hurts like hell!! It somehow hurts more than normal cuts and it stays that way for at least a week. It is horrible, almost like rug burn but worse. There is no way to avoid this inconvenience either. It isn’t a question whether you will get cut, because you will. I love Raging Waters, but that stuff sucks.\nNot to mention that every time you go there you get sunburned. I don’t have particularly fair skin and I put lots of sunscreen on, but it doesn’t help at all. I can even reapply, but I always get burned.\nJust a side note: SHOUT OUT FOR TIMOTHY THE LIFEGUARD DUMMY\nAnyway, yet again I digress. My favorite part out of everything at Raging Waters is the wave pool. Not because it is super fun for the two seconds of waves that usually end before you can actually reach the pool. No, I like it because every time that buzzer goes off, the place turns into a mosh pit. Everyone starts yelling and hollering like Jesus just jumped into the pool. I don’t understand why, but it happens every time it goes off. I don’t even have to go in the water, I can sit down and just watch laughing. Try it, very funny.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090904_ragingwaters/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI found this photo of me, my best friends and my cousin at Raging Waters. Fun\nstuff, fun stuff. Shout out to my best friends!!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith that said, I have to say something.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWHAT IS UP WITH THE BOTTOMS OF THEIR POOLS?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know you know what I am talking about. They must use some sort of special\ncement in their pools that no matter how careful you are, will cut you some\ntime during your adventures. Whether it is in the lazy river, or the wave\npool, you will at some point hit your toe, or scrape your knees along the\nbottom and you will be cut to pieces.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Raging Waters"},{"content":"A tall tree\nLike a sentry guard\nA world full\nOf controversy\nAnd falling stars\nYelling and screaming\nYou tear out my hair\nBetrayal afoot\nA friend afraid\nTo cry\nShattered pieces\nWings are torn\nPictures of friends\nRipped to pieces\nWake up\nAnd smell the ashes\nThere is blood\nTo be had\nOnce friends forever\nAre no more\nA promise never upheld\nSadness builds another wall\nForming a shell\nHiding away from all\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090904_untitled/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA tall tree\u003cbr\u003e\nLike a sentry guard\u003cbr\u003e\nA world full\u003cbr\u003e\nOf controversy\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd falling stars\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYelling and screaming\u003cbr\u003e\nYou tear out my hair\u003cbr\u003e\nBetrayal afoot\u003cbr\u003e\nA friend afraid\u003cbr\u003e\nTo cry\u003cbr\u003e\nShattered pieces\u003cbr\u003e\nWings are torn\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePictures of friends\u003cbr\u003e\nRipped to pieces\u003cbr\u003e\nWake up\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd smell the ashes\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is blood\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be had\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce friends forever\u003cbr\u003e\nAre no more\u003cbr\u003e\nA promise never upheld\u003cbr\u003e\nSadness builds another wall\u003cbr\u003e\nForming a shell\u003cbr\u003e\nHiding away from all\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Untitled"},{"content":"\nSome where out there, is the world’s largest sand crane. I have seen it with my own eyes, got to say slightly disappointing. I was expecting truly gigantic, this was big, but not that big. The sign under the statue cracked me up though.\nSteele, North Dakota I believe, the middle of nowhere. Still now I can say I have seen the world’s largest sand crane. Beat that.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090904_crane/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090904_crane/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome where out there, is the world’s largest sand crane. I have seen it with my\nown eyes, got to say slightly disappointing. I was expecting truly gigantic,\nthis was big, but not that big. The sign under the statue cracked me up\nthough.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSteele, North Dakota I believe, the middle of nowhere. Still now I can say I\nhave seen the world’s largest sand crane. Beat that.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"World’s Largest Sand Crane"},{"content":"So here is another incident after the Ghosts and Stupidity, there will probably be many more like this.\nToday during golf practice I was wheeling around my golf bag on one of the old man bag cart pushers. On hole five I was pushing it in front of me when the bottom caught the ground, stopped dead and hit me right in the neck.\nFunny? Yes. Painful? Yes. A really stupid moment? Definetely.\nNot only did I jab myself in the throat with the handle, but I made the most ghastly noise when it happened. It was a mixture of a dying cat and what I can only assume to be the llama mating ritual noise.\nYES IT WAS THAT BAD.\nWorst part, almost everyone heard the noise. Everyone just turned around and was like What the heck was that? I just laughed and laughed. No I am not an idiot, I am just unmindful of my surroundings, namely old man golf bag carriers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090903_golf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSo here is another incident after the Ghosts and Stupidity, there will probably\nbe many more like this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday during golf practice I was wheeling around my golf bag on one of the old\nman bag cart pushers. On hole five I was pushing it in front of me when the\nbottom caught the ground, stopped dead and hit me right in the neck.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunny? Yes. Painful? Yes. A really stupid moment? Definetely.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Golf and Stupidity"},{"content":"Sometimes I just like to have time to stop and smell the flowers…\nbut I don’t\nso here is a quick photo of some gigantic field of sunflowers. I wish I was there not here doing loads of homework.\nI think this was in North Dakota somewhere near Bismarck I believe. It felt like it stretched on forever.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090903_sunflowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSometimes I just like to have time to stop and smell the flowers…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ebut I don’t\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eso here is a quick photo of some gigantic field of sunflowers. I wish I was\nthere not here doing loads of homework.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think this was in North Dakota somewhere near Bismarck I believe. It felt\nlike it stretched on forever.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sunflowers"},{"content":"In my TOK class today we broached the subject as to why kids would give apples to their teachers. No one knew. The teacher so kindly told us that the teachers were given apples so they would be healthy because the teachers were revered in the community and needed to be kept healthy.\nI on the other hand, have a different idea about why apples where the gift of choice.\nApples, let me say, are one of my favorite fruits next to watermelon. But that is beside the point. Apples, however tasty they are, are extremely deceptive fruits believe it or not. I think teachers were given apples instead of, lets say pencils or paper, because:\nApples can appear nice, shiny, and perfect when presented as a gift, but can easily decieve you in their appearance. Students give teachers their old apples simply because the teacher can’t tell on first glance, or second glance that the apple is indeed bad. When you look at an apple most of the time you can’t tell that it has been beaten to death in the bottom of your backpack and can appear as a kind and geniune gift towards your teacher.\nThis is also why you never see teachers eating the gifted apples, because after closer inspection they realized the horrible shape they were in. So teachers take the offering and thank the child who actually isn’t doing them a favor, but getting rid of their trash some other way because they couldn’t find a trash can close enough for their liking.\nIt isn’t because the kids hate their teachers, it is out of pure laziness that kids do this. It isn’t a direct attack, but a different way of getting rid of the foods they have but don’t want to deal with.\nSorry to break it to you, but it is true. Maybe, maybe, a kid does do it to be nice, but who wants to carry an apple around all day just to hand it over to someone else. Seriously?\nThat is why I don’t give apples to teachers, personally I think it is almost rude to do so in my opinion. This is what I think about ever time I see an uneaten apple on a teacher’s desk.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090903_apple/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn my TOK class today we broached the subject as to why kids would give apples\nto their teachers. No one knew. The teacher so kindly told us that the\nteachers were given apples so they would be healthy because the teachers were\nrevered in the community and needed to be kept healthy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI on the other hand, have a different idea about why apples where the gift of\nchoice.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Teacher’s Apple"},{"content":"The little girl knelt\nHer hands together\nAnd head bowed\nShe prayed\nShe asked for\nForgiveness\nShe pleaded for\nGuidance\nShe begged for\nRepentance\nShe wept for\nRedemption\nShe prayed hoping for an answer\nThat never came\nShe picked up her head\nHer soft hair falling\nAnd looked at the stars\nShe asked silently\nGod why don’t you answer me\nYet no answer came\nShe prayed every night\nFor the rest of her life\nWaiting for that answer\nThat never came\nFaithfully she returned\nEvery night and knelt\nShe refused to loose hope\nHands together\nAnd head bowed\nShe prayed\nShe always listened\nBut no word came\nBut still she believed\nThat he was waiting\nAnd watching over her\nHe never did help her\nHe never reached down\nTo a child on her knees\nAnd said to her\nIt is all right, you can go now\nYou can go free\nHe left her all alone\nHer parents didn’t understand\nThen her children didn’t understand\nAnd then her grandchild didn’t understand\nBut she didn’t ask\nFor their understanding\nJust to be heard\nSo she left them behind\nIn a desperate silence\nShe prayed\nShe asked for\nForgiveness\nShe pleaded for\nGuidance\nShe begged for\nRepentance\nShe wept for\nRedemption\nEven though her answer\nNever came\nShe prayed\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090902_prayed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe little girl knelt\u003cbr\u003e\nHer hands together\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd head bowed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe prayed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe asked for\u003cbr\u003e\nForgiveness\u003cbr\u003e\nShe pleaded for\u003cbr\u003e\nGuidance\u003cbr\u003e\nShe begged for\u003cbr\u003e\nRepentance\u003cbr\u003e\nShe wept for\u003cbr\u003e\nRedemption\u003cbr\u003e\nShe prayed hoping for an answer\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never came\u003cbr\u003e\nShe picked up her head\u003cbr\u003e\nHer soft hair falling\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd looked at the stars\u003cbr\u003e\nShe asked silently\u003cbr\u003e\nGod why don’t you answer me\u003cbr\u003e\nYet no answer came\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe prayed every night\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the rest of her life\u003cbr\u003e\nWaiting for that answer\u003cbr\u003e\nThat never came\u003cbr\u003e\nFaithfully she returned\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery night and knelt\u003cbr\u003e\nShe refused to loose hope\u003cbr\u003e\nHands together\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd head bowed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe prayed\u003cbr\u003e\nShe always listened\u003cbr\u003e\nBut no word came\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still she believed\u003cbr\u003e\nThat he was waiting\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd watching over her\u003cbr\u003e\nHe never did help her\u003cbr\u003e\nHe never reached down\u003cbr\u003e\nTo a child on her knees\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd said to her\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is all right, you can go now\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can go free\u003cbr\u003e\nHe left her all alone\u003cbr\u003e\nHer parents didn’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nThen her children didn’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd then her grandchild didn’t understand\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she didn’t ask\u003cbr\u003e\nFor their understanding\u003cbr\u003e\nJust to be heard\u003c/p\u003e","title":"She Prayed"},{"content":"This is a funny photo from Glacier National Park. When my mom and I entered the park we were totally bummed out because we were afraid we weren’t going to be able to see anything due to the fog. I saw this mountain and all I could think of was,\nHey, looky there, it is Mount Olympus. It was in Montana the whole time!\nEverything was coated in fog except for the top of this gigantic mountain just poking out of the fog like Mount Olympus.\nI thought it was slightly strange though that out of all the places in the world, the Greek Gods chose Montana for their home. Strange indeed. Not that I blame them, Glacier was beautiful. But I think the gods could do a bit better.\nMaybe that is why people visit Glacier so often because they are trying to get a glimpse of Zeus, no such luck for me though. Maybe next time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090901_olympus/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a funny photo from Glacier National Park. When my mom and I entered the\npark we were totally bummed out because we were afraid we weren’t going to be\nable to see anything due to the fog. I saw this mountain and all I could think\nof was,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHey, looky there, it is Mount Olympus. It was in Montana the whole time!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverything was coated in fog except for the top of this gigantic mountain just\npoking out of the fog like Mount Olympus.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mount Olympus"},{"content":"I live in a closed in neighborhood off of an exit ramp, and you know what really cracks me up? Is when I see police sitting right there on the off ramp.\nI come driving down the freeway, and I turn my blinker on to exit and start slowing down. Then right there off on the side of the exit is a cop. It wasn’t just a one time thing, I see cops there all the time. They just sit there and when you round the corner and hit the brakes wondering why the heck they would be hiding there. Personally it scares the crap out of me because for some reason I never expect it. Here are my main problems with this that make me laugh every time I see a cop waiting there. This is what goes through my mind.\nFirst thought is: Shit I need to slow down, normally this is the most important response to a cop, but the problem is that you are exiting. You get off the freeway going 65 mph and you can’t truly be expected to go from 65 to 35 in the three second span of the off ramp.\nMy second thought: Would they really pull me over right here? They can’t seriously be trying to catch speeders because f they are, that is the wrong spot. Is it even legal to pull someone over when they are reducing speed on an off ramp? I would think so, because it is the transition spot between freeway speed and normal. If that is the case, this is my next thought.\nLastly: If they aren’t there to pull me over, why are they there? Is that the new hang out for cops or something? I just don’t get it. Maybe they are hiding from the other cops so they don’t actually have to work because they are almost always sitting there. Doing nothing. It just makes me laugh and wonder what is going through their heads.\nSaddest part, sometimes I see people pulled over there by the cops. That probably means the cops chased them off the freeway and pulled them over on the ramp. That is some serious bad luck. I am glad I have never been pulled over.\nGot to say, if I got pulled over right before I was going to exit and slow down, I would totally be pissed off. I mean you would almost be there, and then you see those lights and you curse the closest thing you can see. Namely whatever is hanging from your rearview mirror. Blame that, it makes you feel better. Just yell at as you pull over and wack it a few times. Then act super nice and innocent to the cop. As soon as he leaves we all know you will be cussing your head off at nothing.\nMaybe next time I see a cop there I will pull over and ask him what he is doing, and get an answer to my problem. Maybe I will speed past them just to see if they will pull me over. Either way, those cops will still be there and I will still be wondering what that cop is doing on an off ramp to nowhere.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090831_police/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI live in a closed in neighborhood off of an exit ramp, and you know what\nreally cracks me up? Is when I see police sitting right there on the off\nramp.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI come driving down the freeway, and I turn my blinker on to exit and start\nslowing down. Then right there off on the side of the exit is a cop. It wasn’t\njust a one time thing, I see cops there all the time. They just sit there and\nwhen you round the corner and hit the brakes wondering why the heck they would\nbe hiding there. Personally it scares the crap out of me because for some\nreason I never expect it. Here are my main problems with this that make me\nlaugh every time I see a cop waiting there. This is what goes through my\nmind.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Police on the Off Ramp"},{"content":"Some say the best poetry\nIs written spontaneously\nStarts with a line and grows\nSnaking upward to it’s full potential\nSo here is a poem\nWithout meaning or purpose\nIt floats empty knowing it means nothing\nEach word spilled out\nCarelessly and without love\nCallously crumpled up\nAnd unfolded again\nA second chance at life\nRising from the ashes\nBorn again, whole and new\nBut still it bears the scars of old\nWritten on its skin\nEach scar bearing a story\nA note of a different life\nOf a different person\nSo where will you go\nWith new meaning and purpose\nWho will take you in\nLove you with a blind heart\nGiving with empty hands\nA person opening their soul\nTo someone they don’t know\nOpening up to a new meaning\nGive chance a chance\nTrying to find light\nIn a world of darkness\nA means for war\nIn times of peace\nA person wondering through snow\nWith no shoes\nOr intent to survive\nWould you give your eyes\nTo help another open theirs\nGive yourself to someone new\nJust to see what would happen\nOn the roll of a dice\nTake one last chance\nStroll in the horizon\nDon’t look back over your shoulder\nThere is nothing left behind you\nBut hands that will drag you down\nBe free let go of them\nWalk on glass or through fire\nJust to feel who you are\nA kiss to a stranger\nYou will never know\nA random impulse to live\nOr a spontaneous choice to die\nIt all lies in your hands\nAll you have to do is reach out\nGrasp onto destiny\nAnd don’t let it go\nHold on tight or they will carry you away\nThe ties are pulling\nbut you must be strong\nYou must not bend or break\nNow you must make your final choice\nTo be spontaneous and choose\nAs I have chosen.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090831_spontaneous/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome say the best poetry\u003cbr\u003e\nIs written spontaneously\u003cbr\u003e\nStarts with a line and grows\u003cbr\u003e\nSnaking upward to it’s full potential\u003cbr\u003e\nSo here is a poem\u003cbr\u003e\nWithout meaning or purpose\u003cbr\u003e\nIt floats empty knowing it means nothing\u003cbr\u003e\nEach word spilled out\u003cbr\u003e\nCarelessly and without love\u003cbr\u003e\nCallously crumpled up\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd unfolded again\u003cbr\u003e\nA second chance at life\u003cbr\u003e\nRising from the ashes\u003cbr\u003e\nBorn again, whole and new\u003cbr\u003e\nBut still it bears the scars of old\u003cbr\u003e\nWritten on its skin\u003cbr\u003e\nEach scar bearing a story\u003cbr\u003e\nA note of a different life\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a different person\u003cbr\u003e\nSo where will you go\u003cbr\u003e\nWith new meaning and purpose\u003cbr\u003e\nWho will take you in\u003cbr\u003e\nLove you with a blind heart\u003cbr\u003e\nGiving with empty hands\u003cbr\u003e\nA person opening their soul\u003cbr\u003e\nTo someone they don’t know\u003cbr\u003e\nOpening up to a new meaning\u003cbr\u003e\nGive chance a chance\u003cbr\u003e\nTrying to find light\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a world of darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nA means for war\u003cbr\u003e\nIn times of peace\u003cbr\u003e\nA person wondering through snow\u003cbr\u003e\nWith no shoes\u003cbr\u003e\nOr intent to survive\u003cbr\u003e\nWould you give your eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nTo help another open theirs\u003cbr\u003e\nGive yourself to someone new\u003cbr\u003e\nJust to see what would happen\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the roll of a dice\u003cbr\u003e\nTake one last chance\u003cbr\u003e\nStroll in the horizon\u003cbr\u003e\nDon’t look back over your shoulder\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is nothing left behind you\u003cbr\u003e\nBut hands that will drag you down\u003cbr\u003e\nBe free let go of them\u003cbr\u003e\nWalk on glass or through fire\u003cbr\u003e\nJust to feel who you are\u003cbr\u003e\nA kiss to a stranger\u003cbr\u003e\nYou will never know\u003cbr\u003e\nA random impulse to live\u003cbr\u003e\nOr a spontaneous choice to die\u003cbr\u003e\nIt all lies in your hands\u003cbr\u003e\nAll you have to do is reach out\u003cbr\u003e\nGrasp onto destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd don’t let it go\u003cbr\u003e\nHold on tight or they will carry you away\u003cbr\u003e\nThe ties are pulling\u003cbr\u003e\nbut you must be strong\u003cbr\u003e\nYou must not bend or break\u003cbr\u003e\nNow you must make your final choice\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be spontaneous and choose\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I have chosen.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spontaneous"},{"content":"\nWhen I was in Glacier National Park, I decided something. I was going to do something that I never would have even thought about doing. I was going to go swimming in a glacier run off river.\nI believe that it is crucial that at some point, at least once in someones life, to do something that seems not only idiotic but insane. This isn’t so crazy to some people but to me it means a lot. I am highly afraid of deep water not to mention the temperature of the river. I thought Lake Superior was cold, boy was I wrong.\nAnyway, I decided out of the blue as we were driving through, that I was going to go swimming. So we pulled over, I threw on some shorts, and went down to the river. This water was so clean and beautiful, I was really exicted. Once my toes where in the water, that was another story. It was so cold.\nAfter telling this to one of my friends who aptly replied, Well duh, it was a GLACIER RIVER! I realized that everyone needs to do something to test themselves every once in a while. I go tubing and fall off on purpose in deep water, I jump of piers into deep water, or I just go swimming. All in the name of conquering fear.\nMy recommendation, try it some time. It is actually a lot of fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090831_swimming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090831_swimming/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I was in Glacier National Park, I decided something. I was going to do\nsomething that I never would have even thought about doing. I was going to go\nswimming in a glacier run off river.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI believe that it is crucial that at some point, at least once in someones\nlife, to do something that seems not only idiotic but insane. This isn’t so\ncrazy to some people but to me it means a lot. I am highly afraid of deep\nwater not to mention the temperature of the river. I thought Lake Superior was\ncold, boy was I wrong.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming in a Glacier River"},{"content":" More photos from the road trip, these ones star, a bighorn sheep from Glacier National Park, some sort of osprey in Minnesota, and a prairie dog posing with a stick from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I love wildlife!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090830_wildlife/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090830_wildlife/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090830_wildlife/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore photos from the road trip, these ones star, a bighorn sheep from Glacier\nNational Park, some sort of osprey in Minnesota, and a prairie dog posing with\na stick from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I love wildlife!!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"More Wildlife"},{"content":"Strangely enough, this poem started out being about a fox. Weird I know, some things just evolve as you write them.\nCome you trickster\nCome play with me\nWe are so alike\nKnow every trick\nIn the trade\nWhy do you hide?\nOh trickster of mine\nShow the world your true colors\nLay down your cards\nThe games almost over\nTime to see\nThe true end\nWhy do you run?\nWhen is it you\nWho holds the cards\nThe world is yours\nTo be had\nResting gently\nIn your palm\nYet here you run\nWith your tail\nBetween your legs\nSome trickster\nYou turned out to be\nYou who cannot\nPlay the game\nWe live by mercilessly\nCome play with me\nOur dying breed\nWe’ll see who wins\nWe who are common\nMust stick together\nFor we are dying company\nFew and far between\nFeared and revered\nWe walk the land\nOne king left standing\nThe tricksters are gone\nExiled and discarded\nFor fear of who we are\nA dying race\nWho always wins\nCome my trickster\nIt is time to begin\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090830_trickster/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eStrangely enough, this poem started out being about a fox. Weird I know, some\nthings just evolve as you write them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCome you trickster\u003cbr\u003e\nCome play with me\u003cbr\u003e\nWe are so alike\u003cbr\u003e\nKnow every trick\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the trade\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy do you hide?\u003cbr\u003e\nOh trickster of mine\u003cbr\u003e\nShow the world your true colors\u003cbr\u003e\nLay down your cards\u003cbr\u003e\nThe games almost over\u003cbr\u003e\nTime to see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe true end\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy do you run?\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen is it you\u003cbr\u003e\nWho holds the cards\u003cbr\u003e\nThe world is yours\u003cbr\u003e\nTo be had\u003cbr\u003e\nResting gently\u003cbr\u003e\nIn your palm\u003cbr\u003e\nYet here you run\u003cbr\u003e\nWith your tail\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween your legs\u003cbr\u003e\nSome trickster\u003cbr\u003e\nYou turned out to be\u003cbr\u003e\nYou who cannot\u003cbr\u003e\nPlay the game\u003cbr\u003e\nWe live by mercilessly\u003cbr\u003e\nCome play with me\u003cbr\u003e\nOur dying breed\u003cbr\u003e\nWe’ll see who wins\u003cbr\u003e\nWe who are common\u003cbr\u003e\nMust stick together\u003cbr\u003e\nFor we are dying company\u003cbr\u003e\nFew and far between\u003cbr\u003e\nFeared and revered\u003cbr\u003e\nWe walk the land\u003cbr\u003e\nOne king left standing\u003cbr\u003e\nThe tricksters are gone\u003cbr\u003e\nExiled and discarded\u003cbr\u003e\nFor fear of who we are\u003cbr\u003e\nA dying race\u003cbr\u003e\nWho always wins\u003cbr\u003e\nCome my trickster\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is time to begin\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trickster"},{"content":"I love this photo. This was about 100 feet away from a black bear in Glacier National Park. Yes. It is eating a dead horse and that saddens me greatly, but that is the price we pay for good photos\nA tow truck was stopped on the side of the road so my mom and I of course wondered, what is he stopped for, and what is he looking at? He was taking pictures of something with his phone. So we drove past slowly and realized it was this bear. We swung around and took a bunch of pictures. A handful of people also stopped to take pictures. Some people got out of their cars. Let me say,\nARE THEY IDIOTS?\nThere was a bear right there and it was eating. Anyone with half a brain knows you don’t want to bug a bear while it is eating, so the smart thing to do isn’t go out of the safety of your car and take pictures, stay in it. Then Gracie started barking and the bear looked up. That was scary because it looked right at us, so we decided to leave just incase the bear decided it’s appetite was more in for humans and poodles that day.\nI apologize to any of you that is upset by this photo, but the bear was just so cool!!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090829_bear/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI love this photo. This was about 100 feet away from a black bear in Glacier\nNational Park. Yes. It is eating a dead horse and that saddens me greatly, but\nthat is the price we pay for good photos\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA tow truck was stopped on the side of the road so my mom and I of course\nwondered, what is he stopped for, and what is he looking at? He was taking\npictures of something with his phone. So we drove past slowly and realized it\nwas this bear. We swung around and took a bunch of pictures. A handful of\npeople also stopped to take pictures. Some people got out of their cars. Let\nme say,\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Black Bear"},{"content":"I looked out the window\nMy chin resting on my open palm\nThe glass fogged\nAs I peered out\nCars filled with people\nSome lonely, some afraid, some dead inside\nSome looking for life, and some giving up on it\nTrees blending into one another\nBlack top, yellow lines\nBlack top, yellow lines\nI pulled up my sleeve\nAnd wipe away the clouds\nForming on my window\nI watch more cars pass by\nIn a hurry to reach nowhere\nEach face in the car\nBlank as they stare forward\nEyes only on the destination\nNot the beauty on the way\nA car pulls along side us\nSilver and low to the ground\nA mom talking on the phone\nBut in the back\nSat a little girl\nShe was looking out of her window\nRight at me\nFor a moment I just stared back\nIt felt like an eternity\nThat our eyes were latched together\nIn that instant\nI knew her\nI knew her whole life\nAnd I am sure she knew mine\nShe was the daughter ignored\nShe made her own world\nBecause the one she had\nHad no place for her in it\nI could see her parents in her eyes\nArguing, yelling\nShe heard it all through thin walls\nAnd cried herself to sleep at night\nShe was the odd man out\nAlways the child in the back seat\nShe didn’t need them\nOr their fickle love\nShe had all she needed\nBut not all she wanted\nShe made her own way\nThrough a treacherous life\nAnd always would\nI raised my hand\nAnd waved to her\nI smiled and nodded slightly\nAnd she did the same\nAnd our cars moved on\nOur worlds separated\nJust a moment\nThat our worlds touched\nI wonder what she saw in my life\nWhat she thought\nOf a stranger through a car window\nI just sat back and smiled\nMy mom looked over at me and smiled back\n“What are you smiling at?”\n“Nothing” I reply\nBecause no one could understand\nHow I understood\nSo I keep her world a secret\nLocked tightly away\nOf a daughter ignored\nAnd a world passing by\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090829_worlds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI looked out the window\u003cbr\u003e\nMy chin resting on my open palm\u003cbr\u003e\nThe glass fogged\u003cbr\u003e\nAs I peered out\u003cbr\u003e\nCars filled with people\u003cbr\u003e\nSome lonely, some afraid, some dead inside\u003cbr\u003e\nSome looking for life, and some giving up on it\u003cbr\u003e\nTrees blending into one another\u003cbr\u003e\nBlack top, yellow lines\u003cbr\u003e\nBlack top, yellow lines\u003cbr\u003e\nI pulled up my sleeve\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd wipe away the clouds\u003cbr\u003e\nForming on my window\u003cbr\u003e\nI watch more cars pass by\u003cbr\u003e\nIn a hurry to reach nowhere\u003cbr\u003e\nEach face in the car\u003cbr\u003e\nBlank as they stare forward\u003cbr\u003e\nEyes only on the destination\u003cbr\u003e\nNot the beauty on the way\u003cbr\u003e\nA car pulls along side us\u003cbr\u003e\nSilver and low to the ground\u003cbr\u003e\nA mom talking on the phone\u003cbr\u003e\nBut in the back\u003cbr\u003e\nSat a little girl\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was looking out of her window\u003cbr\u003e\nRight at me\u003cbr\u003e\nFor a moment I just stared back\u003cbr\u003e\nIt felt like an eternity\u003cbr\u003e\nThat our eyes were latched together\u003cbr\u003e\nIn that instant\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew her\u003cbr\u003e\nI knew her whole life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd I am sure she knew mine\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was the daughter ignored\u003cbr\u003e\nShe made her own world\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the one she had\u003cbr\u003e\nHad no place for her in it\u003cbr\u003e\nI could see her parents in her eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nArguing, yelling\u003cbr\u003e\nShe heard it all through thin walls\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd cried herself to sleep at night\u003cbr\u003e\nShe was the odd man out\u003cbr\u003e\nAlways the child in the back seat\u003cbr\u003e\nShe didn’t need them\u003cbr\u003e\nOr their fickle love\u003cbr\u003e\nShe had all she needed\u003cbr\u003e\nBut not all she wanted\u003cbr\u003e\nShe made her own way\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough a treacherous life\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd always would\u003cbr\u003e\nI raised my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd waved to her\u003cbr\u003e\nI smiled and nodded slightly\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd she did the same\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd our cars moved on\u003cbr\u003e\nOur worlds separated\u003cbr\u003e\nJust a moment\u003cbr\u003e\nThat our worlds touched\u003cbr\u003e\nI wonder what she saw in my life\u003cbr\u003e\nWhat she thought\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a stranger through a car window\u003cbr\u003e\nI just sat back and smiled\u003cbr\u003e\nMy mom looked over at me and smiled back\u003cbr\u003e\n“What are you smiling at?”\u003cbr\u003e\n“Nothing” I reply\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause no one could understand\u003cbr\u003e\nHow I understood\u003cbr\u003e\nSo I keep her world a secret\u003cbr\u003e\nLocked tightly away\u003cbr\u003e\nOf a daughter ignored\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd a world passing by\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Worlds Touching"},{"content":"All right I just had to post this to show how stupid I really can be.\nI thought I was going insane while I was sitting in my room because I thought I kept hearing stuff. At first I assumed it was the ghost that I am positive haunt my room. Let me just say, yes my room is haunted and it is really scary. I am not saying this because I am a baby who believes in monsters underneath my bed. I seriously have ghosts, my room is so creepy, specially my closet. Ask anyone who has been in my room. Anyway, I digress. Then I thought I was just plain crazy.\nSo I have been sitting here on and off for about an hour. I just sat back down and heard it again.\nTurns out: I was sitting on my iPod.\nI had been freaking out about nothing. That is just how dumb I am, figures I would do something like that. I guess the hold wasn’t on and I sat down and it turned on.Weirdest part, I bet you can’t guess what randomly started playing. I actually didn’t even think I had this on my iPod. Guess…. you won’t get it right.\nBill Cosby\nDidn’t guess right did you? Weird and kind of creepy. OH well just wanted to share a moment of insanity with the general public. A reminder to the random populace, put the hold on your iPod or suffer the consequences of your butt deciding to listen to Bill Cosby. If only I had been warned.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090828_ghosts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAll right I just had to post this to show how stupid I really can be.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI thought I was going insane while I was sitting in my room because I thought I\nkept hearing stuff. At first I assumed it was the ghost that I am positive\nhaunt my room.  Let me just say, yes my room is haunted and it is really\nscary. I am not saying this because I am a baby who believes in monsters\nunderneath my bed. I seriously have ghosts, my room is so creepy, specially my\ncloset. Ask anyone who has been in my room. Anyway, I digress. Then I thought\nI was just plain crazy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ghosts and Stupidity"},{"content":"People think I am strange for not liking the sun, it is true that it is a little weird to say that. For me it is just the plain truth. I am not the sun’s biggest fan, that doesn’t mean I don’t like sunshine every once and a while or some good weather because I do like that.\nThe problem is living in Scotts Valley basically, that is all there is. I enjoy diversity of weather, not heat, heat, heat, then fog creating an everlasting chain of uncommitted weather. Let’s face it Scotts Valley is a pretty regular place when it comes to weather. There is almost no rain, it only gets remotely cold, and it is almost always sunny. So as I said, I enjoy the sun, sometimes. Not ever day for my entire life. I love rain, seeing fall leaves, snow, and some nice sun. But here there is just sun and fog.\nNot to mention the strange placement of the little weather that actually happens. So today and yesterday have been hotter than Hades and you could fry an egg on the pavement at my school in the 100+ degree weather. It is ridiculous. The worst part is, I might have actually minutely enjoyed this weather if it was during summer when I needed it!! But of course, no, the hottest days of the year fall right when summer ends so we are stuck in boiling classrooms wishing we were at the beach swimming. It was so hot yesterday I got heat stroke out on the golf course. Not only do the hottest days of the year here fall not in summer but when summer is over, it really doesn’t get cold until around February or March if it gets cold at all. It bugs me because I can never tell what todays weather is so I just assume sunny.\nWhat are you supposed to do when it is this hot anyway? Go to the beach is the usual answer but typically right now, I don’t have the luxury of time to indulge in such whimsy. Nor would I particularly want to go with the crowd swarming there, it really bugs me when you can’t really go swimming in the ocean because every time you move you fear stepping on some little toddler as it floats by with little arm floaties. Ugh, claustrophobia to the max on hot days at the beach. Besides swimming in overly crowded pools or beaches what is there to do? I mean it is too hot to even cook dinner right now. What is there left but boredom.\nOh well I guess we are left to suffer in the heat of an unforgiving sun beating down on our backs. I will hide out in the shade and pray for rain, if you see me doing the rain dance outside your window. I tell you, do not be afraid.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090828_heat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePeople think I am strange for not liking the sun, it is true that it is a\nlittle weird to say that. For me it is just the plain truth. I am not the\nsun’s biggest fan, that doesn’t mean I don’t like sunshine every once and a\nwhile or some good weather because I do like that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe problem is living in Scotts Valley basically, that is all there is. I enjoy\ndiversity of weather, not heat, heat, heat, then fog creating an everlasting\nchain of uncommitted weather. Let’s face it Scotts Valley is a pretty regular\nplace when it comes to weather. There is almost no rain, it only gets remotely\ncold, and it is almost always sunny. So as I said, I enjoy the sun, sometimes.\nNot ever day for my entire life. I love rain, seeing fall leaves, snow, and\nsome nice sun. But here there is just sun and fog.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Post Summer Heat"},{"content":" On my road trip from Michigan back to home, my mom and I stopped in many different places like Bend, Oregon, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Bismarck, and many other wonderful, and not so wonderful places. On our stops we saw weird stuff, some of the stuff we saw was awesome wildlife.\nHere are some photos of wildlife we found, except the parrot, it was some woman’s pet that she was walking around with in Bend. We had some really great experiences and now I have personally visited at least half of the states in the USA. Cool beans.\nThe chipmunk was at Newbury National Volcanic Monument, and the llama was one of many at a llama farm we passed driving through Oregon. Yet another thing we passed and turned around to go see. The llama was eyeballing me, I was scared for my life. I named him Oreo, and that shall be his name. Okay, and p.s. that parrot person, is a lady. I swear to it.\nJust a few of many cool animals we saw. We also saw, black bears, bison, herons, marmots, lots of deer, and a lot more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090828_wildlife/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090828_wildlife/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090828_wildlife/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn my road trip from Michigan back to home, my mom and I stopped in many\ndifferent places like Bend, Oregon, Theodore Roosevelt National Park,\nBismarck, and many other wonderful, and not so wonderful places. On our stops\nwe saw weird stuff, some of the stuff we saw was awesome wildlife.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some photos of wildlife we found, except the parrot, it was some\nwoman’s pet that she was walking around with in Bend. We had some really great\nexperiences and now I have personally visited at least half of the states in\nthe USA. Cool beans.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wildlife Across the Country"},{"content":"\nHere are just some cool pictures taken in Copper Harbor Michigan. I went on an outing with my girl cousins up there during summer and we shopped around and explored.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090827_copper/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090827_copper/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are just some cool pictures taken in Copper Harbor Michigan. I went on an\nouting with my girl cousins up there during summer and we shopped around and\nexplored.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Copper Harbor Collectives"},{"content":"Some say that eyes\nAre a mirror into the soul\nThat if you look close\nYou can see everything\nThere is to know about that person\nThat you can know someone\nJust by peering into their eyes\nYes I believe that\nBut then you have to think\nA mirror can look both ways\nWhen you look into another’s soul\nYou must first face your own\nAs it reflects back at you\nCan you handle the truth\nAs you look inside of yourself\nSo look into my eyes\nTell me what you see inside of me\nIf you find emptiness\nDoes it mean I lack a soul\nOr if you see madness\nDoes it mean I have nothing left\nTell me who you think I am\nLook into me eyes tell me what you see\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090827_eyes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome say that eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nAre a mirror into the soul\u003cbr\u003e\nThat if you look close\u003cbr\u003e\nYou can see everything\u003cbr\u003e\nThere is to know about that person\u003cbr\u003e\nThat you can know someone\u003cbr\u003e\nJust by peering into their eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nYes I believe that\u003cbr\u003e\nBut then you have to think\u003cbr\u003e\nA mirror can look both ways\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen you look into another’s soul\u003cbr\u003e\nYou must first face your own\u003cbr\u003e\nAs it reflects back at you\u003cbr\u003e\nCan you handle the truth\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you look inside of yourself\u003cbr\u003e\nSo look into my eyes\u003cbr\u003e\nTell me what you see inside of me\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you find emptiness\u003cbr\u003e\nDoes it mean I lack a soul\u003cbr\u003e\nOr if you see madness\u003cbr\u003e\nDoes it mean I have nothing left\u003cbr\u003e\nTell me who you think I am\u003cbr\u003e\nLook into me eyes tell me what you see\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Eyes"},{"content":"Everyone loves them right? I now I do, and so does my brother. Actually he is more like addicted to them. There are two things that I hate about spicy cheetos though, and both drive me insane. They are the only downfalls to the mighty cheeto.\nFirst thing, no matter how big the bag you buy ,whether it be a little personal sized bag or a family sized party bag that you could fit your younger sibling into, all of them are gone within minutes. It drives me crazy, I just sit there thinking, is there a portal at the bottom of this bag because my cheetos are disappearing much faster than I could ever eat them. I just don’t understand how they are all gone so fast, and no it isn’t because I am pig and gobble them up really fast. I can take like one handful then turn back to the bag for more and a leprechaun must have made off with my cheetos because they are all gone now. I have to ask, are my friends just eating them all within the two seconds that I look away, maybe I am just insane, oh well that doesn’t mean I should loose my cheetos.\nThe final and worst part about cheetos is the red dust stuff that never comes off your fingers. After you finish the magical bag of cheetos, you go and try to clean off your fingers, but simply so, you can’t. You can wash your hands, wipe them on your brand new jeans, even wipe them on your best friend. I am telling this stuff never comes off. It taints your skin and becomes part of your genetic code so you are no longer human but half cheeto beast. Maybe that is what a cheetah is, I don’t know. There has to be an effective way of getting that dust stuff off, and by the way, What is that stuff anyway? Seriously, is it like spicy dust of some sort, or like crumbled up other cheetos? These are the things I need to know.\nAnyway, I just try to steer clear from that stuff because I prefer my fingers to remain normal colored, not bright red. They are good though, but I will stick to foods that don’t reroute me DNA into some cheeto beast, I like being normal weird me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090826_cheetos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone loves them right? I now I do, and so does my brother. Actually he is\nmore like addicted to them. There are two things that I hate about spicy\ncheetos though, and both drive me insane. They are the only downfalls to the\nmighty cheeto.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst thing, no matter how big the bag you buy ,whether it be a little\npersonal sized bag or a family sized party bag that you could fit your younger\nsibling into, all of them are gone within minutes. It drives me crazy, I just\nsit there thinking, is there a portal at the bottom of this bag because my\ncheetos are disappearing much faster than I could ever eat them. I just don’t\nunderstand how they are all gone so fast, and no it isn’t because I am pig and\ngobble them up really fast. I can take like one handful then turn back to the\nbag for more and a leprechaun must have made off with my cheetos because they\nare all gone now. I have to ask, are my friends just eating them all within\nthe two seconds that I look away, maybe I am just insane, oh well that doesn’t\nmean I should loose my cheetos.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hot Cheetos"},{"content":"\nSo basically, no one listened to my rant last night.\nBad people, you should have brought your stuffed animals, only three of my friends brought them along to school, one couldn’t be photographed due to being in a different class, sorry Cappy.\nThe collecting consisted of a husky, gopher, and of course the famous Dakota. Thanks to those that brought their stuffed animals and showed the love. Everyone else, Where’s the Love?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090826_stuffed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090826_stuffed/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo basically, no one listened to my rant last night.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBad people, you should have brought your stuffed animals, only three of my\nfriends brought them along to school, one couldn’t be photographed due to\nbeing in a different class, sorry Cappy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collecting consisted of a husky, gopher, and of course the famous Dakota.\nThanks to those that brought their stuffed animals and showed the love.\nEveryone else, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere’s the Love?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Results for Stuffed Animals at School"},{"content":" This was a tree my mom and I found on the side of the road on our way to Bend Oregon for our trip back from Michigan. We passed it and had to turn around and go back because it was so cool looking. I have seen telephone wires coated with shoes, but never a tree so covered in them. The shoes were like leaves there were so many. I would have hung up my own shoes but all I had were my new shoes and sandals. Very cool.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090825_shoetree/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090825_shoetree/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090825_shoetree/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090825_shoetree/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a tree my mom and I found on the side of the road on our way to Bend\nOregon for our trip back from Michigan. We passed it and had to turn around\nand go back because it was so cool looking. I have seen telephone wires coated\nwith shoes, but never a tree so covered in them. The shoes were like leaves\nthere were so many. I would have hung up my own shoes but all I had were my\nnew shoes and sandals. Very cool.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shoe Tree"},{"content":"This may seem childish but hear me out. On my road trip to and from Michigan this summer and the summer past I decided that I wanted a mini buffalo. Weird but true. So I traveled basically across the whole country and this year in St. Mary, Montana right outside of Glacier National Park, I found my mini buffalo.\nThis is Dakota, I named him Dakota even though we bought him in Montana, because I am just that talented with naming things.\nSo you may be thinking at this point exactly what I am here to talk about.\nShe is sixteen and still jazzed about buying stuffed animals, what a freak.\nYou are never to old to be excited about stuffed animals. This I know. There is nothing wrong with having stuffed animals even though they are kiddy and you have played with them since you were like two. Everybody needs to own a stuffed animal and be happy about when they are older. Seriously, changes your whole outlook on life.\nSo loosen up, go out buy a stuffed animal give it a weird name that in no way applies to it, and be happy about. You know what, don’t be happy be ecstatic. Take that stuffed animal show it to all your friends, heck take it to school and show your teachers and your siblings friends. And be proud of your stuffed animal. If they call you weird go tell them to buy one. Enjoy your new toy. Let me repeat:\nThere is nothing wrong with buying a stuffed animal when you are older. Be a kid for a couple days, and enjoy every drop of it.\nI hope to see all my friends with their stuffed animals at school tomorrow, if you don’t bring one I will be sorely disappointed. We are always kids in somebody’s eyes, so why not indulge in some whimsy every once in a while and enjoy it.\nIf you bring a stuffed animal find me at break and we will take a picture of everyone and possible get it in the yearbook, so don’t forget!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090825_stuffed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis may seem childish but hear me out. On my road trip to and from Michigan\nthis summer and the summer past I decided that I wanted a mini buffalo. Weird\nbut true. So I traveled basically across the whole country and this year in\nSt. Mary, Montana right outside of Glacier National Park, I found my mini\nbuffalo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is Dakota, I named him Dakota even though we bought him in Montana,\nbecause I am just that talented with naming things.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stuffed Animals"},{"content":"A friend of mine a year or so back for my birthday gave me a scented candle that smelled like a cupcake. I kid you not, this thing I think was a cupcake. I don’t understand how people make those things. Seriously did they take a cupcake and shove it into a candle’s container and say, hey here’s your candle. This can’t even be a candle, it smells so good you can’t trick me.\nMy best friend actually tried to eat some of the sprinkles off the candle. Pretty funny, they did taste like real sprinkles which is slightly concerning. Now the candle has a big indent from trying to claw out a sprinkle, my poor candle’s battle scar.\nThey bother me a bit though because it really makes me wonder how the heck they got wax to smell so good. It perplexes me, I could sit here and sniff this candle for hours and be content. It actually worries me a lot.\nNext issue with the candle and my only reasoning on how they got these candles to smell so good is this: DRUGS\nI am convinced they put drugs in these things, why else would time and time again people just sit there and smell it. It literally is addicting. They should have health hazard signs on it warning people that once you smell you can never stop.\nBut really my cousin I swear he gets high off my candle. It really is hilarious he comes running into my room doesn’t even speak to me and just goes right for the candle. He just stays there sniffing my candle and if you try and take it away he goes feral on you. I had to battle him to get it back. Then he starts dancing around my room like a maniac. So I sit here and wonder.\nWho needs drugs? I got a scented candle over here, come join the party!!\nWho needs drugs when you got scented candles. I am sure there is some guy in his basement right now getting high off scented candles and his friends just think he is weird for asking for scented candles every holiday.\nIf you’re a friend of mine, don’t buy me one, I have enough. 🙂 Beware the power, and my crazy candle sniffing cousin.\nIf someone understands the makings on scented candles please, share with me you enlightened knowledge I have to know.\nP.S. this rant is for my cousin, love yah Pugalopicus!!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090824_candles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA friend of mine a year or so back for my birthday gave me a scented candle\nthat smelled like a cupcake. I kid you not, this thing I think was a cupcake.\nI don’t understand how people make those things. Seriously did they take a\ncupcake and shove it into a candle’s container and say, hey here’s your\ncandle. This can’t even be a candle, it smells so good you can’t trick me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scented Candles"},{"content":"Here is the second part to last night’s poem\nTo sleep\nAt night\nI must\nBelieve\nIn love\nNot just\nHate\nTo live\nA life\nIn favor\nNot disgrace\nTo hide away\nTo save face\nTo leave\nEscape this place\nTo forgive\nMy sins\nIs to\nForget the world\nAnd all\nIt’s hate\nTo believe\nIn destiny\nBut not\nOne’s fate\nI do\nDeserve\nTo live again\nTo live\nA life\nNot burn\nIn sin\nI do\nDeserve\nTo see\nThe sun\nTo see\nThe darkness\nOf the world\nUndone\nTo see\nThe writing\nOn the grave\nAnd always\nRemember\nThe name\nI do\nDeserve\nYour hate\nBut not\nThis ugly disgrace\nPlease\nLook away\nTurn in shame\nI know\nI have lost\nThe final game\nI am not\nInsane\nI just have\nDifferent thoughts\nDeeply ingrained\nI do\nDeserve\nTo see you\nAnd not be\nPained\nPlease\nIgnore\nThis charade\nThat is life\nSay nothing\nDo nothing\nTake my\nBreathe\nWith a\nDeadly kiss\nPlease\nI don’t want\nYour\nForgiveness\nI only want\nYour hate\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090824_sleep/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere is the second part to last night’s poem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo sleep\u003cbr\u003e\nAt night\u003cbr\u003e\nI must\u003cbr\u003e\nBelieve\u003cbr\u003e\nIn love\u003cbr\u003e\nNot just\u003cbr\u003e\nHate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo live\u003cbr\u003e\nA life\u003cbr\u003e\nIn favor\u003cbr\u003e\nNot disgrace\u003cbr\u003e\nTo hide away\u003cbr\u003e\nTo save face\u003cbr\u003e\nTo leave\u003cbr\u003e\nEscape this place\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo forgive\u003cbr\u003e\nMy sins\u003cbr\u003e\nIs to\u003cbr\u003e\nForget the world\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd all\u003cbr\u003e\nIt’s hate\u003cbr\u003e\nTo believe\u003cbr\u003e\nIn destiny\u003cbr\u003e\nBut not\u003cbr\u003e\nOne’s fate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do\u003cbr\u003e\nDeserve\u003cbr\u003e\nTo live again\u003cbr\u003e\nTo live\u003cbr\u003e\nA life\u003cbr\u003e\nNot burn\u003cbr\u003e\nIn sin\u003cbr\u003e\nI do\u003cbr\u003e\nDeserve\u003cbr\u003e\nTo see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sun\u003cbr\u003e\nTo see\u003cbr\u003e\nThe darkness\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the world\u003cbr\u003e\nUndone\u003c/p\u003e","title":"To Sleep: The Answer"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m in Chicago for a couple of days for the Agile Alliance Agile2009 conference. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great excuse to hook up with my brother as he lives pretty close to downtown. We spent a bunch of time wandering around Millennium Park enjoying the sculptures, fountains, and other sights.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Grant Park to enjoy the Buckingham fountain.\nWe then wandered over to the Agora sculpture before grabbing the bus back to Scott\u0026rsquo;s house.\nIt was such a treat seeing Scott, Bridget, and Annabel for a few days and nights. Annabel sure is growing up fast. The new dog is quite adorable as well.\nWe hit a few great eating spots while I was in town, including one of Scott\u0026rsquo;s favorites, Mario\u0026rsquo;s Italian Lemonade. I\u0026rsquo;m really sorry we didn\u0026rsquo;t have time for a stop at Al\u0026rsquo;s Beef across the street. I guess I need to come back again soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m in Chicago for a couple of days for the \u003ca href=\"https://agilealliance.org\"\u003eAgile Alliance\u003c/a\u003e\nAgile2009 conference. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great excuse to hook up with my brother as he\nlives pretty close to downtown. We spent a bunch of time wandering around\nMillennium Park enjoying the sculptures, fountains, and other sights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Grant Park to enjoy the Buckingham fountain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090823_chicago/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe then wandered over to the Agora sculpture before grabbing the bus back to\nScott\u0026rsquo;s house.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hanging with my bro in Chicago"},{"content":"Mona Lisa smiles at me\nPerfect teeth but somehow wrong\nShe looks and stares but cannot see\nShe holds her pose forever strong\nSuch confidence in a twisted smile\nBut what could it mean\nIs it happiness in a vial\nOr maybe she can see behind the scenes\nBut the smile stands for only one thing\nA secret kept far from the world\nA heart song plucked from a string\nA love note never unfurled\nThe base of music and sight\nThe sound of a storm\nAn answer to human kinds plight\nThe world a moth to butterfly transformed\nBut she keeps this to herself\nCaught only in a little smile\nA book gathering dust on a shelf\nA man in jail waiting for a trial\nBut the secret that was never told\nSeen only in a paintings smirk\nForever forgotten in a world of old\nBut seen only by those who know its works\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090823_monalisa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMona Lisa smiles at me\u003cbr\u003e\nPerfect teeth but somehow wrong\u003cbr\u003e\nShe looks and stares but cannot see\u003cbr\u003e\nShe holds her pose forever strong\u003cbr\u003e\nSuch confidence in a twisted smile\u003cbr\u003e\nBut what could it mean\u003cbr\u003e\nIs it happiness in a vial\u003cbr\u003e\nOr maybe she can see behind the scenes\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the smile stands for only one thing\u003cbr\u003e\nA secret kept far from the world\u003cbr\u003e\nA heart song plucked from a string\u003cbr\u003e\nA love note never unfurled\u003cbr\u003e\nThe base of music and sight\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sound of a storm\u003cbr\u003e\nAn answer to human kinds plight\u003cbr\u003e\nThe world a moth to butterfly transformed\u003cbr\u003e\nBut she keeps this to herself\u003cbr\u003e\nCaught only in a little smile\u003cbr\u003e\nA book gathering dust on a shelf\u003cbr\u003e\nA man in jail waiting for a trial\u003cbr\u003e\nBut the secret that was never told\u003cbr\u003e\nSeen only in a paintings smirk\u003cbr\u003e\nForever forgotten in a world of old\u003cbr\u003e\nBut seen only by those who know its works\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mona Lisa Smile"},{"content":"This monk was working at a monastery bakery called The Jam Pot in Michigan. He looks really funny, no reason behind this post. Just random impulse.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090823_monk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis monk was working at a monastery bakery called The Jam Pot in Michigan. He\nlooks really funny, no reason behind this post. Just random impulse.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monk"},{"content":"This is the first of a two part poem. the next will come tomorrow night. The answer. I hate not being able to sleep at night.\nWhy can’t\nI sleep\nLate at night\nWhy can’t\nI believe\nIn the light\nWhy can’t\nI love\nAnd only hate\nWhy can’t\nI forgive\nLife’s disgrace\nWhy can’t\nI forget\nYour words\nWhy can’t\nI feel\nThe pierce of\nA sword\nWhy can’t\nI live the life\nI hold\nIn my hand\nWhy can’t\nI stop my life\nFrom slipping away\nLike sand\nWhy can’t\nI remember\nThe name\nOn the grave\nWhy can’t\nI see the path\nI have paved\nWhy can’t\nI sleep\nLate at night\nWhy can’t\nI stop\nThis battle tonight\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090823_sleep/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the first of a two part poem. the next will come tomorrow night. The\nanswer. I hate not being able to sleep at night.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI sleep\u003cbr\u003e\nLate at night\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI believe\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the light\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI love\u003cbr\u003e\nAnd only hate\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI forgive\u003cbr\u003e\nLife’s disgrace\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI forget\u003cbr\u003e\nYour words\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI feel\u003cbr\u003e\nThe pierce of\u003cbr\u003e\nA sword\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI live the life\u003cbr\u003e\nI hold\u003cbr\u003e\nIn my hand\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI stop my life\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom slipping away\u003cbr\u003e\nLike sand\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI remember\u003cbr\u003e\nThe name\u003cbr\u003e\nOn the grave\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI see the path\u003cbr\u003e\nI have paved\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI sleep\u003cbr\u003e\nLate at night\u003cbr\u003e\nWhy can’t\u003cbr\u003e\nI stop\u003cbr\u003e\nThis battle tonight\u003c/p\u003e","title":"To Sleep: The Question"},{"content":"I really, really hate it when at a restaurant they put lemon slices into your glasses of water. It ruins the water entirely.\nI have four theories as to why someone might commit this heinous crime.\nThey are punishing us for not spending ridiculously large amounts on sodas or other beverages we don’t necessarily need but want. If they ruin the water, the customers need to drink something, as in my case while eating at a spicy Thai restaurant, so the customers will be forced to either endure the gross lemon water or spend large sums of money on something else.\nThey are hiding something. Don’t know what. Don’t know why. They use the horrible lemon taste to mask some sort of other taste for god knows what reason. Then I am forced to wonder, whatever could be so wrong with their water, unless they take it from a restroom or some other unbeknownst place. (My mom mentioned this second reason and I agreed wholeheartedly)\nThey just plain don’t like us. They for some unknown reason just want our taste buds to burn and suffer.\nI don’t even believe this option is possible but here it is. They believe it actually tastes good. I shudder at the thought of someone believing this and hope that I am wrong.\nSo please, no more lemons in my water. There is only one thing that bugs me more than lemons in water, is limes in coke. WHY? So now they not only ruin the free water but the coke you paid three bucks for? Don’t get me started, it just makes me sick.\nI know some of you are thinking this is pointless and wonder, why doesn’t she just take it out and stop whining. My reply, it doesn’t fix the problem. I don’t know how they genetically engineer these lemons to spread there juices the second it hits the water, but once the lemon goes in, the taste never leaves. Not to mention the uncouth methods for retrieving the drowning lemon. You can either stick your whole hand in and fish around or dig around with a utensil for a while cussing until you can spear it and drag it out. Take your pick, either way the lemon taste still contaminates it entirely.\nThis isn’t just because I dislike lemons, which isn’t true, I enjoy things with lemon flavors, or things with lemon in it. JUST NOT MY WATER. So again, please no more lemons in my water.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090822_lemon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI really, really hate it when at a restaurant they put lemon slices into your\nglasses of water. It ruins the water entirely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have four theories as to why someone might commit this heinous crime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are punishing us for not spending ridiculously large amounts on sodas\nor other beverages we don’t necessarily need but want. If they ruin the water,\nthe customers need to drink something, as in my case while eating at a spicy\nThai restaurant, so the customers will be forced to either endure the gross\nlemon water or spend large sums of money on something else.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lemon Water"},{"content":"\nThese are just for you Golnoosh!!! Here are the rock piles I was talking about in Bend Oregon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090822_rockpile/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090822_rockpile/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are just for you Golnoosh!!! Here are the rock piles I was talking about\nin Bend Oregon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rock Pile Art"},{"content":"Yeah, a weird title I know, but lets face it, I am a little strange. So I just saw the movie District 9, in it this guy becomes an alien due to some canister thing exploding some sort of black liquid in his face.\nToday I went to Downtown Santa Cruz with my Dad and little brother and we ate at the sushi place called Shogun. Being Santa Cruz you don’t want to use any restrooms while you are down there because…. well figure it out yourself, just let me say it isn’t pretty. So I go to use the Shogun bathroom and they have a key apparently which this lady hands me in a very unfriendly way I might add.\nSo I have this key and I am looking at it, and being the dork that I am, it reminds me of the canister in District 9. So I decide, hey I am downtown why not be weird. So I start acting out the scene with the canister, and pretending I am basically a freak of nature in the back of a Japanese restaurant. I turn around and one of the sushi chefs is just sitting there laughing his ass off at me. So I turn hand him back the bathroom key and sulk back to my table back on a little place called planet Earth I enjoy visiting some times.\nSad part, I had a lot of fun, actually more fun than I do in the real world. As I have always said, it is way more fun being freak than being normal. Normalcy can truly be a disease, so watch out it might crawl up behind you and take a bite out of you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090822_shogun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYeah, a weird title I know, but lets face it, I am a little strange. So I just\nsaw the movie District 9, in it this guy becomes an alien due to some canister\nthing exploding some sort of black liquid in his face.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday  I went to Downtown Santa Cruz with my Dad and little brother and we ate\nat the sushi place called Shogun. Being Santa Cruz you don’t want to use any\nrestrooms while you are down there because…. well figure it out yourself, just\nlet me say it isn’t pretty. So I go to use the Shogun bathroom and they have a\nkey apparently which this lady hands me in a very unfriendly way I might add.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shogun Bathroom Key"},{"content":"Alright, so here it is, I may know you or I may not. That isn’t what matters, what matters is a voice, for now that voice just might be mine. If you wish to listen please I invite you to partake. No promises though, this is me and only me speaking to you. You may be my best friend, you could be my enemy, you might be my family, or maybe a total stranger. I am here to share a world that is separate from yours, it is my world. Have mercy is all I am going to say, this is my beginning and I have to learn to crawl before I walk. Here is the beginning of my sojourn, you may follow if you dare.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090821_beginning/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAlright, so here it is, I may know you or I may not. That isn’t what matters,\nwhat matters is a voice, for now that voice just might be mine. If you wish to\nlisten please I invite you to partake. No promises though, this is me and only\nme speaking to you. You may be my best friend, you could be my enemy, you\nmight be my family, or maybe a total stranger. I am here to share a world that\nis separate from yours, it is my world. Have mercy is all I am going to say,\nthis is my beginning and I have to learn to crawl before I walk. Here is the\nbeginning of my sojourn, you may follow if you dare.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A New Beginning"},{"content":"Dare you read what I have to say\nBe ready and be warned\nFor the words I swear will hold sway\nInside this book lies my hopes and dreams\nBehold my world\nMy darkness, my thoughts and fantasies\nEvery word I write\nEvery verse or story holds a world\nInside these words I write depict a fight\nDo not take lightly what I say\nPerhaps you understand\nBut if not you will one day\nHere lies a world no one has seen\nA world untamed and unscreened\nHere my friends I am queen\nQueen of these damned forgotten souls\nThese words a story\nOf the devil’s uncollected tolls\nIf you dare have heart or stomach to hold\nPlease my friends and enemies take part\nCome one Come all\nTo my sweet darkened world\nEvery word you see isn’t a word at all\nPlease understand my warning\nTo those who choose to partake\nIn this book is my heaven my hell\nHere lay words that\nMake the world bow with only one shake\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090821_warning/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDare you read what I have to say\u003cbr\u003e\nBe ready and be warned\u003cbr\u003e\nFor the words I swear will hold sway\u003cbr\u003e\nInside this book lies my hopes and dreams\u003cbr\u003e\nBehold my world\u003cbr\u003e\nMy darkness, my thoughts and fantasies\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery word I write\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery verse or story holds a world\u003cbr\u003e\nInside these words I write depict a fight\u003cbr\u003e\nDo not take lightly what I say\u003cbr\u003e\nPerhaps you understand\u003cbr\u003e\nBut if not you will one day\u003cbr\u003e\nHere lies a world no one has seen\u003cbr\u003e\nA world untamed and unscreened\u003cbr\u003e\nHere my friends I am queen\u003cbr\u003e\nQueen of these damned forgotten souls\u003cbr\u003e\nThese words a story\u003cbr\u003e\nOf the devil’s uncollected tolls\u003cbr\u003e\nIf you dare have heart or stomach to hold\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease my friends and enemies take part\u003cbr\u003e\nCome one Come all\u003cbr\u003e\nTo my sweet darkened world\u003cbr\u003e\nEvery word you see isn’t a word at all\u003cbr\u003e\nPlease understand my warning\u003cbr\u003e\nTo those who choose to partake\u003cbr\u003e\nIn this book is my heaven my hell\u003cbr\u003e\nHere lay words that\u003cbr\u003e\nMake the world bow with only one shake\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Warning"},{"content":"My name is Monica Multer, I am currently a sophomore at UC Berkeley who just has a lot on her mind. I enjoy literature of every kind, going running, hanging out in Santa Cruz and Berkeley or with my friends, traveling anywhere, playing with my dog, and of course writing. I am just an overall eccentric person always striving for something more in life.\nI want to become an author some day, I do work ranging from poetry, short stories, books, or just plain randomness that pops into my brain. The stuff I write can be funny, dark, abstract, all depending on my mood.\nThis blog is just a way of expressing myself, anyone can follow along as each day I post a new story of some sort. This is the first thing I have ever done like this so take it easy on me. I hope you enjoy and please comment on everything so I can become a better writer and person.\nI fancy myself a people person, but not in the aspect that most people think. I enjoy people some days and the other days I come close to loathing them. In the end I am simply fascinated by the way people act and why they do the things they do. My blog is a way for me to explore my thoughts about the people I know, the people I love, the people I hate, all the people I see, and finally all the people I know nothing about. When I see people I see potential. Not just their ability to grow or succeed but the potential of their very being. What they really are or could become if they put their minds to it. Everyone has the possibility to succeed but only the ones who reach out and grasp that potential can move forward. I try to show people this. I show that there is darkness and light in every heart and mind you pass by. Strangers, children, parents, relatives, everyone has a story. I think it is my job to tell their stories.\nThrough photos, stories, and poems I am writing out the stories of the people around you. The people you walk by everyday and don’t stop to talk with, the people you worked with for years but never asked about their lives. The people who are alone, drowning in a secret, or a story about how they came to be. I am their storyteller. Sharing their lives, the good and bad, of how humanity has risen and fallen into what it is today.\nMaybe this blog will change you, make you talk to the person you ignore on the bus everyday. Maybe you will help someone who is struggling, or maybe you will reach out and lend a hand to someone who is drowning in silence. Most of all I just want you, the reader, to understand. Understand not who I am but who you are. Who you can become by opening your eyes to the world and recognizing that all around you there is beauty in this ugly place and it is up to you to find it.\nWelcome to the Pedestrian Poet blog.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090821_poet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy name is Monica Multer, I am currently a sophomore at UC Berkeley who just\nhas a lot on her mind.  I enjoy literature of every kind, going running,\nhanging out in Santa Cruz and Berkeley or with my friends, traveling anywhere,\nplaying with my dog, and of course writing.  I am just an overall eccentric\nperson always striving for something more in life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI want to become an author some day, I do work ranging from poetry, short\nstories, books, or just plain randomness that pops into my brain. The stuff I\nwrite can be funny, dark, abstract, all depending on my mood.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Pedestrian Poet"},{"content":"The long drive continues through Oregon and makes its way into Crater Lake National Park. Awesome views, but unfortunately a very hazy day that prevents these photos from doing this amazing place justice.\nI miss my girls!\nA few more shots around the crater.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for more broken down old cool buildings. And of course a good size fire.\nThe haze continues to be a problem as they head past Mt. Shasta. Soon they\u0026rsquo;ll be home and I will be a very happy man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe long drive continues through Oregon and makes its way into\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/crla/\"\u003eCrater Lake National Park\u003c/a\u003e. Awesome views, but unfortunately a\nvery hazy day that prevents these photos from doing this amazing place\njustice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI miss my girls!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more shots around the crater.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for more broken down old cool buildings. And of course a good\nsize fire.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090808_craterlake/32.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe haze continues to be a problem as they head past Mt. Shasta. Soon they\u0026rsquo;ll\nbe home and I will be a very happy man.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz roadtrip - Crater Lake"},{"content":"A quick trip through Spokane, Washington before spending the whole day traveling through Oregon. The aliens have landed!\nLooks like the wind is really blowing over the Columbia River.\nMonica is such a llama lover, though it\u0026rsquo;s hard to deny the appeal of these incredibly adorable creatures.\nThen of course there\u0026rsquo;s the spectacular shoe tree in Shaniko, Oregon. Yet another favorite of Monica\u0026rsquo;s.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s into the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Charlotte told me this was one of her favorite places during the trip.\nThe chipmunks sure seem to like it hear as well.\nPlenty of beautiful views from the forestry center in Lava Butte. And a few more odd photos thrown in after leaving the area.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s the river walk in Bend, Oregon where Gracie can work off a little energy chasing the local geese.\nThe girls spotted a couple of houses with some very interesting sculptures in the yard for everyone to enjoy.\nI\u0026rsquo;m happy with photos of the local flowers.\nThe river walk continues with more sights including fly fishing ponds, unique shops, a place just for Monica called O Mo Mo, a pretty parrot, and a really creepy head in a window.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s dinner downtown at the Soba House before calling it another long day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA quick trip through Spokane, Washington before spending the whole day\ntraveling through Oregon. The aliens have landed!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like the wind is really blowing over the Columbia River.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica is such a llama lover, though it\u0026rsquo;s hard to deny the appeal of these\nincredibly adorable creatures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen of course there\u0026rsquo;s the spectacular shoe tree in Shaniko, Oregon. Yet\nanother favorite of Monica\u0026rsquo;s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090807_oregon/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes/recreation/newberry-national-volcanic-monument-deschutes-nf\"\u003eNewberry National Volcanic Monument\u003c/a\u003e.\nCharlotte told me this was one of her favorite places during the trip.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz roadtrip - Spokane and Bend, Oregon"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica continue their long trek home through Montana. Your eyes aren\u0026rsquo;t fooling you, that derelict wooden building really is slanted that way. And yes that is a giant penguin.\nThis has to take the cake as the most disgusting wildlife photo I may have ever seen. This bear was gorging itself on dead horse remains along the side of the road. I think I\u0026rsquo;m going to hurl.\nThe girls will be spending most of their day in fantastic Glacier National Park. Monica was very happy with her mini-buffalo purchase at the gift shop.\nThe mini-buffalo is often found nesting in the trees of Montana\u0026rsquo;s great mountains.\nThere are plenty of great mountains, lakes, streams, and flowers along the route.\nThe Red Bus is a historic way to get around the park.\nMore amazing mountains, waterfalls, streams, and flowers.\nCan you spot the sheep in this rocky expanse?\nJust amazing scenery everywhere you look.\nMonica decides to take a dip in the very cold waters of Glacier. Really funny stuff.\nA few random sights after leaving the park.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s into Idaho and Coeur d\u0026rsquo;Alene for the night. The weather was pretty gray, so not many good photos. This is definitely one of the places (and Glacier) that I want to check out personally.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica continue their long trek home through Montana. Your eyes\naren\u0026rsquo;t fooling you, that derelict wooden building really is slanted that way.\nAnd yes that is a giant penguin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090806_idaho/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis has to take the cake as the most disgusting wildlife photo I may have ever\nseen. This bear was gorging itself on dead horse remains along the side of the\nroad. I think I\u0026rsquo;m going to hurl.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz roadtrip - Glacier and Coeur d'Alene"},{"content":"The trek continues for the girls as they travel across North Dakota. Some interesting sculptures along the way through endless fields.\nLooks like a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park is in order. Gracie has her leash on, though I suspect Monica is actually making a statement in defiance of the rules.\nThe prairie dogs are totally adorable.\nOnward through North Dakota, with no time to stop at Home On The Range.\nAnd into Montana where you should remember to smile, stay off meth, and enjoy pure wool without the bull.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090805_montana/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe trek continues for the girls as they travel across North Dakota. Some\ninteresting sculptures along the way through endless fields.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like a visit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/thro/\"\u003eTheodore Roosevelt National Park\u003c/a\u003e is in order.\nGracie has her leash on, though I suspect Monica is actually making a statement\nin defiance of the rules.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prairie dogs are totally adorable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090805_montana/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnward through North Dakota, with no time to stop at Home On The Range.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz roadtrip - North Dakota and Montana"},{"content":"Charlotte, Monica, and Gracie are off on the big road trip back home to Santa Cruz. Its been another great summer in Bootjack, but all vacations come to an end eventually, at least for us. You can expect lots of unique photos from the girls on the trip home.\nThere are plenty of barns, old houses, and farming stuff in general as the group makes their way through Minnesota. Brainerd had some funny sights. There were also plenty of osprey along the highway.\nThe highlight of the North Dakota portion was clearly the world\u0026rsquo;s largest sandhill crane. The Space Aliens Grill was pretty entertaining as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Monica, and Gracie are off on the big road trip back home to Santa\nCruz. Its been another great summer in Bootjack, but all vacations come to an\nend eventually, at least for us. You can expect lots of unique photos from the\ngirls on the trip home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090804_ndakota/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are plenty of barns, old houses, and farming stuff in general as the\ngroup makes their way through Minnesota. Brainerd had some funny sights. There\nwere also plenty of osprey along the highway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa Cruz roadtrip - Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota"},{"content":"Monica takes Lindsey and the girls out for a drive to the northern tip of the Keweenaw. There are plenty of sights to take in along the way. First stop is the rock place along the highway. Lindsey has the great expressions ever.\nI know Monica really likes Cliff Cemetery a lot. It\u0026rsquo;s a great setting hidden away in the woods.\nThen a few shots at the bridge into Eagle River.\nAnother favorite spot is the Jam Pot. Those monks really rock, but don\u0026rsquo;t cross them by parking where you aren\u0026rsquo;t supposed to. And watch out for that rum cake.\nChecking out the shore and the wildflowers as the group continues north along the coast.\nThere are lots of fun little shops to explore in Copper Harbor. That Lindsey is just priceless.\nThe crew heads up Brockway Mountain for the obligatory view. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Monica took a picture of the stuffed wolf just for her friend Clara.\nBack at camp it\u0026rsquo;s time to relax with some tubing. Tomorrow Charlotte and Monica start the long drive back home. Thank you Bootjack for another great summer!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090803_monica/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica takes Lindsey and the girls out for a drive to the northern tip of the\nKeweenaw. There are plenty of sights to take in along the way. First stop is\nthe rock place along the highway. Lindsey has the great expressions ever.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know Monica really likes Cliff Cemetery a lot. It\u0026rsquo;s a great setting hidden\naway in the woods.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090803_monica/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen a few shots at the bridge into Eagle River.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica and the girls do a road trip to Copper Harbor"},{"content":"Charlotte and Karen went for a nature hike today. A few of the wildlife sightings included a beaver, his big lodge, and a cedar waxwing.\nLooks like there were plenty of beautiful berries, flowers, and mushrooms.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090801_karen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Karen went for a nature hike today. A few of the wildlife\nsightings included a beaver, his big lodge, and a cedar waxwing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like there were plenty of beautiful berries, flowers, and mushrooms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090801_karen/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying a nature hike with Karen"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are headed to Bete Gris to check out a remote hiking area called Bare Bluff. This is practically the farthest point on the Keweenaw and the views are spectacular. Some of the hiking is quite a scramble as we scale the cliffs. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to find a hike with some real elevation here in Northern Michigan.\nBack at camp, Nick enjoys himself with water-skiing while Gracie watches from the lake. She is such a water dog. We also discovered this year that part of the old barge in front on Rice\u0026rsquo;s place broke off and moved in front of our place. Now that\u0026rsquo;s something we\u0026rsquo;re going to have to keep track of.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the south entry for some family fun. Nick looks like he enjoyed the boat trip with his uncle George.\nNick and Lindsey have a blast jumping off the swings down at Jacobsville, then it\u0026rsquo;s time to battle. I think Nick should surrender immediately.\nCaroline enjoys herself at a slightly more mellow pace.\nThe sport of swing jumping catches on with the rest of the kids. Gabe shows us some of his technique, along with Doug and Zach. Gabe took a pretty bad spill when he was running with Nick. His knee may be bleeding, but it hasn\u0026rsquo;t slowed him down any.\nMonica has been looking forward to jumping off the pier. A nice wake from the Keweenaw Star is the perfect excuse.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are headed to Bete Gris to check out a remote hiking area\ncalled \u003ca href=\"https://michigannature.iescentral.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=locationgallery\u0026amp;action=listing\u0026amp;listing=143\"\u003eBare Bluff\u003c/a\u003e.\nThis is practically the farthest point on the Keweenaw and the views are\nspectacular. Some of the hiking is quite a scramble as we scale the cliffs.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s nice to find a hike with some real elevation here in Northern Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090731_jacobsville/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at camp, Nick enjoys himself with water-skiing while Gracie watches from\nthe lake. She is such a water dog. We also discovered this year that part of\nthe old barge in front on Rice\u0026rsquo;s place broke off and moved in front of our\nplace. Now that\u0026rsquo;s something we\u0026rsquo;re going to have to keep track of.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking Bare Bluff and swinging around in Jacobsville"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re visiting our favorite agate beach over at Calumet Waterworks with the Hoyems today. Monica and Lindsey leave their mark, and in Monica\u0026rsquo;s case it\u0026rsquo;s muhr.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got Monica along for photography and fishing tonight. Our faithful fishing dog Gracie is also here to help wrestle any monster fish to the ground if needed.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a few storm clouds brewing out over Lake Superior. Gotta keep an eye on those bad boys.\nAfter a few strange facial expressions, Gabe lands a nice pike.\nStormy weather makes for great sunsets.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s getting late, so time to head back and declare victory.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090730_portage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re visiting our favorite agate beach over at Calumet Waterworks with the\nHoyems today. Monica and Lindsey leave their mark, and in Monica\u0026rsquo;s case it\u0026rsquo;s\nmuhr.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got Monica along for photography and fishing tonight. Our faithful\nfishing dog Gracie is also here to help wrestle any monster fish to the ground\nif needed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090730_portage/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a few storm clouds brewing out over Lake Superior. Gotta keep an eye on\nthose bad boys.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hunting agates and fishing on Portage Lake"},{"content":"Lindsey and Monica are two girls you don\u0026rsquo;t want to mess with while they are online.\nThe plan today is to drive all over the Keweenaw and check out some new places to hike. First stop is the Cliff Mine, a place I often ride past on the bike. After a few initial water obstacles, we find lots of rock scrambling and old stone foundations.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s north along the coast past the Jam Pot to Great Sand Bay.\nOur destination is the Redwyn Dunes Nature Sanctuary. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful short hike, but clearly the boys liked climbing in the trees the best.\nWe didn\u0026rsquo;t have any luck finding a hidden hike just south of Eagle Harbor, but it\u0026rsquo;s a nice place to visit anyway.\nAnd the flowers were quite lovely.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLindsey and Monica are two girls you don\u0026rsquo;t want to mess with while they are\nonline.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plan today is to drive all over the Keweenaw and check out some new places\nto hike. First stop is the Cliff Mine, a place I often ride past on the bike.\nAfter a few initial water obstacles, we find lots of rock scrambling and old\nstone foundations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090729_dunehike/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s north along the coast past the Jam Pot to Great Sand Bay.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New hike exploration day in the Keweenaw"},{"content":"Not much to say today, but I did like these two photos of Nick and Monica.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090728_lakes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot much to say today, but I did like these two photos of Nick and Monica.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090728_lakes/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A tiny bit of randomness from da U.P."},{"content":"Nothing like a nice peaceful paddle on the lake. That is until George buzzes us with the boat and Lindsey trailing right behind them on water skis. George did it again.\nTime for some first time water skiers to try it out. Pretty funny.\nCharlotte joins Gabe and I for a short paddle in the canoe.\nNick, Zach, and Doug have a blast on the tube. There are some pretty priceless shots in here.\nNext it\u0026rsquo;s time for Doug to try and dump the girls off the tube. Now that\u0026rsquo;s what I call a day on the lake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNothing like a nice peaceful paddle on the lake. That is until George buzzes us\nwith the boat and Lindsey trailing right behind them on water skis. George did\nit again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime for some first time water skiers to try it out. Pretty funny.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte joins Gabe and I for a short paddle in the canoe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090727_tubing/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick, Zach, and Doug have a blast on the tube. There are some pretty priceless\nshots in here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Canoeing and tubing on Portage Lake"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s big family get together time as everyone is here at the same time. It\u0026rsquo;s great to have Lynn and Greg over as well.\nGetting everyone to stand still for such a big group photo is quite the trick. Monica gets the award for weirdest face.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s not really anyone\u0026rsquo;s party, but we are celebrating a lot of 5s in everyone\u0026rsquo;s age. Gordon is coming up on 85, Charlotte and George hit 50 this year, the rest are still doing the 50s thing. I\u0026rsquo;m the baby and have a few more years before that big event. Gordon celebrates with his first drink after 18 years. After one sip, he let Kim finish it. Pretty funny.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to see who\u0026rsquo;s the fastest in the camp. We already knew it was Gordon, but it\u0026rsquo;s really fun to see everyone battle it out. Kim was the comic relief, and even Greg joined in for one of the events. Totally hilarious.\nAnd finally a little hiking and waterfall action to finish up the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s big family get together time as everyone is here at the same time. It\u0026rsquo;s\ngreat to have Lynn and Greg over as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting everyone to stand still for such a big group photo is quite the trick.\nMonica gets the award for weirdest face.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090726_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s not really anyone\u0026rsquo;s party, but we are celebrating a lot of 5s in\neveryone\u0026rsquo;s age. Gordon is coming up on 85, Charlotte and George hit 50 this\nyear, the rest are still doing the 50s thing. I\u0026rsquo;m the baby and have a few more\nyears before that big event. Gordon celebrates with his first drink after 18\nyears. After one sip, he let Kim finish it. Pretty funny.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Family photos, party, and race"},{"content":"Charlotte and George are heading out to Lac La Belle to check out some hiking areas. She\u0026rsquo;s always on the lookout for the next great hiking area, and we haven\u0026rsquo;t explored this end of the Keweenaw that much yet. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great chance to get dropped off in a new spot for cycling as well. It\u0026rsquo;s raining out, but I love the ride along the south shore.\nThe Lac La Belle Lodge is a great restaurant, especially for lunch after a hard morning of hiking. That stuffed beaver is a real monster. I think they said it was about 80 pounds.\nBack at the cabin, the kids always have a blast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and George are heading out to Lac La Belle to check out some hiking\nareas. She\u0026rsquo;s always on the lookout for the next great hiking area, and we\nhaven\u0026rsquo;t explored this end of the Keweenaw that much yet. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great\nchance to get dropped off in a new spot for cycling as well. It\u0026rsquo;s raining out,\nbut I love the ride along the south shore.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090725_laclabelle/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://laclabellelodge.com\"\u003eLac La Belle Lodge\u003c/a\u003e is a great restaurant,\nespecially for lunch after a hard morning of hiking. That stuffed beaver is a\nreal monster. I think they said it was about 80 pounds.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking and cycling Lac La Belle"},{"content":"The old mill in Freda is always a fun place for exploring. Lots of busted up old buildings, old copper ore, a beach full of twisted wires, tons of beach glass. What\u0026rsquo;s not to love? It\u0026rsquo;s also a beautiful drive through the woods, and Lake Superior is always a treat.\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s all excited about our concert tonight at the old[Calumet Theatre] (https://www.calumettheatre.com). The [Marshall Tucker Band] (https://marshalltucker.com) is playing and George has joined us for the fun. The band is awesome, but it\u0026rsquo;s really hard to suffer through the vocals of the original lead singer. He\u0026rsquo;s had throat issues over the years, and clearly he\u0026rsquo;s lost the old magic. The rest of his band both sings and plays spectacularly. I\u0026rsquo;m not much of a MST fan, but it\u0026rsquo;s definitely a great band.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s some cool fog laying along the lake on the drive home.\nAnd of course Gabe has managed to catch a nice bass while we were out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090724_freda/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe old mill in Freda is always a fun place for exploring. Lots of busted up\nold buildings, old copper ore, a beach full of twisted wires, tons of beach\nglass. What\u0026rsquo;s not to love? It\u0026rsquo;s also a beautiful drive through the woods, and\nLake Superior is always a treat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090724_freda/46.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s all excited about our concert tonight at the old[Calumet Theatre]\n(\u003ca href=\"https://www.calumettheatre.com\"\u003ehttps://www.calumettheatre.com\u003c/a\u003e). The [Marshall Tucker Band]\n(\u003ca href=\"https://marshalltucker.com\"\u003ehttps://marshalltucker.com\u003c/a\u003e) is playing and George has joined us for the fun.\nThe band is awesome, but it\u0026rsquo;s really hard to suffer through the vocals of the\noriginal lead singer. He\u0026rsquo;s had throat issues over the years, and clearly he\u0026rsquo;s\nlost the old magic. The rest of his band both sings and plays spectacularly.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not much of a MST fan, but it\u0026rsquo;s definitely a great band.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring at the Freda Mill and an evening with the Marshall Tucker Band"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading over to Houghton via Portage lake and the channel. It\u0026rsquo;s a lot more enjoyable than the usual drive to Lake Linden and around. A whole lot shorter as well. The view of the old mining operations from the channel is a whole lot better as well. Time to tie the boat up and grab some lunch.\nThe trip back is a great excuse for Gabe to show off his many goofy faces.\nBack home, I\u0026rsquo;m having fun with grandpa\u0026rsquo;s crossword while Monica has fun with the camera and a mirror.\nTonight is our first fishing smackdown contest. We stayed out quite late, but we both came back with squat. Those smackdowns hurt baby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090723_portage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading over to Houghton via Portage lake and the channel. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nlot more enjoyable than the usual drive to Lake Linden and around. A whole lot\nshorter as well. The view of the old mining operations from the channel is a\nwhole lot better as well. Time to tie the boat up and grab some lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090723_portage/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trip back is a great excuse for Gabe to show off his many goofy faces.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat ride to Houghton, and a late night fishing contest"},{"content":"This is how you have a great day. Fishing with my buddy Gabe, chilling on the porch while getting work done, and enjoying our bald eagles. Nice.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090722_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is how you have a great day. Fishing with my buddy Gabe, chilling on the\nporch while getting work done, and enjoying our bald eagles. Nice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090722_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090722_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090722_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090722_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A few random photos from Bootjack"},{"content":"Catching a nice size pike is a great way to start the day. Just ask Gabe and he\u0026rsquo;ll tell you all about it. For Monica, it\u0026rsquo;s the joy of photographing our local bald eagles.\nGeorge has a few faces he wants to share with everyone.\nAnnie does as well.\nIt looks to me like Charlotte is pleading with Monica to stop taking her picture, or something like that.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a few goofballs on the boat for some fishing tonight.\nAs the sun goes down\u0026hellip;\nIt\u0026rsquo;s 3D movie night back at the cabin. Monica is sharing her love of the new movie Coraline.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCatching a nice size pike is a great way to start the day. Just ask Gabe and\nhe\u0026rsquo;ll tell you all about it. For Monica, it\u0026rsquo;s the joy of photographing our\nlocal bald eagles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge has a few faces he wants to share with everyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnie does as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090721_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt looks to me like Charlotte is pleading with Monica to stop taking her\npicture, or something like that.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The many faces of Michigan"},{"content":"I think there\u0026rsquo;s only one thing more fun than getting dumped off the tube out on the lake, and that\u0026rsquo;s probably driving the jet ski trying to dump people. It looks like everyone is really enjoying themselves.\nWhile everyone else is just chilling on the dock.\nThey even managed to flip the jet ski.\nLooks like Gordon and the girls did a bit of exploring.\nThen its over to Bootjack Fire \u0026amp; Rescue for the stupendous annual chicken BBQ ritual. Monica enjoyed the burros we passed everytime we drove to town.\nThe usual feeding frenzy spot is out on the porch.\nWhether you\u0026rsquo;re catching pike, doing a little dance, or just plain goofing around, there\u0026rsquo;s always something fun to do out on Portage Lake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think there\u0026rsquo;s only one thing more fun than getting dumped off the tube out on\nthe lake, and that\u0026rsquo;s probably driving the jet ski trying to dump people. It\nlooks like everyone is really enjoying themselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile everyone else is just chilling on the dock.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey even managed to flip the jet ski.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like Gordon and the girls did a bit of exploring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090719_chickenbbq/39.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen its over to Bootjack Fire \u0026amp; Rescue for the stupendous annual chicken BBQ\nritual. Monica enjoyed the burros we passed everytime we drove to town.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tubing, Bootjack chicken BBQ, and some fishing"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica drove down to Newberry to pickup Gordon and Annie. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty long drive, but happy to have Gordy\u0026rsquo;s kids join the crew up in Bootjack for the week. They got back home just in time for another great sunset.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica drove down to Newberry to pickup Gordon and Annie. It\u0026rsquo;s a\npretty long drive, but happy to have Gordy\u0026rsquo;s kids join the crew up in Bootjack\nfor the week. They got back home just in time for another great sunset.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090718_hoyems/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Picking up Gordon and Annie in Newberry"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a great morning to go exploring around Gay, home of the Gay Bar, the Gay Parade, and other sites. I often ride my bike through this tiny little town, that I suspect doesn\u0026rsquo;t have a single gay person in it.\nA few cute photos from Monica on the way back to the cabins.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been a really long day in the saddle, as you can see from the huge salt stains on my arm warmers. It was a great ride out to Copper City via Brockway Mountain Drive, and back through Lac La Belle and Gay. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to put in some quality recovery time.\nMonica is such a rad biker.\nFamily, friends, food, and fun at the local eatery after a great day. They got it right when they named it the Dreamland.\nThe Multers and the Peysers enjoying one of our ritual bonfires over in Jacobsville by the south entry. It\u0026rsquo;s not like we perform human sacrifices, but we might practice a few pagan rituals. Gracie does look like she\u0026rsquo;s doing some ancient dances.\nMy name is Doug, and I am the master of fire!\nThe Keweenaw Star and its partying boatload of passengers goes out for its usual sunset cruise. Always good for a nice wave. Meanwhile Charlotte does her own bit of dancing. Gotta love it in da U.P. don cha know.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a great morning to go exploring around Gay, home of the Gay Bar, the Gay\nParade, and other sites. I often ride my bike through this tiny little town,\nthat I suspect doesn\u0026rsquo;t have a single gay person in it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few cute photos from Monica on the way back to the cabins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090717_gayjacobsville/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a really long day in the saddle, as you can see from the huge salt\nstains on my arm warmers. It was a great ride out to Copper City via Brockway\nMountain Drive, and back through Lac La Belle and Gay. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to put in\nsome quality recovery time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring Gay, dining at the Dreamland, and bonfire in Jacobsville"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading into Houghton with the whole crew to check out the very cool rocks and minerals at the Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech (MTU). I like their funny shoplifting sign in the gift shop. I suspect lots of little kids are very tempted.\nThey have an unbelievably large collection of specimens (over 5,000), and I hear that they have way more than what\u0026rsquo;s on display in the back rooms (over 26,000 in total). It\u0026rsquo;s hard to pick a favorite, but they are known for their copper and iron pieces.\nA few shops downtown are always fun to stop in at. This year they\u0026rsquo;ve torn up the main street while its repaved with bricks. Quite a mess, but the new surface looks pretty sweet.\nThe downtown international market is our new favorite destination. All kinds of very cool items from Japan, China, India, and more. Monica had to get some Pocky and sweet bean rice balls. We\u0026rsquo;ll be coming back a lot this summer.\nPlenty of cool sites on the drive back to Bootjack.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading into Houghton with the whole crew to check out the very\ncool rocks and minerals at the \u003ca href=\"https://museum.mtu.edu\"\u003eSeaman Mineral Museum\u003c/a\u003e at\nMichigan Tech (MTU). I like their funny shoplifting sign in the gift shop. I\nsuspect lots of little kids are very tempted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090716_seaman/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey have an unbelievably large collection of specimens (over 5,000), and I\nhear that they have way more than what\u0026rsquo;s on display in the back rooms\n(over 26,000 in total). It\u0026rsquo;s hard to pick a favorite, but they are known for\ntheir copper and iron pieces.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Seaman Mineral Museum at MTU"},{"content":"Pouring over the rocks you\u0026rsquo;ve collected is almost as much fun as picking them at the beach. Everyone is working hard identifying all their little treasures.\nI guess playing with the rocks resulted in a few hungry stomachs. Nothing like a salty matzah ball or two to get your energy levels back up. I don\u0026rsquo;t think this is a typical U.P. treat, but I know my family loves them. Of course we also love the local pasties as well.\nThe wind and waves are really rolling in today.\nMonica enjoys her day while practicing her newfound photography skills.\nAnd there\u0026rsquo;s nothing like sunset in Bootjack.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePouring over the rocks you\u0026rsquo;ve collected is almost as much fun as picking them\nat the beach. Everyone is working hard identifying all their little\ntreasures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090715_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess playing with the rocks resulted in a few hungry stomachs. Nothing like\na salty matzah ball or two to get your energy levels back up. I don\u0026rsquo;t think\nthis is a typical U.P. treat, but I know my family loves them. Of course we\nalso love the local pasties as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Agates, matzah balls, waves, and sunsets in da U.P."},{"content":"Good morning Bootjack! Let\u0026rsquo;s see what\u0026rsquo;s waiting for us out there today. One of our local bald eagles, some pretty flowers, grandma\u0026rsquo;s place in the garden, an evil squirrel, happy dancing Charlotte busy cleaning, and some of grandma\u0026rsquo;s artwork.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re off to town today, specifically Calumet to play tourist with Ira and Karen. This place has plenty of old, cool buildings.\nA favorite place of ours has to be Copper World. What\u0026rsquo;s not to like, they\u0026rsquo;ve got copper, cool hats, cool signs, funny finger puppets, fudge, licorice pipes, and did I mention copper?\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off for a few more sites, dinner, and some ice cream over at Dairyland in Lake Linden. I love Charlotte and Nick\u0026rsquo;s face as they try to get into the car when it started raining. Monica is such a little devil.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s kind of scary to think what Doug will be like when he gets older. Only kidding.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGood morning Bootjack! Let\u0026rsquo;s see what\u0026rsquo;s waiting for us out there today. One of\nour local bald eagles, some pretty flowers, grandma\u0026rsquo;s place in the garden, an\nevil squirrel, happy dancing Charlotte busy cleaning, and some of grandma\u0026rsquo;s\nartwork.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to town today, specifically Calumet to play tourist with Ira and\nKaren. This place has plenty of old, cool buildings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090714_calumet/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA favorite place of ours has to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.calumetcopper.com\"\u003eCopper World\u003c/a\u003e. What\u0026rsquo;s not to like,\nthey\u0026rsquo;ve got copper, cool hats, cool signs, funny finger puppets, fudge,\nlicorice pipes, and did I mention copper?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking Ira and Karen to Calumet"},{"content":"Another beautiful morning in sunny Bootjack Michigan. Gracie enjoy her favorite pastime, fetching a frisbee while the wind is blowing pretty hard off the lake.\nNick and I just got in from Califorina after a good amount of excitement. I just finished up with a week of backpacking in Alaska you can read about in previous stories. You can probably tell there\u0026rsquo;s still a little bit of stubble on my face. I figured it was pretty novel, and the family would enjoy it. Nick did not enjoy the flight out here given the drama of our departure. I flew through SFO a few too many times and headed to the wrong airport this morning. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say we had a very fast car trip down to San Jose, but we just managed to make the flight. Now that was a little stressful.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite as attractive as a man in a fez. Reminds me of my old Akbar days at Apple.\nLooks like Monica is really pissing Nick off. It\u0026rsquo;s good to be back with my family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother beautiful morning in sunny Bootjack Michigan. Gracie enjoy her favorite\npastime, fetching a frisbee while the wind is blowing pretty hard off the\nlake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090713_davidarrives/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick and I just got in from Califorina after a good amount of excitement. I\njust finished up with a week of backpacking in Alaska you can read about in\nprevious stories. You can probably tell there\u0026rsquo;s still a little bit of stubble\non my face. I figured it was pretty novel, and the family would enjoy it. Nick\ndid not enjoy the flight out here given the drama of our departure. I flew\nthrough SFO a few too many times and headed to the wrong airport this morning.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s just say we had a very fast car trip down to San Jose, but we just\nmanaged to make the flight. Now that was a little stressful.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Back with the family in Bootjack"},{"content":"Grandpa Ira and Karen drove up for a visit this year for the first time. Sounds like time for some fishing at the south entry in Jacobsville.\nNow that\u0026rsquo;s one cool shore bird. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s sister Karen thinks it\u0026rsquo;s from Alaska. Pretty good omen considering my recent trip to Alaska.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure if Gabe caught any fish on this trip, but I do recall that he caught someone\u0026rsquo;s lake trout rig that got stuck in the pier.\nGracie just loves playing in the water.\nAnd it\u0026rsquo;s easy to tell how Gabe feels about being in Michigan.\nAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the happy crew.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGrandpa Ira and Karen drove up for a visit this year for the first time. Sounds\nlike time for some fishing at the south entry in Jacobsville.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that\u0026rsquo;s one cool shore bird. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s sister Karen thinks it\u0026rsquo;s from\nAlaska. Pretty good omen considering my recent trip to Alaska.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090712_jacobsville/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m not sure if Gabe caught any fish on this trip, but I do recall that he\ncaught someone\u0026rsquo;s lake trout rig that got stuck in the pier.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing in Jacobsville with grandpa"},{"content":"Gabe is loving his new cycling cap the girls brought back from Jelly Belly. Only problem is, I love it too. You know I\u0026rsquo;ll be borrowing it on rainy days for sure.\nGabe and Doug sure have a great time hanging out with each other. And there\u0026rsquo;s almost nothing better than hanging out in Bootjack.\nLooks like it\u0026rsquo;s still kinda rough out on the lake for fishing.\nFortunately there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of fun in the cabin.\nA few random shots on a trip to town. The Quincy mine is a great spot to visit. Monica got a nice photo of a very cute little girl out shopping.\nBack at camp the boys are busy catching tadpoles. Driving the golf cart out to the small pond is a favorite pastime. You never know when you\u0026rsquo;ll see a huge Great Dane walking on the side of the road.\nA few pretty sites in grandpa\u0026rsquo;s garden.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is loving his new cycling cap the girls brought back from Jelly Belly.\nOnly problem is, I love it too. You know I\u0026rsquo;ll be borrowing it on rainy days\nfor sure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug sure have a great time hanging out with each other. And there\u0026rsquo;s\nalmost nothing better than hanging out in Bootjack.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like it\u0026rsquo;s still kinda rough out on the lake for fishing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090711_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hanging with Gabe and Doug in da U.P."},{"content":"The girls spent last night at the Winfield Inn in Bayview. Looks like a very beautiful place, especially the gardens.\nAnd a lovely koi pond.\nPlenty of statues and views. Charlotte would love to come back and stay again sometime.\nCharlotte and Monica went for a run along the Lake Superior shore before heading out for the last stretch of driving.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the Apostle Islands lakeshore area. It\u0026rsquo;s definitely an area I would love to go visit, especially for some fishing with Gabe.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over the border into the great state of Michigan, driving through Houghton in the Upper Peninsula, through Lake Linden, past the mine boogers on Bootjack Road. The Dreamland means it\u0026rsquo;s only 3.7 miles to Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place and the start of the real vacation!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe girls spent last night at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.lakesuperiorlodge.us\"\u003eWinfield Inn\u003c/a\u003e in Bayview. Looks like\na very beautiful place, especially the gardens.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd a lovely koi pond.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of statues and views. Charlotte would love to come back and stay again\nsometime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica went for a run along the Lake Superior shore before\nheading out for the last stretch of driving.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090710_bootjack/44.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/apis/\"\u003eApostle Islands\u003c/a\u003e lakeshore\narea. It\u0026rsquo;s definitely an area I would love to go visit, especially for some\nfishing with Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Across Wisconsin and arriving in Bootjack"},{"content":"We hiked our hardest day yet in rain to the pickup spot. That night the wind and rain really picked up, so we huddled down in our tents waiting for Dirk to arrive. There\u0026rsquo;s not a lot to do during 21 hours in your tent trying to stay warm and dry. I figured it was a good opportunity to make some strange faces. It\u0026rsquo;s been an awesome trip, and I\u0026rsquo;m excited to think about the next time I head to Alaska.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090709_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe hiked our hardest day yet in rain to the pickup spot. That night the wind\nand rain really picked up, so we huddled down in our tents waiting for Dirk to\narrive. There\u0026rsquo;s not a lot to do during 21 hours in your tent trying to stay\nwarm and dry. I figured it was a good opportunity to make some strange faces.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been an awesome trip, and I\u0026rsquo;m excited to think about the next time I head\nto Alaska.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"Not many scenic parks to visit on this part of the trip, but they are getting closer to Michigan, and there are some really great barns and shacks to see along the way. Of source they\u0026rsquo;re all going by at high speed.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over the bridge from Duluth into Wisconsin and the land of cheese. Tonight is spent in lovely middle America at the Apostle Islands. Tomorrow should have plenty of great photos.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot many scenic parks to visit on this part of the trip, but they are getting\ncloser to Michigan, and there are some really great barns and shacks to see\nalong the way. Of source they\u0026rsquo;re all going by at high speed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090709_minnesota/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over the bridge from Duluth into Wisconsin and the land of cheese.\nTonight is spent in lovely middle America at the Apostle Islands. Tomorrow\nshould have plenty of great photos.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Minnesota and Wisconsin"},{"content":"Our lunch spot has a few big boulders with some really interesting formations. I\u0026rsquo;m thinking they\u0026rsquo;re some kind of fossils, but Matt and Brendan think it\u0026rsquo;s volcanic. Dirk told us the area is all old sea floor and primarily sedimentary rock with lots of fossils. Maybe I\u0026rsquo;ll figure it out sometime.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur lunch spot has a few big boulders with some really interesting formations.\nI\u0026rsquo;m thinking they\u0026rsquo;re some kind of fossils, but Matt and Brendan think it\u0026rsquo;s\nvolcanic. Dirk told us the area is all old sea floor and primarily sedimentary\nrock with lots of fossils. Maybe I\u0026rsquo;ll figure it out sometime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"Yesterday was a bunch of driving through Wyoming, but today the ladies will be heading through South Dakota. This is going to be a very long day with a ridiculous number of photos. Hope you enjoy them.\nA break in the town of Deadwood was a good opportunity to check out the local history.\nThe Adams Museum was very enlightening. Say hi to Wild Bill for me.\nThe Crazy Horse Memorial looked good, but was crazy expensive for the thrifty travelers.\nThe town of Custer has an excellent collection of painted bison.\nMonica had a prairie dog moment, something about sitting in the car for a little too long.\nCharlotte and Monica have some kind of thing about shacks.\nThe next big stop was Wind Cave National Park, but no dogs were permitted, so the girls continue on to Custer State Park. The wildlife is really starting to kick in now. The wildlife loop drive was the highlight of the entire road trip. Unfortunately there are no photos that capture the bison that charged the car, but it\u0026rsquo;s quite a story.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s so much wildlife on this loop, they are pouring on to the road as well. I hear the begging burros are quite legendary. The bison don\u0026rsquo;t beg, but you better stay in your car and be ready to hit the gas.\nLeaving the park, the quest for more shacks continues.\nRoad signs are nearly as exciting as shacks. There are over 150 Wall Drug signs on this stretch of the road. Here\u0026rsquo;s a small sampling of the collection. The excitement at finally arriving at the much anticipated Wall Drug store itself must be overwhelming.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s hard to tell from the car grill photo, but take my word for it, there are a million bugs wedged in there. Enjoy the final set of shack and sign photos. The T-Rex has to take the cake on this stretch.\nFinally our intrepid travelers arrive in Chamberlain, South Dakota. The numerous tornado warnings throughout the night made for a restless sleep before another big day tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a bunch of driving through Wyoming, but today the ladies will be\nheading through South Dakota. This is going to be a very long day with a\nridiculous number of photos. Hope you enjoy them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA break in the town of Deadwood was a good opportunity to check out the local\nhistory.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Adams Museum was very enlightening. Say hi to Wild Bill for me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090708_sdakota/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through South Dakota"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ll be leaving our campsite setup today for some day hiking up in the hills.\nI want to checkout a canyon that goes around the back side of the nearby mountains. It also makes for a great lunch spot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ll be leaving our campsite setup today for some day hiking up in the hills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI want to checkout a canyon that goes around the back side of the nearby\nmountains. It also makes for a great lunch spot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"The first half of the day driving through Yellowstone was excellent, but now the girls say goodbye to Wyoming and the park, and head to the Top Of The World. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t drive this far in the winter, but it sure looks like it was a scenic drive.\nI hear they really enjoyed visiting Little Big Horn Battlefield. Lots of excellent Native American history.\nLooks like the goodbye to Wyoming didn\u0026rsquo;t last that long, as they head to Gillette for the night.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe first half of the day driving through Yellowstone was excellent, but now\nthe girls say goodbye to Wyoming and the park, and head to the Top Of The\nWorld. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t drive this far in the winter, but it sure looks like it was\na scenic drive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hear they really enjoyed visiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/libi/\"\u003eLittle Big Horn Battlefield\u003c/a\u003e.\nLots of excellent Native American history.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_littlebighorn/34.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like the goodbye to Wyoming didn\u0026rsquo;t last that long, as they head to\nGillette for the night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through Little Big Horn to Wyoming"},{"content":"The ladies head out early from their hotel in Gardiner just outside the entrance to Yellowstone. They actually stayed in the same hotel I was in this past winter. It\u0026rsquo;s really interesting to compare the photos from that trip here.\nThey spent some quality time enjoying the Mammoth Hot Springs along with a couple of very cute birds. Check out this area in the winter here.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s on through Lamar Valley, the really beautiful area of the park. Plenty of wildlife, including a shaggy black bear. And here\u0026rsquo;s the area in the winter.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe ladies head out early from their hotel in Gardiner just outside the\nentrance to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e. They actually stayed in\nthe same hotel I was in this past winter. It\u0026rsquo;s really interesting to compare\nthe photos from that trip here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey spent some quality time enjoying the Mammoth Hot Springs along with a\ncouple of very cute birds. Check out this area in the winter here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/46.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"47\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090707_yellowstone/47.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s on through Lamar Valley, the really beautiful area of the park.\nPlenty of wildlife, including a shaggy black bear. And here\u0026rsquo;s the area in the\nwinter.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through Yellowstone"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;ve made it to the Marsh Fork and Dirk\u0026rsquo;s first pickup point. We won\u0026rsquo;t be leaving from here, but it\u0026rsquo;s a nice sign we\u0026rsquo;re on track.\nThis is an incredible spot with a great campsite overlooking the riverbed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;ve made it to the Marsh Fork and Dirk\u0026rsquo;s first pickup point. We won\u0026rsquo;t\nbe leaving from here, but it\u0026rsquo;s a nice sign we\u0026rsquo;re on track.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an incredible spot with a great campsite overlooking the riverbed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_anwr/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"Following yesterday\u0026rsquo;s long drive to Salt Lake City, the girls start with an early morning run at City Creek Canyon. Then a bit of exploring around the capital, including this cool looking eatery called Spoon Me. Pretty cool logo.\nThe billboards in Utah totally rock. A few other sights, but otherwise not much to see.\nRolling into Idaho, it\u0026rsquo;s time for lunch and a frisbee break for Gracie. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gracie was jealous of the awesome doggie trailer. Nice twist on the motorcycle sidecar approach.\nhe group rolled past our late friend Lyle Bissell\u0026rsquo;s hometown. We really miss him.\nAnd the amazing stuff just keeps on rolling by. Who would have thought there was a Potato Museum. It\u0026rsquo;s Idaho baby, and Blackfoot has it going on!\nOh no, a flat tire! Nothing like burning a few hours dealing with this kind of crap in the middle of a huge road trip. Good think the folks in Idaho are awfully friendly and helpful.\nI do think that the sight of the day has to go to this super cool Pontiac GTO. I\u0026rsquo;m thinking somewhere around 1966.\nThe traveling buddies finally roll into Montana and spectacular Yellowstone National Park.\nFirst stop is the Beryl Spring area.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s past Inspiration Point and Tower Junction on the way through the park to Gardiner.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of wildlife in Yellowstone, including deer, bison, moose, antelope, and elk. And sometimes people in wagons pulled by horses.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing yesterday\u0026rsquo;s long drive to Salt Lake City, the girls start with an\nearly morning run at City Creek Canyon. Then a bit of exploring around the\ncapital, including this cool looking eatery called Spoon Me. Pretty cool\nlogo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe billboards in Utah totally rock. A few other sights, but otherwise not much\nto see.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090706_gardiner/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRolling into Idaho, it\u0026rsquo;s time for lunch and a frisbee break for Gracie. I\u0026rsquo;m\nsure Gracie was jealous of the awesome doggie trailer. Nice twist on the\nmotorcycle sidecar approach.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Salt Lake City to Gardiner"},{"content":"Today is a bunch of riverbed hiking. The ice is a great walking surface, cools us off, provides a great water source, and cuts down on the bugs. What\u0026rsquo;s not to love?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is a bunch of riverbed hiking. The ice is a great walking surface, cools\nus off, provides a great water source, and cuts down on the bugs. What\u0026rsquo;s not\nto love?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_anwr/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"After a short day yesterday, the girls are planning on twelve hours of driving through Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City. Not much to see in Nevada on the first half of the day, except for a few oddities.\nGracie gets a frisbee lunch break in Elko, while the girls get to stretch their legs. Gracie finds a stuffed traveling companion to keep her company the rest of the way.\nMore boring hours of driving through Nevada.\nrossing over into Utah, hopefully things will get a bit more interesting. This Ford pickup didn\u0026rsquo;t do so well. Lots of weird sights as they make their way through the salt flats. Do you want any Morton salt with those fries?\nWelcome to beautiful Salt Lake City! Lots of Mormon landmarks to take in.\nThe flowers are pretty stunning, while Monica enjoys finally having a good digital SLR to record her travels.\nA bit more sightseeing around Temple Square before calling it a day. I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ve got a few more long days ahead.\nWith dad away, Gracie gets the prime spot in bed next to Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090705_utah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a short day yesterday, the girls are planning on twelve hours of driving\nthrough Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City. Not much to see in Nevada on the\nfirst half of the day, except for a few oddities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090705_utah/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGracie gets a frisbee lunch break in Elko, while the girls get to stretch their\nlegs. Gracie finds a stuffed traveling companion to keep her company the rest\nof the way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Tahoe to Salt Lake City"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re up and over Carter Pass to the north side of the Brooks Range.\nThere are so many beautiful colors and flowers in the tundra.\nThe going definitely gets tougher as we head along sheep trails through the scree. Spring Creek cuts a stunning canyon on this side of the mountains.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re up and over Carter Pass to the north side of the Brooks Range.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are so many beautiful colors and flowers in the tundra.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe going definitely gets tougher as we head along sheep trails through the\nscree. Spring Creek cuts a stunning canyon on this side of the mountains.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_anwr/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica have fully loaded and decorated the car for the long drive to Bootjack. The Ritchey is riding on the back, while my road bike (her name is Sweetness) enjoys the luxurious interior. Time to load the dog and hit the road.\nFirst stop is the Jelly Belly factory near Sacramento. I know they\u0026rsquo;ve bought at least a few bags of belly flops.\nAfter checking in at the hotel in Truckee, it\u0026rsquo;s off to Lake Tahoe for a run around the Tahoe Rim Trail. Plenty of people lined up for the big fireworks display, but the girls are a bit too tired, and there\u0026rsquo;s another long day ahead tomorrow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica have fully loaded and decorated the car for the long drive\nto Bootjack. The Ritchey is riding on the back, while my road bike (her name is\nSweetness) enjoys the luxurious interior. Time to load the dog and hit the\nroad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst stop is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.jellybelly.com\"\u003eJelly Belly\u003c/a\u003e factory near\nSacramento. I know they\u0026rsquo;ve bought at least a few bags of belly flops.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090704_tahoe/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter checking in at the hotel in Truckee, it\u0026rsquo;s off to Lake Tahoe for a run\naround the \u003ca href=\"https://tahoerimtrail.org\"\u003eTahoe Rim Trail\u003c/a\u003e. Plenty of people\nlined up for the big fireworks display, but the girls are a bit too tired, and\nthere\u0026rsquo;s another long day ahead tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack roadtrip - Santa Cruz to Tahoe"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been really hot, but we have to stay covered to avoid being eaten alive. The hiking is pretty easy as we make our way north to Carter Pass and the Continental Divide. I love hiking on tundra.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been really hot, but we have to stay covered to avoid being eaten alive.\nThe hiking is pretty easy as we make our way north to Carter Pass and the\nContinental Divide. I love hiking on tundra.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090703_anwr/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"After a very nice night in Wiseman recovering from our travel, it\u0026rsquo;s back to Coldfoot to catch our flight with Dirk over at Coyote Air. He\u0026rsquo;s got a beautiful pair of Beaver planes, along with a very cool pair of geese.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a stunning flight north to our destination in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing like getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere with nobody around for hundreds of miles. See you again in a week many miles from here.\nSoaking up the stillness while the mosquitoes descend on us in droves.\nThe first night is always an adjustment. I hope I sleep well, as the sun never sets this time of year. Wow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a very nice night in Wiseman recovering from our travel, it\u0026rsquo;s back to\nColdfoot to catch our flight with Dirk over at \u003ca href=\"https://flycoyote.com\"\u003eCoyote Air\u003c/a\u003e.\nHe\u0026rsquo;s got a beautiful pair of Beaver planes, along with a very cool pair of\ngeese.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a stunning flight north to our destination in the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic\"\u003eAlaska National Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090702_anwr/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing like getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere with nobody\naround for hundreds of miles. See you again in a week many miles from here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"Matt and I were planning on heading to Alaska for a week of backpacking in the Gates of the Arctic along with our friend Brendan. Once we got there, a few discussions with locals and rangers made us change our minds and head to the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge instead. It\u0026rsquo;s still the Brooks Range, but it should be even more isolated with less brush and tussocks to negotiate. First we\u0026rsquo;ve got to head north from Fairbanks via the Dalton Highway. It\u0026rsquo;s quite an adventure in itself stretching over 400 miles to the northern coast of Alaska. We make a stop at the official Arctic Circle marker before continuing north.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090701_anwr/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMatt and I were planning on heading to Alaska for a week of backpacking in the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/gaar/\"\u003eGates of the Arctic\u003c/a\u003e along with our friend\nBrendan. Once we got there, a few discussions with locals and rangers made us\nchange our minds and head to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic\"\u003eAlaska National Wildlife Refuge\u003c/a\u003e\ninstead. It\u0026rsquo;s still the Brooks Range, but it should be even more isolated with\nless brush and tussocks to negotiate.\nFirst we\u0026rsquo;ve got to head north from Fairbanks via the \u003ca href=\"https://dot.alaska.gov/highways/dalton/\"\u003eDalton Highway\u003c/a\u003e.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s quite an adventure in itself stretching over 400 miles to the northern\ncoast of Alaska. We make a stop at the official Arctic Circle marker before\ncontinuing north.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to head up to Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton, so when I got an email from the RPI alumni group about a private tour, I signed Charlotte, Monica, and I up right away. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredibly long and windy road to the summit at 4,209 feet. I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to ride my bike to the top, but now I\u0026rsquo;m not so sure.\nThank you James Lick for a great legacy.\nMy girls are so cute!\nNow that\u0026rsquo;s a sweet telescope. And 3 meters ain\u0026rsquo;t shabby. They\u0026rsquo;ve got a pretty awesome adaptive optics setup as well.\nSoak up that science girls, there will be a quiz from astronomy crazy dad afterwards.\nThen we move down into the observing area below to talk with a few astronomers about the latest work on planet finding.\nThe sun is going down, so soon it\u0026rsquo;ll be observing time.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the 36 inch refractor in the main building.\nNow this is one impressive instrument. I love the way the floor is raised and lowered for observing ease. We enjoy some nice images of Saturn, before dashing off down the mountain back to Santa Cruz after a long night.\nThanks again to the man buried at the base of the telescope. Kinda creepy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090614_lick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to head up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.lickobservatory.org\"\u003eLick Observatory\u003c/a\u003e\non top of Mt. Hamilton, so when I got an email from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.rpi.edu\"\u003eRPI\u003c/a\u003e\nalumni group about a private tour, I signed Charlotte,\nMonica, and I up right away. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredibly long and windy road to the\nsummit at 4,209 feet. I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to ride my bike to the top, but now\nI\u0026rsquo;m not so sure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090614_lick/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090614_lick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090614_lick/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090614_lick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090614_lick/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThank you James Lick for a great legacy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tour of Lick Observatory"},{"content":"Today is a very big day for Nick as he graduates from Scotts Valley High School and moves on to the next big things in his life. Grandma Phoebe is here visiting from Pennsylvania for the big occasion. Seems like a good excuse for some family photos.\nThe family is all here while Nick and his friends are all on display.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a great procession of speakers today, all giving great advice to all the students as they move on to their next big things. Antares Yee and Johnny Jih shared the valedictorian recognition. They get the award from me for the best speech, as they shared the tale of their close friendship and plan to share this recognition from the very start of their high school years. Very cool.\nMatt and Paula\u0026rsquo;s daughter Lauren receives her diploma. She\u0026rsquo;s off to Cal Poly too.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s Nick\u0026rsquo;s turn. Cal Poly here we come!\nLots of excited former high school students throwing their caps.\nNick and his friends look pretty jazzed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is a very big day for Nick as he graduates from\n\u003ca href=\"https://svhs.scottsvalleyusd.org\"\u003eScotts Valley High School\u003c/a\u003e and moves on to the next big things\nin his life. Grandma Phoebe is here visiting from Pennsylvania for the big\noccasion. Seems like a good excuse for some family photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe family is all here while Nick and his friends are all on display.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090610_graduation/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a great procession of speakers today, all giving great advice to all\nthe students as they move on to their next big things. Antares Yee and Johnny\nJih shared the valedictorian recognition. They get the award from me for the\nbest speech, as they shared the tale of their close friendship and plan to\nshare this recognition from the very start of their high school years. Very\ncool.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick graduates from Scotts Valley High School"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re heading out early this morning to get in a little hiking and sightseeing before we drive home later this afternnon. We really enjoyed staying at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge, and look forward to bringing the rest of the family on a future trip.\nYesterday was all about Kings Canyon, but today we\u0026rsquo;re headed for Sequoia National Park.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re headed up Moro Rock before the afternoon storms head this way.\nI love hiking with my girls!\nThe light is pretty bad for photos, but the peaks in the distance call to the backpacker in me.\nThis was a nice short hike with a great view.\nOn the way back we have some fun at the Tunnel Log.\nThe flowering dogwood was just beautiful this time of year.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s a peaceful walk around the Big Trees Trail.\nFollowed by a very busy walk along the Sherman Tree Trail. I\u0026rsquo;ll take the previous trail any day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090531_sequoia/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re heading out early this morning to get in a little hiking and sightseeing\nbefore we drive home later this afternnon. We really enjoyed staying at the\nMontecito Sequoia Lodge, and look forward to bringing the rest of the family\non a future trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090531_sequoia/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYesterday was all about Kings Canyon, but today we\u0026rsquo;re headed for\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/seki/\"\u003eSequoia National Park\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090531_sequoia/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re headed up Moro Rock before the afternoon storms head this way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip"},{"content":"Yesterday we got to Kings Canyon too late for any hiking, but this morning we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to Cedar Grove and the hike up to Mist Falls. Now this is one big descent down into the canyon.\nWith a few very pretty little flowers along the way.\nThe Kings River is really rolling like crazy. We don\u0026rsquo;t stop at Boyden Cave, but we do make a quick stop at Grizzly Falls.\nThe end of the road brings us to our hike out to Mist Falls.\nCharlotte nearly steps on this rattlesnake on the side of the trail. Now that was pretty exciting!\nAnd the intrepid hikers trek onward and upward. The falls should be pretty awesome considering the amount of water pouring down the river. I love that little island out in the middle.\nYeah, the top is just around the corner.\nWelcome to Mist Falls everyone. Now it\u0026rsquo;s time for lunch.\nMonica tries to match Charlotte by nearly running into a deer on the way back down.\nThere are some great views on the long drive back up the canyon. All I can think is what an awesome climb this would be on the bike. I think it\u0026rsquo;s something like 18 miles and 2000 feet of climbing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090530_kings/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we got to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/seki/\"\u003eKings Canyon\u003c/a\u003e too late for any\nhiking, but this morning we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to Cedar Grove and the hike up to\nMist Falls. Now this is one big descent down into the canyon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090530_kings/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a few very pretty little flowers along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090530_kings/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090530_kings/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kings River is really rolling like crazy. We don\u0026rsquo;t stop at Boyden Cave, but\nwe do make a quick stop at Grizzly Falls.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip"},{"content":"Charlotte, Monica, and I are on the road to Sequoia \u0026amp; Kings Canyon for some hiking in the Sierra. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t talk Gabe and Nick into it, so it\u0026rsquo;s kind of a girl\u0026rsquo;s weekend with me along as the third wheel. It\u0026rsquo;s going to be awesome!\nA freakin big tree welcomes us to the park after not too long a drive from Santa Cruz.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s very cool to walk in a redwood forest filled with Sequoia\u0026rsquo;s instead of the usual coastal redwoods.\nA few poses around one of the felled monsters.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve got this thing for bark, what can I say. Hi Monica!\nWe\u0026rsquo;re staying at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge right between the two parks thanks to Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s investigative work. It\u0026rsquo;s a great place, and clearly the marmots and chipmunks think so too.\nMonica enjoys the great outdoors with her new friends.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090529_kings/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Monica, and I are on the road to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/seki/\"\u003eSequoia \u0026amp; Kings Canyon\u003c/a\u003e\nfor some hiking in the Sierra. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t talk\nGabe and Nick into it, so it\u0026rsquo;s kind of a girl\u0026rsquo;s weekend with me along as the\nthird wheel. It\u0026rsquo;s going to be awesome!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA freakin big tree welcomes us to the park after not too long a drive from\nSanta Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090529_kings/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s very cool to walk in a redwood forest filled with Sequoia\u0026rsquo;s instead of the\nusual coastal redwoods.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip"},{"content":"Tonight is the SVHS senior awards event. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a mystery as to why we received an invitation, as we don\u0026rsquo;t know what his awards will be. It turns out to be a great event honoring all the seniors that stood out through academics, community service, and athletics. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see these exceptional students recognized for all their years of hard work. Nice job Nick! It\u0026rsquo;s also good to see a bunch of Monica\u0026rsquo;s friends helping out at the event.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090528_awards/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTonight is the SVHS senior awards event. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a mystery as to why we\nreceived an invitation, as we don\u0026rsquo;t know what his awards will be. It turns out\nto be a great event honoring all the seniors that stood out through academics,\ncommunity service, and athletics. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see these exceptional students\nrecognized for all their years of hard work. Nice job Nick! It\u0026rsquo;s also good to\nsee a bunch of Monica\u0026rsquo;s friends helping out at the event.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVHS senior awards night for Nick"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s nearly the end of the school year, and tonight is awards night for all grades at Scotts Valley High School (SVHS). Nick, and especially Monica, are pretty much friends with everyone here tonight.\nNick grabs his award and runs.\nMonica looks jazzed.\nAnd the girly grabs a record busting two awards.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090519_awards/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s nearly the end of the school year, and tonight is awards night for all\ngrades at Scotts Valley High School (SVHS). Nick, and especially Monica, are\npretty much friends with everyone here tonight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick grabs his award and runs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica looks jazzed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the girly grabs a record busting two awards.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090519_awards/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVHS awards night"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s previous track meets were practice for the real thing today. He\u0026rsquo;s had plenty of opportunity to get used to throwing the 1.6kg discus, though he really was looking forward to breaking the area record for the 1kg discus. Now he\u0026rsquo;s got a new goal to keep him motivated. Today he got first with 67 feet and is aiming for the record next year.\nHis cousin and constant companion Doug is looking good out there too.\nEveryone at the track meet was treated to high schoolers, and I think their coach, while they practiced pole vaulting. Very cool.\nGabe\u0026rsquo;s 400m relay team didn\u0026rsquo;t quite cut the mustard, but it looked like fun.\nGabe\u0026rsquo;s shot put skills are a bit lacking, but I love the faces.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090515_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s previous track meets were practice for the real thing today. He\u0026rsquo;s had\nplenty of opportunity to get used to throwing the 1.6kg discus, though he\nreally was looking forward to breaking the area record for the 1kg discus. Now\nhe\u0026rsquo;s got a new goal to keep him motivated. Today he got first with 67 feet and\nis aiming for the record next year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090515_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis cousin and constant companion Doug is looking good out there too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's track meet final"},{"content":"Lynda and I are off for a hike out near Lancaster this morning, before I head back to California. It\u0026rsquo;s been a great visit and I\u0026rsquo;m sorry to go, but this is a nice way to spend the day before a long flight. The Middle Creek wildlife area is a bit of a trip, but I see why Lynda enjoys making the drive out here regularly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090511_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda and I are off for a hike out near Lancaster this morning, before I head\nback to California. It\u0026rsquo;s been a great visit and I\u0026rsquo;m sorry to go, but this is a\nnice way to spend the day before a long flight. The Middle Creek wildlife area\nis a bit of a trip, but I see why Lynda enjoys making the drive out here\nregularly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090511_hike/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking Middle Creek with Lynda"},{"content":"I decided at the last minute to grab a flight out to Philadelphia to surprise my sister Lynda for her birthday. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great chance to see my mom for Mother\u0026rsquo;s day as well. An added bonus was an opportunity to join in for the big disco party Lynda has been planning for some time. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say it was a little bit funky.\nThe dance floor was a mirrored ball, flashing, colored light spectacle from some other planet. The fog machine was also a nice touch.\nA number of people were sporting some pretty awesome outfits. Mine was pretty lame.\nAnd this just perfectly captures the spirit of my most excellent sister. Good to see ya babe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090509_disco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI decided at the last minute to grab a flight out to Philadelphia to surprise\nmy sister Lynda for her birthday. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great chance to see my mom for\nMother\u0026rsquo;s day as well. An added bonus was an opportunity to join in for the big\ndisco party Lynda has been planning for some time. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say it was a\nlittle bit funky.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090509_disco/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dance floor was a mirrored ball, flashing, colored light spectacle from\nsome other planet. The fog machine was also a nice touch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lynda's disco birthday party"},{"content":"A family of quail has been very active around the house lately. Either you hear them chirping like mad in alarm, or the male is on a perch above his family watching for trouble. Today he\u0026rsquo;s on the back deck posing for me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090506_quail/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA family of quail has been very active around the house lately. Either you hear\nthem chirping like mad in alarm, or the male is on a perch above his family\nwatching for trouble. Today he\u0026rsquo;s on the back deck posing for me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090506_quail/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"California quail on the lookout"},{"content":"Time to head north to sand dune beach for lunch and fun in the sand. Nick enjoys a walk along the rocks by himself.\nGracie is our little ball fetching cowgirl doggie.\nThe wind is blowing and the gulls are soaring.\nWhile Monica shows me her killer kung fu.\nRun for cover, it\u0026rsquo;s an attack helicopter!\nGabe and Gracie head for the same rocks a little while later. I missed the shot of Gracie way out by Gabe.\nA few action shots of some kite surfers on the way back home. They can get some serious air!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090426_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to head north to sand dune beach for lunch and fun in the sand. Nick\nenjoys a walk along the rocks by himself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGracie is our little ball fetching cowgirl doggie.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wind is blowing and the gulls are soaring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Monica shows me her killer kung fu.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRun for cover, it\u0026rsquo;s an attack helicopter!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090426_beach/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Gracie head for the same rocks a little while later. I missed the shot\nof Gracie way out by Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Picnic lunch at the beach"},{"content":"This year is the seventh running of the most excellent SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge. I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing it every year, even before the current route up Mt Charlie. It\u0026rsquo;s always a ton of fun for me and for Charlotte, though she puts in a ridiculous amount of time to pull the event off. Charlotte, Paula, and Sally really anchor the whole effort, and it\u0026rsquo;s always worth a big thank you to them for making this the best fundraising event for SVEF for the past seven years.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got about the same size field again this year. Scott\u0026rsquo;s Valley\u0026rsquo;s finest lead us out for the ride up Bean Creek. Now this is always quite the treat. I\u0026rsquo;m tough to spot in there, but think of it as one of those Spot Waldo puzzles.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s not a lot to do while the bike riders are pounding back 100km, and a few doing 50km.\nNick heads off for some lunch and a chat with his old teacher Stella. Now that woman can ride a bike!\nA few more people that made it back early.\nMonica gets credit for all these photos, so she more than deserves a few random shots of local park action.\nMore riders keep rolling in.\nWhile Nick gets a little much needed relaxation.\nHere comes a big wave of people. I rode most of the event with Brian and some of his riding buddies. They\u0026rsquo;re in this group, but I headed home for a shower before returning to the park for lunch.\nMonica nails some totally excellent skate park shots.\nAnd they just keep on rolling in.\nNothing like chilling to good music, food, and conversation after riding for a pile of hours over quite a few mountains.\nA big thanks to the food volunteers. Another outstanding lunch on this great ride.\nA few more of the local Scotts Valley bicycling crowd.\nNick is just priceless.\nI could hang out here all day.\nA few more baby shots and action at the park.\nI can\u0026rsquo;t believe people are still rolling in.\nI can\u0026rsquo;t believe I missed the ice cream truck. This might be the only thing this ride is missing.\nI knew Gabe and Doug were around here somewhere.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time for the endless progression of raffle prizes. It\u0026rsquo;s amazing how many local businesses are able to donate so many items for our great event.\nWell, that\u0026rsquo;s enough for me and I see for Nick as well. Let\u0026rsquo;s pack it up and hope Charlotte changes her mind about the ride for next year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090425_mcc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year is the seventh running of the most excellent SVEF Mt Charlie\nChallenge. I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing it every year, even before the current route up Mt\nCharlie. It\u0026rsquo;s always a ton of fun for me and for Charlotte, though she puts in\na ridiculous amount of time to pull the event off. Charlotte, Paula, and Sally\nreally anchor the whole effort, and it\u0026rsquo;s always worth a big thank you to them\nfor making this the best fundraising event for SVEF for the past seven years.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Bike Ride"},{"content":"Yesterday we got into Mojave and had a beautiful night in the desert under a full moon. This morning we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to the top of the Kelso Dunes. Gabe decides to take the steep, direct route. What an animal.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the RV way the heck down there!\nOnce we crested the front edge of the dunes, it was like a sand hurricane. I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to wreck my camera, so unfortunately I couldn\u0026rsquo;t capture how totally amazing it was up there.\nComing down was as much fun as you can imagine.\nI have to say that Mojave was an outstanding experience I would be happy to repeat. Time to head back to Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we got into \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/moja/\"\u003eMojave\u003c/a\u003e and had a beautiful\nnight in the desert under a full moon. This morning we\u0026rsquo;re heading out to the\ntop of the Kelso Dunes. Gabe decides to take the steep, direct route. What an\nanimal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s the RV way the heck down there!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090407_mojave/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce we crested the front edge of the dunes, it was like a sand hurricane. I\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t want to wreck my camera, so unfortunately I couldn\u0026rsquo;t capture how\ntotally amazing it was up there.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day in Mojave"},{"content":"Yesterday we got into Las Vegas and stayed at another RV park. Charlotte, Nick, and Monica are off to have breakfast with their Aunt Karen, while Gabe and I try out some Bocce ball, miniature golf, and other fun things around the park. I\u0026rsquo;m starting to get pretty good at this RV thing.\nWe originally wanted to head for the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, but we\u0026rsquo;ve heard it\u0026rsquo;s still freezing out there, and the miles are really going to be just way too much. Our new plan is to head south for Mojave. We make a nice stop at the Kelso Depot visitor center moments before it closes.\nI\u0026rsquo;m really digging this desert thing down here. The landscape is just spectacular.\nThere isn\u0026rsquo;t a ton of flowering going on, but what we do find is quite a treat.\nThat moon is awesome.\nThe sun is going down quick as we head south to the Kelso Dunes, and hopefully an available camping spot.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a long, rough road out to the dunes. We totally luck out and get a really great campsite all to ourselves.\nGabe and I head part way up the dunes before it gets dark, while the rest of the family goes for a run with Charlotte.\nPretty schweet.\nA few interesting sights on our hike back in the dark.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090406_mojave/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we got into Las Vegas and stayed at another RV park. Charlotte, Nick,\nand Monica are off to have breakfast with their Aunt Karen, while Gabe and I\ntry out some Bocce ball, miniature golf, and other fun things around the park.\nI\u0026rsquo;m starting to get pretty good at this RV thing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090406_mojave/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090406_mojave/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe originally wanted to head for the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, but we\u0026rsquo;ve\nheard it\u0026rsquo;s still freezing out there, and the miles are really going to be just\nway too much. Our new plan is to head south for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/moja/\"\u003eMojave\u003c/a\u003e.\nWe make a nice stop at the Kelso Depot visitor center moments before it closes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"RV trip continues on to Mojave"},{"content":"Yesterday we got to Death Valley kind of late, so we\u0026rsquo;re off to the Mesquite Dunes bright and early this morning.\nThe dried mud along the way reminds me a bit of the trampled areas of snow during my trip to Yellowstone. Very cool.\nMonica does a nice little dance on the edge of a sand dune.\nA few of the big dunes are just ahead.\nIt is so much fun walking along the top edges of these dunes. There are so many tracks everywhere, but I hear they are all blown away pretty quickly.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s hard to convey how beautiful and fun this place is. Makes me want to head for the dunes north of Santa Cruz.\nThe kids have the most fun running and rolling down the big dunes.\nWhat a place!\nA pretty flower in the desert to enjoy.\nHeading south, we stop at the Old Harmony Borax Works on our way through Furnace Creek.\nThen a nice walk up Golden Canyon.\nSome happy RV campers.\nGabe was excited to visit the lowest point in the country. He was all excited to dig a hole and get lower than anyone else. Looks like a few other people have the same idea pretty regularly.\nFarewell Death Valley, we\u0026rsquo;ll be back again soon.\nIt seems like the fantastic landscape just keeps on going forever.\nTonight we\u0026rsquo;ll be staying in Las Vegas. We\u0026rsquo;ll meet up with Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s sister Karen while she\u0026rsquo;s in town with her friend. We had the massive buffet at Belagio\u0026rsquo;s, though the massive line was no fun at all. Needless to say, a ridiculous amount of amazing food.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday we got to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/deva/\"\u003eDeath Valley\u003c/a\u003e kind of late, so\nwe\u0026rsquo;re off to the Mesquite Dunes bright and early this morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dried mud along the way reminds me a bit of the trampled areas of snow\nduring my trip to Yellowstone. Very cool.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica does a nice little dance on the edge of a sand dune.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few of the big dunes are just ahead.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090405_deathvalley/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is so much fun walking along the top edges of these dunes. There are so many\ntracks everywhere, but I hear they are all blown away pretty quickly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day in Death Valley"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ve decided to do the RV thing this Spring Break while the kids are off. I always wanted to try it out, and most of the family really enjoy road trips, so we\u0026rsquo;ll see how it goes. Thanks to El Monte RV for the rental, and for not plastering those embarrassing pictures all across the vehicle. Driving this beast isn\u0026rsquo;t as bad as I thought, but we go through a number of passes covered with windmills, an ominous portent of things to come.\nWe spent the previous night at an RV park in Bakersfield since we got a late start after the kids got out of school. This morning we make our first stop at Red Rock Canyon State Park. The rock formations are pretty awesome.\nEveryone has a blast exploring them as well.\nA little glimpse into RV life. There\u0026rsquo;s always a lot of lazing around and sleeping going. Not a surprise with all the driving.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s up to Lone Pine for lunch.\nAnd then a visit to Manzanar. Monica did a report for school on it, and she\u0026rsquo;s excited to stop and see it. It reminds me of the Holocaust museum in DC. It\u0026rsquo;s a really sad feeling to know how far people can sink. It\u0026rsquo;s always important to remember these histories and hope for avoiding similar things in the future.\nHeading east towards Death Valley, it\u0026rsquo;s only us and the cattle.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll be seeing a lot of this kind of landscape.\nTime to checkout this cool Joshua tree.\nThe descent into Death Valley is really scary in the RV. The uphill isn\u0026rsquo;t much fun either.\nAnother stop in the desert.\nGracie didn\u0026rsquo;t join us on the trip, but Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s little stuffed poodle keeps us company anyway.\nWe grab a camping spot in Stovepipe Wells and then head out for a little hiking before the sun goes down. Charlotte takes Nick and Monica out towards Mosaic Canyon.\nWhile Gabe and I hike out towards Mesquite Sand Dunes.\nA few interesting shots along the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090404_deathvalley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve decided to do the RV thing this Spring Break while the kids are off. I\nalways wanted to try it out, and most of the family really enjoy road trips,\nso we\u0026rsquo;ll see how it goes. Thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.elmonterv.com\"\u003eEl Monte RV\u003c/a\u003e for the rental, and\nfor not plastering those embarrassing pictures all across the vehicle. Driving\nthis beast isn\u0026rsquo;t as bad as I thought, but we go through a number of passes\ncovered with windmills, an ominous portent of things to come.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"RV trip to Death Valley"},{"content":"It was a fun day hiking the Sonoma valley area yesterday. Last night we spent our anniversary at the Kenwood Inn, thanks to a recommendation from George. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful spot, and there were no shortage of couples enjoying their own getaways.\nThe vineyards look so tranquil.\nWe headed back through Sonoma via backroads at a leisurely pace.\nWe stopped by Sears Point Raceway for a quick look around, and found herds of sheep keeping the grass clipped. Each area had one of these gorgeous sheepdogs keeping watch. What a total cutie!\nThe sheep are so much easier to photograph than the wildlife at Yellowstone. So adorable!\nAnd of course there\u0026rsquo;s the race track. Not so cute, but a blast to drive.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was a fun day hiking the Sonoma valley area yesterday. Last night we spent\nour anniversary at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kenwoodinn.com\"\u003eKenwood Inn\u003c/a\u003e, thanks to a\nrecommendation from George. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful spot, and there were no shortage\nof couples enjoying their own getaways.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyards look so tranquil.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe headed back through Sonoma via backroads at a leisurely pace.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090315_sonoma/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe stopped by \u003ca href=\"https://www.sonomaraceway.com\"\u003eSears Point Raceway\u003c/a\u003e for a quick\nlook around, and found herds of sheep keeping the grass clipped. Each area had\none of these gorgeous sheepdogs keeping watch. What a total cutie!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Sonoma"},{"content":"Last year\u0026rsquo;s anniversary in Napa was so much fun, we\u0026rsquo;re heading up to the same area again this year. This time we\u0026rsquo;re off to the Sonoma valley area right next door. It\u0026rsquo;s a much smaller valley than Napa, which makes for an even nicer trip.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing as nice as a big hike after a few hours of driving. We drive up to Sugarloaf Ridge state park just north of Kenwood. After a bit of confusion with the map and ranger directions, we head up to Red Mountain.\nThen a bit further to the top of Bald Mountain. Some great view, but it\u0026rsquo;s cold and windy up here, and it\u0026rsquo;s getting late.\nWe book down the mountain, but not so fast we don\u0026rsquo;t enjoy how nice this part of the trail is.\nSlow down Charlotte!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090314_sonoma/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast year\u0026rsquo;s anniversary in Napa was so much fun, we\u0026rsquo;re heading up to the same\narea again this year. This time we\u0026rsquo;re off to the Sonoma valley area right next\ndoor. It\u0026rsquo;s a much smaller valley than Napa, which makes for an even nicer\ntrip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing as nice as a big hike after a few hours of driving. We drive up\nto \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=481\"\u003eSugarloaf Ridge\u003c/a\u003e state park just\nnorth of Kenwood. After a bit of confusion with the map and ranger directions,\nwe head up to Red Mountain.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Sonoma"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a very special bond between our dog and her stuffed snake. And you better not come between the two of them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090226_gracie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a very special bond between our dog and her stuffed snake. And you\nbetter not come between the two of them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie and her snake"},{"content":"Yesterday was an awesome day in Yellowstone park for wildlife, but today we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying some really close encounters. The antelope are out in full force as soon as we drive into the park.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a great scene showing a typical indigenous human herd that roams the park looking for great wildlife. There\u0026rsquo;s a sub-herd of photographers, and one of wolf trackers. Both work hard all day long to spread the word about these great animals.\nEveryone is busy watching a lone wolf that split from the pack. She\u0026rsquo;s wandering near the road calling to the pack. She then crosses the road and heads down the other side.\nAmazingly she crosses the road again right in front of us! It was next to impossible to take a shot through the windshield as she went by.\nShe then hooks up with the pack again on the other side. The black wolves in the pack are really beautiful.\nAll that pack movement is making this herd of elk very nervous.\nI get one parting shot of Yellowstone video legend Bob Landis. I hope he doesn\u0026rsquo;t mind the photo I took, but this guy is the man. He\u0026rsquo;s out here just about every day of the year, all day long, and he\u0026rsquo;s been doing it forever. His movies are must sees. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait for my next trip to Yellowstone. Maybe next time with the family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090222_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was an awesome day in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e park\nfor wildlife, but today we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying some really close encounters. The\nantelope are out in full force as soon as we drive into the park.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090222_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090222_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090222_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s a great scene showing a typical indigenous human herd that roams the\npark looking for great wildlife. There\u0026rsquo;s a sub-herd of photographers, and one\nof wolf trackers. Both work hard all day long to spread the word about these\ngreat animals.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter"},{"content":"Yesterday was a great day, but today is going to be a big photography day here in Yellowstone. There are a few kills around the park this morning, and this one is crawling with lots of professionals including Tom Mangelsen andPatricio Robles Gil. Mark commonly runs into a great local named Mark Miller on his trips here. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty amazing to be standing next to such big names, though my photos really didn\u0026rsquo;t work out very well. I\u0026rsquo;m really going to need that BIG telephoto and lots more practice. This wolf wandered in while everyone was waiting, grab his fill, then walked off over the hill.\nA couple of coyotes patiently wait for their turn.\nThey walked almost close enough for my camera. I like these, though I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a scat shot.\nNow we\u0026rsquo;re off to the next location, while Mark and Emily have a little fun in the back.\nThese bison were right on the side of the road.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s as amazing as ever at Pebble Creek.\nMatt spotted this beautiful grouping of aspen. The triangle shot is my favorite.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090221_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a great day, but today is going to be a big photography day here\nin \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e. There are a few kills around the\npark this morning, and this one is crawling with lots of professionals\nincluding \u003ca href=\"https://www.mangelsen.com\"\u003eTom Mangelsen\u003c/a\u003e and\u003ca href=\"https://www.patricioroblesgil.com.mx\"\u003ePatricio Robles Gil\u003c/a\u003e.\nMark commonly runs into a great local named Mark Miller on his trips here. It\u0026rsquo;s\npretty amazing to be standing next to such big names, though my photos really\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t work out very well. I\u0026rsquo;m really going to need that BIG telephoto and\nlots more practice. This wolf wandered in while everyone was waiting, grab his\nfill, then walked off over the hill.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter"},{"content":"Another great day awaits in Yellowstone after yesterday\u0026rsquo;s visit. Mark has been wanting to get a great photo of some coyotes. These two may have given him his opportunity, but yet again they are a bit too far away for my lens.\nWe did a beautiful snowshoe excursion out to the fork of the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers and spotted some fresh wolf tracks. I got my first nice closeup of a raven that waited patiently for any scraps we might accidently leave from our lunch.\nA cold wind was blowing really hard today. I tried to catch an image of the blowing snow, but no luck. It\u0026rsquo;s still a really beautiful scene.\nThe Soda Butte Creek area is turning out to be a great spot for bighorn sheep.\nAnd I definitely love the Pebble Creek area. It\u0026rsquo;s really hard not to use the word beautiful all the time in this place. Time to make a rush for Lamar Valley to catch the sunset.\nI think this little bridge is one of Matt and Mark\u0026rsquo;s favorite photo spots. It\u0026rsquo;s easy to see why.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090220_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother great day awaits in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e after\nyesterday\u0026rsquo;s visit. Mark has been wanting to get a great photo of some coyotes.\nThese two may have given him his opportunity, but yet again they are a bit too\nfar away for my lens.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090220_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090220_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe did a beautiful snowshoe excursion out to the fork of the Yellowstone and\nLamar rivers and spotted some fresh wolf tracks. I got my first nice closeup\nof a raven that waited patiently for any scraps we might accidently leave from\nour lunch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter"},{"content":"Yesterday was a great day in Yellowstone, and today we\u0026rsquo;re off for another day of driving and photography. We pass our first big herd of elk on our way over to Mammoth. Sure wish I had the big telephoto.\nThe cascading hot spring terraces pose for some nice photos. This is part of the lower terraces area.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a nice hot spring cone formation called Liberty Cap.\nThey call these travertine deposits.\nHere are some nice views from the very beautiful Lamar Valley.\nWe stop at Pebble Creek for some snowshoeing. The narrow canyon is one of the nicest spots we found on our trip.\nWe even find a pretty cool cave. Fortunately there isn\u0026rsquo;t a bear.\nA few shots on the way back out of the canyon.\nThe mountains of the Absaroka Range in this area are pretty spectacular.\nSunset in Lamar Valley is quite the sight as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYesterday was a great day in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e, and\ntoday we\u0026rsquo;re off for another day of driving and photography. We pass our first\nbig herd of elk on our way over to Mammoth. Sure wish I had the big\ntelephoto.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cascading hot spring terraces pose for some nice photos. This is part of\nthe lower terraces area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s a nice hot spring cone formation called Liberty Cap.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2009/20090219_yellowstone/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey call these travertine deposits.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m joining Matt, Mark, and Emily on their trip to Yellowstone this winter. I haven\u0026rsquo;t been here since a backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone with Charlotte many years ago. Charlotte visited with the kids on their last drive to Michigan, so now it\u0026rsquo;s my turn. We flew into Bozeman and then drove down to the hotel in Gardiner. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit gray out this morning, but I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to my first day in the park.\nMatt and Mark are pretty serious photographers, so I\u0026rsquo;ll be doing my best to improve my skills on this trip. Hopefully there will be a noticeable improvement over the course of my trip. This morning we start in Mammoth Hot Springs trying to catch the drifting steam.\nThe calcification deposits are very cool up close.\nEach day we\u0026rsquo;ll be driving between the north entrance in Gardiner and the northeast entrance by Cooke City. It\u0026rsquo;s the only road that\u0026rsquo;s open during winter. We got our heart rate up hiking down to the Gardiner river from the Sheepeater Canyon bridge just outside Mammoth.\nA few nice views from the road. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to breaking out the snowshoes soon.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll be seeing lots of Bighorn sheep and bison on this trip, along with elk, coyote, wolves, eagles, and more. By the way, it is as cold as it looks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090218_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m joining Matt, Mark, and Emily on their trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yell/\"\u003eYellowstone\u003c/a\u003e\nthis winter. I haven\u0026rsquo;t been here since a backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons\nand Yellowstone with Charlotte many years ago. Charlotte visited with the kids\non their last drive to Michigan, so now it\u0026rsquo;s my turn. We flew into Bozeman and\nthen drove down to the hotel in Gardiner. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit gray out this morning,\nbut I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to my first day in the park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Yellowstone in winter"},{"content":"The prologue stage in Sacramento was pretty awesome, but today the race is coming to Santa Cruz! I\u0026rsquo;m pretty torn about seeing the race on the climb up Bonny Doon, but the local Peloton Club was a great way to support and get involved with the race locally. So it\u0026rsquo;s off to downtown to enjoy the finish along with a ton of other people. The local bike fair was a nice change from the usual walk downtown. If only it was always like this.\nThe racers will be flying up this road to the finish.\nThe crowds have been pouring in all morning.\nMeanwhile I\u0026rsquo;m enjoying our nice private tent with loads of food and drinks. I still wish I could see more of the action.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s tough to make out, but Charlotte is right across the street from me in the middle photo.\nPeople are all over the rooftops also.\nThe helicopter and the people are the first indication that the racers are almost here.\nI thought this little guy was adorable, and had the right idea.\nAfter the race, downtown was still closed to traffic and was filled with people and bikes. What a glimpse of how great it would be if downtown did this on a regular basis. It was so much fun to see bikes take over even for a short while. Thanks again to Matt and everyone that helped bring the Tour of California here to Santa Cruz. I\u0026rsquo;m really hoping next year will have Santa Cruz again, so I can try other ways to help with the effort.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090216_amgen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe prologue stage in Sacramento was pretty awesome, but today the race is\ncoming to Santa Cruz! I\u0026rsquo;m pretty torn about seeing the race on the climb up\nBonny Doon, but the local Peloton Club was a great way to support and get\ninvolved with the race locally. So it\u0026rsquo;s off to downtown to enjoy the finish\nalong with a ton of other people. The local bike fair was a nice change from\nthe usual walk downtown. If only it was always like this.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California Santa Cruz"},{"content":"The most awesome professional road bicycling race in the USA takes place right here in California every year. It\u0026rsquo;s the Amgen Tour of California, and I\u0026rsquo;m especially jazzed this year since my friend Matt has worked so hard for many years to bring a stage right here to Santa Cruz, and this year is when he\u0026rsquo;s finally done it. Charlotte caught the racing bug with all the excitement and suggested we head to Sacramento to watch the opening prologue, what a great idea!\nA few of the police that will be busy making sure the race is safe.\nA few of the scenes while we wait for the start. I want one of those team cars following me around on training rides. Maybe when I get just a little faster.\nThe organizer\u0026rsquo;s are encouraging people to fill up the finish area with chalk messages. Monica let\u0026rsquo;s Lance know she\u0026rsquo;s rooting for him.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s fun watching everyone add their own messages to the road, but it looks a little tricky for the riders that are trying to warm up. The riders have to be pumped with the hundreds of thousands of people that have shown up to cheer them on.\nCharlotte shares a little of the love with our local favorites Ben and Andy Jacques-Maynes along with everyone\u0026rsquo;s superstar Lance Armstrong.\nLots of cool sites to see including a great bike fair. The new electric Dura-Ace is looking very sweet.\nHey, there\u0026rsquo;s Tyler Hamilton!\nCharlotte and Monica have camped out by the starting line, while I head over to the Peloton Club tents at the finish. The girls got an awesome view of all the riders getting ready to start their 5 minutes of pain.\nMonica gets a shot of Andy before his start.\nCharlotte is the luckiest person on the freakin planet. She staked out a spot next to a garbage can in the midst of this huge mob. Lance steps out and looks for a spot to warm up, and they setup the trainer right next to her. She got to watch him get ready for over ten minutes. Very cool.\nAnd then Levi Leipheimer sets up there next. I am so jealous.\nMeanwhile my camera is taking tons of pictures a second trying to catch a good shot of the guys flying to the finish. It\u0026rsquo;s really tricky especially with all the people squeezed in on both sides of me. There are a few good shots in here, so enjoy.\nMost of the way through it occurs to me that I might get a good shot if I take some photos after they pass me. It\u0026rsquo;s quite a trick to fire off a group of shots as they approach me, then instantly swing around and crank the zoom to fire off a bunch more. It took me a little while to get good enough at it, but there are some good shots of these also.\nThere goes Tom Boonen.\nThen Tyler Hamilton.\nLance was almost impossible to get once the mob started pushing and leaning over the rails.\nNext is Christian Vandevelde.\nFollowed by the incredibly fast winner of the stage Fabian Cancellara.\nMichael Rogers is a rocket also.\nFloyd Landis didn\u0026rsquo;t post a very good time compared to the big guys.\nAnd here comes Levi Leipheimer the eventual overall winner.\nCharlotte liked the look of the local team Jelly Belly team car and bus.\nAnd then Charlotte manages to get yet another shot of Lance while he cools off after the race.\nOur governor Arnold presides over the podium awards. Nice job guys.\nI am so glad we came to Sacramento for the opener. It was a real blast and it didn\u0026rsquo;t start raining until the race was over. Talk about luck. Charlotte and Monica head back home, while I hang out for dinner, lodging, and the next stage in Santa Rosa tomorrow. I\u0026rsquo;ll be meeting up with my friend Matt, whose the guy responsible for bring a stage to Santa Cruz this year. Since he\u0026rsquo;s the chairman for the stage, I\u0026rsquo;ll be having dinner with lots of big names in cycling like Davis Phinney and his wife, and Lance Armstrong. Charlotte may have gotten ten minutes next to him, but I\u0026rsquo;ll be sitting five feet away from him while he talks to everyone for a good chunk of an hour. How cool is that? Tomorrow morning I\u0026rsquo;ll drive down to Santa Rosa for the finish while Matt does the chairman ride in some really horrible weather. I wish I could have done that one too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090214_amgen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe most awesome professional road bicycling race in the USA takes place right\nhere in California every year. It\u0026rsquo;s the Amgen Tour of California, and I\u0026rsquo;m\nespecially jazzed this year since my friend Matt has worked so hard for many\nyears to bring a stage right here to Santa Cruz, and this year is when he\u0026rsquo;s\nfinally done it. Charlotte caught the racing bug with all the excitement and\nsuggested we head to Sacramento to watch the opening prologue, what a great\nidea!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Amgen Tour of California Prologue"},{"content":"The Acura has been a great car, but I\u0026rsquo;m ready for something a bit more sporty. The M3 was awfully tempting, but I am loving the new BMW 328i coupe. Now I just have to spend a few months figuring out everything this complicated machine can do.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090201_bmw/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Acura has been a great car, but I\u0026rsquo;m ready for something a bit more sporty.\nThe M3 was awfully tempting, but I am loving the new BMW 328i coupe. Now I\njust have to spend a few months figuring out everything this complicated\nmachine can do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Loving the new car"},{"content":"To help support the Amgen Tour of California and the stage 2 finish right here in Santa Cruz, I joined the local Peloton Club. There are lots of fun events lined up in addition to a VIP spot to watch the finish. Today they\u0026rsquo;ve got a fun day of riding on part of the course. I guess it might be hard to call it fun going up Bonny Doon, but riding a great hill, with lots of great people, and a bunch of really cool pros, is definitely my idea of fun. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit wet out, but I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to a great day.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s lots of great fun going on at the bike festival when I get back from the ride. Awesome food, plenty of music, and a nice rest after a good effort. It was pretty funny watching all the crazy bike competitions and clapping for who we thought should be the winner.\nI figured others had to have way more miles on their bike, but Charlotte convinced me to enter into the most miles on the odometer competition, and amazingly I won! I suppose 27,000 miles is a bit, though that\u0026rsquo;s around what a pro does in just a year. It took me five years.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090124_swiftride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTo help support the Amgen Tour of California and the stage 2 finish right here\nin Santa Cruz, I joined the local Peloton Club. There are lots of fun events\nlined up in addition to a VIP spot to watch the finish. Today they\u0026rsquo;ve got a\nfun day of riding on part of the course. I guess it might be hard to call it\nfun going up Bonny Doon, but riding a great hill, with lots of great people,\nand a bunch of really cool pros, is definitely my idea of fun. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit wet\nout, but I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to a great day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tour of California Ride the Stage Ride"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are headed south this morning to put in a big hike down in Big Sur. Our initial destination is Bottchers Gap trailhead in Los Padres National Forest and the Ventana Wilderness with a hike out to Mt. Carmel. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredible, warm, sunny day and we\u0026rsquo;re really looking forward to the views. Unfortunately we discover the entire area is closed due to the big fire this past summer. We get a nice view of the burn, along with a pleasant conversation with the ranger. Seems he\u0026rsquo;s kept pretty busy reminding people they can\u0026rsquo;t hike in the area.\nWe make a nice stop on the coast once we finally get back from the long, windy trip inland. This sure brings back the memories from my SLO ride last spring.\nWe head back to a trailhead we spotted in Garrapata State Park. The hills looked beautiful from the road, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to pack up and head out. The hike starts out easy as we wind our way along the creek. It quickly turns upward very steeply as we head for the summit. We\u0026rsquo;ve got plenty of company as everyone sweats heavily with the effort.\nCharlotte takes a GPS location at the top. Where are we?\nOnce we turn towards the coast, the views are outstanding. We\u0026rsquo;re also enjoying the flat trail after all the effort. The trail down looks pretty steep.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a pretty intense hike heading all the way down to the coast again. It sure looks to me like we took the right direction on this loop. Going this way would have been a bear. What an awesome way to spend the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090118_garrapata/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are headed south this morning to put in a big hike down in Big\nSur. Our initial destination is Bottchers Gap trailhead in\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lospadres\"\u003eLos Padres National Forest\u003c/a\u003e and the Ventana Wilderness with\na hike out to Mt. Carmel. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredible, warm, sunny day and we\u0026rsquo;re really\nlooking forward to the views. Unfortunately we discover the entire area is\nclosed due to the big fire this past summer. We get a nice view of the burn,\nalong with a pleasant conversation with the ranger. Seems he\u0026rsquo;s kept pretty\nbusy reminding people they can\u0026rsquo;t hike in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in Big Sur with Charlotte"},{"content":"George invited us along for a unique hike up near his place. The Cahill Ridge trail requires reservations and a guide to lead our group. It\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to hike an area that\u0026rsquo;s not really open for public use. It\u0026rsquo;s also an opportunity to get to know some of George\u0026rsquo;s very nice friends. We\u0026rsquo;re missing a few people this very cold morning, but the rest of us are ready to enjoy a great day.\nToday\u0026rsquo;s hike will be out to just past the five mile marker.\nOur usual hikes are high speed with no stops, but today we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying lots of great conversation and even a nice lunch stop.\nThe views are even better heading back the way we came.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s great having family so close.\nOne last view before heading back to the cars and over to George\u0026rsquo;s place to get Gabe. I know he\u0026rsquo;s been enjoying his time playing with Zach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2009/20090104_cahill/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge invited us along for a unique hike up near his place. The\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/learning/come-visit/peninsula-trails/fifield-cahill-ridge-trail\"\u003eCahill Ridge trail\u003c/a\u003e requires reservations and a guide to lead our group.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to hike an area that\u0026rsquo;s not really open for public use. It\u0026rsquo;s\nalso an opportunity to get to know some of George\u0026rsquo;s very nice friends. We\u0026rsquo;re\nmissing a few people this very cold morning, but the rest of us are ready to\nenjoy a great day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking the Cahill Ridge trail with George and friends"},{"content":"Charlotte has that big hike itch going this morning, and she\u0026rsquo;s caught me in the mood for hiking. Of course Gracie is always in the mood. Today we\u0026rsquo;re hiking into Nisene Marks, but starting in the hills above Cabrillo College. It\u0026rsquo;s a great way into the park, and there\u0026rsquo;s a very nice view before heading into the trees.\nA big thanks to the people that installed this most excellent swing recently. We\u0026rsquo;re definitely going to enjoy this on the way out in about four hours.\nThe hike along West Ridge trail early in the morning is wonderful. It\u0026rsquo;s so much more enjoyable than the usual route along the fire road. My legs are going to be totally beat after this.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081228_nisene/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has that big hike itch going this morning, and she\u0026rsquo;s caught me in the\nmood for hiking. Of course Gracie is always in the mood. Today we\u0026rsquo;re hiking\ninto Nisene Marks, but starting in the hills above Cabrillo College. It\u0026rsquo;s a\ngreat way into the park, and there\u0026rsquo;s a very nice view before heading into the\ntrees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081228_nisene/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081228_nisene/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA big thanks to the people that installed this most excellent swing recently.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re definitely going to enjoy this on the way out in about four hours.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A big hike in Nisene Marks"},{"content":"Everyone\u0026rsquo;s been very excited to see what Santa has brought this year, especially Gabe. I know a few children that didn\u0026rsquo;t sleep too well last night. We\u0026rsquo;re all missing my dad\u0026rsquo;s usual family visit this year, but we\u0026rsquo;re thinking of everyone this holiday.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone\u0026rsquo;s been very excited to see what Santa has brought this year,\nespecially Gabe. I know a few children that didn\u0026rsquo;t sleep too well last night.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re all missing my dad\u0026rsquo;s usual family visit this year, but we\u0026rsquo;re thinking of\neveryone this holiday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas morning"},{"content":"Everything is all set for this year\u0026rsquo;s dinner with the Peysers, Hoyems, and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad. We did a little furniture rearranging and managed to get the extra table close by.\nGracie is looking forward to some company as well.\nThe family group photo is a little late for making it on a Christmas card, but it looks great anyway.\nThe big family group photo reminds me of the photos from Bootjack. The second photo has some funny faces.\nAnd now for some of the usual milling around before dinner. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to have Charlie back in town after his Navy training.\nThe ham and turkey holiday dinner is a hit as usual. The biggest problem is always giving away the leftovers so we\u0026rsquo;re not stuck with the same lunch every day for weeks.\nGabe puts on a nice little trumpet performance for everyone. I think he\u0026rsquo;s still trying to perfect the songs from his last performance.\nAnother great family get-together comes to an end. I sure wish more family was close by, we miss everyone that couldn\u0026rsquo;t join us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEverything is all set for this year\u0026rsquo;s dinner with the Peysers, Hoyems, and\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad. We did a little furniture rearranging and managed to get the\nextra table close by.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGracie is looking forward to some company as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe family group photo is a little late for making it on a Christmas card, but\nit looks great anyway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081224_dinner/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe big family group photo reminds me of the photos from Bootjack. The second\nphoto has some funny faces.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas dinner at the Multers"},{"content":"We didn\u0026rsquo;t get any photos from Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s run up in San Francisco unfortunately. Now it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back to Santa Cruz and with the surf expected to still be mucho grande, we\u0026rsquo;re headed home along the coast. First stop is in Pacifica. Wow.\nThen in Montara, we get a nice glimpse of the waves crashing back by Devil\u0026rsquo;s Slide.\nAnd some more right on the beach. They\u0026rsquo;re not quite as big down here, but it is nice to stop by Montara. It\u0026rsquo;s been plenty of years since we lived here and it\u0026rsquo;s nice to visit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe didn\u0026rsquo;t get any photos from Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s run up in San Francisco\nunfortunately. Now it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back to Santa Cruz and with the surf\nexpected to still be mucho grande, we\u0026rsquo;re headed home along the coast. First\nstop is in Pacifica. Wow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen in Montara, we get a nice glimpse of the waves crashing back by Devil\u0026rsquo;s\nSlide.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081130_pacifica/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd some more right on the beach. They\u0026rsquo;re not quite as big down here, but it is\nnice to stop by Montara. It\u0026rsquo;s been plenty of years since we lived here and\nit\u0026rsquo;s nice to visit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Heading home from San Francisco along the coast"},{"content":"Charlotte is headed up to San Francisco this weekend to do the Run Wild For A Child 10K run. Since she\u0026rsquo;s doing it on her own, I\u0026rsquo;m joining her for the trip, though not for the run itself. I hate what running does to my cycling legs. We stop for lunch in Sausalito. Looks like the weather for the run tomorrow is going to be fantastic.\nToday is a huge surf day as I heard a big Alaskan storm sent a big swell our way. Since I can\u0026rsquo;t enjoy boogie boarding down in Santa Cruz, we head to the Marin Headlands to check it out. We are not disappointed.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s hard to gauge the size of the waves, but clearly they\u0026rsquo;re pretty damn big.\nWe then headed to the lighthouse and got a nice glimpse of the beach we were just at a moment ago.\nThe Golden Gate Bridge is always a fantastic site.\nThrough the tunnel we go.\nUnfortunately we got here late and the line to cross the bridge is really long. They restrict crossing to 2 people at time, so this is going to take forever. Charlotte got a nice photo of the lighthouse with her iPhone.\nThen we catch a glimpse of a small fishing boat racing past some really huge waves on it\u0026rsquo;s way back into the bay. Now that looked really scary!\nMore totally excellent waves, and one blurry turkey vulture.\nI\u0026rsquo;m glad we waited long enough to get some photos of a big container ship heading into the bay.\nOne last shot of the lighthouse and we\u0026rsquo;re off.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081129_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is headed up to San Francisco this weekend to do the Run Wild For A\nChild 10K run. Since she\u0026rsquo;s doing it on her own, I\u0026rsquo;m joining her for the trip,\nthough not for the run itself. I hate what running does to my cycling legs. We\nstop for lunch in Sausalito. Looks like the weather for the run tomorrow is\ngoing to be fantastic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081129_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081129_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081129_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday is a huge surf day as I heard a big Alaskan storm sent a big swell our\nway. Since I can\u0026rsquo;t enjoy boogie boarding down in Santa Cruz, we head to the\nMarin Headlands to check it out. We are not disappointed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte Runs Wild for a Child in San Francisco"},{"content":"We missed a few weekends of fishing for unavoidable reasons, so a day off from school is the perfect time to head out to the Santa Cruz reef. We catch a few small ones, and Gabe manages to catch a very nice rockfish. Now that\u0026rsquo;s going to be some good eating!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe missed a few weekends of fishing for unavoidable reasons, so a day off from\nschool is the perfect time to head out to the Santa Cruz reef. We catch a few\nsmall ones, and Gabe manages to catch a very nice rockfish. Now that\u0026rsquo;s going\nto be some good eating!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081128_rockfish/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe catches a very nice rockfish"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re all up at George\u0026rsquo;s place for Thanksgiving this year, so that\u0026rsquo;s at least one thing I\u0026rsquo;m thankful for this year. I know our kids are all very happy to be visiting with their cousins.\nThe big kids hang out in the family room while lots of memorable old photos roll by on George\u0026rsquo;s new flat panel television.\nEveryone has plenty to catch up on.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s also plenty of kitchen action as usual. Some hot babes are working the burners, while George once again shows off his impressive carving skills.\nOkay, we\u0026rsquo;re ready to eat.\nAnd then the throng descends upon the buffet line. Not to worry, there\u0026rsquo;s zero chance we\u0026rsquo;ll be running out of anything tonight.\nHmmm, that turkey sure is tasty.\nI love how the boys get their very own table. Happy times.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re all up at George\u0026rsquo;s place for Thanksgiving this year, so that\u0026rsquo;s at least\none thing I\u0026rsquo;m thankful for this year. I know our kids are all very happy to be\nvisiting with their cousins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe big kids hang out in the family room while lots of memorable old photos\nroll by on George\u0026rsquo;s new flat panel television.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone has plenty to catch up on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081127_thanksgiving/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s also plenty of kitchen action as usual. Some hot babes are working the\nburners, while George once again shows off his impressive carving skills.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at George's house"},{"content":"Hot on the heels of Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday as usual, Monica celebrates a big birthday herself. The cake might not be very big, but she\u0026rsquo;s gotten at least 3 birthday cakes today.\nA few very nice gifts from her best friends.\nA few special faces on her special day.\nI think she likes her presents. Of course a big trip to Europe, or a new car to go with her new license would have been nice.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081105_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHot on the heels of Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday as usual, Monica celebrates a big birthday\nherself. The cake might not be very big, but she\u0026rsquo;s gotten at least 3 birthday\ncakes today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few very nice gifts from her best friends.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few special faces on her special day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081105_bday/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think she likes her presents. Of course a big trip to Europe, or a new car to\ngo with her new license would have been nice.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"Gabe and I are off for some fishing today, and I finally get my first close up view of a whale. A few of them were in about 50 feet of water just outside the harbor entrance. Gabe gets credit for first spotting them. I thought it was some dolphin at first, but then one kicked up it\u0026rsquo;s tail. It was really tough getting a photo, but this is the best I could do. Take my word for it, they were amazing.\nA few small rockfish round out the day. It was a little rough in the morning, but by afternoon it was really nice. Of course it\u0026rsquo;s always nice being out on the Monterey Bay.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081018_whale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are off for some fishing today, and I finally get my first close up\nview of a whale. A few of them were in about 50 feet of water just outside the\nharbor entrance. Gabe gets credit for first spotting them. I thought it was\nsome dolphin at first, but then one kicked up it\u0026rsquo;s tail. It was really tough\ngetting a photo, but this is the best I could do. Take my word for it, they\nwere amazing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"There she blows!"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a big birthday for Nick. Eighteen years old means he can vote (go Obama!), still can\u0026rsquo;t drink, and goes to college next year. That special, happy, good boy is still in there.\nWhat a nice cake!\nGrandma Phoebe is here for his birthday and that makes it that much more special. I even managed to get one of those rare moments giving Gabe a hug.\nGabe and I collided and he nearly gave me a black eye. I can\u0026rsquo;t explain the problem with Nick\u0026rsquo;s eyes. And a nice hug for Gracie too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081010_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a big birthday for Nick. Eighteen years old means he can vote (go Obama!),\nstill can\u0026rsquo;t drink, and goes to college next year. That special, happy, good\nboy is still in there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat a nice cake!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandma Phoebe is here for his birthday and that makes it that much more\nspecial. I even managed to get one of those rare moments giving Gabe a hug.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_bday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and I collided and he nearly gave me a black eye. I can\u0026rsquo;t explain the\nproblem with Nick\u0026rsquo;s eyes. And a nice hug for Gracie too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s a rare glimpse for me into a day for Nick and Monica at school. Sounds like Nick had a bit of a surprise when his usual area to hang out was converted into birthday party central. Looks like Nick\u0026rsquo;s enjoying himself.\nLots of great gifts and cakes for everyone to share. A few of the gifts were pretty funny.\nThere was even a flag to mark the spot for those that didn\u0026rsquo;t know today was Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday.\nThe sparkler candles on the cake didn\u0026rsquo;t work out so well.\nBut the cakes tasted just as good.\nEvery birthday party in California has to have a pinata. The duct tape blindfold is a little unusual though.\nMonica and her friends head back to class.\nThanks to all of Nick\u0026rsquo;s friends for making his birthday a little more fun than the usual day at high school.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s a rare glimpse for me into a day for Nick and Monica at school. Sounds\nlike Nick had a bit of a surprise when his usual area to hang out was\nconverted into birthday party central. Looks like Nick\u0026rsquo;s enjoying himself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLots of great gifts and cakes for everyone to share. A few of the gifts were\npretty funny.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20081010_svhsbday/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was even a flag to mark the spot for those that didn\u0026rsquo;t know today was\nNick\u0026rsquo;s birthday.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday party at school"},{"content":"When you\u0026rsquo;re a standard poodle living in Santa Cruz, you\u0026rsquo;ve got to have that Santa Cruz style. A little help from Gabe and she\u0026rsquo;s looking hot.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s so nice that Gabe has a little sister he can play with.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhen you\u0026rsquo;re a standard poodle living in Santa Cruz, you\u0026rsquo;ve got to have that\nSanta Cruz style. A little help from Gabe and she\u0026rsquo;s looking hot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s so nice that Gabe has a little sister he can play with.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080919_skaterdog/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie the skater dog"},{"content":"The Santa Cruz upper harbor has been pretty deserted lately with the lack of salmon fishing and high gas prices. Just the thing for this local to finally get a chance to keep my boat in the water. This sure is a million times more convenient. She looks very nice in her new slip. Can you spot her from up on the hill?\nThough Gabe is much happier now that we\u0026rsquo;re taking out the boat much more frequently, we\u0026rsquo;re not catching any bigger fish. It\u0026rsquo;s still a load of fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080906_nemo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Santa Cruz upper harbor has been pretty deserted lately with the lack of\nsalmon fishing and high gas prices. Just the thing for this local to finally\nget a chance to keep my boat in the water. This sure is a million times more\nconvenient. She looks very nice in her new slip. Can you spot her from up on\nthe hill?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080906_nemo/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080906_nemo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080906_nemo/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough Gabe is much happier now that we\u0026rsquo;re taking out the boat much more\nfrequently, we\u0026rsquo;re not catching any bigger fish. It\u0026rsquo;s still a load of fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nemo in Santa Cruz harbor"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful morning on Laurel Lake on the second day of our backpacking trip to Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite. There\u0026rsquo;s no one else around except the yellow jackets buzzing around the tent. I\u0026rsquo;m definitely sore from yesterday\u0026rsquo;s effort, but I feel a whole lot better after the rest. It certainly would have been even better if I actually fell asleep.\nAfter a great breakfast, Gabe spots a black bear walking along the edge of our campsite. I throw the last bits of food back into the bear canister, then throw Gabe and the packs in the tent and give the bear some room. My \u0026ldquo;Hey Bear\u0026rdquo; calls keep him from being surprised, but clearly he\u0026rsquo;s done this thing before. Sneaky bear thought he would surprise us during breakfast and get a nice meal. I can tell he\u0026rsquo;s seen a bear can before as he just gives it a lick and then walks on. His next step is to approach me and the tent, likely to try his next strategy of going through our packs. I stand my ground and he finally backs off and continues around the lake.\nUnfortunately the bear incident is traumatic enough for Gabe that he lets me know it\u0026rsquo;s time to head home. We were planning on heading out to Lake Vernon today, then spend the next two days heading back through Tiltill Valley. I can\u0026rsquo;t really argue with the guy, it was his first taste of real fear. There\u0026rsquo;s no control of situations out in the wild. Let\u0026rsquo;s chalk this up as a learning experience. It\u0026rsquo;s a long way back down in the heat, but at least it\u0026rsquo;s all downhill from here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful morning on Laurel Lake on the second day of our backpacking\ntrip to Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite. There\u0026rsquo;s no one else around except the yellow\njackets buzzing around the tent. I\u0026rsquo;m definitely sore from yesterday\u0026rsquo;s effort,\nbut I feel a whole lot better after the rest. It certainly would have been\neven better if I actually fell asleep.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080815_hetchy/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a great breakfast, Gabe spots a black bear walking along the edge of our\ncampsite. I throw the last bits of food back into the bear canister, then\nthrow Gabe and the packs in the tent and give the bear some room. My \u0026ldquo;Hey\nBear\u0026rdquo; calls keep him from being surprised, but clearly he\u0026rsquo;s done this thing\nbefore. Sneaky bear thought he would surprise us during breakfast and get a\nnice meal. I can tell he\u0026rsquo;s seen a bear can before as he just gives it a lick\nand then walks on. His next step is to approach me and the tent, likely to try\nhis next strategy of going through our packs. I stand my ground and he finally\nbacks off and continues around the lake.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Hetch Hetchy with Gabe"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since Gabe and I did a backpacking trip together. School will be starting soon so there\u0026rsquo;s no better time than the present. Backpacking permits for the less traveled parts of Yosemite are easy to get, so we\u0026rsquo;re off to Hetch Hetchy. It\u0026rsquo;s an area I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to visit, though doing it in August will be much hotter than I like. Gabe and I leave the house very early in hopes of getting on trail before it gets too hot. We\u0026rsquo;re loaded up and on our way.\nWhat a fantastic looking valley. It\u0026rsquo;s amazing how much it looks like a smaller version of the Yosemite Valley. First step is crossing the dam.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s through the tunnel. This is the coolest portion of the hike, though I\u0026rsquo;m hoping for some decent shade on the way up.\nGoing up is quite the understatement. It\u0026rsquo;s a huge amount of work hiking up endless long switchbacks that climb out of the valley. Every bit of shade is at least a short break from the sun. The views are pretty remarkable in the glimpses I get through the sweat pouring off my forehead.\nGabe is such a trooper hanging in their so well. I feel your pain.\nI thought the top of the switchbacks would be the worst of the climbing, but it turns out the whole hike is pretty much uphill. At least we got a change of scenery once we crested. I can definitely understand why fires happen up here. We started hiking around 10am and setup camp, ate, then crawled into the tent just as it was getting dark. The first day was probably around 9 miles and 3000 feet of climbing out to Laurel Lake. That had to be one of the hardest hikes ever.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080814_hetchy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since Gabe and I did a backpacking trip together. School\nwill be starting soon so there\u0026rsquo;s no better time than the present. Backpacking\npermits for the less traveled parts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e are easy to get, so\nwe\u0026rsquo;re off to Hetch Hetchy. It\u0026rsquo;s an area I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to visit, though\ndoing it in August will be much hotter than I like. Gabe and I leave the house\nvery early in hopes of getting on trail before it gets too hot. We\u0026rsquo;re loaded\nup and on our way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Hetch Hetchy with Gabe"},{"content":"Our first day on the coast included a couple of very nice hikes. Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading south along the coast towards Ano Neuvo. Looks like we\u0026rsquo;ll be able to hike the whole way on the beach!\nUnfortunately when we finally got to this rock outcropping, a number of posted signs warned us not to enter. I was really looking forward to walking all the way to the point across from the island.\nA friendly seagull let me take his picture.\nNormally I don\u0026rsquo;t like when people pile rocks, but I do have to admit that this display was very tasteful.\nA vulture circled us for a while.\nIt was fun to see the trees close up that we had seen yesterday from such a distance.\nThis Northern Harrier wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to let me get close enough for a good photo. Looks like a 400mm lens might be in my future.\nWe decided to walk back along the cliff above the beach.\nThis little cove had the most amazing windswept sandstone features.\nAnd a very nice assortment of wildlife including these birds and harbor seals.\nLooks like this will be the best view of the island we\u0026rsquo;ll be getting on this trip.\nThe beaches along the northern coast of Santa Cruz are all pretty spectacular. This one was long some high cliffs on our drive home. Now that was a nice way to spend a couple of days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur first day on the coast included a couple of very nice hikes. Today we\u0026rsquo;re\nheading south along the coast towards Ano Neuvo. Looks like we\u0026rsquo;ll be able to\nhike the whole way on the beach!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080807_costanoa/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately when we finally got to this rock outcropping, a number of posted\nsigns warned us not to enter. I was really looking forward to walking all the\nway to the point across from the island.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Costanoa on the coast with Charlotte"},{"content":"I was thinking that a night on the coast with my most excellent wife would be a nice time, especially sinceI haven\u0026rsquo;t seen her for some time while she was driving back from Michigan. I\u0026rsquo;ve wanted to stay at Costanoa since it\u0026rsquo;s across the road from my favorite beach. First stop is over at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero.\nThere are two nice hiking loops from the hotel. The first one goes up into the hills with some great views of the ocean. I really liked the chairs at the top of the hill.\nBack at the hotel we find a really big chess set. We need to stop by here sometime with Gabe so we can have a match.\nThe next loop is down to our favorite beach at Franklin Point. The dunes are just totally awesome.\nWe then work our way along the cliffs and the shoreline.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a pretty nice view out to the island at Ano Nuevo. Tomorrow morning I think we\u0026rsquo;ll head down that way.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s back across the fields to the hotel. A very nice breezy way to spend the afternoon. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to relaxing at the hotel with Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was thinking that a night on the coast with my most excellent wife would be a\nnice time, especially sinceI haven\u0026rsquo;t seen her for some time while she was\ndriving back from Michigan. I\u0026rsquo;ve wanted to stay at \u003ca href=\"https://www.costanoa.com\"\u003eCostanoa\u003c/a\u003e since it\u0026rsquo;s\nacross the road from my favorite beach. First stop is over at the Pigeon Point\nLighthouse in Pescadero.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080806_costanoa/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are two nice hiking loops from the hotel. The first one goes up into the\nhills with some great views of the ocean. I really liked the chairs at the top\nof the hill.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Costanoa on the coast with Charlotte"},{"content":"One more long day of driving for everyone. The last stop of the trip is the Salt Flats in Utah. Gracie was really freaked out by it. Makes me want to hop in a really fast car and just go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne more long day of driving for everyone. The last stop of the trip is the\nSalt Flats in Utah. Gracie was really freaked out by it. Makes me want to hop\nin a really fast car and just go.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080802_saltflats/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to California - Salt Flats"},{"content":"There are still plenty of elk hanging out in Estes Park this morning over by the Stanley Hotel. Monica has been looking forward to visiting the hotel given her love of dark horror stories.\nThe area around Gem Lake is as beautiful as I remember from our days in Boulder.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s the drive on Trail Ridge Road intoRocky Mountain National Park. Now that\u0026rsquo;s a great road!\nCharlotte was looking forward to some hiking in the area, but the kids are in a rush to head home. Looks like the short walk to the observation area is going to be the extent of the hiking.\nA herd of elk say goodbye as our travelers head out of the park and continue their westward trek home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere are still plenty of elk hanging out in Estes Park this morning over by\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://www.stanleyhotel.com\"\u003eStanley Hotel\u003c/a\u003e. Monica has been looking\nforward to visiting the hotel given her love of dark horror stories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe area around Gem Lake is as beautiful as I remember from our days in\nBoulder.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s the drive on Trail Ridge Road into\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/romo/\"\u003eRocky Mountain National Park\u003c/a\u003e.\nNow that\u0026rsquo;s a great road!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080801_rockymtn/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte was looking forward to some hiking in the area, but the kids are in a\nrush to head home. Looks like the short walk to the observation area is going\nto be the extent of the hiking.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to California - Rocky Mountain National Park"},{"content":"No great photos to show off. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Charlotte was dead tired from another long day of driving and was just looking forward to heading off to bed.\nThe elk just wander the streets in this town.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo great photos to show off. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Charlotte was dead tired from another\nlong day of driving and was just looking forward to heading off to bed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe elk just wander the streets in this town.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080731_estespark/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to California - Estes Park"},{"content":"Charlotte, Nick, Monica, and Gracie are back on the road again. Today they left Bootjack very early in the morning and plan to make a few visits, and do a whole lot of miles. Some very pretty waterfalls along the way.\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to stopping in Madison to visit her sister Karen at her house for the very first time.\nNext stop is a visit with her friend Kim in Iowa.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Nick, Monica, and Gracie are back on the road again. Today they left\nBootjack very early in the morning and plan to make a few visits, and do a\nwhole lot of miles. Some very pretty waterfalls along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to stopping in Madison to visit her sister\nKaren at her house for the very first time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080730_karenkim/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop is a visit with her friend Kim in Iowa.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to California - Visiting Karen, Kim"},{"content":"Looks like it might be a two mile swim across the lake to catch that barge, and it\u0026rsquo;s moving pretty fast. I think Gracie would be willing to make a run of it if we\u0026rsquo;ll just open that porch door.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080729_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like it might be a two mile swim across the lake to catch that barge, and\nit\u0026rsquo;s moving pretty fast. I think Gracie would be willing to make a run of it\nif we\u0026rsquo;ll just open that porch door.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080729_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080729_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080729_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie wants to chase barges"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m on my own back in California while Charlotte and the kids head out to Lake Superior via the south entry.\nCharlotte and Gabe had talked about visiting the cliffs across from the lighthouse along the west side of the entry. Looks like it was well worth the trip.\nThe lake gets really shallow over there.\nEagles, boats, cool trees and houses on this side of the lake also.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the lighthouse.\nGabe and Zach get in a little fishing, hoping for a big one.\nA few nice shots of the family.\nLooks like they had motor trouble on the pontoon boat and had to tow it back home with George\u0026rsquo;s boat. Now that looks like a real pain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m on my own back in California while Charlotte and the kids head out to Lake\nSuperior via the south entry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Gabe had talked about visiting the cliffs across from the\nlighthouse along the west side of the entry. Looks like it was well worth the\ntrip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lake gets really shallow over there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080728_bootjack/32.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEagles, boats, cool trees and houses on this side of the lake also.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pontoon trip to Jacobsville with George"},{"content":"Just a few random photos after I left for California. Nick really liked that army jacket, while George kept snapping photos, and Gabe does some fishing with Zach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080727_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust a few random photos after I left for California. Nick really liked that\narmy jacket, while George kept snapping photos, and Gabe does some fishing\nwith Zach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080727_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080727_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day in Bootjack"},{"content":"Every summer we head out for a road trip to Copper Harbor. This year Caroline is along for the ride. We decided to go up the long side of Brockway Mountain and then down into Copper Harbor.\nMonica then took us on another MTU inspired hike out to Hunter\u0026rsquo;s Point. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice easy walk out to the harbor entrance.\nThe beach is covered with a ridiculous number of rocks.\nCharlotte tries to cross the channel to the island, but then changes her mind once she\u0026rsquo;s out on the slippery rocks.\nAnd the rest of the hike is also nice and easy. Good thing since all I brought where my sandals.\nBack home Gabe helps Doug with a nice pike he just caught. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to have Zach here for a few days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery summer we head out for a road trip to Copper Harbor. This year Caroline\nis along for the ride. We decided to go up the long side of Brockway Mountain\nand then down into Copper Harbor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica then took us on another MTU inspired hike out to Hunter\u0026rsquo;s Point. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nnice easy walk out to the harbor entrance.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080726_copperharbor/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beach is covered with a ridiculous number of rocks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our annual trip to Copper Harbor"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re driving all over the Keewenaw with any of the family that wants to join in. First stop is over at Calumet Waterworks.\nMonica visited Cliff Cemetery last week as part of her MTU class. Today she\u0026rsquo;s showing us around this very cool place.\nAfter a great lunch at The Hut, we head over to the rock shop. George and Caroline have never been here, and it\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to see some very nice agates.\nAfter heading home, the whole family heads over to the Dreamland for dinner. Friday night dinner is a real Bootjack tradition.\nThe happy couple out on the dock.\nAn awesome storm front just skirted the edge of camp. George and I waited patiently in an attempt to capture a lightning photo to no avail.\nThough it did result in a couple of nice shots with the storm in the background.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re driving all over the Keewenaw with any of the family that wants to\njoin in. First stop is over at Calumet Waterworks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica visited Cliff Cemetery last week as part of her MTU class. Today she\u0026rsquo;s\nshowing us around this very cool place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080725_cliffcemetery/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a great lunch at \u003ca href=\"https://www.hutinn.com\"\u003eThe Hut\u003c/a\u003e, we head over to the\nrock shop. George and Caroline have never been here, and it\u0026rsquo;s a great chance\nto see some very nice agates.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cliff cemetery, Dreamland, and storms in the Keewenaw"},{"content":"Today the kids are being entertained on Rose\u0026rsquo;s dock. Charlie is demonstrating his special seagull feeding technique. That bread is awfully tasty.\nLater that evening Charlotte sneaks a few shots of the kids hanging out at the bonfire. It\u0026rsquo;s a common ritual up here in Bootjack.\nLate night fishing is also a regular thing with Gabe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday the kids are being entertained on Rose\u0026rsquo;s dock. Charlie is demonstrating\nhis special seagull feeding technique. That bread is awfully tasty.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater that evening Charlotte sneaks a few shots of the kids hanging out at the\nbonfire. It\u0026rsquo;s a common ritual up here in Bootjack.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLate night fishing is also a regular thing with Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080724_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack fun with the kids"},{"content":"One of the prettiest places I like to go with the family is the cliffs in Jacobsville. The old lighthouse is up for sale again, and it looks like it needs some paint as well.\nIt isn\u0026rsquo;t quite as spectacular as Pictured Rocks, but it works for me.\nToday we\u0026rsquo;ll be looking for a good place to pull into shore.\nOf course Gabe is looking to squeeze in a little fishing as well.\nYes that is a bottle on Gracie\u0026rsquo;s tail. Monica loves to torture her dog.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve spotted a nice beach, but it\u0026rsquo; a little tricky to navigate the shallows and the rocks.\nThis beach really is a great find.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll need to come back here again next year.\nCharlotte finally gets a photo of the barn she loves so much.\nAnd our bald eagle neighbor.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080723_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the prettiest places I like to go with the family is the cliffs in\nJacobsville. The old lighthouse is up for sale again, and it looks like it\nneeds some paint as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt isn\u0026rsquo;t quite as spectacular as Pictured Rocks, but it works for me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;ll be looking for a good place to pull into shore.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080723_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course Gabe is looking to squeeze in a little fishing as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Family boat trip to Lake Superior"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re headed over to Chassell since Gabe is convinced there\u0026rsquo;s a big pike just waiting for him. I really liked the look of that old building out on the lake, and Charlotte loves watching the eagles and herons go by.\nThis certainly doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like the big pike Gabe was going for. It is awfully cute.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re headed over to Chassell since Gabe is convinced there\u0026rsquo;s a big pike\njust waiting for him. I really liked the look of that old building out on the\nlake, and Charlotte loves watching the eagles and herons go by.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis certainly doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like the big pike Gabe was going for. It is awfully\ncute.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080722_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A tiny pike in Chassell"},{"content":"After checking out the waterfalls in Munising, Charlotte and Monica head over the Pictured Rocks. The sights are very nice from the shore, but our intrepid duo are going all out and taking the boat tour.\nLooks a little cold out on the lake.\nBig sandy cliffs beckon to the girls.\nThe view of Miners Castle from the water is well worth it.\nMore pretty cliff views.\nAnother tour boat on their way back.\nWhat a surprise, more pretty cliffs.\nAnd then just around the corner, a whole bunch more. The view of Petit Portal isn\u0026rsquo;t great with all the fog.\nThis carved out little nook looks pretty cool.\nFollowed by a view of Chapel Rock. That tree looks like it\u0026rsquo;s holding on for dear life.\nMore cliffs, I didn\u0026rsquo;t see that coming.\nThe Grand Island East Channel lighthouse is a distinctive wooden lighthouse. And that brings our tour to an end.\nOne last waterfall stop at Munising Falls before heading back home.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also a great chance to swing by and visit Marquette. Charlotte has some great memories of swimming out to this little island when she was going to college.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter checking out the waterfalls in Munising, Charlotte and Monica head over\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/piro/\"\u003ePictured Rocks\u003c/a\u003e. The sights are very nice from\nthe shore, but our intrepid duo are going all out and taking the boat tour.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks a little cold out on the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBig sandy cliffs beckon to the girls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe view of Miners Castle from the water is well worth it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_picturedrocks/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore pretty cliff views.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pictured Rocks tour"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica are off for a private adventure today without the boys. They\u0026rsquo;re driving down to Pictured Rocks in Munising on Lake Superior. On the way, they did their own little waterfall tour. First stop is Horseshoe Falls.\nJust a short way down the road was Alger Falls. Not much to see here.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to Wagner Falls. Charlotte enjoyed the nice little trail, and the falls weren\u0026rsquo;t too bad either.\nThe last stop before Pictured Rocks was Miners Falls. Looks like a pretty drive up to the top of the falls.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica are off for a private adventure today without the boys.\nThey\u0026rsquo;re driving down to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/piro/\"\u003ePictured Rocks\u003c/a\u003e in\nMunising on Lake Superior. On the way, they did their own little waterfall\ntour. First stop is Horseshoe Falls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust a short way down the road was Alger Falls. Not much to see here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080721_waterfalls/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to Wagner Falls. Charlotte enjoyed the nice little trail, and the\nfalls weren\u0026rsquo;t too bad either.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Waterfalls of Munising"},{"content":"Today the Multers and the Peysers are off to the mouth of the Gratiot River for some agate picking and some lunch. Nick has some fun building a small dam. It\u0026rsquo;s a man thing.\nThe tailgate is also a good place to hang out.\nWhile the rest of us start looking for that needle in a haystack.\nGood thing Charlotte brought the marshmallows.\nWe make a quick stop at the Eagle River dam and bridge.\nI love Nick and Gabe\u0026rsquo;s expressions!\nWe spot some cool birds and elk on the way home through Copper City.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday the Multers and the Peysers are off to the mouth of the Gratiot River for\nsome agate picking and some lunch. Nick has some fun building a small dam.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a man thing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tailgate is also a good place to hang out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the rest of us start looking for that needle in a haystack.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood thing Charlotte brought the marshmallows.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080720_gratiot/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe make a quick stop at the Eagle River dam and bridge.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch at the Gratiot with a stop at Eagle River"},{"content":"Not much to show for today other than a little action out on Portage Lake. We spotted this rare, big, and beautiful sailing ship off in the distance. One of the Peysers enjoying the jet ski is a much more usual sight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080718_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot much to show for today other than a little action out on Portage Lake. We\nspotted this rare, big, and beautiful sailing ship off in the distance. One of\nthe Peysers enjoying the jet ski is a much more usual sight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080718_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day in Bootjack"},{"content":"Our friendly neighborhood bald eagle is perched in his usual spot. He\u0026rsquo;s always worth visiting whenever we head out fishing past the point.\nAnother nice bass for Gabe, even if he\u0026rsquo;s just over the limit. The fish looks good with a pink tennis ball in his mouth.\nNot the best photo of a woodpecker, but they are fun to see.\nWe squeeze in some lunch over in Houghton, so of course Gabe can\u0026rsquo;t resist a little fishing. Only the very biggest, and very smallest fish can make you so happy. Fish on a fingertip is trademarked by Multer.com.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur friendly neighborhood bald eagle is perched in his usual spot. He\u0026rsquo;s always\nworth visiting whenever we head out fishing past the point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother nice bass for Gabe, even if he\u0026rsquo;s just over the limit. The fish looks\ngood with a pink tennis ball in his mouth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot the best photo of a woodpecker, but they are fun to see.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080717_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe squeeze in some lunch over in Houghton, so of course Gabe can\u0026rsquo;t resist a\nlittle fishing. Only the very biggest, and very smallest fish can make you so\nhappy. Fish on a fingertip is trademarked by Multer.com.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day of fishing for Gabe"},{"content":"Charlotte, Gabe, and I are off to the south entry to see if we can find any monster fish. We\u0026rsquo;ve caught a number of big fish here in the past, and I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to exploring the area more fully.\nGabe looks hopeful.\nWhile a bald eagle keeps us company. Unfortunately for him, some other birds didn\u0026rsquo;t like his company and drove him off.\nAnd look who we happen to run into out here, Valri and Doug.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re heading home with no fish today. Man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Gabe, and I are off to the south entry to see if we can find any\nmonster fish. We\u0026rsquo;ve caught a number of big fish here in the past, and I\u0026rsquo;m\nlooking forward to exploring the area more fully.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe looks hopeful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile a bald eagle keeps us company. Unfortunately for him, some other birds\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t like his company and drove him off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080716_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd look who we happen to run into out here, Valri and Doug.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing at Portage south entry"},{"content":"Gabe lands another really nice fish. He\u0026rsquo;s so very proud of his latest catch.\nLater that day, Gabe and Doug head out for some fishing over the barge. Unfortunately they dropped the anchor a little too close. Looks like someone needs to jump in and get it.\nThis family of ducks is enjoying the day.\nSuccess finds our intrepid fisherman heading back home.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s fun watching them drag the aluminum boat up onto the shore.\nA nice sailboat happens to be going by.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe lands another really nice fish. He\u0026rsquo;s so very proud of his latest catch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater that day, Gabe and Doug head out for some fishing over the barge.\nUnfortunately they dropped the anchor a little too close. Looks like someone\nneeds to jump in and get it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis family of ducks is enjoying the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuccess finds our intrepid fisherman heading back home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080715_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s fun watching them drag the aluminum boat up onto the shore.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe catches a big smallmouth bass"},{"content":"Monica and Nick are each taking a week long class over atMichigan Tech. Nick is taking a forensics class, while Monica is taking creative writing. First we have to get them registered and make sure they know their way around.\nBack at home, Gabe does some fishing on the pond with a million mosquitoes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica and Nick are each taking a week long class over at\u003ca href=\"https://www.mtu.edu\"\u003eMichigan Tech\u003c/a\u003e.\nNick is taking a forensics class, while Monica is taking creative writing.\nFirst we have to get them registered and make sure they know their way\naround.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at home, Gabe does some fishing on the pond with a million mosquitoes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080714_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Michigan Tech and fishing on the pond"},{"content":"The kids always have a great time in the water at Jacobsville. Monica can never get enough of the clear, cold water in Lake Superior. Gracie enjoys her two favorite pastimes, fetching and going in the lake.\nThe pier makes for a dramatic photo showing the difference between Portage Lake and Lake Superior.\nWhat a great spot.\nGabe and Doug enjoy themselves making perfect sand balls. I manage to catch a cool shot of Doug in the act of an attempted catch.\nGabe and Doug are so much fun to watch at a distance. The sand ball manufacturing process is in full swing.\nAnother great day in Bootjack.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe kids always have a great time in the water at Jacobsville. Monica can never\nget enough of the clear, cold water in Lake Superior. Gracie enjoys her two\nfavorite pastimes, fetching and going in the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pier makes for a dramatic photo showing the difference between Portage Lake\nand Lake Superior.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat a great spot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080712_jacobsville/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug enjoy themselves making perfect sand balls. I manage to catch a\ncool shot of Doug in the act of an attempted catch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun in Jacobsville"},{"content":"Everyone didn\u0026rsquo;t show up for our group photo session, but Valri, Karen, Gordon\u0026rsquo;s family, and our family made it. Those Peyser boys can be tough to wrangle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080711_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEveryone didn\u0026rsquo;t show up for our group photo session, but Valri, Karen, Gordon\u0026rsquo;s\nfamily, and our family made it. Those Peyser boys can be tough to wrangle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080711_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080711_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080711_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack family photos"},{"content":"Every year we like to visit Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s grandmother over at Lakeview Cemetery. It\u0026rsquo;s also a good chance to finally get some photos of family headstones for adding to our genealogy data.\nThe next stop for today is Calumet Waterworks and some rock picking. Crazy Gabe walks around in his socks since he doesn\u0026rsquo;t have any water shoes. The rocks are very painful to walk on, as his great expressions shows. Charlotte seems to be having a good time as well.\nSomething about this rock and those plants caught my eye.\nNick is the man.\nWe found quite a few nice agates on this trip.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll be coming back here again soon.\nBack at camp we\u0026rsquo;re having a family dinner with everyone. Lots of hungry kids and plenty of great food.\nLooks like the usual fishing group is coordinating a trip.\nCharlotte spotted a barge heading across the lake.\nThe pontoon boat is loaded up, and they\u0026rsquo;re off.\nKaren opts for a more relaxing approach to enjoying the lake on her kayak.\nWhile the few that remain take a more land-based approach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery year we like to visit Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s grandmother over at Lakeview Cemetery.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also a good chance to finally get some photos of family headstones for\nadding to our genealogy data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080709_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe next stop for today is Calumet Waterworks and some rock picking. Crazy Gabe\nwalks around in his socks since he doesn\u0026rsquo;t have any water shoes. The rocks are\nvery painful to walk on, as his great expressions shows. Charlotte seems to be\nhaving a good time as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cemeteries, agates, dinner, and a boat ride"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a lot of working out going on up in Bootjack this year. Nick and Chris have been sparring, and I guess its brought out the competitive spirit. The sprinters line up and they\u0026rsquo;re off! I love the way Nick runs with the guys until the end smiling and looking around.\nThe second heat is a chance for Gordon to show his real speed. Seems he has to take his shoes off to really get moving.\nMeanwhile Gabe and I take a much more relaxed time piling rocks and chilling in the kayak. Gracie has so much fun chasing rocks. She\u0026rsquo;s nice company.\nA new ritual at camp is the daily refueling of all the tanks. There\u0026rsquo;s a really long list of gas-powered toys everyone uses. Gordon keeps an eye on the process.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a lot of working out going on up in Bootjack this year. Nick and Chris\nhave been sparring, and I guess its brought out the competitive spirit. The\nsprinters line up and they\u0026rsquo;re off! I love the way Nick runs with the guys\nuntil the end smiling and looking around.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080707_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second heat is a chance for Gordon to show his real speed. Seems he has to\ntake his shoes off to really get moving.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Running and relaxing in Bootjack"},{"content":"A little blue heron and fishing action down at the dock this morning. Gracie seems intrigued by the rock bass.\nWe all head down to Ishpeming to visit Scott, Bridget, and Annabel for the day. It isn\u0026rsquo;t too far from Bootjack and it\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since we\u0026rsquo;ve seen them. Lunch and playtime keep everyone entertained. I\u0026rsquo;m glad they liked the pretzel necklace idea.\nThe adults catch up out on the deck, while the kids and Gracie enjoy running around by the lake. We went for a nice walk in the woods. Gabe squeezed in some more fishing time on another lake with Bridget\u0026rsquo;s brother.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA little blue heron and fishing action down at the dock this morning. Gracie\nseems intrigued by the rock bass.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe all head down to Ishpeming to visit Scott, Bridget, and Annabel for the day.\nIt isn\u0026rsquo;t too far from Bootjack and it\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since we\u0026rsquo;ve seen\nthem. Lunch and playtime keep everyone entertained. I\u0026rsquo;m glad they liked the\npretzel necklace idea.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080705_ishpeming/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adults catch up out on the deck, while the kids and Gracie enjoy running\naround by the lake. We went for a nice walk in the woods. Gabe squeezed in\nsome more fishing time on another lake with Bridget\u0026rsquo;s brother.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Scott and the family in Ishpeming"},{"content":"The fish aren\u0026rsquo;t biting great this year, but Gabe finally caught a nice 26.5 inch 4 pound walleye. Charlie passes on the great fish cleaning and filleting secrets. Gabe is the new go-to guy for cleaning fish.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080702_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe fish aren\u0026rsquo;t biting great this year, but Gabe finally caught a nice 26.5\ninch 4 pound walleye. Charlie passes on the great fish cleaning and filleting\nsecrets. Gabe is the new go-to guy for cleaning fish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080702_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080702_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A big walleye for Gabe"},{"content":"here\u0026rsquo;s always pair of nesting bald eagles just down the lake. You can expect quite a few photos this year of the eagles as they always seem ready to pose for a shot.\nA few of the typical Bootjack suspects, and one new dog. Gracie is really enjoying the place. She\u0026rsquo;s quite the lake dog now.\nGabe and Monica just got their boating license, so there are a lot of fishing trips out on the aluminum boat this year. The pilings out by the Sturgeon River mouth usually has some nice fish, and sometimes a few ducks floating by.\nA military band provides some entertainment for the crew while visiting Calumet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ehere\u0026rsquo;s always pair of nesting bald eagles just down the lake. You can expect\nquite a few photos this year of the eagles as they always seem ready to pose\nfor a shot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few of the typical Bootjack suspects, and one new dog. Gracie is really\nenjoying the place. She\u0026rsquo;s quite the lake dog now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080630_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Monica just got their boating license, so there are a lot of fishing\ntrips out on the aluminum boat this year. The pilings out by the Sturgeon\nRiver mouth usually has some nice fish, and sometimes a few ducks floating\nby.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Eagles, fishing, and the Army Band"},{"content":"Gabe always has the biggest smile with either a big fish, or a nice toad of any size. The small ones are tony toads, medium are two ton toads, and the big guys are ten ton toads. Welcome to the Bootjack family Mr. Toad.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080629_toad/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe always has the biggest smile with either a big fish, or a nice toad of any\nsize. The small ones are tony toads, medium are two ton toads, and the big\nguys are ten ton toads. Welcome to the Bootjack family Mr. Toad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080629_toad/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080629_toad/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080629_toad/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080629_toad/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Two ton toad"},{"content":"A few buffalo in the morning before leaving South Dakota.\nNot a lot to see in Minnesota. I guess the crew is getting anxious to finally get to Michigan.\nA quick stop in Ashland, Wisconsin just past the Apostle Islands.\nA good chance for Gracie to stretch her legs. Looks like a little ear stretching was going on also.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few buffalo in the morning before leaving South Dakota.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot a lot to see in Minnesota. I guess the crew is getting anxious to finally\nget to Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA quick stop in Ashland, Wisconsin just past the Apostle Islands.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA good chance for Gracie to stretch her legs. Looks like a little ear\nstretching was going on also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080622_wisconsin/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to Michigan - Buffalo, Minnesota, Wisconsin"},{"content":"Our travelers next stop is Devils Tower in Wyoming. Somehow I suspect the photo loses some of the imposing presence of the real thing. I can\u0026rsquo;t help but hear those sequence of tones before a close encounter.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s one doggy whose logged a few miles.\nNick really enjoyed the prairie dogs. Especially the barking guy spreading out in front of his hole.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to visit a few old presidents that actually made people proud over at Mount Rushmore.\nLooks like a fun place to hang out. I\u0026rsquo;m sure everyone is getting a little worn out from all the driving.\nThey should totally have one of those cardboard cutouts where you can take a photo with your face added to the lineup.\nIs that a mountain goat over there?\nSouth Dakota has one more spectacular site to offer on this road trip. Other than Grand Teton, I think the Badlands were Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur travelers next stop is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/deto/\"\u003eDevils Tower\u003c/a\u003e in\nWyoming. Somehow I suspect the photo loses some of the imposing presence of\nthe real thing. I can\u0026rsquo;t help but hear those sequence of tones before a close\nencounter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s one doggy whose logged a few miles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick really enjoyed the prairie dogs. Especially the barking guy spreading out\nin front of his hole.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080621_rushmore/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to visit a few old presidents that actually made people proud\nover at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/moru/\"\u003eMount Rushmore\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to Michigan - Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Badlands"},{"content":"The next stop is one of my favorite areas, Grand Teton national park. It was quite a few years ago when Charlotte, Lynn, and I went backpacking up in these mountains. They\u0026rsquo;re still just as amazing as I remember, though these recent photos do a much better job of capturing just how beautiful it really is. One of these days I need to head back there with Charlotte.\nIs that a moose I see?\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Yellowstone. Charlotte was mostly amazed by the crazy crowds sitting around waiting for Old Faithful to blow.\nAnd there she blows.\nNothing left to see here, everyone please move along.\nDefinitely moose. Though I like the sounds of mooses better.\nThe historic old trail town in Cody was very interesting. A few famous names have passed through this place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe next stop is one of my favorite areas, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/grte/\"\u003eGrand Teton\u003c/a\u003e national park.\nIt was quite a few years ago when Charlotte, Lynn, and I went backpacking up in\nthese mountains. They\u0026rsquo;re still just as amazing as I remember, though these\nrecent photos do a much better job of capturing just how beautiful it really\nis. One of these days I need to head back there with Charlotte.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080620_yellowstone/37.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs that a moose I see?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to Michigan - Yellowstone and Grand Teton"},{"content":"Charlotte, Nick, Monica, and our dog Gracie are taking the long road to Michigan this year. Gabe already flew there with his aunt Val and some of his cousins, and I\u0026rsquo;ll be flying out to join them in a couple of weeks. Charlotte thought a nice road trip would make for a chance to take the dog and to visit some great sites along the way. First stop is Twin Falls, Idaho and the site of Evel Knievel\u0026rsquo;s famous Snake River jump site.\nA nice shot of some elk on a nearby ridge. We\u0026rsquo;ll be seeing quite a few more elk in the coming days.\nNearby Shoshone Falls is a spectacular sight.\nCharlotte was not impressed by [Craters of the Moon] (https://www.nps.gov/crmo/). Maybe they need a campy lunar lander to bring in the crowds.\nA long day of driving ends at Jackson Hole. Tomorrow there will be a lot to see.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080619_shoshone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Nick, Monica, and our dog Gracie are taking the long road to\nMichigan this year. Gabe already flew there with his aunt Val and some of his\ncousins, and I\u0026rsquo;ll be flying out to join them in a couple of weeks. Charlotte\nthought a nice road trip would make for a chance to take the dog and to visit\nsome great sites along the way. First stop is Twin Falls, Idaho and the site\nof \u003ca href=\"https://evelknievel.com\"\u003eEvel Knievel\u0026rsquo;s\u003c/a\u003e famous Snake River jump site.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Driving to Michigan - Shoshone Falls"},{"content":"The last time I was up here was with Gabe for our backpacking trip about a year ago. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to trying out some of the trails one day, and that day is today. We did the full loop in about three hours, and my legs are pretty tired. Some spectacular views that really brought back a few of the backpacking memories. There were quite a few people rock climbing the numerous cool rocks. As far as cool rocks though, nothing compares to the Moon Rocks in Boony Doon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080608_castlerock/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe last time I was up here was with Gabe for our backpacking trip about a year\nago. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s been looking forward to trying out some of the trails one\nday, and that day is today. We did the full loop in about three hours, and my\nlegs are pretty tired. Some spectacular views that really brought back a few\nof the backpacking memories. There were quite a few people rock climbing the\nnumerous cool rocks. As far as cool rocks though, nothing compares to the Moon\nRocks in Boony Doon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking with Charlotte at Castle Rock"},{"content":"Tonight is the final concert performance for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s band. He\u0026rsquo;s all dressed up and looking like quite the professional trumpet player. I know he\u0026rsquo;s also looking forward to moving into advanced band next year. Nicely done.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080520_concert/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTonight is the final concert performance for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s band. He\u0026rsquo;s all dressed up\nand looking like quite the professional trumpet player. I know he\u0026rsquo;s also\nlooking forward to moving into advanced band next year. Nicely done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080520_concert/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080520_concert/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080520_concert/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080520_concert/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080520_concert/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's last concert for the year"},{"content":"Today is the result of the biggest fundraising effort on the SVEF calendar. Charlotte has been working her booty off preparing for today. It will be very nice once we\u0026rsquo;ve gotten through today\u0026rsquo;s big event. Meanwhile, Gabe just can\u0026rsquo;t help staying focused on his discus throwing.\nStephen doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind Gabe\u0026rsquo;s one track mind.\nGracie is such a cutie!\nSVEF\u0026rsquo;s fearless leader in her cute pink hat.\nThis year\u0026rsquo;s semi-official photographer for the event. At least I think I am.\nThe stage has an endless series of very cool performances to keep everyone entertained.\nA bit more of the stuff going on.\nI can\u0026rsquo;t help being drawn by the allure of the bouncy houses.\nThough the cake walk looks pretty enticing as well. Nice job Sonia and Dave.\nKathy is one awesome school principal.\nThis flute performance was very nice.\nI wish I had stayed longer to watch the gymnasts. I\u0026rsquo;m sure I could have gotten some great photos.\nDoug, Stephen, and Gabe are fun to watch from far away.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080518_ics/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is the result of the biggest fundraising effort on the SVEF calendar.\nCharlotte has been working her booty off preparing for today. It will be very\nnice once we\u0026rsquo;ve gotten through today\u0026rsquo;s big event. Meanwhile, Gabe just can\u0026rsquo;t\nhelp staying focused on his discus throwing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStephen doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind Gabe\u0026rsquo;s one track mind.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGracie is such a cutie!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080518_ics/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSVEF\u0026rsquo;s fearless leader in her cute pink hat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Ice Cream Social"},{"content":"I unfortunately missed Gabe\u0026rsquo;s track meet, as I was heading down to San Luis Obispo, but Charlotte caught all the action.\nThe telephoto does a nice job of catching people at the meet.\nOur discus star shows off his style. He\u0026rsquo;s quite the natural.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time for the 400 meter relay.\nHere comes the big man on the first leg. That must have hurt.\nSome more action around the meet.\nShot put isn\u0026rsquo;t really his event, but it\u0026rsquo;s worth a try.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080509_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI unfortunately missed Gabe\u0026rsquo;s track meet, as I was heading down to San Luis\nObispo, but Charlotte caught all the action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe telephoto does a nice job of catching people at the meet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur discus star shows off his style. He\u0026rsquo;s quite the natural.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow it\u0026rsquo;s time for the 400 meter relay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere comes the big man on the first leg. That must have hurt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080509_track/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's final track meet"},{"content":"Today I\u0026rsquo;m heading out for a three day bike ride down to San Luis Obispo. I was lucky enough to be invited by Craig and Matt to join the \u0026ldquo;core\u0026rdquo; of this great 15 year old local tradition. The fifteen of us get it all together starting at Craig\u0026rsquo;s house before heading down to Big Sur. A big thanks to Dave for driving sag.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the group all with fresh legs. And it\u0026rsquo;s great to see Erik (The Bike Doctor) helping out with a little last minute maintenance.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s always such a beautiful ride down the bike trail to Monterey, then along the coast to Pacific Grove, followed by 17-Mile Drive in Carmel.\nOur first night is at Big Sur Lodge. It\u0026rsquo;s a happy site after 96 miles of riding.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the group after a short ride to breakfast. I love those blueberry pancakes in the morning.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve never been this far south before on my bike. The views and the drop offs are pretty spectacular. We stop to say hello to some women that are tracking some local condors. I had no idea they enjoyed these cliffs also.\nWe stopped for lunch at the Ragged Point Inn. A very nice spot I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t mind coming back to with Charlotte.\nOur next night will be in San Simeon, but not before we check out the elephant seals just north of town. We\u0026rsquo;ve had a really nice tailwind since we came down from the cliffs, so its been a fun, fast run into town. Another 76 miles today.\nThe next day we make a nice stop in Cayucos for breakfast. There\u0026rsquo;s also a charity run going on, and a great chance to get a photo with Smokey. Don\u0026rsquo;t ask me about Dr. Beef.\nThe ride through Morro Bay reminds me of some of the local rides back home.\nOne last hill to climb before rolling into San Luis Obispo. Just 35 miles more and we\u0026rsquo;ve done it.\nNow this guy is riding in style.\nRon thinks seriously about this old recliner sitting outside someone\u0026rsquo;s house, while Goldie demonstrates his vast knowledge of the furniture industry.\nTime to load the bikes up on the train for the long, easy ride home.\nGeorge gets some well earned rest, while the rest of us are happy to sit back and relax. A big thanks to TRW Dick and Chuck for a bunch of these photos. Silly me, I was too busy riding to take any pictures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I\u0026rsquo;m heading out for a three day bike ride down to San Luis Obispo. I was\nlucky enough to be invited by Craig and Matt to join the \u0026ldquo;core\u0026rdquo; of this great\n15 year old local tradition. The fifteen of us get it all together starting at\nCraig\u0026rsquo;s house before heading down to Big Sur. A big thanks to Dave for driving\nsag.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080508_sloride/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s the group all with fresh legs. And it\u0026rsquo;s great to see Erik (The Bike\nDoctor) helping out with a little last minute maintenance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Craig's SLO Ride"},{"content":"Ever since our last trip to Pinnacles National Monument, Charlotte and I have been looking forward to going back for a longer, tougher, faster hike all the way to the top. Today is that day. This time we arrive via the east entrance early in the morning. Unfortunately we weren\u0026rsquo;t fast enough to get a photo of the road runner that sprinted across the road as we drive in.\nThe first part of the hike is easy along the Balconies Trail.\nThe Balconies Cave Trail leads us into a very tight, but short tunnel through the rocks. Not as spectacular as the Bear Gulch Cave Trail we did last time, but it was very nice nonetheless.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s nice to get back into the sun.\nThe wildflowers are still looking awesome.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also a chance to play with my new telephoto. This western fence lizard (blue belly) makes a nice subject. A short while later we get a real treat when we spot a horny toad. I sure wish Gabe was here to see this!\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a bit of the Chalone Creek while walking along the Old Pinnacles Trail.\nA few more spectacular wildflowers.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time to start heading up the High Peaks Trail.\nThe wildflowers up here are a bit different.\nAnd some unique lizards as well.\nSome great rock formations are visible further up the trail.\nNo condors, but plenty of vultures keep us company.\nTime to start what they call the steep and narrow section. The steps in the rocks are very cool. It\u0026rsquo;s a lot less of a sheer cliff than I thought it would be. The view from the previous hike made it look like a sheer cliff below this spot. I\u0026rsquo;m glad it\u0026rsquo;s not nearly as scary as it looked then.\nWe stop for a quick lunch and soak up the great views. Then it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back down via the Juniper Canyon Trail.\nA few more colorful shots of the flora.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a long steep trail down, so I\u0026rsquo;m glad we\u0026rsquo;re not coming up this in the afternoon when it\u0026rsquo;s getting hot.\nA pretty butterfly lets me intrude for a short while.\nA truly great trip, that beckons us back for at least one more long loop trip to cover the rest of the park. This vineyard was a nice site on the drive out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080504_pinnacles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEver since our last trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pinn/\"\u003ePinnacles National Monument\u003c/a\u003e, Charlotte and\nI have been looking forward to going back for a longer, tougher, faster hike\nall the way to the top. Today is that day. This time we arrive via the east\nentrance early in the morning. Unfortunately we weren\u0026rsquo;t fast enough to get a\nphoto of the road runner that sprinted across the road as we drive in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080504_pinnacles/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080504_pinnacles/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first part of the hike is easy along the Balconies Trail.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking at Pinnacles with Charlotte"},{"content":"Our little track stars is back at SLV for another meet. Here\u0026rsquo;s some of the action over by the Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite, the discus event.\nThe big man nearly throws a world record. You gotta be happy with that throw.\nCharlotte chills in the stands with Gracie while watching some of the running events.\nNext up is Gabe in the 400 meter relay.\nNot quite world record pace on this one, but he gives his team a good start. The look of a champion.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080502_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur little track stars is back at SLV for another meet. Here\u0026rsquo;s some of the\naction over by the Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite, the discus event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe big man nearly throws a world record. You gotta be happy with that throw.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte chills in the stands with Gracie while watching some of the running\nevents.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext up is Gabe in the 400 meter relay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080502_track/35.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot quite world record pace on this one, but he gives his team a good start.\nThe look of a champion.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another track meet for Gabe"},{"content":"Today is the day for the big SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Ride. It\u0026rsquo;s the biggest fundraiser for SVEF since it started six years ago. Though I\u0026rsquo;m somewhat biased, it\u0026rsquo;s definitely the most fun as well. Charlotte, Paula, and Sally have been working their tails off for months getting everything arranged. A big thanks to everyone else that helped make this year\u0026rsquo;s event another resounding success.\nGabe and the school band offered up some early morning brass.\nLots of happy faces this morning as everyone gets ready to roll.\nHopefully we\u0026rsquo;ll get one good group picture out of these before the 100K route group takes off.\nAnd the band plays on.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the 50K route group taking off.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s hard to tell from the photos, but around 80 people just finished riding either 100K and over 4,000 feet of climbing, or 50K and maybe 1,000 feet of climbing. My route took about four hours, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. A well earned lunch awaits, and hopefully I\u0026rsquo;ll get lucky in the raffle.\nLots of conversation, food, and music while we relax in the shade.\nA long procession of raffle winners take home their booty. I made out with a nice sweatshirt.\nI\u0026rsquo;m ready to head home and relax.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080426_mtcharlie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is the day for the big SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Ride. It\u0026rsquo;s the biggest\nfundraiser for SVEF since it started six years ago. Though I\u0026rsquo;m somewhat\nbiased, it\u0026rsquo;s definitely the most fun as well. Charlotte, Paula, and Sally have\nbeen working their tails off for months getting everything arranged. A big\nthanks to everyone else that helped make this year\u0026rsquo;s event another resounding\nsuccess.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080426_mtcharlie/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080426_mtcharlie/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080426_mtcharlie/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and the school band offered up some early morning brass.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Ride"},{"content":"Our biggest turnout yet, and the official ride is just around the corner. Today we\u0026rsquo;ll be doing most of the real ride minus the Hazel Dell loop. So it\u0026rsquo;s up Mt Charlie, over Summit and Highland, down Eureka Canyon, back along Soquel, and up Glen Canyon to Skypark.\nWe even had enough people for a separate training ride for the 50K event. Outstanding!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080413_bike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur biggest turnout yet, and the official ride is just around the corner. Today\nwe\u0026rsquo;ll be doing most of the real ride minus the Hazel Dell loop. So it\u0026rsquo;s up Mt\nCharlie, over Summit and Highland, down Eureka Canyon, back along Soquel, and\nup Glen Canyon to Skypark.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe even had enough people for a separate training ride for the 50K event.\nOutstanding!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080413_bike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080413_bike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080413_bike/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge training ride"},{"content":"Renee and Marcel are having an 80th birthday party for Bea at their house in Los Gatos. I can\u0026rsquo;t say I know too many of the family assembled for this fantastic celebration, but it is great to see a few familiar faces. It\u0026rsquo;s always such fun to visit with Bea and her family. I\u0026rsquo;m so glad Gordon is in town for this as well.\nI couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe Renee did such an awesome job on cooking great food for so many people without catering. Unfortunately the photos couldn\u0026rsquo;t capture the actual number of people that came for the party.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s a lot of candles!\nWe\u0026rsquo;re hoarding Bea and we\u0026rsquo;re not going to let her go!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080405_bea/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRenee and Marcel are having an 80th birthday party for Bea at their house in\nLos Gatos. I can\u0026rsquo;t say I know too many of the family assembled for this\nfantastic celebration, but it is great to see a few familiar faces. It\u0026rsquo;s\nalways such fun to visit with Bea and her family. I\u0026rsquo;m so glad Gordon is in\ntown for this as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080405_bea/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080405_bea/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080405_bea/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080405_bea/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080405_bea/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe Renee did such an awesome job on cooking great food for so\nmany people without catering. Unfortunately the photos couldn\u0026rsquo;t capture the\nactual number of people that came for the party.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Aunt Bea's 80th birthday party"},{"content":"This year Gabe and his friends Stephen, Zach, and Doug are off to Santa Cruz for some bowling. Sounds like a fun way to spend a birthday.\nHow can you not have fun bowling?\nhe place is so hot, everyone is chugging down drinks as soon as we get them.\nDoug lays down the law with a big strike.\nTwo games are the limit for this crew, as everyone\u0026rsquo;s game starts heading downhill quickly. Monica, Nick, and Chelsea really enjoyed themselves as well. I know Charlotte and I did. Maybe next time for my birthday.\nA ridiculously sugary cake awaits the eager bowlers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year Gabe and his friends Stephen, Zach, and Doug are off to Santa Cruz\nfor some bowling. Sounds like a fun way to spend a birthday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow can you not have fun bowling?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehe place is so hot, everyone is chugging down drinks as soon as we get them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoug lays down the law with a big strike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080404_birthday/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo games are the limit for this crew, as everyone\u0026rsquo;s game starts heading\ndownhill quickly. Monica, Nick, and Chelsea really enjoyed themselves as well.\nI know Charlotte and I did. Maybe next time for my birthday.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's bowling birthday party"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading down to Pinnacles National Monument with Karen, Valri, and George\u0026rsquo;s family. I\u0026rsquo;ve ridden past this beautiful spot on the King City bike ride before, and I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to check it out more thoroughly. Time to load up the cars and head on out.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a great time of year to be making this road trip.\nLuckily we\u0026rsquo;ve arrived early and have no trouble finding a great spot by the trailhead. Everyone looks like they\u0026rsquo;re ready for fun.\nThe trail starts out pretty comfortably. But it is going up quite a way.\nThe first vista point offers great views, and I suspect many people turn around at this point. Our intrepid hikers endeavor to persevere.\nWhat a great place to hang out.\nA few group shots with the highest point of the route in the background. We manage to get some great views of some turkey vultures and one or two condors. The two rangers on lookout turned out to be a great help learning about what the park has to offer.\nIt would have been fun to have taken the whole loop, but it turns out to be way too big a hike for this large a group. Charlotte and I are definitely coming back for more. So back down the bunny trail we go.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a few hungry kids to feed back at the bottom.\nHike number two for the day is out to the caves. We\u0026rsquo;re lucky they\u0026rsquo;re totally open today. This will be such a treat.\nThese caves were so much fun. Good thing George had a good flash on his camera. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t see anything until he took a picture. My tiny flashlight was only good for making sure I wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to smash my head.\nEmerging from the cave presented us with another great view. All I wanted to do was keep going around the lake for another big hike. We are definitely coming back. What an awesome place.\n![92](https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/(92jpg) )\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading down to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pinn/\"\u003ePinnacles National Monument\u003c/a\u003e with Karen,\nValri, and George\u0026rsquo;s family. I\u0026rsquo;ve ridden past this beautiful spot on the King\nCity bike ride before, and I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to check it out more thoroughly.\nTime to load up the cars and head on out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a great time of year to be making this road trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080330_pinnacles/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLuckily we\u0026rsquo;ve arrived early and have no trouble finding a great spot by the\ntrailhead. Everyone looks like they\u0026rsquo;re ready for fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking at Pinnacles with the family"},{"content":"The SVEF Mt. Charlie Challenge Ride is coming up soon, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to ratchet up the training rides a bit. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a pretty good turnout today and the weather is cooperating. All this posing is really for the Scotts Valley Banner, but Charlotte manages to get a few good shots standing next to the photographer.\nIn a totally unrelated event, we\u0026rsquo;re over Val\u0026rsquo;s house for dinner with the family, including George and his crew. Gabe was showing off his inability to wink his right eye, and Monica was doing one of her weird tricks. Pretty entertaining.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080329_training/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe SVEF Mt. Charlie Challenge Ride is coming up soon, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to ratchet\nup the training rides a bit. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a pretty good turnout today and the\nweather is cooperating. All this posing is really for the Scotts Valley\nBanner, but Charlotte manages to get a few good shots standing next to the\nphotographer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080329_training/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080329_training/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080329_training/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080329_training/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a totally unrelated event, we\u0026rsquo;re over Val\u0026rsquo;s house for dinner with the\nfamily, including George and his crew. Gabe was showing off his inability to\nwink his right eye, and Monica was doing one of her weird tricks. Pretty\nentertaining.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF training ride and dinner"},{"content":"I can\u0026rsquo;t believe we\u0026rsquo;ve never been to the Moon Rocks in Boony Doon before. I\u0026rsquo;ve ridden by this place on my bike before, but never really understood what I was flying by. Valri suggested we take Karen and the kids for fun, and it sounded good to me. What a place! Definitely one of the most fun local destinations I can think of, and the kids had a blast.\nI heard about the carvings in the sandstone, and these are only just the start.\nThe exposed ridges of sandstone make for great carving material if you\u0026rsquo;ve got the skill.\nThis rock outcropping was the where we climbed around to the backside of the structure that let us climb along the top.\nSome of the climbs proved a little challenging for some of our party. Nick seemed to have no such trouble. This place really brought out the mountain goat in that boy.\nCome on girls, get up here already.\nNow we just have to work around this edge\u0026hellip;\nThe view from the top is awesome. The number of carvings is just phenomenal.\nLeave it to Gabe to grab a lizard.\nMan, it\u0026rsquo;s fun up here.\nGabe and Doug found one of the more fantastic features.\nA few of the many carvings. I would love to come back up here and catalog everything you can find. It would make an awesome table book.\nThe view of the bay is quite a treat.\nSome more great artwork.\nOn the way home, we get a glimpse of one of the many turkeys that have been out this Spring.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI can\u0026rsquo;t believe we\u0026rsquo;ve never been to the Moon Rocks in Boony Doon before. I\u0026rsquo;ve\nridden by this place on my bike before, but never really understood what I was\nflying by. Valri suggested we take Karen and the kids for fun, and it sounded\ngood to me. What a place! Definitely one of the most fun local destinations I\ncan think of, and the kids had a blast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080328_moonrocks/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having a blast at Moon Rocks in Bonny Doon"},{"content":"Another excellent day in San Francisco for the Hoyem girls and their dad.\nThe Boudin Bakery is smelling fantastic.\nA great view of the Golden Gate bridge.\nNow I\u0026rsquo;m really jealous they stopped at Miller\u0026rsquo;s Deli. Thank goodness they brought back all kinds of goodies for me like kasha varnishkas, sour pickles, and knishes. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe I have yet to eat there.\nOne last view from Twin Peaks and it\u0026rsquo;s back home to Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080326_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother excellent day in San Francisco for the Hoyem girls and their dad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://boudinbakery.com\"\u003eBoudin Bakery\u003c/a\u003e is smelling fantastic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA great view of the Golden Gate bridge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow I\u0026rsquo;m really jealous they stopped at Miller\u0026rsquo;s Deli. Thank goodness they\nbrought back all kinds of goodies for me like kasha varnishkas, sour pickles,\nand knishes. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe I have yet to eat there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080326_sf/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last view from Twin Peaks and it\u0026rsquo;s back home to Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon's annual trip to San Francisco"},{"content":"Charlotte, Val, Karen, and Gordon are off to San Francisco for the night. Chinatown is a regular stop whenever they head up to San Francisco.\nLooks like the fog hasn\u0026rsquo;t totally cleared yet from this view at Coit Tower.\nGeorge stops by for a visit at their hotel.\nFisherman\u0026rsquo;s wharf is a favorite spot of Gordon\u0026rsquo;s.\nThe group heads over to the Stinking Rose for dinner. Definitely a fun place for dinner.\nLooks like a nice evening heading back to the hotel.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080325_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Val, Karen, and Gordon are off to San Francisco for the night.\nChinatown is a regular stop whenever they head up to San Francisco.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like the fog hasn\u0026rsquo;t totally cleared yet from this view at Coit Tower.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge stops by for a visit at their hotel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFisherman\u0026rsquo;s wharf is a favorite spot of Gordon\u0026rsquo;s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080325_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe group heads over to the Stinking Rose for dinner. Definitely a fun place\nfor dinner.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon's annual trip to San Francisco"},{"content":"On our way back home, we\u0026rsquo;ve decided to visit two places down in Napa. First it\u0026rsquo;s over to COPIA. We squeeze in a short tour of the place, and it\u0026rsquo;s immediately apparent to me that this is an all-day affair. Another one to put on my list for the next trip to Napa. What a cool place, with just tons of things to do.\nOne last wine tasting over at Del Dotto. They have a great old cave system, and our tour guide was a very entertaining man that does the blending for the winery. It was a great chance to directly sample the effects of various barrels on many types of wine.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080322_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn our way back home, we\u0026rsquo;ve decided to visit two places down in Napa. First\nit\u0026rsquo;s over to COPIA. We squeeze in a short tour of the place, and it\u0026rsquo;s\nimmediately apparent to me that this is an all-day affair. Another one to put\non my list for the next trip to Napa. What a cool place, with just tons of\nthings to do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080322_napa/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last wine tasting over at \u003ca href=\"https://www.deldottovineyards.com\"\u003eDel Dotto\u003c/a\u003e. They have a great old cave\nsystem, and our tour guide was a very entertaining man that does the blending\nfor the winery. It was a great chance to directly sample the effects of various\nbarrels on many types of wine.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Napa"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re doing some wine tasting. First it\u0026rsquo;s over to Joseph Phelps. I loved the relaxed atmosphere and style. Sitting on a deck quietly enjoying wine, while listening to the sheep in the vineyard was my idea of wine tasting. A very nice collection of wine, but with a hint of sheep.\nNext was lunch and a quick look around the CIA at Greystone. Lunch was really great, but I would have definitely enjoyed hanging out here for longer. Unfortunately our next wine tasting appointment is calling us. Just have to plan a bunch more time during our next visit to Napa.\nOur last stop for the day was at Quintessa. Now here\u0026rsquo;s another winery I really enjoyed. The estate is very beautiful, and I love being able to walk around at my own pace without a crowd surrounding us. These guys are really focused on making one great wine, and it shows.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080321_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re doing some wine tasting. First it\u0026rsquo;s over to \u003ca href=\"https://www.josephphelps.com\"\u003eJoseph Phelps\u003c/a\u003e.\nI loved the relaxed atmosphere and style. Sitting on a deck quietly enjoying\nwine, while listening to the sheep in the vineyard was my idea of wine\ntasting. A very nice collection of wine, but with a hint of sheep.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080321_napa/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext was lunch and a quick look around the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ciachef.edu/cia-california/\"\u003eCIA at Greystone\u003c/a\u003e. Lunch was\nreally great, but I would have definitely enjoyed hanging out here for longer.\nUnfortunately our next wine tasting appointment is calling us. Just have to\nplan a bunch more time during our next visit to Napa.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Napa"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re heading out from Meadowood to explore the area. First we drove up Spring Mountain Road and then back through Calistoga. We then drove up Highway 29 to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. I was wearing my hiking sandals, so we opted for the short hike up to the small monument commemorating his honeymoon stay here so many years ago. Some very nice views, but the drive was very busy just like the bike trails map said.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080320_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading out from Meadowood to explore the area. First we drove up\nSpring Mountain Road and then back through Calistoga. We then drove up Highway\n29 to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. I was wearing my hiking sandals, so\nwe opted for the short hike up to the small monument commemorating his\nhoneymoon stay here so many years ago. Some very nice views, but the drive was\nvery busy just like the bike trails map said.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Napa"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are off to Napa Valley for our 20th wedding anniversary. We decided to make kind of a big deal about it, while at the same time not going too far from home. We\u0026rsquo;ll be spending a few nights in St. Helena at Meadowood. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredibly beautiful place and our room was fantastic. After the long drive, we walked around the whole property for a little exercise and to check out the view.\nTonight we\u0026rsquo;re heading to the French Laundry for a very special meal. It\u0026rsquo;s a good thing we\u0026rsquo;re staying at Meadowood, since I\u0026rsquo;m pretty sure we never would have gotten reservations otherwise. If you don\u0026rsquo;t know this place, it\u0026rsquo;s one of four 3-star Michelin restaurants in the entire USA. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say, this might be the best restaurant in the whole country. Charlotte and I both choose the chef\u0026rsquo;s tasting menu, and make sure we alternate selections to allow us to sample everything. If only I could eat the vegetable tasting menu also.\nFirst course was a salmon tartare in a black sesame tuile. It looked like a tiny ice cream cone with orange sherbert. A delicious and novel way to start our meal. Very adorable.\nNext came a gruyere cheese grougeres, or cheese puff for those less skilled in French. A tasty little morsel as our stomachs begin to expand. Meanwhile I\u0026rsquo;m enjoying the first few courses with a nice 2000 Schramsberg champagne.\nThen came a course of tiny oysters with caviar. An excellent combination of saltiness and softness. I liked how the tapioca complimented the other elements of the dish. Probably the best oysters I\u0026rsquo;ll ever have.\nWe both opted to the duck foie gras for our next course. This was paired with cute little toasty butternut squash confit, along with 3 types of gourmet salts. The salted pumpkin seeds were a nice combination. Creamy, salty goodness. Everything is going nicely with my 2005 Gaston Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg.\nOur first bread course was a small brioche roll accompanied by two types of butter. First was a rich unsalted variety from Petaluma, and the second a salted marvel from the Vermont Butter \u0026amp; Cheese Company. I hear they have a small collection of very special cows that produce this to-die-for butter. Being a big fan of tasty carbohydrates, I have now officially entered heaven.\nNow we move to a fish dish (daurade or sea bream) for Charlotte, and a hamachi and uni combination for me. Charlotte didn\u0026rsquo;t enjoy the skin on her fish, but I thought the combination was outstanding. The sashimi didn\u0026rsquo;t really do it for me, as the fish was too understated and the avocado sauce lacked the punch of a typical wasabi-based sauce. I really liked how the akita komachi rice was sparingly sprinkled on the plate, but it just didn\u0026rsquo;t all come together.\nNow comes a tiny lobster tail dish that more than made up for the last dish. The lobster included a chocolate-coffee emulsion that really did the trick. Just remarkable.\nI opted for the bacon wrapped rabbit for my next course, while Charlotte went for the confit de coeur de veau (or veal heart). I wasn\u0026rsquo;t thrilled with the rabbit, but Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dish was excellent. She didn\u0026rsquo;t want to be reminded what portion of the calf she was eating. My wine selection continues with a 2002 Ridge Cabernet from my backyard in the Santa Cruz mountains.\nNext came my favorite dish of the night, grilled calotte of beef (rib eye cap). It was a bit rare for Charlotte, but that meant more for me. The best piece of steak I have yet to eat. If that wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough, the steak was complimented by a cabbage perogi that was just delicious. I think I enjoyed it a bit too much, as I\u0026rsquo;m starting to feel stuffed. And so many courses yet to go\u0026hellip;\nUh oh, now it\u0026rsquo;s time for more amazing bread. Charlotte goes for the multigrain roll, while I endulge myself with a ciabatta and a rye roll. That Vermont butter is starting to get low.\nTransitioning towards dessert, it\u0026rsquo;s time for some cheddar with tasty little artichoke puffs. Very nice, but not blow you away cheese.\nthe first of many dessert courses, a buttermilk sherbet with tiny cubes of rhubarb was light, delicate, and delicious. Very understated and perfect for my bloated state. I wish they would slow down the courses. We\u0026rsquo;ve been here for hours, but it\u0026rsquo;s not enough time for so much food.\nYet another course of bread that we are unable to turn down. Charlotte goes for the walnut, while I go for the black currant. I definitely made the right choice. Wow.\nCharlotte went for the trio of chocolate with walnut ice cream, while I opted for the granny smith apple bavarois. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the chocolate was Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite dish, it was amazing. My apple dish was tart, but not exceptional. It\u0026rsquo;s okay, I\u0026rsquo;ll just steal more from Charlotte when she isn\u0026rsquo;t looking.\nWe finished the official courses on the menu, but it appeared that they just keep bringing dessert until you relent. The chocolate dusted macadamia nuts were spectacular. A pots de creme custard, then an amazing candy selection, and the inevitable \u0026ldquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t eat another bite\u0026rdquo;. They try the thin mint thing on us, but I tell them to bugger off. Well it sounds good anyway. They package up a bunch of desserts and then roll out the front door.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t know when I\u0026rsquo;ll get back to the French Laundry, but I definitely look forward to the day when I do get back. I hope I can talk some friends into joining us, if they can swallow the huge price. I have to thank my wonderful wife of 20 years for indulging my love of great food on this special occasion.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080319_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are off to Napa Valley for our 20th wedding anniversary. We\ndecided to make kind of a big deal about it, while at the same time not going\ntoo far from home. We\u0026rsquo;ll be spending a few nights in St. Helena at\n\u003ca href=\"https://meadowood.com\"\u003eMeadowood\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s an incredibly beautiful place and our room was\nfantastic. After the long drive, we walked around the whole property for a\nlittle exercise and to check out the view.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wedding Anniversary in Napa"},{"content":"After a tiring day of flying back from Bulgaria yesterday, it\u0026rsquo;s time to recharge with a nice hike through Pogonip and over to the UCSC Arboretum with Charlotte. They have such an awesome collection of flowers, I just couldn\u0026rsquo;t stop taking photos.\nI particularly liked this plant and it\u0026rsquo;s amazing flowers.\nThere was no end to the amazing stuff in bloom today. It was getting late and we were both starving for lunch, so time to get back on the trail.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a tiring day of flying back from Bulgaria yesterday, it\u0026rsquo;s time to\nrecharge with a nice hike through Pogonip and over to the \u003ca href=\"https://arboretum.ucsc.edu\"\u003eUCSC Arboretum\u003c/a\u003e\nwith Charlotte. They have such an awesome collection of flowers, I just\ncouldn\u0026rsquo;t stop taking photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI particularly liked this plant and it\u0026rsquo;s amazing flowers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080316_arboretum/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was no end to the amazing stuff in bloom today. It was getting late and\nwe were both starving for lunch, so time to get back on the trail.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Springtime at UCSC Arboretum"},{"content":"Charlotte and I spend the morning down at the beach with Gracie. Except for the incident with the large dog that attacked her, she seemed to have enjoyed herself as much as I did. What a cutie.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I spend the morning down at the beach with Gracie. Except for the\nincident with the large dog that attacked her, she seemed to have enjoyed\nherself as much as I did. What a cutie.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080302_gracie/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie at the beach"},{"content":"The weather is blowing in hard again this weekend, and I\u0026rsquo;m really hoping that we don\u0026rsquo;t lose power yet again. It is a good chance to head over to Gordon\u0026rsquo;s in Capitola to catch the waves and wind. Not quite as big as the last storm, but not bad at all.\nWe head over to one of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite Chinese restaurant stops with her dad. They use plenty of fresh broccoli for the food and for the trees.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080224_storm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe weather is blowing in hard again this weekend, and I\u0026rsquo;m really hoping that\nwe don\u0026rsquo;t lose power yet again. It is a good chance to head over to Gordon\u0026rsquo;s in\nCapitola to catch the waves and wind. Not quite as big as the last storm, but\nnot bad at all.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080224_storm/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080224_storm/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080224_storm/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080224_storm/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080224_storm/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe head over to one of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite Chinese restaurant stops with her\ndad. They use plenty of fresh broccoli for the food and for the trees.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another nice winter storm"},{"content":"Charlotte got tickets to the San Jose Opera performance of Rigoletto for my birthday. It\u0026rsquo;s been quite a while since I went to the opera, and I\u0026rsquo;ve really been looking forward to going to this performance. Another treat is that Monica will be joining us as well. The new theater is very nice, and quite a bit more comfortable than the old venue. Amazingly, the cast member in the role of Rigoletto was unable to continue after the end of Act 2. After a short break, the other Rigoletto was called in and completed the performance beautifully.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080223_rigoletto/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte got tickets to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.operasj.org\"\u003eSan Jose Opera\u003c/a\u003e performance of Rigoletto\nfor my birthday. It\u0026rsquo;s been quite a while since I went to the opera, and I\u0026rsquo;ve\nreally been looking forward to going to this performance. Another treat is\nthat Monica will be joining us as well. The new theater is very nice, and\nquite a bit more comfortable than the old venue. Amazingly, the cast member in\nthe role of Rigoletto was unable to continue after the end of Act 2. After a\nshort break, the other Rigoletto was called in and completed the performance\nbeautifully.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rigoletto at the San Jose Opera"},{"content":"Charlotte took Nick and Monica up to San Francisco today to take a campus tour of SFSU. I think it will be a bit to urban for their tastes, but it\u0026rsquo;s a good idea to see a broad range of schools.\nNick\u0026rsquo;s most memorable moment on this trip musy surely be the seagull that took a dump on him during the tour. Thanks for the memories dude.\nNot a bad view of the campus from up here.\nHeading down the coast delivers sights such as paragliding at Fort Funston and the spectacular Taco Bell beach house in Pacifica.\nDevil\u0026rsquo;s Slide has undergone some amazing changes since I\u0026rsquo;ve been there quite some time ago. The new route and bridge are amazing. I really need to get up there to check them out myself. The view is still just as beautiful.\nHalf Moon Bay has also grown tremendously, but the harbor is still fantastic especially on a great day like this.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Nick and Monica up to San Francisco today to take a campus tour\nof \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsu.edu\"\u003eSFSU\u003c/a\u003e. I think it will be a bit to urban for their\ntastes, but it\u0026rsquo;s a good idea to see a broad range of schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s most memorable moment on this trip musy surely be the seagull that took\na dump on him during the tour. Thanks for the memories dude.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080215_sfsu/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot a bad view of the campus from up here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Touring San Francisco State University"},{"content":"With all the rain we\u0026rsquo;ve been having, I guess it was only a matter of time before it get cold enough for snow to make it to the summit. Charlotte took Gabe and Monica up Mt Charlie to check it out. Now this would have been an epic bike ride.\nIt may not be much a hill by real snow standards, but it works!\nNow this is a rare site around here for sure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080124_snow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWith all the rain we\u0026rsquo;ve been having, I guess it was only a matter of time\nbefore it get cold enough for snow to make it to the summit. Charlotte took\nGabe and Monica up Mt Charlie to check it out. Now this would have been an\nepic bike ride.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt may not be much a hill by real snow standards, but it works!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080124_snow/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow this is a rare site around here for sure.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"It's snowing in Santa Cruz"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the last day for Charlotte and Lynn\u0026rsquo;s trip to Marin. Today it\u0026rsquo;s Muir Beach and some hiking along the Coastal Trail.\nNow that\u0026rsquo;s a nice rainbow.\nSome cool sites over at Point Bonita, along with just a wee bit of wind.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080120_marin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the last day for Charlotte and Lynn\u0026rsquo;s trip to Marin. Today it\u0026rsquo;s Muir Beach\nand some hiking along the Coastal Trail.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that\u0026rsquo;s a nice rainbow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome cool sites over at Point Bonita, along with just a wee bit of wind.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080120_marin/34.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn off to Marin for the weekend"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn are staying at a friend\u0026rsquo;s house up in Mill Valley for the weekend. Today they\u0026rsquo;re off for lots of hiking. First they head down the Dipsea Trail down to Stinson Beach.\nI guess this giant irrigation pipe down a really steep ravine was quite a site. No funny comments please.\nLooks like a really nice hike to the beach.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back up via the Steep Ravine Trail. Charlotte really liked the ladder portion.\nThen back down again via the Matt Davis Trail.\nFinally arriving at Stinson Beach for food at the Sand Dollar. I\u0026rsquo;ll have a fantastic sunset to go with that meal please.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080119_marin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn are staying at a friend\u0026rsquo;s house up in Mill Valley for the\nweekend. Today they\u0026rsquo;re off for lots of hiking. First they head down the Dipsea\nTrail down to Stinson Beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess this giant irrigation pipe down a really steep ravine was quite a site.\nNo funny comments please.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like a really nice hike to the beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080119_marin/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back up via the Steep Ravine Trail. Charlotte really\nliked the ladder portion.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn off to Marin for the weekend"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn are off to Marin for some quality girl time. They picked a great weekend between storms. First stop is at Fort Mason in San Francisco.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Sausalito.\nHaving some fun in downtown Sausalito.\nEnjoying the view from up in Mill Valley.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080118_marin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn are off to Marin for some quality girl time. They picked a\ngreat weekend between storms. First stop is at Fort Mason in San Francisco.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Sausalito.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving some fun in downtown Sausalito.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnjoying the view from up in Mill Valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080118_marin/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn off to Marin for the weekend"},{"content":"A monster storm blew through the area today. A ridiculous number of homes across California were out of power, including ours for almost two days. Fortunately the only real casualty was our basketball hoop.\nMeanwhile Gordon in downtown Capitola got to witness some pretty huge surf.\nMore devastation in Capitola.\nThe waves were quite a sight. They were even coming over the top of the wharf. Charlotte went out again later to survey more of the damage over in Santa Cruz. Jack in the Box took a big hit, while Gracie is enjoying the car ride.\nThe surf has gotten smaller, but there\u0026rsquo;s plenty more storm on the way.\nNice photos of the gulls taking it all in stride.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2008/20080105_storm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA monster storm blew through the area today. A ridiculous number of homes\nacross California were out of power, including ours for almost two days.\nFortunately the only real casualty was our basketball hoop.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile Gordon in downtown Capitola got to witness some pretty huge surf.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore devastation in Capitola.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2008/20080105_storm/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe waves were quite a sight. They were even coming over the top of the wharf.\nCharlotte went out again later to survey more of the damage over in Santa\nCruz. Jack in the Box took a big hit, while Gracie is enjoying the car ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A big winter storm"},{"content":"Charlotte and I really enjoyed this koi pond at the hotel.\nOur room was really outstanding. A nice big room, fireplace, hot tub, and vineyard view. What\u0026rsquo;s not to like.\nCharlotte went for a run this morning and made sure we came back with everyone to check out these emus.\nFirst stop this morning is Rubicon Estates. Coppola has done a fantastic job bring back the glory of the old Inglenook grounds and wines.\nThe tour gives you a nice view of the other side of the chateau and the vast acreage.\nA little more wandering around the building and we\u0026rsquo;re off.\nNext is a quick stop at V. Sattui. It was kind of a madhouse, so we moved on quickly.\nKaren enjoyed Chandon so much, we had to visit Mumm before heading home. Our tasting host was very nice and helped to seal this trip as one of the best ever.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071227_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I really enjoyed this koi pond at the hotel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur room was really outstanding. A nice big room, fireplace, hot tub, and\nvineyard view. What\u0026rsquo;s not to like.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte went for a run this morning and made sure we came back with everyone\nto check out these emus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071227_napa/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst stop this morning is \u003ca href=\"https://inglenook.com\"\u003eRubicon Estates\u003c/a\u003e. Coppola\nhas done a fantastic job bring back the glory of the old Inglenook grounds and\nwines.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Napa Valley with the Multers"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re treating ourselves to a special Christmas gift this year, a trip to Napa Valley. Dad and the crew have never been, so we thought staying at the excellent Harvest Inn in St. Helena for a night would be very special. Stopping in Yountville for lunch is as beautfiul as ever.\nOur first stop is at Chandon. The grounds are fun to explore while we wait for the tour to start.\nMaking champagne looks like a lot of work, and a lot of fun.\nCharlotte, Ira, and I enjoy another part of the grounds.\nInside it\u0026rsquo;s time for some serious tasting. Karen had herself a blast.\nThe crew steadies themselves to move on to the next winery.\nNext stop is Peju. The building and the wine tasting areas where really beautiful.\nWe had dinner at Go Fish based on a recommendation from the hotel. It was quite good, but the sushi is much better back home at Shogun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071226_napa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re treating ourselves to a special Christmas gift this year, a trip to Napa\nValley. Dad and the crew have never been, so we thought staying at the\nexcellent \u003ca href=\"https://www.harvestinn.com\"\u003eHarvest Inn\u003c/a\u003e in St. Helena for a night\nwould be very special. Stopping in Yountville for lunch is as beautfiul as\never.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071226_napa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071226_napa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071226_napa/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur first stop is at \u003ca href=\"https://www.chandon.com\"\u003eChandon\u003c/a\u003e. The grounds are fun to explore while we\nwait for the tour to start.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Napa Valley with the Multers"},{"content":"We started a little later than usual this year, so a few less pajamas are visible. It must be something in the water back east that makes them sleep in late. Lots of great fun and gifts as usual, but I think Gracie takes the prize as best present.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe started a little later than usual this year, so a few less pajamas are\nvisible. It must be something in the water back east that makes them sleep in\nlate. Lots of great fun and gifts as usual, but I think Gracie takes the prize\nas best present.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas morning"},{"content":"No Christmas tree is complete without a new puppy under the tree.\nTwo of my very favorite people in the whole world.\nThanks for bringing dessert!\nAnd a whole bunch more of my favorites joining us for dinner.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo Christmas tree is complete without a new puppy under the tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo of my very favorite people in the whole world.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThanks for bringing dessert!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd a whole bunch more of my favorites joining us for dinner.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071224_christmas/29.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas dinner at the Multers"},{"content":"Charlotte and I headed down to Phil\u0026rsquo;s for lunch today with dad and Karen. A huge thanks to Charlotte for recommending the halibut tacos.\nThey have a fantastic beach out back.\nSince I\u0026rsquo;m taking all the pictures, Charlotte couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a few candid shots of your author. The self portrait is mine. Kinda scary.\nEveryone is enjoying themselves.\nA few artsy photos for the collection. I really liked the drainage patterns in the sand.\nWho is that taking my picture?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071223_phils/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I headed down to \u003ca href=\"https://philsfishmarket.com\"\u003ePhil\u0026rsquo;s\u003c/a\u003e for lunch\ntoday with dad and Karen. A huge thanks to Charlotte for recommending the\nhalibut tacos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey have a fantastic beach out back.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince I\u0026rsquo;m taking all the pictures, Charlotte couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a few candid shots\nof your author. The self portrait is mine. Kinda scary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone is enjoying themselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071223_phils/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few artsy photos for the collection. I really liked the drainage patterns in\nthe sand.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch at Phil's Market with the Multers"},{"content":"My dad, Karen, Max, and Shweta are here for the holidays again this year. Today we\u0026rsquo;re off to Monterey to visit the aquarium and then down to Carmel for the day.\nGabe has really been enjoying having both grandpas in town.\nThe shore birds exhibit is a little different and I like the changes. The birds seems happy about it too.\nGabe and a group of small children are really enjoying the tidal surf section.\nThe rest of the crew are looking like they are getting hungry.\nNo sign of Bubba at lunch today.\nMax and Shweta seem to be enjoying Lover\u0026rsquo;s Point.\nThe trip down 17-Mile Drive is as beautiful as ever. The lone cypress is looking especially lonely.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy dad, Karen, Max, and Shweta are here for the holidays again this year. Today\nwe\u0026rsquo;re off to Monterey to visit the \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eaquarium\u003c/a\u003e and then down to Carmel for\nthe day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe has really been enjoying having both grandpas in town.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shore birds exhibit is a little different and I like the changes. The birds\nseems happy about it too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071221_aquarium/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and a group of small children are really enjoying the tidal surf section.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monterey and Carmel with the Multers"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s hard to capture how much fun she has playing down by the trampoline.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s hard to capture how much fun she has playing down by the trampoline.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071220_puppy/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie in fields of clover"},{"content":"Looks like our new puppy is feeling right at home now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071218_puppy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like our new puppy is feeling right at home now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071218_puppy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071218_puppy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071218_puppy/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gracie is one tired pup"},{"content":"Charlotte is up in Oregon today getting our new puppy! Here are some photos of her mom (black) and grandpa (cream) along with some of her siblings.\nThis is the last she\u0026rsquo;ll see of her old pen.\nGrandpa gets a grooming that he really seems to enjoy.\nOne last feeding from mom. I\u0026rsquo;m sure she\u0026rsquo;ll miss this.\nTug of war with her sibling looks fun.\nTesting out the travel case for the airplane.\nA little more tug of war with her favorite toy.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time to say goodbye to her old home and grandpa.\nNap time on the plane ride home.\nA quick shot in the airport on the iPhone so we can get a glimpse of our new puppy before she arrives.\nThe new puppy is here!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s ridiculous how adorable she is.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is up in Oregon today getting our new puppy! Here are some photos of\nher mom (black) and grandpa (cream) along with some of her siblings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the last she\u0026rsquo;ll see of her old pen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandpa gets a grooming that he really seems to enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last feeding from mom. I\u0026rsquo;m sure she\u0026rsquo;ll miss this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTug of war with her sibling looks fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071212_puppy/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new puppy Gracie"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s been playing the trumpet in the school\u0026rsquo;s new beginning band class with Mr. Kurrus. It\u0026rsquo;s been such a pleasure having a music teacher dedicated to helping the students across our entire school district. All the hard work comes together at tonight\u0026rsquo;s Fall Music Extravaganza. Pretty impressive for kids that just started playing three months ago.\nMany years ago I could play, but now I just keep the music from blowing away while a singing group performs.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071211_concert/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s been playing the trumpet in the school\u0026rsquo;s new beginning band class with\nMr. Kurrus. It\u0026rsquo;s been such a pleasure having a music teacher dedicated to\nhelping the students across our entire school district. All the hard work\ncomes together at tonight\u0026rsquo;s Fall Music Extravaganza. Pretty impressive for\nkids that just started playing three months ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_concert/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_concert/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_concert/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_concert/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany years ago I could play, but now I just keep the music from blowing away\nwhile a singing group performs.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's first band concert"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri are off to lunch at my favorite seafood restaurant in the area. The food is making me hungry.\nAnd it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful winter day on the coast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071211_phils/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri are off to lunch at my favorite seafood restaurant in the\narea. The food is making me hungry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful winter day on the coast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071211_phils/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch at Phil's Fish Market with Gordon"},{"content":"The best dog in the whole world was born on September 1, 1997. We brought her home on October 4, 1997 to her new family. My brother Scott got a standard poodle named Joe the year before, and we were sold on how awesome standard poodles were. Right away you could see she was the sweetest dog you would ever meet. She had the most mellow disposition, and was always a puppy right to the end. She loved running and playing with her family, especially other pets. She enjoyed running circles around every dog she ever met.\nI can\u0026rsquo;t tell you how many friends of ours that knew Abby loved her as well. All I can say from our family is that today we lost someone very close to us. I will always try to think of her doing what she loved best, and knowing that her last run with Charlotte in the woods was another moment she loved so very much. It\u0026rsquo;s so unbelievably unfortunate that accidents can so disrupt what feels like something that can never end.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve collected some photos from previous stories to help remember her. I hope they mean as much to you as they do to me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071126_abby/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe best dog in the whole world was born on September 1, 1997. We brought her\nhome on October 4, 1997 to her new family. My brother Scott got a standard\npoodle named Joe the year before, and we were sold on how awesome standard\npoodles were. Right away you could see she was the sweetest dog you would ever\nmeet. She had the most mellow disposition, and was always a puppy right to the\nend. She loved running and playing with her family, especially other pets. She\nenjoyed running circles around every dog she ever met.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Abby Multer"},{"content":"Gabe and Charlotte head up to visit George and San Francisco with Gordon while Monica, Nick, and I are at Max\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Gabe and Zach seem to be enjoying themselves.\nI think lunch was just an opportunity to make funny faces.\nAnd then things get really crazy. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you guess who\u0026rsquo;s mouth is whose.\nCharlotte manages to catch Santa surfing in Capitola while dropping her dad off. Seems there was some contention when it came to splitting up the ballons after Santa took off. This is a good way to wind up on the naughty list.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071124_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Charlotte head up to visit George and San Francisco with Gordon while\nMonica, Nick, and I are at Max\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Gabe and Zach seem to be enjoying\nthemselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think lunch was just an opportunity to make funny faces.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then things get really crazy. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you guess who\u0026rsquo;s mouth is whose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071124_sf/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte manages to catch Santa surfing in Capitola while dropping her dad\noff. Seems there was some contention when it came to splitting up the ballons\nafter Santa took off. This is a good way to wind up on the naughty list.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Gabe, and Gordon visiting San Francisco"},{"content":"Monica, Nick, and I are in Silver Springs Maryland for Max and Shweta\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Lynda and her family, Carole and David, Jonathan and Joni and the twins are here too. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome opportunity to see everyone and be there for Max and Shweta on a very special day. The ceremony is at a Hindu temple just north of Washington DC. It\u0026rsquo;s such a treat to be a part of such a unique ceremony. Of course my Indian is a bit rusty.\nThe couple pose for an endless series of photographs. They really look like a prince and princess, and I love those shoes.\nThe ceremony itself goes on for hours, but it\u0026rsquo;s a lot more informal than I thought it would be. Fortunately that makes for great behavior from all the kids, as well as many happy adults. It would have been fun to have been a part of the action, but Nick had that pleasure. He looks really good in my old suit.\nThis little girl was the daughter of one of Shweta\u0026rsquo;s cousins, and she was such a cutie.\nI think this part of the ceremony was the equivalent of \u0026ldquo;you may kiss the bride\u0026rdquo;. I think the multiple walks around the area did the trick.\nEveryone is enjoying themselves.\nI liked the part where everyone fed each other. When do I get to eat?\nAnd now for the family group photos.\nMax Multer, you da man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071124_wedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica, Nick, and I are in Silver Springs Maryland for Max and Shweta\u0026rsquo;s\nwedding. Lynda and her family, Carole and David, Jonathan and Joni and the\ntwins are here too. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome opportunity to see everyone and be there\nfor Max and Shweta on a very special day. The ceremony is at a Hindu temple\njust north of Washington DC. It\u0026rsquo;s such a treat to be a part of such a unique\nceremony. Of course my Indian is a bit rusty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Max and Shweta Multer's wedding"},{"content":"Nick, Monica, and I are in the DC area for Max\u0026rsquo;s wedding, while Charlotte and Gabe work at this year\u0026rsquo;s SVEF Christmas tree lot. Nick and I worked out butts off earlier in the week unloading the trailer truck, so now it\u0026rsquo;s time to start selling them. If you\u0026rsquo;re local, make sure you stop by and buy a tree while helping our schools.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick, Monica, and I are in the DC area for Max\u0026rsquo;s wedding, while Charlotte and\nGabe work at this year\u0026rsquo;s SVEF Christmas tree lot. Nick and I worked out butts\noff earlier in the week unloading the trailer truck, so now it\u0026rsquo;s time to start\nselling them. If you\u0026rsquo;re local, make sure you stop by and buy a tree while\nhelping our schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071123_treelot/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Christmas tree lot"},{"content":"George\u0026rsquo;s family, Gordon, and Gloria are here again for our annual turkey and ham feast. It really is wonderful that we have family so close, and the cousins all get to see each other at these gatherings.\nGloria\u0026rsquo;s dog is joined by the new kittens and an adorable little pot-bellied pig.\nTime to dig in. Lindsey and Monica are so proud of their mashed potato mountain.\nThe pig is ridiculously cute. Of course the incredibly loud squealing he produces when you pick him up reminds you he is just a farm animal.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge\u0026rsquo;s family, Gordon, and Gloria are here again for our annual turkey and\nham feast. It really is wonderful that we have family so close, and the\ncousins all get to see each other at these gatherings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGloria\u0026rsquo;s dog is joined by the new kittens and an adorable little pot-bellied\npig.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to dig in. Lindsey and Monica are so proud of their mashed potato\nmountain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071122_thanksgiving/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pig is ridiculously cute. Of course the incredibly loud squealing he\nproduces when you pick him up reminds you he is just a farm animal.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at the Peyser house"},{"content":"\nWe\u0026rsquo;re still missing Abby every day, and the loneliness in the house without her around is a challenge. I suggested to Charlotte that a new standard poodle puppy for Christmas might be just the thing. After a lot of research, we\u0026rsquo;ve managed to find a beautiful little female up in Oregon at Marsan Poodles. Here\u0026rsquo;s some photos of the puppy when she was about one month old.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071118_puppy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071118_puppy/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re still missing Abby every day, and the loneliness in the house without her\naround is a challenge. I suggested to Charlotte that a new standard poodle\npuppy for Christmas might be just the thing. After a lot of research, we\u0026rsquo;ve\nmanaged to find a beautiful little female up in Oregon at Marsan Poodles.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s some photos of the puppy when she was about one month old.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new puppy"},{"content":"\nCharlotte just got a new Honda Civic Hybrid, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to say goodbye to my old car. She\u0026rsquo;s got about 115K miles and still running sweet. Any takers?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071115_audi/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071115_audi/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte just got a new Honda Civic Hybrid, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to say goodbye to my\nold car. She\u0026rsquo;s got about 115K miles and still running sweet. Any takers?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"1996 Audi A4 Quattro for sale"},{"content":"Charlotte was out hiking with Sonia recently. They brought the poodles(Abby and Phoebe) along for the fun. Unfortunately Abby was having so much fun running through the woods, she managed to rupture all the ligaments in her right front wrist. Charlotte had to carry her out of the woods on her shoulders as Abby was no longer able to walk. The trip to the vet hasn\u0026rsquo;t produced a happy result, so it\u0026rsquo;s a splint until we can find out what the surgical options are.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071114_abby/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte was out hiking with Sonia recently. They brought the poodles(Abby and\nPhoebe) along for the fun. Unfortunately Abby was having so much fun running\nthrough the woods, she managed to rupture all the ligaments in her right front\nwrist. Charlotte had to carry her out of the woods on her shoulders as Abby\nwas no longer able to walk. The trip to the vet hasn\u0026rsquo;t produced a happy\nresult, so it\u0026rsquo;s a splint until we can find out what the surgical options are.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Abby's splinted leg"},{"content":"Charlotte is showing her SVHS spirit at this year\u0026rsquo;s last football game against Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071109_football/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is showing her SVHS spirit at this year\u0026rsquo;s last football game against\nSanta Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071109_football/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVHS final football game against Santa Cruz"},{"content":"This is probably one of the nicest days San Francisco has ever seen this time of year. A warm sunny day in the middle of fall.\nOur intrepid adventurers enjoy the tourist sites. Gabe and I are busy with much more important things\u0026hellip; getting his new bike.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071104_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is probably one of the nicest days San Francisco has ever seen this time\nof year. A warm sunny day in the middle of fall.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur intrepid adventurers enjoy the tourist sites. Gabe and I are busy with much\nmore important things\u0026hellip; getting his new bike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071104_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday trip to San Francisco"},{"content":"The birthday fun continues for Monica, Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon up in San Francisco. Looks like Chinatown and the wharf area had some interesting things to offer. Meanwhile Nick, Gabe, and I enjoy some quality boy\u0026rsquo;s time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071103_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe birthday fun continues for Monica, Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon up in San\nFrancisco. Looks like Chinatown and the wharf area had some interesting things\nto offer. Meanwhile Nick, Gabe, and I enjoy some quality boy\u0026rsquo;s time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071103_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday trip to San Francisco"},{"content":"Monica has a few days of celebrating lined up before her official birthday. Today her friends are over for shirt painting, movies, pizza, and cake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071102_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica has a few days of celebrating lined up before her official birthday.\nToday her friends are over for shirt painting, movies, pizza, and cake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071102_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071102_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday party"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re having the Peysers and Hoyems over for a BBQ today, now that Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad is in town. Time to get all up in everyone\u0026rsquo;s face with the camera.\nGabe goes his very first performance outside of school. My little trumpet player is progressing nicely.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re having the Peysers and Hoyems over for a BBQ today, now that Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s\ndad is in town. Time to get all up in everyone\u0026rsquo;s face with the camera.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe goes his very first performance outside of school. My little trumpet\nplayer is progressing nicely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071028_bbq/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"BBQ at the Multers"},{"content":"Valri\u0026rsquo;s new kittens are the talk of our house. They really are adorable, but I know it won\u0026rsquo;t be long before they\u0026rsquo;re cats.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071027_kittens/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eValri\u0026rsquo;s new kittens are the talk of our house. They really are adorable, but I\nknow it won\u0026rsquo;t be long before they\u0026rsquo;re cats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071027_kittens/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Not so tough kittens Vito and Capone"},{"content":"The crew looks really psyched before the start.\nI have no idea how anyone gets up this early to go exercise.\nYou know it\u0026rsquo;s early when the sun starts to rise in the middle of your run.\nA beautiful day greets our runners at the end of the run.\nPaula and her girls look like they had a really great time.\nAnd now for the always appreciated gift of Tiffany necklaces from tuxedo wearing fireman at the finish.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071021_nike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe crew looks really psyched before the start.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have no idea how anyone gets up this early to go exercise.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou know it\u0026rsquo;s early when the sun starts to rise in the middle of your run.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA beautiful day greets our runners at the end of the run.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaula and her girls look like they had a really great time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071021_nike/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd now for the always appreciated gift of Tiffany necklaces from tuxedo\nwearing fireman at the finish.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"Charlotte is off to San Francisco to do her favorite running event of the year, the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon.\nA bunch of her friends joined her this year.\nIncluding what looks like a very nice dinner (and dessert) before the big effort tomorrow morning.\nBut first it\u0026rsquo;s time for a little shopping.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071020_nike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is off to San Francisco to do her favorite running event of the year,\nthe Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA bunch of her friends joined her this year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncluding what looks like a very nice dinner (and dessert) before the big\neffort tomorrow morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut first it\u0026rsquo;s time for a little shopping.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071020_nike/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"The sneaky couple went and got married while no one was looking. Congratulations little brother, and welcome to the family Shweta!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071019_wedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe sneaky couple went and got married while no one was looking.\nCongratulations little brother, and welcome to the family Shweta!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071019_wedding/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071019_wedding/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071019_wedding/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071019_wedding/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Presenting Max and Shweta Multer"},{"content":"The big man of the house knocks off yet another birthday. Pumpkin pie is still his favorite. I suppose having your birthday in the month of October makes something like that inevitable.\nGrandma Phoebe is in town this week, making it a very special birthday.\nYou can probably tell I\u0026rsquo;m working on capturing nice portraits of everyone. They were ready to kill me if I took anymore.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s no particular theme to this year\u0026rsquo;s collection of gifts, honest.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071010_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big man of the house knocks off yet another birthday. Pumpkin pie is still\nhis favorite. I suppose having your birthday in the month of October makes\nsomething like that inevitable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandma Phoebe is in town this week, making it a very special birthday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can probably tell I\u0026rsquo;m working on capturing nice portraits of everyone. They\nwere ready to kill me if I took anymore.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071010_bday/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday with grandma Phoebe"},{"content":"\nGabe took a few pictures of this year\u0026rsquo;s miniscule pumpkin collection. I\u0026rsquo;m sorry to say that the bigger one is pretty much our total harvest. Time to invest a bit more time and water into next year\u0026rsquo;s crop.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20071007_pumpkins/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20071007_pumpkins/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe took a few pictures of this year\u0026rsquo;s miniscule pumpkin collection. I\u0026rsquo;m sorry\nto say that the bigger one is pretty much our total harvest. Time to invest a\nbit more time and water into next year\u0026rsquo;s crop.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and his pumpkins"},{"content":"Charlotte took me through Pogonip up through Moore Creek Open Space. We were hoping to walk among the cows and get some nice photos. No cows, but a very nice view of the coast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took me through Pogonip up through Moore Creek Open Space. We were\nhoping to walk among the cows and get some nice photos. No cows, but a very\nnice view of the coast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070930_moorecreek/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking with Charlotte at Moore Creek Open Space"},{"content":"Last night was a mad dash to get things setup. We arrived at what looked like a good spot to camp, and then it started raining. I managed to get my gear on and tent up just in time, but Matt got a bit wet. Always fun to setup your tent on a bush. It\u0026rsquo;s best not to be picky when it\u0026rsquo;s dark and raining. We did manage to squeeze in some hot food on our last night in the park.\nThis morning we find clear skies and a spectacular view of Denali. It\u0026rsquo;s so bright it\u0026rsquo;s a challenge to get a good photo.\nOne last push up the hill to the Eielson stop and we\u0026rsquo;re heading home. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to say goodbye to such an amazing place. I\u0026rsquo;ll just have to plan another trip with the family for next time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070910_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast night was a mad dash to get things setup. We arrived at what looked like a\ngood spot to camp, and then it started raining. I managed to get my gear on\nand tent up just in time, but Matt got a bit wet. Always fun to setup your\ntent on a bush. It\u0026rsquo;s best not to be picky when it\u0026rsquo;s dark and raining. We did\nmanage to squeeze in some hot food on our last night in the park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"Finally, a decent night\u0026rsquo;s sleep again. I really needed it after the typhoon winds the other night. We\u0026rsquo;re pretty tired today from walking on the glacier yesterday, so it\u0026rsquo;s a little slow going this morning.\nToday we\u0026rsquo;ve got to make it back close to the road, so we can catch the morning camper bus back to park headquarters. I remember this river bar.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070909_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFinally, a decent night\u0026rsquo;s sleep again. I really needed it after the typhoon\nwinds the other night. We\u0026rsquo;re pretty tired today from walking on the glacier\nyesterday, so it\u0026rsquo;s a little slow going this morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;ve got to make it back close to the road, so we can catch the morning\ncamper bus back to park headquarters. I remember this river bar.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070909_denali/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"Last night was really rough. We heard later someone talking how we caught what was left of a typhoon in China. Sounded right to me. Matt and I spent the whole night waiting for our tent to get blown away as we got hit by at least 50 mph gusts. Twice I needed to get up to restake the tent, even though I worked hard to prep it before I went to bed. Man, it\u0026rsquo;s gonna be a long day.\nToday we take another shot at crossing the glacier. It\u0026rsquo;s been calling to us for the past few days and it\u0026rsquo;s time to see what it\u0026rsquo;s really like. The first path we try ends in steep ice cliffs. Climbing on tons of broken shale rock is quite the challenge both physically and on our equipment.\nWe spot another promising path and head down into some kind of depression at the foot of the ice sheet. It turns out to be an open area filled with streams and giant ice blocks. They look like grounded icebergs, but unfortunately it\u0026rsquo;s hard to make out the scale of these things. I called this place the playground. A very cool place, at least until we spot the big, fresh grizzly print. Now which iceberg are you hiding behind?\nAfter hours of effort, it gets too late for us to make it the rest of the way and make it back to camp in time. Goes to show you should never underestimate a glacier, it kicked our butts. Chalk it up as a learning experience. And the other side was only 1-2 hours further.\nTwo tired backpackers make it back to camp. That wind better not be blowing tonight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070908_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLast night was really rough. We heard later someone talking how we caught what\nwas left of a typhoon in China. Sounded right to me. Matt and I spent the\nwhole night waiting for our tent to get blown away as we got hit by at least\n50 mph gusts. Twice I needed to get up to restake the tent, even though I\nworked hard to prep it before I went to bed. Man, it\u0026rsquo;s gonna be a long day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"A really cool fog bank moved in over the glacier this morning. After being socked in for a short while, it cleared off in a most spectacular fashion. It\u0026rsquo;s amazing how many ways this place can impress you.\nToday we have a big day of hiking ahead of us. We\u0026rsquo;re going to head out to Anderson pass along the ridge. We figure it will be more fun than walking the river bar the whole way. The pass promises a great view of where the glacier turns, and a chance to see more of the huge mountains of the Alaska Range. When we get close to the pass, the wind is blowing like crazy. Little did I know our campsite was getting blasted at the same time.\nWe came down off the very high ridge and crossed some incredible tundra. If it wasn\u0026rsquo;t blowing so hard, this would be my kind of place to setup camp.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070907_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA really cool fog bank moved in over the glacier this morning. After being\nsocked in for a short while, it cleared off in a most spectacular fashion.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s amazing how many ways this place can impress you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070907_denali/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we have a big day of hiking ahead of us. We\u0026rsquo;re going to head out to\nAnderson pass along the ridge. We figure it will be more fun than walking the\nriver bar the whole way. The pass promises a great view of where the glacier\nturns, and a chance to see more of the huge mountains of the Alaska Range.\nWhen we get close to the pass, the wind is blowing like crazy. Little did I\nknow our campsite was getting blasted at the same time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"Thank goodness I managed to get a solid block of sleep on my first night in the park. I definitely needed it, and I know the rest of the trip is likely to be a problem when it comes to sleeping. We had a nice view of the imposing Muldrow glacier from our campsite. And how are we ever going to cross that monster?\nHiking up the river bar is a whole lot easier than the glacier, but walking on rocks all day is it\u0026rsquo;s own challenge. Another grizzly is our first encounter that isn\u0026rsquo;t from the safety of the bus. Nice bear.\nThe skies finally clear a bit and the mountains get to show us some of their stuff.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070906_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThank goodness I managed to get a solid block of sleep on my first night in the\npark. I definitely needed it, and I know the rest of the trip is likely to be\na problem when it comes to sleeping. We had a nice view of the imposing\nMuldrow glacier from our campsite. And how are we ever going to cross that\nmonster?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070906_denali/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070906_denali/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070906_denali/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070906_denali/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHiking up the river bar is a whole lot easier than the glacier, but walking on\nrocks all day is it\u0026rsquo;s own challenge. Another grizzly is our first encounter\nthat isn\u0026rsquo;t from the safety of the bus. Nice bear.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"Matt and I are off to the great state of Alaska for a one week backpacking trip in Denali National Park. It\u0026rsquo;s my first time and I\u0026rsquo;m really looking forward to it. Matt has been there plenty of times, so I\u0026rsquo;ll be relying on him to show me the routine. My new Canon 40D and 17-40mm f4L lens should make for some awesome photos.\nThe trip to the park turned out to be quite an ordeal. Our United flight to Denver was delayed by a little over an hour. This was just long enough to miss our connecting flight to Anchorage. We managed to get on a later Alaska Airlines flight, but we were really worried if our backpacks would make it along with us. Fortunately we all arrived as expected, so now we only have to drive 4 hours in a rental car to get to the park just in time to get our permit at 9am.\nOnce we\u0026rsquo;ve got our permit, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get finalize packing and hop on the camper bus for the 4 hour trip to our unit. Over 24 hours from when we started in California, we\u0026rsquo;re standing quietly by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, ready to head off into the backcountry. The view makes me forget I haven\u0026rsquo;t had any sleep.\nOn the bus ride we spotted a fox, caribou, and our first grizzlies. A female and her two cubs can be seen below if you\u0026rsquo;ve got good eyes. Unfortunately the big telephoto I still need to get didn\u0026rsquo;t make this trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070905_denali/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMatt and I are off to the great state of Alaska for a one week backpacking trip\nin \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/dena/\"\u003eDenali National Park\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s my first time and\nI\u0026rsquo;m really looking forward to it. Matt has been there plenty of times, so I\u0026rsquo;ll\nbe relying on him to show me the routine. My new Canon 40D and 17-40mm f4L\nlens should make for some awesome photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trip to the park turned out to be quite an ordeal. Our United flight to\nDenver was delayed by a little over an hour. This was just long enough to miss\nour connecting flight to Anchorage. We managed to get on a later Alaska\nAirlines flight, but we were really worried if our backpacks would make it\nalong with us. Fortunately we all arrived as expected, so now we only have to\ndrive 4 hours in a rental car to get to the park just in time to get our\npermit at 9am.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska"},{"content":"Charlotte, Gabe, and I are off for some hiking over at Pogonip and UCSC. It\u0026rsquo;s also another chance to test out my new Canon 40D before I\u0026rsquo;m off to Alaska.\nThe views really are excellent over at the old clubhouse. Charlotte really likes the big palm trees. This will really be an amazing place once they get around to fully restoring the property. Meanwhile nature still offers up a great show.\nHiking through the redwoods up to UCSC.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s always nice to stop by the koi ponds. The Buddha statues are a new addition since I was here last. Very serene.\nA quick stop by the lime kilns.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s up and over through UCSC and back to where we started. Another outstanding day in Santa Cruz as usual. The new camera is awesome, but I\u0026rsquo;m going to need a wide angle lens before I head to Alaska.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Gabe, and I are off for some hiking over at Pogonip and UCSC. It\u0026rsquo;s\nalso another chance to test out my new Canon 40D before I\u0026rsquo;m off to Alaska.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070902_pogonip/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe views really are excellent over at the old clubhouse. Charlotte really\nlikes the big palm trees. This will really be an amazing place once they get\naround to fully restoring the property. Meanwhile nature still offers up a\ngreat show.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in Pogonip with Charlotte and Gabe"},{"content":"It was finally time to get a decent camera after lusting after a Canon DSLR for quite some time. With my upcoming trip to Alaska, I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to let the opportunity go by to get the very best photos I can on the trip. Gabe has the privilege of being my very first subject.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070901_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was finally time to get a decent camera after lusting after a Canon DSLR for\nquite some time. With my upcoming trip to Alaska, I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to let the\nopportunity go by to get the very best photos I can on the trip. Gabe has the\nprivilege of being my very first subject.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"My new Canon 40D is so schweet"},{"content":"Our last day will cover just over 13 miles, and boy are our feet sore. Time to suck it up and hit the trail. Fortunately it\u0026rsquo;s mostly downhill today. The trail along the river makes for plenty to see along the way. A few trout make Gabe wish he had a fishing pole.\nCatching this newt during lunch is surely the highlight of the day for Gabe.\nI love the way the trail ends with a bunch of climbing while the sun bakes down on us. Gabe is not amused.\nLow and behold it\u0026rsquo;s the beach! It seems like it will take forever to make it the last mile or so.\nWell we finally made it. Now we just have to crawl the last few hundred yards to my car. In just three days Gabe has become a super hiker. The whole trip was at least 32 miles, and I hear that it\u0026rsquo;s close to 4000 of climbing and 7000 feet of descending. Now that\u0026rsquo;s one awesome accomplishment!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur last day will cover just over 13 miles, and boy are our feet sore. Time to\nsuck it up and hit the trail. Fortunately it\u0026rsquo;s mostly downhill today. The\ntrail along the river makes for plenty to see along the way. A few trout make\nGabe wish he had a fishing pole.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCatching this newt during lunch is surely the highlight of the day for Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070819_backpack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love the way the trail ends with a bunch of climbing while the sun bakes down\non us. Gabe is not amused.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail"},{"content":"Unfortunately I accidentally packed the camera at the bottom of my backpack this morning, so we only have photos from when I unpacked at the campsite. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say we were a little sore from the first day, and the ten more miles intoBig Basin State Park was a long trip. Today\u0026rsquo;s hike was probably the best so far. Once the trail entered the park, we had quite a bit of uphill through excellent redwood forests. Once we crested the top, we were treated to an entirely different ecosystem. Gabe really enjoyed climbing around on the smooth sandstone mounds. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t wait to get out of the heat. Our little campsite at Jay Camp was very private, including our own private hollow redwood bathroom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070818_backpack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately I accidentally packed the camera at the bottom of my backpack\nthis morning, so we only have photos from when I unpacked at the campsite.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s just say we were a little sore from the first day, and the ten more\nmiles into\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540\"\u003eBig Basin State Park\u003c/a\u003e was a\nlong trip. Today\u0026rsquo;s hike was probably the best so far. Once the trail entered\nthe park, we had quite a bit of uphill through excellent redwood forests. Once\nwe crested the top, we were treated to an entirely different ecosystem. Gabe\nreally enjoyed climbing around on the smooth sandstone mounds. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t wait\nto get out of the heat. Our little campsite at Jay Camp was very private,\nincluding our own private hollow redwood bathroom.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail"},{"content":"Today is the beginning of our great backpacking journey along the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail. We probably spent about a week getting equipment, preparing, and packing everything we would need for our three day trip. We\u0026rsquo;ll be heading from the top of the mountains all the way to the Santa Cruz coast. Charlotte dropped us off at the trailhead in Castle Rock State Park.\nI never get tired of how beautfiful it is here just about every day. Our first day we\u0026rsquo;ll be covering about ten miles and camp at Waterman Gap.\nThis has to qualify as the strangest sight on our trip. You don\u0026rsquo;t often bright pink things growing on the side of the trail. At least it sure looked like it was growing.\nA huge view as we head down along Highway 9.\nGabe the happy backpacker and his friend the millipede.\nI think this car made a wrong turn.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070817_backpack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is the beginning of our great backpacking journey along the\nSkyline-to-the-Sea trail. We probably spent about a week getting equipment,\npreparing, and packing everything we would need for our three day trip. We\u0026rsquo;ll\nbe heading from the top of the mountains all the way to the Santa Cruz coast.\nCharlotte dropped us off at the trailhead in \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=538\"\u003eCastle Rock State Park\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070817_backpack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070817_backpack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070817_backpack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI never get tired of how beautfiful it is here just about every day. Our first\nday we\u0026rsquo;ll be covering about ten miles and camp at Waterman Gap.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail"},{"content":"One last hiking trip to Henry Cowell with Gabe before we take off on our backpacking trip. The little guy was a bit tired today, so it\u0026rsquo;s best not to push it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070815_hiking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne last hiking trip to Henry Cowell with Gabe before we take off on our\nbackpacking trip. The little guy was a bit tired today, so it\u0026rsquo;s best not to\npush it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another training hike with Gabe"},{"content":"Gabe and I have a big backpacking trip coming up, so we need to do a lot of hiking to prepare ourselves and our new boots for the trip. This is one of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s usual hikes up to Bear Mountain and then down to the San Lorenzo River and back. A nice three hour hike is always fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I have a big backpacking trip coming up, so we need to do a lot of\nhiking to prepare ourselves and our new boots for the trip. This is one of\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s usual hikes up to Bear Mountain and then down to the San Lorenzo\nRiver and back. A nice three hour hike is always fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070812_hiking/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking with the boys in Henry Cowell"},{"content":"Gabe is fired up to go out fishing since we came back from Michigan. Charlotte wanted to come along as well. Time for Captain Dave to fire up little Nemo. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice morning as the lighthouse and some dolphins welcome us back to the Monterey Bay.\nOver at Santa Cruz reef we pickup a few little fish including one rock cod keeper.\nHeading back we pass a few others enjoying the bay. I think the otters look like they\u0026rsquo;re having the most fun.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a view of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk you don\u0026rsquo;t usually see.\nGabe watches from the bow while we head back into the harbor. That guy standing up in the middle of the bay is quite the sight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is fired up to go out fishing since we came back from Michigan. Charlotte\nwanted to come along as well. Time for Captain Dave to fire up little Nemo.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a nice morning as the lighthouse and some dolphins welcome us back to the\nMonterey Bay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver at Santa Cruz reef we pickup a few little fish including one rock cod\nkeeper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070805_fishing/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeading back we pass a few others enjoying the bay. I think the otters look\nlike they\u0026rsquo;re having the most fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A quick fishing trip with Charlotte and Gabe"},{"content":"This time a smaller crew is heading out to Copper Harbor via a new route. First stop is the town of Gay. The kids can\u0026rsquo;t resist the inevitable snickering. Amazingly this is my first trip to this stamp mill, and I can\u0026rsquo;t believe I never explored this great spot.\nThe water is so low over at the Tobacco River I can\u0026rsquo;t believe it.\nNext stop is Eagle river and the falls. We\u0026rsquo;re amazed when we run into thick fog typical of Santa Cruz.\nThe kids have a blast at Devil\u0026rsquo;s Washtub.\nWe finally grab some lunch in Copper Harbor. We have to convince Mackenzie what\u0026rsquo;s out there since you can barely make it out through the fog. The view from Brockway is a little better.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis time a smaller crew is heading out to Copper Harbor via a new route. First\nstop is the town of Gay. The kids can\u0026rsquo;t resist the inevitable snickering.\nAmazingly this is my first trip to this stamp mill, and I can\u0026rsquo;t believe I\nnever explored this great spot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe water is so low over at the Tobacco River I can\u0026rsquo;t believe it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070724_copperharbor/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop is Eagle river and the falls. We\u0026rsquo;re amazed when we run into thick fog\ntypical of Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another trip out to Copper Harbor"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying a hike up Hungarian Falls. This is one of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite places to run or hike, but today we\u0026rsquo;re taking it a bit slower.\nBack at the cabin, Mackenzie, Monica, and Gabe whip up a tasty cake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070723_falls/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying a hike up Hungarian Falls. This is one of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s\nfavorite places to run or hike, but today we\u0026rsquo;re taking it a bit slower.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the cabin, Mackenzie, Monica, and Gabe whip up a tasty cake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070723_falls/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking Hungarian Falls and baking a cake"},{"content":"An interesting site while driving through Calumet. Not much to show for today\u0026rsquo;s activities, but Mackenzie\u0026rsquo;s smile is an indication everyone enjoyed themselves.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070722_up/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAn interesting site while driving through Calumet. Not much to show for today\u0026rsquo;s\nactivities, but Mackenzie\u0026rsquo;s smile is an indication everyone enjoyed\nthemselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070722_up/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sometimes da U.P. is a bit strange"},{"content":"This morning Charlotte is off to run the 10 mile Canal Run over in Hancock. She went with the walkers, but since it was competitive she didn\u0026rsquo;t do it for the time. Sounds like it was a great run. They should have some bike races up here too.\nMackenzie arrived to visit with us for a week, and I know Monica is loving it. No visit would be complete without a trip to the big mine. What a cute group of miners!\nSome artsy mine pics for Charlotte to enjoy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070721_quincy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis morning Charlotte is off to run the 10 mile Canal Run over in Hancock. She\nwent with the walkers, but since it was competitive she didn\u0026rsquo;t do it for the\ntime. Sounds like it was a great run. They should have some bike races up here\ntoo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070721_quincy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070721_quincy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070721_quincy/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMackenzie arrived to visit with us for a week, and I know Monica is loving it.\nNo visit would be complete without a trip to the big mine. What a cute group\nof miners!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Canal Run and the Quincy Mine with Mackenzie"},{"content":"Our neighbors the Rice family are finally selling their cabin. They told us we could grab anything we liked from their shed, including this very nice little sailboat. The Peyser boys were happy to take on the project.\nA nice boat ride over to Houghton for some fun over at Chutes and Ladders. It was a little too cold for some, though Doug found a good place to hide.\nLater that night, it\u0026rsquo;s over to Jacobsville for a bonfire. Doug was so funny with his efforts planting a tree in Lake Superior.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070720_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur neighbors the Rice family are finally selling their cabin. They told us we\ncould grab anything we liked from their shed, including this very nice little\nsailboat. The Peyser boys were happy to take on the project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070720_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nice boat ride over to Houghton for some fun over at Chutes and Ladders. It\nwas a little too cold for some, though Doug found a good place to hide.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chutes and Ladders topped off with a bonfire"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always a nice evening for a boat ride, and tonight we\u0026rsquo;re headed down the channel to Jacobsville. There\u0026rsquo;s never a shortage of beautiful sunsets on the lake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always a nice evening for a boat ride, and tonight we\u0026rsquo;re headed down the\nchannel to Jacobsville. There\u0026rsquo;s never a shortage of beautiful sunsets on the\nlake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070717_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat trip to Jacobsville"},{"content":"Being up in Bootjack is all about the lake. Today we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying boating, skiing, tubing, and a bit of fishing. The only way spend the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBeing up in Bootjack is all about the lake. Today we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying boating,\nskiing, tubing, and a bit of fishing. The only way spend the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070716_skiing/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun on Portage Lake"},{"content":"Charlie laid down the big challenge to Gordy on who was the better fishing team. Charlie and Gordon took one boat. Gordy, Gabe, Annie, and I took the other. While we hauled in a few nice walleye and other fish, Charlie came up empty. Best not to mess with that many years of fishing experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie laid down the big challenge to Gordy on who was the better fishing\nteam. Charlie and Gordon took one boat. Gordy, Gabe, Annie, and I took the\nother. While we hauled in a few nice walleye and other fish, Charlie came up\nempty. Best not to mess with that many years of fishing experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070715_tournament/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The big Portage Lake fishing showdown"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri took the whole crew out to Copper Harbor today. First stop is Eagle River and then the shore of Lake Superior.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Devil\u0026rsquo;s Washtub to take advantage of the very low water level this year.\nLunch in Copper Harbor looks like it was fun.\nNext is Fort Wilkins. Looks like Gordon was a bad boy and received the punishment he deserved. Or maybe it\u0026rsquo;s just torture from the older kids. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you decide.\nNo trip to Copper Harbor is complete without a trip up to Brockway Mountain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri took the whole crew out to Copper Harbor today. First stop\nis Eagle River and then the shore of Lake Superior.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to Devil\u0026rsquo;s Washtub to take advantage of the very low water level\nthis year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/41.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLunch in Copper Harbor looks like it was fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070713_copperharbor/45.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext is \u003ca href=\"https://www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/fortwilkins\"\u003eFort Wilkins\u003c/a\u003e. Looks like Gordon was\na bad boy and received the punishment he deserved. Or maybe it\u0026rsquo;s just torture\nfrom the older kids. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you decide.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Multers, Peysers, and Hoyems in Copper Harbor"},{"content":"We just missed Gordy when we flew in from Philadelphia, but the kids have really enjoyed hanging with Gordon and Annie. Fishing and the beach at Jacobsville are always a fun destination. Everyone wave to the Keewenaw Star.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe just missed Gordy when we flew in from Philadelphia, but the kids have\nreally enjoyed hanging with Gordon and Annie. Fishing and the beach at\nJacobsville are always a fun destination. Everyone wave to the Keewenaw Star.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070712_jacobsville/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Jacobsville with Gordy's family"},{"content":"Swimming of the dock is loads of fun anytime, but when the wind kicks up it\u0026rsquo;s a blast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070710_windy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSwimming of the dock is loads of fun anytime, but when the wind kicks up it\u0026rsquo;s a\nblast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070710_windy/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming in Portage Lake on a blustery day"},{"content":"Here we are again in da U.P. My little fisherman is keeping himself busy trying to catch another huge northern pike.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere we are again in da U.P. My little fisherman is keeping himself busy trying\nto catch another huge northern pike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070709_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe fishing in Jacobsville"},{"content":"Lynda hosted dad\u0026rsquo;s 70th birthday party this year. Scott and his family and the Watnicks joined us for the big celebration. It was great seeing Annabel after too many years, and Max brought his fiancee for everyone to meet.\nJohn\u0026rsquo;s twins were looking much bigger also.\nLynda and Steve did an awesome job being the host for the party. It sure was great to see everyone together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070703_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda hosted dad\u0026rsquo;s 70th birthday party this year. Scott and his family and the\nWatnicks joined us for the big celebration. It was great seeing Annabel after\ntoo many years, and Max brought his fiancee for everyone to meet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/32.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn\u0026rsquo;s twins were looking much bigger also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/39.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLynda and Steve did an awesome job being the host for the party. It sure was\ngreat to see everyone together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/46.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"47\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/47.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"48\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/48.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"49\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/49.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"50\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/50.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"51\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070703_bday/51.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira's 70th birthday party"},{"content":"One more big day in the city. First is our scheduled tour of the Library of Congress. An impressive place, though our tour guide was pretty much an idiot. The little girl in the tour knew more than he did.\nThe Supreme Court was awesome. The excellent docent was a nice change from our last stop.\nWe tried to get into the Capitol, but they had some kind of security issue and then the line was way too long. We were getting a bit tired as well. Definitely need to visit on our next trip.\nBack along the National Mall we walk past loads more places including the Smithsonian. Yet another place we will have to visit on the next trip.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s over to Alexandria again for some lunch.\nAnd then our final stop at Mount Vernon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070702_dc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne more big day in the city. First is our scheduled tour of the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov\"\u003eLibrary of Congress\u003c/a\u003e. An impressive place, though our tour guide was\npretty much an idiot. The little girl in the tour knew more than he did.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov\"\u003eSupreme Court\u003c/a\u003e was awesome. The excellent\ndocent was a nice change from our last stop.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070702_dc/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe tried to get into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aoc.gov\"\u003eCapitol\u003c/a\u003e, but they had some kind\nof security issue and then the line was way too long. We were getting a bit\ntired as well. Definitely need to visit on our next trip.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Washington, DC"},{"content":"Time for another gigantic day in our nation\u0026rsquo;s capitol. A view from the hotel, then it\u0026rsquo;s off to our first stop Arlington Cemetery. The shuttle takes us first to visit with Robert and John Kennedy.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.\nThe rest of the cemetery awaits.\nTo avoid the pounding our feet took yesterday, we\u0026rsquo;ve arranged quite a treat for the rest of the day. A limo gives us the grand tour around the more difficult to reach parts of the city. First we head up the hills of Georgetown.\nThe National Cathedral is an amazing place. Felt like a modern version of Notre Dame. Hey, there\u0026rsquo;s our limo down there!\nBack through the hills heading downtown, we drive by no shortage of embassies and other impressive buildings.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the Jefferson Memorial.\nI really loved the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial.\nBack over to Arlington via the George Washington Memorial Parkway to catch the Iwo Jima Memorial that we missed the other day.\nThe walk over to Georgetown from the hotel is always fun, and the area is great for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. I really liked walking along the C\u0026amp;O Canal.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070701_dc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for another gigantic day in our nation\u0026rsquo;s capitol. A view from the hotel,\nthen it\u0026rsquo;s off to our first stop \u003ca href=\"https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil\"\u003eArlington Cemetery\u003c/a\u003e. The shuttle takes\nus first to visit with Robert and John Kennedy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/33.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the cemetery awaits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070701_dc/46.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo avoid the pounding our feet took yesterday, we\u0026rsquo;ve arranged quite a treat for\nthe rest of the day. A limo gives us the grand tour around the more difficult\nto reach parts of the city. First we head up the hills of Georgetown.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Washington, DC"},{"content":"Today is going to be a very busy day. First stop is the Washington Monument.\nQuite the view from the top, though it is a bit hazy.\nThe Holocaust Museum was an overwhelming place.\nA few more beautiful sites along the way.\nAnd then one of Monica\u0026rsquo;s famous self portraits while we have lunch at Gordon Biersch. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe it when I spotted this place. Feels like we\u0026rsquo;re back in the Bay Area.\nMonica really loves Abe Lincoln, so she thoroughly enjoyed visiting Ford\u0026rsquo;s Theater.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re walking, we\u0026rsquo;re walking\u0026hellip;\nThe White House would have been a great place to visit. Unfortunately we\u0026rsquo;re not getting anywhere close nowadays.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re walking, we\u0026rsquo;re walking\u0026hellip;\nThe new World War II Memorial is really beautiful.\nNext we head over to the Korean War Memorial.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the Lincoln Memorial. Everyone does some heavy lifting with the Washington Monument in the distance.\nLast stop is a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial, Einstein, and George Washington University.\nBack to the hotel to collapse. My feet are killing me.\nOnce we\u0026rsquo;re recovered, we head over to Alexandria for dinner and the sights.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070630_dc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is going to be a very busy day. First stop is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/wamo/\"\u003eWashington Monument\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuite the view from the top, though it is a bit hazy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.ushmm.org\"\u003eHolocaust Museum\u003c/a\u003e was an overwhelming place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more beautiful sites along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070630_dc/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then one of Monica\u0026rsquo;s famous self portraits while we have lunch at Gordon\nBiersch. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe it when I spotted this place. Feels like we\u0026rsquo;re\nback in the Bay Area.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Washington, DC"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re visiting the capitol for a few days this year. The kids have never been, and Monica missed the class trip she was really hoping to join. Instead Charlotte arranged a whirlwind tour of our own. First stop is the International Spy Museum.\nPlenty of sights to see in the city.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070629_dc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re visiting the capitol for a few days this year. The kids have never been,\nand Monica missed the class trip she was really hoping to join. Instead\nCharlotte arranged a whirlwind tour of our own. First stop is the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.spymuseum.org\"\u003eInternational Spy Museum\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of sights to see in the city.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070629_dc/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Washington, DC"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m still pretty tired from my trip, but I can always take it if the beach is involved. Monica is off doing her own thing, while the rest of the family hang together.\nThe water is really warm today, but of course it\u0026rsquo;s all relative.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a small group tonight given the late notice. It\u0026rsquo;s good to catch up with our friends.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m still pretty tired from my trip, but I can always take it if the beach is\ninvolved. Monica is off doing her own thing, while the rest of the family hang\ntogether.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe water is really warm today, but of course it\u0026rsquo;s all relative.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a small group tonight given the late notice. It\u0026rsquo;s good to catch up with\nour friends.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070624_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at Rio Del Mar beach"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m off in Bulgaria while my family enjoys a trip to theMonterey Bay Aquarium. A couple of great kelp forest photos, and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite scary fish.\nMy favorite spot is the shore exhibit. Gabe took some real nice photos of the birds.\nThe kids look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying themselves. And the award for the weirdest fish on the planet goes to the sunfish.\nA colorful group of reef fishes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m off in Bulgaria while my family enjoys a trip to the\u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eMonterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a\u003e.\nA couple of great kelp forest photos, and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite scary fish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy favorite spot is the shore exhibit. Gabe took some real nice photos of the\nbirds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kids look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying themselves. And the award for the weirdest\nfish on the planet goes to the sunfish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070617_aquarium/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA colorful group of reef fishes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fish, birds, and cool videos at the aquarium"},{"content":"A mother from Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class is putting on a monster party at her house for the whole class. I was stunned at the size of the event, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gabe will really enjoy himself. I\u0026rsquo;ll let Charlotte pick him up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070615_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA mother from Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class is putting on a monster party at her house for the\nwhole class. I was stunned at the size of the event, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gabe will\nreally enjoy himself. I\u0026rsquo;ll let Charlotte pick him up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_party/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Brook Knoll graduation party time"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s arranged her own little soiree with her friends. I\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what they\u0026rsquo;re doing wondering around the house, and I am sure I don\u0026rsquo;t want to know.\nTime to hit the pool.\nSeems there was a bit of an accident, but nothing nurse Charlotte can\u0026rsquo;t fix.\nTime for a little beach volleyball, only a few miles from the beach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070615_pool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s arranged her own little soiree with her friends. I\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure\nwhat they\u0026rsquo;re doing wondering around the house, and I am sure I don\u0026rsquo;t want to\nknow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to hit the pool.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeems there was a bit of an accident, but nothing nurse Charlotte can\u0026rsquo;t fix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime for a little beach volleyball, only a few miles from the beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070615_pool/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's graduation pool party"},{"content":"It took a ridiculous amount of time before I finally got the boat back in the water. The engine is running great and it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day. The fish may not be biting, but it\u0026rsquo;s great to have Nick on board. At least we got a nice shot of a sea otter. Next time it\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s turn to join us.\nNot sure what to make of this one. Maybe I could use Photoshop and insert Monica onto the deck of the boat. Look what we caught!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt took a ridiculous amount of time before I finally got the boat back in the\nwater. The engine is running great and it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day. The fish may not\nbe biting, but it\u0026rsquo;s great to have Nick on board. At least we got a nice shot\nof a sea otter. Next time it\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s turn to join us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070614_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot sure what to make of this one. Maybe I could use Photoshop and insert\nMonica onto the deck of the boat. Look what we caught!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick and Gabe go fishing"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a big day for Gabe, and for all of us. After 11 years of elementary school across all our children, it\u0026rsquo;s finally time to say farewell. We\u0026rsquo;ve loved being a part of this great school, and I know the kids have really enjoyed it as well.\nZach is graduating also, and his family is looking so proud.\nAnd let\u0026rsquo;s give Gabe a big hand.\nOne last job before saying goodbye.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s party time over at the snack table. Then it\u0026rsquo;s one last picture with his teacher Mrs. Codd.\nFollowed by the usual goofy goober routine with Steven. If I wasn\u0026rsquo;t taking their photo, I would probably be joining in.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s official!\nThe man has earned a bean burrito at his favorite lunch spot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a big day for Gabe, and for all of us. After 11 years of elementary school\nacross all our children, it\u0026rsquo;s finally time to say farewell. We\u0026rsquo;ve loved being\na part of this great school, and I know the kids have really enjoyed it as\nwell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZach is graduating also, and his family is looking so proud.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd let\u0026rsquo;s give Gabe a big hand.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_gabegrad/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last job before saying goodbye.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe says goodbye to Brook Knoll"},{"content":"Next up is Monica\u0026rsquo;s graduation from middle school. The three musketeers are all dressed up and ready to go. Now if only I can make survive the heat while sitting in the Scotts Valley sun.\nAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the class of 2007.\nThe procession begins. Even the pets are dressed for the occasion.\nHere comes our special girl.\nNick is so very proud of his little sister. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gabe is too, but he\u0026rsquo;s hiding from the heat in the safety of the nearby trees.\nSpeeches, diplomas, and lots of hand shaking.\nHey, I know that girl.\nIt just keeps on going.\nOh joy, see you next year in high school.\nOur little graduate.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNext up is Monica\u0026rsquo;s graduation from middle school. The three musketeers are all\ndressed up and ready to go. Now if only I can make survive the heat while\nsitting in the Scotts Valley sun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the class of 2007.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe procession begins. Even the pets are dressed for the occasion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere comes our special girl.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070613_monicagrad/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick is so very proud of his little sister. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Gabe is too, but he\u0026rsquo;s\nhiding from the heat in the safety of the nearby trees.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica says goodbye to SVMS"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class is having and end of year party over at Skypark. Most of the action is over at the skate park, but where is Gabe?\nHere I come to save the day with Gabe\u0026rsquo;s skateboard.\nCharlotte finds him over at the playground entertaining some of his classmates.\nNow that\u0026rsquo;s the happy skateboarder I know and love.\nAnd the parents look on from a safe vantage point.\nDad, come on out and ride with me\u0026hellip;\nMonica is getting her usual slew of awards for another outstanding year. We\u0026rsquo;re so proud of our little girl. A shame most of the pictures didn\u0026rsquo;t turn out.\nMonica\u0026rsquo;s friends Capella and Clara did a beautiful job on these school murals.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070612_skate/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s class is having and end of year party over at Skypark. Most of the\naction is over at the skate park, but where is Gabe?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere I come to save the day with Gabe\u0026rsquo;s skateboard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte finds him over at the playground entertaining some of his\nclassmates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that\u0026rsquo;s the happy skateboarder I know and love.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070612_skate/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the parents look on from a safe vantage point.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's skate party and Monica's school awards"},{"content":"Monica will be graduating from middle school shortly, but first everyone needs to practice for the upcoming ceremony. Charlotte and other parents help out with lunch for everyone. I think they will really enjoy the ice cream Charlotte is working on.\nEveryone is really hungry from what I can see with the long lines.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of hanging out and playing around before the rehearsal.\nThe rehearsal is over at the Skypark amphitheater.\nEveryone will look quite a bit more elegant when they\u0026rsquo;re all dressed up. Though I suspect they\u0026rsquo;re a bit more relaxed and comfortable this way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070611_svms/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica will be graduating from middle school shortly, but first everyone needs\nto practice for the upcoming ceremony. Charlotte and other parents help out\nwith lunch for everyone. I think they will really enjoy the ice cream\nCharlotte is working on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone is really hungry from what I can see with the long lines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of hanging out and playing around before the rehearsal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070611_svms/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rehearsal is over at the Skypark amphitheater.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVMS graduation practice"},{"content":"Gabe and Steven have figured out something new to do out front besides playing wall ball.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070609_skateboard/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Steven have figured out something new to do out front besides playing\nwall ball.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Skateboarding with Gabe"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been an active user of LinkedIn for a long time. It\u0026rsquo;s a great tool for professional social networking that I find useful personally, and for my work at Waverley Software. They recently won two awards at the annualWebby Awards and asked their 11 million subscribers to suggest a 5 word acceptance speech for one of the awards. I threw my suggestion into the hat, and unbelievably they selected mine! Now I\u0026rsquo;m off to NYC to accept the award for them all expenses paid. It\u0026rsquo;s always great to come visit New York. Dan and Kay from LinkedIn were my excellent hosts. Kay\u0026rsquo;s logo bling was very cute.\nDan and Kay were kept very busy with all the press.\nThe designated marks for the press was an interesting site. A few of the press told me no one really followed the instructions.\nThe event location looks quiet now, but in a few minutes it will be packed. Unfortunately that\u0026rsquo;s were my photos stop. It was very tough to take pictures during the event. Charlotte came to NYC with me, but we couldn\u0026rsquo;t get a ticket for her. That means there are no photos of me accepting the award with \u0026ldquo;Thanks for the endorsement\u0026rdquo;.\nUpdate: Kay from LinkedIn passed on a couple of photos she took at the event. Turns out there are a couple of pictures of me after all. Still waiting to see if I show up on YouTube one of these days.\nI got a few second glimpse of David Bowie before he left the stage. My only memento was this lousy picture of one of the projection screens. I didn\u0026rsquo;t get a picture of the Beastie Boys, who were clearly the most interesting award winners for me. The Webby site has lots of additional information on the entire event.\nBack at the hotel, it\u0026rsquo;s good to see Charlotte again.\nThe next day we catch some breakfast before heading to the airport and home. I definitely like my new Webby t-shirt.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070605_webbys/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been an active user of LinkedIn for a long time. It\u0026rsquo;s a great tool for\nprofessional social networking that I find useful personally, and for my work\nat Waverley Software. They recently won two awards at the annual\u003ca href=\"https://www.webbyawards.com\"\u003eWebby Awards\u003c/a\u003e\nand asked their 11 million subscribers to suggest a 5 word acceptance speech\nfor one of the awards. I threw my suggestion into the hat, and unbelievably\nthey selected mine! Now I\u0026rsquo;m off to NYC to accept the award for them all\nexpenses paid. It\u0026rsquo;s always great to come visit New York. Dan and Kay from\nLinkedIn were my excellent hosts. Kay\u0026rsquo;s logo bling was very cute.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Accepting the Webby Award for LinkedIn"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s hike will be quite a bit easier than yesterday\u0026rsquo;s hike to the top of Yosemite Falls. The trip out to Mirror Lake is a great walk with nice views of Half Dome.\nLooks like the local wildlife is active today. The deer is pretty cute, but it\u0026rsquo;s best to give the bears plenty of room.\nA great trip has to end sometime. Charlotte heads back to drop Lynn at the airport, and then home to the family that\u0026rsquo;s been missing her so much.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s hike will be quite a bit easier than yesterday\u0026rsquo;s hike to the top of\nYosemite Falls. The trip out to Mirror Lake is a great walk with nice views of\nHalf Dome.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like the local wildlife is active today. The deer is pretty cute, but\nit\u0026rsquo;s best to give the bears plenty of room.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070603_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA great trip has to end sometime. Charlotte heads back to drop Lynn at the\nairport, and then home to the family that\u0026rsquo;s been missing her so much.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn hike Mirror Lake"},{"content":"Looks like a beautiful morning beckoning the intrepid hikers to begin their long journey. Time to leave the cozy cabin to start on the dusty trail.\nCharlotte and Lynn posing at the trailhead.\nThe hikers make their way up the long winding trail.\nHey, that\u0026rsquo;s Half Dome over there. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to the top of that one before.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s a freakin rattlesnake!\nWe\u0026rsquo;re waking, we\u0026rsquo;re walking. The views are slightly better than on the usual Santa Cruz hikes.\nOne last push before the top of the falls.\nOf course that isn\u0026rsquo;t really the top. Time to cross the falls and continue on to the spot the girls are pointing out.\nIt just keeps on going up.\nThis is it! A bit to scary for me, but Charlotte and Lynn enjoy it.\nA well earned dip in the cold river.\nAnd what a view!\nThat was one beautiful hike.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like a beautiful morning beckoning the intrepid hikers to begin their\nlong journey. Time to leave the cozy cabin to start on the dusty trail.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn posing at the trailhead.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hikers make their way up the long winding trail.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHey, that\u0026rsquo;s Half Dome over there. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to the top of that one before.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s a freakin rattlesnake!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070602_yosemite/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re waking, we\u0026rsquo;re walking. The views are slightly better than on the usual\nSanta Cruz hikes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn hike Yosemite Falls"},{"content":"Lynn is up for a visit from San Diego, and she\u0026rsquo;s heading out to Yosemite with Charlotte. They\u0026rsquo;re planning a big hike for tomorrow that should be a nice change of pace from Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s usual local hikes. The mountains are calling.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynn is up for a visit from San Diego, and she\u0026rsquo;s heading out to Yosemite with\nCharlotte. They\u0026rsquo;re planning a big hike for tomorrow that should be a nice\nchange of pace from Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s usual local hikes. The mountains are calling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070601_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn in Yosemite"},{"content":"The last big event of the year for the PTA was at our house. The kids and I enjoyed a nice night out while the party was going on. When we got home, the group was congratulating themselves on another year of great work for our schools. Thank you Charlotte!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070531_pta/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe last big event of the year for the PTA was at our house. The kids and I\nenjoyed a nice night out while the party was going on. When we got home, the\ngroup was congratulating themselves on another year of great work for our\nschools. Thank you Charlotte!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070531_pta/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's PTA party"},{"content":"Charlotte has been busy in the garden this weekend. Here\u0026rsquo;s a sampling of her hard work, with a little help from the flowers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has been busy in the garden this weekend. Here\u0026rsquo;s a sampling of her\nhard work, with a little help from the flowers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070528_flowers/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's flower garden"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s time for the next big SVEF event, the Ice Cream Social. This event is a lot more complicated than the bike ride, so Charlotte and countless volunteers have been very busy for some time now. This morning is the last big push to get everything setup and ready for the big crowd. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and things are almost ready.\nGabe takes the opportunity to get in some quality skateboarding time at the park before the usual crowd arrives. Unfortunately he wound up taking a hard spill and getting a very swollen knee. And no, he didn\u0026rsquo;t try to drop in to the BIG bowl.\nAnd here comes the crowd!\nSometimes these happy events can also be the source of some very vicious fights. Those light sabers can do some serious damage.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re all so proud of our SVEF president!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070520_ics/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s time for the next big SVEF event, the Ice Cream Social. This event is a\nlot more complicated than the bike ride, so Charlotte and countless volunteers\nhave been very busy for some time now. This morning is the last big push to\nget everything setup and ready for the big crowd. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and things\nare almost ready.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070520_ics/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe takes the opportunity to get in some quality skateboarding time at the\npark before the usual crowd arrives. Unfortunately he wound up taking a hard\nspill and getting a very swollen knee. And no, he didn\u0026rsquo;t try to drop in to the\nBIG bowl.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scotts Valley Ice Cream Social"},{"content":"Gabe is really enjoying himself while posing for the camera in Monica\u0026rsquo;s sunglasses. It\u0026rsquo;s some kind of strange combination of fashion, skin, and ninja style.\nThis is Gabe\u0026rsquo;s idea of creativity, a photo of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s desktop picture. Very interesting.\nA few more of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s many photos. The rest wind up in the trash.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is really enjoying himself while posing for the camera in Monica\u0026rsquo;s\nsunglasses. It\u0026rsquo;s some kind of strange combination of fashion, skin, and ninja\nstyle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is Gabe\u0026rsquo;s idea of creativity, a photo of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s desktop picture. Very\ninteresting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s many photos. The rest wind up in the trash.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070511_gabe/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the photographer and model"},{"content":"Today is a big hike day for the girls. They start at Moore Creek and finish over at Wilder Ranch. Summer has definitely arrived and the cows look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying themselves also.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is a big hike day for the girls. They start at Moore Creek and finish\nover at Wilder Ranch. Summer has definitely arrived and the cows look like\nthey\u0026rsquo;re enjoying themselves also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070507_wilder/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and friends hike to Wilder Ranch"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s last day in Michigan before heading home to the family. The day starts bright and early as there is much to pack in today.\nRose\u0026rsquo;s place is looking great. We\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying this view later this summer.\nGordon is looking like a happy man back at his home.\nThe woodpeckers have been busy with this tree.\nA few random shots around camp. The lake is incredibly low this year, and the bald eagles are enjoying the clear blue skies.\nNext stop is Calumet Water Works. Lake Superior looks pretty low also. A calm day without black flies. Something we don\u0026rsquo;t see very often in the summer.\nOver in Jacobsville, things are looking a bit stormy. The Portage Lake side is so low and calm, you can see all the way to the bottom.\nCharlotte visited the Jacobsville quarry for the very first time. I\u0026rsquo;ll have to head over their too when we\u0026rsquo;re up this summer. The view of the sandstone cliffs is really nice from this vantage point. We normally only see them from the boat.\nNo trip to Bootjack would be complete without a spectacular sunset.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s last day in Michigan before heading home to the family. The\nday starts bright and early as there is much to pack in today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRose\u0026rsquo;s place is looking great. We\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying this view later this summer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon is looking like a happy man back at his home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe woodpeckers have been busy with this tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070503_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few random shots around camp. The lake is incredibly low this year, and the\nbald eagles are enjoying the clear blue skies.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A great day in Bootjack"},{"content":"Charlotte headed back to Bootjack with her dad this week. I\u0026rsquo;m so jealous she gets to Michigan before the rest of the family. How can a hike as beautiful as this be fair? She doesn\u0026rsquo;t even seem to mind being the only one that can make sure she\u0026rsquo;s in some of the pictures. The bare trees make for even better views.\nBack at camp the lake is looking mighty low. I guess it\u0026rsquo;s more of that global warming stuff that isn\u0026rsquo;t really happening.\nNow getting a flat is something very tangible that everyone can believe in.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed back to Bootjack with her dad this week. I\u0026rsquo;m so jealous she\ngets to Michigan before the rest of the family. How can a hike as beautiful as\nthis be fair? She doesn\u0026rsquo;t even seem to mind being the only one that can make\nsure she\u0026rsquo;s in some of the pictures. The bare trees make for even better\nviews.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070502_hungarian/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at camp the lake is looking mighty low. I guess it\u0026rsquo;s more of that global\nwarming stuff that isn\u0026rsquo;t really happening.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte hiking Hungarian Falls"},{"content":"Today is the big day. There are around 70 of us that will be doing 100km in the mountains of Scotts Valley and out to Corralitos. It\u0026rsquo;s a fantastic day and one of our biggest fundraisers for local schools. Charlotte and her SVEF team have been working their tails off to make sure the ride is a big success. For me, it\u0026rsquo;s another chance to enjoy a beautiful ride with plenty of friends.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got an awesome turnout today. Everyone is itching to get rolling.\nThe school band is even there to get things going.\nA nice shot of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s good friend Paula with someone I don\u0026rsquo;t know. Charlotte will tell me who it is later. She knows everyone.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the 50km group that left an hour after our group. They\u0026rsquo;ve got a bit of climbing ahead of them too.\nCharlotte was part of the SAG support fleet. They all did a tremendous job out there. It\u0026rsquo;s no easy task driving on all those windy mountain roads all day long.\nHard to tell from these photos that I just finished riding for 4 hours and probably over 6000 feet of climbing. Time to kick back to the sounds of the awesome band Wryly that\u0026rsquo;s been rocking our after ride party since the very beginning.\nAnother awesome BBQ as usual. I think I went up 3 times this year for more food.\nI loved the tent they set up this year. I had my share of sun and heat today, so it was nice to hang in the shade and catch up with everyone.\nCharlotte, Paula, and Sally dole out the raffle prizes and thank everybody for making this year\u0026rsquo;s fundraising ride a huge success.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070428_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is the big day. There are around 70 of us that will be doing 100km in the\nmountains of Scotts Valley and out to Corralitos. It\u0026rsquo;s a fantastic day and one\nof our biggest fundraisers for local schools. Charlotte and her SVEF team have\nbeen working their tails off to make sure the ride is a big success. For me,\nit\u0026rsquo;s another chance to enjoy a beautiful ride with plenty of friends.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mountain Charlie Challenge Bike Ride"},{"content":"Today is the last chance to ride together before the big ride next Saturday. No one shows up, I guess since it\u0026rsquo;s still a bit wet outside. Looks like a good day to hammer solo. I think I\u0026rsquo;ll go do next week\u0026rsquo;s course.\nGabe shows off his artistic skills again.\nSVEF and cycling, a great combination. Same for Charlotte and me.\nBig family BBQ after the ride. George came down with the family also. I know Monica really enjoys seeing a few girl cousins now and then.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070422_training/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is the last chance to ride together before the big ride next Saturday. No\none shows up, I guess since it\u0026rsquo;s still a bit wet outside. Looks like a good\nday to hammer solo. I think I\u0026rsquo;ll go do next week\u0026rsquo;s course.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe shows off his artistic skills again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSVEF and cycling, a great combination. Same for Charlotte and me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070422_training/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBig family BBQ after the ride. George came down with the family also. I know\nMonica really enjoys seeing a few girl cousins now and then.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The last SVEF training ride, and then a BBQ"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s excursion is a trip to Moss Landing to checkout MBARI and their research vessels. They\u0026rsquo;ve got quite the fleet of ships and robots. Wish I could have gone. I would have enjoyed lunch at Phil\u0026rsquo;s also.\nQuite the blustery day, though Valri looks well prepared.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s excursion is a trip to Moss Landing to checkout \u003ca href=\"https://www.mbari.org\"\u003eMBARI\u003c/a\u003e and their\nresearch vessels. They\u0026rsquo;ve got quite the fleet of ships and robots. Wish I could\nhave gone. I would have enjoyed lunch at Phil\u0026rsquo;s also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuite the blustery day, though Valri looks well prepared.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070417_mbari/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Valri take Gordon to MBARI"},{"content":"Charlotte and Paula drove the whole course today as the big day is fast approaching. The washout at Highland Way is an amazing sight. They are closer than I plan on getting when I go by on my bike in two weeks. Weather is a little nicer than the last time Charlotte and I drove by this past winter.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070416_highland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Paula drove the whole course today as the big day is fast\napproaching. The washout at Highland Way is an amazing sight. They are closer\nthan I plan on getting when I go by on my bike in two weeks. Weather is a\nlittle nicer than the last time Charlotte and I drove by this past winter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070416_highland/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Surveying the SVEF ride course"},{"content":"Only one more training ride to go before the big event. Rider signups have been the best ever. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see new riders out there this year also. I sure hope we get this kind of weather in two weeks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070415_training/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOnly one more training ride to go before the big event. Rider signups have been\nthe best ever. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see new riders out there this year also. I sure\nhope we get this kind of weather in two weeks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another SVEF training ride"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s going to be one of those long nights in the TV room for the girls. Mackenzie couldn\u0026rsquo;t hold out and paid the price. Nothing worse than the old Sweet Tart lip gag. Good thing I\u0026rsquo;m at the other end of the house. Too bad for Nick.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s going to be one of those long nights in the TV room for the girls.\nMackenzie couldn\u0026rsquo;t hold out and paid the price. Nothing worse than the old\nSweet Tart lip gag. Good thing I\u0026rsquo;m at the other end of the house. Too bad for\nNick.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070414_sleepover/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's sleepover party"},{"content":"Charlotte headed down to Monterey with Valri and her dad to enjoy the day. She\u0026rsquo;s been heading off on different trips with the kids since they have off for Spring Break this week. They spent a little time at the aquarium, and the rest of the day hanging out for lunch and other destinations. I think Gabe took most of these photos. There are a few really great ones.\nAnd it looks like they had a blast over at Dennis the Menace park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed down to Monterey with Valri and her dad to enjoy the day.\nShe\u0026rsquo;s been heading off on different trips with the kids since they have off\nfor Spring Break this week. They spent a little time at the aquarium, and the\nrest of the day hanging out for lunch and other destinations. I think Gabe\ntook most of these photos. There are a few really great ones.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070410_monterey/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Valri, Gordon, and the kids hang in Monterey"},{"content":"\nCharlotte took the big ones up to UC Berkeley today for a campus tour. Charlotte said it was awesome, and that she liked the campus even better than Stanford. Either school would be a nice spot if they could get in. The views looked sweet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070409_berkeley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070409_berkeley/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took the big ones up to UC Berkeley today for a campus tour.\nCharlotte said it was awesome, and that she liked the campus even better than\nStanford. Either school would be a nice spot if they could get in. The views\nlooked sweet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070409_berkeley/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070409_berkeley/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Nick, and Monica visit Berkeley"},{"content":"The stars have aligned this year and we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying both Passover and Easter today. First is the mad dash for candy in the backyard. The Peysers and Sonia\u0026rsquo;s family are joining us this year. We\u0026rsquo;re very happy to have them over. We\u0026rsquo;re sorry to not make it to New York this year for the Seder, but we\u0026rsquo;ve got Ira\u0026rsquo;s 70th birthday coming up and a big trip planned in a few months in New York for that.\nThe Seder was a load of fun this year. We did the super abbreviated version, which the kids enjoyed I\u0026rsquo;m sure. This year I made a raisin noodle kugel that came out fantastic and really brought back the memories. I always think of Edith whenever we have the hard boiled egg in salt water. I wish we could have had more family over.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070408_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe stars have aligned this year and we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying both Passover and Easter\ntoday. First is the mad dash for candy in the backyard. The Peysers and\nSonia\u0026rsquo;s family are joining us this year. We\u0026rsquo;re very happy to have them over.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re sorry to not make it to New York this year for the Seder, but we\u0026rsquo;ve got\nIra\u0026rsquo;s 70th birthday coming up and a big trip planned in a few months in New\nYork for that.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover and Easter at the Multers"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friends have been celebrating her birthday for the past few days. There\u0026rsquo;s a long line of people wishing her best for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tonight we get our shot. I think she enjoyed herself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070402_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s friends have been celebrating her birthday for the past few days.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a long line of people wishing her best for breakfast, lunch, and\ndinner. Tonight we get our shot. I think she enjoyed herself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070402_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070402_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070402_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070402_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070402_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's birthday"},{"content":"\nIt\u0026rsquo;s time for another Sunday morning training ride to help people get ready for the SVEF ride at the end of the month. A lot less riders today as many people went to a local century ride. It was fun hooking up with Steve Miller this time. He had a great story about Floyd Landis\u0026rsquo; hip replacement. Dave Imboden went down Eureka Canyon for a longer ride while we headed down Soquel San Jose. I was really sorry to hear later that he had a bad crash. I hope he starts feeling better soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070401_training/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070401_training/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s time for another Sunday morning training ride to help people get ready for\nthe SVEF ride at the end of the month. A lot less riders today as many people\nwent to a local century ride. It was fun hooking up with Steve Miller this\ntime. He had a great story about Floyd Landis\u0026rsquo; hip replacement. Dave Imboden\nwent down Eureka Canyon for a longer ride while we headed down Soquel San\nJose. I was really sorry to hear later that he had a bad crash. I hope he\nstarts feeling better soon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another SVEF training ride"},{"content":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon head up to San Mateo to meet George at his club for lunch. A little fancier than La Madrona. I sure hope George did his Thurston Howell III impression for everyone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070331_club/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Gordon head up to San Mateo to meet George at his club\nfor lunch. A little fancier than La Madrona. I sure hope George did his\nThurston Howell III impression for everyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070331_club/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch at the club with the Hoyems"},{"content":"Gabe is off to hone his digital photography skills in the backyard. His first subject is a thoughtful study of our cat.\nFollowed by a series of shots that capture the true essence of spring.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070330_yard/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is off to hone his digital photography skills in the backyard. His first\nsubject is a thoughtful study of our cat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowed by a series of shots that capture the true essence of spring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070330_yard/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the photographer"},{"content":"The big event with a bunch of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friends a few days ago was plenty of fun, but tonight of fun, but tonight we\u0026rsquo;re having a small birthday party just with the family. Gabe really liked his stag beetle and birthday cow. Monica was a bit freaked by the bug, but she loved her stickers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070328_bday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big event with a bunch of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friends a few days ago was plenty of fun,\nbut tonight of fun, but tonight we\u0026rsquo;re having a small birthday party just with\nthe family. Gabe really liked his stag beetle and birthday cow. Monica was a\nbit freaked by the bug, but she loved her stickers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070328_bday/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's real birthday party"},{"content":"First stop on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s festival of fun in Nunu\u0026rsquo;s in Scotts Valley to create some pottery masterpieces. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to see them after they\u0026rsquo;re fired.\nAnd the artists show me their stuff. Gabe showed me a little more than I bargained for.\nThey finished up early, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to burn off some excess energy at a local park. Kind of like a tornado setting down in your backyard. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the locals and their very small children enjoyed our visit.\nAnd now lets all run over to the swings.\nNow this was really fun to watch!\nAfter some great food at the local taqueria, we head back to the house for fun, cake, presents, and more. The obligatory pillow fight on the trampoline is always a great birthday staple.\nEveryone loved the cake, and Gabe is one happy camper with his new presents. He\u0026rsquo;s been riding his new skateboard ever since.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s just say they all stayed up very late and got up ridiculously early. A great success.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070324_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFirst stop on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s festival of fun in Nunu\u0026rsquo;s in Scotts Valley to create some\npottery masterpieces. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to see them after they\u0026rsquo;re fired.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the artists show me their stuff. Gabe showed me a little more than I\nbargained for.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070324_party/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey finished up early, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to burn off some excess energy at a local\npark. Kind of like a tornado setting down in your backyard. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the\nlocals and their very small children enjoyed our visit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday party"},{"content":"Today is our real anniversary that we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying while cruising around San Francisco. We left Union Square and headed over to the Embarcadero to check out the sculptures.\nFort Mason is one of our favorite areas for quiet exploring.\nWe loved the huge community garden.\nAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s time to head home to Santa Cruz.\nBut first we make an emergency stop for gas where we pay some ridiculous price per gallon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070319_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is our real anniversary that we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying while cruising around San\nFrancisco. We left Union Square and headed over to the Embarcadero to check\nout the sculptures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFort Mason is one of our favorite areas for quiet exploring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe loved the huge community garden.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then it\u0026rsquo;s time to head home to Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070319_sf/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut first we make an emergency stop for gas where we pay some ridiculous price\nper gallon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A great San Francisco day"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are off for a rare night away from home on our own. Our anniversary is tomorrow and we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying ourselves in fabulous San Francisco. A few interesting faces on the drive up.\nI had never been to SFMOMA before and was very glad to have finally gotten to it. We enjoyed the usual lengthy walks before the fog started to roll in.\nSince it was a Sunday night, we had no trouble getting into the Stinking Rose for dinner. A very cool place and the food was excellent. The garlic was killing me the rest of the night.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070318_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are off for a rare night away from home on our own. Our\nanniversary is tomorrow and we\u0026rsquo;ll be enjoying ourselves in fabulous San\nFrancisco. A few interesting faces on the drive up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had never been to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmoma.org\"\u003eSFMOMA\u003c/a\u003e before and was very glad\nto have finally gotten to it. We enjoyed the usual lengthy walks before the\nfog started to roll in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070318_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince it was a Sunday night, we had no trouble getting into the Stinking Rose\nfor dinner. A very cool place and the food was excellent. The garlic was\nkilling me the rest of the night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our anniversary night in San Francisco"},{"content":"harlotte is enjoying one of the many fundraising efforts on behalf of Scotts Valley schools. Nothing like a fun dinner with lots to drink to really inspire some big spenders. There are always some really great items for people to go crazy on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070317_auction/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eharlotte is enjoying one of the many fundraising efforts on behalf of Scotts\nValley schools. Nothing like a fun dinner with lots to drink to really inspire\nsome big spenders. There are always some really great items for people to go\ncrazy on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070317_auction/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Brook Knoll Pot of Gold Auction"},{"content":"Charlie and Kim stopped by with quite the surprise. Looks like Charlie finally got himself a real offroad vehicle. Pictures really can\u0026rsquo;t capture the immensity of this thing. I would hate to see this coming up fast in my rear view mirror.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070312_truck/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie and Kim stopped by with quite the surprise. Looks like Charlie finally\ngot himself a real offroad vehicle. Pictures really can\u0026rsquo;t capture the\nimmensity of this thing. I would hate to see this coming up fast in my rear\nview mirror.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070312_truck/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070312_truck/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070312_truck/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlie's new monster truck"},{"content":"Time for a beautiful weekend up in San Francisco. Charlotte really enjoyed these statues along the Embarcadero. The cruise ship was also a great sight.\nCharlotte and her dad really enjoy Chinatown. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great place for green tea.\nTime to head over some famous hills over to the wharf area.\nI think Valri is looking to join a motorcycle gang. Have to break the news to her family when Charlotte gets back.\nThe wharf is one of Gordon\u0026rsquo;s favorite places and where the crew will be spending the night. I don\u0026rsquo;t think Charlotte is wearing a thong today, so it\u0026rsquo;s probably safe to eat here.\nThe cruise ship leaving the dock looks like it was quite a treat.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for a beautiful weekend up in San Francisco. Charlotte really enjoyed\nthese statues along the Embarcadero. The cruise ship was also a great sight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and her dad really enjoy Chinatown. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great place for green\ntea.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to head over some famous hills over to the wharf area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070310_sfwharf/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think Valri is looking to join a motorcycle gang. Have to break the news to\nher family when Charlotte gets back.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon spend the weekend in San Francisco"},{"content":"Charlotte swung by Evergreen Cemetery over at Harvey West today with Gabe. She got a few nice photos. You can also see Gabe getting a bit freaked out thinking about the place they were visiting. Charlotte has no such issues having grown up next to a cemetery.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte swung by Evergreen Cemetery over at Harvey West today with Gabe. She\ngot a few nice photos. You can also see Gabe getting a bit freaked out\nthinking about the place they were visiting. Charlotte has no such issues\nhaving grown up next to a cemetery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_evergreen/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Evergreen Cemetery"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m heading over to CycleSport to lead out the first training ride for this year\u0026rsquo;s SVEF Mountain Charlie Challenge fundraising ride. It\u0026rsquo;s a big money maker for our local schools, and a great excuse to ride with a bunch of friends from Scotts Valley.\nCharlotte, Gabe, and Paula give us the big send off.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a pretty good sized crew for this morning\u0026rsquo;s ride.\nOff we go for three hours of fun in the mountains!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070304_training/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m heading over to CycleSport to lead out the first training ride for this\nyear\u0026rsquo;s SVEF Mountain Charlie Challenge fundraising ride. It\u0026rsquo;s a big money\nmaker for our local schools, and a great excuse to ride with a bunch of\nfriends from Scotts Valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Gabe, and Paula give us the big send off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a pretty good sized crew for this morning\u0026rsquo;s ride.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070304_training/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOff we go for three hours of fun in the mountains!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF training ride"},{"content":"Today Gabe was inspired for some reason and asked to use the digital camera. Here\u0026rsquo;s a number of random shots after getting rid of quite a few really bad ones. I love the way he surveyed different areas of the house. He\u0026rsquo;s also developed a real interest in playing my old trumpet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070303_house/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday Gabe was inspired for some reason and asked to use the digital camera.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a number of random shots after getting rid of quite a few really bad\nones. I love the way he surveyed different areas of the house. He\u0026rsquo;s also\ndeveloped a real interest in playing my old trumpet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070303_house/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the photographer"},{"content":"Gabe is off to Science Camp this week and unfortunately forgot his coat in someone\u0026rsquo;s car. Charlotte and I head off over the summit towards Eureka Canyon. Charlotte is wearing the right shoes for the trip, and I\u0026rsquo;m thinking twice about my choice of sandals once we see that it\u0026rsquo;s snowing on the summit.\nThe road closure up on Highland Way is worst than I remember. Maybe the dark, the ice, and the snow are making it seem a little scarier than when I was on the bike. Then again maybe it always was. I know plenty of riders that will really enjoy the adrenalin rush this part of the SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Ride route will provide. What a fun place to work on rock piles! I\u0026rsquo;ll have to ask Monica if she wants to try it up here.\nWhat fun! It\u0026rsquo;s just like being up at Lake Tahoe.\nOur destination at last, and we don\u0026rsquo;t even get to see Gabe. Stay warm little man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070227_snow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is off to Science Camp this week and unfortunately forgot his coat in\nsomeone\u0026rsquo;s car. Charlotte and I head off over the summit towards Eureka Canyon.\nCharlotte is wearing the right shoes for the trip, and I\u0026rsquo;m thinking twice\nabout my choice of sandals once we see that it\u0026rsquo;s snowing on the summit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070227_snow/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe road closure up on Highland Way is worst than I remember. Maybe the dark,\nthe ice, and the snow are making it seem a little scarier than when I was on\nthe bike. Then again maybe it always was. I know plenty of riders that will\nreally enjoy the adrenalin rush this part of the SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge\nRide route will provide. What a fun place to work on rock piles! I\u0026rsquo;ll have to\nask Monica if she wants to try it up here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice drive in the mountains"},{"content":"\nMonica\u0026rsquo;s new favorite pastime when visiting grandpa is to build rock piles at the beach. The city (and some annoying beach visitors) frown upon the act as its been deemed dangerous for small children. I won\u0026rsquo;t even start on what I would say to that nameless someone that commented to this effect to her today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070225_rocks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070225_rocks/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s new favorite pastime when visiting grandpa is to build rock piles at\nthe beach. The city (and some annoying beach visitors) frown upon the act as\nits been deemed dangerous for small children. I won\u0026rsquo;t even start on what I\nwould say to that nameless someone that commented to this effect to her\ntoday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070225_rocks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070225_rocks/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica the rock pile artist"},{"content":"Charlotte heads down to the San Jose Museum of Art with her dad, Valri, George, and Gloria. The M.C. Escher exhibit and a chance to hook up with George are today\u0026rsquo;s goals.\nCharlotte really enjoyed the 100,000 people chatting on the Internet work of art. Sounded like a cool idea.\nA few outside shots on what appears to be a very nice day. Too bad Gloria isn\u0026rsquo;t getting around easily lately.\nLunch over at McCormick and Schmidt\u0026rsquo;s was a big hit. Next trip maybe I\u0026rsquo;ll need to go along.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte heads down to the \u003ca href=\"https://sjmusart.org\"\u003eSan Jose Museum of Art\u003c/a\u003e with\nher dad, Valri, George, and Gloria. The M.C. Escher exhibit and a chance to\nhook up with George are today\u0026rsquo;s goals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte really enjoyed the 100,000 people chatting on the Internet work of\nart. Sounded like a cool idea.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070223_sanjose/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few outside shots on what appears to be a very nice day. Too bad Gloria isn\u0026rsquo;t\ngetting around easily lately.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Gordon and the crew at San Jose Museum of Art"},{"content":"I never get tired of watching our kids do great in school. Seems Monica is enjoying herself also. A bunch of her friends collect awards as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI never get tired of watching our kids do great in school. Seems Monica is\nenjoying herself also. A bunch of her friends collect awards as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070221_honorroll/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica makes Principal's List again"},{"content":"Visiting with grandpa today is also a great chance for Monica to enjoy balancing rock piles on the beach. A local artist started doing it some time ago, and Monica really enjoys joining in. Gabe of course always enjoys playing at the beach even if he always says the exact opposite.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVisiting with grandpa today is also a great chance for Monica to enjoy\nbalancing rock piles on the beach. A local artist started doing it some time\nago, and Monica really enjoys joining in. Gabe of course always enjoys playing\nat the beach even if he always says the exact opposite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070218_capitola/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rock pile art in Capitola"},{"content":"Charlotte and her dad enjoy a beautiful sunny day in Capitola after a few rainy days. Next time maybe they\u0026rsquo;ll bring their BMX bikes and take advantage of the radical jumps people have created.\nGordon\u0026rsquo;s computer is on the fritz again. Computers in general can be quite a pain, but there\u0026rsquo;s nothing that sucks quite as much as a PC running Windows.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and her dad enjoy a beautiful sunny day in Capitola after a few rainy\ndays. Next time maybe they\u0026rsquo;ll bring their BMX bikes and take advantage of the\nradical jumps people have created.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon\u0026rsquo;s computer is on the fritz again. Computers in general can be quite a\npain, but there\u0026rsquo;s nothing that sucks quite as much as a PC running Windows.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070130_capitola/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Gordon on the Capitola bluffs"},{"content":"Another day in Fremont for criterium racing with Monica. The rain has given us a short break today, and that makes me a very happy man. Feeling really strong again this week. I\u0026rsquo;m hopeful it will be a good year for racing. That\u0026rsquo;s me in the yellow helmet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother day in Fremont for criterium racing with Monica. The rain has given us\na short break today, and that makes me a very happy man. Feeling really strong\nagain this week. I\u0026rsquo;m hopeful it will be a good year for racing. That\u0026rsquo;s me in\nthe yellow helmet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070128_earlybird/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fremont Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"Monica has been working so hard for her school play. She\u0026rsquo;s finished the performances at school, and only tonight\u0026rsquo;s play for parents remains.\nGabe shows a bit of his own impressive acting skills.\nWhile Monica and her class show Gabe how it\u0026rsquo;s really done.\nAnd the players take their well earned applause.\nThe party afterwards is a bit of a mob scene.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re so proud of our fairy queen.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica has been working so hard for her school play. She\u0026rsquo;s finished the\nperformances at school, and only tonight\u0026rsquo;s play for parents remains.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe shows a bit of his own impressive acting skills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Monica and her class show Gabe how it\u0026rsquo;s really done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the players take their well earned applause.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe party afterwards is a bit of a mob scene.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070126_shakespeare/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re so proud of our fairy queen.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica in a Midsummer Night's Dream"},{"content":"Monica and Charlotte join me for some cold, early morning criterium racing. The weather has been great this year for the first chance to get in some racing. Hopefully this year I\u0026rsquo;ll have more opportunities to get in some good events. It\u0026rsquo;s great having the girls along to cheer me on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica and Charlotte join me for some cold, early morning criterium racing. The\nweather has been great this year for the first chance to get in some racing.\nHopefully this year I\u0026rsquo;ll have more opportunities to get in some good events.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s great having the girls along to cheer me on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070114_earlybird/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fremont Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"\nThe birds have been going crazy over the berries in the bush outside our front window. They\u0026rsquo;ve been making a racket and we recently noticed that they\u0026rsquo;ve been gorging on them so much that they\u0026rsquo;ve been crashing into the window regularly. The bushes are full of robins and cedar waxwings getting wasted on ripe berries.\nWhile Gabe and I log some quality Playstation time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2007/20070113_berries/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070113_berries/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe birds have been going crazy over the berries in the bush outside our front\nwindow. They\u0026rsquo;ve been making a racket and we recently noticed that they\u0026rsquo;ve been\ngorging on them so much that they\u0026rsquo;ve been crashing into the window regularly.\nThe bushes are full of robins and cedar waxwings getting wasted on ripe\nberries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe and I log some quality Playstation time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2007/20070113_berries/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Birds party on red berries"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re off the Stanford for a bit of sightseeing and some shopping. First stop is the campus. Charlotte has us pose for some fun shots with these statues.\nThen some exploring around the church and nearby buildings.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the museum to enjoy the Rodin statues. Max did his own version of Rodin during one of his many phone calls.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re off the Stanford for a bit of sightseeing and some shopping. First\nstop is the campus. Charlotte has us pose for some fun shots with these\nstatues.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen some exploring around the church and nearby buildings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s over to the museum to enjoy the Rodin statues. Max did his own\nversion of Rodin during one of his many phone calls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/46.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"47\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/47.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"48\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061226_stanford/48.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Stanford with the whole crew"},{"content":"Now my idea of a nice day is either a bike ride, or a hike. First it\u0026rsquo;s a short and steep climb up a sandy hill.\nAnd then lots of milling around while enjoying the view. Gabe is not happy about the effort. Charlotte takes everyone back down the hill, while Max, Nick, and I push on.\nNot many photos, but we wound up doing a big, hard loop right up until it got dark. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a mushroom picture for Charlotte, but I never did find any of the gnomes to show the boys.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061225_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNow my idea of a nice day is either a bike ride, or a hike. First it\u0026rsquo;s a short\nand steep climb up a sandy hill.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then lots of milling around while enjoying the view. Gabe is not happy\nabout the effort. Charlotte takes everyone back down the hill, while Max,\nNick, and I push on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_hike/37.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot many photos, but we wound up doing a big, hard loop right up until it got\ndark. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a mushroom picture for Charlotte, but I never did find\nany of the gnomes to show the boys.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice Christmas hike"},{"content":"The living room is a busy place this morning. Santa stopped by sometime last night and left lots of goodies. Happiness all around.\nTime to play with some of the new toys and enjoy a little breakfast. Karen cooks up another bread a day for everyone to enjoy.\nWhile Gabe practices with his new toy on his dad. Thanks a lot Nick for the sniper shot that ends it all.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe living room is a busy place this morning. Santa stopped by sometime last\nnight and left lots of goodies. Happiness all around.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to play with some of the new toys and enjoy a little breakfast. Karen\ncooks up another bread a day for everyone to enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061225_christmas/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe practices with his new toy on his dad. Thanks a lot Nick for the\nsniper shot that ends it all.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas with Ira, Karen, and Max"},{"content":"A trip to the boardwalk is a must while Ira, Karen, and Max are in town. A little glimpse of the local wildlife.\nAnd then some wild times over at the arcade.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA trip to the boardwalk is a must while Ira, Karen, and Max are in town. A\nlittle glimpse of the local wildlife.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then some wild times over at the arcade.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061223_boardwalk/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk"},{"content":"Ira, Karen, and Max are visiting from North Carolina for the holidays. We missed them last year, so it\u0026rsquo;s good to have them staying with us again this year. A bit of the usual hanging and watching movies, followed by a trip to the New Leaf Market for bread supplies.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve challenged Gabe to a championship wall ball match. He\u0026rsquo;s the skimmy champion at school, so I couldn\u0026rsquo;t pass up the chance to test my mettle against him. It was tough going, and I fell way back a few times. I made a great rally towards the end, but I was finally crushed by the master. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the rematch.\nOne last night of Chanukah before we move on to the next holiday.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061222_chanukah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIra, Karen, and Max are visiting from North Carolina for the holidays. We\nmissed them last year, so it\u0026rsquo;s good to have them staying with us again this\nyear. A bit of the usual hanging and watching movies, followed by a trip to\nthe New Leaf Market for bread supplies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061222_chanukah/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061222_chanukah/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061222_chanukah/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061222_chanukah/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve challenged Gabe to a championship wall ball match. He\u0026rsquo;s the skimmy\nchampion at school, so I couldn\u0026rsquo;t pass up the chance to test my mettle against\nhim. It was tough going, and I fell way back a few times. I made a great rally\ntowards the end, but I was finally crushed by the master. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the\nrematch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira, Karen, and Max come for a holiday visit"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri are off with Gordon to check out the services over at Stanford Memorial Church. I hear a rabbi holds services there too, but it\u0026rsquo;s a little hard to imagine for me. I definitely need to head up here with Charlotte sometime.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri are off with Gordon to check out the services over at\nStanford Memorial Church. I hear a rabbi holds services there too, but it\u0026rsquo;s a\nlittle hard to imagine for me. I definitely need to head up here with\nCharlotte sometime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061203_stanford/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Services at Stanford Memorial Church"},{"content":"This year we\u0026rsquo;re at Val\u0026rsquo;s again with the Peysers, Hoyems, Gordon, and Gloria. Most of the crew is hanging out upstairs, while the boys enjoy a Halo fest downstairs.\nThis year\u0026rsquo;s place setting includes cup-o-chicken.\nGeorge decided to hold an interview session with each of the kids. They called it the seat of embarrassment. Nick didn\u0026rsquo;t sit long enough for anyone to even get a picture.\nPeople are starting to mill around the food area as dinner time approaches.\nGeorge shows off his master carving skills with both a ham and a turkey.\nAnd then the hungry family members swoop in for the kill. Gabe is having a dinner of mashed potatoes tonight.\nNot sure of the story behind this shot that George caught, but I can imagine.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year we\u0026rsquo;re at Val\u0026rsquo;s again with the Peysers, Hoyems, Gordon, and Gloria.\nMost of the crew is hanging out upstairs, while the boys enjoy a Halo fest\ndownstairs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis year\u0026rsquo;s place setting includes cup-o-chicken.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge decided to hold an interview session with each of the kids. They called\nit the seat of embarrassment. Nick didn\u0026rsquo;t sit long enough for anyone to even\nget a picture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061123_thanksgiving/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople are starting to mill around the food area as dinner time approaches.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at the Peysers"},{"content":"Charlotte and Paula are off to visit with Kim and her family in Iowa. Charlotte has really been looking forward to this trip. Kim and the kids meet them at the airport.\nBack at the house it\u0026rsquo;s time to start catching up.\nJack has gotten into skateboarding quite a bit. Gabe would just love to have gone with Charlotte.\nLunch with the girls, including a couple of Kim\u0026rsquo;s many sisters.\nLater that night there\u0026rsquo;s more catching up and relaxing to do. Charlotte can\u0026rsquo;t miss getting her Daily Word out to her dad.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Paula are off to visit with Kim and her family in Iowa. Charlotte\nhas really been looking forward to this trip. Kim and the kids meet them at\nthe airport.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the house it\u0026rsquo;s time to start catching up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJack has gotten into skateboarding quite a bit. Gabe would just love to have\ngone with Charlotte.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061109_iowa/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLunch with the girls, including a couple of Kim\u0026rsquo;s many sisters.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Paula visit with Kim in Iowa"},{"content":"\nIt\u0026rsquo;s such a fantastic day out we can\u0026rsquo;t resist taking Nemo out on the bay. Nothing really good, but we did catch quite a few small rockfish. This little red was really cute.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061105_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061105_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s such a fantastic day out we can\u0026rsquo;t resist taking Nemo out on the bay.\nNothing really good, but we did catch quite a few small rockfish. This little\nred was really cute.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A lot of small rockfish at Santa Cruz reef"},{"content":" Seems like we\u0026rsquo;ve been celebrating Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday for the whole weekend, but the real thing is actually today. So it\u0026rsquo;s time for more cake and presents with just the family. Trouble ahead now that this girl finally has a mobile phone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061105_birthday/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeems like we\u0026rsquo;ve been celebrating Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday for the whole weekend, but\nthe real thing is actually today. So it\u0026rsquo;s time for more cake and presents\nwith just the family. Trouble ahead now that this girl finally has a mobile\nphone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061105_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061105_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's actual birthday"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re taking Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad out for a birthday dinner. George came down to join us along with Valri, Kim, and Charlie. Lots of great stories, a bit of drinking, and a good time overall. I think Gordon really liked his new grill and will make good use of it while he\u0026rsquo;s here in Capitola.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re taking Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad out for a birthday dinner. George came down to\njoin us along with Valri, Kim, and Charlie. Lots of great stories, a bit of\ndrinking, and a good time overall. I think Gordon really liked his new grill\nand will make good use of it while he\u0026rsquo;s here in Capitola.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061104_gordon/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon's birthday dinner"},{"content":"Monica is celebrating her birthday with her closest friends today. First on the agenda is fun with pottery. Monica, Sarah, Mackenzie, Clara, and Capella look like they are all having a great time.\nNext up is pizza, cake, and presents. I think Monica had a very good time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica is celebrating her birthday with her closest friends today. First on the\nagenda is fun with pottery. Monica, Sarah, Mackenzie, Clara, and Capella look\nlike they are all having a great time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext up is pizza, cake, and presents. I think Monica had a very good time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061103_birthday/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday party with pottery and pizza"},{"content":"Doug and Gabe are doing the mummy thing this year. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly more cute than scary, but I\u0026rsquo;m afraid Nick might give someone a heart attack. The pumpkins came out well considering all the kids gave up and Charlotte really did all the work. Now it\u0026rsquo;s time to start walking the neighborhood.\nMonica spent the night over at Mackenzie\u0026rsquo;s along with Sarah. They looked really awesome made up as geishas.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDoug and Gabe are doing the mummy thing this year. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly more cute\nthan scary, but I\u0026rsquo;m afraid Nick might give someone a heart attack. The\npumpkins came out well considering all the kids gave up and Charlotte really\ndid all the work. Now it\u0026rsquo;s time to start walking the neighborhood.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061031_halloween/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica spent the night over at Mackenzie\u0026rsquo;s along with Sarah. They looked really\nawesome made up as geishas.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mummies, geishas, and a scary guy on Halloween"},{"content":"The kids and I met Charlotte over in Monterey after she finished the Big Sur Half Marathon with her friend Michelle. She finished early which blew our opportunity to visit the aquarium before picking her up. And she\u0026rsquo;s definitely too tired to start walking around for a few hours more. Awesome job on your first marathon run!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061029_bigsurrun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe kids and I met Charlotte over in Monterey after she finished the Big Sur\nHalf Marathon with her friend Michelle. She finished early which blew our\nopportunity to visit the aquarium before picking her up. And she\u0026rsquo;s definitely\ntoo tired to start walking around for a few hours more. Awesome job on your\nfirst marathon run!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061029_bigsurrun/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061029_bigsurrun/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061029_bigsurrun/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte runs the Big Sur Half Marathon"},{"content":"Charlotte and a bunch of her friends are off to San Francisco for the weekend to walk the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. The plan is actually for the half marathon, though you just know that Charlotte and Paula won\u0026rsquo;t be able to resist doing just a wee bit more.\nCharlotte, Paula, Sally, Janet, Micki, and Stephanie all get a glimpse of their names up in lights. A very nice touch.\nA little fun before getting in as much rest as possible before the very early start tomorrow morning.\nThe start in Union Square looks like quite the scene. The route along the bay looks perfect.\nPaula and Charlotte finish up over at Golden Gate park after walking a bit over 16 miles. Would have been easier on the bike.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and a bunch of her friends are off to San Francisco for the weekend\nto walk the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. The plan is actually for the half marathon,\nthough you just know that Charlotte and Paula won\u0026rsquo;t be able to resist doing\njust a wee bit more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061021_nikerun/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Paula, Sally, Janet, Micki, and Stephanie all get a glimpse of their\nnames up in lights. A very nice touch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"We had so much fun last week we headed out again for more boarding over at Rio Del Mar this time. Doug also has a new wetsuit he wants to try out. It\u0026rsquo;s a small swell, but we find a few good ones.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the start of a major sand city excavation. Boys will be boys.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had so much fun last week we headed out again for more boarding over at Rio\nDel Mar this time. Doug also has a new wetsuit he wants to try out. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nsmall swell, but we find a few good ones.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s the start of a major sand city excavation. Boys will be boys.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061015_riodelmar/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Doug boarding at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m taking Gabe and Doug out for some boogie boarding over at Manresa this morning while Charlotte checks out Open Studios. The swell wasn\u0026rsquo;t too big, but boy it was a fantastic day. Charlotte meets us over at Seascape park for some lunch and goofing around. Gabe thinks he\u0026rsquo;s some kind of mutant bunny, and I think Doug is out for the hunt.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061007_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m taking Gabe and Doug out for some boogie boarding over at Manresa this\nmorning while Charlotte checks out Open Studios. The swell wasn\u0026rsquo;t too big, but\nboy it was a fantastic day. Charlotte meets us over at Seascape park for some\nlunch and goofing around. Gabe thinks he\u0026rsquo;s some kind of mutant bunny, and I\nthink Doug is out for the hunt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Doug enjoy some beach boarding and fun"},{"content":"Charlotte, Val, and Carol head out to Mattie Leeds during Open Studios this year. Val is taking a break from the Open Studios thing this year, but it\u0026rsquo;s still a great opportunity to check out other local artists. Mattie has been very busy expanding on his very unique home and studio.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Val, and Carol head out to \u003ca href=\"https://mattieleeds.com\"\u003eMattie Leeds\u003c/a\u003e\nduring Open Studios this year. Val is taking a break from the Open Studios\nthing this year, but it\u0026rsquo;s still a great opportunity to check out other local\nartists. Mattie has been very busy expanding on his very unique home and\nstudio.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20061007_openstudios/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Mattie Leeds during Open Studios"},{"content":"Gabe and I are off for some fishing in the Nemo today. It\u0026rsquo;s a late start, but we\u0026rsquo;re hoping for good weather and a bunch of rockfish.\nGabe had some fun playing with the camera while we waited for Doug to come over.\nDoug has arrived and it\u0026rsquo;s time to head out for some fishing.\nWe actually caught quite a few more, but threw them all back. A few of these needed to be keepers as they weren\u0026rsquo;t going to make it anyway. Nothing big, but definitely a fun day. Well I guess it\u0026rsquo;s time to start cleaning these babies.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are off for some fishing in the Nemo today. It\u0026rsquo;s a late start, but\nwe\u0026rsquo;re hoping for good weather and a bunch of rockfish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe had some fun playing with the camera while we waited for Doug to come\nover.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoug has arrived and it\u0026rsquo;s time to head out for some fishing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060930_fishing/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe actually caught quite a few more, but threw them all back. A few of these\nneeded to be keepers as they weren\u0026rsquo;t going to make it anyway. Nothing big, but\ndefinitely a fun day. Well I guess it\u0026rsquo;s time to start cleaning these babies.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing with Gabe and Doug"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to the aquarium at Gabe\u0026rsquo;s request to see the new great white shark they\u0026rsquo;re hosting. Unfortunately all the pictures of the giant tuna, sea turtle, sunfish, barracuda, and the great white shark didn\u0026rsquo;t come out. It was a pretty small shark anyway. We did manage to get a shot of the sardines. Kind of like a shark.\nThe shore birds area is one of my favorites.\nMonica and Gabe enjoy the bat rays and a giant sea otter at a nearby gift store.\nWe stop by a beach to do a bit of whale watching. Quite a few spouts going off today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eaquarium\u003c/a\u003e at Gabe\u0026rsquo;s\nrequest to see the new great white shark they\u0026rsquo;re hosting. Unfortunately all\nthe pictures of the giant tuna, sea turtle, sunfish, barracuda, and the great\nwhite shark didn\u0026rsquo;t come out. It was a pretty small shark anyway. We did manage\nto get a shot of the sardines. Kind of like a shark.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shore birds area is one of my favorites.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060924_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica and Gabe enjoy the bat rays and a giant sea otter at a nearby gift\nstore.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Great white shark at the aquarium"},{"content":"An awesome sunset sets the stage for the bonfire we\u0026rsquo;ve been putting off forever.\nGabe and I enjoy the surf while everyone else chills around the fire.\nWhile the kids thoroughly enjoy themselves.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAn awesome sunset sets the stage for the bonfire we\u0026rsquo;ve been putting off\nforever.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and I enjoy the surf while everyone else chills around the fire.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the kids thoroughly enjoy themselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060923_bonfire/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"Mom went to visit with Scott and his family in Chicago for Annabel\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Looks like it was plenty of fun. Man, they live too far away.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMom went to visit with Scott and his family in Chicago for Annabel\u0026rsquo;s birthday.\nLooks like it was plenty of fun. Man, they live too far away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060915_annabel/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Annabel's birthday party"},{"content":"Gabe and I are working on his science homework. It always helps to look as much like a scientist as possible when doing science.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060912_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are working on his science homework. It always helps to look as much\nlike a scientist as possible when doing science.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe puts on his thinking cap"},{"content":"Another day in Yosemite means more great hiking. Today we head out from the Ahwanee Hotel towards Mirror Lake. Finally Gabe has his chance to climb all over lots of great boulders. Monica also found a great pinecone to take home with us.\nSome very cool fungi on a fallen tree.\nWe catch a few glimpses of Half Dome along our hike.\nMirror Lake is pretty much gone this time of year. It does make for some spectacular views. I sure wish I had a backpack and could just keep on going.\nGabe is ready to head back now.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re almost there.\nOn the way out of the park, we get a few shots of El Capitan. Hopefully we\u0026rsquo;ll be back before another year goes by.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother day in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e means more great hiking.\nToday we head out from the Ahwanee Hotel towards Mirror Lake. Finally Gabe has\nhis chance to climb all over lots of great boulders. Monica also found a great\npinecone to take home with us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome very cool fungi on a fallen tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe catch a few glimpses of Half Dome along our hike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060910_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMirror Lake is pretty much gone this time of year. It does make for some\nspectacular views. I sure wish I had a backpack and could just keep on going.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Yosemite"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always so hard to get reservations in Yosemite Valley, so Charlotte reserved a room at the Yosemite Lodge a year ago and the time to take advantage has arrived. It\u0026rsquo;s a great weekend and everyone is jazzed about the trip, even if there\u0026rsquo;s a pile of homework that needs to get done.\nToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading out on the trail up to Vernal Falls. Maybe we can make it to Nevada Falls also, but that\u0026rsquo;s likely too big a trip for our crew. Everyone is looking really happy so far.\nThings get quite a bit more challenging when we hit the steps along the falls. I think it\u0026rsquo;s equal parts fear and exhaustion at this point.\nGabe is about ready to revolt, but we endeavor to persevere.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a respite at the base of the falls, with a surprise right around the corner.\nNow this is a scary little section our brave hikers manage to traverse.\nThis is one busy trail!\nEmerald Pool at the top of the falls is as beautiful as ever, though they don\u0026rsquo;t let you swim in it anymore. It\u0026rsquo;s very difficult to resist the temptation.\nWe stumble across an angry bear, but manage to avoid a terrible mauling.\nRather than heading back down the scary way we came, we head further up to catch the John Muir trail. We actually manage to climb pretty much as high as Nevada Falls, but it\u0026rsquo;s definitely worth the effort as far as Charlotte and I are concerned. Of course the kids are not very happy about the extra effort.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a long and dusty way down, but a whole lot easier than negotiating those steps and all those people.\nFinally it\u0026rsquo;s time for a dip in the river.\nI love the stone bridges they have in Yosemite.\nWe let the kids collapse in the room for some much needed rest, while Charlotte and I head out for just a bit more hiking. The meadow offers some great views.\nThe views of the lichen up close are a treat as well.\nAs the sun sets on Half Dome, so ends a great day in one of the most fabulous places on earth.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060909_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always so hard to get reservations in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e Valley,\nso Charlotte reserved a room at the Yosemite Lodge a year ago and the time to\ntake advantage has arrived. It\u0026rsquo;s a great weekend and everyone is jazzed about\nthe trip, even if there\u0026rsquo;s a pile of homework that needs to get done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060909_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060909_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re heading out on the trail up to Vernal Falls. Maybe we can make it\nto Nevada Falls also, but that\u0026rsquo;s likely too big a trip for our crew. Everyone\nis looking really happy so far.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Yosemite"},{"content":"A great day at the end of a long weekend means we have to head for our favorite beach. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe how empty it was, or how fantastic the day was.\nCharlotte and Nick explored some tidepools while Gabe and I did some rock climbing. Monica is off in the distance reading and sunning.\nGabe and I went out to Franklin Point and had a blast climbing all over the rocks.\nOn the way back we made a quick stop at Ano Nuevo.\nAnd then a quick stop to enjoy the kite surfing and windsurfing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060904_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA great day at the end of a long weekend means we have to head for our favorite\nbeach. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe how empty it was, or how fantastic the day was.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Nick explored some tidepools while Gabe and I did some rock\nclimbing. Monica is off in the distance reading and sunning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060904_beach/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and I went out to Franklin Point and had a blast climbing all over the\nrocks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Labor Day at sand dune beach"},{"content":"This magnificent sunflower inspired me to take a few shots before things fade away.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060825_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis magnificent sunflower inspired me to take a few shots before things fade\naway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060825_garden/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060825_garden/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060825_garden/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060825_garden/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Photos around the garden"},{"content":"Nemo and her crew headed out to Santa Cruz Reef today to see what the rockfish catch was like. We were rewarded with this nice red, a wide variety of small rockfish, mackeral, jacksmelt, and more. The weather got a bit rough towards the end, but these salty sailors were up to the challenge. Looking forward to our next trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNemo and her crew headed out to Santa Cruz Reef today to see what the rockfish\ncatch was like. We were rewarded with this nice red, a wide variety of small\nrockfish, mackeral, jacksmelt, and more. The weather got a bit rough towards\nthe end, but these salty sailors were up to the challenge. Looking forward to\nour next trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060820_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing for rockfish at Santa Cruz Reef"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s getting dark soon, but there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of time to squeeze in a quick fishing trip over at the wharf.\nGabe caught a few mackerel, jack smelt, and perch.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s getting dark soon, but there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of time to squeeze in a quick\nfishing trip over at the wharf.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe caught a few mackerel, jack smelt, and perch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060818_wharf/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing on Capitola Wharf"},{"content":"Nick\u0026rsquo;s working his first real summer job this year. Our friends Matt and Paula own a few restaurants on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and they were nice enough to offer Nick the chance to work there. I never imagined getting such a cool job when I was a kid. Who wouldn\u0026rsquo;t buy a hot dog on a stick from this guy!\nGabe and Monica enjoy a few rides after dropping Nick off for work. I never knew the turnstile was a ride.\nGabe looks like he\u0026rsquo;s going to be sick. The carousel is quite the death defying ride.\nLet\u0026rsquo;s just hope the fog hangs out over the ocean just long enough to enjoy the rides.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060817_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s working his first real summer job this year. Our friends Matt and Paula\nown a few restaurants on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and they were nice enough to\noffer Nick the chance to work there. I never imagined getting such a cool job\nwhen I was a kid. Who wouldn\u0026rsquo;t buy a hot dog on a stick from this guy!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060817_boardwalk/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Monica enjoy a few rides after dropping Nick off for work. I never\nknew the turnstile was a ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's job at the Boardwalk"},{"content":"Gabe and Monica headed over to Jason\u0026rsquo;s house for quite the birthday party. Lots of sliding around into pools of spaghetti, whipped cream, flax seeds, and other disgusting goo. Sounds like a blast, though Gabe thought it was a bit too disgusting I think.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060816_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Monica headed over to Jason\u0026rsquo;s house for quite the birthday party. Lots\nof sliding around into pools of spaghetti, whipped cream, flax seeds, and\nother disgusting goo. Sounds like a blast, though Gabe thought it was a bit\ntoo disgusting I think.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060816_party/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe has fun at Jason's birthday party"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri headed out to Chico this weekend to get Chris setup for his next year up at Chico State. Valri is into big industrial sites and Susian Bay in Benicia has plenty to offer. The mothball fleet stands ready to set sail.\nA rare sight inside the den of a modern day college student. Looks a lot neater than I recall from my old college days.\nCharlotte has a load of fun goofing around the campus.\nThe next day they visit the Bidwell Mansion. This place is quite the spread. There\u0026rsquo;s a great story behind this piano and you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t know by looking at it, but that toilet is the first of it\u0026rsquo;s kind in all of California.\nA stop back at the campus before heading home. The hills on the way back make it easy to see why this is the Golden State.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060812_chico/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri headed out to Chico this weekend to get Chris setup for his\nnext year up at \u003ca href=\"https://www.csuchico.edu\"\u003eChico State\u003c/a\u003e. Valri is into big\nindustrial sites and Susian Bay in Benicia has plenty to offer. The mothball\nfleet stands ready to set sail.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA rare sight inside the den of a modern day college student. Looks a lot neater\nthan I recall from my old college days.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060812_chico/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has a load of fun goofing around the campus.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Valri head to Chico State"},{"content":"Gabe, Doug, and I planned to take out the boat this morning for some fishing, but the fog had a different idea. It\u0026rsquo;s been beautiful every day, though a bit windy. That\u0026rsquo;s why today and the thick fog early was such a surprise. Trying to roll with the punches, we headed to the Santa Cruz Wharf for some fishing instead. We caught quite a few small fish including jack smelt, mackerel, anchovies, tiny flounder, and even a starfish. The day turned out very will indeed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060811_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe, Doug, and I planned to take out the boat this morning for some fishing,\nbut the fog had a different idea. It\u0026rsquo;s been beautiful every day, though a bit\nwindy. That\u0026rsquo;s why today and the thick fog early was such a surprise. Trying to\nroll with the punches, we headed to the Santa Cruz Wharf for some fishing\ninstead. We caught quite a few small fish including jack smelt, mackerel,\nanchovies, tiny flounder, and even a starfish. The day turned out very will\nindeed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing the Santa Cruz Wharf"},{"content":"I am so jealous my family gets to see Scott without me. It looks like Monica and Annabel both have a thing for bacon.\nThe extended Multer clan heads for the beach. Annabel is such a cutie.\nA few family photos before Charlotte and the kids head home to join their very lonely dad in Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI am so jealous my family gets to see Scott without me. It looks like Monica\nand Annabel both have a thing for bacon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe extended Multer clan heads for the beach. Annabel is such a cutie.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few family photos before Charlotte and the kids head home to join their very\nlonely dad in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060805_chicago/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beach time in Chicago with the Chicago Multers"},{"content":"Charlotte and the kids head south in the car to visit with Scott and his family in Chicago. First stop has to be our favorite bishop.\nNext stop is Wisconsin and it\u0026rsquo;s not a surprise the kids need to get out of the car and run around a bit.\nFinally the family arrives in Chicago to be greeted by huge crowds for the big Lollapalooza event. Some fun at the Navy Pier tops off a very long day of driving. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see Uncle Scott, Bridget, and Annabel. Let\u0026rsquo;s also not forget it\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since everyone has seen Joe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and the kids head south in the car to visit with Scott and his family\nin Chicago. First stop has to be our favorite bishop.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop is Wisconsin and it\u0026rsquo;s not a surprise the kids need to get out of the\ncar and run around a bit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060804_chicago/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinally the family arrives in Chicago to be greeted by huge crowds for the big\nLollapalooza event. Some fun at the Navy Pier tops off a very long day of\ndriving. It\u0026rsquo;s great to see Uncle Scott, Bridget, and Annabel. Let\u0026rsquo;s also not\nforget it\u0026rsquo;s been a long time since everyone has seen Joe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A long drive to Chicago"},{"content":"Charlotte and the kids make the last run out to the cliffs before heading for home. Sure wish I could have stayed just a little longer.\nA few of the great old buildings in historic Calumet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060803_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and the kids make the last run out to the cliffs before heading for\nhome. Sure wish I could have stayed just a little longer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few of the great old buildings in historic Calumet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060803_superior/33.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"One last trip to Lake Superior"},{"content":"Only Charlotte and the kids are left up north now. So it\u0026rsquo;s a quiet day over in Jacobsville. Gabe makes quite the find when they get back home. Looks like he\u0026rsquo;s got a new friend to keep him company now that Doug and Zach have left.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOnly Charlotte and the kids are left up north now. So it\u0026rsquo;s a quiet day over in\nJacobsville. Gabe makes quite the find when they get back home. Looks like\nhe\u0026rsquo;s got a new friend to keep him company now that Doug and Zach have left.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060802_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Jacobsville and the great Bootjack toad"},{"content":"This summer has been loads of fun, and pulling out George\u0026rsquo;s boat is a sure indication that things are winding down.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060801_boat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis summer has been loads of fun, and pulling out George\u0026rsquo;s boat is a sure\nindication that things are winding down.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"George gets ready to head home"},{"content":"George takes the crew out to Houghton for lunch.\nEveryone enjoys the sights as they approach Hougton.\nOn shore it\u0026rsquo;s time for lunch and then fun over at Chutes and Ladders.\nThese photos can\u0026rsquo;t do a good job of showing just how hot it was today, but you get a hint watching Lindsey try to hide from the sun.\nTime to get back in the boat and head home.\nBack home everyone runs for the lake to cool off, including the dog.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge takes the crew out to Houghton for lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone enjoys the sights as they approach Hougton.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn shore it\u0026rsquo;s time for lunch and then fun over at Chutes and Ladders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese photos can\u0026rsquo;t do a good job of showing just how hot it was today, but you\nget a hint watching Lindsey try to hide from the sun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060731_houghton/33.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to get back in the boat and head home.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat trip to Houghton"},{"content":"Today I\u0026rsquo;m heading back home to Santa Cruz, but not before we take the boys out for some fishing on Lake Superior. Captain Gabe and Captain Zach take turns at the helm.\nWhile the rest of the kids enjoy a nice game of cards back home.\nCharlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed out to visit this very cool house they call the cord house. The wood sculptures and things he embedded into the walls are pretty unbelievable.\nAfter dropping me off for my flight, Charlotte take a photo of the tank that\u0026rsquo;s kept near the airport.\nBack in Bootjack it\u0026rsquo;s all quiet and serene.\nA good night to visit with Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday I\u0026rsquo;m heading back home to Santa Cruz, but not before we take the boys out\nfor some fishing on Lake Superior. Captain Gabe and Captain Zach take turns at\nthe helm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the rest of the kids enjoy a nice game of cards back home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060730_cordhouse/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed out to visit this very cool house they call\nthe cord house. The wood sculptures and things he embedded into the walls are\npretty unbelievable.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Captain Gabe heads for Lake Superior and Charlotte visits the cord house"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s adventure is a trip to the Gratiot River. This is another great agate beach that keeps everyone busy looking for the next great find.\nLunch is a nice medley of the usual campfire favorites.\nWhile the kids enjoy some fun surf.\nWe head home via Eagle River and make a stop at the Sands Hill lighthouse.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s an ice cream stop in Phoenix.\nBack home it\u0026rsquo;s finally time to kick back and relax.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s adventure is a trip to the Gratiot River. This is another great agate\nbeach that keeps everyone busy looking for the next great find.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLunch is a nice medley of the usual campfire favorites.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the kids enjoy some fun surf.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe head home via Eagle River and make a stop at the Sands Hill lighthouse.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s an ice cream stop in Phoenix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060729_gratiot/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to the Gratiot River"},{"content":"We head out with Gabe in Val\u0026rsquo;s boat to see what Portage has to offer today.\nBack home the evening is a great time for some quite fishing in the canoe while the sun sets.\nThe rest of the family enjoys the view from shore.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe head out with Gabe in Val\u0026rsquo;s boat to see what Portage has to offer today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack home the evening is a great time for some quite fishing in the canoe while\nthe sun sets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rest of the family enjoys the view from shore.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060728_fishing/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing with Gabe on Portage lake"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ve got a big day ahead of us today. First on the agenda is some shooting up in the woods. Lindsey definitely takes the prize for best Beatrix Kiddo look alike.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s a boat trip over to the Dreamland for some eats. George tries out a sepia shot for fun.\nOn the trip back we run into a tired Karen in her kayak and give her a tow. She\u0026rsquo;s putting a lot of trust in Joe driving the boat.\nAnother trip to Jacobsville where we enjoy another great sunset.\nAnd then some bonfire fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a big day ahead of us today. First on the agenda is some shooting up\nin the woods. Lindsey definitely takes the prize for best Beatrix Kiddo look\nalike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s a boat trip over to the Dreamland for some eats. George tries out a\nsepia shot for fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060727_bootjack/40.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the trip back we run into a tired Karen in her kayak and give her a tow.\nShe\u0026rsquo;s putting a lot of trust in Joe driving the boat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Guns, boats, and fire make for a big day"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re missing a few from the complete family, but there are more than enough to make a great family photo.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Calumet Waterworks today for water and rock picking fun. First stop is a visit to the cemetery to see Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s grandparents.\nNo shortage of rocks on this beach.\nCharlotte captures a nice small snapping turtle hanging out in the area.\nA very successful day of agate picking today!\nBack in Bootjack Karen enjoys some peaceful paddling in her kayak.\nWhile the boys nab a few more bass. These guys love these fish so much, I\u0026rsquo;m convinced they would be happy bringing them to bed with them tonight. That fish smell is going to be around for quite a while.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re missing a few from the complete family, but there are more than enough to\nmake a great family photo.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Calumet Waterworks today for water and rock picking fun. First\nstop is a visit to the cemetery to see Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s grandparents.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo shortage of rocks on this beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte captures a nice small snapping turtle hanging out in the area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060726_waterworks/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very successful day of agate picking today!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Calumet Waterworks"},{"content":"A boat trip to the sandstone cliffs is always a treat. We\u0026rsquo;ve done lots of these trips this year, and it\u0026rsquo;s easy to see why.\nGeorge caught a great shot of lightning striking on the other side of Portage. Nicely done.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060725_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA boat trip to the sandstone cliffs is always a treat. We\u0026rsquo;ve done lots of these\ntrips this year, and it\u0026rsquo;s easy to see why.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge caught a great shot of lightning striking on the other side of Portage.\nNicely done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060725_superior/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another boat trip to Lake Superior before a storm hits"},{"content":"This morning the crew is headed out to Jacobsville. Zach lands a very nice bass that will be some great eating.\nBack at camp it\u0026rsquo;s the usual tubing and fishing routine. Today\u0026rsquo;s dinner is a group event over at George\u0026rsquo;s place. Gabe and Zach keep the fishing hopes alive.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis morning the crew is headed out to Jacobsville. Zach lands a very nice bass\nthat will be some great eating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at camp it\u0026rsquo;s the usual tubing and fishing routine. Today\u0026rsquo;s dinner is a\ngroup event over at George\u0026rsquo;s place. Gabe and Zach keep the fishing hopes\nalive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060724_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing off the Jacobsville pier"},{"content":"Today Gordon is taking George and me out on Lake Superior to work on our salmon trolling technique. Captain Dave takes the helm while Gordon rigs up some poles.\nThe run down to the south Portage entry starts a big foggy, but clears quickly.\nNo luck with the fish on today\u0026rsquo;s trip, though it was a good learning experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060723_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday Gordon is taking George and me out on Lake Superior to work on our salmon\ntrolling technique. Captain Dave takes the helm while Gordon rigs up some\npoles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe run down to the south Portage entry starts a big foggy, but clears\nquickly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo luck with the fish on today\u0026rsquo;s trip, though it was a good learning\nexperience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060723_superior/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Salmon fishing in Lake Superior"},{"content":"George and his family just joined us up north. Now Gabe, Doug, and Zach make it a boy trio, and Monica, Lindsey, and Caroline have got the girl power going on. Happiness all around.\nUncle George means lots of tubing around the lake. You really need to hold on tight, because George is working hard to get you to fly off.\nOf course there\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of peaceful activities up in Bootjack. There\u0026rsquo;s also nothing like a bit of fishing while the sun goes down.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his family just joined us up north. Now Gabe, Doug, and Zach make it\na boy trio, and Monica, Lindsey, and Caroline have got the girl power going\non. Happiness all around.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUncle George means lots of tubing around the lake. You really need to hold on\ntight, because George is working hard to get you to fly off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060722_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course there\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of peaceful activities up in Bootjack. There\u0026rsquo;s\nalso nothing like a bit of fishing while the sun goes down.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A typical day in Bootjack"},{"content":"Instead of driving to our next destination, it\u0026rsquo;s time to take a boat trip. We head for the south entry and get a glimpse of the Keewenaw Star heading back to Houghton.\nThe water of Lake Superior is so clear and the cliffs are spectacular. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit cold, but lots of fun for swimming.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060721_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eInstead of driving to our next destination, it\u0026rsquo;s time to take a boat trip. We\nhead for the south entry and get a glimpse of the Keewenaw Star heading back\nto Houghton.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe water of Lake Superior is so clear and the cliffs are spectacular. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nbit cold, but lots of fun for swimming.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060721_superior/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat trip to Lake Superior"},{"content":"We end another great day with a nice bonfire, smores, and a dip in the lake while the sun sets.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe end another great day with a nice bonfire, smores, and a dip in the lake\nwhile the sun sets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060718_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire in Bootjack"},{"content":"Today it\u0026rsquo;s a trip just past Gay to the Tobacco River. Though the bugs have been nearly non-existent this year, today we are finally attacked by flies. They don\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind the kids too much as a major engineering project is underway.\nThe result of all these efforts is a nice little river chute. It\u0026rsquo;s not much of a ride, but it was all worth it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday it\u0026rsquo;s a trip just past Gay to the Tobacco River. Though the bugs have been\nnearly non-existent this year, today we are finally attacked by flies. They\ndon\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind the kids too much as a major engineering project is\nunderway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result of all these efforts is a nice little river chute. It\u0026rsquo;s not much of\na ride, but it was all worth it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060717_tobacco/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to the Tobacco River"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s going to be a big day today. First it\u0026rsquo;s a trip to a nice Portage fishing spot Charlotte really likes. No luck with the fish this time, but they really enjoy playing at the remote beach.\nNext we head out with Phoebe to Copper Harbor and then down the north coast via Brockway Mountain Drive.\nWe stop in Eagle River for a great dinner at Fitzgerald\u0026rsquo;s. A bit more rock picking along with yet another amazing sunset.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s going to be a big day today. First it\u0026rsquo;s a trip to a nice Portage fishing\nspot Charlotte really likes. No luck with the fish this time, but they really\nenjoy playing at the remote beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext we head out with Phoebe to Copper Harbor and then down the north coast via\nBrockway Mountain Drive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060715_copperharbor/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe stop in Eagle River for a great dinner at \u003ca href=\"https://www.fitzgeralds-mi.com\"\u003eFitzgerald\u0026rsquo;s\u003c/a\u003e.\nA bit more rock picking along with yet another amazing sunset.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Copper Harbor"},{"content":"Another beautiful day to take advantage of. We head out with Phoebe to McLain State Park to get a view from the north entry. The pier and the beach were really awesome. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe this is the first time I\u0026rsquo;ve gone here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother beautiful day to take advantage of. We head out with Phoebe to McLain\nState Park to get a view from the north entry. The pier and the beach were\nreally awesome. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe this is the first time I\u0026rsquo;ve gone here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060714_mclainpark/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to McLain State Park"},{"content":"The morning starts with me and my clone enjoying sleeping in a bit.\nFollowed by smiling faces and poking around the little pond. Yet another pile of fish for Gabe the fishmaster.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe morning starts with me and my clone enjoying sleeping in a bit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowed by smiling faces and poking around the little pond. Yet another pile\nof fish for Gabe the fishmaster.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060713_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another great day in Bootjack"},{"content":"George was nice enough to let us use his new boat until he gets up. So I\u0026rsquo;ve got the pleasure of launching his boat with a bit of help from Charlotte and Gabe. You know we\u0026rsquo;ll be doing lots of fishing from the boat.\nMy mom came up for a week this year for the first time. It\u0026rsquo;s great having her up so it\u0026rsquo;s time to start showing her the sites. First stop is Jacobsville and the south entry. I love the way Portage and Superior are so different on each side of the entry.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060712_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge was nice enough to let us use his new boat until he gets up. So I\u0026rsquo;ve got\nthe pleasure of launching his boat with a bit of help from Charlotte and Gabe.\nYou know we\u0026rsquo;ll be doing lots of fishing from the boat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060712_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060712_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060712_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy mom came up for a week this year for the first time. It\u0026rsquo;s great having her\nup so it\u0026rsquo;s time to start showing her the sites. First stop is Jacobsville and\nthe south entry. I love the way Portage and Superior are so different on each\nside of the entry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Time to launch the U.S.S. George and welcome Phoebe to Bootjack"},{"content":"Gabe and Doug never seem to stop fishing no matter what time of day it is. Their latest thing is going out late for fishing in the canoe. I love the way they stand up the whole time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060710_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug never seem to stop fishing no matter what time of day it is.\nTheir latest thing is going out late for fishing in the canoe. I love the way\nthey stand up the whole time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Portage Lake fishing buddies"},{"content":"Bootjack always means plenty of road trips since there\u0026rsquo;s so much to see right in the area. Looks like everyone is enjoying the drive out to Freda. No need to worry about traffic way out here.\nThe old mining town of Freda is always a blast for the kids. Plenty of crumbling dangerous stuff to climb o, and tons of rock picking.\nOur next stop is the Redridge steel dam across the road. Gabe tries his hand at a little fishing while Charlotte captures a few of the local flowers.\nTime to get the campfire going, and it wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be complete without the charred potatoes and smores.\nGordon and Doug shoot the flumes and convince Annie to give it a try. Brave girl.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBootjack always means plenty of road trips since there\u0026rsquo;s so much to see right\nin the area. Looks like everyone is enjoying the drive out to Freda. No need\nto worry about traffic way out here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe old mining town of Freda is always a blast for the kids. Plenty of\ncrumbling dangerous stuff to climb o, and tons of rock picking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060709_redridge/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur next stop is the Redridge steel dam across the road. Gabe tries his hand at\na little fishing while Charlotte captures a few of the local flowers.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Freda and Redridge"},{"content":"Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin is still looking good, though we\u0026rsquo;ve got a few maintenance items to attend to this year.\nPlenty of random happenings around the camp.\nSomeone\u0026rsquo;s creative idea to put the trampoline into the lake turns out to be quite a hit.\nAnnie brought her new kitten along for some fun. Needless to say, Monica was very pleased.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eRose\u0026rsquo;s cabin is still looking good, though we\u0026rsquo;ve got a few maintenance items to\nattend to this year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of random happenings around the camp.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSomeone\u0026rsquo;s creative idea to put the trampoline into the lake turns out to be\nquite a hit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnie brought her new kitten along for some fun. Needless to say, Monica was\nvery pleased.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060707_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Who needs summer camp when you've got Bootjack"},{"content":"Looks like Gabe has landed his first big fish of the summer. That is sure one happy looking boy. Thanks for the help Uncle Gordy.\nBack at Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin there\u0026rsquo;s some kind of deep discussion going on. It also looks like Gordon is a bit confused and dazed by Monica\u0026rsquo;s iPod selection.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like Gabe has landed his first big fish of the summer. That is sure one\nhappy looking boy. Thanks for the help Uncle Gordy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin there\u0026rsquo;s some kind of deep discussion going on. It also\nlooks like Gordon is a bit confused and dazed by Monica\u0026rsquo;s iPod selection.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060706_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack is all about fishing and family"},{"content":"Looks like Bootjack is as beautiful as ever. Gordon and his family are up north at the same time along with Valri and hers. Plenty of water, woods, and thimbleberries to go around. First stop was a trip to the top of Hungarian Falls.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like Bootjack is as beautiful as ever. Gordon and his family are up north\nat the same time along with Valri and hers. Plenty of water, woods, and\nthimbleberries to go around. First stop was a trip to the top of Hungarian\nFalls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060705_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying the day in Bootjack"},{"content":"Charlotte took the long way to Bootjack this year. She\u0026rsquo;s flown out to Chicago and then heads out for the long drive north. They decided to stay a night up at Manitowoc. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum looks like an interesting tourist stop along the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took the long way to Bootjack this year. She\u0026rsquo;s flown out to Chicago\nand then heads out for the long drive north. They decided to stay a night up\nat Manitowoc. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org\"\u003eWisconsin Maritime Museum\u003c/a\u003e looks like an interesting\ntourist stop along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060704_manitowoc/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and the kids slowly heading towards Bootjack"},{"content":"\nCharlotte took the kids and friends over the hill to Raging Waters. It\u0026rsquo;s always a big hit, and this time they came back with a bit of body art. One day Gabe\u0026rsquo;s bicep will be a very scary sight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060630_tattoos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060630_tattoos/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took the kids and friends over the hill to Raging Waters. It\u0026rsquo;s always\na big hit, and this time they came back with a bit of body art. One day Gabe\u0026rsquo;s\nbicep will be a very scary sight.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tattoos for the kids"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica headed up to Palo Alto to visit a sports store and then the art museum at Stanford. The Cantor Arts Center has a great collection of Rodin.\nAnd it looks like Charlotte is hitting up this guy named David. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure I need to be jealous.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also a good opportunity to plant some college ideas in that active little mind of our girl Monica.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica headed up to Palo Alto to visit a sports store\nand then the art museum at Stanford. \u003ca href=\"https://museum.stanford.edu\"\u003eThe Cantor Arts Center\u003c/a\u003e\nhas a great collection of Rodin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it looks like Charlotte is hitting up this guy named David. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure I\nneed to be jealous.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060623_stanford/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s also a good opportunity to plant some college ideas in that active little\nmind of our girl Monica.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Monica visit Stanford"},{"content":"A quick morning trip to see if we can nab one of those elusive halibut. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful morning and going during the week means almost no one is out on their boat. We caught a few small fish, but still no halibut. I think we\u0026rsquo;re getting better at it though.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060622_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA quick morning trip to see if we can nab one of those elusive halibut. It\u0026rsquo;s a\nbeautiful morning and going during the week means almost no one is out on\ntheir boat. We caught a few small fish, but still no halibut. I think we\u0026rsquo;re\ngetting better at it though.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060622_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060622_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing for halibut with Gabe"},{"content":"Charlotte and Val take the kids down to a new swimming hole that Charlotte spotted on a recent hike. Turns out it was packed, which I guess is related to this being the first day of summer and it\u0026rsquo;s 95 degrees outside. Instead they head down a very steep trail with a rope that managed to scare a few of the kids to death. The reward is what looks like a really nice swimming spot anyway. A few nice shots of the Roaring Camp train for good measure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060621_river/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Val take the kids down to a new swimming hole that Charlotte\nspotted on a recent hike. Turns out it was packed, which I guess is related to\nthis being the first day of summer and it\u0026rsquo;s 95 degrees outside. Instead they\nhead down a very steep trail with a rope that managed to scare a few of the\nkids to death. The reward is what looks like a really nice swimming spot\nanyway. A few nice shots of the Roaring Camp train for good measure.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A steep hike for some swimming in the San Lorenzo"},{"content":"The first bonfire might have been a bit cold and gray, but it was plenty of fun. Gabe was the only brave one to put on a wetsuit and go in the water. All the kids enjoyed some beach football and digging. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to quite a few more of these events.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe first bonfire might have been a bit cold and gray, but it was plenty of\nfun. Gabe was the only brave one to put on a wetsuit and go in the water. All\nthe kids enjoyed some beach football and digging. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to quite\na few more of these events.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060611_bonfire/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at the beach"},{"content":"The plan was to make a trip up to San Francisco with the family, but Nick had lots of homework and Gabe wasn\u0026rsquo;t up for it. Monica and Charlotte made it a girl\u0026rsquo;s day out and visited the de Young museum. Gabe and I played some tennis and went for a bike ride around the neighborhood.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe plan was to make a trip up to San Francisco with the family, but Nick had\nlots of homework and Gabe wasn\u0026rsquo;t up for it. Monica and Charlotte made it a\ngirl\u0026rsquo;s day out and visited the \u003ca href=\"https://www.famsf.org/visit/de-young\"\u003ede Young museum\u003c/a\u003e. Gabe and I played some\ntennis and went for a bike ride around the neighborhood.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060610_deyoung/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Monica at the de Young museum"},{"content":"You know you\u0026rsquo;re having a tough childhood when the end of the school year is almost here and your class goes for a field trip to the beach. I can see everyone is having a truly terrible time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060609_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYou know you\u0026rsquo;re having a tough childhood when the end of the school year is\nalmost here and your class goes for a field trip to the beach. I can see\neveryone is having a truly terrible time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060609_beach/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's field trip to the beach"},{"content":"Gabe did awesome at his school play about The Shortcut. He really enjoyed being a mountain man and saying his lines with a heavy southern accent. We\u0026rsquo;re still talking about Jim Bridger and their great journey.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060607_play/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe did awesome at his school play about The Shortcut. He really enjoyed being\na mountain man and saying his lines with a heavy southern accent. We\u0026rsquo;re still\ntalking about Jim Bridger and their great journey.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060607_play/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's play The Shortcut"},{"content":"A few shots of the latest garden action around the house. We\u0026rsquo;ve come to refer to the century plant blooming as an indication of alien plant activity. Sure looks like some kind of interstellar signaling apparatus to me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060602_plants/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few shots of the latest garden action around the house. We\u0026rsquo;ve come to refer\nto the century plant blooming as an indication of alien plant activity. Sure\nlooks like some kind of interstellar signaling apparatus to me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060602_plants/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Aliens have invaded the garden"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s hike sees some of the girls enjoying Fall Creek over in Felton. All that rain is still pouring out the mountain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060522_fallcreek/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s hike sees some of the girls enjoying Fall Creek over in Felton. All\nthat rain is still pouring out the mountain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060522_fallcreek/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060522_fallcreek/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060522_fallcreek/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte hiking at Fall Creek"},{"content":"Charlotte loves hiking in the hills with her friends so much, it\u0026rsquo;s her idea of a perfect Mother\u0026rsquo;s Day. And since she gets whatever she wants on Mother\u0026rsquo;s Day, that\u0026rsquo;s exactly what she did this morning.\nBack home a few small gifts with flowers from the garden to get her all choked up.\nNext stop on the parade of whatever Charlotte wants to do is the beach. I\u0026rsquo;m certainly not going to argue about one of my favorite places to go. It\u0026rsquo;s such a beautiful day that we have no trouble finding lots of company.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte loves hiking in the hills with her friends so much, it\u0026rsquo;s her idea of\na perfect Mother\u0026rsquo;s Day. And since she gets whatever she wants on Mother\u0026rsquo;s Day,\nthat\u0026rsquo;s exactly what she did this morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack home a few small gifts with flowers from the garden to get her all choked\nup.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060514_mothersday/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop on the parade of whatever Charlotte wants to do is the beach. I\u0026rsquo;m\ncertainly not going to argue about one of my favorite places to go. It\u0026rsquo;s such\na beautiful day that we have no trouble finding lots of company.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mother's Day hike and beach trip"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s time for our annual fundraising bicycle ride again. The ride is a great excuse to ride with friends and raise money for our schools at the same time. Charlotte puts in a huge amount of effort every year for this event, and it really shows. The ride was a little smaller this year, but we still raised loads of money.\nA few rest stop shots Charlotte took while she handled SAG for the 50km ride.\nThe end of the ride was a welcome site after 100km of pain. Vladan, Brett, and Tom did a great job at the front of the group.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s time for our annual fundraising bicycle ride again. The ride is a great\nexcuse to ride with friends and raise money for our schools at the same time.\nCharlotte puts in a huge amount of effort every year for this event, and it\nreally shows. The ride was a little smaller this year, but we still raised\nloads of money.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060506_svefride/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few rest stop shots Charlotte took while she handled SAG for the 50km ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mountain Charlie Challenge"},{"content":"Charlotte, Sonia, and Cindy are off for a hike at Pogonip and up to UCSC. A nice pond and some wildflowers along the way look like they made for a very nice walk.\nA brave and very large gopher is busy making a mess of things.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060504_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Sonia, and Cindy are off for a hike at Pogonip and up to UCSC. A\nnice pond and some wildflowers along the way look like they made for a very\nnice walk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA brave and very large gopher is busy making a mess of things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060504_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking out at Pogonip"},{"content":"Matt and I are off to Yosemite to enjoy an amazing day in one of the most fabulous places anywhere. It\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to spend a big block of time discussing work at the same time we get in some photography. The weather cooperated nicely and the water was really flowing.\nYosemite falls were really raging.\nI thought the kids would like this cloud man waving to us.\nhere were some great shots along the river.\nA few more stops to capture the rapids and waterfalls before heading back home. An incredible trip we will have to do again sometime soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMatt and I are off to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e to enjoy an amazing\nday in one of the most fabulous places anywhere. It\u0026rsquo;s a great chance to spend\na big block of time discussing work at the same time we get in some\nphotography. The weather cooperated nicely and the water was really flowing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYosemite falls were really raging.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060501_yosemite/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI thought the kids would like this cloud man waving to us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Waverley offsite at Yosemite"},{"content":"Charlotte headed out to Monica\u0026rsquo;s track meet over in Scotts Valley after school today. Not sure how the whole team did, but Monica did great in her events including the discus.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060428_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed out to Monica\u0026rsquo;s track meet over in Scotts Valley after school\ntoday. Not sure how the whole team did, but Monica did great in her events\nincluding the discus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060428_track/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's track meet"},{"content":"Time for our second trip out on the bay with our new boat Nemo. This trip\u0026rsquo;s firsts include Gabe and actually doing some fishing. Other than forgetting to unclip the trailer bow hitch and no fish, it turned out to be a very successful trip. We made it out to Soquel Hole along with almost fifty other boats, though mooching didn\u0026rsquo;t produce any bites. We\u0026rsquo;ll start trolling after a few more learning trips I think.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060423_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for our second trip out on the bay with our new boat Nemo. This trip\u0026rsquo;s\nfirsts include Gabe and actually doing some fishing. Other than forgetting to\nunclip the trailer bow hitch and no fish, it turned out to be a very\nsuccessful trip. We made it out to Soquel Hole along with almost fifty other\nboats, though mooching didn\u0026rsquo;t produce any bites. We\u0026rsquo;ll start trolling after a\nfew more learning trips I think.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Salmon fishing aboard Nemo with Gabe and Gordon"},{"content":"I led a training ride for our upcoming SVEF event, but only Steve showed up. It was a nice ride, but I think the threatening weather may have scared everyone off. Turned out to be a great day for a ride as usual.\nIt was also a good day for Steve\u0026rsquo;s son Patrick to practice his photographic skills for the event.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060422_bike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI led a training ride for our upcoming SVEF event, but only Steve showed up. It\nwas a nice ride, but I think the threatening weather may have scared everyone\noff. Turned out to be a great day for a ride as usual.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060422_bike/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was also a good day for Steve\u0026rsquo;s son Patrick to practice his photographic\nskills for the event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060422_bike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060422_bike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060422_bike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060422_bike/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF training ride"},{"content":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed over to the UCSC Arboretum to see what spring has served up. It\u0026rsquo;s getting close to the time where Gordon heads back to Bootjack, so these are some of the last trips the girls will be doing with their dad.\nQuite a collection of strange and wonderous flowers on display.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed over to the \u003ca href=\"https://arboretum.ucsc.edu\"\u003eUCSC Arboretum\u003c/a\u003e to see\nwhat spring has served up. It\u0026rsquo;s getting close to the time where Gordon heads\nback to Bootjack, so these are some of the last trips the girls will be doing\nwith their dad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuite a collection of strange and wonderous flowers on display.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060421_arboretum/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Some amazing flowers at the UCSC Arboretum"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class went for a field trip on the O\u0026rsquo;Neill Sea Odyssey today. Definitely a trip I wanted to volunteer for. After suiting up all the kids in life jackets, we proceeded to enjoy a great little cruise out the harbor towards the boardwalk. The rain managed to stop just in time to give us a truly spectacular day. After sailing, we headed back for some science labs where the instructors discussed navigation, ecology, and biology. I think everyone really enjoyed the microscope view of Plankton from Sponge Bob, or by his less well known name of copepod.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060419_catamaran/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s class went for a field trip on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.oneillseaodyssey.org\"\u003eO\u0026rsquo;Neill Sea Odyssey\u003c/a\u003e today.\nDefinitely a trip I wanted to volunteer for. After suiting up all the kids in\nlife jackets, we proceeded to enjoy a great little cruise out the harbor\ntowards the boardwalk. The rain managed to stop just in time to give us a\ntruly spectacular day. After sailing, we headed back for some science labs\nwhere the instructors discussed navigation, ecology, and biology. I think\neveryone really enjoyed the microscope view of Plankton from Sponge Bob, or by\nhis less well known name of copepod.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's field trip on the O'Neill Sea Odyssey"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re out for a walk in Bowman\u0026rsquo;s Hill Wildflower Preserve. We take the path out to Bowman\u0026rsquo;s Tower for the view.\nThe walk down from the tower is a great chance for my legs to pay me back for yesterday\u0026rsquo;s run.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s still pretty early for spring, but we can enjoy quite a few wildflowers.\nAnd a bit of wildlife as well.\nNew Hope is really a great place and this park is such a treat.\nEven the road home is a pleasure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re out for a walk in \u003ca href=\"https://bhwp.org\"\u003eBowman\u0026rsquo;s Hill Wildflower Preserve\u003c/a\u003e.\nWe take the path out to Bowman\u0026rsquo;s Tower for the view.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe walk down from the tower is a great chance for my legs to pay me back for\nyesterday\u0026rsquo;s run.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s still pretty early for spring, but we can enjoy quite a few wildflowers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd a bit of wildlife as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060414_newhope/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNew Hope is really a great place and this park is such a treat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A great walk in Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve"},{"content":"The overeating and lack of exercise have finally driven me to try running with Charlotte. It starts out very enjoyable, but quickly results in my quads locking up. Where o where is my bike?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060413_run/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe overeating and lack of exercise have finally driven me to try running with\nCharlotte. It starts out very enjoyable, but quickly results in my quads\nlocking up. Where o where is my bike?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_run/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A run in grandma's woods"},{"content":"Second seder is over Lynda\u0026rsquo;s house. Quite a bit less formal, but not shortage of great food and family.\nOn a totally unrelated note, the kids make a nice little place for a poor mole they found dead on the lawn.\nLynda\u0026rsquo;s new addition is the perfect setting for this great family get together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060413_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSecond seder is over Lynda\u0026rsquo;s house. Quite a bit less formal, but not shortage\nof great food and family.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a totally unrelated note, the kids make a nice little place for a poor mole\nthey found dead on the lawn.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLynda\u0026rsquo;s new addition is the perfect setting for this great family get\ntogether.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060413_passover/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Lynda's"},{"content":"Carole is putting on a monster seder this year with family coming from all over. It was great seeing Albert and his family along with dad and Max. Emily and her family came from England as well. We all missed Scott and his family, but our thoughts were with them.\nThe kids had loads of fun getting really muddy by the lake.\nWhile everyone else contented themselves with fun and conversation inside.\nJohn and Joni were so very happy with their new girls.\nThe Seder went beautifully with David\u0026rsquo;s helpful direction.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060412_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCarole is putting on a monster seder this year with family coming from all\nover. It was great seeing Albert and his family along with dad and Max. Emily\nand her family came from England as well. We all missed Scott and his family,\nbut our thoughts were with them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kids had loads of fun getting really muddy by the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060412_passover/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile everyone else contented themselves with fun and conversation inside.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Carole's"},{"content":"The plan was to head out to Liberty Park and catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, but fate had different plans for us today. Turns out you can\u0026rsquo;t climb up into the statue since 9/11 and since we\u0026rsquo;ve all been to the base before, it\u0026rsquo;s kind of hard to see the point.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t ask me about the problem with the rental car.\nAt least it\u0026rsquo;s a nice view from here. We then decide to head into the city for the day.\nSince the kids have forgotten over the years, we head for the top of the Empire State building. The horror of waiting in line those many hours is another topic you should avoid asking about. Again, at least a nice view.\nTime to head back in wonderful NYC traffic.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe plan was to head out to Liberty Park and catch the ferry to the Statue of\nLiberty, but fate had different plans for us today. Turns out you can\u0026rsquo;t climb\nup into the statue since 9/11 and since we\u0026rsquo;ve all been to the base before,\nit\u0026rsquo;s kind of hard to see the point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon\u0026rsquo;t ask me about the problem with the rental car.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060410_nyc/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt least it\u0026rsquo;s a nice view from here. We then decide to head into the city for\nthe day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A long road trip to Manhattan"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re happy to be spending lots of time with Lynda and her family while we\u0026rsquo;re visiting. Gabe and Kyle had loads of fun together. It was great seeing Steve\u0026rsquo;s family and hearing how things have progressed over the years.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re happy to be spending lots of time with Lynda and her family while we\u0026rsquo;re\nvisiting. Gabe and Kyle had loads of fun together. It was great seeing Steve\u0026rsquo;s\nfamily and hearing how things have progressed over the years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060409_lynda/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting with Lynda's family"},{"content":"The family is heading out to Grandma\u0026rsquo;s place near Philadelphia for Passover. We\u0026rsquo;ll be spending the week visiting grandma, Lynda, and the rest of the family. We\u0026rsquo;ll also be heading out to New York for a Seder with Carole and a whole pile of people. Scott and his family had to cancel at the last minute because of Bridget mom\u0026rsquo;s death. We\u0026rsquo;ll really miss them on this trip and will be thinking of them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060408_flying/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe family is heading out to Grandma\u0026rsquo;s place near Philadelphia for Passover.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll be spending the week visiting grandma, Lynda, and the rest of the\nfamily. We\u0026rsquo;ll also be heading out to New York for a Seder with Carole and a\nwhole pile of people. Scott and his family had to cancel at the last minute\nbecause of Bridget mom\u0026rsquo;s death. We\u0026rsquo;ll really miss them on this trip and will\nbe thinking of them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover vacation trip begins"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ve got a small break in the weather and I\u0026rsquo;ve got to squeeze in a trip before we head out for spring break. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure we\u0026rsquo;ll be able to get in any fishing, but Gordon and I are off to Soquel Hole to see what\u0026rsquo;s up.\nHere we are on our very first launch. Other than forgetting to remove the transom straps, things go very smoothly. Unfortunately the weather and water isn\u0026rsquo;t very smooth and it\u0026rsquo;s a rough ride out to the hole. No fishing on this trip, but chalk it up as a great learning experience.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060407_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a small break in the weather and I\u0026rsquo;ve got to squeeze in a trip before\nwe head out for spring break. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure we\u0026rsquo;ll be able to get in any\nfishing, but Gordon and I are off to Soquel Hole to see what\u0026rsquo;s up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060407_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060407_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060407_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere we are on our very first launch. Other than forgetting to remove the\ntransom straps, things go very smoothly. Unfortunately the weather and water\nisn\u0026rsquo;t very smooth and it\u0026rsquo;s a rough ride out to the hole. No fishing on this\ntrip, but chalk it up as a great learning experience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boating in Monterey Bay"},{"content":"The next day in Yosemite brings a beautiful day. Looks like Monica and Doug are excited about another day in the snow.\nI vote to extend the seven wonders of the world to include this place.\nA well fed coyote roams the valley.\nAnd the crew heads to the Ahwanee for some lunch.\nThe girls take Gordon on a walk to the base of lower Yosemite falls.\nAnd finally it\u0026rsquo;s time for some snow play.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe next day in Yosemite brings a beautiful day. Looks like Monica and Doug are\nexcited about another day in the snow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI vote to extend the seven wonders of the world to include this place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA well fed coyote roams the valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the crew heads to the Ahwanee for some lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060401_yosemite/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe girls take Gordon on a walk to the base of lower Yosemite falls.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Monica in Yosemite"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri took Gordon out to Yosemite to check out the spectacular sites. Gabe and Doug were joining them, but Gabe got really sick the day before so Monica filled in.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s looking a bit nasty out, but the views just get more impressive.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been a while since my kids have seen the snow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri took Gordon out to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e to\ncheck out the spectacular sites. Gabe and Doug were joining them, but Gabe got\nreally sick the day before so Monica filled in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s looking a bit nasty out, but the views just get more impressive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a while since my kids have seen the snow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060331_yosemite/36.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Monica in Yosemite"},{"content":"Unfortunately I missed out on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday party this year since I was on our Tour of King City bike ride. While I pounded back the miles for three days, Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friends started by enjoying some pizza. Of course I\u0026rsquo;ll be back by the time his real birthday arrives.\nCharlotte picked up one of those helium balloon kits, and it sure was a big hit.\nNow the balloons and kids move into Gabe\u0026rsquo;s room for some out of control play. Gabe is so funny how he hangs back and avoids the rough stuff.\nEveryone always really enjoys the playground and trampoline.\nBack at the house it\u0026rsquo;s time for cake and presents. Doug is such a funny guy.\nAnd no party is complete without the destruction of some poor paper mache object.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately I missed out on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday party this year since I was on\nour Tour of King City bike ride. While I pounded back the miles for three\ndays, Gabe\u0026rsquo;s friends started by enjoying some pizza. Of course I\u0026rsquo;ll be back by\nthe time his real birthday arrives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte picked up one of those helium balloon kits, and it sure was a big\nhit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060325_birthday/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow the balloons and kids move into Gabe\u0026rsquo;s room for some out of control play.\nGabe is so funny how he hangs back and avoids the rough stuff.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday"},{"content":"My friend George put together a three day bike ride that started in Watsonville, headed down to Carmel, then over the mountains to King City, and then finally back through Hollister returning home. Tony and Jeff made up the rest of our tiny peloton, with Erik saving the day with ride support. Our first day was a beautiful ride along the coast and then out to Carmel Village.\nThe next morning was a bit wet and windy, but it calmed down quite a bit by the time we got rolling. The hot tub last night really helped prepare everyone for another long day of riding.\nThe ride over Carmel Valley Ranch road out to Greenfield was just spectacular. By the time we reached the final summit, it was clear we would have great weather the rest of the way.\nWe loaded up on the food in Greenfield, and then hammered the final miles out to King City. A nice flat road with a good tailwind made for loads of speed and fun.\nSome more food to make up for those calories (and then some) before giving those legs another well earned rest.\nOur last leg headed up past Pinnacles and really a magnificent stretch of road. Unfortunately we\u0026rsquo;re short on photos, but we did run into a group heading south to Big Sur when we got to Hollister. We then loaded up at Togos before heading out for the final push back to Watsonville.\nErik\u0026rsquo;s house is up an even longer and steeper climb then my house, which of course is quite a treat after more than 200 miles of riding. A really great ride that I\u0026rsquo;ll be more than happy to do again with these guys. Thanks to Erik for all the photos.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060324_tourofkingcity/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy friend George put together a three day bike ride that started in\nWatsonville, headed down to Carmel, then over the mountains to King City, and\nthen finally back through Hollister returning home. Tony and Jeff made up the\nrest of our tiny peloton, with Erik saving the day with ride support. Our\nfirst day was a beautiful ride along the coast and then out to Carmel\nVillage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060324_tourofkingcity/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060324_tourofkingcity/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe next morning was a bit wet and windy, but it calmed down quite a bit by the\ntime we got rolling. The hot tub last night really helped prepare everyone for\nanother long day of riding.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tour of King City bike ride"},{"content":"Charlotte and I managed to talk the kids into joining us for a hike out in Felton for our anniversary. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and I knew the route would be loads of fun for them. Gabe particularly enjoyed the sandy trenches as expected\nStill very happily married after 18 years!\nWhereas Gabe looks like the long hike is making him a bit tired.\nWe stop at the top of Bear Mountain to check out the Roaring Camp train.\nGabe was dying to hike down the really steep trench, but I was betting he wouldn\u0026rsquo;t make it back out after all our walking. Better to take this route next time we go.\nOne of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s favorite trees.\nAnd finally a few cute shots coming down the bunny trail.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060319_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I managed to talk the kids into joining us for a hike out in\nFelton for our anniversary. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and I knew the route would be\nloads of fun for them. Gabe particularly enjoyed the sandy trenches as\nexpected\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStill very happily married after 18 years!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhereas Gabe looks like the long hike is making him a bit tired.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060319_hike/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe stop at the top of Bear Mountain to check out the Roaring Camp train.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Happy anniversary hike with the family"},{"content":"Wearing green for St. Patrick\u0026rsquo;s day wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough for Monica, she also needed to dress up poor Abby. The humiliation this poor animal must repeatedly endure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060317_stpatty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWearing green for St. Patrick\u0026rsquo;s day wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough for Monica, she also needed\nto dress up poor Abby. The humiliation this poor animal must repeatedly\nendure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060317_stpatty/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060317_stpatty/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"St. Patrick's Day dog"},{"content":"We had a nasty storm blow through last night that included booming thunder, lightning, and a load of hail. This morning we were greeted to a wintery scene the likes of which I\u0026rsquo;ve never seen in all the years I\u0026rsquo;ve been here.\nOf course this all looks like loads of fun to the kids. Only children that live in Santa Cruz think it\u0026rsquo;s novel to go down a slide or jump on a trampoline that\u0026rsquo;s covered in ice.\nThe telltale tracks of a raccoon can\u0026rsquo;t be missed on a morning like this.\nA few more shots from around the house before this very rare event leaves no more traces.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had a nasty storm blow through last night that included booming thunder,\nlightning, and a load of hail. This morning we were greeted to a wintery scene\nthe likes of which I\u0026rsquo;ve never seen in all the years I\u0026rsquo;ve been here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060311_snowday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course this all looks like loads of fun to the kids. Only children that live\nin Santa Cruz think it\u0026rsquo;s novel to go down a slide or jump on a trampoline\nthat\u0026rsquo;s covered in ice.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snow day in Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Monica and Mackenzie are over at Sarah\u0026rsquo;s house to make a little trouble. First they help in loading up Sarah\u0026rsquo;s new iPod. Mackenzie then shows the Japanese writing she recalled from a recent dream. Surprisingly, it means absolutely nothing.\nTheir next great idea was to build a marshmallow man in effigy of a substitute teacher they aren\u0026rsquo;t too fond of. I think they may be the first to practice marshmallow voodoo.\nSarah\u0026rsquo;s pet Axolotl watches from a safe distance. Monica thinks this is the coolest pet ever.\nMr. Marshmallow and his friends are finally complete. I think he knows something bad is coming once he\u0026rsquo;s mounted to the cardboard. His happy pretzel face gives a hint of what\u0026rsquo;s next.\nA sad site indeed, as he is consigned to flames of woe. Goodbye Mr. Marshmallow, may the place you\u0026rsquo;re going be a better one than this.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060309_marshmallowman/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica and Mackenzie are over at Sarah\u0026rsquo;s house to make a little trouble. First\nthey help in loading up Sarah\u0026rsquo;s new iPod. Mackenzie then shows the Japanese\nwriting she recalled from a recent dream. Surprisingly, it means absolutely\nnothing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060309_marshmallowman/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060309_marshmallowman/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir next great idea was to build a marshmallow man in effigy of a substitute\nteacher they aren\u0026rsquo;t too fond of. I think they may be the first to practice\nmarshmallow voodoo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Goodbye Mr. Marshmallow"},{"content":"Charlotte and Paula are off to a new location for one of their famous long walks. This time they\u0026rsquo;re out at Nisene Marks down in Aptos rather than the usual Scotts Valley and Felton spots. I think they got carried away given the four hours they were gone and the sixteen miles they covered. Looks like they had plenty of fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Paula are off to a new location for one of their famous long\nwalks. This time they\u0026rsquo;re out at Nisene Marks down in Aptos rather than the\nusual Scotts Valley and Felton spots. I think they got carried away given the\nfour hours they were gone and the sixteen miles they covered. Looks like they\nhad plenty of fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060305_nisenemarks/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A long walk through Nisene Marks"},{"content":"I head out to the east hills of San Jose today for Stage 2 of the Tour of California. It is such a treat to have a real professional stage race right in my own backyard. Of course it would have been even better if they went through Santa Cruz, maybe next year. I parked at the base of Sierra Road where a big flock of turkeys greeted me. Hope there isn\u0026rsquo;t a message in this coincidence.\nThe climb is something like 3.5 miles with 1800 feet of climbing over an average 10% grade. It\u0026rsquo;s a very nice climb, though Jamison or Alba are way harder. Some cowboys and cows are the only other company at the top of this very scenic and cold mountain top.\nThe arrival of motorcycles and the Mavic car are a sure sign the pros aren\u0026rsquo;t too far behind.\nLevi is leading a small group with only a couple of kilometers to go. I\u0026rsquo;m so happy these photos turned out great. Some nice shots of Hincapie and other race greats from Discovery, CSC, T-Mobile, and more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060221_tourca/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI head out to the east hills of San Jose today for Stage 2 of the Tour of\nCalifornia. It is such a treat to have a real professional stage race right in\nmy own backyard. Of course it would have been even better if they went through\nSanta Cruz, maybe next year. I parked at the base of Sierra Road where a big\nflock of turkeys greeted me. Hope there isn\u0026rsquo;t a message in this coincidence.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tour of California comes to San Jose"},{"content":"\nDaisy is most definitely an outside cat. She typically gives everyone a wide berth, but it\u0026rsquo;s been a bit cold outside and she\u0026rsquo;s been meowing lately to get inside. Gabe is more than happy to love her up if he gets the chance. They both seem very happy with the arrangement.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060219_daisy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060219_daisy/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDaisy is most definitely an outside cat. She typically gives everyone a wide\nberth, but it\u0026rsquo;s been a bit cold outside and she\u0026rsquo;s been meowing lately to get\ninside. Gabe is more than happy to love her up if he gets the chance. They\nboth seem very happy with the arrangement.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Daisy the pseudo house cat"},{"content":"This week Charlotte and Valri are taking Gordon over the hill to visit the San Jose Museum of Art.\nCharlotte really loves this little museum and their always eclectic collection of modern art.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060214_museum/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis week Charlotte and Valri are taking Gordon over the hill to visit the\n\u003ca href=\"https://sjmusart.org\"\u003eSan Jose Museum of Art\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte really loves this little museum and their always eclectic collection\nof modern art.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060214_museum/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking Gordon to the San Jose Museum of Art"},{"content":"Nick took Charlotte, Monica, and Abby out for a hike in the hills behind the high school. There are some great views, but I heard the ticks were a bit of a problem.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060212_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick took Charlotte, Monica, and Abby out for a hike in the hills behind the\nhigh school. There are some great views, but I heard the ticks were a bit of a\nproblem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060212_hike/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice walk in the hills around Scotts Valley"},{"content":"Charlotte and her friends are having the yearly PTA Founders Day party and it looks like quite the event. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of great food at these things.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060209_pta/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and her friends are having the yearly PTA Founders Day party and it\nlooks like quite the event. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of great food at these\nthings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060209_pta/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"PTA Founders Day party"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been racing on Sundays up in Fremont and really enjoying it. Monica joined me last weekend, and this weekend Charlotte came to check it out also. We\u0026rsquo;ve been lucky with the beautiful weather, and the last day for the series is the best day yet. Last week there were a number of crashes in my group including one right in front of me. Every other week including this one has been totally safe. I was very happy with my form this early in the season, and felt like I had a lot of strength left for the end. Now I just need to keep working on my positioning for the finish.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060205_race/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been racing on Sundays up in Fremont and really enjoying it. Monica joined\nme last weekend, and this weekend Charlotte came to check it out also. We\u0026rsquo;ve\nbeen lucky with the beautiful weather, and the last day for the series is the\nbest day yet. Last week there were a number of crashes in my group including\none right in front of me. Every other week including this one has been totally\nsafe. I was very happy with my form this early in the season, and felt like I\nhad a lot of strength left for the end. Now I just need to keep working on my\npositioning for the finish.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fremont Early Bird Criterium"},{"content":"\nIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long time coming, but I\u0026rsquo;ve finally gone off the deep end and purchased a boat. Living in Santa Cruz, fishing with Gabe, and loving the ocean in general have conspired to drive me temporarily insane. I\u0026rsquo;ve kept my eye open for a particular model of boat for some years, and I finally chanced on one a guy was selling out near Fresno. A quick drive to check out the boat and the deal was almost done. A few weeks later that resolved an engine problem and we\u0026rsquo;ve got a new addition to the family. The C-Dory 16 foot Angler model may be small, but it\u0026rsquo;s one awesome boat, especially for these waters. Welcome little Nemo to the family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060204_boat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060204_boat/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a long time coming, but I\u0026rsquo;ve finally gone off the deep end and\npurchased a boat. Living in Santa Cruz, fishing with Gabe, and loving the\nocean in general have conspired to drive me temporarily insane. I\u0026rsquo;ve kept my\neye open for a particular model of boat for some years, and I finally chanced\non one a guy was selling out near Fresno. A quick drive to check out the boat\nand the deal was almost done. A few weeks later that resolved an engine\nproblem and we\u0026rsquo;ve got a new addition to the family. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.c-dory.com\"\u003eC-Dory\u003c/a\u003e\n16 foot Angler model may be small, but it\u0026rsquo;s one awesome boat, especially for\nthese waters. Welcome little Nemo to the family.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new fishing boat"},{"content":"Charlotte and Monica head over the hill to take advantage of the last day of vacation when Charlotte isn\u0026rsquo;t working. First stop is Santana Row and a bit of food and shopping.\nCrate and Barrel are showing off a collection of some Maria Yee furniture.\nI guess the Geek Squad impressed her with their cool cars.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a great day to check out the Winchester Mystery House. Charlotte even runs into a bunch of old friends from years ago. Talk about a fun surprise.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Monica head over the hill to take advantage of the last day of\nvacation when Charlotte isn\u0026rsquo;t working. First stop is Santana Row and a bit of\nfood and shopping.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrate and Barrel are showing off a collection of some Maria Yee furniture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess the Geek Squad impressed her with their cool cars.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2006/20060105_sanjose/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a great day to check out the \u003ca href=\"https://winchestermysteryhouse.com\"\u003eWinchester Mystery House\u003c/a\u003e.\nCharlotte even runs into a bunch of old friends from years ago. Talk about a\nfun surprise.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Monica visit the Winchester Mystery House"},{"content":"We celebrated the New Year up north with lots of snow and fun.\nAnnabel loves to work on her \u0026lsquo;puter\u0026rsquo;.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051229_bolger/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe celebrated the New Year up north with lots of snow and fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051229_bolger/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051229_bolger/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnabel loves to work on her \u0026lsquo;puter\u0026rsquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051229_bolger/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New Year at the Bolger Cabin"},{"content":"On the way back from San Diego, we stop in Hollywood to visit Universal Studios for the day. A quick shuttle bus from the hotel and we\u0026rsquo;re on our way.\nThe studio tour is a great chance to see movie making in action. The backlot is very cool. Hard to imagine so many movies filmed right here.\nKing Kong and the raptors are waiting for us as usual.\nGabe loved seeing the scene from Big Fat Liar.\nAnd Jaws is always fun. Man that shark is cheesy.\nThe set for War of the Worlds was awesome. I imagine it cost a few bucks to use a real 747.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051228_universal/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOn the way back from San Diego, we stop in Hollywood to visit\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com\"\u003eUniversal Studios\u003c/a\u003e for the day. A\nquick shuttle bus from the hotel and we\u0026rsquo;re on our way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe studio tour is a great chance to see movie making in action. The backlot is\nvery cool. Hard to imagine so many movies filmed right here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKing Kong and the raptors are waiting for us as usual.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051228_universal/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Universal Studios"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a tough choice where to go in San Diego with so many attractions and the short time we\u0026rsquo;re staying in the area. Legoland loses out by a nose and we\u0026rsquo;re off to SeaWorld. The dolphin show is a hit and it\u0026rsquo;s lots of fun watching people get dowsed. Pete sits with Gabe a few rows closer tempting fate.\nThe Beluga whales are so cool. The manatees aren\u0026rsquo;t too shabby either.\nThe polar bear caves were fun, and the growl scared the heck out of quite a few people. A few more shows and the day proves a great success.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a tough choice where to go in San Diego with so many attractions and the\nshort time we\u0026rsquo;re staying in the area. Legoland loses out by a nose and we\u0026rsquo;re\noff to \u003ca href=\"https://seaworld.com/san-diego/\"\u003eSeaWorld\u003c/a\u003e. The dolphin show is a hit\nand it\u0026rsquo;s lots of fun watching people get dowsed. Pete sits with Gabe a few\nrows closer tempting fate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051227_seaworld/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Beluga whales are so cool. The manatees aren\u0026rsquo;t too shabby either.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SeaWorld San Diego with the Mishkys"},{"content":"Time for a quick road trip down to San Diego to see the Mishky\u0026rsquo;s and a few sites. After the long drive we stop for dinner in downtown Coronado. A few shots with Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite animal and Elvis. A very interesting combination.\nTime to catch up with Lynn and the family while the kids bond playing with their new XBox.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for a quick road trip down to San Diego to see the Mishky\u0026rsquo;s and a few\nsites. After the long drive we stop for dinner in downtown Coronado. A few\nshots with Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite animal and Elvis. A very interesting combination.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to catch up with Lynn and the family while the kids bond playing with\ntheir new XBox.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051226_sandiego/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to San Diego"},{"content":"Lots of great gifts greet the family this year. Santa made Gabe very happy with a new iMac, and Charlotte got a big surprise with an iMac to replace her aging crappy PC. Monica\u0026rsquo;s new iPod was a big hit too. There was also a new Playstation 2 with games for all.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLots of great gifts greet the family this year. Santa made Gabe very happy with\na new iMac, and Charlotte got a big surprise with an iMac to replace her aging\ncrappy PC. Monica\u0026rsquo;s new iPod was a big hit too. There was also a new\nPlaystation 2 with games for all.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A very Merry Christmas"},{"content":"The Multer, Hoyem, and Peyser families converge on Val\u0026rsquo;s house for Christmas dinner. A few presents for Gordon before the festivities begin.\nWhile Gabe works on his skateboarding moves.\nThe kid\u0026rsquo;s table is busy with lots of cousins that are growing up very fast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Multer, Hoyem, and Peyser families converge on Val\u0026rsquo;s house for Christmas\ndinner. A few presents for Gordon before the festivities begin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe works on his skateboarding moves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kid\u0026rsquo;s table is busy with lots of cousins that are growing up very fast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051224_christmaseve/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas dinner at the Peysers"},{"content":"Nick\u0026rsquo;s got some friends over today to work on a project for school. They\u0026rsquo;re putting together a movie that shows off the self defense maneuvers they\u0026rsquo;ve learned. I think they\u0026rsquo;re practicing some of these before the camera rolls for real. But then again they may just be having fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051217_selfdefense/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s got some friends over today to work on a project for school. They\u0026rsquo;re\nputting together a movie that shows off the self defense maneuvers they\u0026rsquo;ve\nlearned. I think they\u0026rsquo;re practicing some of these before the camera rolls for\nreal. But then again they may just be having fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051217_selfdefense/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051217_selfdefense/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's self defense movie project"},{"content":"Another hike, another gnome finds a new home in the woods. Looks like Pickle gnome is still enjoying himself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051204_gnome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother hike, another gnome finds a new home in the woods. Looks like Pickle\ngnome is still enjoying himself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051204_gnome/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051204_gnome/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where in the woods is Shell gnome"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s work party is just down the street from us over at Peachwoods restaurant. It\u0026rsquo;s a good chance for me to meet the rest of the Maria Yee gang.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051203_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s work party is just down the street from us over at Peachwoods\nrestaurant. It\u0026rsquo;s a good chance for me to meet the rest of the Maria Yee gang.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051203_party/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Maria Yee Christmas party"},{"content":"\nCharlotte is out hiking today with her friend Sally and it looks like they\u0026rsquo;ve found a nice new home for Pickle gnome.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051127_gnome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051127_gnome/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is out hiking today with her friend Sally and it looks like they\u0026rsquo;ve\nfound a nice new home for Pickle gnome.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where in the woods is Pickle gnome"},{"content":"Santa\u0026rsquo;s got a unique style out here in California. He wears a Christmas color Hawaiian shirt, rides in an outrigger canoe, and his reindeer are surfers. Of course he\u0026rsquo;s still got the hat, belly, and jolly laugh. Quite a few people show up at Capitola beach for his visit, including Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Sonia and her family. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like we can expect snow anytime soon.\nGordon has a great view of the action from his place. I was out on a ride this morning, but I couldn\u0026rsquo;t miss swinging by to see Santa and the family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051126_santa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSanta\u0026rsquo;s got a unique style out here in California. He wears a Christmas color\nHawaiian shirt, rides in an outrigger canoe, and his reindeer are surfers. Of\ncourse he\u0026rsquo;s still got the hat, belly, and jolly laugh. Quite a few people show\nup at Capitola beach for his visit, including Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Sonia and her\nfamily. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like we can expect snow anytime soon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051126_santa/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon has a great view of the action from his place. I was out on a ride this\nmorning, but I couldn\u0026rsquo;t miss swinging by to see Santa and the family.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Santa rides the surf into Capitola"},{"content":"Thanksgiving is over at George\u0026rsquo;s place this year. Though it\u0026rsquo;s always a great time of year with family, we\u0026rsquo;re giving thanks that we\u0026rsquo;re not cooking the turkey this year. First a little warm up on the trampoline.\nThough it will be raining tomorrow, today is a great day to spend outdoors.\nThe feast is a real pleasure as always. The kids have a great time together, though they skipped the food throwing from previous years. I\u0026rsquo;m sure George and Ellen are happy about that.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThanksgiving is over at George\u0026rsquo;s place this year. Though it\u0026rsquo;s always a great\ntime of year with family, we\u0026rsquo;re giving thanks that we\u0026rsquo;re not cooking the\nturkey this year. First a little warm up on the trampoline.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough it will be raining tomorrow, today is a great day to spend outdoors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_thanksgiving/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe feast is a real pleasure as always. The kids have a great time together,\nthough they skipped the food throwing from previous years. I\u0026rsquo;m sure George and\nEllen are happy about that.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at the Hoyems"},{"content":"Charlotte and I take Abby along for a hike around Roaring Camp and Henry Cowell.\nA few beautiful scenes along the way.\nLast time we hiked, Charlotte was telling me how she always feels like the redwoods are the kind of place where she expects to spot gnomes. I suggest we make a regular effort to place some of her gnome collection in some of her favorite places. Pumpkin gnome is the first to enjoy his new home out in the woods. Hopefully people won\u0026rsquo;t mess with them, and others can discover and enjoy these pleasant forest dwelling creatures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051124_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I take Abby along for a hike around Roaring Camp and Henry\nCowell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few beautiful scenes along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051124_hike/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast time we hiked, Charlotte was telling me how she always feels like the\nredwoods are the kind of place where she expects to spot gnomes. I suggest we\nmake a regular effort to place some of her gnome collection in some of her\nfavorite places. Pumpkin gnome is the first to enjoy his new home out in the\nwoods. Hopefully people won\u0026rsquo;t mess with them, and others can discover and\nenjoy these pleasant forest dwelling creatures.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Where in the woods is Pumpkin gnome"},{"content":"A terrible accident recently took the life of local skateboarder Eric Costello while he was teaching some kids over at the Scotts Valley skatepark. The community has been pretty shocked by the accident as well. Turns out some local businesses like Sessions talked with Tony Hawk and arranged for him to come out with his crew for a memorial event where everyone could celebrate their love of skateboarding. Gabe was pretty jazzed to check out the legend, and it\u0026rsquo;s a fantastic day to enjoy outside.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051120_tonyhawk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA terrible accident recently took the life of local skateboarder Eric Costello\nwhile he was teaching some kids over at the Scotts Valley skatepark. The\ncommunity has been pretty shocked by the accident as well. Turns out some\nlocal businesses like Sessions talked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.tonyhawk.com\"\u003eTony Hawk\u003c/a\u003e and arranged for\nhim to come out with his crew for a memorial event where everyone could\ncelebrate their love of skateboarding. Gabe was pretty jazzed to check out the\nlegend, and it\u0026rsquo;s a fantastic day to enjoy outside.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tony Hawk at Scotts Valley Skatepark"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve joined the usual lunchtime crew of Gordon, Charlotte, and Valri over at Aldo\u0026rsquo;s in the harbor. It\u0026rsquo;s such a fantastic day for enjoying the weather and the view. The food used to be just okay, but the location more than made up for it. Now they\u0026rsquo;ve got a whole new menu and the food is really excellent. I think this might be my new favorite place for lunch now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051115_aldos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve joined the usual lunchtime crew of Gordon, Charlotte, and Valri over at\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.aldossantacruz.com\"\u003eAldo\u0026rsquo;s\u003c/a\u003e in the harbor. It\u0026rsquo;s such a fantastic\nday for enjoying the weather and the view. The food used to be just okay, but\nthe location more than made up for it. Now they\u0026rsquo;ve got a whole new menu and\nthe food is really excellent. I think this might be my new favorite place for\nlunch now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051115_aldos/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051115_aldos/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch with Gordon at the harbor"},{"content":"We headed home from the zoo along the coast. It\u0026rsquo;s a longer drive, but it sure is a whole lot nicer. We stopped at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Landing and was treated to an incredibly low tide.\nThe tide pools are probably the best anywhere along the coast.\nThe cold and foggy wind was really blowing today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe headed home from the zoo along the coast. It\u0026rsquo;s a longer drive, but it sure\nis a whole lot nicer. We stopped at \u003ca href=\"https://fitzgeraldreserve.org\"\u003eFitzgerald Marine Reserve\u003c/a\u003e in\nMoss Landing and was treated to an incredibly low tide.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tide pools are probably the best anywhere along the coast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cold and foggy wind was really blowing today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_tidepools/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Super low tide at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve"},{"content":"We had so much fun in Chinatown last weekend for Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday, that we got to the zoo too late to walk around. We\u0026rsquo;re back to San Francisco, and this time we\u0026rsquo;re here early. Early enough Charlotte needs a coffee to get jump started.\nWe saw a few of these very cool looking fungi.\nThe primate section is always depressing looking to me. I love having the opportunity to see these amazing animals, but they are way too human to be anything but free.\nNow the penguins really rock. They were all very busy making noise and milling around. Must be mating season for these guys.\nMeanwhile the big cats are always impressive and looking like true masters of all they survey.\nBut we know it\u0026rsquo;s really the hippos that kick some booty.\nThe zoo has an injured bald eagle that makes it\u0026rsquo;s home on a small island. Not very majestic, but it sure is the closest I\u0026rsquo;ve ever gotten to one.\nThe grizzly bears put on quite a show for us. One of them was very playful, while his sibling looked like it really just wanted to be left alone. The family was very entertained.\nA few more animals along the way included the polar bears, a colorful cassowary, an albino kangaroo, and a flock of flamingos.\nI really like the lemur exhibit. They\u0026rsquo;re quite a playful bunch.\nAnd the kids really loved the prairie dogs and the meerkats.\nThe animal rescue area had quite a few raptors on display.\nThe ever-popular petting zoo was a big hit. Charlotte really liked these chickens and their colorful feather display.\nThe goats and sheep always illicit a big smile.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had so much fun in Chinatown last weekend for Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday, that we got\nto the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfzoo.org\"\u003ezoo\u003c/a\u003e too late to walk around. We\u0026rsquo;re back to San\nFrancisco, and this time we\u0026rsquo;re here early. Early enough Charlotte needs a\ncoffee to get jump started.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe saw a few of these very cool looking fungi.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051113_zoo/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe primate section is always depressing looking to me. I love having the\nopportunity to see these amazing animals, but they are way too human to be\nanything but free.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"This time we go to the zoo"},{"content":"We don\u0026rsquo;t get a lot of stormy weather around here. Most of the time it\u0026rsquo;s sunny skies, and in the winter it\u0026rsquo;s just gray and rainy on some days. Today we\u0026rsquo;ve had a few storm fronts blow through, but this one at sunset has to take the cake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051109_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe don\u0026rsquo;t get a lot of stormy weather around here. Most of the time it\u0026rsquo;s sunny\nskies, and in the winter it\u0026rsquo;s just gray and rainy on some days. Today we\u0026rsquo;ve\nhad a few storm fronts blow through, but this one at sunset has to take the\ncake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051109_sunset/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051109_sunset/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Stormy sunset over Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri are out with Gordon for a trip down to Moss Landing for his birthday. Some nice shots on the beach followed by the usual excellent lunch over at Phil\u0026rsquo;s.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051108_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri are out with Gordon for a trip down to Moss Landing for his\nbirthday. Some nice shots on the beach followed by the usual excellent lunch\nover at \u003ca href=\"https://philsfishmarket.com\"\u003ePhil\u0026rsquo;s\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051108_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051108_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051108_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051108_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051108_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon and the girls in Moss Landing"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to Chinatown in San Francisco today because it\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday and that\u0026rsquo;s what she wants. And since she\u0026rsquo;s formally a teenager now, we have to do everything she wants. And today that means Dim Sum for lunch.\nThen a chance to pose with a collection of Peking duck.\nFollowed by an endless procession of tourist shops in Chinatown.\nAnd plenty of wondering the streets of San Francisco.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Chinatown in San Francisco today because it\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday\nand that\u0026rsquo;s what she wants. And since she\u0026rsquo;s formally a teenager now, we have to\ndo everything she wants. And today that means Dim Sum for lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen a chance to pose with a collection of Peking duck.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowed by an endless procession of tourist shops in Chinatown.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051105_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd plenty of wondering the streets of San Francisco.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"Valri is displaying some of her paintings over at Coffee Cat in Scotts Valley. They look great in this setting.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off for a hike around the cliffs of Capitola with Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad Gordon. Looks like yet another beautiful day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eValri is displaying some of her paintings over at Coffee Cat in Scotts Valley.\nThey look great in this setting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s off for a hike around the cliffs of Capitola with Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad\nGordon. Looks like yet another beautiful day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051101_gordon/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Artwork and hiking with Gordon"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s stop is the Santa Cruz wharf for some Halloween fun.\nI can\u0026rsquo;t quite make out what the sea lions are dressed as.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s stop is the Santa Cruz wharf for some Halloween fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI can\u0026rsquo;t quite make out what the sea lions are dressed as.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051031_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween at the wharf"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again and today Charlotte is taking the kids and Doug to Capitola to be in the Halloween parade.\nFirst stop is Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place to show off their costumes.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for the parade. It\u0026rsquo;s not a very big affair, but something small and fun for the little kids seems to be right in order.\nThe little bumblebee boy and dog are really adorable.\nGrandpa holds down the fort while the monsters roam the roads of downtown Capitola.\nThe kids really enjoy the monsters by the local businesses.\nAnd the most terrifying monster award has to go to the bunny.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051030_parade/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again and today Charlotte is taking the kids and Doug to\nCapitola to be in the Halloween parade.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst stop is Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place to show off their costumes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for the parade. It\u0026rsquo;s not a very big affair, but something small\nand fun for the little kids seems to be right in order.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051030_parade/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe little bumblebee boy and dog are really adorable.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween parade in Capitola"},{"content":"One last trip to the redwoods with Lynn before she has to go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051025_hiking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne last trip to the redwoods with Lynn before she has to go.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051025_hiking/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051025_hiking/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"One last hike with Lynn"},{"content":"\nJust a few nice family photos Lynn took before she left.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051024_family/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051024_family/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust a few nice family photos Lynn took before she left.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Multer family"},{"content":"Charlotte, Lynn, Paula, Sally, and Stephanie are off to San Francisco for the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. The race starts early on Sunday, so they head up on Saturday to enjoy the day and get an early start the next morning. First it\u0026rsquo;s off to Chinatown for some dim sum.\nThen over to the expo area where the race will start tomorrow.\nDinner is at Scala\u0026rsquo;s by Union Square. They spot the twin old ladies from that phone commercial. Charlotte says they are very cute and always look and act exactly the same way.\nA late night stop at Walgreen\u0026rsquo;s for some last minute supplies is also a chance to ham it up for the camera. And I guess they have to take a picture of Stephanie\u0026rsquo;s shoes.\nTime to crash at the Grand Hyatt at Union Square before the big race. Stephanie needs some help selecting the perfect stylish outfit for tomorrow, while Sally apparently needs to be restrained.\nThe race starts bright and early, though there appears to be nothing bright about it. They planned to walk the whole thing, but I guess the runners manage to sweep them along and they can\u0026rsquo;t resist running a good portion of the race. Paula and Stephanie did the full marathon while everyone else opted for the half marathon.\nThe race goes through Golden Gate park and they run past the back of the zoo where it appears the buffalo still roam.\nEveryone makes it to the finish and are welcomed with shiny blankets to help keep them warm. The fog is mighty thick today.\nThey\u0026rsquo;re also greeted with a very tasteful gift from Tiffany\u0026rsquo;s dispensed in a truly elegant manner.\nThe adventure is over and I suspect Charlotte would like to do more events like this in the future.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Lynn, Paula, Sally, and Stephanie are off to San Francisco for the\nNike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon. The race starts early on Sunday, so they head up on\nSaturday to enjoy the day and get an early start the next morning. First it\u0026rsquo;s\noff to Chinatown for some dim sum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen over to the expo area where the race will start tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051023_marathon/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDinner is at Scala\u0026rsquo;s by Union Square. They spot the twin old ladies from that\nphone commercial. Charlotte says they are very cute and always look and act\nexactly the same way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nike Women's Marathon"},{"content":"Lynn is here to do the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon in San Francisco this weekend. All those long walks in the woods with her friends have been great training for the long walk in the city. Charlotte, Lynn, Paula, and a few of the other regulars will be doing either the full or half marathon walk. Sounds like it\u0026rsquo;s going to be a really fun weekend.\nA nice short three hour hike in the redwoods is just the kind of warm up the girls need.\nAnd I know Charlotte loves having Lynn over to visit as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051021_lynn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynn is here to do the Nike Women\u0026rsquo;s Marathon in San Francisco this weekend. All\nthose long walks in the woods with her friends have been great training for\nthe long walk in the city. Charlotte, Lynn, Paula, and a few of the other\nregulars will be doing either the full or half marathon walk. Sounds like it\u0026rsquo;s\ngoing to be a really fun weekend.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051021_lynn/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nice short three hour hike in the redwoods is just the kind of warm up the\ngirls need.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn hiking in the redwoods"},{"content":"Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday is actually tomorrow, but we\u0026rsquo;ve decided to do the whole cake and presents thing on the weekend before. We\u0026rsquo;ll definitely be doing the Chinese food thing tomorrow night. First a few cute shots of the pets.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s down to birthday business.\nAn unbelievable moment I can\u0026rsquo;t afford not to capture.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s birthday is actually tomorrow, but we\u0026rsquo;ve decided to do the whole cake\nand presents thing on the weekend before. We\u0026rsquo;ll definitely be doing the\nChinese food thing tomorrow night. First a few cute shots of the pets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s down to birthday business.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn unbelievable moment I can\u0026rsquo;t afford not to capture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051009_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday"},{"content":"Chris is back home for the weekend and Monica is helping Valri with her Open Studios weekend. Be sure to check out her artwork in person during the tour.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eChris is back home for the weekend and Monica is helping Valri with her\n\u003ca href=\"https://santacruzopenstudios.com\"\u003eOpen Studios\u003c/a\u003e weekend. Be sure to check out\nher artwork in person during the tour.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051008_openstudios/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Open Studios art tour with Valri Peyser"},{"content":"I was busy setting up new computers for the teachers at the Middle School while Charlotte enjoyed the football game at the High School. Looks like Gabe and Doug had their own action going while the home team trounced the visitors.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI was busy setting up new computers for the teachers at the Middle School while\nCharlotte enjoyed the football game at the High School. Looks like Gabe and\nDoug had their own action going while the home team trounced the visitors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051007_homecoming/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scotts Valley High School homecoming game"},{"content":"Hammin\u0026rsquo; it up!\nWould be nice to stay up here longer.\nAnnabel can\u0026rsquo;t seem to get enough pictures of herself and Daddy is more than happy to oblige.\nBridget catches up on some much needed \u0026lsquo;down time\u0026rsquo;.\nAnnabel took the following photos herself. First, spotlight on some funky folk sheep thing.\nStill life of a lonely Ms. Kitty slipper.\nJoe trying to relax, but looking nervous with Annabel holding the camera close to his head.\nStudy of Poppa at peace.\nGroup shot of Big Bird and friends. Don\u0026rsquo;t they look happy?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHammin\u0026rsquo; it up!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWould be nice to stay up here longer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnabel can\u0026rsquo;t seem to get enough pictures of herself and Daddy is more than\nhappy to oblige.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBridget catches up on some much needed \u0026lsquo;down time\u0026rsquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnabel took the following photos herself. First, spotlight on some funky folk\nsheep thing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStill life of a lonely Ms. Kitty slipper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20051003_bolgercabin/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoe trying to relax, but looking nervous with Annabel holding the camera close\nto his head.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fall in the U.P. Bolger cabin"},{"content":"\nFinally a nice day for a bonfire, though not many pictures this time. Gabe really enjoyed having Doug along for this one.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050827_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050827_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinally a nice day for a bonfire, though not many pictures this time. Gabe\nreally enjoyed having Doug along for this one.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Keep the beach fires burning"},{"content":"After a somewhat restful night at our campsite, our next stop is Pfeiffer beach. It\u0026rsquo;s a long narrow road down to the beach, but it\u0026rsquo;s quite the location. Gabe certainly enjoys climbing on all the rocks.\nA hike up a path in the cliffs rewards us with some great views.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a somewhat restful night at our campsite, our next stop is Pfeiffer\nbeach. It\u0026rsquo;s a long narrow road down to the beach, but it\u0026rsquo;s quite the location.\nGabe certainly enjoys climbing on all the rocks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA hike up a path in the cliffs rewards us with some great views.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050815_pfeiffer/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping in Big Sur"},{"content":"The boys and I are off for a camping trip to Big Sur before summer vacation comes to an end. We enjoyed a great hike at Andrew Molera park. The rocky beach reminded us of some of the beaches in Upper Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050814_molera/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe boys and I are off for a camping trip to Big Sur before summer vacation\ncomes to an end. We enjoyed a great hike at Andrew Molera park. The rocky\nbeach reminded us of some of the beaches in Upper Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050814_molera/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping in Big Sur"},{"content":"The fabulous meals continue this morning with a few wildlife guests wanting to crash the party.\nWe have no shortage of awesome trees on the California coast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050720_camping/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe fabulous meals continue this morning with a few wildlife guests wanting to\ncrash the party.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have no shortage of awesome trees on the California coast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050720_camping/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping in Big Basin"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m out in Boston for work this week, so Charlotte gets to take the kids camping instead of me. Looks like a great couple of days for camping in beautiful Big Basin.\nI have no idea why Nick has tied Monica up with the chair.\nCar camping with a tent cabin makes for some really great meals.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050719_camping/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m out in Boston for work this week, so Charlotte gets to take the kids\ncamping instead of me. Looks like a great couple of days for camping in\nbeautiful Big Basin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have no idea why Nick has tied Monica up with the chair.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/22.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCar camping with a tent cabin makes for some really great meals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050719_camping/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping in Big Basin"},{"content":"It may be foggy out there today, but that can\u0026rsquo;t dampen the enthusiasm of this crowd.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt may be foggy out there today, but that can\u0026rsquo;t dampen the enthusiasm of this\ncrowd.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050716_bonfire/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"A short hike and some tubing fun before hitting the road back to Santa Cruz.\nA quick stop at Donner State Park before continuing on our journey.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s just up and over Donner Pass before getting back on the highway. I\u0026rsquo;m really glad we took this detour, the view is unbelievable. Now this would be quite the bike climb, though the downhill looks very scary.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA short hike and some tubing fun before hitting the road back to Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA quick stop at Donner State Park before continuing on our journey.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow it\u0026rsquo;s just up and over Donner Pass before getting back on the highway. I\u0026rsquo;m\nreally glad we took this detour, the view is unbelievable. Now this would be\nquite the bike climb, though the downhill looks very scary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050710_tahoe/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The end of a great trip to Lake Tahoe"},{"content":"Lots of activities planned for today while we\u0026rsquo;re at Lake Tahoe. I brought the bike along for a ride around the lake. I get out early to beat the traffic and the heat to enjoy all 73 miles and just over 4 hours of riding. Meanwhile Gabe and Ari find plenty of sticks and rocks to play with in the back.\nCharlotte, Paul, Anat, and Stephanie go for what looks like a beautiful hike.\nAfter hiking and riding, everyone heads over to the beach to enjoy some sun, sand, and lake. It really is a great spot even if the water is a bit cold. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to bother the kids much.\nCharlotte takes a few great photos over by the big rocks.\nBack at the house it\u0026rsquo;s spaghetti dinner time and I\u0026rsquo;m piling on the carbs. Meanwhile the kids leap into an impromptu aerobics session followed by total collapse after a big, fun day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050709_tahoe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLots of activities planned for today while we\u0026rsquo;re at Lake Tahoe. I brought the\nbike along for a ride around the lake. I get out early to beat the traffic and\nthe heat to enjoy all 73 miles and just over 4 hours of riding. Meanwhile Gabe\nand Ari find plenty of sticks and rocks to play with in the back.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050709_tahoe/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050709_tahoe/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Paul, Anat, and Stephanie go for what looks like a beautiful hike.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A big day at Lake Tahoe"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re headed up to the Twissleman\u0026rsquo;s place in Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Paula, Anat, and Stephanie have been coming up here regularly for many years with their families. We\u0026rsquo;re so happy they invited us to join them. After a long car trip with a fun stop at the Jelly Belly factory, it\u0026rsquo;s time for dinner. Unfortunately the service is horrible at the restaurant and we only manage to get out of here after two and a half hours. It sure is a nice view while we wait though.\nBack at the house the kids have no trouble finding things to do to entertain themselves.\nAnd the fun continues even when it\u0026rsquo;s time for bed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050708_tahoe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re headed up to the Twissleman\u0026rsquo;s place in Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Paula,\nAnat, and Stephanie have been coming up here regularly for many years with\ntheir families. We\u0026rsquo;re so happy they invited us to join them. After a long car\ntrip with a fun stop at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.jellybelly.com\"\u003eJelly Belly\u003c/a\u003e factory,\nit\u0026rsquo;s time for dinner. Unfortunately the service is horrible at the restaurant\nand we only manage to get out of here after two and a half hours. It sure is a\nnice view while we wait though.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Weekend trip to Lake Tahoe"},{"content":"Today we took the kids for a hike in the Redwoods with a nice stop at the river.I think Monica is convinced she\u0026rsquo;s an otter. Gabe enjoys painting himself using the river rocks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050702_river/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we took the kids for a hike in the Redwoods with a nice stop at the\nriver.I think Monica is convinced she\u0026rsquo;s an otter. Gabe enjoys painting himself\nusing the river rocks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050702_river/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Kids enjoy a redwoods hike and the river"},{"content":"Charlotte has been taking the kids to the beach every Wednesday afternoon as part of a neighborhood get together while the kids are out of school. They all really look forward to the trip and a chance to play in the water.\nSeems like it\u0026rsquo;s also a good opportunity to play in the sand as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050629_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has been taking the kids to the beach every Wednesday afternoon as\npart of a neighborhood get together while the kids are out of school. They all\nreally look forward to the trip and a chance to play in the water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeems like it\u0026rsquo;s also a good opportunity to play in the sand as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050629_beach/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Summer vacation beach day"},{"content":"We haven\u0026rsquo;t made it out fishing all season, but today Gabe and I are fixing that problem. Ed sets us up with the best boat on the wharf and a few special gadgets to help in our search for fish.\nA few shots around our fine ship.\nWhile Gabe focuses on the job of catching the big one.\nGabe didn\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of luck with that fish head. The otters sure had the right idea though. And the final tally was one rock fish and a whole pile of small flat fish. Looking forward to our next trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe haven\u0026rsquo;t made it out fishing all season, but today Gabe and I are fixing that\nproblem. Ed sets us up with the best boat on the wharf and a few special\ngadgets to help in our search for fish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few shots around our fine ship.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe focuses on the job of catching the big one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050626_fishing/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe didn\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of luck with that fish head. The otters sure had the\nright idea though. And the final tally was one rock fish and a whole pile of\nsmall flat fish. Looking forward to our next trip.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe the Monterey Bay fisherman"},{"content":"My idea of a great day is a big bike ride followed by a family outing to the beach. After a New York style breakfast of bagels and lox, we pick up a rental wetsuit and board for Nick and head down to Rio Del Mar. I really wanted to get Charlotte out in the water too, but my main goal was showing Nick what he\u0026rsquo;s been missing. Needless to say he\u0026rsquo;s totally hooked now, and we\u0026rsquo;re shopping for yet another wetsuit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050619_fathersday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy idea of a great day is a big bike ride followed by a family outing to the\nbeach. After a New York style breakfast of bagels and lox, we pick up a rental\nwetsuit and board for Nick and head down to Rio Del Mar. I really wanted to\nget Charlotte out in the water too, but my main goal was showing Nick what\nhe\u0026rsquo;s been missing. Needless to say he\u0026rsquo;s totally hooked now, and we\u0026rsquo;re shopping\nfor yet another wetsuit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boogie boarding on Father's Day"},{"content":"Today we headed down to Watsonville to check out the Gizdich Ranch. After a few treats at the ranch, we stopped at their berry fields to see what looked good. We filled up on a pile of olallieberries, and stuffed ourselves while we picked. Charlotte will be making a pie later tonight that everyone is really looking forward to.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050618_berries/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we headed down to Watsonville to check out the Gizdich Ranch. After a few\ntreats at the ranch, we stopped at their berry fields to see what looked good.\nWe filled up on a pile of olallieberries, and stuffed ourselves while we\npicked. Charlotte will be making a pie later tonight that everyone is really\nlooking forward to.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Olallieberry picking in Watsonville"},{"content":"Ellen came down with the kids today to join in on some beach boardwalk fun. A few new rides greet them including the Double Shot, a real favorite.\nA little beach time is in order following many hours of spinning and zooming.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEllen came down with the kids today to join in on some beach boardwalk fun. A\nfew new rides greet them including the Double Shot, a real favorite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/26.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little beach time is in order following many hours of spinning and zooming.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050617_boardwalk/33.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lots of family down at the Santa Cruz boardwalk"},{"content":"Our first attempt at a bonfire this year didn\u0026rsquo;t work out very well, but today was a perfect day. We had a great crowd and a beautiful day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur first attempt at a bonfire this year didn\u0026rsquo;t work out very well, but today\nwas a perfect day. We had a great crowd and a beautiful day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_bonfire/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"Charlotte, Paula, and Sally are off for a hike this morning down at Pogonip. The old clubhouse is quite a site.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Paula, and Sally are off for a hike this morning down at Pogonip.\nThe old clubhouse is quite a site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050612_pogonip/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte hiking in Pogonip"},{"content":"Today is a very big day. Not only is it the start of summer vacation, but it\u0026rsquo;s also the last day for Nick at Middle School. Next year he\u0026rsquo;ll be going to High School, driving, dating, and other very scary things. The family gets dressed up for the big event.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of milling around before the event starts. Monica and Gabe aren\u0026rsquo;t very happy about all the waiting. I\u0026rsquo;m just hoping the weather holds and it doesn\u0026rsquo;t start pouring on us.\nThe procession begins and all the kids are looking so very serious. They already look way too grown up. Can this many years have really gone by?\nMonica seems happy the waiting is finally over.\nOver 200 kids come up to get the piece of paper that confirms it\u0026rsquo;s time to move onto the next stage of their life.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to take a picture of Gabe all day. These are the only ones he would let me take, and I had to act like I wasn\u0026rsquo;t taking a photo.\nTwo hours of sitting quietly and clapping hands constantly results in a huge explosion of energy once the event is finally over. Let the party begin!\nMom sure looks proud. Nice job Nick.\nWho knows what\u0026rsquo;s next for our big man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050609_graduation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is a very big day. Not only is it the start of summer vacation, but it\u0026rsquo;s\nalso the last day for Nick at Middle School. Next year he\u0026rsquo;ll be going to High\nSchool, driving, dating, and other very scary things. The family gets dressed\nup for the big event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050609_graduation/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050609_graduation/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of milling around before the event starts. Monica and Gabe\naren\u0026rsquo;t very happy about all the waiting. I\u0026rsquo;m just hoping the weather holds and\nit doesn\u0026rsquo;t start pouring on us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick graduates from Middle School"},{"content":"Instead of taking a bunch of pictures showing how cute and smiley our daughter Annabel is (which is most of the time), Bridget decided to take a few sequential snapshots capturing the classic mood swings of a 3-year old. I think the squished head image resembles my mood 50% of the time. Enjoy!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eInstead of taking a bunch of pictures showing how cute and smiley our daughter\nAnnabel is (which is most of the time), Bridget decided to take a few\nsequential snapshots capturing the classic mood swings of a 3-year old. I\nthink the squished head image resembles my mood 50% of the time. Enjoy!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_annabel/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A moody summer evening"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s an award presentation ceremony at school today and Monica is racking up quite a few for herself. It\u0026rsquo;s been a good year academically and at track events. We\u0026rsquo;re awfully proud of her.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050608_awards/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s an award presentation ceremony at school today and Monica is racking up\nquite a few for herself. It\u0026rsquo;s been a good year academically and at track\nevents. We\u0026rsquo;re awfully proud of her.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050608_awards/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's school awards"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s off for a hike with her friends and had to try out the new camera. The Minolta Dimage we\u0026rsquo;ve been using finally reached the end of its productive life. Our new Nikon 5900 looks like it will make a great little camera for everyday use. I\u0026rsquo;m still itching for a nice Nikon D50 when the photos really count. A point and shoot camera sure is convenient, but they\u0026rsquo;re always a compromise.\nCan\u0026rsquo;t resist one artsy photo.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050605_henrycowell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s off for a hike with her friends and had to try out the new camera.\nThe Minolta Dimage we\u0026rsquo;ve been using finally reached the end of its productive\nlife. Our new Nikon 5900 looks like it will make a great little camera for\neveryday use. I\u0026rsquo;m still itching for a nice Nikon D50 when the photos really\ncount. A point and shoot camera sure is convenient, but they\u0026rsquo;re always a\ncompromise.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in Henry Cowell with the girls"},{"content":"\nI\u0026rsquo;ll be leaving for home tomorrow after a great trip to visit with our engineering team in Romania. Everyone has been great, and I\u0026rsquo;ve enjoyed the view from my office while I\u0026rsquo;ve been here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050602_cluj/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050602_cluj/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ll be leaving for home tomorrow after a great trip to visit with our\nengineering team in Romania. Everyone has been great, and I\u0026rsquo;ve enjoyed the\nview from my office while I\u0026rsquo;ve been here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another great day in Cluj"},{"content":"Time to wander around the city to see what Cluj and Romania has to offer. My first stop is the Botanical Gardens on this very hot day. Walking in the gardens reminds me of the hikes around home, though with quite a few more people. Every city has to have a great park where you can take a break from things.\nDowntown is full of beautiful old buildings like the Catholic church. I missed the Orthodox church by one block unfortunately.\nAnd here\u0026rsquo;s where I\u0026rsquo;ll be spending most of my time working. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a great location near downtown, and plenty of room for lots of software and quality engineers. If you\u0026rsquo;re looking for awesome outsourced product development, then my company Waverley Software is ready to help.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to wander around the city to see what Cluj and Romania has to offer. My\nfirst stop is the Botanical Gardens on this very hot day. Walking in the\ngardens reminds me of the hikes around home, though with quite a few more\npeople. Every city has to have a great park where you can take a break from\nthings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050529_cluj/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDowntown is full of beautiful old buildings like the Catholic church. I missed\nthe Orthodox church by one block unfortunately.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sightseeing in Cluj"},{"content":"After countless hours crammed in coach seats, the day that started in San Francisco finally ends with my arrival in Cluj, Romania. I\u0026rsquo;m not thinking very straight right now since I can never sleep on the plane. A few shots from my hotel room at the lovely Hotel Transilvania, then a quick bite to eat, followed by hopefully many hours of sleep.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050526_cluj/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter countless hours crammed in coach seats, the day that started in San\nFrancisco finally ends with my arrival in Cluj, Romania. I\u0026rsquo;m not thinking very\nstraight right now since I can never sleep on the plane. A few shots from my\nhotel room at the lovely Hotel Transilvania, then a quick bite to eat,\nfollowed by hopefully many hours of sleep.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050526_cluj/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050526_cluj/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050526_cluj/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Business trip to Cluj, Romania"},{"content":"Charlotte and Paula discover fabled Bear Mountain in Roaring Camp during a hike in Henry Cowell. The girls are always in search of new paths through the woods, and today is no exception. Most people take the old steam train up to this spot, but not these intrepid hikers. A few shots from the observation post and then it\u0026rsquo;s back down to civilization.\nBack home the garden is just getting going.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050522_bearmtn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Paula discover fabled Bear Mountain in Roaring Camp during a hike\nin Henry Cowell. The girls are always in search of new paths through the\nwoods, and today is no exception. Most people take the old steam train up to\nthis spot, but not these intrepid hikers. A few shots from the observation\npost and then it\u0026rsquo;s back down to civilization.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050522_bearmtn/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050522_bearmtn/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050522_bearmtn/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050522_bearmtn/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack home the garden is just getting going.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hike up to Bear Mountain"},{"content":"Instead of the usual breakfast in bed thing, Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s idea of the perfect way to start the day is to go for a giant hike in the woods. Charlotte and Paula try a new route starting in Scotts Valley and going through Henry Cowell, Pogonip, and then down to Santa Cruz. The first big obstacle is getting across the swollen river. Of course they\u0026rsquo;re already plenty wet from the rain today.\nA few sites along the way include a memorial, lime kilns, and some great views.\nCharlotte took a few photos downtown while waiting for me to pick her up. A loop trip today would certainly have meant an all day hiking effort.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050508_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eInstead of the usual breakfast in bed thing, Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s idea of the perfect\nway to start the day is to go for a giant hike in the woods. Charlotte and\nPaula try a new route starting in Scotts Valley and going through Henry\nCowell, Pogonip, and then down to Santa Cruz. The first big obstacle is\ngetting across the swollen river. Of course they\u0026rsquo;re already plenty wet from\nthe rain today.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's Mother's Day hike"},{"content":"Nick has company this year at track meets now that Monica is in 6th grade. Both of them have been doing very well with the short distance events. They both do very well with the shot put also.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050506_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick has company this year at track meets now that Monica is in 6th grade. Both\nof them have been doing very well with the short distance events. They both do\nvery well with the shot put also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050506_track/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVMS track meet with Nick and Monica"},{"content":"This year\u0026rsquo;s 3rd annual SVEF century bike ride has finally arrived. It\u0026rsquo;s turned out to be an awesome fundraiser for our local schools, and a great local ride as well. Charlotte put in a ton of effort along with the usual crew and the effort has really paid off. We had more riders, and raised more money this year than ever before. This year we included raffle tickets as an option for donations. I sure would have liked to have won that Specialized bike CycleSport donated.\nA few group shots before the riders hit the road at 8am for the start of the 100km and 50km rides. I\u0026rsquo;m one of those specks in the back with a yellow helmet.\nOur sag support crew enjoyed a few of the rest stops too.\nThe ride finished again this year with an awesome barbeque and the musical stylings of Wryly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050430_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis year\u0026rsquo;s 3rd annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.svef.net\"\u003eSVEF\u003c/a\u003e century bike ride has\nfinally arrived. It\u0026rsquo;s turned out to be an awesome fundraiser for our local\nschools, and a great local ride as well. Charlotte put in a ton of effort\nalong with the usual crew and the effort has really paid off. We had more\nriders, and raised more money this year than ever before. This year we\nincluded raffle tickets as an option for donations. I sure would have liked to\nhave won that Specialized bike CycleSport donated.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mountain Charlie Challenge"},{"content":"The sixth graders in the area hold a competition between the schools every year over at Soquel High School. Scotts Valley has the privilege of being represented as the USA every year, though I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t mind being the school that represents Wales or Jamaica instead. The big event starts with a march around the beautiful field.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of action for many kids, while others wait around for their big event. Monica\u0026rsquo;s events are all later in the afternoon. Paula is there with her school representing Mexico.\nMonica lines up for her first event, the soccer kick.\nThe tug of war was the last event of the day, and boy were the kids tired. USA clobbered everyone like they were doing all afternoon, but the final was super tough going against England. It looked like we were about to lose when the crowd started chanting USA. The kids dug deep and pulled off a huge comeback to win.\nThe team regroups and waits to hear the results. Everyone on the team got a well deserved medal along with a plaque for the overall team win. The dynasty continues.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe sixth graders in the area hold a competition between the schools every year\nover at Soquel High School. Scotts Valley has the privilege of being\nrepresented as the USA every year, though I wouldn\u0026rsquo;t mind being the school\nthat represents Wales or Jamaica instead. The big event starts with a march\naround the beautiful field.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050422_intlgames/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty of action for many kids, while others wait around for their big\nevent. Monica\u0026rsquo;s events are all later in the afternoon. Paula is there with her\nschool representing Mexico.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica competes at the International Games"},{"content":"Charlotte usually hikes over at Henry Cowell, but after hearing about Gabe\u0026rsquo;s field trip to Fall Creek, it was time to try out a new route. The photos are from the kiln area at the furthest point of the field trip. Charlotte and Paula headed out another few miles past this and really enjoyed the big steep section.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte usually hikes over at Henry Cowell, but after hearing about Gabe\u0026rsquo;s\nfield trip to Fall Creek, it was time to try out a new route. The photos are\nfrom the kiln area at the furthest point of the field trip. Charlotte and\nPaula headed out another few miles past this and really enjoyed the big steep\nsection.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050417_fallcreek/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte hiking at Fall Creek"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class has been studying hundreds of wildflowers in class for some time now. All the effort is about to pay off with Mr. Sutherland\u0026rsquo;s big field trip to Fall Creek. It\u0026rsquo;s a long hike, but the kids all hang in there great. Everyone is very excited and actively identifying and discussing all the flora and fauna they find in the park. Our study group did an awesome job checking off nearly everything on our clipboard list. We even managed to identify a few items not on the list.\nA few of the plants we found on the hike included trillium, five-finger fern, elk\u0026rsquo;s clover, a whole field of forget-me-not flowers, and a nice collection of lace fern. We also managed to spot items such as tiger lilies, a garter snake (that I caught and let everyone pet), false Solomon\u0026rsquo;s seal, and many more types of ferns.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050413_fallcreek/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s class has been studying hundreds of wildflowers in class for some time\nnow. All the effort is about to pay off with Mr. Sutherland\u0026rsquo;s big field trip\nto \u003ca href=\"https://www.mountainparks.org/our-parks/henry-cowell/fall-creek\"\u003eFall Creek\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s a long hike, but the kids all hang in there great.\nEveryone is very excited and actively identifying and discussing all the flora\nand fauna they find in the park. Our study group did an awesome job checking\noff nearly everything on our clipboard list. We even managed to identify a few\nitems not on the list.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's wildflower field trip to Fall Creek"},{"content":"Charlotte starts a spectacular day with some of her friends walking in the redwoods. Today was a big hike all the way from Scotts Valley to Felton and back.\nWe round up the crew and head down to Rio Del Mar beach. Monica is a bit concerned about the rip currents down at Manresa, but this beach rocks too. Gabe even spotted a location with an already dug pit. What a big bonus! Of course there\u0026rsquo;s a bit of territorial posturing as sand is kicked onto each other\u0026rsquo;s towels. Nick, Charlotte, and I monitor the unfolding action.\nWell enough of that, time to get wet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050410_riodelmar/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte starts a spectacular day with some of her friends walking in the\nredwoods. Today was a big hike all the way from Scotts Valley to Felton and\nback.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050410_riodelmar/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050410_riodelmar/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050410_riodelmar/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe round up the crew and head down to Rio Del Mar beach. Monica is a bit\nconcerned about the rip currents down at Manresa, but this beach rocks too.\nGabe even spotted a location with an already dug pit. What a big bonus! Of\ncourse there\u0026rsquo;s a bit of territorial posturing as sand is kicked onto each\nother\u0026rsquo;s towels. Nick, Charlotte, and I monitor the unfolding action.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beach time at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to Loch Lomond in Felton today before the rain kicks in later tonight. Valri brought the food and we brought the charcoal. Gordon did an awesome job working the barbecue.\nOf course Gabe manages to catch a trout almost immediately after casting his line the first time. I\u0026rsquo;m left with the job of cleaning the fish since he\u0026rsquo;s now on the picnic menu.\nMeanwhile I nearly catch Nick in the act of beating a tree with a stick. The park ranger would not be happy.\nGabe enjoys a Michigan campfire potato. We throw them in the fire until they get black, cut them in half, and then scoop out the middle. It\u0026rsquo;s quite a treat.\nAfter Valri and Gordon leave, we go for a walk in search of salamanders. We strike out in our search, but the walk along the lake is always nice.\nTime to load up the supplies and head back home. These two have had a big day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Loch Lomond in Felton today before the rain kicks in later\ntonight. Valri brought the food and we brought the charcoal. Gordon did an\nawesome job working the barbecue.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course Gabe manages to catch a trout almost immediately after casting his\nline the first time. I\u0026rsquo;m left with the job of cleaning the fish since he\u0026rsquo;s now\non the picnic menu.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050403_lochlomond/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile I nearly catch Nick in the act of beating a tree with a stick. The\npark ranger would not be happy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing, hiking, and picnicing at Loch Lomond"},{"content":"Charlotte didn\u0026rsquo;t have a big party with a bunch of her friends, but quite a few stopped by the house to drop off presents and wish her the best. The family wished her a happy birthday with presents and her favorite ice cream birthday cake. Thank goodness for Baskin Robbins and Jamoca Almond Fudge!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050402_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte didn\u0026rsquo;t have a big party with a bunch of her friends, but quite a few\nstopped by the house to drop off presents and wish her the best. The family\nwished her a happy birthday with presents and her favorite ice cream birthday\ncake. Thank goodness for Baskin Robbins and Jamoca Almond Fudge!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050402_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050402_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050402_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's birthday celebration"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the big day and it looks like we\u0026rsquo;re going to be very lucky with the weather. The sun is starting to shine and a full double rainbow is welcoming Gabe to his first day as a nine year old.\nMonica is busy with some elaborate artwork wishing Gabe a happy birthday and giving directions to our party guests at the same time.\nThe large crowd of very happy boys are immediately attracted to our favorite attraction, the trampoline. I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;ve ever seen quite so many people on it at the same time before.\nThe next stop is everyone\u0026rsquo;s second favorite, the big rope swing. You can catch quite a bit of air, so the line forms quickly.\nWe have one last chance to get some real food into everyone before they fill themselves with candy and cake. The pizza was a big hit.\nNext stop is the pinata. The little worm held up remarkably well considering the heavy use of steroids on this baseball team. The twine I used to hang the pinata didn\u0026rsquo;t fair very well though. It was so weighted down with candy it broke on the second hit. We used a jump rope and clipped it on the swings so the violence could continue. The mad dash for candy when it finally breaks is always the crowning glory of these events. I think Nick wishes he was given a shot at the pinata.\nWe finish up with a delicious cake and a bevy of presents. I\u0026rsquo;m sure this ranked as one of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s very best birthday parties. I know I had fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the big day and it looks like we\u0026rsquo;re going to be very lucky with the\nweather. The sun is starting to shine and a full double rainbow is welcoming\nGabe to his first day as a nine year old.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica is busy with some elaborate artwork wishing Gabe a happy birthday and\ngiving directions to our party guests at the same time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050328_birthday/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe large crowd of very happy boys are immediately attracted to our favorite\nattraction, the trampoline. I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;ve ever seen quite so many people\non it at the same time before.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday party"},{"content":"Today finds the intrepid crew climbing the hills of San Franscisco in the Pacific Heights area. A few photos of some amazingly huge homes and a building where one of Gordon\u0026rsquo;s friends used to live.\nNext stop is the always photogenic Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium area.\nFollowed by lunch in Chinatown.\nOne last stop at the SFMOMA where Gordon contemplates a very black piece of modern art.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday finds the intrepid crew climbing the hills of San Franscisco in the\nPacific Heights area. A few photos of some amazingly huge homes and a building\nwhere one of Gordon\u0026rsquo;s friends used to live.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop is the always photogenic \u003ca href=\"https://palaceoffinearts.com\"\u003ePalace of Fine Arts\u003c/a\u003e and\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu\"\u003eExploratorium\u003c/a\u003e area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowed by lunch in Chinatown.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last stop at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmoma.org\"\u003eSFMOMA\u003c/a\u003e where Gordon contemplates\na very black piece of modern art.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050326_sanfrancisco/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon enjoy San Francisco sights"},{"content":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed up to San Francisco for two days of tourist fun. Today was spent around Fisherman\u0026rsquo;s Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. The lack of rain this weekend was a very lucky break.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Gordon headed up to San Francisco for two days of tourist\nfun. Today was spent around \u003ca href=\"https://www.fishermanswharf.org\"\u003eFisherman\u0026rsquo;s Wharf\u003c/a\u003e and\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.ghirardellisq.com\"\u003eGhiradelli Square\u003c/a\u003e. The lack of rain this weekend was a very lucky break.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050325_sanfrancisco/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon at Fisherman's Wharf"},{"content":"Charlotte optimistically scheduled the first bonfire of the year for tonight down at Rio Del Mar beach. The series of storms making its way through the area didn\u0026rsquo;t bode well for the event, but we gave it a try anyway. We enjoyed the twilight view from the car while we had a picnic in the car. Paula and Matt stopped by for a few minutes, but no one else seemed crazy enough to give it a try. We stopped by Sea Cliff on the way back to catch the sunset. I think we\u0026rsquo;ll give it another try sometime in April.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050320_seacliff/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte optimistically scheduled the first bonfire of the year for tonight\ndown at Rio Del Mar beach. The series of storms making its way through the\narea didn\u0026rsquo;t bode well for the event, but we gave it a try anyway. We enjoyed\nthe twilight view from the car while we had a picnic in the car. Paula and\nMatt stopped by for a few minutes, but no one else seemed crazy enough to give\nit a try. We stopped by Sea Cliff on the way back to catch the sunset. I think\nwe\u0026rsquo;ll give it another try sometime in April.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"No bonfire at the beach tonight"},{"content":"Our next stop was in the city of Lucerne. It was much smaller than Bern and quite the beautiful location along the lake. The mountainous backdrop reminded me a bit of Boulder. Of course the expensive shops and five star hotels everywhere are in stark contrast to the feeling in Boulder.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur next stop was in the city of Lucerne. It was much smaller than Bern and\nquite the beautiful location along the lake. The mountainous backdrop reminded\nme a bit of Boulder. Of course the expensive shops and five star hotels\neverywhere are in stark contrast to the feeling in Boulder.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050316_lucerne/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Business in Lucerne, Switzerland"},{"content":"A last minute business trip to Switzerland brings me to the city of Bern. The weather was perfect in contrast to the dire weather predictions, which was quite the pleasure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050315_bern/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA last minute business trip to Switzerland brings me to the city of Bern. The\nweather was perfect in contrast to the dire weather predictions, which was\nquite the pleasure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050315_bern/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050315_bern/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Business in Bern, Switzerland"},{"content":"We had a most excellent warm spell that convinced the plants it was time to start showing off their flowers. The tulips are looking great this year too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had a most excellent warm spell that convinced the plants it was time to\nstart showing off their flowers. The tulips are looking great this year too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050309_flowers/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spring arrives early and the flowers are blooming"},{"content":"Nick still enjoys creating his own custom creatures. I think he plans on submitting this design to Lego for some kind of contest.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050308_legos/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick still enjoys creating his own custom creatures. I think he plans on\nsubmitting this design to Lego for some kind of contest.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another lego creation from Nick"},{"content":"Tonight is the big \u0026ldquo;Reach for the Stars\u0026rdquo; auction to raise money for Brook Knoll elementary school. Charlotte has been helping a lot with the event, though Valri\u0026rsquo;s sounds like she\u0026rsquo;s been putting in a huge effort on this one. Everything looks ready for the big crowd and there are plenty of truly awesome items people have donated or created. Charlotte and the SVEF crew also take the opportunity to plug our upcoming fundraising bicycle event.\nThe auction is an unbelievable success and everyone had a wonderful time. Our table was filled with great friends like Matt, Paula, Craig, Stephanie, and more. The Italian theme included a nice dinner, some opera, and plenty of crazy bidding.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050304_auction/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTonight is the big \u0026ldquo;Reach for the Stars\u0026rdquo; auction to raise money for Brook Knoll\nelementary school. Charlotte has been helping a lot with the event, though\nValri\u0026rsquo;s sounds like she\u0026rsquo;s been putting in a huge effort on this one.\nEverything looks ready for the big crowd and there are plenty of truly awesome\nitems people have donated or created. Charlotte and the SVEF crew also take\nthe opportunity to plug our upcoming fundraising bicycle event.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Reach for the Stars auction night"},{"content":"This week\u0026rsquo;s day trip with Gordon is to the Filoli Center. Looks like a beautiful day and the flowers are in bloom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis week\u0026rsquo;s day trip with Gordon is to the \u003ca href=\"https://filoli.org\"\u003eFiloli Center\u003c/a\u003e. Looks like\na beautiful day and the flowers are in bloom.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050301_filoli/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A visit to the Filoli Center with Gordon"},{"content":"While Gabe and Charlotte battled a stomach virus, we attempted to enjoy our last day at Disney World with a visit to MGM Studios. I didn\u0026rsquo;t get many photos as Nick and Monica started to come down with the sickness. We managed to squeeze in one trip to Space Mountain while everyone could keep their lunch down. The parade was a good chance to rest and take a few shots before heading back to embrace the horror of the worst stomach virus we\u0026rsquo;ve ever experienced. I did manage to keep well until our flight back the next morning, but did manage to keep it together for the flight. It really was a fun trip as long as I try to forget the last couple of days.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050209_mgm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile Gabe and Charlotte battled a stomach virus, we attempted to enjoy our\nlast day at Disney World with a visit to MGM Studios. I didn\u0026rsquo;t get many photos\nas Nick and Monica started to come down with the sickness. We managed to\nsqueeze in one trip to Space Mountain while everyone could keep their lunch\ndown. The parade was a good chance to rest and take a few shots before heading\nback to embrace the horror of the worst stomach virus we\u0026rsquo;ve ever experienced.\nI did manage to keep well until our flight back the next morning, but did\nmanage to keep it together for the flight. It really was a fun trip as long as\nI try to forget the last couple of days.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Disney World's MGM Studios"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s Disney World trip is to Epcot. Not a lot of photos, but we did really enjoy the Mission Space ride. Nothing like pulling some Gs to get your day going. In the waiting area after the ride, Gabe and I enjoy a team effort on a cool video game.\nGabe and Kyle do a bit of bonding.\nThe kids enjoy a bit of sombrero fun at the Mexico plaza at the World Showcase. This was unfortunately the last stop before the wave of sickness kicked in. Gabe started to complain he was feeling bad and needed to go home. Little did we know this was just the beginning of a cascade of stomach virus to hit everyone for the next week. I can\u0026rsquo;t say it was the best birthday of my life, but I loved being with Lynda and her family and we had a great dinner thanks to Mom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050208_epcot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday\u0026rsquo;s Disney World trip is to Epcot. Not a lot of photos, but we did really\nenjoy the Mission Space ride. Nothing like pulling some Gs to get your day\ngoing. In the waiting area after the ride, Gabe and I enjoy a team effort on a\ncool video game.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050208_epcot/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050208_epcot/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050208_epcot/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Kyle do a bit of bonding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050208_epcot/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kids enjoy a bit of sombrero fun at the Mexico plaza at the World Showcase.\nThis was unfortunately the last stop before the wave of sickness kicked in.\nGabe started to complain he was feeling bad and needed to go home. Little did\nwe know this was just the beginning of a cascade of stomach virus to hit\neveryone for the next week. I can\u0026rsquo;t say it was the best birthday of my life,\nbut I loved being with Lynda and her family and we had a great dinner thanks\nto Mom.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Disney World's Epcot"},{"content":"Our first day at Disney World begins with an exciting shuttle bus trip from the Old Key West resort to the Animal Kingdom. Steve, Lynda, Rachel, and Monica look primed for a day of fun.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s definitely something to be said for a park where you have a chance to actually interact with some living things other than a pile of tourists on a ride. The kids really enjoyed the python and the petting zoo. Gabe had a blast with a deranged cow that sounded as if he had seen enough people that day.\nThe safari ride was pretty fun and we had a chance to see quite a few animals. Not quite as much fun as the place I recall from my childhood where we drove through an animal park in Orlando where the animals were free to roam anywhere.\nOne of the highlights of the park was definitely the Tarzan Rocks show. Everyone loved the live rock show. The music, singing, and dancing were a real rush. I think Kyle is destined to be a rock group roadie from the look of things.\nThe Primeval Whirl roller coaster was a total blast. What a great idea to combine spinning with a roller coaster without involving the whole sick as a dog thing. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t stop laughing through the whole ride. This was Gabe\u0026rsquo;s very first real roller coaster and now he\u0026rsquo;s hooked.\nThe big ride of the day was definitely the Kali River Rapids ride. This was so much fun, unless of course you were the one that got totally soaked. We did this so many times I think everyone had a chance to get really wet. As an added bonus, we got the last ride of the day and spent about 10 minutes stuck at the top of the falls waiting for the ride to continue.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050207_animalkingdom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur first day at Disney World begins with an exciting shuttle bus trip from the\nOld Key West resort to the Animal Kingdom. Steve, Lynda, Rachel, and Monica\nlook primed for a day of fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050207_animalkingdom/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050207_animalkingdom/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050207_animalkingdom/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s definitely something to be said for a park where you have a chance to\nactually interact with some living things other than a pile of tourists on a\nride. The kids really enjoyed the python and the petting zoo. Gabe had a blast\nwith a deranged cow that sounded as if he had seen enough people that day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Disney World's Animal Kingdom"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to Orlando to meet up with Lynda and Steve\u0026rsquo;s family at Disney World. They have a timeshare at the Old Key West resort, so it was hard to pass up on the opportunity for a first visit to Disney World and to see their cousins. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to Disneyland a few times, but never to the mother of all theme parks. We decided to spend the first day checking out the other coast, so we packed up the car and drove out to Cocoa Beach to see how it compares to the Santa Cruz scene. The beach was really beautiful, the waves were awesome, but I expected it to be warmer. It really was pretty much the same as back home, which was of course no problem for my kids.\nI couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist stopping when we saw this old Mercury rocket on display along the road. It\u0026rsquo;s really amazing to picture the first astronauts sitting on top of this thing.\nI managed to convince the caravan to make a quick stop at Cape Canaveral for a quick peek while we\u0026rsquo;re in the area. There\u0026rsquo;s no way I can convince the crew to actually go in for a full tour, so we have to settle for a few shots from outside the gate. The shuttle stuff is totally awesome, though the last photo is a fake from in front of a nearby attraction.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050206_cocoabeach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Orlando to meet up with Lynda and Steve\u0026rsquo;s family at\n\u003ca href=\"https://disneyworld.disney.go.com\"\u003eDisney World\u003c/a\u003e. They have a timeshare at the Old Key West\nresort, so it was hard to pass up on the opportunity for a first visit to\nDisney World and to see their cousins. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to Disneyland a few times,\nbut never to the mother of all theme parks. We decided to spend the first day\nchecking out the other coast, so we packed up the car and drove out to Cocoa\nBeach to see how it compares to the Santa Cruz scene. The beach was really\nbeautiful, the waves were awesome, but I expected it to be warmer. It really\nwas pretty much the same as back home, which was of course no problem for my\nkids.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sun, sand, and rockets at Cocoa Beach"},{"content":"Monica had a school play today she was really looking forward to. Her play was one of a few covering different historical religious stories. Her play was about the story of Purim and she was the narrator.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050202_monica/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica had a school play today she was really looking forward to. Her play was\none of a few covering different historical religious stories. Her play was\nabout the story of Purim and she was the narrator.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050202_monica/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050202_monica/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050202_monica/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's school play"},{"content":"Another beautiful day in Capitola during a visit with Gordon. The kids always have a great time playing at the beach. Nick and I spend some time at the sword shop checking out the weapons. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of a strange shop to have in downtown Capitola, but Nick really loves it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050129_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother beautiful day in Capitola during a visit with Gordon. The kids always\nhave a great time playing at the beach. Nick and I spend some time at the\nsword shop checking out the weapons. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of a strange shop to have in\ndowntown Capitola, but Nick really loves it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050129_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050129_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Grandpa in Capitola"},{"content":"Charlotte loves her walks in Henry Cowell with her friends. She really loves the very long walks with Paula when she has a chance to discover some new routes through the park. She\u0026rsquo;s also got a thing for mushrooms as you can tell.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050120_paula/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte loves her walks in Henry Cowell with her friends. She really loves\nthe very long walks with Paula when she has a chance to discover some new\nroutes through the park. She\u0026rsquo;s also got a thing for mushrooms as you can\ntell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050120_paula/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050120_paula/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A long walk in the woods with Paula"},{"content":"We decided this morning to head over to Capitola and do a little fishing. No boat this time, but it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day for some wharf fishing. Charlotte drops off Monica, Gabe, and me while she heads over to Mr. Toots coffee house to help Valri with some of her paintings that are on display. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the coffee is not really for Nick.\nWhen Charlotte and Nick are done, they head over to the wharf with Gordon. A great blue heron strikes a few poses while he waits for his lunch.\nGordon tried his magic fishing touch, but it doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like anything is really going to turn around our luck when it comes to catching fish. Of course anyday is a nice day for fishing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050116_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided this morning to head over to Capitola and do a little fishing. No\nboat this time, but it\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day for some wharf fishing. Charlotte\ndrops off Monica, Gabe, and me while she heads over to Mr. Toots coffee house\nto help Valri with some of her paintings that are on display. I\u0026rsquo;m sure the\ncoffee is not really for Nick.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050116_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Charlotte and Nick are done, they head over to the wharf with Gordon. A\ngreat blue heron strikes a few poses while he waits for his lunch.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing on the Capitola wharf"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s really cold out this morning, but the rain has finally stopped. That means it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to Hellyer and have some fun. We went through the usual drills and races including another Australian pursuit race. I was really happy with my 200m time and a couple of race finishes. Charlotte and Monica came for a surprise visit during the race part and then we enjoyed lunch together.\nCharlotte and Monica checked out a bit of the local wildlife at the park while I continued to ride in circles.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s really cold out this morning, but the rain has finally stopped. That means\nit\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to \u003ca href=\"https://hellyervelodrome.com\"\u003eHellyer\u003c/a\u003e and have\nsome fun. We went through the usual drills and races including another\nAustralian pursuit race. I was really happy with my 200m time and a couple of\nrace finishes. Charlotte and Monica came for a surprise visit during the race\npart and then we enjoyed lunch together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050115_hellyer/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The velodrome is a blast"},{"content":"Charlotte took Gordon out to see the butterflies over at Natural Bridges state park. It\u0026rsquo;s actually the best time to see them hanging in gigantic groups from the trees, but today is was very cold and they weren\u0026rsquo;t cooperating. Of course Gordon is used to weather a whole lot colder than this back in Bootjack.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050104_butterflies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Gordon out to see the butterflies over at Natural Bridges state\npark. It\u0026rsquo;s actually the best time to see them hanging in gigantic groups from\nthe trees, but today is was very cold and they weren\u0026rsquo;t cooperating. Of course\nGordon is used to weather a whole lot colder than this back in Bootjack.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_butterflies/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_butterflies/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_butterflies/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A little too cold for the Natural Bridges butterflies"},{"content":"I don\u0026rsquo;t know what possessed Monica to put her coat on Abby, but I guess no reason is really necessary. She does look good in Monica\u0026rsquo;s clothes. I wonder what outfit Abby is destined to wear next. I suppose this is also what happens when your other siblings are all boys.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2005/20050104_abby/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know what possessed Monica to put her coat on Abby, but I guess no\nreason is really necessary. She does look good in Monica\u0026rsquo;s clothes. I wonder\nwhat outfit Abby is destined to wear next. I suppose this is also what happens\nwhen your other siblings are all boys.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_abby/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_abby/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2005/20050104_abby/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica tortures Abby for no particular reason"},{"content":"Taking the boys out for their haircut has become kind of a ritual for me. We head out to the barber where I get my usual #5, Nick gets his usual, and Gabe gets the spiky cut. He\u0026rsquo;s always very proud of his new look and is never shy about posing for a picture with the new doo.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041231_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTaking the boys out for their haircut has become kind of a ritual for me. We\nhead out to the barber where I get my usual #5, Nick gets his usual, and Gabe\ngets the spiky cut. He\u0026rsquo;s always very proud of his new look and is never shy\nabout posing for a picture with the new doo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Spiky hair Gabe"},{"content":"I think Nick is trying to get Nibbles to spill the beans about Santa. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like he\u0026rsquo;s talking though.\nEveryone patiently awaits the tearing open of the presents. We didn\u0026rsquo;t go as overboard as in most years, which was a nice change. I think Gabe enjoyed getting his new fishing books from grandpa.\nI know Monica loved her new feety socks.\nMax and Nick really enjoyed the Nerf blow guns. Max demonstrates the superior kung fu technique.\nIt was a pleasure as always having everyone over for Christmas dinner. I suggested something easier than the usual turkey thing this year, and I think the lasagna went over very well. I could eat Italian food every day, including holidays.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think Nick is trying to get Nibbles to spill the beans about Santa. It\ndoesn\u0026rsquo;t look like he\u0026rsquo;s talking though.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone patiently awaits the tearing open of the presents. We didn\u0026rsquo;t go as\noverboard as in most years, which was a nice change. I think Gabe enjoyed\ngetting his new fishing books from grandpa.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know Monica loved her new feety socks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041225_christmas/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMax and Nick really enjoyed the Nerf blow guns. Max demonstrates the superior\nkung fu technique.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas day with family, presents, and lasagna"},{"content":"Charlotte took Ira, Karen, Max, and the kids down to the ever popular Monterey Bay Aquarium. A lot of the water life shots came out fuzzy, but I think the effect is kind of nice.\nI hear Gabe was a bit of trouble during the trip, but the family photo reveals none of the trouble earlier in the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Ira, Karen, Max, and the kids down to the ever popular\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eMonterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a\u003e. A lot of the\nwater life shots came out fuzzy, but I think the effect is kind of nice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hear Gabe was a bit of trouble during the trip, but the family photo reveals\nnone of the trouble earlier in the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041223_aquarium/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Playing tourist at the aquarium"},{"content":"Charlotte took everyone to downtown Santa Cruz for a bit of shopping and such. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if they actually bought cookies to go with these photos in front of the best smelling place on Pacific Avenue. Though that honor may be in jeopardy with the recent arrival of a Coldstone Creamery just down the street. Of course Noah\u0026rsquo;s Bagels is pretty awesome as well.\nA late night swim over at La Madrona\u0026rsquo;s is a nice way to top off the day. Max and Gabe are looking for trouble in the hot tub.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041222_santacruz/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took everyone to downtown Santa Cruz for a bit of shopping and such.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure if they actually bought cookies to go with these photos in front\nof the best smelling place on Pacific Avenue. Though that honor may be in\njeopardy with the recent arrival of a Coldstone Creamery just down the street.\nOf course Noah\u0026rsquo;s Bagels is pretty awesome as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041222_santacruz/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA late night swim over at La Madrona\u0026rsquo;s is a nice way to top off the day. Max\nand Gabe are looking for trouble in the hot tub.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The North Carolina Multers come for a visit"},{"content":"After so many years of riding road bikes, I finally decided to give track riding a shot. Since I\u0026rsquo;ve been planning on getting into racing this season, it occurred to me that racing at the track might be a whole lot safer than a criterium, and the races are a lot more frequent. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a drive to the Hellyer Park Velodrome in San Jose from Santa Cruz, but I really am very lucky to live this close to one. Not a whole lot of velodromes in the USA.\nI was also a bit concerned about the whole fixed gear thing. I had heard enough warnings about free-wheeling and getting launched off the bike that I was a bit intimidated. I fully expected that it would take me a while to get used to the track bike. I had also been thinking about the advantages of racing with a bike other than my Trek. A track bike is a whole lot simpler beast as well as a whole lot cheaper. The thought of crashing on my Trek has always kept me from thinking too seriously about taking up racing. It all added up to the need for a trip to the velodrome to see about this track riding thing.\nThey have beginner sessions every Saturday morning at the velodrome, and they even rent the bikes. I headed out nice and early on a crisp, clear morning. I was the first rider at the track and had a chance to ask plenty of questions. Everyone there was exceptionally helpful and informative. It really is a different feeling riding with a group for 3 hours at the track as opposed to 3 hours on the road. I also got the hang of the track bike much faster than I expected. I felt pretty comfortable riding instinctively after only the first hour.\nWe practiced a whole range of techniques including the flying 200, bridging, team time trial, and follow the leader. We tried a few races including a pursuit. I have to say that the whole day was a huge rush. I had a ton of fun riding the track, and was very happy with my first sprint and race efforts. I\u0026rsquo;m really looking forward to heading back out to the track again very soon and making it part of my regular training. Now I just have to get the family to come along for the trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041218_hellyer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter so many years of riding road bikes, I finally decided to give track\nriding a shot. Since I\u0026rsquo;ve been planning on getting into racing this season, it\noccurred to me that racing at the track might be a whole lot safer than a\ncriterium, and the races are a lot more frequent. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a drive to\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://hellyervelodrome.com\"\u003eHellyer Park Velodrome\u003c/a\u003e in San Jose from\nSanta Cruz, but I really am very lucky to live this close to one. Not a whole\nlot of velodromes in the USA.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"First time for track riding at the velodrome"},{"content":"Charlotte took Valri and Gordon over to San Jose to visit the Rosicrucian museum. They\u0026rsquo;ve been making regular visits to a variety of local landmarks while their dad is in town. The museum and library really are unique and well worth the visit. Monica\u0026rsquo;s class was just there on a field trip a week or so ago. Sure wish I could join in on one of these trips sometime.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041214_rosicrucian/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Valri and Gordon over to San Jose to visit the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.egyptianmuseum.org\"\u003eRosicrucian museum\u003c/a\u003e. They\u0026rsquo;ve been making\nregular visits to a variety of local landmarks while their dad is in town. The\nmuseum and library really are unique and well worth the visit. Monica\u0026rsquo;s class\nwas just there on a field trip a week or so ago. Sure wish I could join in on\none of these trips sometime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041214_rosicrucian/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041214_rosicrucian/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041214_rosicrucian/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041214_rosicrucian/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The girls take Gordon to the Rosicrucian museum"},{"content":"Abby might not look like much of a lap dog, but that never stopped us.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041207_lapdog/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAbby might not look like much of a lap dog, but that never stopped us.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Abby the lap dog"},{"content":"The Silverback Systems holiday party was held at the Plumed Horse restaurant in Saratoga. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty rare that Charlotte and I have a chance to get really dressed up for such an event. It\u0026rsquo;s also a rare opportunity to see many of the engineers in something other than jeans and t-shirts. That\u0026rsquo;s certainly my standard attire in addition to the usual sandals.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041204_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Silverback Systems holiday party was held at the \u003ca href=\"https://plumedhorse.com\"\u003ePlumed Horse\u003c/a\u003e\nrestaurant in Saratoga. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty rare that Charlotte and I have a chance to\nget really dressed up for such an event. It\u0026rsquo;s also a rare opportunity to see\nmany of the engineers in something other than jeans and t-shirts. That\u0026rsquo;s\ncertainly my standard attire in addition to the usual sandals.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Silverback holiday party"},{"content":"Charlotte goes for very fast long walks in the redwoods of Henry Cowell park a few times a week. Today she\u0026rsquo;s doing the walk with Paula, Margot, Sonia, and Dyana. I often go with Charlotte on Sundays, so I know very well how incredibly beautiful these trips are. We sure are lucky to live in such a great place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041129_henrycowell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte goes for very fast long walks in the redwoods of Henry Cowell park a\nfew times a week. Today she\u0026rsquo;s doing the walk with Paula, Margot, Sonia, and\nDyana. I often go with Charlotte on Sundays, so I know very well how\nincredibly beautiful these trips are. We sure are lucky to live in such a\ngreat place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041129_henrycowell/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041129_henrycowell/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Walking in the redwoods with the girls"},{"content":"Charlotte and I do a fast long walk through Henry Cowell on Sundays. We try to do a slightly different route every time and we\u0026rsquo;re always rewarded with great views and beautiful trails. Today is certainly no different as we enjoy another spectacular winter day in Santa Cruz.\nLater that day Charlotte heads up to the Hollins house for the Pasatiempo art show where Valri is showing off a few of her paintings.\nThe last stop for the day is a visit with Gordon down in Capitola.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I do a fast long walk through Henry Cowell on Sundays. We try to\ndo a slightly different route every time and we\u0026rsquo;re always rewarded with great\nviews and beautiful trails. Today is certainly no different as we enjoy\nanother spectacular winter day in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041128_woodsart/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater that day Charlotte heads up to the Hollins house for the Pasatiempo art\nshow where Valri is showing off a few of her paintings.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Walk in the redwoods, Pasatiempo art show, and Capitola"},{"content":"George and his family stayed with us for Thanksgiving this year. Following a huge meal over Valri\u0026rsquo;s house and a restful sleep at ours, we head up to Greyhound Rock beach north of Santa Cruz. George and Ellen haven\u0026rsquo;t been to this beach before, and it\u0026rsquo;s one of our favorites. I\u0026rsquo;m sure we\u0026rsquo;ll be taking them back there again sometime soon. There were plenty of fun things to keep everyone busy. Climbing on the rocks, mining for crystals, exploring tidepools, and just soaking up the sun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041126_greyhoundbeach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his family stayed with us for Thanksgiving this year. Following a\nhuge meal over Valri\u0026rsquo;s house and a restful sleep at ours, we head up to\nGreyhound Rock beach north of Santa Cruz. George and Ellen haven\u0026rsquo;t been to\nthis beach before, and it\u0026rsquo;s one of our favorites. I\u0026rsquo;m sure we\u0026rsquo;ll be taking\nthem back there again sometime soon. There were plenty of fun things to keep\neveryone busy. Climbing on the rocks, mining for crystals, exploring\ntidepools, and just soaking up the sun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring at Greyhound Rock beach"},{"content":"Charlotte takes Varli, Gordon, and Karen down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Looks like Valri is trying to make her way into one of the exhibits.\nCharlotte took some great photos on this trip. Everyone looks very interested in the feeding.\nBack at home Daisy enjoys one of her many hiding places.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte takes Varli, Gordon, and Karen down to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eMonterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a\u003e.\nLooks like Valri is trying to make her way into one of the exhibits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took some great photos on this trip. Everyone looks very interested\nin the feeding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at home Daisy enjoys one of her many hiding places.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041116_aquarium/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyems visit the aquarium"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to George\u0026rsquo;s house to celebrate Gordon\u0026rsquo;s 80th birthday. Gordy and his family, Karen, Valri\u0026rsquo;s family, Bea, Renee and her family, and our family will all be there for the big party. Charlotte took Gordy and his family up to San Francisco for the morning before meeting up at George\u0026rsquo;s place.\nGordon and Annie join in the hotel strike. Someone must have been wondering if child labor issues were at stake as well.\nNo trip is complete without swinging by Chinatown.\nSome street performers and drummers provided them with some unique entertainment.\nSome nice shots of the family with the Golden Gate bridge and the bay in the background.\nEveryone finds their own way to enjoy themselves before dinner.\nThe obligatory family photo shots before we dig into the food.\nPlenty of food for everyone, though we definitely needed quite a few tables to hold this many people.\nGordon opens his presents as the party comes to an end.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041114_gordon80/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to George\u0026rsquo;s house to celebrate Gordon\u0026rsquo;s 80th birthday. Gordy and his\nfamily, Karen, Valri\u0026rsquo;s family, Bea, Renee and her family, and our family will\nall be there for the big party. Charlotte took Gordy and his family up to San\nFrancisco for the morning before meeting up at George\u0026rsquo;s place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041114_gordon80/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041114_gordon80/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041114_gordon80/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon and Annie join in the hotel strike. Someone must have been wondering if\nchild labor issues were at stake as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon Hoyem's 80th birthday"},{"content":"Charlotte took Gordy, his family, and Gordon out to Henry Cowell for a walk in the redwoods. It\u0026rsquo;s a great loop trail with plenty of fun for the kids. The big tree half way through is always a treat. It\u0026rsquo;s hollow on the inside like many old redwoods, but this one is big enough for quite a few people to fit inside. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a crouching down effort to get in, but there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of room once you\u0026rsquo;re inside. Annie and Gordon certainly enjoyed it.\nCharlotte gets in a few mushroom shots. It\u0026rsquo;s been a while since the last ones, so it\u0026rsquo;s good to see these.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041113_redwoods/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Gordy, his family, and Gordon out to Henry Cowell for a walk in\nthe redwoods. It\u0026rsquo;s a great loop trail with plenty of fun for the kids. The big\ntree half way through is always a treat. It\u0026rsquo;s hollow on the inside like many\nold redwoods, but this one is big enough for quite a few people to fit inside.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a crouching down effort to get in, but there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of room\nonce you\u0026rsquo;re inside. Annie and Gordon certainly enjoyed it.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking Gordy and family out to the redwoods"},{"content":"Gordy, Donna, Annie, and little Gordon are in town visiting for big Gordon\u0026rsquo;s 80th birthday this weekend. They\u0026rsquo;re staying with us for a few nights, and it\u0026rsquo;s sure great seeing them sometime in addition to the usual summer trip to Bootjack. Charlotte took them down to visit with Gordon at his place in Capitola. It\u0026rsquo;s always a great trip when you get to visit the beach. Luckily the rain gave us a break today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041112_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordy, Donna, Annie, and little Gordon are in town visiting for big Gordon\u0026rsquo;s\n80th birthday this weekend. They\u0026rsquo;re staying with us for a few nights, and it\u0026rsquo;s\nsure great seeing them sometime in addition to the usual summer trip to\nBootjack. Charlotte took them down to visit with Gordon at his place in\nCapitola. It\u0026rsquo;s always a great trip when you get to visit the beach. Luckily\nthe rain gave us a break today.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordy and the family visiting in Capitola"},{"content":"\nDoug is over for some play time. Out front I suspect they\u0026rsquo;re taking a break from playing wall ball while they recreate a scene from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. They don\u0026rsquo;t have an octopus, but the snake works very nicely.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041108_play/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041108_play/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoug is over for some play time. Out front I suspect they\u0026rsquo;re taking a break\nfrom playing wall ball while they recreate a scene from 20,000 Leagues Under\nthe Sea. They don\u0026rsquo;t have an octopus, but the snake works very nicely.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe, Doug and the sea monster"},{"content":"Monica turned 12 today and we celebrated with a dinner at a local Chinese restaurant followed by some cake and presents back home. Everyone gets so excited no matter who gets the presents.\nThe cookies and cream ice cream cake was popular with everyone. Monica had a bit of trouble with the trick candles Charlotte used. We nearly set off the smoke alarm.\nI think Monica really enjoyed all her presents. Books, movies, an umbrella for school, a new backpack, a figurine, and a few others.\nGabe and I ham it up a bit.\nAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the woman that really brought you this story, momma Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica turned 12 today and we celebrated with a dinner at a local Chinese\nrestaurant followed by some cake and presents back home. Everyone gets so\nexcited no matter who gets the presents.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cookies and cream ice cream cake was popular with everyone. Monica had a\nbit of trouble with the trick candles Charlotte used. We nearly set off the\nsmoke alarm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041105_birthday/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think Monica really enjoyed all her presents. Books, movies, an umbrella for\nschool, a new backpack, a figurine, and a few others.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"Monica is doing the Gothic witch thing this year. She came upstairs to show me her costume while I was working on the computer, and I was totally freaked out. I immediately had very scary visions of the teenager to be. Of course I calmly told her she looked great. Meanwhile Gabe is still looking cute as a button in his snake costume.\nCharlotte took them down to the wharf during the day as a warmup for the real event later tonight. There\u0026rsquo;s even a couple of classic Woodies behind them. Later that evening we walked around the local streets and then hooked up with the Peysers to collect a bit more candy on the other side of the neighborhood.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica is doing the Gothic witch thing this year. She came upstairs to show me\nher costume while I was working on the computer, and I was totally freaked\nout. I immediately had very scary visions of the teenager to be. Of course I\ncalmly told her she looked great. Meanwhile Gabe is still looking cute as a\nbutton in his snake costume.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took them down to the wharf during the day as a warmup for the real\nevent later tonight. There\u0026rsquo;s even a couple of classic Woodies behind them.\nLater that evening we walked around the local streets and then hooked up with\nthe Peysers to collect a bit more candy on the other side of the\nneighborhood.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween on the Santa Cruz Wharf"},{"content":"These photos were taken a few days before Halloween, or as our neighbors call it, \u0026lsquo;The Devil\u0026rsquo;s Holiday\u0026rsquo;. Annabel dressed up as a pink poodle for Halloween (sorry no photos of that - duh!) and got lots of candy. She smells each one for a hint of peanut butter. Annabel cannot tolerate peanut butter in any form or fashion. Funny stuff!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041028_umbrella/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese photos were taken a few days before Halloween, or as our neighbors call\nit, \u0026lsquo;The Devil\u0026rsquo;s Holiday\u0026rsquo;. Annabel dressed up as a pink poodle for Halloween\n(sorry no photos of that - duh!) and got lots of candy. She smells each one\nfor a hint of peanut butter. Annabel cannot tolerate peanut butter in any form\nor fashion. Funny stuff!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041028_umbrella/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041028_umbrella/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Annabel, pumpkins and umbrellas"},{"content":"Another birthday arrives for the Nick man. Plenty of presents including books, Playstation games, and Lego creatures. His favorite meal includes a ridiculous amount of matzah brie and sour cream. A nice big cake tops it all off.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother birthday arrives for the Nick man. Plenty of presents including books,\nPlaystation games, and Lego creatures. His favorite meal includes a ridiculous\namount of matzah brie and sour cream. A nice big cake tops it all off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20041010_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday"},{"content":"Nibble\u0026rsquo;s favorite person has got to be Nick. It\u0026rsquo;s easy to see why when he\u0026rsquo;s treated just like another member of the family. All the kids enjoy a juice box when they\u0026rsquo;re thirsty.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040928_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNibble\u0026rsquo;s favorite person has got to be Nick. It\u0026rsquo;s easy to see why when he\u0026rsquo;s\ntreated just like another member of the family. All the kids enjoy a juice box\nwhen they\u0026rsquo;re thirsty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick and Nibbles"},{"content":"Gabe was very excited about heading out to Ohlone Day over at Henry Cowell park in Felton. I guess it was a big deal at school and he was particularly interested in the spear throwing he had heard about. We brought Doug along to make sure the day was a big success. First stop is a demonstration of starting a fire without a match or a flame thrower. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s attention appears to be drifting as the guy is taking way too long to get the fire going.\nNow this is more like it. Throwing small spears at pretend targets two people roll between each other. Gabe has a lot of luck with nailing the deer, coyote, and the rabbit. The Ohlone children learned to hunt this way. Gabe has a bit more practice ahead of him before joining in a real hunt.\nFinally we make it to the real spear throwing area. A docent demonstrates the use of the spear and the atlatl. Looks easy doesn\u0026rsquo;t it?\nGabe and Doug strategize on their chances of success with such a complicated sequence of actions. Gabe concentrates hard and gets off a few good throws. Unfortunately the reality of throwing a real spear like this is well beyond the attention span of my collection of young boys.\nThe pump drill is more to Gabe\u0026rsquo;s liking. It takes some effort to drag him away from this eventually.\nWhile Gabe is drilling holes in small pieces of wood, Doug and I enjoy the best event of the day. The native dances and songs are quite excellent. All in all, a very nice way to spend part of the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040918_ohlone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe was very excited about heading out to Ohlone Day over at Henry Cowell\npark in Felton. I guess it was a big deal at school and he was particularly\ninterested in the spear throwing he had heard about. We brought Doug along to\nmake sure the day was a big success. First stop is a demonstration of starting\na fire without a match or a flame thrower. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s attention appears to be\ndrifting as the guy is taking way too long to get the fire going.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ohlone Day at Henry Cowell"},{"content":"Nick is doing cross country again this year and their first meet is over at SLV.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040917_xcountry/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick is doing cross country again this year and their first meet is over at\nSLV.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040917_xcountry/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040917_xcountry/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040917_xcountry/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's first cross country meet of the year"},{"content":"We headed out to the boat show in Oakland again this year. It was plenty of fun as usual, and I\u0026rsquo;m drooling over a new fishing boat called a C-Dory these days. After spending the night at Jack London Square, we headed down to visit with George and his family. Charlotte went out for a hike with George and Ellen over at Crystal Springs.\nBack at the their new house in Hillsborough the rest of the crew entertains themselves with media and Maddie. Charlotte can\u0026rsquo;t resist a picture of Valri\u0026rsquo;s colorful wine glasses.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040912_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe headed out to the boat show in Oakland again this year. It was plenty of fun\nas usual, and I\u0026rsquo;m drooling over a new fishing boat called a \u003ca href=\"https://www.c-dory.com\"\u003eC-Dory\u003c/a\u003e\nthese days. After spending the night at Jack London Square, we headed down to\nvisit with George and his family. Charlotte went out for a hike with George\nand Ellen over at Crystal Springs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040912_hoyems/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040912_hoyems/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040912_hoyems/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040912_hoyems/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the their new house in Hillsborough the rest of the crew entertains\nthemselves with media and Maddie. Charlotte can\u0026rsquo;t resist a picture of Valri\u0026rsquo;s\ncolorful wine glasses.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat show and a visit with the Hoyems"},{"content":"The new wetsuits have been getting a lot of action lately. The usual routine after a day in the surf is to hose them off and then let them hang to dry. The tree out front is out of the sun and does the job nicely.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040905_wetsuits/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe new wetsuits have been getting a lot of action lately. The usual routine\nafter a day in the surf is to hose them off and then let them hang to dry. The\ntree out front is out of the sun and does the job nicely.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wetsuits really do grow on trees"},{"content":"Time for another fun day down at the beach, but this time we\u0026rsquo;ve got a huge group joining us. There were a million kids and many of our good friends. The heat wave made for a great day and plenty of people didn\u0026rsquo;t even bother with wetsuits. I really enjoyed hanging out with Jan and Teren too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for another fun day down at the beach, but this time we\u0026rsquo;ve got a huge\ngroup joining us. There were a million kids and many of our good friends. The\nheat wave made for a great day and plenty of people didn\u0026rsquo;t even bother with\nwetsuits. I really enjoyed hanging out with Jan and Teren too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040904_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A really big bonfire at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"We finally stopped by a local sports store and bought some decent boogie boards. We picked up a wetsuit and board for Gabe so he could join in on the fun as well. Down at Manresa state beach it\u0026rsquo;s time to break in the new equipment. I think Gabe is addicted too now. Margot and her family joined us for what was a great day even if the fog never broke.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040829_manresa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe finally stopped by a local sports store and bought some decent boogie\nboards. We picked up a wetsuit and board for Gabe so he could join in on the\nfun as well. Down at Manresa state beach it\u0026rsquo;s time to break in the new\nequipment. I think Gabe is addicted too now. Margot and her family joined us\nfor what was a great day even if the fog never broke.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun in the surf at Manresa"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to the beach again for a get together with a bunch of friends down at Rio Del Mar beach. Paula, Margot, Ingeborg, and their families joined us with lots of food and ocean fun. First a little warm-up playing in the sand.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to put on the wetsuits and hit the waves.\nWhen it got late, the kids had fun over at the lifeguard station while the grownups had time to catch up on things.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to the beach again for a get together with a bunch of friends down at\nRio Del Mar beach. Paula, Margot, Ingeborg, and their families joined us with\nlots of food and ocean fun. First a little warm-up playing in the sand.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to put on the wetsuits and hit the waves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040822_bonfire/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it got late, the kids had fun over at the lifeguard station while the\ngrownups had time to catch up on things.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boogie boarding and bonfire at Rio Del Mar"},{"content":"Ellen comes down with the kids to have some fun at the boardwalk for Doug\u0026rsquo;s birthday. The pirate ship has a great view and Zach goes for the best seat on the end. Gabe and Doug go for the tamer middle seats.\nThe trio gets in a bit of spinning action.\nWhile everyone else tries to get sick on this monster.\nThis is one of Nick\u0026rsquo;s favorite rides.\nThis ride does a great job of making you feel like you\u0026rsquo;re flying.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEllen comes down with the kids to have some fun at the boardwalk for Doug\u0026rsquo;s\nbirthday. The pirate ship has a great view and Zach goes for the best seat on\nthe end. Gabe and Doug go for the tamer middle seats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trio gets in a bit of spinning action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile everyone else tries to get sick on this monster.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040816_boardwalk/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one of Nick\u0026rsquo;s favorite rides.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Doug's birthday at the boardwalk"},{"content":"Gabe is still in withdrawal from the constant fishing in Michigan, so we head out into the bay off the Capitola wharf. Monica is along for trip this time also. We catch our usual collection of small fish, though the big ones still elude us. We caught a lot of very small halibut, so I\u0026rsquo;m hoping we\u0026rsquo;re getting closer to catching the big fish.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040815_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is still in withdrawal from the constant fishing in Michigan, so we head\nout into the bay off the Capitola wharf. Monica is along for trip this time\nalso. We catch our usual collection of small fish, though the big ones still\nelude us. We caught a lot of very small halibut, so I\u0026rsquo;m hoping we\u0026rsquo;re getting\ncloser to catching the big fish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040815_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040815_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040815_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040815_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing with Monica and Gabe"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been almost 20 years since we last saw Ed Van Buskirk and his family. We all worked together at Burroughs in Boulder. Since then we\u0026rsquo;ve been living in California and Ed and Barb have been in Kansas City. They came out for a whirlwind tour of the Bay Area and we\u0026rsquo;re so happy they stopped by Santa Cruz for a visit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040812_ed/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been almost 20 years since we last saw Ed Van Buskirk and his family. We\nall worked together at Burroughs in Boulder. Since then we\u0026rsquo;ve been living in\nCalifornia and Ed and Barb have been in Kansas City. They came out for a\nwhirlwind tour of the Bay Area and we\u0026rsquo;re so happy they stopped by Santa Cruz\nfor a visit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040812_ed/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our old friend Ed comes to visit in Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s very good friend Kim is unfortunately moving away along with her kids Lily and Jack. We\u0026rsquo;ll all miss her very much. Charlotte, Paula, and many more of her friends have a going away party where people can say goodbye. We\u0026rsquo;ll try to see them as much as we can for the few more days she\u0026rsquo;s still in town.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040811_party/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s very good friend Kim is unfortunately moving away along with her\nkids Lily and Jack. We\u0026rsquo;ll all miss her very much. Charlotte, Paula, and many\nmore of her friends have a going away party where people can say goodbye.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ll try to see them as much as we can for the few more days she\u0026rsquo;s still in\ntown.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040811_party/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Going away party for Kim"},{"content":"All the hard work on the new bathroom is finally complete. Everyone pitched in with the building, painting, flooring, window coverings, and more. It\u0026rsquo;s going to be a real pleasure taking a shower from now on over at Rose\u0026rsquo;s.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040809_bathroom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAll the hard work on the new bathroom is finally complete. Everyone pitched in\nwith the building, painting, flooring, window coverings, and more. It\u0026rsquo;s going\nto be a real pleasure taking a shower from now on over at Rose\u0026rsquo;s.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The new bathroom is complete"},{"content":"Gordon\u0026rsquo;s best friend Bob Stevens (uncle Steve) just passed away, so they head up to Lac La Belle for the memorial.\nMeanwhile the rest of the family enjoys the shoreline from Lac La Belle down to the Tobacco river.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon\u0026rsquo;s best friend Bob Stevens (uncle Steve) just passed away, so they head\nup to Lac La Belle for the memorial.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the rest of the family enjoys the shoreline from Lac La Belle down to\nthe Tobacco river.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040807_tobacco/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A trip along the Superior shore"},{"content":"The sand has been really building up for quite some time around the dock. Gordon has someone come and dredge the area and pile the sand on the shore. You know the kids are going to have a blast with this gigantic pile of sand.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040806_dredging/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe sand has been really building up for quite some time around the dock.\nGordon has someone come and dredge the area and pile the sand on the shore.\nYou know the kids are going to have a blast with this gigantic pile of sand.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040806_dredging/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dredging the dock area"},{"content":"George and our family take the pontoon boat out for fishing near Chassell right across Portage from camp. They caught a whole pile of crappies. Gabe and I like to joke about these fish, but who wouldn\u0026rsquo;t?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and our family take the pontoon boat out for fishing near Chassell right\nacross Portage from camp. They caught a whole pile of crappies. Gabe and I\nlike to joke about these fish, but who wouldn\u0026rsquo;t?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040805_chassell/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing near Chassell"},{"content":"George and Ellen put on a Mexican food night for everyone. I know my family loves this stuff, and the porch at Rose\u0026rsquo;s is always a great place for an informal get together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and Ellen put on a Mexican food night for everyone. I know my family\nloves this stuff, and the porch at Rose\u0026rsquo;s is always a great place for an\ninformal get together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_mexican/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mexican night for dinner"},{"content":"Another great close destination is the Calumet waterworks. We love to search for Lake Superior agates and other cool rocks. You really want to go on cooler, windy days to avoid the bugs.\nCharlotte finds a few old photos of local cyclists. I didn\u0026rsquo;t run into groups anywhere near this size when I was here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040804_waterworks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother great close destination is the Calumet waterworks. We love to search\nfor Lake Superior agates and other cool rocks. You really want to go on\ncooler, windy days to avoid the bugs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_waterworks/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte finds a few old photos of local cyclists. I didn\u0026rsquo;t run into groups\nanywhere near this size when I was here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_waterworks/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040804_waterworks/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rock picking at Calumet Waterworks"},{"content":"Gabe, Doug, and Zach have a turn with the paddle boat today. They are quite the trio. It also looks like another pontoon boat fishing trip is in order.\nLater that night, everyone gathers around for a fire on the beach. It\u0026rsquo;s great to have George and his family around, even if I had to leave the day they arrived.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040802_boating/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe, Doug, and Zach have a turn with the paddle boat today. They are quite the\ntrio. It also looks like another pontoon boat fishing trip is in order.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater that night, everyone gathers around for a fire on the beach. It\u0026rsquo;s great\nto have George and his family around, even if I had to leave the day they\narrived.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040802_boating/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boating, fishing, and a campfire"},{"content":"I can\u0026rsquo;t recall ever taking out the paddle boat before, but Lindsey and Monica decide that\u0026rsquo;s no reason they can\u0026rsquo;t start something new. I think they had some rudder problems, so Karen glides in on her kayak to check things out. Looks like they\u0026rsquo;ve got a few boys caught in the prop as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI can\u0026rsquo;t recall ever taking out the paddle boat before, but Lindsey and Monica\ndecide that\u0026rsquo;s no reason they can\u0026rsquo;t start something new. I think they had some\nrudder problems, so Karen glides in on her kayak to check things out. Looks\nlike they\u0026rsquo;ve got a few boys caught in the prop as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040801_paddleboat/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The girls take out the paddle boat"},{"content":"Today we\u0026rsquo;re going underground at the Quincy Mine in Hancock. We all look so stylish in our yellow hats as we ride the tram down to the entrance.\nWe all look so attentive as we absorb mining lore from our excellent guide.\nBack at the surface, Charlotte takes a bunch of really great pictures of the old buildings.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday we\u0026rsquo;re going underground at the \u003ca href=\"https://quincymine.com\"\u003eQuincy Mine\u003c/a\u003e in\nHancock. We all look so stylish in our yellow hats as we ride the tram down to\nthe entrance.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe all look so attentive as we absorb mining lore from our excellent guide.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the surface, Charlotte takes a bunch of really great pictures of the\nold buildings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040729_quincy/25.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trip to the Quincy Mine"},{"content":"\nCharlotte is helping Monica with her first water skiing experience. She\u0026rsquo;s got to be thinking, how am I ever going to stand up on these things? Gabe helps out with the picture taking with a nice shot of the dock. Needless to say, there originally were a lot more photos just like this one that I deleted.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040727_swimming/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040727_swimming/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is helping Monica with her first water skiing experience. She\u0026rsquo;s got\nto be thinking, how am I ever going to stand up on these things? Gabe helps\nout with the picture taking with a nice shot of the dock. Needless to say,\nthere originally were a lot more photos just like this one that I deleted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040727_swimming/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica tries water skiing"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful night so we\u0026rsquo;re off to Jacobsville some swimming, fishing, and maybe a campfire. We\u0026rsquo;re working the same spot Gabe caught last year\u0026rsquo;s pike, but we\u0026rsquo;re not having any luck so far this year. It\u0026rsquo;s really shallow on the beach side and Monica really loves heading way out even if the water is really cold.\nBack home it\u0026rsquo;s hard to capture how amazing the sunsets can be, but we can always try.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful night so we\u0026rsquo;re off to Jacobsville some swimming, fishing, and\nmaybe a campfire. We\u0026rsquo;re working the same spot Gabe caught last year\u0026rsquo;s pike,\nbut we\u0026rsquo;re not having any luck so far this year. It\u0026rsquo;s really shallow on the\nbeach side and Monica really loves heading way out even if the water is really\ncold.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040726_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack home it\u0026rsquo;s hard to capture how amazing the sunsets can be, but we can\nalways try.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"An evening trip to Jacobsville"},{"content":"Gordon is taking my family out to the big lake today for a nice trip and some fishing experiments. We\u0026rsquo;re going to try for some salmon using the downriggers. I think everyone enjoyed the boat ride. Monica and Gabe even had a turn driving the boat.\nThe fishing didn\u0026rsquo;t turn up any salmon, but we did manage to get a small lake trout. A fish always puts a smile on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s face.\nThe sandstone cliffs are always a beautiful site. I\u0026rsquo;m kind of partial to my kids as well.\nHeading home we swing past the lighthouse at the Jacobsville entry and enjoy a few sites along the way. The new coast guard cutter is quite the ship.\nAnother fun trip finds us back at camp.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040725_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon is taking my family out to the big lake today for a nice trip and some\nfishing experiments. We\u0026rsquo;re going to try for some salmon using the downriggers.\nI think everyone enjoyed the boat ride. Monica and Gabe even had a turn\ndriving the boat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040725_superior/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fishing didn\u0026rsquo;t turn up any salmon, but we did manage to get a small lake\ntrout. A fish always puts a smile on Gabe\u0026rsquo;s face.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Family fishing on Lake Superior"},{"content":"Looks like the bald eagles are up early this morning along with a few crazy fisherman.\nGordon, Gordy, Charlie, and I are heading out to the big lake this morning to get our fill of lake trout.\nThe fish were pretty small this year, but they\u0026rsquo;ll still be some great eating. Cleaning this fish always attracks plenty of kids including Gabe and Doug.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040724_superior/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like the bald eagles are up early this morning along with a few crazy\nfisherman.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon, Gordy, Charlie, and I are heading out to the big lake this morning to\nget our fill of lake trout.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fish were pretty small this year, but they\u0026rsquo;ll still be some great eating.\nCleaning this fish always attracks plenty of kids including Gabe and Doug.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040724_superior/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lake trout fishing on Superior"},{"content":"Gordy has been taking the kids out to the big pond pretty much daily. First a stop at the little pond to check for bait and frogs, then out to the big pond to see if any trout are on the lines. Of course Gabe likes to make sure he makes every one of these trips.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040723_pond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordy has been taking the kids out to the big pond pretty much daily. First a\nstop at the little pond to check for bait and frogs, then out to the big pond\nto see if any trout are on the lines. Of course Gabe likes to make sure he\nmakes every one of these trips.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040723_pond/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040723_pond/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordy at the little pond"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing four hour training rides from Bootjack every other day that take me past places like Mohawk, Gay, Eagle River, Lake Linden, Copper City, Five Mile Point, and Big Traverse. I\u0026rsquo;ve wanted to do a loop that gets all the way out to Copper Harbor, but it\u0026rsquo;s a bit too far from Bootjack. Charlotte took me out to the Tobacco River park near Gay to cut an hour out of my ride. This ride took me to Lac La Belle, up the hill to the covered drive into Copper Harbor, up Brockway Mountain Drive, down to Eagle Harbor, and then back. Really a beautiful ride and finally a few hills!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040719_tobacco/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been doing four hour training rides from Bootjack every other day that\ntake me past places like Mohawk, Gay, Eagle River, Lake Linden, Copper City,\nFive Mile Point, and Big Traverse. I\u0026rsquo;ve wanted to do a loop that gets all the\nway out to Copper Harbor, but it\u0026rsquo;s a bit too far from Bootjack. Charlotte took\nme out to the Tobacco River park near Gay to cut an hour out of my ride. This\nride took me to Lac La Belle, up the hill to the covered drive into Copper\nHarbor, up Brockway Mountain Drive, down to Eagle Harbor, and then back.\nReally a beautiful ride and finally a few hills!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Time for a long training ride"},{"content":"I brought my Serotta up north this summer so I could really pound back the miles. I didn\u0026rsquo;t trust the airlines with my Trek, but the steel frame made it no problem. Turns out there\u0026rsquo;s a century ride in Wakefield called the North Country 100. The Serotta is way too uncomfortable for 100 miles, but 100 kilometers is perfect. Quite a few less mountains then I\u0026rsquo;m used to, but it was a beautiful ride around Lake Gogebic.\nThe rest of the family enjoyed touring the area while I was gone.\nThe chair lift at Mont Ripley looks like a blast, and the ski jump at Copper Peak looks really scary.\nTime to head back to Wakefield now that the ride is over so we can head back home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040717_wakefield/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI brought my Serotta up north this summer so I could really pound back the\nmiles. I didn\u0026rsquo;t trust the airlines with my Trek, but the steel frame made it\nno problem. Turns out there\u0026rsquo;s a century ride in Wakefield called the North\nCountry 100. The Serotta is way too uncomfortable for 100 miles, but 100\nkilometers is perfect. Quite a few less mountains then I\u0026rsquo;m used to, but it was\na beautiful ride around Lake Gogebic.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"North Country 100 century ride in Wakefield"},{"content":"Scott is up at the Bolger place in the Michigan North Woods Club for a long weekend. It\u0026rsquo;s a great excuse to see Scott, Bridget, and Annabel.\nThe community has a number of private lakes with boats tied up to a dock for member use. Scott takes us out for a bit of fishing on the largest of them. The rain managed to restrain itself while we enjoyed the great outdoors.\nBack at the house we\u0026rsquo;re all recovering from a very active day. Bridget works on one of her fabulous meals and we\u0026rsquo;re more than happy to wolf it all down. I\u0026rsquo;m so glad we finally managed to see each other while in Michigan even if it was only for a short visit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040716_mnwc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eScott is up at the Bolger place in the Michigan North Woods Club for a long\nweekend. It\u0026rsquo;s a great excuse to see Scott, Bridget, and Annabel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040716_mnwc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040716_mnwc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040716_mnwc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040716_mnwc/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe community has a number of private lakes with boats tied up to a dock for\nmember use. Scott takes us out for a bit of fishing on the largest of them.\nThe rain managed to restrain itself while we enjoyed the great outdoors.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting with Scott in Ishpeming"},{"content":"My brother is heading up north to his place in Ishpeming, so we\u0026rsquo;re heading south for a quick visit. The Bishop Baraga shrine beckons to us from the highway. If it weren\u0026rsquo;t for the swarms of black flies, it would have been nice to hang out for a while. This guy has got quite a view.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy brother is heading up north to his place in Ishpeming, so we\u0026rsquo;re heading\nsouth for a quick visit. The \u003ca href=\"https://bishopbaraga.org\"\u003eBishop Baraga\u003c/a\u003e shrine\nbeckons to us from the highway. If it weren\u0026rsquo;t for the swarms of black flies,\nit would have been nice to hang out for a while. This guy has got quite a\nview.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040715_baraga/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A quick stop to visit bishop Baraga"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s more than enough boats to choose from at camp, but there\u0026rsquo;s nothing better than the pontoon boat when you\u0026rsquo;ve got a pile of kids looking for some boat action.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040714_boat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s more than enough boats to choose from at camp, but there\u0026rsquo;s nothing\nbetter than the pontoon boat when you\u0026rsquo;ve got a pile of kids looking for some\nboat action.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nighttime cruise on Portage lake"},{"content":"Gabe is the proud owner of yet another smallmouth bass. Sure is nice that uncle Gordy doesn\u0026rsquo;t mind cleaning all these fish so much.\nNo day can go by without a swim in the lake.\nThis year\u0026rsquo;s big project is a new bathroom in the clubhouse by Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin. It\u0026rsquo;s sure going to be awesome to take a shower without spiders joining you.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is the proud owner of yet another smallmouth bass. Sure is nice that uncle\nGordy doesn\u0026rsquo;t mind cleaning all these fish so much.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo day can go by without a swim in the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis year\u0026rsquo;s big project is a new bathroom in the clubhouse by Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s sure going to be awesome to take a shower without spiders joining you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040713_bathroom/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another smallmouth for Gabe, and a new bathroom"},{"content":"I don\u0026rsquo;t know who came up with the idea, but the gauntlet has been thrown. The kids meet out front for a test of foot speed. After a few sprints I think they see it turns out the same every time. And the gold medals goes to\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040712_running/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know who came up with the idea, but the gauntlet has been thrown. The\nkids meet out front for a test of foot speed. After a few sprints I think they\nsee it turns out the same every time. And the gold medals goes to\u0026hellip;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040712_running/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Yooper Olympics"},{"content":"Time to round up the troops and enjoy a local nature trip. Hungarian falls is close and always memorable. A few group shots before the kids are set loose.\nA number of nice photos of the falls and the view.\nA few more group shots before heading out.\nNo day trip is complete without a lunch break, and the official Yooper food of choice has got to be the famous pasty.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to round up the troops and enjoy a local nature trip. Hungarian falls is\nclose and always memorable. A few group shots before the kids are set loose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA number of nice photos of the falls and the view.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more group shots before heading out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040708_hungarian/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo day trip is complete without a lunch break, and the official Yooper food of\nchoice has got to be the famous pasty.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A group trip to Hungarian falls"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s brother Gordy\u0026rsquo;s family joins in the Yooper activities. The golf cart is always a big hit, as long as everyone can avoid crashing it into things. Lots of fishing out on the dock as usual. Charlotte adds to the fun with a few smores. Life is good.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s brother Gordy\u0026rsquo;s family joins in the Yooper activities. The golf\ncart is always a big hit, as long as everyone can avoid crashing it into\nthings. Lots of fishing out on the dock as usual. Charlotte adds to the fun\nwith a few smores. Life is good.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040705_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A few more Hoyems arrive in Bootjack"},{"content":"Another great way to enjoy yourself up north is getting dragged around the lake. The kids prefer the comfort of the inflatable tube. The older ones usually go for the water skis.\nGabe has his own creative way to enjoy getting around in the lake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040703_portage/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother great way to enjoy yourself up north is getting dragged around the\nlake. The kids prefer the comfort of the inflatable tube. The older ones\nusually go for the water skis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe has his own creative way to enjoy getting around in the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040703_portage/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun in Portage lake"},{"content":"Time for another summer trip to Bootjack. One of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite ways to spend his time up north is out on the dock fishing. Most of the time it\u0026rsquo;s rock bass, but here he\u0026rsquo;s caught a smallmouth bass. If you\u0026rsquo;re really lucky you can catch a northern pike. Gabe is hoping to beat last year\u0026rsquo;s gigantic pike. Keep working those lines.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040702_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for another summer trip to Bootjack. One of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s favorite ways to spend\nhis time up north is out on the dock fishing. Most of the time it\u0026rsquo;s rock bass,\nbut here he\u0026rsquo;s caught a smallmouth bass. If you\u0026rsquo;re really lucky you can catch a\nnorthern pike. Gabe is hoping to beat last year\u0026rsquo;s gigantic pike. Keep working\nthose lines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040702_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dock fishing with Gabe"},{"content":"We met up with a few friends down at the beach today. Monica got to try out her new wetsuit during some boogie boarding. I bought myself one as well, but we plan to try them out together down at Manresa tomorrow. Hopefully Monica won\u0026rsquo;t get too tired playing in the surf today.\nPlenty of good friends, conversation, and food.\nAs the sun goes down, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get the bonfire going. It\u0026rsquo;s also a good place to warm up after many hours in the water.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe met up with a few friends down at the beach today. Monica got to try out her\nnew wetsuit during some boogie boarding. I bought myself one as well, but we\nplan to try them out together down at Manresa tomorrow. Hopefully Monica won\u0026rsquo;t\nget too tired playing in the surf today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of good friends, conversation, and food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040626_twinlakes/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the sun goes down, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get the bonfire going. It\u0026rsquo;s also a good\nplace to warm up after many hours in the water.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Beach party and bonfire at Twin Lakes"},{"content":"Charlotte took the kids and some friends over to Raging Waters in San Jose. I\u0026rsquo;ve never been, but it sure looks like non-stop fun. The slides are gigantic, and the wave pool looks like it\u0026rsquo;s getting a lot of action.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took the kids and some friends over to Raging Waters in San Jose.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve never been, but it sure looks like non-stop fun. The slides are gigantic,\nand the wave pool looks like it\u0026rsquo;s getting a lot of action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040625_ragingwaters/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Getting wet at Raging Waters"},{"content":"Charlotte has to have some of the most unique feet around. As far as I can tell, she actually has 4 pinky toes on each foot. Maybe this is the future of feet and we\u0026rsquo;ll be seeing more feet just like these. I have heard that from an evolutionary perspective, we actually only need one toe on each foot. She doesn\u0026rsquo;t appear to have any problem walking around on these beauties. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like any of the kids have inherited these peculiar digits, but we may have to wait and see. I have of course come to love these very special feet along with the rest of my wonderful wife.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040622_feet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has to have some of the most unique feet around. As far as I can\ntell, she actually has 4 pinky toes on each foot. Maybe this is the future of\nfeet and we\u0026rsquo;ll be seeing more feet just like these. I have heard that from an\nevolutionary perspective, we actually only need one toe on each foot. She\ndoesn\u0026rsquo;t appear to have any problem walking around on these beauties. It\ndoesn\u0026rsquo;t look like any of the kids have inherited these peculiar digits, but we\nmay have to wait and see. I have of course come to love these very special\nfeet along with the rest of my wonderful wife.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"I wish that I had duck feet"},{"content":"Charlotte and the kids headed over to the La Madrona pool and tennis club for a little get together. The ladies enjoy some time talking, while the kids make the most of the pools.\nSome of the flowers from our backyard that the deer missed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040616_pool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and the kids headed over to the La Madrona pool and tennis club for a\nlittle get together. The ladies enjoy some time talking, while the kids make\nthe most of the pools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome of the flowers from our backyard that the deer missed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040616_pool/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pool party at La Madrona"},{"content":"What better way to spend a beautiful Santa Cruz day than at the beach. We wanted to try out a beach that was a bit more remote to avoid the crowds. Manresa State Beach fits our needs perfectly. The shallow area is just packed with sand crabs. Monica even manages to find a clam.\nThis is as close to the water as Nick will get. He\u0026rsquo;s a warm water kind of guy. Nick could have pointed out the gob of sunscreen on Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s chest sometime during their walk down the beach.\nMonica goes undercover after an extended session in the waves.\nI could hang out here all day if it wasn\u0026rsquo;t for my pale complexion. Living by the beach really is the life.\nA real beach staple has got to be the old pirate torture routine. Bury your enemy up to their chin, and wait for the tide to come in. Gabe gets the tamed down version of this old favorite.\nMonica gets her turn next.\nThe sand mound also makes a great lounge chair.\nTime for more boogie boarding.\nNick spotted a hawk swooping down by the cliffs. Everyone heads over the check it out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhat better way to spend a beautiful Santa Cruz day than at the beach. We\nwanted to try out a beach that was a bit more remote to avoid the crowds.\nManresa State Beach fits our needs perfectly. The shallow area is just packed\nwith sand crabs. Monica even manages to find a clam.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040613_manresa/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is as close to the water as Nick will get. He\u0026rsquo;s a warm water kind of guy.\nNick could have pointed out the gob of sunscreen on Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s chest sometime\nduring their walk down the beach.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying the day at Manresa beach"},{"content":"A big day for Monica. Next year she\u0026rsquo;ll be going to Middle School with Nick, and Gabe will be on his own. Time marches inexorably onward.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA big day for Monica. Next year she\u0026rsquo;ll be going to Middle School with Nick, and\nGabe will be on his own. Time marches inexorably onward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040611_graduation/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica graduates from Elementary School"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the last week of school and the kids are obviously very excited. The last week is also filled with more fun and less work. Today is crazy hair day and Gabe went all out. I wish my hair had turned out this good.\nMeanwhile Nick gets a few well deserved awards for a very good year of effort.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040610_school/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the last week of school and the kids are obviously very excited. The last\nweek is also filled with more fun and less work. Today is crazy hair day and\nGabe went all out. I wish my hair had turned out this good.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile Nick gets a few well deserved awards for a very good year of effort.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040610_school/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"School is almost over"},{"content":"Gabe and I haven\u0026rsquo;t been out fishing for quite some time, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to break out the poles. Gabe got up bright and early at 4:30am this morning. No way I\u0026rsquo;m getting out of the house before 6:30am. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and there\u0026rsquo;s no one else out for some reason. I\u0026rsquo;m sure happy to not see the usual mob scene down at the wharf. Once out on the bay, we start catching kingfish almost immediately. We even snagged a pretty big octopus this time, though the picture is a bit blurry. Nothing like a nice cup of cocoa to help pass the time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040606_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I haven\u0026rsquo;t been out fishing for quite some time, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to break\nout the poles. Gabe got up bright and early at 4:30am this morning. No way I\u0026rsquo;m\ngetting out of the house before 6:30am. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and there\u0026rsquo;s no one\nelse out for some reason. I\u0026rsquo;m sure happy to not see the usual mob scene down\nat the wharf. Once out on the bay, we start catching kingfish almost\nimmediately. We even snagged a pretty big octopus this time, though the\npicture is a bit blurry. Nothing like a nice cup of cocoa to help pass the\ntime.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing off Capitola wharf"},{"content":"Some of the latest work from Valri\u0026rsquo;s studio.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040602_valri/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSome of the latest work from Valri\u0026rsquo;s studio.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040602_valri/32.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The latest from Valri's studio"},{"content":"Charlotte headed over to Aunt Bea\u0026rsquo;s house with Valri today to visit with her Aunt Dorothy and her cousin Britta. They were up from southern California, so it was a great opportunity to visit with them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040529_bea/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed over to Aunt Bea\u0026rsquo;s house with Valri today to visit with her\nAunt Dorothy and her cousin Britta. They were up from southern California, so\nit was a great opportunity to visit with them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dorothy and Britta"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s artwork was on display at the Brook Knoll open house tonight. I think we have another budding artist in the family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040527_art/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s artwork was on display at the Brook Knoll open house tonight. I think\nwe have another budding artist in the family.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040527_art/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's artwork"},{"content":"Gabe gears up for a swim at La Madrona, while Nibbles dries off after his dip. Notice any resemblance?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040516_swim/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe gears up for a swim at La Madrona, while Nibbles dries off after his dip.\nNotice any resemblance?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040516_swim/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Nibbles go for a swim"},{"content":"\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve had a great trip, but it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back home. The happy travelers endure one last ride in the airport shuttle and then a long flight home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040510_shuttle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040510_shuttle/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve had a great trip, but it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back home. The happy travelers\nendure one last ride in the airport shuttle and then a long flight home.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Heading back to California"},{"content":"We stayed with my mom for our visit out east. Kyle and Rachel spent the night, but now it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to Lynda\u0026rsquo;s for hanging out and BBQ.\nCarole, David, Jonathan, and Joni headed down for the day as well. It was great seeing everyone.\nLynda likes Valri\u0026rsquo;s paintings so much, she created print versions from some postcards she had picked when she was last out in California. They turned out great. I wanted to show Valri and Charlotte how great they looked.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe stayed with my mom for our visit out east. Kyle and Rachel spent the night,\nbut now it\u0026rsquo;s time to head over to Lynda\u0026rsquo;s for hanging out and BBQ.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarole, David, Jonathan, and Joni headed down for the day as well. It was great\nseeing everyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040509_mothersday/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLynda likes Valri\u0026rsquo;s paintings so much, she created print versions from some\npostcards she had picked when she was last out in California. They turned out\ngreat. I wanted to show Valri and Charlotte how great they looked.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Mother's day in Philadelphia"},{"content":"Lynda had her big 40th birthday party the weekend before her actual birthday while I was on my SVEF bike ride. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t pass up the opportunity to sneak out to Philadelphia for her actual birthday. Since we had to bail on Monica and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s trip to Chicago for Rachel\u0026rsquo;s birthday, we decided to surprise her by bringing Monica along too. The scene at the restaurant worked out just like I had hoped.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040508_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda had her big 40th birthday party the weekend before her actual birthday\nwhile I was on my SVEF bike ride. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t pass up the opportunity to sneak\nout to Philadelphia for her actual birthday. Since we had to bail on Monica\nand Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s trip to Chicago for Rachel\u0026rsquo;s birthday, we decided to surprise\nher by bringing Monica along too. The scene at the restaurant worked out just\nlike I had hoped.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lynda's 40th birthday"},{"content":"I offered to color my hair blue for the recent SVEF bike ride in exchange for large donations. A few people were generous enough to take me up on my offer, so I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to disappoint. It didn\u0026rsquo;t come out as dark as I expected, but you get the idea. Thanks to those that helped me raise over $1000 for our schools.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI offered to color my hair blue for the recent SVEF bike ride in exchange for\nlarge donations. A few people were generous enough to take me up on my offer,\nso I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to disappoint. It didn\u0026rsquo;t come out as dark as I expected, but\nyou get the idea. Thanks to those that helped me raise over $1000 for our\nschools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040502_bluehair/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's hair really is blue"},{"content":"The day of the big fundraising ride has arrived. Charlotte has been working incredibly hard with a number of other people to pull off our 2nd annual SVEF century ride for the local schools. Last year\u0026rsquo;s ride to Big Sur was a load of fun, though our first year was very loosely organized given that there were only about 15 riders. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve got over 70 riders and it\u0026rsquo;s as well organized as some of the biggest rides I do this time of year. Everyone is excited to get rolling.\nTime to assemble this year\u0026rsquo;s group and go over a few items. I can only imagine how big this will be next year.\nWe even get a police escort at the start of the ride. Tally ho!\nAfter a nice ride up Bean Creek and Mt. Charlie, our first rest stop is at a winery along Summit road. It looked like a great stop, but the gravel driveway looked like too much of a hike in my bike shoes. A number of us keep on rolling to the next stop in Corralitos following a descent of Eureka Canyon.\nAfter a bit of riding on the Hazel Dell loop, we head back via Glen Canyon. The last rest stop is off Branciforte.\nWe finish up where we started, at Sky Park in Scotts Valley. There\u0026rsquo;s an awesome BBQ and band to help us enjoy what\u0026rsquo;s been a spectacular day.\nI even manage to win a prize!\nA few last shots of everyone before calling it a day. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait for next year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040501_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe day of the big fundraising ride has arrived. Charlotte has been working\nincredibly hard with a number of other people to pull off our 2nd annual\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.svef.net\"\u003eSVEF\u003c/a\u003e century ride for the local schools. Last year\u0026rsquo;s ride to\nBig Sur was a load of fun, though our first year was very loosely organized\ngiven that there were only about 15 riders. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve got over 70 riders\nand it\u0026rsquo;s as well organized as some of the biggest rides I do this time of\nyear. Everyone is excited to get rolling.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF century bike ride"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s back to SLV high school for another track meet. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t make this one, but it looks like Nick is continuing to enjoy himself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040430_track/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s back to SLV high school for another track meet. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t make this one,\nbut it looks like Nick is continuing to enjoy himself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040430_track/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another track meet for Nick"},{"content":"Nick enjoyed cross country a great deal at the start of his first semester. This semester he\u0026rsquo;s doing track and seems to like shot put and the long jump. His first meet is over at San Lorenzo High School over in Felton. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome day and I decided to take off early from work to be there. It was fun seeing Joe and other friends from school. The sprinklers came on late in the day just to make things interesting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040423_trackmeet/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick enjoyed cross country a great deal at the start of his first semester.\nThis semester he\u0026rsquo;s doing track and seems to like shot put and the long jump.\nHis first meet is over at San Lorenzo High School over in Felton. It\u0026rsquo;s an\nawesome day and I decided to take off early from work to be there. It was fun\nseeing Joe and other friends from school. The sprinklers came on late in the\nday just to make things interesting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's first track meet"},{"content":"Monica completed her DARE course, so it\u0026rsquo;s time for the graduation event. Lots of Scotts Valley notables are there for the event.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040419_dare/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica completed her \u003ca href=\"https://dare.org\"\u003eDARE\u003c/a\u003e course, so it\u0026rsquo;s time for the\ngraduation event. Lots of Scotts Valley notables are there for the event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040419_dare/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's DARE graduation"},{"content":"I talked the family into heading down to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey. I tend to overload them with bike stuff, but I\u0026rsquo;m convinced they\u0026rsquo;ll really enjoy this one. The drive down is very scenic. Should have rode down on the bike.\nThis mountain bike area was quite the collection of technical ramps and jumps. These guys have amazing bike handling skills.\nWe spent a lot of time in the expo area. Lots of great booths, fun, and food.\nOff in the distance we watched a bunch of crazy downhill racers.\nI think everyone really enjoyed themselves. Nick even put his arm around Monica.\nWe squeezed in a quick trip to the Aquarium while we were down this way. I love the shorebird exhibit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040418_seaotter/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI talked the family into heading down to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seaotterclassic.com\"\u003eSea Otter Classic\u003c/a\u003e\nin Monterey. I tend to overload them with bike stuff, but I\u0026rsquo;m convinced they\u0026rsquo;ll\nreally enjoy this one. The drive down is very scenic. Should have rode down on\nthe bike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040418_seaotter/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis mountain bike area was quite the collection of technical ramps and jumps.\nThese guys have amazing bike handling skills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040418_seaotter/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040418_seaotter/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe spent a lot of time in the expo area. Lots of great booths, fun, and food.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Sea Otter Classic"},{"content":"The second annual SVEF Mountain Challenge century ride is coming up again very soon. Last year\u0026rsquo;s ride was a big success and raised quite a bit of money for the Scotts Valley schools. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve got lots more riders and hope to blow away our previous fundraising efforts. Charlotte has been spending a ton of time helping out with the organization of the ride. I just have to ride the bike, which I love anyway. I\u0026rsquo;m out for a nice long ride with people like Matt, Craig, Eric, Kevin, Ron, David, Chimene, John, Mary, and Bill.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040417_trainingride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe second annual SVEF Mountain Challenge century ride is coming up again very\nsoon. Last year\u0026rsquo;s ride was a big success and raised quite a bit of money for\nthe Scotts Valley  schools. This year we\u0026rsquo;ve got lots more riders and hope to\nblow away our previous fundraising efforts. Charlotte has been spending a ton\nof time helping out with the organization of the ride. I just have to ride the\nbike, which I love anyway. I\u0026rsquo;m out for a nice long ride with people like Matt,\nCraig, Eric, Kevin, Ron, David, Chimene, John, Mary, and Bill.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF Mountain Challenge training ride"},{"content":"Nick cranks in the A\u0026rsquo;s again. Time to collect another certificate for the big man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick cranks in the A\u0026rsquo;s again. Time to collect another certificate for the big\nman.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040415_honorroll/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick makes Honor Roll again"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been taking Monica out for a long ride down to Wilder Ranch lately. The rest of the family isn\u0026rsquo;t quite up for that long a ride, but we decided to meet up with them to ride along the San Lorenzo river bike path. This ride is the big day when Monica makes it all the way back to the house. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a few hills to conquer at the end of this ride. Go girly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040410_familyride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been taking Monica out for a long ride down to Wilder Ranch lately. The\nrest of the family isn\u0026rsquo;t quite up for that long a ride, but we decided to meet\nup with them to ride along the San Lorenzo river bike path. This ride is the\nbig day when Monica makes it all the way back to the house. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a few\nhills to conquer at the end of this ride. Go girly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A family bike ride"},{"content":"Charlotte and Varli are off to San Francisco again to visit the Wax Museum and the Ripley\u0026rsquo;s Museum. They take the world\u0026rsquo;s most beautiful highway and pay homage to father Junipero Serra along the way.\nFirst stop is . This shop is full of really cool dead things to eat. Just the kind of place the kids will love.\nCharlotte just had to stop by the frog place again. I think she wanted to get a better photo of the sign in the window than in the previous visit.\nAnother cool hangout in Chinatown. Joe is armed and dangerous.\nAn endless series of photos of scary looking replicas of people you might want to remember, or not. There are definitely a few that I could do without seeing immortalized like this.\nLooks like the kids enjoyed themselves. Maybe one day one of them will be famous enough to make it in here.\nTime for a lunch stop on the wharf before heading on to the next adventure.\nThe last stop of the day is at Ripley\u0026rsquo;s. Too bad there aren\u0026rsquo;t more photos from the museum. I\u0026rsquo;ve never made it into this place, and I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ve got plenty of really weird items that you can believe, or not.\nWhy does everyone look so serious.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Varli are off to San Francisco again to visit the Wax Museum and\nthe Ripley\u0026rsquo;s Museum. They take the world\u0026rsquo;s most beautiful highway and pay\nhomage to father Junipero Serra along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst stop is . This shop is full of really cool dead things to eat. Just the\nkind of place the kids will love.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040409_waxmuseum/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte just had to stop by the frog place again. I\nthink she wanted to get a better photo of the sign in the window than in\nthe previous visit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another trip to San Francisco"},{"content":"Charlotte, Gordon, and Valri head up to San Francisco to check out the modern art at SFMOMA. Unfortunately it turned out that a lot of the best exhibits happened to be closed, but it sounds like the trip was a success anyway. How can any trip to San Francisco not be.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040405_moma/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Gordon, and Valri head up to San Francisco to check out the modern\nart at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmoma.org\"\u003eSFMOMA\u003c/a\u003e. Unfortunately it turned out that a\nlot of the best exhibits happened to be closed, but it sounds like the trip\nwas a success anyway. How can any trip to San Francisco not be.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040405_moma/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A trip to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art"},{"content":"We just had to squeeze in a bit of fishing before Gordon heads back to Michigan. The start of salmon season is the perfect excuse. I\u0026rsquo;m trying my best to forget that I just did the Tierra Bella century bike ride yesterday and have to get up at 4:30am for this fishing trip. The trip out to the fishing spot takes forever, and it\u0026rsquo;s unbelievably cold.\nThe trip back is a solemn one given the poor results. The guy next to me caught three, George caught one, and I think 2 other people caught one. I had one on the line, but the line broke near the boat. We had way too many crossed lines and I lost my tackle two or three times. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say it wasn\u0026rsquo;t one of my better trips. It was great going out with Gordon, George, and Charlie though. It would have been really great if Gabe could have come, but I think it was the right choice to not bring him. Had to include a gratuitous shoe shot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe just had to squeeze in a bit of fishing before Gordon heads back to\nMichigan. The start of salmon season is the perfect excuse. I\u0026rsquo;m trying my best\nto forget that I just did the \u003ca href=\"https://tierrabella.org\"\u003eTierra Bella\u003c/a\u003e century\nbike ride yesterday and have to get up at 4:30am for this fishing trip. The\ntrip out to the fishing spot takes forever, and it\u0026rsquo;s unbelievably cold.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040404_fishing/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trip back is a solemn one given the poor results. The guy next to me caught\nthree, George caught one, and I think 2 other people caught one. I had one on\nthe line, but the line broke near the boat. We had way too many crossed lines\nand I lost my tackle two or three times. Let\u0026rsquo;s just say it wasn\u0026rsquo;t one of my\nbetter trips. It was great going out with Gordon, George, and Charlie though.\nIt would have been really great if  Gabe    could have come, but I think it\nwas the right choice to not bring him.    Had to include a gratuitous shoe\nshot.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Salmon season has begun"},{"content":"Karen got Charlotte and Valri some feather boas. Charlotte proudly shows off her gift.\nGordon takes the girls out for one of his long walks around Capitola. I think they were a bit freaked crossing the trestle bridge.\nBack at the house, it\u0026rsquo;s time to relax a bit with Aunt Bea and show off those boas again.\nSome great shots of a great blue heron hanging out by the beach. I think he believes he\u0026rsquo;s a pelican.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKaren got Charlotte and Valri some feather boas. Charlotte proudly shows off\nher gift.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon takes the girls out for one of his long walks around Capitola. I think\nthey were a bit freaked crossing the trestle bridge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the house, it\u0026rsquo;s time to relax a bit with Aunt Bea and show off those\nboas again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040330_capitola/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome great shots of a great blue heron hanging out by the beach. I think he\nbelieves he\u0026rsquo;s a pelican.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice day for a walk in Capitola"},{"content":"Charlotte and Karen head down to Natural Bridges beach. Looks like Karen is on the lookout for western shore birds.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040329_karen/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Karen head down to Natural Bridges beach. Looks like Karen is on\nthe lookout for western shore birds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040329_karen/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040329_karen/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040329_karen/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040329_karen/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting Natural Bridges"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;ve got a full house this year for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Karen is in town visiting, George is down with the family, Kim brought Jack and Lily, and Gabe has invited 9 of his friends. Time for one last peaceful photo before the madness begins.\nThe favorite play area in our whole backyard has got to be the trampoline.\nThe rope swing comes in a close second.\nAfter burning a bunch of energy outside, time to head indoors for some pizza, a balloon fight, and then some Playstation.\nKaren, Val, and Ellen head down for some pinata action.\nEverybody gets a turn giving Sponge Bob a whack.\nThe hammock makes for loads of fun with a pile of kids hanging on for dear life. I can\u0026rsquo;t tell you how many times its broken under the extreme stress. I hope it holds up this time.\nYoung girls looking for trouble.\nA few of the kids are freaked by the dogs, so they have to make do with the view through the fence.\nCake time has finally arrived. I wonder what Gabe wished for. I suspect it has some connection with Pokemon cards.\nI try to blend in as best I can and catch some of the unique moments you can only experience around a table full of eight year old boys.\nThe final episode in this most excellent day. Let\u0026rsquo;s open cards and gifts.\nThe older kids and adults are showing signs of wear.\nAnd finally its time to collapse outside and enjoy the fabulous day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;ve got a full house this year for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Karen is in town\nvisiting, George is down with the family, Kim brought Jack and Lily, and\nGabe has invited 9 of his friends. Time for one last peaceful photo\nbefore the madness begins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe favorite play area in our whole backyard has got to be the trampoline.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rope swing comes in a close second.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040328_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter burning a bunch of energy outside, time to head indoors for some pizza, a\nballoon fight, and then some Playstation.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday"},{"content":"While I\u0026rsquo;m off riding in the mountains, Charlotte takes Gabe and Doug down to Capitola. The tide is low enough, you can make it around the edge of the cliffs.\nKaren seems to be enjoying herself.\nQuite a collection of sea creatures await the intrepid explorers.\nBack at the house the flowers are enjoying the sunshine.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040327_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile I\u0026rsquo;m off riding in the mountains, Charlotte takes Gabe and Doug down to\nCapitola. The tide is low enough, you can make it around the edge of the\ncliffs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren seems to be enjoying herself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuite a collection of sea creatures await the intrepid explorers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at the house the flowers are enjoying the sunshine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040327_beach/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring at Capitola beach"},{"content":"Karen is visiting and joins her sisters for a trip down to Monterey. First a stop at MBARI in Moss Landing, then down to the Monterey Bay harbor and wharf.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKaren is visiting and joins her sisters for a trip down to Monterey. First a\nstop at \u003ca href=\"https://www.mbari.org\"\u003eMBARI\u003c/a\u003e in Moss Landing, then down to the\nMonterey Bay harbor and \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereywharf.com\"\u003ewharf\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040326_monterey/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyem girls and dad in Monterey"},{"content":"Gabe is giving a presentation on George Washington tomorrow at school. We check out the look before heading off to bed, and I\u0026rsquo;ve got to say he looks very impressive. I guess this is how future presidents are made, but I am hoping he steers clear of politics.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040325_gw/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is giving a presentation on George Washington tomorrow at school. We check\nout the look before heading off to bed, and I\u0026rsquo;ve got to say he looks very\nimpressive. I guess this is how future presidents are made, but I am hoping he\nsteers clear of politics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040325_gw/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040325_gw/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040325_gw/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040325_gw/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040325_gw/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our founding father Gabe Washington"},{"content":"Nick will be playing the part of the Green Knight at the school play tonight. His class gets ready for the big production.\nUnfortunately a lot of the pictures came out way too dark, but you get the idea. It appears that Nick\u0026rsquo;s wooden axe can\u0026rsquo;t quite make it through his neck. Turns out that pulling off that helmet is tough as well.\nA little fun by the tennis courts with Nick\u0026rsquo;s friends before heading back home.\nA few artsy shots now that spring is getting rolling.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick will be playing the part of the Green Knight at the school play tonight.\nHis class gets ready for the big production.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately a lot of the pictures came out way too dark, but you get the\nidea. It appears that Nick\u0026rsquo;s wooden axe can\u0026rsquo;t quite make it through his neck.\nTurns out that pulling off that helmet is tough as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040323_greenknight/17.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA little fun by the tennis courts with Nick\u0026rsquo;s friends before heading back\nhome.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick as the Green Knight"},{"content":"Charlotte heads down to Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place in Capitola with kids in tow. To raise the level of fun just a bit higher, Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s kids join in as well. You really can\u0026rsquo;t tell how cold the ocean really is from the way everyone is playing in the water. Take my word for it, it\u0026rsquo;s freezing.\nNick and Gordon steer clear of the frigid waters.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for pizza back at Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte heads down to Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place in Capitola with kids in tow. To raise\nthe level of fun just a bit higher, Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s kids join in as well. You\nreally can\u0026rsquo;t tell how cold the ocean really is from the way everyone is\nplaying in the water. Take my word for it, it\u0026rsquo;s freezing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick and Gordon steer clear of the frigid waters.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040318_capitola/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s time for pizza back at Gordon\u0026rsquo;s place.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Loads of kids at Capitola beach"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s St. Patty\u0026rsquo;s day and the kids in Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class had an important project to complete. Gabe failed to catch a leprechaun last year, but he\u0026rsquo;s very determined that this year\u0026rsquo;s trap will be a success. It\u0026rsquo;s a two stage trap. The first stage has a spring-loaded door with a bunch of shiny pennies tempting the little green guy into the trap. Once inside, he\u0026rsquo;ll fall through a hole into a nice little home Gabe created for him. Bright and early, Gabe is ready to check the trap. Unfortunately a very thorough check of every corner of the trap fails to uncover his whereabouts.\nRealization of another failure to catch a leprechaun this year sinks in slowly, and then quickly turns into rage and the total destruction of the trap. I might be exaggerating a little.\nIf we can\u0026rsquo;t catch a leprechaun, at least we can dress up the dog. Oh the inhumanity.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040317_leprechaun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s St. Patty\u0026rsquo;s day and the kids in Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class had an important project to\ncomplete. Gabe failed to catch a leprechaun last year, but he\u0026rsquo;s very\ndetermined that this year\u0026rsquo;s trap will be a success. It\u0026rsquo;s a two stage trap. The\nfirst stage has a spring-loaded door with a bunch of shiny pennies tempting\nthe little green guy into the trap. Once inside, he\u0026rsquo;ll fall through a hole\ninto a nice little home Gabe created for him. Bright and early, Gabe is ready\nto check the trap. Unfortunately a very thorough check of every corner of the\ntrap fails to uncover his whereabouts.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A leprechaun for Gabe"},{"content":"Gordon\u0026rsquo;s really been enjoying his home away from home in Capitola. And who can blame him with such fantastic days and his wonderful daughters coming to visit all the time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040316_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon\u0026rsquo;s really been enjoying his home away from home in Capitola. And who can\nblame him with such fantastic days and his wonderful daughters coming to visit\nall the time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040316_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040316_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon and the girls in Capitola"},{"content":"Just a few random shots while hanging out in the living room.\nNick has Gabe on a leash and Abby is very jealous.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040315_kids/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust a few random shots while hanging out in the living room.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick has Gabe on a leash and Abby is very jealous.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040315_kids/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Multer boys"},{"content":"I had heard that Matt was headed down to Solvang for the 100 mile and was immediately jealous about riding in the beautiful Santa Barbara area. Then at work on Friday, Oran told me he decided at the last minute to drive down and do the ride in the morning. I was so happy to hear that Charlotte was up for a last minute weekend road trip, so off we go bright and early Saturday morning.\nWhile I pound back the miles on the road, the family enjoys a bit of pool action.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s time to head out to a local beach near our hotel in Lompoc called Jalama beach.\nAfter about 5 and a half hours, the ride is over for me and Charlotte heads back to Solvang to pick me up.\nThe next stop after such a long ride has to be a major food fest. The famous Andersen\u0026rsquo;s Pea Soup restaurant is about to get one hungry visitor. I\u0026rsquo;ll pass on the pea soup though.\nAfter the ride we passed Ostrich Land. It was unbelievable how many birds they had, and those eggs are just gigantic.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve got ostriches, you\u0026rsquo;ve gotta have emus too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040313_solvang/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had heard that Matt was headed down to Solvang for the 100 mile  and was\nimmediately jealous about riding in the beautiful Santa Barbara area. Then at\nwork on Friday, Oran told me he decided at the last minute to drive down and\ndo the ride in the morning. I was so happy to hear that Charlotte was up for a\nlast minute weekend road trip, so off we go bright and early Saturday\nmorning.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Solvang century ride"},{"content":"Charlotte headed over to Loch Lomond with Gordon, Valri, and the kids. I had my regular ride with the UCSC cycling team, so Charlotte spent those hours enjoying the beautiful day with family at the lake.\nThe newts are active this time of year, and there\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite like a cup o' newts with your hot dog or hamburger.\nThere are plenty of places for the kids to climb around and enjoy. There\u0026rsquo;s also no shortage of sticks for the boys to play war and poke dead woodpeckers with.\nDoug\u0026rsquo;s stuffed raccoon brings a bit of culture to the area. He gives last rites to the poor woodpecker and then moves on to dessert.\nMeanwhile, Monica has a peaceful musical moment to herself at the edge of the lake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed over to Loch Lomond with Gordon, Valri, and the kids. I had my\nregular ride with the UCSC cycling team, so Charlotte spent those hours\nenjoying the beautiful day with family at the lake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe newts are active this time of year, and there\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite like a cup o'\nnewts with your hot dog or hamburger.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040307_lochlomond/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are plenty of places for the kids to climb around and enjoy. There\u0026rsquo;s also\nno shortage of sticks for the boys to play war and poke dead woodpeckers\nwith.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch at Loch Lomond"},{"content":"Another day in San Francisco finds our intrepid tourists wandering about the wharf area. Gordon seems to have some fondness for the various statues about the city.\nThe old amusement items down at the pier are kind of spooky.\nOf course the people hanging around the pier nowadays seems to be just as spooky.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040229_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother day in San Francisco finds our intrepid tourists wandering about the\nwharf area. Gordon seems to have some fondness for the various statues about\nthe city.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe old amusement items down at the pier are kind of spooky.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course the people hanging around the pier nowadays seems to be just as\nspooky.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040229_sf/36.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another day in San Francisco"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri took Gordon up to San Francisco for the weekend. Looks like the first stop was Chinatown. Some great photos of really big frogs. The sign makes it crystal clear they\u0026rsquo;re only for eating.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to Ghirardelli Square and some comedy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040228_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri took Gordon up to San Francisco for the weekend. Looks like\nthe first stop was Chinatown. Some great photos of really big frogs. The sign\nmakes it crystal clear they\u0026rsquo;re only for eating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to Ghirardelli Square and some comedy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040228_sf/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tourists in Chinatown"},{"content":"Charlie just got a new airgun and has been wanting to head over to our house to try it out. He invited just a couple of his friends to have the pleasure of being fired on with a stream of hundreds of pellets per second. Some of these kids take this pretty seriously. I\u0026rsquo;m glad Nick is on Charlie\u0026rsquo;s team.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040221_war/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie just got a new airgun and has been wanting to head over to our house to\ntry it out. He invited just a couple of his friends to have the pleasure of\nbeing fired on with a stream of hundreds of pellets per second. Some of these\nkids take this pretty seriously. I\u0026rsquo;m glad Nick is on Charlie\u0026rsquo;s team.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040221_war/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"This time it's war"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s almost like a trance state when Gabe and Doug start looking through their Pokemon cards. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist grabbing the camera and taking a few shots. It\u0026rsquo;s almost like an episode of Wild Kingdom.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s almost like a trance state when Gabe and Doug start looking through their\nPokemon cards. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist grabbing the camera and taking a few shots.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s almost like an episode of Wild Kingdom.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040214_pokemon/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Admiring the Pokemon collection"},{"content":"\nIt\u0026rsquo;s crazy hair day at Monica\u0026rsquo;s school today. Looking just a wee bit crazy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040209_hair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040209_hair/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s crazy hair day at Monica\u0026rsquo;s school today. Looking just a wee bit crazy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crazy hair day for Monica"},{"content":"The baby birds are getting big incredibly fast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040205_birds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe baby birds are getting big incredibly fast.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040205_birds/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040205_birds/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica the baby bird perch"},{"content":"The babies are growing fast, but not fast enough with this nasty bird formula. It really brings back the memories of the kid\u0026rsquo;s formula days. Fortunately these babies don\u0026rsquo;t wear diapers. They are really funny when they eat. They bob their heads a mile a minute until their crop looks like it\u0026rsquo;s ready to blow. They\u0026rsquo;ll be feeding themselves really soon now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040203_babies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe babies are growing fast, but not fast enough with this nasty bird formula.\nIt really brings back the memories of the kid\u0026rsquo;s formula days. Fortunately\nthese babies don\u0026rsquo;t wear diapers. They are really funny when they eat. They bob\ntheir heads a mile a minute until their crop looks like it\u0026rsquo;s ready to blow.\nThey\u0026rsquo;ll be feeding themselves really soon now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040203_babies/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040203_babies/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040203_babies/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040203_babies/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Baby bird feeding time"},{"content":"Val is out of town for the weekend, so our bird collection temporarily grows by one. I\u0026rsquo;m hoping the big parrot doesn\u0026rsquo;t eat one of our cockatiels for lunch.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040131_birds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVal is out of town for the weekend, so our bird collection temporarily grows by\none. I\u0026rsquo;m hoping the big parrot doesn\u0026rsquo;t eat one of our cockatiels for lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040131_birds/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Birds are everywhere"},{"content":"George, Ellen, and the kids are down for another visit. Our kids always love playing with their new dog. She\u0026rsquo;s quite a bit cuter than our baby birds.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge, Ellen, and the kids are down for another visit. Our kids always love\nplaying with their new dog. She\u0026rsquo;s quite a bit cuter than our baby birds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040125_hoyems/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyems are always welcome"},{"content":"Charlotte took her dad Gordon down to Moss Landing to enjoy the day. I think they had lunch over at Phil\u0026rsquo;s Market, which makes me really jealous. They checked out the harbor and the vessels of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Insitute (MBARI). The institute does some amazing research and they get to play around with some really great high-tech toys. Makes me think about those years long ago when I considered a future in marine biology.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040123_mosslanding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took her dad Gordon down to Moss Landing to enjoy the day. I think\nthey had lunch over at \u003ca href=\"https://philsfishmarket.com\"\u003ePhil\u0026rsquo;s Market\u003c/a\u003e, which\nmakes me really jealous. They checked out the harbor and the vessels of the\nMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Insitute (\u003ca href=\"https://www.mbari.org\"\u003eMBARI\u003c/a\u003e). The\ninstitute does some amazing research and they get to play around with some\nreally great high-tech toys. Makes me think about those years long ago when I\nconsidered a future in marine biology.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wandering around Moss Landing"},{"content":"Val and her family are off to ski country and Max is staying over with us. Abby always enjoys having a friend over to play. Sure wish Joe was here too.\nIn between storms, we head over to Capitola to check things out. The rain breaks for long enough to have some fun on the beach. No chance of getting a tan this time of year. Plenty of driftwood and shells worth checking out.\nThe next storm front makes for some great photos.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s even a rainbow coming down on the cement ship over at Sea Cliff.\nGotta love the feel of sand beneath your feet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2004/20040102_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVal and her family are off to ski country and Max is staying over with us. Abby\nalways enjoys having a friend over to play. Sure wish Joe was here too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2004/20040102_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn between storms, we head over to Capitola to check things out. The rain\nbreaks for long enough to have some fun on the beach. No chance of getting a\ntan this time of year. Plenty of driftwood and shells worth checking out.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Storm clouds off Capitola beach"},{"content":"In an effort to stay up late enough to see in the new year, we followed dinner with a movie marathon. Plenty of action and comedy to keep everyone awake. The minute there\u0026rsquo;s the first signs of drowsiness, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get some sugar into the system. Charlotte bought all the fixings for some pretty heavy duty sundaes. Nick and Monica show of their creations.\nWe all made it through the night, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to make a bit of noise. Not like the spectacular fire show up in Michigan, but plenty of fun anyway.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIn an effort to stay up late enough to see in the new year, we followed dinner\nwith a movie marathon. Plenty of action and comedy to keep everyone awake. The\nminute there\u0026rsquo;s the first signs of drowsiness, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get some sugar into\nthe system. Charlotte bought all the fixings for some pretty heavy duty\nsundaes. Nick and Monica show of their creations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031231_newyears/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe all made it through the night, so it\u0026rsquo;s time to make a bit of noise. Not\nlike the spectacular fire show up in Michigan, but plenty of fun anyway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Movies, sundaes, and New Year's noise makers"},{"content":"Time for a bit of post-holiday roaming, even if the weather isn\u0026rsquo;t cooperating. We swung by a very cool knitting place called The Golden Fleece near downtown. Charlotte has been knitting lots of scarves, and this is one of her favorite places to oogle yarns and things. Gabe and I hang out nearby after checking out the Roaring Camp train that just went by. He\u0026rsquo;s either not happy about the rain, or me taking his picture. I\u0026rsquo;ll let you decide.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031226_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for a bit of post-holiday roaming, even if the weather isn\u0026rsquo;t cooperating.\nWe swung by a very cool knitting place called The Golden  Fleece near\ndowntown. Charlotte has been knitting lots of scarves, and this is one of her\nfavorite places to oogle yarns and things. Gabe and I hang out nearby after\nchecking out the \u003ca href=\"https://roaringcamp.com\"\u003eRoaring Camp\u003c/a\u003e train that just went\nby. He\u0026rsquo;s either not happy about the rain, or me taking his picture. I\u0026rsquo;ll let\nyou decide.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's feelings on the bad weather"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s the big morning and everyone is ready to start tearing presents open. The excitement is nearly unbearable, but the wait is finally over. Plenty of great stuff this year including a new bike rack for Charlotte, a new scanner for me (and the website), lots of handmade scarves, movies, games, software, and music. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to getting back to loads of scanning.\nEven Abby got a new hedgehog.\nVal came over with her boys, though Kim was coming down with something and couldn\u0026rsquo;t make it. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Kim joined us this year in place of the sick Kim. We tried something a bit new this year for dinner, lasagna. It was a big hit, and will likely show up again in future Christmas dinners.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s the big morning and everyone is ready to start tearing presents open. The\nexcitement is nearly unbearable, but the wait is finally over. Plenty of great\nstuff this year including a new bike rack for Charlotte, a new scanner for me\n(and the website), lots of handmade scarves, movies, games, software, and\nmusic. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to getting back to loads of scanning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031225_christmas/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven Abby got a new hedgehog.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas morning and dinner"},{"content":"That may be a Christmas tree in the background, but we\u0026rsquo;re celebrating Chanukah damn it. We\u0026rsquo;re not very choosy when it comes to holidays. I figure any excuse to enjoy yourself has to be a good thing. Dad, Karen, and Max are in town for the holidays again this year. Time to kick back and let the kids go wild.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThat may be a Christmas tree in the background, but we\u0026rsquo;re celebrating Chanukah\ndamn it. We\u0026rsquo;re not very choosy when it comes to holidays. I figure any excuse\nto enjoy yourself has to be a good thing. Dad, Karen, and Max are in town for\nthe holidays again this year. Time to kick back and let the kids go wild.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031219_gifts/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chanukah gift time"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been fun having George and the family over. I know our kids have loved spending time with Maddie. It sure is tough to get a good picture of a small black dog.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also been a great chance for the girls to share in their newfound knitting hobby. Monica started quite a bit later than her cousins, but she\u0026rsquo;s developing her skills quickly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been fun having George and the family over. I know our kids have loved\nspending time with Maddie. It sure is tough to get a good picture of a small\nblack dog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s also been a great chance for the girls to share in their newfound knitting\nhobby. Monica started quite a bit later than her cousins, but she\u0026rsquo;s developing\nher skills quickly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031129_knitting/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A last bit of knitting with the Hoyems"},{"content":"George and his family stayed overnight following Thanksgiving. They\u0026rsquo;re off to Monterey for the day, but there\u0026rsquo;s time for the kids and the dogs to get in a little fun first. Maddie has really learned to hold her own with Abby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031128_playground/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his family stayed overnight following Thanksgiving. They\u0026rsquo;re off to\nMonterey for the day, but there\u0026rsquo;s time for the kids and the dogs to get in a\nlittle fun first. Maddie has really learned to hold her own with Abby.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Playing with the Hoyems"},{"content":"Time to put in some miles on the bike before the feeding frenzy that is called Thanksgiving. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice change to be riding around Santa Cruz during the week again. The rides from work are fine, but there are a lot more hills to climb around home. Unfortunately George wasn\u0026rsquo;t able to make it down early enough to join me. It\u0026rsquo;s always nice to have some company on a long ride.\nKim\u0026rsquo;s mother and sister are in town with their family.\nLots of time to catch up on the latest with the family. Plenty of cousins to go around as well.\nGeorge and Gordon work on the turkey and the ham. Charlotte looks for a good opportunity to snatch a piece. Of course I\u0026rsquo;m doing the same thing, but I\u0026rsquo;ve got the camera.\nTime to grab some food and start eating.\nBack home it\u0026rsquo;s time to relax with Lindsey\u0026rsquo;s new dog Maddie. Abby is waiting for her opportunity to take a nibble.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031127_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to put in some miles on the bike before the feeding frenzy that is called\nThanksgiving. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice change to be riding around Santa Cruz during the\nweek again. The rides from work are fine, but there are a lot more hills to\nclimb around home. Unfortunately George wasn\u0026rsquo;t able to make it down early\nenough to join me. It\u0026rsquo;s always nice to have some company on a long ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at Valri's"},{"content":"Charlotte took Gordon up to Burlingame today for Caroline\u0026rsquo;s grandparent day at school. I imagined that Gordon was part of some sort of show and tell, but it looks more like an assembly type event.\nLooks like the crew headed out for some lunch after the event.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Gordon up to Burlingame today for Caroline\u0026rsquo;s grandparent day at\nschool. I imagined that Gordon was part of some sort of show and tell, but it\nlooks more like an assembly type event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks like the crew headed out for some lunch after the event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031126_grandparentday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grandparent day with Gordon"},{"content":"This is the usual routine with Monica and Abby. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if Monica is convinced she\u0026rsquo;s really a dog, or that Abby is convinced she\u0026rsquo;s human. Either way they look very happy together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031121_abby/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the usual routine with Monica and Abby. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if Monica is\nconvinced she\u0026rsquo;s really a dog, or that Abby is convinced she\u0026rsquo;s human. Either\nway they look very happy together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031121_abby/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031121_abby/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica and Abby in bed"},{"content":"Unfortunately we\u0026rsquo;ve had a ton of rain while Dad, Karen, and Max have been in town. We caught a few movies downtown including the latest Lord of the Rings and the Last Samurai. Both very excellent movies. Back at the house we\u0026rsquo;ve got our own home theater setup. Not quite the latest movies, but it sure is cozy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031220_couch/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately we\u0026rsquo;ve had a ton of rain while Dad, Karen, and Max have been in\ntown. We caught a few movies downtown including the latest Lord of the Rings\nand the Last Samurai. Both very excellent movies. Back at the house we\u0026rsquo;ve got\nour own home theater setup. Not quite the latest movies, but it sure is cozy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Couch full of Multers"},{"content":"Monica enjoys bringing Daisy in the house occasionally for cuddling sessions. Here they are catching some episodes of Sponge Bob together. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Daisy enjoys the comfort of a nice antique bed instead of the usual outside spots. It also must get lonely out there with Tasha not being around.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031217_monica/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica enjoys bringing Daisy in the house occasionally for cuddling sessions.\nHere they are catching some episodes of Sponge Bob together. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Daisy\nenjoys the comfort of a nice antique bed instead of the usual outside spots.\nIt also must get lonely out there with Tasha not being around.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica and Daisy"},{"content":"It was such a nice sunny day, we decided to head over to La Madrona and get in a bit of tennis. It was a whole lot more crowded than I expected, but we lucked out getting a bit of time on the last open court.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was such a nice sunny day, we decided to head over to \u003ca href=\"https://lmac.caclubs.com\"\u003eLa Madrona\u003c/a\u003e\nand get in a bit of tennis. It was a whole lot more crowded than I expected,\nbut we lucked out getting a bit of time on the last open court.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031116_tennis/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Playing tennis with the kids"},{"content":"\nActually Daisy is anything but an indoor cat. She\u0026rsquo;s spent her whole life outside standing guard against the tide of vermin that would invade our home and yard. The wood rat situation was overwhelming when we first moved in so many years ago. Once we got their numbers down to a manageable state, we brought in the elite guard to avoid another population explosion. They also manage to keep control of the gopher and mole problem.\nDaisy has always avoided even entering the house. But now that Tasha has gone missing, she\u0026rsquo;s showing newfound interest in venturing into the inner sanctum of our home. She even shows progress in putting up with her family coming anywhere near her. It may be a jungle out there, but inside everyone is vegetating in front of the big screen TV. Welcome to our world kitty.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031114_daisy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031114_daisy/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eActually Daisy is anything but an indoor cat. She\u0026rsquo;s spent her whole life\noutside standing guard against the tide of vermin that would invade our home\nand yard. The wood rat situation was overwhelming when we  first   moved in so\nmany years ago. Once we got their numbers down to a manageable state, we\nbrought in the elite guard to avoid another population explosion. They also\nmanage to keep control of the gopher and mole problem.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Daisy the indoor cat"},{"content":"Charlotte, Val, and Gordon headed up to San Francisco with Doug and Gabe today. The kids have off for Veteran\u0026rsquo;s Day, the sun is shining, and it\u0026rsquo;s time to make the most of the day. The skulls exhibit at the Academy of Sciences is very cool. Wish I was there.\nGeorge works up in the city and fortunately had time to hook up with everyone for lunch down at Fisherman\u0026rsquo;s Wharf. Doug and Gabe sure do enjoy themselves. They make quite a pair.\nA few nice panoramic shots before moving on to further adventures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031111_sf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Val, and Gordon headed up to San Francisco with Doug and Gabe today.\nThe kids have off for Veteran\u0026rsquo;s Day, the sun is shining, and it\u0026rsquo;s time to make\nthe most of the day. The skulls exhibit at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org\"\u003eAcademy of Sciences\u003c/a\u003e\nis very cool. Wish I was there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031111_sf/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031111_sf/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge works up in the city and fortunately had time to hook up with everyone\nfor lunch down at \u003ca href=\"https://www.fishermanswharf.org\"\u003eFisherman\u0026rsquo;s Wharf\u003c/a\u003e. Doug\nand Gabe sure do enjoy themselves. They make quite a pair.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Playing tourist in San Francisco"},{"content":"We celebrated Gordon\u0026rsquo;s birthday at Michael\u0026rsquo;s restaurant. Besides great food, friends, and family, we had the pleasure of dining alongside walls full of Val\u0026rsquo;s artwork. It was such fun having Bea, George, Ellen, and Carol here to join us for this occasion. The food and conversation was loads of fun as usual. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of great stories with this crowd, especially with George in the mix.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe celebrated Gordon\u0026rsquo;s birthday at Michael\u0026rsquo;s restaurant. Besides great food,\nfriends, and family, we had the pleasure of dining alongside walls full of\nVal\u0026rsquo;s artwork. It was such fun having Bea, George, Ellen, and Carol here to\njoin us for this occasion. The food and conversation was loads of fun as\nusual. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of great stories with this crowd, especially with\nGeorge in the mix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031108_gordon/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon's birthday dinner at Michael's"},{"content":"Gordon\u0026rsquo;s in town for the month and Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday is just around the corner. Since her birthday falls in the middle of the week, we decided to have grandpa and the Peyser\u0026rsquo;s over for barbeque and cake on the weekend before the official day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031102_monica/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon\u0026rsquo;s in town for the month and Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday is just around the corner.\nSince her birthday falls in the middle of the week, we decided to have grandpa\nand the Peyser\u0026rsquo;s over for barbeque and cake on the weekend before the official\nday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031102_monica/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"We didn\u0026rsquo;t have much luck growing pumpkins this year, though we did manage to get a nice one out of the garden. The rest we picked up at the market for the kids to carve. The carvings turned out great, and the kids always enjoy the pumpkin seeds. Gabe went for the anaconda look, Monica the vampire queen, and Nick the gigantic and terrifying bone man.\nPlenty of nice close ups, including one of the always frightening Doug.\nAs a great contrast to the scary scenes for this Halloween night, a great photo of Monica and a friend\u0026rsquo;s new puppy. It was tough to get Monica to let go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe didn\u0026rsquo;t have much luck growing pumpkins this year, though we did manage to\nget a nice one out of the garden. The rest we picked up at the market for the\nkids to carve. The carvings turned out great, and the kids always enjoy the\npumpkin seeds. Gabe went for the anaconda look, Monica the vampire queen, and\nNick the gigantic and terrifying bone man.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty of nice close ups, including one of the always frightening Doug.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween time again"},{"content":"Valri just finished up with Open Studios again this year. I think it was another great success. She\u0026rsquo;s also getting display time at the Soquel restaurant Michael\u0026rsquo;s.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031030_val/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eValri just finished up with \u003ca href=\"https://santacruzopenstudios.com\"\u003eOpen Studios\u003c/a\u003e again this year.\nI think it was another great success. She\u0026rsquo;s also getting display time at the\nSoquel restaurant Michael\u0026rsquo;s.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Valri the artist"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s hiding something he doesn\u0026rsquo;t want the tooth fairy to find out about.\nHe breaks down and shows off the missing tooth. I guess it missed its twin that left town just a month ago.\nIn a totally unrelated story, Charlotte and Monica show off the latest works of art they created at Petroglyph.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s hiding something he doesn\u0026rsquo;t want the tooth fairy to find out about.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe breaks down and shows off the missing tooth. I guess it missed its twin that\nleft town just a month ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a totally unrelated story, Charlotte and Monica show off the latest works of\nart they created at \u003ca href=\"https://www.petroglyph.com\"\u003ePetroglyph\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031028_gabe/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another tooth surprise from Gabe"},{"content":"We unfortunately don\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of pictures from Mom\u0026rsquo;s latest visit, but Charlotte managed to snap a few on their trip up to the Filoli Center. We used to drive by this place all the time when we were commuting from Half Moon Bay, but never managed to stop by. It\u0026rsquo;s supposed to be even more impressive in the spring when the flowers are blooming, but it looks pretty awesome to me even this time of year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031021_filoli/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe unfortunately don\u0026rsquo;t have a lot of pictures from Mom\u0026rsquo;s latest visit, but\nCharlotte managed to snap a few on their trip up to the \u003ca href=\"https://filoli.org\"\u003eFiloli Center\u003c/a\u003e.\nWe used to drive by this place all the time when we were commuting from Half\nMoon Bay, but never managed to stop by. It\u0026rsquo;s supposed to be even more\nimpressive in the spring when the flowers are blooming, but it looks pretty\nawesome to me even this time of year.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A nice day at the Filoli Center with Phoebe"},{"content":"Nick\u0026rsquo;s latest meet was at Cowell Beach. Running in the sand is really hard, but how many kids get to have a cross country meet at the beach!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s latest meet was at Cowell Beach. Running in the sand is really hard, but\nhow many kids get to have a cross country meet at the beach!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20031003_cowell/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cross country meet at Cowell Beach"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s been wiggling his front tooth for what\u0026rsquo;s got to be a week. We were about ready to take him over to his Aunt Val\u0026rsquo;s house for her patented removal technique, but fate intervened. A handy bump while on a trip in the car did the trick. Good thing he\u0026rsquo;ll be asleep when the tooth fairy shows up. If she saw some of these faces, she might fly off and never return again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030928_tooth/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s been wiggling his front tooth for what\u0026rsquo;s got to be a week. We were about\nready to take him over to his Aunt Val\u0026rsquo;s house for her patented removal\ntechnique, but fate intervened. A handy bump while on a trip in the car did\nthe trick. Good thing he\u0026rsquo;ll be asleep when the tooth fairy shows up. If she\nsaw some of these faces, she might fly off and never return again.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A gift for the tooth fairy"},{"content":"Nick is doing cross country this year. He\u0026rsquo;s never had any luck finding a sport he can really get into and enjoy, but I think he\u0026rsquo;s finally found it. He\u0026rsquo;s been improving very quickly and they seem to go running in some really great locations. This meet was held in an area they call Pony Park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030926_ponypark/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick is doing cross country this year. He\u0026rsquo;s never had any luck finding a sport\nhe can really get into and enjoy, but I think he\u0026rsquo;s finally found it. He\u0026rsquo;s been\nimproving very quickly and they seem to go running in some really great\nlocations. This meet was held in an area they call Pony Park.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cross country meet at Pony Park"},{"content":"We decided to rent a boat from the Santa Cruz wharf this time. After waiting for the fog to clear and the sun to come up enough to see, we headed out into the bay. We caught quite a few kingfish, but the unique catch of the day was this starfish. It took some time to get him to spit out the hook. I also managed to catch our first halibut. It\u0026rsquo;s rather embarrassing how small he was, but he sure was cute.\nGabe made the big catch of the day. He finally caught one big enough to bring home and eat.\nOnce the fog cleared, there were some good views of the lighthouse at Steamers lane and the boardwalk.\nGabe really enjoyed the day. We\u0026rsquo;re finally heading home with a keeper!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030920_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to rent a boat from the Santa Cruz wharf this time. After waiting\nfor the fog to clear and the sun to come up enough to see, we headed out into\nthe bay. We caught quite a few kingfish, but the unique catch of the day was\nthis starfish. It took some time to get him to spit out the hook. I also\nmanaged to catch our first halibut. It\u0026rsquo;s rather embarrassing how small he was,\nbut he sure was cute.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing with Gabe in the bay"},{"content":"Not a lot of heat this summer, so the tomatoes are ripening a bit late. Its been hard waiting so long for those juicy red devils. We finally had a good crop of sunflowers this year as well. I can see why Van Gogh was drawn to paint these beauties.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030905_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNot a lot of heat this summer, so the tomatoes are ripening a bit late. Its\nbeen hard waiting so long for those juicy red devils. We finally had a good\ncrop of sunflowers this year as well. I can see why Van Gogh was drawn to\npaint these beauties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030905_garden/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's garden and sunflowers"},{"content":"One last stop before Lynda and the family head back. Some more marine life and another touch tank at the Seymour Discovery Center.\nThat whale is so cool, but I hear the docent so was so unbelievable boring the kids nearly lost it.\nTime for some posing before heading off to the beach.\nOne last beach visit, this time to Natural Bridges. Too bad the tide wasn\u0026rsquo;t out, it\u0026rsquo;s a lot of fun going through the arch and checking out the sea life.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOne last stop before Lynda and the family head back. Some more marine life and\nanother touch tank at the \u003ca href=\"https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu\"\u003eSeymour Discovery Center\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat whale is so cool, but I hear the docent so was so unbelievable boring the\nkids nearly lost it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime for some posing before heading off to the beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030902_seymour/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne last beach visit, this time to Natural Bridges. Too bad the tide wasn\u0026rsquo;t\nout, it\u0026rsquo;s a lot of fun going through the arch and checking out the sea life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Seymour Discovery Center and the beach"},{"content":"No visit is complete without a visit to our favorite beach. It\u0026rsquo;s even quiet on Labor Day. George didn\u0026rsquo;t meet us this time, so we had to make do with sandwiches from Safeway instead of the Garden Deli. Of course any meal on the beach is a great meal. Doug came along for his first visit to this beach.\nLynda, Charlotte, and Monica went for a walk on the cliffs. It was pretty warm even though the sun never really made it out.\nBack at the official headquarters for this trip, everyone enjoyed the day. We collected a ridiculous amount of crab shells, claws, and legs. Nick did the artistic arrangement in between his meditation sessions.\nTime to head back after a long day of sand and fog (no sun). Another successful day. Just the right amount of labor for Labor Day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030901_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo visit is complete without a visit to our favorite beach. It\u0026rsquo;s even quiet on\nLabor Day. George didn\u0026rsquo;t meet us this time, so we had to make do with\nsandwiches from Safeway instead of the Garden Deli. Of course any meal on the\nbeach is a great meal. Doug came along for his first visit to this beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030901_beach/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLynda, Charlotte, and Monica went for a walk on the cliffs. It was pretty warm\neven though the sun never really made it out.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sand dune beach with the Benedetto family"},{"content":"Gabe is in desperate need of a fishing fix. We promised to do some crabbing and fishing, but the Capitola and Seacliff piers were packed with people. Luckily the Santa Cruz Wharf was pretty empty still. We didn\u0026rsquo;t have any luck with crabs or starfish, but there were huge schools of anchovies. I picked up a jig from the bait shop, and proceeded to catch them as fast as I could get the line down. I think we can count the trip as a big success. Should hold Gabe over until next weekend.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030831_wharf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is in desperate need of a fishing fix. We promised to do some crabbing and\nfishing, but the Capitola and Seacliff piers were packed with people. Luckily\nthe Santa Cruz Wharf was pretty empty still. We didn\u0026rsquo;t have any luck with\ncrabs or starfish, but there were huge schools of anchovies. I picked up a jig\nfrom the bait shop, and proceeded to catch them as fast as I could get the\nline down. I think we can count the trip as a big success. Should hold Gabe\nover until next weekend.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing off the Santa Cruz wharf"},{"content":"Charlotte takes Lynda and the crew out for a long hike at Henry Cowell. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of big hills, but the observation post at the top has some great views.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030829_hike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte takes Lynda and the crew out for a long hike at Henry Cowell. There\u0026rsquo;s\nplenty of big hills, but the observation post at the top has some great\nviews.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030829_hike/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A long hike with the Benedettos"},{"content":"No visit to Santa Cruz is complete without a trip to the boardwalk. If the pirate ship doesn\u0026rsquo;t make you hurl, I don\u0026rsquo;t know what will.\nMonica makes the big transition to roller coaster riding. She\u0026rsquo;s definitely hooked now.\nMeanwhile Gabe and Kyle stick to the tamer rides. I always loved those little boats when I was little.\nCharlotte and Lynda appear to be enjoying themselves.\nGabe and Kyle make their own big leap to the scary rides.\nEveryone checks out the new glider ride. This one looks like fun.\nThe log ride is one of my favorites.\nA few last photos before heading over to the beach.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s looking really calm, and Gabe digs up a bunch of sand crabs to play with.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo visit to Santa Cruz is complete without a trip to the \u003ca href=\"https://beachboardwalk.com\"\u003eboardwalk\u003c/a\u003e.\nIf the pirate ship doesn\u0026rsquo;t make you hurl, I don\u0026rsquo;t know what will.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica makes the big transition to roller coaster riding. She\u0026rsquo;s definitely\nhooked now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile Gabe and Kyle stick to the tamer rides. I always loved those little\nboats when I was little.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynda appear to be enjoying themselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030828_boardwalk/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Kyle make their own big leap to the scary rides.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A big day at the boardwalk"},{"content":"A trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is always a must. Some good photos of all the kids, and some great jellyfish shots. I wonder if the kids think about the Sponge Bob connection.\nEveryone heads over to Dennis the Menace park for a bit of running around. They have some of the best structures to climb on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA trip to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org\"\u003eMonterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a\u003e is\nalways a must. Some good photos of all the kids, and some great jellyfish\nshots. I wonder if the kids think about the Sponge Bob connection.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone heads over to Dennis the Menace park for a bit of running around. They\nhave some of the best structures to climb on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030827_aquarium/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The aquarium and the park"},{"content":"Charlotte takes Lynda, Steve, and the kids to Henry Cowell for a nice loop trip around the redwoods. The kids always love crawling around inside the really big trees.\nDown at the river, there\u0026rsquo;s a new bridge to play on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte takes Lynda, Steve, and the kids to Henry Cowell for a nice loop trip\naround the redwoods. The kids always love crawling around inside the really\nbig trees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDown at the river, there\u0026rsquo;s a new bridge to play on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_redwoods/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A hike and a dip at Henry Cowell"},{"content":"Lynda and her family are in town for a visit. Of course no visit to Santa Cruz is complete without many trips to the beach. Monica and Gabe show Rachel and Kyle how to have fun northern California style.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030826_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda and her family are in town for a visit. Of course no visit to Santa Cruz\nis complete without many trips to the beach. Monica and Gabe show Rachel and\nKyle how to have fun northern California style.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030826_beach/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rachel and Kyle join in for some beach fun"},{"content":"Somehow we\u0026rsquo;ve never been drawn into the 150 foot diameter nexus of weirdness before. With Lynda in town, we generated a list of places worth visiting and the famous Mystery Spot happened to make the grade. I was unfortunately at work that day and had to make do with the tales of strangeness. The spot is really a house built on a slant that throws off your perception big time. An added bonus is that it makes you sick to your stomach. No one figured it out, so I guess it\u0026rsquo;s still a mystery.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030826_mysteryspot/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSomehow we\u0026rsquo;ve never been drawn into the 150 foot diameter nexus of weirdness\nbefore. With Lynda in town, we generated a list of places worth visiting and\nthe famous \u003ca href=\"https://www.mysteryspot.com\"\u003eMystery Spot\u003c/a\u003e happened to make the\ngrade. I was unfortunately at work that day and had to make do with the tales\nof strangeness. The spot is really a house built on a slant that throws off\nyour perception big time. An added bonus is that it makes you sick to your\nstomach. No one figured it out, so I guess it\u0026rsquo;s still a mystery.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Santa Cruz Mystery Spot"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been such a warm summer this year. The kids love to cool off in the ocean, and over at their Aunt Valri\u0026rsquo;s pool. The slide is clearly the most popular attraction.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030825_pool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been such a warm summer this year. The kids love to cool off in the ocean,\nand over at their Aunt Valri\u0026rsquo;s pool. The slide is clearly the most popular\nattraction.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030825_pool/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming in Val's pool"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s been a little while since we did a bonfire on the beach. Turned out to be a fantastic day and a great chance to enjoy Mars on its close approach. The kids spent many hours enjoying the waves right up until it got dark.\nMeanwhile the adults enjoy a few margaritas while catching up on events. Scott brought plenty of scrap wood for the fire, and we\u0026rsquo;ve got more than enough pizza for everyone.\nThe fire was roaring, and smiles were all around. Nothing like hanging at the beach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s been a little while since we did a bonfire on the beach. Turned out to be\na fantastic day and a great chance to enjoy Mars on its close approach. The\nkids spent many hours enjoying the waves right up until it got dark.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030823_bonfire/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the adults enjoy a few margaritas while catching up on events. Scott\nbrought plenty of scrap wood for the fire, and we\u0026rsquo;ve got more than enough\npizza for everyone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bonfire at Rio Del Mar beach"},{"content":"Gabe and I are up early again for some fishing out on the bay. No luck with the big fish again on this trip, but we did catch similar stuff as last time. The first one was such a cute tiny fish, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist taking a picture. Normally I would be embarrassed at having caught something this small. The unique catch for the day was Gabe\u0026rsquo;s octopus. It was quite a trick getting it out of the boat. Those tentacles sure can hang on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030810_fishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and I are up early again for some fishing out on the bay. No luck with the\nbig fish again on this trip, but we did catch similar stuff as last time. The\nfirst one was such a cute tiny fish, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist taking a picture.\nNormally I would be embarrassed at having caught something this small. The\nunique catch for the day was Gabe\u0026rsquo;s octopus. It was quite a trick getting it\nout of the boat. Those tentacles sure can hang on.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another fishing day with Gabe"},{"content":"\nJust a few random photos of the kids while driving around in the car.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030809_car/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030809_car/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust a few random photos of the kids while driving around in the car.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun in the car"},{"content":"We went to West Marine today to check out the fishing stuff. Lots of great fishing poles and reels, but I think we\u0026rsquo;re going to wait a bit before we make the big investment. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist these charts of the Monterey Bay that went straight to Gabe\u0026rsquo;s wall. Gabe and I are scoping out all the great fishing spots.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030803_charting/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe went to West Marine today to check out the fishing stuff. Lots of great\nfishing poles and reels, but I think we\u0026rsquo;re going to wait a bit before we make\nthe big investment. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist these charts of the Monterey Bay that\nwent straight to Gabe\u0026rsquo;s wall. Gabe and I are scoping out all the great fishing\nspots.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030803_charting/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030803_charting/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's new fishing charts"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always a good time for a quick trip down to the beach. Monica and Gabe don\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind the cold when they go boogie boarding. Gabe goes over to the rocks to check out what people are catching.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030802_crowsnest/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always a good time for a quick trip down to the beach. Monica and Gabe\ndon\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind the cold when they go boogie boarding. Gabe goes over to\nthe rocks to check out what people are catching.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030802_crowsnest/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030802_crowsnest/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030802_crowsnest/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming at the beach"},{"content":"Charlotte and the kids decide to go for an overnight camping trip down to the Big Sur area. Sure wish I didn\u0026rsquo;t have to work.\nEnough of the tent, time to head for the beach. Pfeiffer state beach is very nice, but I don\u0026rsquo;t know that it lives up to its most beautiful beach status. Give me a beach in Hawaii anytime.\nThe Big Sur coastline is always spectacular. Almost like a scene from an ancient Japanese print.\nBack at the camp, the kids have a blast in the river. There\u0026rsquo;s a place to ride the rapids under the walkway that they really enjoy.\nAfter a long day, time to head back to camp. Things look just a bit crowded for me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and the kids decide to go for an overnight camping trip down to the\nBig Sur area. Sure wish I didn\u0026rsquo;t have to work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnough of the tent, time to head for the beach. Pfeiffer state beach is very\nnice, but I don\u0026rsquo;t know that it lives up to its most beautiful beach status.\nGive me a beach in Hawaii anytime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030729_bigsur/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Big Sur coastline is always spectacular. Almost like a scene from an\nancient Japanese print.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping in Big Sur"},{"content":"The day has finally arrived. Gabe and I are off for some fishing in Monterey Bay. We\u0026rsquo;ve rented one of those small boats from the Capitola pier. I don\u0026rsquo;t think we\u0026rsquo;ll be heading out anywhere near as far as when Gordon and I went out for salmon a few years ago. A great blue heron is there to see us off.\nNo big catches on this trip, other than a few big smiles. We get a nice assortment of fish, but the end of the day brings a bit of disappointment for the big fisherman. I think he wanted to bring a 300lb tuna back.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030726_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe day has finally arrived. Gabe and I are off for some fishing in Monterey\nBay. We\u0026rsquo;ve rented one of those small boats from the Capitola pier. I don\u0026rsquo;t\nthink we\u0026rsquo;ll be heading out anywhere near as far as when Gordon and I went out\nfor salmon a few years ago. A great blue heron is there to see us off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030726_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030726_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030726_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo big catches on this trip, other than a few big smiles. We get a nice\nassortment of fish, but the end of the day brings a bit of disappointment for\nthe big fisherman. I think he wanted to bring a 300lb tuna back.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing off Capitola"},{"content":"We promised Gabe a fishing trip, and Loch Lomond is a nice warmup before heading for the big ocean. Charlotte worked hard at stocking Gabe\u0026rsquo;s freshwater tackle box, so we\u0026rsquo;re off. Nick and Charlotte do a bit of hiking while Gabe, Monica, and I go for a bit of rowing. The fish aren\u0026rsquo;t biting, but it\u0026rsquo;s fun anyway. We top it all off with some BBQ and melted marshmallows.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe promised Gabe a fishing trip, and Loch Lomond is a nice warmup before\nheading for the big ocean. Charlotte worked hard at stocking Gabe\u0026rsquo;s freshwater\ntackle box, so we\u0026rsquo;re off. Nick and Charlotte do a bit of hiking while Gabe,\nMonica, and I go for a bit of rowing. The fish aren\u0026rsquo;t biting, but it\u0026rsquo;s fun\nanyway. We top it all off with some BBQ and melted marshmallows.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030720_lochlomond/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing at Loch Lomond"},{"content":"Charlotte took the kids down to Capitola for the day. It\u0026rsquo;s so nice and empty during the week, making it even more awesome than usual. Charlotte and Gabe are scoping out the fishing at the end of the pier in advance of my upcoming fishing excursion with Gabe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took the kids down to Capitola for the day. It\u0026rsquo;s so nice and empty\nduring the week, making it even more awesome than usual. Charlotte and Gabe\nare scoping out the fishing at the end of the pier in advance of my upcoming\nfishing excursion with Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030718_capitola/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun in Capitola"},{"content":"Nick is crazy about Legos, Bionicles, and other futuristic figures. He loves putting them together as they come in the original set, but he really shines when creating entirely new creatures of his own design. This is one of the more elaborate ones.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030717_nicklego/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick is crazy about Legos, Bionicles, and other futuristic figures. He loves\nputting them together as they come in the original set, but he really shines\nwhen creating entirely new creatures of his own design. This is one of the\nmore elaborate ones.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030717_nicklego/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick the Lego master"},{"content":"Our cats keep to themselves pretty much all the time. Occasionally Gabe likes to sit quietly with Tasha and spend some quality time together. I think they both enjoy it a great deal.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030716_gabetasha/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur cats keep to themselves pretty much all the time. Occasionally Gabe likes\nto sit quietly with Tasha and spend some quality time together. I think they\nboth enjoy it a great deal.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Tasha"},{"content":"Every day up north is a treat. It\u0026rsquo;s a really calm day and you can just make out Gabe and Doug out at the raft. Can you believe Gabe dragged a fishing pole out there. That boy is fired up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030713_raft/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eEvery day up north is a treat. It\u0026rsquo;s a really calm day and you can just make out\nGabe and Doug out at the raft. Can you believe Gabe dragged a fishing pole out\nthere. That boy is fired up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030713_raft/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030713_raft/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030713_raft/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030713_raft/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A day on the lake"},{"content":"No summer can go by without a trip to Chutes and Ladders in Houghton. No good photos of the gigantic slides, but playing at the beach is always fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030712_chutesladders/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo summer can go by without a trip to Chutes and Ladders in Houghton. No good\nphotos of the gigantic slides, but playing at the beach is always fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun at Chutes and Ladders"},{"content":"A typical scene for Gabe. He starts fishing pretty much from when he wakes up to when the sun goes down. Even more amazing, the sun goes down around 11pm this time of year. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s a fishing maniac.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030711_gabefishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA typical scene for Gabe. He starts fishing pretty much from when he wakes up\nto when the sun goes down. Even more amazing, the sun goes down around 11pm\nthis time of year. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s a fishing maniac.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030711_gabefishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030711_gabefishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fishing late on the dock"},{"content":"A few random shots from up north. St. Anne\u0026rsquo;s church in Calumet is really a beautiful building. The moose mobile is quite a site as well. Back at home, plenty of kids and no shortage of fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030707_michigan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few random shots from up north. St. Anne\u0026rsquo;s church in Calumet is really a\nbeautiful building. The moose mobile is quite a site as well. Back at home,\nplenty of kids and no shortage of fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030707_michigan/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030707_michigan/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030707_michigan/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030707_michigan/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Varied sites of the U.P."},{"content":"Nothing like being dragged behind a boat at high speed in an inflatable tube.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNothing like being dragged behind a boat at high speed in an inflatable tube.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030706_tubing/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Tubing in Portage Lake"},{"content":"The big event this summer is Gordy\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Time to welcome the new members of the family, Donna and her daughter Annie.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big event this summer is Gordy\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Time to welcome the new members\nof the family, Donna and her daughter Annie.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030705_wedding/31.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordy's wedding"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s pasta night at our cabin. We still call it Rose\u0026rsquo;s and I suspect we always will. There are a lot of hungry kids lined up out on the porch.\nGabe really went and did it this time. Everyone heads out to Jacobsville for some fun out by the lighthouse. Gabe of course has to squeeze in some fishing at the opening of the channel into Lake Superior. After about 4 casts with a big lure, he announces he\u0026rsquo;s got a fish. A little while later, with help from Uncle George, they haul in a 42.5 inch, 17 pound northern pike. It\u0026rsquo;s the biggest pike anyone has ever seen up here. It\u0026rsquo;s no fish story, and we\u0026rsquo;ve got the pictures to prove it!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s pasta night at our cabin. We still call it Rose\u0026rsquo;s and I suspect we always\nwill. There are a lot of hungry kids lined up out on the porch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030702_bigpike/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe really went and did it this time. Everyone heads out to Jacobsville for\nsome fun out by the lighthouse. Gabe of course has to squeeze in some fishing\nat the opening of the channel into Lake Superior. After about 4 casts with a\nbig lure, he announces he\u0026rsquo;s got a fish. A little while later, with help from\nUncle George, they haul in a 42.5 inch, 17 pound northern pike. It\u0026rsquo;s the\nbiggest pike anyone has ever seen up here. It\u0026rsquo;s no fish story, and we\u0026rsquo;ve got\nthe pictures to prove it!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Pasta dinner at Rose's and a monster pike for Gabe"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s next nice catch is this sweet northern pike. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a nice catch right off the dock. It\u0026rsquo;s good enough to bring grandpa out to have a look.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030630_pike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s next nice catch is this sweet northern pike. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a nice\ncatch right off the dock. It\u0026rsquo;s good enough to bring grandpa out to have a\nlook.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030630_pike/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe catches a nice pike"},{"content":"\nGabe has gone hog wild for fishing this year. Monica and Gabe show off the first nice catch of the summer for Gabe. We don\u0026rsquo;t typically show off the rock bass he catches by the dozens each day, but this one ain\u0026rsquo;t no rock bass baby!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030629_bass/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030629_bass/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe has gone hog wild for fishing this year. Monica and Gabe show off the\nfirst nice catch of the summer for Gabe. We don\u0026rsquo;t typically show off the rock\nbass he catches by the dozens each day, but this one ain\u0026rsquo;t no rock bass baby!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe lands a nice bass"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always a beautiful day in Bootjack, and it often ends with a spectacular sunset.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030626_sunset/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always a beautiful day in Bootjack, and it often ends with a spectacular\nsunset.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030626_sunset/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030626_sunset/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sunset in Bootjack"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again. Charlotte heads out to the beautiful shores of Portage Lake for many weeks of unmitigated fun. Sure wish I was going with them, though the long trip through Minneapolis airport isn\u0026rsquo;t something I really dream about.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030624_msp/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again. Charlotte heads out to the beautiful shores of\nPortage Lake for many weeks of unmitigated fun. Sure wish I was going with\nthem, though the long trip through Minneapolis airport isn\u0026rsquo;t something I\nreally dream about.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030624_msp/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030624_msp/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030624_msp/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and the kids off to Bootjack"},{"content":"The garden is coming along great this year. The warm weather has been a bit slow, so the tomato plants are a bit behind.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030612_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe garden is coming along great this year. The warm weather has been a bit\nslow, so the tomato plants are a bit behind.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030612_garden/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030612_garden/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's garden"},{"content":"Time to get down to some real shopping. This is the first time that Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s seen the new Union Square since they redid it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to get down to some real shopping. This is the first time that Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s\nseen the new Union Square since they redid it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_unionsquare/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn visit Union Square in San Francisco"},{"content":"Jeff and Eileen sent these pictures to Monica. Monica says they look like cute little cows. She\u0026rsquo;s got this cow thing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030608_puppies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJeff and Eileen sent these pictures to Monica. Monica says they look like\ncute little cows. She\u0026rsquo;s got this cow thing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_puppies/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030608_puppies/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"New sheepdog puppies at Jeff's house"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn head up to San Francisco to enjoy the weekend together. Lynn and Peter are headed to Spain for Peter\u0026rsquo;s next post soon, so this is the last chance for a get together unless we head out to Europe. They\u0026rsquo;re staying at the Marine Club near Union Square.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn head up to San Francisco to enjoy the weekend together. Lynn\nand Peter are headed to Spain for Peter\u0026rsquo;s next post soon, so this is the last\nchance for a get together unless we head out to Europe. They\u0026rsquo;re staying at\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://marinesmemorial.org\"\u003eMarine Club\u003c/a\u003e near Union Square.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030607_marineclub/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn in San Francisco at the Marine Club"},{"content":"Nick has been excited for weeks preparing for the upcoming Julius Caesar play. He\u0026rsquo;s playing the part of Cicero and he has his lines all memorized. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of preparations before the play starts. Lynn\u0026rsquo;s up visiting and helps Charlotte with things. Looks like I\u0026rsquo;m running a few minutes late.\nNick looks so grown up with his sideburns. If it wasn\u0026rsquo;t for the toga, he would be the splitting image of Elvis. I was very impressed with all the kids. They memorized their lines perfectly and spoke very clearly and with great emotion. They sure do grow up quick.\nA fine job from everyone, and congratulations to John and his whole class.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick has been excited for weeks preparing for the upcoming Julius Caesar play.\nHe\u0026rsquo;s playing the part of Cicero and he has his lines all memorized. There\u0026rsquo;s\nplenty of preparations before the play starts. Lynn\u0026rsquo;s up visiting and helps\nCharlotte with things. Looks like I\u0026rsquo;m running a few minutes late.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030605_juliuscaesar/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick looks so grown up with his sideburns. If it wasn\u0026rsquo;t for the toga, he would\nbe the splitting image of Elvis. I was very impressed with all the kids. They\nmemorized their lines perfectly and spoke very clearly and with great emotion.\nThey sure do grow up quick.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's Julius Caesar school play"},{"content":"Another of Valri\u0026rsquo;s pets makes its way to the Multer house. This time it\u0026rsquo;s Booster, and Cheerio is in love again. He isn\u0026rsquo;t quite as noisy as Ruby, but he definitely spends a lot of time singing love songs.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030602_booster/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother of Valri\u0026rsquo;s pets makes its way to the Multer house. This time it\u0026rsquo;s\nBooster, and Cheerio is in love again. He isn\u0026rsquo;t quite as noisy as Ruby, but he\ndefinitely spends a lot of time singing love songs.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another cockatiel moves in"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s been begging to go to the boardwalk for so long, we really had to go. It\u0026rsquo;s so close to the house, but the crowds are always a drag. We headed out early while the fog was still burning off. There were no lines, so it really was easy. Gabe loves the little flying rides like the helicopters. Nick goes for the high speed spinning rides. I like the roller coasters and the log ride. Anyone up for a big drop?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030531_boardwalk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s been begging to go to the boardwalk for so long, we really had to go.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s so close to the house, but the crowds are always a drag. We headed out\nearly while the fog was still burning off. There were no lines, so it really\nwas easy. Gabe loves the little flying rides like the helicopters. Nick goes\nfor the high speed spinning rides. I like the roller coasters and the log\nride. Anyone up for a big drop?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun at the boardwalk"},{"content":"A few shots around the camp before heading back to California. The babbling brook really is going this time of year.\nThe lake is so clear and still, Charlotte gets a shot of a crayfish making his way between rock fields.\nBefore they leave, George manages to drop his expensive glasses into the lake. During the summer, this would be an easy problem, but the lake is really cold still. They decide to try and snag them from the small boat, but luck isn\u0026rsquo;t on their side. George finally leans over and reaches down to get them. Nothing like a nice cold plunge before heading out to the airport.\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s final resting place. She did love sitting out here and painting those little garden figures. I think she\u0026rsquo;ll be happy here.\nI guess George is trying to become one with the computer while waiting for his plane. I wonder if he can hear the sea like you can with a conch shell.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few shots around the camp before heading back to California. The babbling\nbrook really is going this time of year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lake is so clear and still, Charlotte gets a shot of a crayfish making his\nway between rock fields.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030513_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore they leave, George manages to drop his expensive glasses into the lake.\nDuring the summer, this would be an easy problem, but the lake is really cold\nstill. They decide to try and snag them from the small boat, but luck isn\u0026rsquo;t on\ntheir side. George finally leans over and reaches down to get them. Nothing\nlike a nice cold plunge before heading out to the airport.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"One last day in Bootjack"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s good to see the family together on this very difficult day. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to see family pictures like these knowing that Charlotte won\u0026rsquo;t be in them anymore. I know I\u0026rsquo;ll always think she\u0026rsquo;s still there somehow.\nThe ceremony at the church was a small affair just like Charlotte wanted it.\nAfter the funeral, I\u0026rsquo;m sure the conversation was very difficult.\nI\u0026rsquo;m happy that the girls were able to get out and enjoy the great Michigan outdoors on a day like this. It\u0026rsquo;s the kind of quiet time where thoughts come most clearly.\nBack at the house, no day is complete without a bit of fishing off the dock. Gordy landed quite the monster sturgeon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s good to see the family together on this very difficult day. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to\nsee family pictures like these knowing that Charlotte won\u0026rsquo;t be in them\nanymore. I know I\u0026rsquo;ll always think she\u0026rsquo;s still there somehow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ceremony at the church was a small affair just like Charlotte wanted it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the funeral, I\u0026rsquo;m sure the conversation was very difficult.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030512_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m happy that the girls were able to get out and enjoy the great Michigan\noutdoors on a day like this. It\u0026rsquo;s the kind of quiet time where thoughts come\nmost clearly.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Saying goodbye to Charlotte"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom just passed away and she\u0026rsquo;s off to Bootjack with her brothers and sisters for the funeral. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly not the type of event anyone wants to bring family together, but I know they\u0026rsquo;re all happy to be up in Michigan.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030511_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom just passed away and she\u0026rsquo;s off to Bootjack with her brothers\nand sisters for the funeral. It\u0026rsquo;s certainly not the type of event anyone wants\nto bring family together, but I know they\u0026rsquo;re all happy to be up in Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030511_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030511_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030511_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030511_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A sad trip to Bootjack"},{"content":"We decided to put on a century ride this year to raise money for our local schools through SVEF. We rode 100 miles down to Big Sur with about 15 riders. It was a beautiful day for a ride as usual.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030510_svefride/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to put on a century ride this year to raise money for our local\nschools through \u003ca href=\"https://www.svef.net\"\u003eSVEF\u003c/a\u003e. We rode 100 miles\ndown to Big Sur with about 15 riders. It was a beautiful day for a ride as\nusual.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030510_svefride/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"SVEF century bike ride to Big Sur"},{"content":"Val\u0026rsquo;s bird Ruby was driving her crazy with his noises, so Charlotte decided to bring him home for a sleep over. Turns out that once he got a glimpse of Cheerio, it was love at first site. They were constantly nuzzling each other and he would sing the most elaborate songs I had ever heard from these birds. The only casualty in all this was Monica. Cheerio wanted nothing to do with Monica anymore. Ruby would also go bonkers if Monica took Cheerio into her room.\nIn a totally unrelated story, the kids take apart the fax machine.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030507_lovebirds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eVal\u0026rsquo;s bird Ruby was driving her crazy with his noises, so Charlotte decided to\nbring him home for a sleep over. Turns out that once he got a glimpse of\nCheerio, it was love at first site. They were constantly nuzzling each other\nand he would sing the most elaborate songs I had ever heard from these birds.\nThe only casualty in all this was Monica. Cheerio wanted nothing to do with\nMonica anymore. Ruby would also go bonkers if Monica took Cheerio into her\nroom.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Cockatiel love story"},{"content":"Charlotte Mae Hoyem, 73, of Bootjack, passed away Monday evening, May 5, 2003, following a lengthy battle with cancer at the Houghton County Medical Care Facility in Hancock where she had been a patient for the past two weeks.\nCharlotte was born on November 30, 1929 in Ferndale, Mich., a daughter of Charles and Dorothy Valentine. She was a graduate of Marysville High School in Marysville, Mich., Class of 1947 and also attended the University of Michigan and Siena Heights College in Adrian, Mich. She was married to Gordon E. Hoyem on December 6, 1950 in Minneapolis, Minn. She later lived in St. Clair, Mich., Birmingham, Mich. for 27 years and since 1983, had made her home in Bootjack. She was an architectural draftsman, having worked for her father and husband. She was very artistic and did creative writing while living in Birmingham. She was very active in the Creative Art Center where she was the Director of Education. Charlotte enjoyed painting in her art studio in Bootjack. She was preceded in death by her parents.\nSurviving are her husband, Gordon; two sons, Gordon E. Hoyem II of Gaylord, George C. (Ellen) Hoyem of Burlingame, Calif.; three daughters, Karen N. Hoyem of Madison, Wis., Valri L. (Kim) Peyser of Santa Cruz, Calif., Charlotte D. (David) Multer of Santa Cruz, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; two brothers, Charles (Luana) Valentine III of Fla., Thomas (Beverly) Valentine of Mich.; three sisters, Dorothy (William) Kuhn of Calif., Beatrice (Joe) Diduca of Calif., Judith Valentine of Mich.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.\nAt the request of Charlotte, there will be no public visitation or funeral service. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family suggests memorials be made to the Bootjack Fire and Rescue First Responders. The Erickson Crowley Funeral Home in Calumet is serving the family.\nTo Those I Love And Those Who Love Me When I am gone, release me, let me go.\nI have so many things to see and do\nYou mustn\u0026rsquo;t tie yourself to me with tears,\nBe happy that we had so many years.\nI gave you my love, you can only guess\nHow much you gave to me in happiness.\nI thank you for the love you each have shown,\nBut now it\u0026rsquo;s time I traveled on alone.\nSo grieve a while for me if grieve you must,\nThen let your grief be comforted by trust.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s only for a while that we must part,\nSo bless the memories within your heart.\nI won\u0026rsquo;t be far away, for life goes on\nSo if you need me, call and I will come.\nThough you can\u0026rsquo;t see or touch me, I\u0026rsquo;ll be near\nAnd if you listen with your heart, you\u0026rsquo;ll hear\nAll of my love around you soft and clear.\nAnd then, when you must come this way alone,\nI\u0026rsquo;ll greet you with a smile and welcome home.\nA Verse At Santa Cruz by Charlotte Mae Hoyem\nhere in Santa Cruz, ocean waves cycle drone\nmusical sounds, rhythmical pounding sounds,\nsurfdom periodic pulse beats, heart heard\na thumping, a pounding defiance liquid verse matter volume.\nBombardier beetle analysis left behind - Bebe waiting,\nclassical music soothing to our cranial axiomatics,\nminus flames of our Bootjack fireplace - snow flakes abound.\nNevertheless, as we sit alone in historical reflections,\nforerunner Ridpath, and recalling nation\u0026rsquo;s history, founding\nDow Jones and stock markets, obliterations three trillion,\ndual dark eyes of Greenspan, ignorance of commands\nfrom my axiom, wallowing in his conceitedness of inept,\nat times brain powers, soon he too kiss coffin cover goodbye.\nSome muse soon, rather than later, but what good does that do\nanother petite pawn in God\u0026rsquo;s preprogramming.\nSoon he too shall puff\u0026hellip;be gone but alas vat then!\nTherein lies the rub\u0026hellip;of that question\u0026hellip;so goodnight\nmy lords, kings, and children\u0026hellip;we - know our\nyesterdays today, but Lo! Vat of our tomorrow!\nThus wave off to the old chap up there in the sky.\nSo be it\u0026hellip;let us all move on into history\nor His\u0026hellip;story, tales we as minute pawns\nall individual en mass caught up in\u0026hellip;\nsoon living witness to history\u0026hellip;past\ngone soon from our grasp!\nNevertheless, once again we sit alone.\nAdieu! We bid yo\u0026rsquo;all goodnight\nin the genealogy track of\nthis plight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030505_charlotte/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte Mae Hoyem, 73, of Bootjack, passed away Monday evening, May 5, 2003,\nfollowing a lengthy battle with cancer at the Houghton County Medical Care\nFacility in Hancock where she had been a patient for the past two weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte was born on November 30, 1929 in Ferndale, Mich., a daughter of\nCharles and Dorothy Valentine. She was a graduate of Marysville High School in\nMarysville, Mich., Class of 1947 and also attended the University of Michigan\nand Siena Heights College in Adrian, Mich. She was married to Gordon E. Hoyem\non December 6, 1950 in Minneapolis, Minn. She later lived in St. Clair, Mich.,\nBirmingham, Mich. for 27 years and since 1983, had made her home in Bootjack.\nShe was an architectural draftsman, having worked for her father and husband.\nShe was very artistic and did creative writing while living in Birmingham. She\nwas very active in the Creative Art Center where she was the Director of\nEducation. Charlotte enjoyed painting in her art studio in Bootjack. She was\npreceded in death   by her parents.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte Mae Hoyem"},{"content":"Charlotte took Gabe on his field trip to Happy Hollow in San Jose. It\u0026rsquo;s really a very fun place for the kids, though it can be quite a mob scene. There\u0026rsquo;s a zoo, rides, and it looks like some kind of play. I sure would have loved to take him on this field trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte took Gabe on his field trip to \u003ca href=\"https://happyhollow.org\"\u003eHappy Hollow\u003c/a\u003e in San Jose.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s really a very fun place for the kids, though it can be quite a mob scene.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a zoo, rides, and it looks like some kind of play. I sure would have\nloved to take him on this field trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030430_happyhollow/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's field trip to Happy Hollow"},{"content":"After much encouragement, Charlotte decided to take some quilting lessons. She\u0026rsquo;s been creating so many great blankets for everyone, it\u0026rsquo;s a natural next step for her talents. She doesn\u0026rsquo;t think that highly of her first effort, but I think it came out great.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030424_quilt/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter much encouragement, Charlotte decided to take some quilting lessons.\nShe\u0026rsquo;s been creating so many great blankets for everyone, it\u0026rsquo;s a natural next\nstep for her talents. She doesn\u0026rsquo;t think that highly of her first effort, but I\nthink it came out great.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030424_quilt/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's first quilt"},{"content":"We head out to Carole and David\u0026rsquo;s place for the second night of Passover. I\u0026rsquo;ve never done the second night before, but it is a great excuse to see the rest of the family. John and Joni are there. Dad, Karen, and Max make it as well. Lots of catching up to do before sitting down for the Seder.\nEnough fun, it\u0026rsquo;s time to go through the whole thing one more time. I think Gabe is glad to be here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030417_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe head out to Carole and David\u0026rsquo;s place for the second night of Passover. I\u0026rsquo;ve\nnever done the second night before, but it is a great excuse to see the rest\nof the family. John and Joni are there. Dad, Karen, and Max make it as well.\nLots of catching up to do before  sitting down for the Seder.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnough fun, it\u0026rsquo;s time to go through the whole thing one more time. I think Gabe\nis glad to be here.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Carole's"},{"content":"My dad sent in these pictures from our second night of Passover at my aunt Carole\u0026rsquo;s house.\nThe male progeny of Ira Multer.\nHanging out on the day after.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy dad sent in these pictures from our second night of Passover at my aunt\nCarole\u0026rsquo;s house.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe male progeny of Ira Multer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHanging out on the day after.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030417_passover2/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Carole's (Ira's photos)"},{"content":"Before subjecting the kids to the pain of making it through the Haggadah, it\u0026rsquo;s time to treat them to fun at the local park. That rope web thing was a big hit.\nHaving the Seder outside was a real treat. I think Gabe is worried about what\u0026rsquo;s coming. Scott looks like he has the same concerns. We all made it through in one piece, so it\u0026rsquo;s time for more fun.\nA bit of TV and Playstation before bedtime, and the kids are all set. I don\u0026rsquo;t have the heart to break it to them that we get to do this all again tomorrow night.\nGot a few more photos care of Lynda. That Annabel is a real cutie.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030416_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore subjecting the kids to the pain of making it through the Haggadah, it\u0026rsquo;s\ntime to treat them to fun at the local park. That rope web thing was a big\nhit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030416_passover/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving the Seder outside was a real treat. I think Gabe is worried about what\u0026rsquo;s\ncoming. Scott looks like he has the same concerns. We all made it through in\none piece, so it\u0026rsquo;s time for more fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Lynda's"},{"content":"Now that Scott is in town, it\u0026rsquo;s time to pack the families up and head down to historic downtown Philadelphia.There\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of famous spots in this birthplace of our country.\nWe grab some lunch along the way. Annabel is really enjoying her spaghetti.\nNext stop is the Betsy Ross house. That girl was quite the seamstress.\nOn to the next historic site, Independence Park.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030415_philly/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNow that Scott is in town, it\u0026rsquo;s time to pack the families up and head down to\nhistoric downtown Philadelphia.There\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of famous spots in this\nbirthplace of our country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe grab some lunch along the way. Annabel is really enjoying her spaghetti.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext stop is the \u003ca href=\"https://historicphiladelphia.org/betsy-ross-house/\"\u003eBetsy Ross\u003c/a\u003e house. That girl was quite the seamstress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn to the next historic site, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/inde/\"\u003eIndependence Park\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030415_philly/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sightseeing in Philadelphia"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s such a beautiful day here in Pennsylvania, we decide to head out and do some sightseeing. Here we are at Washington Crossing.The river really is moving here, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to imagine old George making it across on that cold winter.\nBack at Lynda\u0026rsquo;s house there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of fun with Kyle and Rachel. That trampoline and playhouse sure looks familiar. Gabe had so much fun with those Nerf footballs.\nIn the house there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of action around the kitchen. It\u0026rsquo;ll be even more fun when Scott and his family shows up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s such a beautiful day here in Pennsylvania, we decide to head out and do\nsome sightseeing. Here we are at Washington Crossing.The river really is\nmoving here, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to imagine old George making it across on that cold\nwinter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030414_gwpark/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at Lynda\u0026rsquo;s house there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of fun with Kyle and Rachel. That\ntrampoline and playhouse sure looks familiar. Gabe had so much fun with those\nNerf footballs.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Washington Crossing park and Lynda's house"},{"content":"\nThe family is off to the east coast for Passover vacation. First stop is New Hope on our way to visit my mom and my sister. We got into Kennedy late and decided to stop at a hotel in New Hope rather than waking my mom. The kids were thrilled with the sight of snow still on the ground. The weather was pretty much the same as what we left in Santa Cruz, so it was surprising to see some of the white stuff was still holding out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030413_snow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030413_snow/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe family is off to the east coast for Passover vacation. First stop is New\nHope on our way to visit my mom and my sister. We got into Kennedy late and\ndecided to stop at a hotel in New Hope rather than waking my mom. The kids\nwere thrilled with the sight of snow still on the ground. The weather was\npretty much the same as what we left in Santa Cruz, so it was surprising to\nsee some of the white stuff was still holding out.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"There's snow in New Hope"},{"content":"A few images from the front garden.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030409_flowers/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few images from the front garden.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030409_flowers/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030409_flowers/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The flowers are blooming"},{"content":"Charlotte managed to snap some shots of the birds cleaning themselves. This is the uncensored version, so move on if you\u0026rsquo;re offended.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030408_birdbath/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte managed to snap some shots of the birds cleaning themselves. This is\nthe uncensored version, so move on if you\u0026rsquo;re offended.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030408_birdbath/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030408_birdbath/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030408_birdbath/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030408_birdbath/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bath time for the birdies"},{"content":"We finally broke down and got rid of the crappy Suburban. It took a while to get a decent deal on that piece of shit, but Charlotte really pulled off an amazing negotiation effort and landed a beautiful new Honda CRV. What a concept, great mileage, minimal service, and very flexible.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030329_car/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe finally broke down and got rid of the crappy Suburban. It took a while to\nget a decent deal on that piece of shit, but Charlotte really pulled off an\namazing negotiation effort and landed a beautiful new Honda CRV. What a\nconcept, great mileage, minimal service, and very flexible.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030329_car/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030329_car/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's new car"},{"content":"\nGabe turned seven this year. He\u0026rsquo;s looking very happy about it, and I\u0026rsquo;m sure all the presents help too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030328_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030328_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe turned seven this year. He\u0026rsquo;s looking very happy about it, and I\u0026rsquo;m sure all\nthe presents help too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday"},{"content":"Nick signed up for indoor soccer over at the rink in Scotts Valley. The photos aren\u0026rsquo;t great, but Nick seemed to enjoy it a great deal. It\u0026rsquo;s a really fun game to watch.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030323_soccer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick signed up for indoor soccer over at the rink in Scotts Valley. The photos\naren\u0026rsquo;t great, but Nick seemed to enjoy it a great deal. It\u0026rsquo;s a really fun game\nto watch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030323_soccer/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030323_soccer/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030323_soccer/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030323_soccer/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Indoor soccer with Nick"},{"content":"While driving around the area, we stopped by Rio Del Mar to hang out at the beach for a little while. It\u0026rsquo;s a great walking beach and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty to find on today\u0026rsquo;s walk. The last image has an orange house in the background. I was just there for an offsite as part of my recent contract work for Dana Software.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile driving around the area, we stopped by Rio Del Mar to hang out at the\nbeach for a little while. It\u0026rsquo;s a great walking beach and there\u0026rsquo;s plenty to\nfind on today\u0026rsquo;s walk. The last image has an orange house in the background. I\nwas just there for an offsite as part of my recent contract work for Dana\nSoftware.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030322_riodelmar/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Exploring at Rio Del Mar beach"},{"content":"These two love hanging out together. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of an uneasy peace. Tasha stays close to cover, while Abby always looks for an opening.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030320_pets/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThese two love hanging out together. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of an uneasy peace. Tasha stays\nclose to cover, while Abby always looks for an opening.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Abby and Tasha"},{"content":"First a few quick shots of Gabe and Monica with the birds.\nGeorge and his family came down for the day. Val came by and brought the bunnies for everyone to enjoy.\nOutside there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of things to keep everyone busy. Chris and his friends wolf down as much food as possible. The younger ones have some kind of WWF event going on the trampoline. The dads kick back and talk business and technology. Maybe I want to join the kids on the trampoline.\nChris and his friends work on a new video. It somehow involves a dummy and sliding down the cliff into the canyon. They\u0026rsquo;re going to have to wash off plenty of poison oak by the time they\u0026rsquo;re done.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFirst a few quick shots of Gabe and Monica with the birds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his family came down for the day. Val came by and brought the\nbunnies for everyone to enjoy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030316_hoyems/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOutside there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of things to keep everyone busy. Chris and his friends\nwolf down as much food as possible. The younger ones have some kind of WWF\nevent going on the trampoline. The dads kick back and talk business and\ntechnology. Maybe I want to join the kids on the trampoline.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyems and the Peysers stop by for some fun"},{"content":"Charlotte and Teren enjoy a beautiful walk along the coast. This particular stretch of the coast is very popular with runners, bicyclists, surfers, and everyone else you could possibly imagine. Looks pretty quiet today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030310_walk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Teren enjoy a beautiful walk along the coast. This particular\nstretch of the coast is very popular with runners, bicyclists, surfers, and\neveryone else you could possibly imagine. Looks pretty quiet today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030310_walk/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030310_walk/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030310_walk/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030310_walk/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030310_walk/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Teren walking on West Cliff"},{"content":"Just a few random shots on a typical day. Doug is over for some fun with Gabe, Nick hams it up for the camera, and Monica has fun with her bird Cheerio.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030309_kids/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eJust a few random shots on a typical day. Doug is over for some fun with Gabe,\nNick hams it up for the camera, and Monica has fun with her bird Cheerio.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030309_kids/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying the day"},{"content":"Another fine morning at our house. Monica and Abby settle in for the night, while Gabe enjoys making faces in his mirror.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030303_waking/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother fine morning at our house. Monica and Abby settle in for the night,\nwhile Gabe enjoys making faces in his mirror.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030303_waking/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Morning at the Multers"},{"content":"Definitely have to swing by Val\u0026rsquo;s house to check out Chris\u0026rsquo; new car. There are a few new paintings to check out as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030301_vals/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDefinitely have to swing by Val\u0026rsquo;s house to check out Chris\u0026rsquo; new car. There are\na few new paintings to check out as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030301_vals/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030301_vals/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chris gets new wheels"},{"content":"Another fun stop over at aunt Val\u0026rsquo;s house.\nTheir guinea pig wisely stays well hidden He\u0026rsquo;s aptly named \u0026ldquo;G pig\u0026rdquo;.\nThe really fun pets are the latest collection of bunnies. Monica has a particular fondness for the brown and white one. She enjoys rolling him up in a ball and carrying him around like a baby.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother fun stop over at aunt Val\u0026rsquo;s house.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir guinea pig wisely stays well hidden He\u0026rsquo;s aptly named \u0026ldquo;G pig\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe really fun pets are the latest collection of bunnies. Monica has a\nparticular fondness for the brown and white one. She enjoys rolling him up in\na ball and carrying him around like a baby.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030226_rabbits/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Valri's pet menagerie"},{"content":"Charlotte is off to Valri\u0026rsquo;s to perform emergency restoration efforts on some critical blankies. It may look hopeless, but Charlotte is a miracle worker with the sewing machine. Val\u0026rsquo;s got some new artwork that\u0026rsquo;s worth checking out. One of the many bunnies bids Charlotte goodbye.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030224_vals/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is off to Valri\u0026rsquo;s to perform emergency restoration efforts on some\ncritical blankies. It may look hopeless, but Charlotte is a miracle worker\nwith the sewing machine. Val\u0026rsquo;s got some new artwork that\u0026rsquo;s worth checking out.\nOne of the many bunnies bids Charlotte goodbye.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030224_vals/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030224_vals/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030224_vals/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030224_vals/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Valri's house, blankets, art, and bunnies"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom sent us a whole palette of stuff recently. Not sure how long the Abe Lincoln look-alike painting will last in the family room, but the rocker and the dresser look great. Charlotte did a whole pile of work restoring the dresser. I was pretty skeptical when it first arrived, but Charlotte really pulled it off as usual. Lots of odds and ends have been added to the menagerie scattered about the house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030220_shipment/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom sent us a whole palette of stuff recently. Not sure how long\nthe Abe Lincoln look-alike painting will last in the family room, but the\nrocker and the dresser look great. Charlotte did a whole pile of work\nrestoring the dresser. I was pretty skeptical when it first arrived, but\nCharlotte really pulled it off as usual. Lots of odds and ends have been added\nto the menagerie scattered about the house.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Shipment from Bootjack"},{"content":"I really won\u0026rsquo;t go into the tales of woe regarding our previous bird pets, but Nick sure does love these creatures. Charlotte caught wind of a woman that\u0026rsquo;s really into birds and had a few she was looking to unload for free. It was too hard to say no, so two more animals join the ranks of the Multer\u0026rsquo;s pet menagerie. I\u0026rsquo;m trying really hard to focus on how much the kids love them, and not the crap (literally) they leave all over the house. Gabe and I work them into our castle action figure play. I don\u0026rsquo;t think they\u0026rsquo;re going to hold up as well as those plastic figures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030216_birds/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI really won\u0026rsquo;t go into the tales of woe regarding our previous bird pets, but\nNick sure does love these creatures. Charlotte caught wind of a woman that\u0026rsquo;s\nreally into birds and had a few she was looking to unload for free. It was too\nhard to say no, so two more animals join the ranks of the Multer\u0026rsquo;s pet\nmenagerie. I\u0026rsquo;m trying really hard to focus on how much the kids love them, and\nnot the crap (literally) they leave all over the house. Gabe and I work\nthem into our castle action figure play. I don\u0026rsquo;t think they\u0026rsquo;re going to hold\nup as well as those plastic figures.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new cockatiels"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s birthday time again for David. We did the Chinese food dinner thing this year. The kids really enjoy doing the pu-pu platter. There\u0026rsquo;s something about food warmed over a nice sterno fire. Back at the house I break open the booty and enjoy cake. I got a bunch of DVDs, books, and those JBL speakers I really wanted. My bro managed to get a pair of them for me as well. Now let me see what else I would love from Amazon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030208_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s birthday time again for David. We did the Chinese food dinner thing this\nyear. The kids really enjoy doing the pu-pu platter. There\u0026rsquo;s something about\nfood warmed over a nice sterno fire. Back at the house I break open the\nbooty and enjoy cake. I got a bunch of DVDs, books, and those JBL speakers I\nreally wanted. My bro managed to get a pair of them for me as well. Now let\nme see what else I would love from Amazon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's birthday"},{"content":"Charlotte was supposed to head back today, but the weather had a different idea. The storm really hammered the area and left some pretty huge snowdrifts. Gordon breaks out the plow once again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte was supposed to head back today, but the weather had a different\nidea. The storm really hammered the area and left some pretty huge snowdrifts.\nGordon breaks out the plow once again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030204_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Snowstorm traps Charlotte in Bootjack"},{"content":"\nIf you can take the cold, the cross country skiing up north is pretty fantastic. It\u0026rsquo;s very remote and not too hilly. I wish I was up there with Charlotte. It\u0026rsquo;s a great way to spend the day together. I don\u0026rsquo;t think anyone is using the deer blind this time of year, but it\u0026rsquo;s best if Charlotte moves on before she\u0026rsquo;s mistaken for Bambi\u0026rsquo;s mother.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030202_deerblind/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030202_deerblind/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you can take the cold, the cross country skiing up north is pretty\nfantastic. It\u0026rsquo;s very remote and not too hilly. I wish I was up there with\nCharlotte. It\u0026rsquo;s a great way to spend the day together. I don\u0026rsquo;t think anyone is\nusing the deer blind this time of year, but it\u0026rsquo;s best if Charlotte moves on\nbefore she\u0026rsquo;s mistaken for Bambi\u0026rsquo;s mother.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte skiing in Bootjack"},{"content":"This time Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s off to Calumet. The roads are looking pretty clear for now, but there\u0026rsquo;s more storms on the way.\nCharlotte also spent a lot of time cross country skiing. There aren\u0026rsquo;t any mushrooms to photograph, but that stump sure looks like a snow mushroom to me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis time Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s off to Calumet. The roads are looking pretty clear for\nnow, but there\u0026rsquo;s more storms on the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte also spent a lot of time cross country skiing. There aren\u0026rsquo;t any\nmushrooms to photograph, but that stump sure looks like a snow mushroom to\nme.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030129_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"More fun in the Upper Michigan snow"},{"content":"Charlotte is off to Bootjack again to visit with her parents. Her mom is not doing very well and I\u0026rsquo;m glad to see Charlotte spending time with them while she can. There\u0026rsquo;s certainly no shortage of snow or cold this time of year and Gordon has his work cut out for him keeping up with mother nature. I\u0026rsquo;m sure glad I never have to do this kind of thing in Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030126_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is off to Bootjack again to visit with her parents. Her mom is not\ndoing very well and I\u0026rsquo;m glad to see Charlotte spending time with them while\nshe can. There\u0026rsquo;s certainly no shortage of snow or cold this time of year and\nGordon has his work cut out for him keeping up with mother nature. I\u0026rsquo;m sure\nglad I never have to do this kind of thing in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte braves the Bootjack winter"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s school class is off to Ano Nuevo today to check out the elephant seals. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I volunteered to drive on this trip. Turned out to be an amazingly beautiful day. Monica was just getting over a stomach flu, but managed to get up the energy to make the trip. This area of the coast has to be one of the most beautiful there is around Santa Cruz. Plenty of great views from the visitor center before we head out on the hike to the seals.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s almost the height of the season for the elephant seals, and we\u0026rsquo;re rewarded with about 2,000 seals in attendance. Plenty of males showing off their stuff and fighting over all the great looking seal babes. The pups were all very tiny and sticking close to their moms.\nMonica did great considering her sickness and the length of the hike. It caught up with her a bit on the way back, but we made it back alive. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to do this trip again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030115_anonuevo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s school class is off to Ano Nuevo today to check out the elephant\nseals. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I volunteered to drive on this trip. Turned out to be an\namazingly beautiful day. Monica was just getting over a stomach flu, but\nmanaged to get up the energy to make the trip. This area of the coast has to\nbe one of the most beautiful there is around Santa Cruz. Plenty of great views\nfrom the visitor center before we head out on the hike to the seals.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's field trip to Ano Nuevo"},{"content":"Before heading back home, we make one last tourist stop at Fort Point. Charlotte hasn\u0026rsquo;t wanted to see this place for some time, and I\u0026rsquo;m glad we did.It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful walk along the bay to the fort.\nInside is one amazing fortification. There are all kinds of great cannons, walkways, hidden corners, and tremendous views. Charlotte tries her hand at a few artsy photos as well. I think the archways came out very good.\nWe really enjoyed our time up in San Francisco, but it\u0026rsquo;s time to head back. One last glimpse from the park before we go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore heading back home, we make one last tourist stop at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/fopo/\"\u003eFort Point\u003c/a\u003e.\nCharlotte hasn\u0026rsquo;t wanted to see this place for some time, and I\u0026rsquo;m glad we\ndid.It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful walk along the bay to the fort.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_fortpoint/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInside is one amazing fortification. There are all kinds of great cannons,\nwalkways, hidden corners, and tremendous views. Charlotte tries her hand at a\nfew artsy photos as well. I think the archways came out very good.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fort Point, San Francisco"},{"content":"We came back home along the coast as we usually do and stopped at a beach we\u0026rsquo;ve always skipped. Greyhound Rock has a great trail down the cliff to the water, where you\u0026rsquo;re rewarded with a fairly quiet and beautiful view. The big elephant seal thought it was a great location as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030104_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe came back home along the coast as we usually do and stopped at a beach we\u0026rsquo;ve\nalways skipped. Greyhound Rock has a great trail down the cliff to the water,\nwhere you\u0026rsquo;re rewarded with a fairly quiet and beautiful view. The big elephant\nseal thought it was a great location as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_beach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_beach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_beach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_beach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030104_beach/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Greyhound Rock beach"},{"content":"We decided to spend most of the day over at Golden Gate Park today. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty to do in the park including the arboretum and the Academy of Sciences. It\u0026rsquo;s a shame about the flash reflection, that big octopus was awesome.\nOn the way back home, we take the most crooked road we could find, Lombard street. Kind of like a roller coaster ride for the kids.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to spend most of the day over at \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/\"\u003eGolden Gate Park\u003c/a\u003e today.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s plenty to do in the park including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.strybing.org\"\u003earboretum\u003c/a\u003e and\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org\"\u003eAcademy of Sciences\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s a shame about the flash\nreflection, that big octopus was awesome.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way back home, we take the most crooked road we  could find, Lombard\nstreet. Kind of like a roller coaster ride for the kids.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2003/20030103_goldengate/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying the gardens and museums of Golden Gate Park"},{"content":"After settling in at the hotel, we checked out the local sites including Pier 39. The Christmas tree was still up and Charlotte wanted me to take a picture of this wierd silver guy. After discreetly snapping a photo and walking off, the kids let me know he was following me. Turns out he wanted money for having taken his picture, which didn\u0026rsquo;t sit too well with me. Charlotte ended the confrontation by giving him a buck. The kids are still talking about how freaked out they were that he followed us. Boy that was fun.\nAt the end of the pier is a carousel. Nick doesn\u0026rsquo;t go for this stuff anymore, but Monica and Gabe seemed to enjoy it.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030102_pier39/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter settling in at the hotel, we checked out the local sites including\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.pier39.com\"\u003ePier 39\u003c/a\u003e. The Christmas tree was still up and\nCharlotte wanted me to take a picture of this wierd silver guy. After\ndiscreetly snapping a photo and walking off, the kids let me know he was\nfollowing me. Turns out he wanted money for having taken his picture, which\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t sit too well with me. Charlotte ended the confrontation by giving him a\nbuck. The kids are still talking about how freaked out they were that he\nfollowed us. Boy that was fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nighttime at Pier 39"},{"content":"We decided to head up to San Francisco for a couple of nights while the kids still had time off from school. Charlotte worked a great deal at a hotel near Pier 39, but first we made a stop at the Exploratorium. The building is from the old Pan-Pacific Exposition and is one of the major sites in San Francisco. The crowds were a bit much for a visit to the museum, but the park is a lot of fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2003/20030102_exploratorium/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to head up to San Francisco for a couple of nights while the kids\nstill had time off from school. Charlotte worked a great deal at a hotel near\nPier 39, but first we made a stop at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu\"\u003eExploratorium\u003c/a\u003e.\nThe building is from the old Pan-Pacific Exposition and is one of the major\nsites in San Francisco. The crowds were a bit much for a visit to the museum,\nbut the park is a lot of fun.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Exploratorium in San Francisco"},{"content":"It was great having family here over Christmas. I sure wish our family wasn\u0026rsquo;t quite so spread out across the country, but that is the Multer way. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait until the next time we all get together.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021230_backhome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was great having family here over Christmas. I sure wish our family wasn\u0026rsquo;t\nquite so spread out across the country, but that is the Multer way. I can\u0026rsquo;t\nwait until the next time we all get together.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira, Karen, and Max head back home"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to Carmel today for either shopping or playing at the beach. The shopping thing appealed to Karen and Max, while the rest of us enjoyed the sand. We managed to get a photo of the whole group on the drive through Pacific Grove.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to Carmel today for either shopping or playing at the beach. The\nshopping thing appealed to Karen and Max, while the rest of us enjoyed the\nsand. We managed to get a photo of the whole group on the drive through\nPacific Grove.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021229_carmel/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Off to Carmel for the day"},{"content":"The series of storms has already taken out our power for a day and a half before my dad came to visit. Of course their visit couldn\u0026rsquo;t go by without it going out again. Everyone is trying to stay warm by the gas stove while they stare at the big TV with no picture. Time for books, games, and conversation to pass the time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021228_nopower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe series of storms has already taken out our power for a day and a half\nbefore my dad came to visit. Of course their visit couldn\u0026rsquo;t go by without it\ngoing out again. Everyone is trying to stay warm by the gas stove while they\nstare at the big TV with no picture. Time for books, games, and conversation\nto pass the time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The power is out again"},{"content":"Another stormy day, so we head indoors for some rock climbing at the Pacific Edge. The kids love clambering around on the bouldering section even if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t go very high. Gabe refuses to stop climbing even when he gets tired. I have to pull him off a few times when his arms and legs start shaking. Man this is fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother stormy day, so we head indoors for some rock climbing at the\n\u003ca href=\"https://pacificedgeclimbinggym.com\"\u003ePacific Edge\u003c/a\u003e. The kids love clambering\naround on the bouldering section even if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t go very high. Gabe refuses\nto stop climbing even when he gets tired. I have to pull him off a few times\nwhen his arms and legs start shaking. Man this is fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021227_bouldering/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking the kids bouldering"},{"content":"The big day has finally arrived and it\u0026rsquo;s time to start opening presents. It\u0026rsquo;s the usual feeding frenzy. We\u0026rsquo;re happy to have my dad, Karen, and Max visiting again this year.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a break in the storm and I can\u0026rsquo;t pass up the opportunity to go for a ride before the rain starts again. My dad seems to get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing me exhausted after a hard ride.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big day has finally arrived and it\u0026rsquo;s time to start opening presents. It\u0026rsquo;s\nthe usual feeding frenzy. We\u0026rsquo;re happy to have my dad, Karen, and Max visiting\nagain this year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021225_christmas/24.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a break in the storm and I can\u0026rsquo;t pass up the opportunity to go for a\nride before the rain starts again. My dad seems to get a lot of enjoyment out\nof seeing me exhausted after a hard ride.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun on Christmas day"},{"content":"There are so many gifts under the tree, we finally give in to the begging and let the kids open a few early. Uncle Scott gave Gabe the biggest ball he\u0026rsquo;s even seen. It\u0026rsquo;s constantly blocking our hallways, but it certainly is his favorite present. Meanwhile, Charlotte, Karen, and Max strike a pose.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021224_gifts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere are so many gifts under the tree, we finally give in to the begging and\nlet the kids open a few early. Uncle Scott gave Gabe the biggest ball he\u0026rsquo;s\neven seen. It\u0026rsquo;s constantly blocking our hallways, but it certainly is his\nfavorite present. Meanwhile, Charlotte, Karen, and Max strike a pose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021224_gifts/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021224_gifts/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A few Christmas gifts to whet the appetite"},{"content":"Before the startup bug consumed me and all my free time, I loved road bicycling. Its been quite a few years, but I finally made the commitment to make it part of my life again. I was amazed at how quickly I was able to climb the mountains again and get back the strength and endurance I built over many years of riding. I\u0026rsquo;m almost up to riding every day again and I\u0026rsquo;m feeling great.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021223_bike/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBefore the startup bug consumed me and all my free time, I loved road\nbicycling. Its been quite a few years, but I finally made the commitment to\nmake it part of my life again. I was amazed at how quickly I was able to climb\nthe mountains again and get back the strength and endurance I built over many\nyears of riding. I\u0026rsquo;m almost up to riding every day again and I\u0026rsquo;m feeling\ngreat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David on the bike once again"},{"content":"The wind was really blowing during this latest storm. Plenty of power outages and trees down. The golf course in our neighborhood took a big hit with many trees having fallen. Here\u0026rsquo;s a big one that went down near the club house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021216_storm/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe wind was really blowing during this latest storm. Plenty of power outages\nand trees down. The golf course in our neighborhood took a big hit with many\ntrees having fallen. Here\u0026rsquo;s a big one that went down near the club house.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The storm takes its toll"},{"content":"We headed out to Half Moon Bay today when most people stayed home to wait out the storm. I enjoy being outside on days like this. The waves are really rolling in and we enjoy the view from the car for a little while. The seagulls are intriguing with how they line up into the wind while standing around. There\u0026rsquo;s also no shortage of puddles to play in.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021215_halfmoonbay/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe headed out to Half Moon Bay today when most people stayed home to wait out\nthe storm. I enjoy being outside on days like this. The waves are really\nrolling in and we enjoy the view from the car for a little while. The seagulls\nare intriguing with how they line up into the wind while standing around.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s also no shortage of puddles to play in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021215_halfmoonbay/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021215_halfmoonbay/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021215_halfmoonbay/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021215_halfmoonbay/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"It's stormy in Half Moon Bay"},{"content":"I think Charlotte has something against the look of our refrigerator. She works hard at covering every square inch with photos of family and friends. It might also be that it\u0026rsquo;s something we all look at very regularly and even the old pictures always put a smile on my face whenever I see them. OK, I really like it too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021212_fridge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think Charlotte has something against the look of our refrigerator. She works\nhard at covering every square inch with photos of family and friends. It might\nalso be that it\u0026rsquo;s something we all look at very regularly and even the old\npictures always put a smile on my face whenever I see them. OK, I really like\nit too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021212_fridge/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021212_fridge/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021212_fridge/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A refrigerator full of photos"},{"content":"Aunt Charlotte sent these groovy vegetables (among many other wonderful holiday gifts). As you can tell from the photos, Annabel has a real knack for cooking, just like her mommy, Bridget.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021210_annabel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAunt Charlotte sent these groovy vegetables (among many other wonderful holiday\ngifts). As you can tell from the photos, Annabel has a real knack for cooking,\njust like her mommy, Bridget.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021210_annabel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021210_annabel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021210_annabel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021210_annabel/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chef Annabel"},{"content":"The campground at Henry Cowell may be closed, but that just means less of a crowd. We pack up a lunch and head out to the campgrounds followed by some great hiking. It\u0026rsquo;s mostly downhill to the river and then a long uphill hike back out. The kids held up great. Everyone made it out on their own two feet, even if just barely. It\u0026rsquo;s a great way to spend the day before the rain hits tomorrow.\nCharlotte sees a great opportunity for some more mushroom shots. Interesting to compare them to those in Bootjack. This may be turning into a regular subject.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021208_henrycowell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe campground at Henry Cowell may be closed, but that just means less of a\ncrowd. We pack up a lunch and head out to the campgrounds followed by some\ngreat hiking. It\u0026rsquo;s mostly downhill to the river and then a long uphill hike\nback out. The kids held up great. Everyone made it out on their own two feet,\neven if just barely. It\u0026rsquo;s a great way to spend the day before the rain hits\ntomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in the redwoods at Henry Cowell"},{"content":"We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house, so I suppose it shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be surprising that our kids have learned to be flexible in showing their holiday spirit. It sure was a shock when I saw the decorating job they did on themselves. They sure are having fun though.\nAlong more traditional lines, everyone helps out decorating the tree after a quick shower. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t look too bad for a fake tree. We\u0026rsquo;ll having a few problems with the lights this year. May have to hang the menorah on the tree if it gets too dark.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021202_decorating/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house, so I suppose it\nshouldn\u0026rsquo;t be surprising that our kids have learned to be flexible in showing\ntheir holiday spirit. It sure was a shock when I saw the decorating job they\ndid on themselves. They sure are having fun though.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021202_decorating/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021202_decorating/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021202_decorating/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021202_decorating/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong more traditional lines, everyone helps out decorating the tree after a\nquick shower. Doesn\u0026rsquo;t look too bad for a fake tree. We\u0026rsquo;ll having a few\nproblems with the lights this year. May have to hang the menorah on the tree\nif it gets too dark.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Decorating the tree and the kids"},{"content":"George, Ellen, and the kids stayed with us after Thanksgiving last night. Monica got plenty of quality girl time in with her cousins, while Gabe and Zach clearly enjoyed each other\u0026rsquo;s company. I got in a great bike ride with George and we enjoyed another beautiful day in Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021129_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge, Ellen, and the kids stayed with us after Thanksgiving last night.\nMonica got plenty of quality girl time in with her cousins, while Gabe and\nZach clearly enjoyed each other\u0026rsquo;s company. I got in a great bike ride with\nGeorge and we enjoyed another beautiful day in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021129_hoyems/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021129_hoyems/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021129_hoyems/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021129_hoyems/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyems come for a sleep over"},{"content":"George and Ellen are over the house for a short visit before heading over to Valri\u0026rsquo;s house for Thanksgiving dinner. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a few dishes for the meal to prepare and some relaxing to do before we go. The kids spend their time jumping on the trampoline, while George and I catch up on things out on the deck.\nWe squeeze in a few holiday photos before we head out. You\u0026rsquo;re likely to see one of these as our holiday family photo.\nGeorge, Ellen, and their family take the opportunity as well.\nOver at Valri\u0026rsquo;s house, everyone is enjoying themselves including Charlotte.\nGabe and Zachary have been having a blast all day. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Doug isn\u0026rsquo;t very far out of the frame.\nPlenty of pictures of the group hanging out while dinner is cooking. Kim\u0026rsquo;s mother Gloria and his sister Karen are in town with their family. Their kids are all grown now. It\u0026rsquo;s frightening to think how much time has past. Seems like only yesterday that I saw them when they were just little kids. Best not to dwell on it.\nThe kids have got the best table for dinner. I\u0026rsquo;m eating with them next year. I don\u0026rsquo;t think Joe is into hanging with the little ones.\nWe did dinner buffet style again this year. There are so many dishes to choose from, it\u0026rsquo;s the only way things can really work. I think Charlie is at the between-tables stage of life just like Joe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021128_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and Ellen are over the house for a short visit before heading over to\nValri\u0026rsquo;s house for Thanksgiving dinner. We\u0026rsquo;ve got a few dishes for the meal to\nprepare and some relaxing to do before we go. The kids spend their time\njumping on the trampoline, while George and I catch up on things out on the\ndeck.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021128_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021128_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021128_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021128_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe squeeze in a few holiday photos before we head out. You\u0026rsquo;re likely to see one\nof these as our holiday family photo.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at Valri's"},{"content":"Charlotte, Valri, and Charlie headed out to Bootjack for a visit with Gordon and Charlotte. It\u0026rsquo;s getting pretty cold out there, but they\u0026rsquo;ve certainly got that holiday spirit going. This is quite the festive truck in front of the Office Shop in Calumet.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what Charlotte was thinking with this picture, but that sure is a nice pile of rocks. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of rocks in the U.P.\nAnd besides rocks, you can always count on fishing too. I love how the rest of the country has soda machines, while up north you can find bait machines. Anyone for a can of night crawlers or leeches?\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021121_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Charlie headed out to Bootjack for a visit with Gordon\nand Charlotte. It\u0026rsquo;s getting pretty cold out there, but they\u0026rsquo;ve certainly got\nthat holiday spirit going. This is quite the festive truck in front of the\nOffice Shop in Calumet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021121_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what Charlotte was thinking with this picture, but that sure\nis a nice pile of rocks. There\u0026rsquo;s always plenty of rocks in the U.P.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte visiting in Bootjack"},{"content":"We originally got our cats Tasha and Daisy as part of our overall pest control program a few years ago. We had quite a bad wood rat problem, and after catching tons using traps, we wanted a better long term control mechanism. It\u0026rsquo;s also convenient that the kids always like a new pet in the family. Thankfully the weather here is so mild, they both live outside all year round. You can always count on them to show up promptly around dinner time for their food. Funny how that works.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021117_cats/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe originally got our cats Tasha and Daisy as part of our overall pest control\nprogram a few years ago. We had quite a bad wood rat problem, and after\ncatching tons using traps, we wanted a better long term control mechanism.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also convenient that the kids always like a new pet in the family.\nThankfully the weather here is so mild, they both live outside all year round.\nYou can always count on them to show up promptly around dinner time for their\nfood. Funny how that works.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"It's cat feeding time"},{"content":"Charlotte keeps telling me that she\u0026rsquo;s had enough with Char\u0026rsquo;s Natural Therapeutics as far as sales goes. But naturally there\u0026rsquo;s always just one more show or some group of people that are just dying to get a few more bath salts, oils, or eye pillows. The Bernina sees a lot of work this time of year especially with the holidays coming up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021116_sewing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte keeps telling me that she\u0026rsquo;s had enough with Char\u0026rsquo;s Natural\nTherapeutics as far as sales goes. But naturally there\u0026rsquo;s always just one more\nshow or some group of people that are just dying to get a few more bath salts,\noils, or eye pillows. The Bernina sees a lot of work this time of year\nespecially with the holidays coming up.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte sewing more therapeutic packs"},{"content":"My dad, Karen, and Max are in town for the holidays. An always popular destination is Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz for those shopping inclined. Low and behold, we run into Santa at the local sweet shop.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021212_downtownsc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy dad, Karen, and Max are in town for the holidays. An always popular\ndestination is Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz for those shopping\ninclined. Low and behold, we run into Santa at the local sweet shop.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021212_downtownsc/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Strolling around in downtown Santa Cruz"},{"content":"After a traditional Multer birthday night at for pu-pu platter at the local Chinese restaurant, we head home for presents and cake. Monica picked out a cookies and cream ice cream cake that was so good, I\u0026rsquo;m sorry we got it. The presents were a big hit as well. Charlotte made her an awesome new blanket. She also got the sheep dog stuffed animal she had been longing for, the Spiderman movie, some software for her new PC, and jewelry. Nick and Gabe got a few party favors as well. The slinky was a big hit with Gabe.\nAfter presents, it\u0026rsquo;s time for some cake. I\u0026rsquo;ve got to keep an eye on Charlotte and the cake.\nAfter everyone has their fill of cake, Abby attacks Nick in the hope of getting a piece for herself.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021105_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a traditional Multer birthday night at for pu-pu platter at the local\nChinese restaurant, we head home for presents and cake. Monica picked out a\ncookies and cream ice cream cake that was so good, I\u0026rsquo;m sorry we got it. The\npresents were a big hit as well. Charlotte made her an awesome new blanket.\nShe also got the sheep dog stuffed animal she had been longing for, the\nSpiderman movie, some software for her new PC, and jewelry. Nick and Gabe got\na few party favors as well. The slinky was a big hit with Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"Monica wanted to do a road trip to Yosemite for her birthday. We headed out Friday night and got at the Tenaya Lodge late that evening. First thing in the morning we headed into the park. We first stopped at the Mariposa Grove to check out the big Sequoia trees. We often visit the big redwood trees at Henry Cowell in Santa Cruz.\nWe stopped for the first big view of the valley. You come out of a tunnel and get blown away by the scene. No matter how many times we\u0026rsquo;ve been to Yosemite, it\u0026rsquo;s always amazing.\nOnce we\u0026rsquo;re down in the valley, the kids are ready for some play time. We head over to lower Yosemite falls via a river bed. That fallen tree is a lot of fun.\nCloser to the trail head, there are plenty of rocks to climb on. Lots of mysterious caves tempt the kids with their dark recesses.\nTurns out the trail head is closed, so we head up to the upper Yosemite falls trail head. Along the way we find lots more rocks to climb on and some very cool looking trees. We also enjoy watching rock climbers scaling the larger rocks.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a really steep trail up to the top of the falls. Charlotte and I have done this hike before and it\u0026rsquo;s pretty brutal. The kids really want to go for it, but we\u0026rsquo;ll see how far we get. The trail turns out to be a lot of fun, and Gabe proves to be a real tropper leading the way pretty much halfway up the trail. Lots of great views along the way.\nOnce we\u0026rsquo;re back down, it\u0026rsquo;s time for climbing on rocks again. Nick transforms himself into some type of pine tree bull and chases Gabe around.\nBy this time the kids are pretty well tuckered out. We head over to the shuttle bus stop and wait for the next one. Gabe decides he needs to make an emergency pit stop.\nAfter a long day we head back to the lodge. On the way out we stop in a field across from El Capitan. One last romp through the meadow and some spectacular views of one gigantic granite cliff.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica wanted to do a road trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e for\nher birthday. We headed out Friday night and got at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.visittenaya.com\"\u003eTenaya Lodge\u003c/a\u003e\nlate that evening. First thing in the morning we headed into the park. We first\nstopped at the Mariposa Grove to check out the big Sequoia trees. We often\nvisit the big redwood trees at Henry Cowell in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021102_yosemite/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe stopped for the first big view of the valley. You come out of a tunnel and\nget blown away by the scene. No matter how many times we\u0026rsquo;ve been to Yosemite,\nit\u0026rsquo;s always amazing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Yosemite"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s class went on a field trip to the [UCSC Long Marine Lab] (https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu) today. The Seymour Discovery Center is like a tiny Monterey Bay Aquarium, but more focused on the work the scientist\u0026rsquo;s do at the lab. It\u0026rsquo;s a great location and always a great trip. Here\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s class assembled out front waiting for the tour to start.\nSince I did this trip last year, I\u0026rsquo;m free to roam around the area while the kids learn all about the lab. It\u0026rsquo;s a tremendous day outside and it\u0026rsquo;s nice to enjoy the view. I sure do love living on the bay.\nThis cute little bird kept me company on the cliff.\nOnce the kids were done with the lab work, it was time to check out the touch tank and the other displays. This sea anemone was especially beautiful. The last photo are of a species of nudibranch. Looked like a cross between a sea slug and a jellyfish. These were very cool to watch.\nWe also went outside to check out the holding tanks for the sea lions and dolphins. It was a great day and everyone had a really great time. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to come back again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021101_marinelab/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s class went on a field trip to the [UCSC Long Marine Lab]\n(\u003ca href=\"https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu\"\u003ehttps://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu\u003c/a\u003e) today. The Seymour Discovery Center is like a\ntiny Monterey Bay Aquarium, but more focused on the work the scientist\u0026rsquo;s do at\nthe lab. It\u0026rsquo;s a great location and always a great trip. Here\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s class\nassembled out front waiting for the tour to start.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021101_marinelab/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince I did this trip last year, I\u0026rsquo;m free to roam around the area while the\nkids learn all about the lab. It\u0026rsquo;s a tremendous day outside and it\u0026rsquo;s nice to\nenjoy the view. I sure do love living on the bay.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's field trip to Long Marine Lab"},{"content":"School is over for the day, and now it\u0026rsquo;s time to play trick or treat in the neighborhood. Nick went for the scary mask this year, rather than the skeleton outfit. He\u0026rsquo;s finally outgrown it and it\u0026rsquo;s time to pass on the tradition to Gabe. Monica chose some type of spider woman outfit. I think she\u0026rsquo;s still hot on that look since playing the spider in the school play James and the Giant Peach. Charlotte and I load them up in the car and head over to aunt Valri\u0026rsquo;s house to hook up with their cousins.\nDoug and Gabe go for the same look, though Doug is actually the Grim Reaper since he has the scythe. Either way they look like quite a pair. The buckets may be empty now, but they\u0026rsquo;ll be overflowing very shortly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSchool is over for the day, and now it\u0026rsquo;s time to play trick or treat in the\nneighborhood. Nick went for the scary mask this year, rather than the skeleton\noutfit. He\u0026rsquo;s finally outgrown it and it\u0026rsquo;s time to pass on the tradition to\nGabe. Monica chose some type of spider woman outfit. I think she\u0026rsquo;s still hot\non that look since playing the spider in the school play James and the Giant\nPeach. Charlotte and I load them up in the car and head over to aunt Valri\u0026rsquo;s\nhouse to hook up with their cousins.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween in Santa Cruz"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s not quite Halloween, but it is time for some scary skating. They\u0026rsquo;re having a free school night at the roller rink in Scotts Valley and everyone gets dressed up. The thought of all those kids attracted by free skating for this one night only, is all the scaring I need. Gabe and Monica are very excited about going, and I\u0026rsquo;m thankful my awesome wife is willing to take them.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021024_rink/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s not quite Halloween, but it is time for some scary skating. They\u0026rsquo;re having\na free school night at the roller rink in Scotts Valley and everyone gets\ndressed up. The thought of all those kids attracted by free skating for this\none night only, is all the scaring I need. Gabe and Monica are very excited\nabout going, and I\u0026rsquo;m thankful my awesome wife is willing to take them.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween night at the roller rink"},{"content":"Charlotte has been looking forward to selling her wares at the church craft fair this weekend. Manufacturing kicked into full swing in preparation for the event. Plenty of bath salts, essential oils, and a whole collection of eye pillows and such. We\u0026rsquo;re not quite sure what will sell best.\nCharlotte got a table way in the back, but we\u0026rsquo;re hoping the fragrance will draw them in. Monica is spending most of the day with her mom to help out. Everything sure looks good. Her neighbors are sporting quite a few crosses.\nIn the end, the fair was a great success. Charlotte sold about half of all the product she brought, and was the number two seller for the entire fair. Hopefully next year she\u0026rsquo;ll get a better location.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021018_craftfair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has been looking forward to selling her wares at the church craft\nfair this weekend. Manufacturing kicked into full swing in preparation for the\nevent. Plenty of bath salts, essential oils, and a whole collection of eye\npillows and such. We\u0026rsquo;re not quite sure what will sell best.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021018_craftfair/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021018_craftfair/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021018_craftfair/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte got a table way in the back, but we\u0026rsquo;re hoping the fragrance will draw\nthem in. Monica is spending most of the day with her mom to help out.\nEverything sure looks good. Her neighbors are sporting quite a few crosses.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Char's Natural Therapeutics at the craft fair"},{"content":"My worst fears were realized this morning. I had a good run of luck catching raccoons, but I finally caught what I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to catch. Now I have to figure out what to do with this stinky creature. I won\u0026rsquo;t go into detail on the unfortunate series of events that followed, but let\u0026rsquo;s just say I spent the rest of the day dealing with this mess. In the end, I got rid of the skunk and traded it for a very smelly sauna. I think I\u0026rsquo;ll take a break from catching the local wildlife for a little while.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021016_skunk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy worst fears were realized this morning. I had a good run of luck catching\nraccoons, but I finally caught what I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to catch. Now I have to\nfigure out what to do with this stinky creature. I won\u0026rsquo;t go into detail on the\nunfortunate series of events that followed, but let\u0026rsquo;s just say I spent the\nrest of the day dealing with this mess. In the end, I got rid of the skunk and\ntraded it for a very smelly sauna. I think I\u0026rsquo;ll take a break from catching the\nlocal wildlife for a little while.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Oh no, I caught the skunk"},{"content":"Today is Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday, so again it\u0026rsquo;s time to beat an animal filled with candy, eat cake, and open presents. Nick normally loves birds, but I won\u0026rsquo;t tell. Everybody gets a turn, but this bird turns out to be especially tough.\nEventually the humans triumph and the frenzy to grab candy begins.\nWe take the head of the bird as a trophy.\nWhile Abby wonders why she didn\u0026rsquo;t get a turn.\nMoving on to phase two, we sit down for the cake Nick picked out. Looks like everyone likes it. Nick is already showing signs of the sugar rush.\nIn phase three, NIck opens his presents. A few of the things he got this year included a movie and a Spybotics Lego. Nick loves Legos and Bionicles.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToday is Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday, so again it\u0026rsquo;s time to beat an animal filled with\ncandy, eat cake, and open presents. Nick normally loves birds, but I won\u0026rsquo;t\ntell. Everybody gets a turn, but this bird turns out to be especially tough.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEventually the humans triumph and the frenzy to grab candy begins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe take the head of the bird as a trophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20021010_birthday/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Abby wonders why she didn\u0026rsquo;t get a turn.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday"},{"content":"Santa Cruz is home to quite a few artists. Every year they put on an Open Studios tour where local artists open their studios to the public. There\u0026rsquo;s quite a wide variety of art to suit every taste.\nMy wife\u0026rsquo;s sister, Valri Peyser, was admitted into this select club for the first time this year. Her new studio was a recent addition to their house and gives her a ton of room to work. Her style is very colorful as you can clearly see. She works on canvas and sometimes glass. She\u0026rsquo;s done a quite a few painted glass lamps that make great night lights.\nThere were so many paintings that they spilled out into the backyard as well. Visitors also had lots to snack on and drink. Naturally we have a few of these hanging in our house. Monica really enjoys her aunt\u0026rsquo;s artwork. Three of her boys were hanging for a while to soak up the art vibes too.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a few shots of Gabe\u0026rsquo;s buddy and cousin Doug. I\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what he thought of all this, but I sure would have loved to ask him.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021005_openstudios/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSanta Cruz is home to quite a few artists. Every year they put on an\n\u003ca href=\"https://santacruzopenstudios.com\"\u003eOpen Studios\u003c/a\u003e tour where local artists open\ntheir studios to the public. There\u0026rsquo;s quite a wide variety of art to suit every\ntaste.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy wife\u0026rsquo;s sister, Valri Peyser, was admitted into this select club for the\nfirst time this year. Her new studio was a recent addition to their house and\ngives her a ton of room to work. Her style is very colorful as you can clearly\nsee. She works on canvas and sometimes glass. She\u0026rsquo;s done a quite a few painted\nglass lamps that make great night lights.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Open Studios"},{"content":"I finally got fed up with the raccoons.\nThe little buggers were drawn in by the cat food we leave out for our two cats. Of course they also take every opportunity they can to get into our trash cans as well. It started as just one or two of the beasts, but lately I\u0026rsquo;ve discovered they\u0026rsquo;ve got 3 or more little ones. With one or two, I was happy to keep up with securing the trash can and always remembering to bring in leftover cat food. Now with a whole family, they seem to insist on searching out every nook and cranny hoping to find a treat. They also have this new habit of walking up the side of my white house and leaving it covered with tons of dirty little paw prints.\nIn the immortal words of Popeye, \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s all I can stand, I can\u0026rsquo;t stands no more!\u0026rdquo;. Time for a visit to the local hardware store and doll out the bucks for a live trap. Over the next 3 days I manage to nab all 3 kids. They certainly looked surprised when I checked on the trap each morning.\nNow transporting them to a new location wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be legal, so of course I didn\u0026rsquo;t do that. I did happen to take a picture of the woods near our house. Wouldn\u0026rsquo;t this be a much better home for a raccoon?\nI\u0026rsquo;ve still got the parents to catch, but it won\u0026rsquo;t be long before they join the rest of the family. If I haven\u0026rsquo;t given you enough details on our raccoons, be sure to check out Raccoon World for more information on these beasts than you can stand.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20021003_raccoon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI finally got fed up with the raccoons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe little buggers were drawn in by the cat food we leave out for our two cats.\nOf course they also take every opportunity they can to get into our trash cans\nas well. It started as just one or two of the beasts, but lately I\u0026rsquo;ve\ndiscovered they\u0026rsquo;ve got 3 or more little ones. With one or two, I was happy to\nkeep up with securing the trash can and always remembering to bring in\nleftover cat food. Now with a whole family, they seem to insist on searching\nout every nook and cranny hoping to find a treat. They also have this new\nhabit of walking up the side of my white house and leaving it covered with\ntons of dirty little paw prints.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Raccoon problem"},{"content":"Charlotte, Valri, and Karen have been making regular visits to see their parents while Charlotte hasn\u0026rsquo;t been feeling well. The weather is definitely cooling off up north, but fall is a very beautiful time of year. Here the girls are hanging out with Gordon by the lake and on the dock.\nCharlotte manages to find herself a little frog. Gabe and the rest of the kids will certainly be jealous.\nCharlotte and Valri go for a visit up to the big pond. It really is a beautiful time of year. But of course, every day in Bootjack is a beautiful day.\nCharlotte feels a bit artistic. These mushrooms really are very interesting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020929_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Valri, and Karen have been making regular visits to see their\nparents while Charlotte hasn\u0026rsquo;t been feeling well. The weather is definitely\ncooling off up north, but fall is a very beautiful time of year. Here the\ngirls are hanging out with Gordon by the lake and on the dock.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020929_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020929_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020929_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte manages to find herself a little frog. Gabe and the rest of the kids\nwill certainly be jealous.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte visiting Bootjack"},{"content":"Gordon and Valri\u0026rsquo;s houses at sunset. At least they\u0026rsquo;re not covered in snow yet. Wish I was there.\nBut now that I see Karen out on the dock looking cold and wet, maybe it was better that I stayed home.\nBut then again, Charlotte still looks great fishing off the end of the dock. I don\u0026rsquo;t think she caught the big pike this trip.\nI heard that Charlotte (senior) has been very busy with her paintings. I think a few of these are touchups of some stuff that Valri was working on as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon and Valri\u0026rsquo;s houses at sunset. At least they\u0026rsquo;re not covered in snow yet.\nWish I was there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut now that I see Karen out on the dock looking cold and wet, maybe it was\nbetter that I stayed home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut then again, Charlotte still looks great fishing off the end of the dock. I\ndon\u0026rsquo;t think she caught the big pike this trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020928_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI heard that Charlotte (senior) has been very busy with her paintings. I think\na few of these are touchups of some stuff that Valri was working on as well.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte visiting Bootjack"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri make it to their parents house, where there is never an end to the gardening that needs to get done. These shots are in front of Valri\u0026rsquo;s house. Of course you\u0026rsquo;ve got to get down and dirty to do a quality job.\nCharlotte always looks so happy up north. Of course I wish she was home with me and the kids, but I\u0026rsquo;m always glad to see her happy. She\u0026rsquo;s not quite a true yooper, but she tries.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020927_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri make it to their parents house, where there is never an end\nto the gardening that needs to get done. These shots are in front of Valri\u0026rsquo;s\nhouse. Of course you\u0026rsquo;ve got to get down and dirty to do a quality job.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020927_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020927_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020927_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020927_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte always looks so happy up north. Of course I wish she was home with me\nand the kids, but I\u0026rsquo;m always glad to see her happy. She\u0026rsquo;s not quite a true\nyooper, but she tries.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte visiting Bootjack"},{"content":"The last time I went to one of these was back in the 1980s. Man that was a long time ago. I happened to spot a great coupon in the Metro that said the faire had moved from Novato to Casa de Fruta. I figured with it being a whole lot closer, the kids would have a great time.\nIt was actually a great location and not too crowded for the first few hours. By the time we got out to the jousting area, it was a mob scene in a hot dust bowl. I managed to get a few shots of the action before I was forced to flee.\nBack in the safety and coolness of the wandering paths, Monica was unable to resist the pull of the hair braiders. Who thought she could actually look any cuter than she did already.\nThe food at these things is always a treat. We didn\u0026rsquo;t go for the giant turkey leg, but we certainly filled our bellies medieval style. They managed to strategically place kids swords for sale right by the exit. We of course left with a pair of wooden battle axes for Monica and Nick, and a wooden long sword for Gabe. When we get home, I\u0026rsquo;m sure I\u0026rsquo;m in for a royal battle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020914_rpf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe last time I went to one of these was back in the 1980s. Man that was a long\ntime ago. I happened to spot a great coupon in the Metro that said the\n\u003ca href=\"https://renfair.com\"\u003efaire\u003c/a\u003e had moved from Novato to Casa de Fruta. I figured with\nit being a whole lot closer, the kids would have a great time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was actually a great location and not too crowded for the first few hours.\nBy the time we got out to the jousting area, it was a mob scene in a hot dust\nbowl. I managed to get a few shots of the action before I was forced to flee.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Renaissance pleasure faire"},{"content":"I think Charlotte took these pictures as part of our refinance. Time to lock in those low rates yet again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020910_house/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think Charlotte took these pictures as part of our refinance. Time to lock in\nthose low rates yet again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020910_house/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020910_house/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our home"},{"content":"Charlotte is very happy now that she\u0026rsquo;s got her computer all to herself. The kids and I used accounts defined under Windows XP and would switch as needed. Most of the time I would be competing for time with Charlotte. Now each of the kids have their own computers and everyone is happily clicking away in each of their rooms. I finally made the switch over to my Mac, so Charlotte is on her own. She sure looks happy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020909_charlotte/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is very happy now that she\u0026rsquo;s got her computer all to herself. The\nkids and I used accounts defined under Windows XP and would switch as needed.\nMost of the time I would be competing for time with Charlotte. Now each of the\nkids have their own computers and everyone is happily clicking away in each of\ntheir rooms. I finally made the switch over to my Mac, so Charlotte is on her\nown. She sure looks happy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte at the computer"},{"content":"That old boating fever keeps coming back. I caught wind of a boat show in the area and decided to make a day of it with the family. The NCMA boat show was held in Jack London Square in Oakland. The show had both indoor displays and a large number of boats in slips. It was a beautiful day to be outside and around boats, and I had never been to this area of Oakland before. It\u0026rsquo;s a great area with lots to see and do.\nThe boats tended to be large cruisers with not a whole lot of fishing boats. Of course the big cruisers are loads of fun to check out. The big aluminum boat was very cool. It\u0026rsquo;s a heavy duty model mostly used by coast guards. We wanted to get a shot of that one for Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad. Gabe is checking out a very cool Shamrock fishing boat that I would be more than happy to take home with me.\nInside I found the boat for me. This fishing boat has a fully enclosed cabin. Just right for holding the family and keeping warm on those foggy Santa Cruz days in the bay. I didn\u0026rsquo;t bother getting a lot of pictures since the website has lots of great images. Feel free to send your donations towards the purchase of the awesome 2359 Hardtop.\nAfter getting our fill of many hours at the boat show, we hung out for a while in the square and had dinner. On the way back to the car, we decided to check out a movie to top off the day. I had planned to go to the science and astronomy museum after the boat show, but everyone was all tired out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020907_boatshow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThat old boating fever keeps coming back. I caught wind of a boat show in the\narea and decided to make a day of it with the family. The NCMA boat show was\nheld in Jack London Square in Oakland. The show had both indoor displays and a\nlarge number of boats in slips. It was a beautiful day to be outside and\naround boats, and I had never been to this area of Oakland before. It\u0026rsquo;s a\ngreat area with lots to see and do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat show in Oakland"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve been to quite a few places around the world, especially Europe, but I was really looking forward to my trip to Rome. I was headed out to Italy for a standards group meeting for the Open Mobile Alliance. I won\u0026rsquo;t bore you with what went on at the meetings, but unfortunately they chewed up most of my free time. I did manage to get a full day away to check out the city, but of course it had to be raining that day. Who really cares about getting wet anyway.\nI had a taxi drop me off somewhere in the city, and I then proceeded to do my new city tour. I just start walking and don\u0026rsquo;t stop until I\u0026rsquo;m exhausted. I then grab a taxi back to the hotel. I walked along the Forum and headed for the Colosseum first. Those diagrams of the Roman empires boundaries have always looked impressive to me.\nThe Colosseum was awesome. I\u0026rsquo;m not much for tours, so I hung out for a while and then continued my journey.\nBack along the other side of the road, I was able to thoroughly check out the Roman Forum.\nI never did get the name of this building, but the picture doesn\u0026rsquo;t do it justice.\nWalking through tons of back streets, I came across a unique shop. Guess this is where the pope and the cardinals do all their shopping.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s one of the many plazas I walked past. You\u0026rsquo;ll notice I never remember the names of these places. I tend to think it\u0026rsquo;s the experience that matters and I usually blow off the rest. The streets are very cool, and I really enjoy the aimless wondering.\nThe Pantheon was an amazing building. The dome is tremendous and I love the way it\u0026rsquo;s open to the sky. The plaza in front is a great place to hang out as well.\nThis was the Plaza de Navonne. I remember the name only because I spent a lot of time there. My feet were starting to hurt and I needed a break. It\u0026rsquo;s a great big open area with lots of opportunities for people watching.\nAfter a nice break, I headed across the river. Unlike the crowded city streets, this open area afforded some great views.\nI worked my way towards the Vatican and enjoyed another long break. I watched loads of people heading in to the Vatican, but felt content watching the people. I can only imagine how packed this area must get on some official event.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the one obligatory shot of myself before I continue on my trek.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020829_rome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve been to quite a few places around the world, especially Europe, but I was\nreally looking forward to my trip to Rome. I was headed out to Italy for a\nstandards group meeting for the Open Mobile Alliance. I won\u0026rsquo;t bore you with\nwhat went on at the meetings, but unfortunately they chewed up most of my free\ntime. I did manage to get a full day away to check out the city, but of course\nit had to be raining that day. Who really cares about getting wet anyway.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David in Rome"},{"content":"While I was in Rome for the week, Charlotte tooks the kids up to the San Francisco zoo with their cousins. I hear that they\u0026rsquo;ve rearranged things quite a bit since I was last up there. Charlotte went for our usual secret parking spot close to an entrance, but they closed that gate. Sounds like they\u0026rsquo;ve done a great job on the new layout. Guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to take the whole crew up again sometime soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020827_zoo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile I was in Rome for the week, Charlotte tooks the kids up to the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfzoo.org\"\u003eSan Francisco zoo\u003c/a\u003e with their cousins. I hear that\nthey\u0026rsquo;ve rearranged things quite a bit since I was last up there. Charlotte\nwent for our usual secret parking spot close to an entrance, but they closed\nthat gate. Sounds like they\u0026rsquo;ve done a great job on the new layout. Guess I\u0026rsquo;ll\nhave to take the whole crew up again sometime soon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day at the zoo"},{"content":"I hadn\u0026rsquo;t seen my uncle Jeff and aunt Eileen in such a long time. When Eileen called me to say she was coming to Santa Cruz for a dog show, I tried my best to talk Jeff into coming as well. To our great pleasure, even Ari came along. Eileen has got quite a travel setup for her three dogs Mary Jane, Luther, and Lacy.\nThe kids loved hanging with the dogs, though Abby seemed a bit overwhelmed with the sheepdog pack that came to town that day. Here Gabe can\u0026rsquo;t take his eyes off Mary Jane.\nMonica immediately fell for the dogs and followed Eileen everywhere, helping where she could. Monica couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist Mary Jane either and had a bit of fun dressing her up.\nHere are the pair of dog handlers. Monica\u0026rsquo;s always happy to have another woman in the house.\nAnd it\u0026rsquo;s always a great pleasure to have Jeff around.\nThe dog show was at Harvey West park. Eileen\u0026rsquo;s grooming stand was incredibly busy. Everyone seemed to be stopping by to check out these very cool looking dogs. Monica spent the day with Eileen and the dogs training to be the next show dog expert.\nHere they are heading over to the ring for the best in breed showing. These dogs always look so cool and relaxed. Guess they\u0026rsquo;ve been doing it for a while.\nEileen showed Luther, who was no stranger to winning being a champion already. Monica showed for her very first time with Mary Jane. She looked really nervous, but focused.\nAnd the judge heads over to let them both know they\u0026rsquo;ve won! Enjoy the winners posing for the cameras.\nNick watches the whole scene from the sidelines under deep cover. He\u0026rsquo;s in training for some CIA mission. I think. He\u0026rsquo;s not talking, and I suspect he would have to kill me if he did.\nThe dog show was such a big experience for Monica, all she can talk about is heading out to Colorado and joining Eileen for the next dog show. Something may have started here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020818_dogshow/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI hadn\u0026rsquo;t seen my uncle Jeff and aunt Eileen in such a long time. When Eileen\ncalled me to say she was coming to Santa Cruz for a dog show, I tried my best\nto talk Jeff into coming as well. To our great pleasure, even Ari came along.\nEileen has got quite a travel setup for her three dogs Mary Jane, Luther, and\nLacy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kids loved hanging with the dogs, though Abby seemed a bit overwhelmed with\nthe sheepdog pack that came to town that day. Here Gabe can\u0026rsquo;t take his eyes\noff Mary Jane.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Sheepdogs at the show"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s this beach north of Santa Cruz and just south of the Pigeon Point lighthouse that we call sand dune beach. It\u0026rsquo;s probably our very favorite beach in the whole area. It reminds me a lot of the beaches back on the east coast. It has towering grass covered sand dunes, a long walk to the water, and not a whole lot of people. It\u0026rsquo;s become a bit more crowded lately since they built a classy campground/lodge nearby.\nWe usually give George and Ellen a call and see if they want to drive down and meet us at the beach. They come through Half Moon Bay, so they pickup lunch at this awesome deli called the Garden Deli Cafe. We used to eat there regularly when we lived in Half Moon Bay. They make the most awesome bread for their sandwiches, but you have to get extra pickles for the sandwich to be complete.\nUsually we camp out on top of one of the sand dunes, but today we tried down on the beach. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome place to hang out.\nWhile the rest of us lazily enjoy the day, Gabe and Zachary start on the construction site. They\u0026rsquo;re digging with great fervor for something. It might be raptor fossils, or the plain joy of destroying a cliff. Either way and adult, in this case George, can\u0026rsquo;t resist watching and I suspect wishing he was 6 years old again.\nGeorge and I went off to explore the dunes and check out the view from the point. It\u0026rsquo;s a great short hike and when Charlotte and Ellen heard the tale when we got back, they decided to take the walk also. We didn\u0026rsquo;t take any pictures, but they did.\nNick is off on another secret mission. I think he was secretly observing Gabe and Zach, and most likely bombing them from on high.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020810_beach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s this beach north of Santa Cruz and just south of the Pigeon Point\nlighthouse that we call sand dune beach. It\u0026rsquo;s probably our very favorite beach\nin the whole area. It reminds me a lot of the beaches back on the east coast.\nIt has towering grass covered sand dunes, a long walk to the water, and not a\nwhole lot of people. It\u0026rsquo;s become a bit more crowded lately since they built a\nclassy campground/lodge nearby.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day at sand dune beach"},{"content":"Looks like both uncle Gordy and grandpa are needed to help Gabe land this northern pike. Gabe definitely gets the prize for best dock fish after landing a small mouth bass, and now a pike.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLooks like both uncle Gordy and grandpa are needed to help Gabe land this\nnorthern pike. Gabe definitely gets the prize for best dock fish after landing\na small mouth bass, and now a pike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020802_gabefishing/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe catches a pike"},{"content":"Guess we couldn\u0026rsquo;t get enough of the Dreamland for dinner. Tonight we dinner out with Gordon and Charlotte. The smaller kids got their own table, and Chris is hanging with the grownups now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020801_dreamland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGuess we couldn\u0026rsquo;t get enough of the Dreamland for dinner. Tonight we dinner out\nwith Gordon and Charlotte. The smaller kids got their own table, and Chris is\nhanging with the grownups now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020801_dreamland/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020801_dreamland/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020801_dreamland/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020801_dreamland/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dinner at Dreamland with the folks"},{"content":"The Dreamland restaurant is only a few miles from camp, and a good destination for dinner when we finally get tired of making dinner for our whole pile of kids. Here the three sets of cousins pass the time waiting for their food.\nGabe and Doug ham it up as usual for the camera.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Dreamland restaurant is only a few miles from camp, and a good destination\nfor dinner when we finally get tired of making dinner for our whole pile of\nkids. Here the three sets of cousins pass the time waiting for their food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug ham it up as usual for the camera.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020731_dreamland/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Dinner at Dreamland with the kids"},{"content":"Monica and Kayleen enjoy a cool dip in Lake Superior. It\u0026rsquo;s getting late, but the light is awesome and it\u0026rsquo;s very calm.\nLittle Gordy prefers to wander along the shore and leave the swimming to the girls.\nMeanwhile the rest of the boys work hard at getting the bonfire going. There\u0026rsquo;s something about boys and fire.\nValri and Gordy just hang out and enjoy the day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica and Kayleen enjoy a cool dip in Lake Superior. It\u0026rsquo;s getting late, but\nthe light is awesome and it\u0026rsquo;s very calm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLittle Gordy prefers to wander along the shore and leave the swimming to the\ngirls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the rest of the boys work hard at getting the bonfire going. There\u0026rsquo;s\nsomething about boys and fire.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eValri and Gordy just hang out and enjoy the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020730_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Another bonfire in Jacobsville"},{"content":"Gordy sent out the call for all kids to head for Houghton. We were heading for the surplus store for an unspecified mission. Charlie was to captain our trustworthy vessel under the watchful eye of master seaman Gordy. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure what\u0026rsquo;s behind Gabe\u0026rsquo;s expression, maybe he had his mouth open and a big mosquito flew in unexpectedly.\nThere were plenty of fun things to check out at the store. I had a load of fun in the hats section. Time to stock up on the fur hats before winter comes.\nOur supplies included camouflage paint and numchucks, which were quickly put to good use. Can anyone say Lord of the Flies?\nGabe had fun with the paint also, but I doubt he felt safe venturing into the woods with those beasts hiding somewhere.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020729_triptohoughton/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordy sent out the call for all kids to head for Houghton. We were heading for\nthe surplus store for an unspecified mission. Charlie was to captain our\ntrustworthy vessel under the watchful eye of master seaman Gordy. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure\nwhat\u0026rsquo;s behind Gabe\u0026rsquo;s expression, maybe he had his mouth open and a big\nmosquito flew in unexpectedly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020729_triptohoughton/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020729_triptohoughton/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020729_triptohoughton/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were plenty of fun things to check out at the store. I had a load of fun\nin the hats section. Time to stock up on the fur hats before winter comes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trip to Houghton for wilderness supplies"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s been fishing off the dock pretty much every day since we got here. First thing in the morning, he runs to the dock. Whenever he has time during the day, off to the dock for more fishing. Late at night trying to get him to bed, he wants to fish just a little longer. Most of the time he\u0026rsquo;s catching small rock bass. Occasionally he catches a sucker and has to find someone to get it off the hook.\nWell all the patient fishing has finally paid off. Gabe managed to hook a small mouth bass. It\u0026rsquo;s a monster catch compared to his usual catch, and he\u0026rsquo;s beaming. He spent most of the day wondering around camp showing everyone the fish over and over again.\nIf he keeps this up, he\u0026rsquo;ll be going out on the boat to get some lake trout in Superior pretty soon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020728_gabesbass/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s been fishing off the dock pretty much every day since we got here. First\nthing in the morning, he runs to the dock. Whenever he has time during the\nday, off to the dock for more fishing. Late at night trying to get him to bed,\nhe wants to fish just a little longer. Most of the time he\u0026rsquo;s catching small\nrock bass. Occasionally he catches a sucker and has to find someone to get it\noff the hook.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's small mouth bass"},{"content":"We decided to spend the day doing a road trip. Our first stop was the Delaware copper mine. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to the Quincy mine before, but we had heard great things about this one. The tour was excellent and quite a bit different in style from the Quincy. Our tour guide was full of humorous anecdotes. We even got buzzed by a bunch of bats while we were down there. An old style drill was on display, and I\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what that blurry picture was.\nThe grounds above the mine had a great collection of paths and ruins. The old buildings used to be things like the pump house. The mine is starts at the top of a hill with a great view.\nThe ruins made for excellent photos.\nAfter the mine, we headed up to the Keewenaw Lodge for lunch and some fresh air. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful old wooden log lodge that serves up some great food. I hear that Gordon and Charlotte head up here sometimes for special dinner celebrations. They have a great garden out back where the kids played for a while after we finished lunch.\nAfter the lodge, we headed for Copper Harbor. Man, there are a lot of rocks on this beach! There\u0026rsquo;s a very cool lighthouse across the bay.\nWe spent some time around the harbor and shops. Look, they have geese here too, what a surprise. I think the Keewenaw Star is on some lighthouse tour. Might have to do that next year.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020727_delawaremine/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to spend the day doing a road trip. Our first stop was the Delaware\ncopper mine. We\u0026rsquo;ve been to the Quincy mine before, but we had heard great\nthings about this one. The tour was excellent and quite a bit different in\nstyle from the Quincy. Our tour guide was full of humorous anecdotes. We even\ngot buzzed by a bunch of bats while we were down there. An old style drill was\non display, and I\u0026rsquo;m not quite sure what that blurry picture was.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Delaware mine road trip"},{"content":"Probably one of the kids favorite pastimes is catching frogs. I\u0026rsquo;m sure we had some collection of frogs and toads in the sauna pretty much every night. They caught so many of them that they stopped giving them names. Of course I\u0026rsquo;m sure we saw the same frogs quite a few times. Gabe is showing off his frog in his new frog facts shirt. Can you tell what little boy loves frogs?\nHere we go again for a boating adventure on Portage lake. Charlotte has got her captain Ahab face on. Gabe looks concerned about a possible keel-hauling.\nAs we look longingly back on the camp, we wonder if we\u0026rsquo;ll make it back alive. Better listen to the captain.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020724_frogs/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eProbably one of the kids favorite pastimes is catching frogs. I\u0026rsquo;m sure we had\nsome collection of frogs and toads in the sauna pretty much every night. They\ncaught so many of them that they stopped giving them names. Of course I\u0026rsquo;m sure\nwe saw the same frogs quite a few times. Gabe is showing off his frog in his\nnew frog facts shirt. Can you tell what little boy loves frogs?\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Frogs and a boat ride"},{"content":"The big drama this year was Gordon\u0026rsquo;s leg. He got some kind of infection near his ankle from some mysterious source. Unfortunately his regular doctor was not available, and the first diagnosis was some skin infection. He took medicine for a long time without a lot of success. He made quite a few visits including this trip to the hospital to pump him full of antibiotics and make sure he rested. We all stopped by to raise his spirits.\nWhen his doctor did get back, he took him off the antibiotics given the lack of improvement. His guess was that it was some type of spider bite and he put him on anti-venom. It seemed to quickly heal up after that and I\u0026rsquo;m happy to report his leg is all better. I think he spent nearly a month with the leg trouble. We unfortunately missed our fishing trip to Standard Rock. It\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait till next year.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s always some daylight left up in Bootjack during the summer. And that means there\u0026rsquo;s always some time for fishing off the dock.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020719_theleg/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big drama this year was Gordon\u0026rsquo;s leg. He got some kind of infection near\nhis ankle from some mysterious source. Unfortunately his regular doctor was\nnot available, and the first diagnosis was some skin infection. He took\nmedicine for a long time without a lot of success. He made quite a few visits\nincluding this trip to the hospital to pump him full of antibiotics and make\nsure he rested. We all stopped by to raise his spirits.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon in the hospital for his leg, and a bit of fishing"},{"content":"The past few years we\u0026rsquo;ve seen an increasing number of bald eagles up north. There\u0026rsquo;s a pair of adults with a whole pile of adolescents. They appear to hang out in a specific tree just a bit south of us. Here are a few shots of one of the young eagles. He let us look for a little while before he decided we were a bit too close for comfort.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020715_baldeagle/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe past few years we\u0026rsquo;ve seen an increasing number of bald eagles up north.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a pair of adults with a whole pile of adolescents. They appear to hang\nout in a specific tree just a bit south of us. Here are a few shots of one of\nthe young eagles. He let us look for a little while before he decided we were\na bit too close for comfort.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bald eagles in Bootjack"},{"content":"here\u0026rsquo;s a place in Houghton called Chutes and Ladders. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome playground we take the kids to sometimes. It has a nice little beach where the you can see Gabe enjoying himself. Charlie looks like he\u0026rsquo;s ready to leave though. That\u0026rsquo;s the Ranger in the background coming back from a trip to Isle Royale.\nWhat you can\u0026rsquo;t see unfortunately is the huge slide structure that is the basis for the place\u0026rsquo;s name. It\u0026rsquo;s a huge towering set of ladders climbing to the top of 3 or 4 long slides. It\u0026rsquo;s well worth the climb. The beach is a good cooling off break after sliding for a while on a hot day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020713_chutesladders/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ehere\u0026rsquo;s a place in Houghton called Chutes and Ladders. It\u0026rsquo;s an awesome\nplayground we take the kids to sometimes. It has a nice little beach where the\nyou can see Gabe enjoying himself. Charlie looks like he\u0026rsquo;s ready to leave\nthough. That\u0026rsquo;s the Ranger in the background coming back from a trip to\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/isro/\"\u003eIsle Royale\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat you can\u0026rsquo;t see unfortunately is the huge slide structure that is the basis\nfor the place\u0026rsquo;s name. It\u0026rsquo;s a huge towering set of ladders climbing to the top\nof 3 or 4 long slides. It\u0026rsquo;s well worth the climb. The beach is a good cooling\noff break after sliding for a while on a hot day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Chutes and ladders"},{"content":"Another favorite trip when we\u0026rsquo;re up in Bootjack, is driving somewhere on the northern shore. There are lots of great rock beaches for agate picking. The black flies tend to be much worse, but you just have to stay alert. Those suckers will take a pint of blood without you even knowing. Here Gabe is having some fun by the waterfalls.\nWalking up and down the beaches is always fun. Everyone tries to find agates, or at least very cool looking rocks. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to resist the impulse to do the Yooper jig, and Valri is no exception.\nTime for a break at the Eagle Harbor Inn. Chris, Charlie, and Chris\u0026rsquo; friend are chillin, while Joey and Nick pound back some root beer. Gabe and Doug prepare for battle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020711_eagleriver/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother favorite trip when we\u0026rsquo;re up in Bootjack, is driving somewhere on the\nnorthern shore. There are lots of great rock beaches for agate picking. The\nblack flies tend to be much worse, but you just have to stay alert. Those\nsuckers will take a pint of blood without you even knowing. Here Gabe is\nhaving some fun by the waterfalls.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020711_eagleriver/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020711_eagleriver/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020711_eagleriver/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWalking up and down the beaches is always fun. Everyone tries to find agates,\nor at least very cool looking rocks. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to resist the impulse to do the\nYooper jig, and Valri is no exception.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trip to Eagle river"},{"content":"Well it\u0026rsquo;s that time of year to be in Bootjack again. It sure is a welcome site to see Charlotte (senior) in her black outfit and colorful hat. There\u0026rsquo;s always a bunch of new things around camp that you have to be briefed on. I suppose Valri is getting the latest scoop on one of the many gardens.\nI guess this family of geese has yet to learn that the Multer and Peyser kids are in town. For their own safety, it\u0026rsquo;s best for them to find a new location to lounge around for the next month. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Joey is admiring the beauty of these living creatures, or maybe something else.\nJacobsville is always a great destination not too far from Bootjack. It\u0026rsquo;s actually the southern entry for the Portage lake channel. That\u0026rsquo;s Lake Superior beyond the lighthouse. It\u0026rsquo;s a long walk out to the end, so it\u0026rsquo;s quite a nice adventure. That\u0026rsquo;s the Keewenaw Star heading out into the lake.\nLake Superior is very much cooler than Portage Lake. It\u0026rsquo;s incredibly clear and it\u0026rsquo;s nice and shallow right off the beach for quite a way. Monica has no trouble with the cold being used to the waters off Santa Cruz.\nChris brought a friend out from Santa Cruz for a week or so. Chris, his friend, and Charlie hang out and try for a suntan. Given the latitude, it\u0026rsquo;s typically a tough thing to do.\nNow for the real reason the boys get excited about going out to Jacobsville, building a bonfire. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of wood lying around and they aim to use it all.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020710_jacobsville/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWell it\u0026rsquo;s that time of year to be in Bootjack again. It sure is a welcome site\nto see Charlotte (senior) in her black outfit and colorful hat. There\u0026rsquo;s always\na bunch of new things around camp that you have to be briefed on. I suppose\nValri is getting the latest scoop on one of the many gardens.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020710_jacobsville/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020710_jacobsville/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI guess this family of geese has yet to learn that the Multer and Peyser kids\nare in town. For their own safety, it\u0026rsquo;s best for them to find a new location\nto lounge around for the next month. I\u0026rsquo;m sure Joey is admiring the beauty of\nthese living creatures, or maybe something else.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Some geese by the dock, then off to Jacobsville"},{"content":"Griffin was Nick\u0026rsquo;s pet bird. He was a cute blue parakeet that Nick loved carrying around on his shoulder. We didn\u0026rsquo;t have Griffin for very long, only a few months. A friend of Nick bought the bird and was looking for a new home for him. Nick has always loved Valri\u0026rsquo;s bird Toodles and had been lobbying for a bird of his own for some time. Griffin was a nice bird, but wasn\u0026rsquo;t quite in love with Nick the same way Toodles is.\nNow you might be asking why am I talking about Griffin in the past tense. Well since I took this picture, I found Griffin dead at the bottom of his cage, on of all days, Nick\u0026rsquo;s birthday. We still don\u0026rsquo;t know what the problem was, either a cold draft, or choking on some food. He was acting a bit weird for the past few days, eating constantly. Well needless to say, I was worried how Nick would take it. Plans immediately were started on Griffin 2. We\u0026rsquo;ll miss you Griffin, but life goes on.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020909_bird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGriffin was Nick\u0026rsquo;s pet bird. He was a cute blue parakeet that Nick loved\ncarrying around on his shoulder. We didn\u0026rsquo;t have Griffin for very long, only a\nfew months. A friend of Nick bought the bird and was looking for a new home\nfor him. Nick has always loved Valri\u0026rsquo;s bird Toodles and had been lobbying for\na bird of his own for some time. Griffin was a nice bird, but wasn\u0026rsquo;t quite in\nlove with Nick the same way Toodles is.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Griffin the parakeet"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s green thumb is really starting to show. This year\u0026rsquo;s garden is kickin some booty. We\u0026rsquo;ll be hauling in a huge number of tomatoes any day now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020705_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s green thumb is really starting to show. This year\u0026rsquo;s garden is\nkickin some booty. We\u0026rsquo;ll be hauling in a huge number of tomatoes any day now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020705_garden/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020705_garden/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020705_garden/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020705_garden/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's garden"},{"content":"Monica loves her new American doll we got in Chicago. She\u0026rsquo;s decided to call her Samantha, or Sammy for short. Here she is modeling her many adorable outfits. First up is her ice skating ensemble. Next is her urban outfit for trekking in the big city. Then she moves into her tennis outfit so she can meet up with the other American girls at the club. Finally she gets into her pajamas and it\u0026rsquo;s time for bed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020704_doll/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica loves her new American doll we got in Chicago. She\u0026rsquo;s decided to call her\nSamantha, or Sammy for short. Here she is modeling her many adorable outfits.\nFirst up is her ice skating ensemble. Next is her urban outfit for trekking in\nthe big city. Then she moves into her tennis outfit so she can meet up with\nthe other American girls at the club. Finally she gets into her pajamas and\nit\u0026rsquo;s time for bed.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's new doll Samantha"},{"content":"Gabe has been doing so great with his swimming lessons. Here he is learning to swim on his back in the Scotts Valley pool. He always has a lot of fun with this instructor. It\u0026rsquo;s also really tough to ever get those swim goggles off him. But he sure is having fun.\nMonica and I sit on the sidelines while Gabe has all the fun. Monica\u0026rsquo;s pretty entertained with Samantha and her matching sweatsuit outfit. What a pair they make.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020703_pool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe has been doing so great with his swimming lessons. Here he is learning to\nswim on his back in the Scotts Valley pool. He always has a lot of fun with\nthis instructor. It\u0026rsquo;s also really tough to ever get those swim goggles off\nhim. But he sure is having fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020703_pool/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020703_pool/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020703_pool/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020703_pool/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica and I sit on the sidelines while Gabe has all the fun. Monica\u0026rsquo;s pretty\nentertained with Samantha and her matching sweatsuit outfit. What a pair they\nmake.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Swimming lessons with Gabe"},{"content":"We decided to do a boat lunch cruise around Chicago for our last day. Scott got us a reservation on a fine ship called The Duck. In spite of the name, she was a fine ship. Annabel certainly liked the taste of her.\nAfter lunch, they held a variety of contests for the kids. The moment we heard the hula hoop was to be an event, the prize was as good as ours. Monica works those hips effortlessly and crushes the competition.\nWe were sad to leave everyone in Chicago and say goodbye to Lynda and Rachael. While we waited in the Chicago airport, Monica had her first chance to show off her new doll Samantha and their matching outfits. Wait till we get home and mom sees and hears all we\u0026rsquo;ve done.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to do a boat lunch cruise around Chicago for our last day. Scott got\nus a reservation on a fine ship called The Duck. In spite of the name, she was\na fine ship. Annabel certainly liked the taste of her.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020630_chicago/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter lunch, they held a variety of contests for the kids. The moment we heard\nthe hula hoop was to be an event, the prize was as good as ours. Monica works\nthose hips effortlessly and crushes the competition.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Monica head to Chicago"},{"content":"We started the day with a very big event for the girls. Lynda arranged for breakfast at the American Girl store downtown. We had a great breakfast that felt a lot like a little girl tea party. This of course was followed by an intense session of doll shopping for both Monica and Rachael. Monica made off with a new doll and a pile of new outfits, including a matching sweatsuit for herself. As you can see, she\u0026rsquo;s literally eating it up.\nWell we\u0026rsquo;re off again in the Shuttle to check out our next destination. Lynda and Scott are looked very excited.\nI unfortunately don\u0026rsquo;t have many photos, but our visit to the Shedd Aquarium was loads of fun. I have to admit that my first thought was, how can this possibly compare to the Monterey Bay Aquarium back home. Boy was I wrong. This place was awesome and even cooler than the Field Museum.\nAfter the aquarium, we walked around and enjoyed the day. Here Monica goofs it up for the camera with the Chicago skyline in the background.\nI managed to talk everyone into heading over to the Adler Planetarium next. I love astronomy, though I typically have a hard time getting others anywhere as interested a I am. I think everyone did manage to have a great time. It\u0026rsquo;s quite a beautiful building as well, with a great location right on the lake.\nOur last stop for this long day was the Navy Pier. Again I thought that this would be similar to the Santa Cruz boardwalk back home, and was immediately blown away by how spectacular the pier really was. We stayed out way past the girl\u0026rsquo;s bedtimes, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ll never forget this big day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020629_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe started the day with a very big event for the girls. Lynda arranged for\nbreakfast at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.americangirl.com\"\u003eAmerican Girl\u003c/a\u003e store downtown.\nWe had a great breakfast that felt a lot like a little girl tea party. This of\ncourse was followed by an intense session of doll shopping for both Monica and\nRachael. Monica made off with a new doll and a pile of new outfits, including\na matching sweatsuit for herself. As you can see, she\u0026rsquo;s literally eating it\nup.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Monica head to Chicago"},{"content":"Lynda gives me a call and suggests we meet in Chicago for Rachael\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Good chance for a trip to see Annabel and Monica loves to travel. How can I say no. We managed to pack quite a few events into our short trip, including this visit to the Field Museum. I think this is the T-Rex that Johnny Cash wrote a sing about, or maybe that was a man names Sue. The last two shots are a glimpse into what it was probably like for our early ancestors in the Stone Age. Notice the prominent brow ridges.\nWe spent a good part of the day toruing around on the free shuttle buses they have downtown. It\u0026rsquo;s a great ride on a beautiful day, but the traffic was horrendous. There was a big event going on this weekend, guess we\u0026rsquo;ll take the car next time.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020628_chicago/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda gives me a call and suggests we meet in Chicago for Rachael\u0026rsquo;s birthday.\nGood chance for a trip to see Annabel and Monica loves to travel. How can I\nsay no. We managed to pack quite a few events into our short trip, including\nthis visit to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fieldmuseum.org\"\u003eField Museum\u003c/a\u003e. I think this is\nthe T-Rex that Johnny Cash wrote a sing about, or maybe that was a man names\nSue. The last two shots are a glimpse into what it was probably like for our\nearly ancestors in the Stone Age. Notice the prominent brow ridges.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Monica head to Chicago"},{"content":"My dad (Ira) and Karen went on a cruise to Alaska with my uncle David and aunt Carole. I hear that they enjoyed the glaciers, gardens, and spectacular food.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy dad (Ira) and Karen went on a cruise to Alaska with my uncle David and aunt\nCarole. I hear that they enjoyed the glaciers, gardens, and spectacular food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/46.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"47\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/47.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"48\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/48.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"49\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/49.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"50\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/50.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"51\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/51.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"52\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/52.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"53\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/53.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"54\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/54.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"55\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/55.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"56\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/56.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"57\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/57.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"58\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/58.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"59\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/59.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"60\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020628_alaska/60.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira and Karen in Alaska"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re up in Burlingame visiting with George and his family. Here the kids are having fun in the hot tub. Zachary and Gabe have a great time together, and when all the girl cousins can get together, it\u0026rsquo;s always a thrill. Nick doesn\u0026rsquo;t like to go anywhere without his mask and snorkel. Trouble ahead.\nYour author hanging in the kitchen with George, Ellen, and Charlotte.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day on the drive home down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. These photos are just north of Pigeon Point, and by Big Basin state park. This has always been a big windsurfing and hang gliding spot, but the kite surfers are a new thing. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s thinking, one day that\u0026rsquo;ll be me.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020623_hoyemvisit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re up in Burlingame visiting with George and his family. Here the kids are\nhaving fun in the hot tub. Zachary and Gabe have a great time together, and\nwhen all the girl cousins can get together, it\u0026rsquo;s always a thrill. Nick doesn\u0026rsquo;t\nlike to go anywhere without his mask and snorkel. Trouble ahead.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020623_hoyemvisit/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020623_hoyemvisit/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020623_hoyemvisit/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour author hanging in the kitchen with George, Ellen, and Charlotte.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020623_hoyemvisit/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day on the drive home down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. These\nphotos are just north of Pigeon Point, and by Big Basin state park. This has\nalways been a big windsurfing and hang gliding spot, but the kite surfers are a\nnew thing. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s thinking, one day that\u0026rsquo;ll be me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting with George, and a drive by the coast"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s got quite a crop planted this year. Lots of tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, corn, peppers, zucchini, green beans, peas, pumpkins, and more. We\u0026rsquo;ve added a few more planting boxes this year. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s also done a lot with filling in the paths and adding lots of flowers. We also added two apricot trees, and some berry vines. This is also the only place we can grow roses with the deer in the area. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to start harvesting.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020522_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s got quite a crop planted this year. Lots of tomatoes, lettuce,\neggplant, corn, peppers, zucchini, green beans, peas, pumpkins, and more.\nWe\u0026rsquo;ve added a few more planting boxes this year. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s also done a lot\nwith filling in the paths and adding lots of flowers. We also added two\napricot trees, and some berry vines. This is also the only place we can grow\nroses with the deer in the area. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to start harvesting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's garden"},{"content":"Monica played the part of the spider in Roald Dahl\u0026rsquo;s story James and the Giant Peach. If you haven\u0026rsquo;t read the story, or seen the movie, go get it for your kids. The Stinky Cheese Man and his version of the Three Little Pigs are also big favorites in our house. Monica did an awesome job as did all her classmates.\nNick and Gabe had a great time too. I think Gabe was very impressed with Monica\u0026rsquo;s performance.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020516_peach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica played the part of the spider in Roald Dahl\u0026rsquo;s story \u003cem\u003eJames and the Giant\nPeach\u003c/em\u003e. If you haven\u0026rsquo;t read the story, or seen the movie, go get it for your\nkids. The \u003cem\u003eStinky Cheese Man\u003c/em\u003e and his version of the \u003cem\u003eThree Little Pigs\u003c/em\u003e are also\nbig favorites in our house. Monica did an awesome job as did all her\nclassmates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020516_peach/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick and Gabe had a great time too. I think Gabe was very impressed with\nMonica\u0026rsquo;s performance.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica in James and the Giant Peach"},{"content":"Don\u0026rsquo;t quite recall what this photo was from, but clearly George and Ellen came down to Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020429_moms/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDon\u0026rsquo;t quite recall what this photo was from, but clearly George and Ellen came\ndown to Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Ellen"},{"content":"Gabe\u0026rsquo;s class had a polka night. He was very excited about all of us coming to see him dance and have a great time. There\u0026rsquo;s quite a few shots of him with his friend Gabi. If only they invited some of the parents to join in also. I sure wish I was in kindergarten again.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s class had a polka night. He was very excited about all of us coming to\nsee him dance and have a great time. There\u0026rsquo;s quite a few shots of him with his\nfriend Gabi. If only they invited some of the parents to join in also. I sure\nwish I was in kindergarten again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020429_polkadance/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe does the polka"},{"content":"George tells me that Zachary has got baseball fever. He can\u0026rsquo;t get enough of the game and practices all the time. It almost sounds as if some environmental trigger turned on something built into his DNA. Well he sure looks like he\u0026rsquo;s having a great time, and who knows what the future will bring.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020429_zachary/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge tells me that Zachary has got baseball fever. He can\u0026rsquo;t get enough of the\ngame and practices all the time. It almost sounds as if some environmental\ntrigger turned on something built into his DNA. Well he sure looks like he\u0026rsquo;s\nhaving a great time, and who knows what the future will bring.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Zachary the baseball star"},{"content":"Flat Stanley was a school project for Lynda\u0026rsquo;s daughter Rachael. She made this cool little guy and then sent him on vacation with his cousin Gabe in California. We took a number of photos of Gabe and his new friend having fun at our house. He bounced on the trampoline, played with Abby, climbed on our playground, and went on the swings. Gabe tells me he and Stanley had a great day. Maybe we can have Stanley over again some other day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020424_flatstanley/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFlat Stanley was a school project for Lynda\u0026rsquo;s daughter Rachael. She made this\ncool little guy and then sent him on vacation with his cousin Gabe in\nCalifornia. We took a number of photos of Gabe and his new friend having fun\nat our house. He bounced on the trampoline, played with Abby, climbed on our\nplayground, and went on the swings. Gabe tells me he and Stanley had a great\nday. Maybe we can have Stanley over again some other day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's friend Flat Stanley"},{"content":"We had been talking about a road trip for some time. It came down to a choice between a few exciting destinations. The choices were the Grand Canyon, the Oregon coast, or Yosemite. Charlotte and I had been to the Oregon coast a long time ago when we were living in Colorado and had really loved it. We\u0026rsquo;ve also done road trips up the coast, but never quite past the Oregon border. Charlotte had done the Grand Canyon a really long time ago, but the distance didn\u0026rsquo;t go well with the few days we could take. We\u0026rsquo;re off to the Oregon coast!\nWe drove up I-5 so we could get there as quick as we could. Our first stop when we got to the coast was a town called Florence. We found a nice hotel right at the mouth of the river where we could unwind after the long drive. The pool was a big bonus.\nAfter breakfast, we were all excited to get to the big sand dunes. The weather wasn\u0026rsquo;t cooperating a whole lot, but you\u0026rsquo;ve got to tell yourself it\u0026rsquo;s only water. Our first stop was Honeyman state park. The sand dunes here are unbelievable. They say they get to over 300 feet tall. Climbing dunes is such a blast. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a remarkable distance to the ocean. The kids and I hiked out through the dunes for a long time and never actually reached the ocean. We saw quite a few dune buggies having fun on the dunes as well.\nWe made another stop further south at Bolon state park. There was a view of some more dunes, but actually not a whole lot to do here.\nJust past the park in Bolon, we stopped to check out the Umpqua lighthouse. One of these days it might be cool to get a photo of every lighthouse we see. I think it would make a great story.\nSpeaking of lighgthouses, our next stop was the Coquille lighthouse in Bandon. We had a great tour inside the lighthouse and then went out on the beach to check out something big we saw from above. It turned out to be this big dead ray. It stunk like crazy, but the kids loved it.\nWe then stopped on the other side of the river in Bandon to go rock picking. This beach was totally covered in tons of cool rocks and driftwood.\nBecause we had such a good time in this area so far, we decided to stop at the Bandon state park even though it didn\u0026rsquo;t look like much from the road. It turned out to be an awesome beach. It was very quiet with lots of great rock formations. We played here for a long while.\nSomewhere along the road heading south, we were forced to stop for this terrifying T-Rex. It\u0026rsquo;s probably a famous landmark.\nThe sun was finally starting to come out as we stopped at a large beach in Brookings.\nWe finally crossed the border into California and stopped at . Looks a whole lot like Oregon, except for the sun. We also stopped seeing all the logging along the highway that was everywhere in Oregon.\nAlong the highway we came across a nice meadow with what looked like deer crossing signs. It turned out to be a big elk area. We stopped to enjoy a herd grazing.\nWe then made a stop at Patrick\u0026rsquo;s Point state park. We walked along stunning narrow paths out to the top of this big rock. The view was incredible.\nWe wound up packing so much sightseeing into one day, that we had to find a place for the night in the dark. You know when you say, let\u0026rsquo;s drive just a little further and see what the next town looks like. Well we kept this up until past the kid\u0026rsquo;s bedtimes and found ourselves in Willits. Can\u0026rsquo;t say I saw much of the town, but here we are getting ready to leave. Don\u0026rsquo;t ask me about the significance of the caging of our children.\nWe\u0026rsquo;re now back in familiar territory as we make a stop in San Francisco at the Presidio.\nWe make one last stop in Davenport before finally making it home to Santa Cruz. Looks like it\u0026rsquo;ll be a sunny, warm day when we get home. The trip has been a blast, but I\u0026rsquo;ll be happy to stop driving for a while. I guess the Grand Canyon will be our next stop.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020404_oregon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had been talking about a road trip for some time. It came down to a choice\nbetween a few exciting destinations. The choices were the Grand Canyon, the\nOregon coast, or Yosemite. Charlotte and I had been to the Oregon coast a long\ntime ago when we were living in Colorado and had really loved it. We\u0026rsquo;ve also\ndone road trips up the coast, but never quite past the Oregon border.\nCharlotte had done the Grand Canyon a really long time ago, but the distance\ndidn\u0026rsquo;t go well with the few days we could take. We\u0026rsquo;re off to the Oregon\ncoast!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Road trip to Oregon"},{"content":"I really blew taking pictures for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday, but I did manage to capture his excitement for the new bike. He\u0026rsquo;s been hoping for a big boy bike for some time now. You can be sure he\u0026rsquo;ll be having a lot of fun today.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020328_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI really blew taking pictures for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s birthday, but I did manage to capture\nhis excitement for the new bike. He\u0026rsquo;s been hoping for a big boy bike for some\ntime now. You can be sure he\u0026rsquo;ll be having a lot of fun today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020328_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020328_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday"},{"content":"Our family unfortunately didn\u0026rsquo;t make it out to aunt Carole and uncle David\u0026rsquo;s house for Passover this year, but someone was kind enough to forward these pictures. In other words, don\u0026rsquo;t complain about the picture quality. Looks like we missed out on a bunch of fun. John and Joni came down, and my dad (Ira), Karen, and Max came from North Carolina. Even my sister and her family came including Steve, Kyle, and Rachael. I love the shots of Karen nodding off. What a bonehead, we should have gone.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s everyone sitting down for the Seder. My that table looks fine.\nSome of the latest photos I\u0026rsquo;ve seen of Kyle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020327_passover/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur family unfortunately didn\u0026rsquo;t make it out to aunt Carole and uncle David\u0026rsquo;s\nhouse for Passover this year, but someone was kind enough to forward these\npictures. In other words, don\u0026rsquo;t complain about the picture quality. Looks like\nwe missed out on a bunch of fun. John and Joni came down, and my dad\n(Ira), Karen, and Max came from North Carolina. Even my sister and her family\ncame including Steve, Kyle, and Rachael. I love the shots of Karen nodding\noff. What a bonehead, we should have gone.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Passover at Carole's"},{"content":"Charlotte has been making eye pillows and hot/cold packs for friends for some time. She\u0026rsquo;s expanded her repertoire recently and had an opportunity to sell some items at a friend\u0026rsquo;s home. Manufacturing went into full swing on a whole line of eye pillows, packs, oils, and bath salts. They\u0026rsquo;re becoming very popular in the area and she\u0026rsquo;s starting to sell quite a few. Here are those humble beginnings.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020326_sale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has been making eye pillows and hot/cold packs for friends for some\ntime. She\u0026rsquo;s expanded her repertoire recently and had an opportunity to sell\nsome items at a friend\u0026rsquo;s home. Manufacturing went into full swing on a whole\nline of eye pillows, packs, oils, and bath salts. They\u0026rsquo;re becoming very\npopular in the area and she\u0026rsquo;s starting to sell quite a few. Here are those\nhumble beginnings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020326_sale/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Char's Natural Therapeutics"},{"content":"Our new neighbor just moved into across the street. It\u0026rsquo;s actually quite a tale, but I\u0026rsquo;ll only give the short version. These are well known business people in our area, and they used to live next door to Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s sister on the other side of the neighborhood. Turns out they\u0026rsquo;re was very little love lost between the two neighbors and they eventually moved away. I can\u0026rsquo;t really say if there was ever any real connection. It then turns out they move across the street from her sister, but we\u0026rsquo;re hopeful it won\u0026rsquo;t get as tense as it was with Valri.\nYou can get a great feel for the friendliness they exude from the metal gate and no parking sign. For reference, there are almost no gates in our neighborhood, and it\u0026rsquo;s already not permitted to park in the street. We live on a narrow hilly road where each home has significant acreage. This is no city street, though it sure feels like one with this sign. Thankfully I can\u0026rsquo;t even see their house unless I walk out to the road.\nOnce my brother gets rolling on his Neighborhole website again, I\u0026rsquo;m sure I can post some good tales.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020315_neighbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur new neighbor just moved into across the street. It\u0026rsquo;s actually quite a tale,\nbut I\u0026rsquo;ll only give the short version. These are well known business people in\nour area, and they used to live next door to Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s sister on the other\nside of the neighborhood. Turns out they\u0026rsquo;re was very little love lost between\nthe two neighbors and they eventually moved away. I can\u0026rsquo;t really say if there\nwas ever any real connection. It then turns out they move across the street\nfrom her sister, but we\u0026rsquo;re hopeful it won\u0026rsquo;t get as tense as it was with\nValri.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our friendly neighbor"},{"content":"Well it\u0026rsquo;s not actually new, only mostly new, but I just attached the numbers. Turns out after maybe 50 years for the homes on this small street, the county wanted to assign us all with new numbers. The new home that went up in the background triggered a county assignment of a new number, when they discovered the existing numbers were not following the correct sequence. Somehow the sequence issue was translated into a possible failure for emergency vehicles being unable to find our homes. There was a load rejection of the proposal to change addresses and the compromise was the clear placement of numbers that would avoid any confusion. I hope I can keep this address for at least another 50 years.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020315_mailbox/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWell it\u0026rsquo;s not actually new, only mostly new, but I just attached the numbers.\nTurns out after maybe 50 years for the homes on this small street, the county\nwanted to assign us all with new numbers. The new home that went up in the\nbackground triggered a county assignment of a new number, when they discovered\nthe existing numbers were not following the correct sequence. Somehow the\nsequence issue was translated into a possible failure for emergency vehicles\nbeing unable to find our homes. There was a load rejection of the proposal to\nchange addresses and the compromise was the clear placement of numbers that\nwould avoid any confusion. I hope I can keep this address for at least another\n50 years.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new mailbox"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri are up in Bootjack again for a visit with their parents. Man it\u0026rsquo;s cold up there! Here they are at the Miscowaubik Club in Calumet. Gordon plays lots of bridge at the club. It\u0026rsquo;s also where we held their 50th anniversary party.\nValri and Charlotte venture out into the cold for a bit of cross country skiing and snow shoeing.\nGordon and Charlotte do some serious bundling up before leaving Valri\u0026rsquo;s house.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri are up in Bootjack again for a visit with their parents.\nMan it\u0026rsquo;s cold up there! Here they are at the Miscowaubik Club in Calumet.\nGordon plays lots of bridge at the club. It\u0026rsquo;s also where we held their 50th\nanniversary party.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eValri and Charlotte venture out into the cold for a bit of cross country skiing\nand snow shoeing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020301_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordon and Charlotte do some serious bundling up before leaving Valri\u0026rsquo;s house.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"It's really cold in Bootjack"},{"content":"No, I wasn\u0026rsquo;t off to Cannes to accept an award for some great new movie I directed. I was scheduled to speak on a panel at the 3GSM World Congress. It was a real shame that Charlotte couldn\u0026rsquo;t make it out with me for the week. I wound up in a hotel in Moujin called Le Mas Candille. The hotel was awesome, though the only photo I took was from my balcony. I really didn\u0026rsquo;t want to rub it in.\nThe conference was very busy, being the biggest telecom event in the world. The room I presented in was a giant super plush theatre. I guess this is where all the big stars come during the Cannes Film Festival. It was very cool being up on that same stage.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020218_cannes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo, I wasn\u0026rsquo;t off to Cannes to accept an award for some great new movie I\ndirected. I was scheduled to speak on a panel at the 3GSM World Congress. It\nwas a real shame that Charlotte couldn\u0026rsquo;t make it out with me for the week. I\nwound up in a hotel in Moujin called \u003ca href=\"https://www.mascandille.com\"\u003eLe Mas Candille\u003c/a\u003e. The hotel was\nawesome, though the only photo I took was from my balcony. I really didn\u0026rsquo;t want\nto rub it in.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David goes to Cannes"},{"content":"Monica breaks out the makeup case and goes to town. Nothing tops painting on your own body, except maybe painting on someone else\u0026rsquo;s body. Monica really shows off some artistic skill with these body designs. Maybe I should get her to help with the design of this site.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica breaks out the makeup case and goes to town. Nothing tops painting on\nyour own body, except maybe painting on someone else\u0026rsquo;s body. Monica really\nshows off some artistic skill with these body designs. Maybe I should get her\nto help with the design of this site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020213_markerfun/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Monica have fun with body drawings"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m sure these photos were part of some school project that I can\u0026rsquo;t quite recall. Anyway they make a nice sequence. All these were taken in the backyard by the edge of our canyon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020212_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m sure these photos were part of some school project that I can\u0026rsquo;t quite\nrecall. Anyway they make a nice sequence. All these were taken in the backyard\nby the edge of our canyon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2002/20020212_nick/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick"},{"content":"We usually go to the beach on the west side of the Santa Cruz harbor. It tends to get less of a crowd and the big concrete jacks are fun for the kids to play on. We decided today to have lunch on the east side and enjoy the beach and the harbor. Here the kids are mostly playing along the rocks and on the dredge pipe. There\u0026rsquo;s a decent view of the new lighthouse at the harbor entry.\nTime for burritos at the Palomar cafe on the beach. I love the big Palomar restaurant downtown, but this is good for a quick bite.\nWe checked out the boats for a while and this relatively new sitting area with some cool sundials. That\u0026rsquo;s the Crow\u0026rsquo;s Nest restaurant behind me, a very popular dinner destination. This is also where you go out on charter boats to catch local salmon. When Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s dad would come out in the spring, we would meet here at some ungodly hour to catch the boat. We would usually go out on the Shamrock and hopefully return with our limit of salmon. That is if the sea lions didn\u0026rsquo;t take them all.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020209_harbor/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe usually go to the beach on the west side of the Santa Cruz \u003ca href=\"https://www.santacruzharbor.org\"\u003eharbor\u003c/a\u003e.\nIt tends to get less of a crowd and the big concrete jacks are fun for the kids\nto play on. We decided today to have lunch on the east side and enjoy the\nbeach and the harbor. Here the kids are mostly playing along the rocks and on\nthe dredge pipe. There\u0026rsquo;s a decent view of the new lighthouse at the harbor\nentry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Day at the Santa Cruz harbor"},{"content":"For my birthday this year, Charlotte and I decided we would spend the day together doing something fun outside. Our destination was Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing. We got up early to take advantage of the tides and then headed out in our kayak. It was a beautiful and peaceful day for a paddle. Our tour was very interesting and there was no shortage of birds and other wildlife. We saw a huge jellyfish in the bay just beyond the US-1 overpass. I\u0026rsquo;ve been to the slough in the past as part of a school field trip with the kids. This place really goes way back into the mountains. There\u0026rsquo;s also a very nice beach on the other side of the bay.\nI was pretty wiped out after a full day in the sun, but I certainly had room to stuff my face with Chinese food later that evening. Unfortunately there was no Pu-Pu platter.\nWe did the cake and presents thing when we got back to the house. Man there are a lot of candles on that cake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020208_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor my birthday this year, Charlotte and I decided we would spend the day\ntogether doing something fun outside. Our destination was \u003ca href=\"https://elkhornslough.org\"\u003eElkhorn Slough\u003c/a\u003e\nin Moss Landing. We got up early to take advantage of the tides and then headed\nout in our kayak. It was a beautiful and peaceful day for a paddle. Our tour\nwas very interesting and there was no shortage of birds and other wildlife. We\nsaw a huge jellyfish in the bay just beyond the US-1 overpass. I\u0026rsquo;ve been to\nthe slough in the past as part of a school field trip with the kids. This\nplace really goes way back into the mountains. There\u0026rsquo;s also a very nice beach\non the other side of the bay.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's birthday"},{"content":"Now hail in January might not be an extraordinary thing in other parts of the country, but I can\u0026rsquo;t think of when it\u0026rsquo;s ever happened here in Santa Cruz. We used to get killer hail when we lived in Colorado. The kind of hail that totals a car. We tried to save some pieces, but it really was too small and melted as soon as you picked it up. Quite a treat.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020128_hail/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNow hail in January might not be an extraordinary thing in other parts of the\ncountry, but I can\u0026rsquo;t think of when it\u0026rsquo;s ever happened here in Santa Cruz. We\nused to get killer hail when we lived in Colorado. The kind of hail that\ntotals a car. We tried to save some pieces, but it really was too small and\nmelted as soon as you picked it up. Quite a treat.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"It's hailing in Santa Cruz"},{"content":"Now you might be asking yourself, why are they trying to feed crickets to a bird? Well that\u0026rsquo;s the cage we keep our leopard geckos in, but today it\u0026rsquo;s home to a wild bird. It appears that this bird hurt himself flying into our window, and the kids wanted to nurse him back to health. Our cats would have taken the bird down in an instant if Charlotte hadn\u0026rsquo;t come to the rescue.\nAfter some recuperation time in the tank, we let the bird go on its merry way. Not really sure what the future held for our friend, but I hope things worked out for the best.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2002/20020115_thebird/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNow you might be asking yourself, why are they trying to feed crickets to a\nbird? Well that\u0026rsquo;s the cage we keep our leopard geckos in, but today it\u0026rsquo;s home\nto a wild bird. It appears that this bird hurt himself flying into our window,\nand the kids wanted to nurse him back to health. Our cats would have taken the\nbird down in an instant if Charlotte hadn\u0026rsquo;t come to the rescue.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Wild bird rescue"},{"content":"We met up with George and his family this weekend. The rendezvous point for this part of the day was a place called Maverick\u0026rsquo;s. If you\u0026rsquo;re any kind of surfer, I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;ve heard of this spot. Normally you don\u0026rsquo;t think of Half Moon Bay as a surf mecca, but some of the biggest waves on the planet roll in here and it attracts only the most fearless. There\u0026rsquo;s even a book on the place.\nWe didn\u0026rsquo;t bring any boards, but there\u0026rsquo;s more than enough fun anyway. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of a long walk out to the beach along the north side of Half Moon Bay. We used to live not far from here, but amazingly we never got to this beach. George told us about it and off we went. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty gray and cold as usual, but nowhere near as bad as getting into the water.\nWe hiked over the top of a ridge and followed the path down to the beach. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty remote, so we\u0026rsquo;re pretty much on our own once we get down there. Of course no kid can resist a drainage channel, and our kids are no exception.\nOnce the novelty of the ditch wears off, it\u0026rsquo;s down to serious beach business. It really is an excellent beach.\nAfter hiking out, we get a few last shots of George, Gabe, and Zach with Maverick\u0026rsquo;s in the background.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011231_mavericks/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe met up with George and his family this weekend. The rendezvous point for\nthis part of the day was a place called Maverick\u0026rsquo;s. If you\u0026rsquo;re any kind of\nsurfer, I\u0026rsquo;m sure you\u0026rsquo;ve heard of this spot. Normally you don\u0026rsquo;t think of Half\nMoon Bay as a surf mecca, but some of the biggest waves on the planet roll in\nhere and it attracts only the most fearless. There\u0026rsquo;s even a \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/081182652X/102-2322051-5290508\"\u003ebook\u003c/a\u003e on\nthe place.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun at the beach by Maverick's"},{"content":"We decided to meet up with George and his family a little further north this weekend. Low tide at at the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss beach is a great adventure. We first had lunch (from the Garden Deli of course) at the picnic area and then headed down for the beach. There\u0026rsquo;s also a very popular restaurant nearby called the Moss Beach Distillery. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty interesting ghost story if you want to check it out. Anyway there are some good shots of Lindsey, Zachary, and Caroline as well as our kids Nick, Monica, and Gabe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011231_mossbeach/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe decided to meet up with George and his family a little further north this\nweekend. Low tide at at the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss beach is a\ngreat adventure. We first had lunch (from the \u003ca href=\"https://sanbenitohouse.com/garden-deli-cafe\"\u003eGarden Deli\u003c/a\u003e of course)\nat the picnic area and then headed down for the beach. There\u0026rsquo;s also a very\npopular restaurant nearby called the \u003ca href=\"https://mossbeachdistillery.com\"\u003eMoss Beach Distillery\u003c/a\u003e. It\u0026rsquo;s a\npretty interesting ghost story if you want to check it out. Anyway there are\nsome good shots of Lindsey, Zachary, and Caroline as well as our kids Nick,\nMonica, and Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lunch and tide pools in Moss beach"},{"content":"Winter is a pretty brutal thing in the Upper Penninsula, but there\u0026rsquo;s actually a lot less snow up there than usual for this time of year. Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin and the clubhouse look great with their new yellow trim. We still call it Rose\u0026rsquo;s even though it\u0026rsquo;s now Valri\u0026rsquo;s.\nGrandma\u0026rsquo;s cottage and the main house have gone through a whole lot of winters. We usually stay at Grandma\u0026rsquo;s cottage when we\u0026rsquo;re up in the summer.\nValri\u0026rsquo;s house is looking great. You can just make out a part of the studio in the first photo.\nThe lake is certainly the most beautiful site any time of the year. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t look frozen enough to venture out on this time of year. When it\u0026rsquo;s solid, it\u0026rsquo;s great fun to go snowshoeing or snowmobiling.\nCharlotte is keeping warm inside.\nWhile Gordy, George, and little Gordy bundle up and try some snowmobiling. Little Gordy is ready for action.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011228_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWinter is a pretty brutal thing in the Upper Penninsula, but there\u0026rsquo;s actually a\nlot less snow up there than usual for this time of year. Rose\u0026rsquo;s cabin and the\nclubhouse look great with their new yellow trim. We still call it Rose\u0026rsquo;s even\nthough it\u0026rsquo;s now Valri\u0026rsquo;s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011228_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011228_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011228_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandma\u0026rsquo;s cottage and the main house have gone through a whole lot of winters.\nWe usually stay at Grandma\u0026rsquo;s cottage when we\u0026rsquo;re up in the summer.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Winter and snowmobiling in Bootjack"},{"content":"Toodles is Valri\u0026rsquo;s cockatiel. It\u0026rsquo;s really a very nice bird and he gets along great with the kids. He even whistles the theme to Ed, Edd n Eddy. Here he is hanging with Gabe.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011227_toodles/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eToodles is Valri\u0026rsquo;s cockatiel. It\u0026rsquo;s really a very nice bird and he gets along\ngreat with the kids. He even whistles the theme to Ed, Edd n Eddy. Here he is\nhanging with Gabe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_toodles/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Toodles the cockatiel"},{"content":"An always popular destination when family or friends are in town is Carmel. There\u0026rsquo;s loads of shopping, art, food, and great beaches. I normally would have to include golf, but given the scarcity of anyone that can play in the family prevents me from mentioning it. There are a few very cool trees at the top of the hill above the beach. A few of these are great shots.\nCarmel has one of the few white sand beaches that I know of on the entire coast. These aren\u0026rsquo;t quite the warm east coast beaches that Ira and Karen are used to, but our kids are totally at home. Nick is having a lot of fun burying Monica, while Gabe and I comb the beach for interesting bits.\nWe managed to work in quite a bit of shopping. I want to go back to the beach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAn always popular destination when family or friends are in town is Carmel.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s loads of shopping, art, food, and great beaches. I normally would have\nto include golf, but given the scarcity of anyone that can play in the family\nprevents me from mentioning it. There are a few very cool trees at the top of\nthe hill above the beach. A few of these are great shots.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011227_carmel/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Going to Carmel with Ira and Karen"},{"content":"While my dad was in town, we filled our days with a pretty good variety of trips. We weren\u0026rsquo;t ready for the long trip up to Napa, but the Santa Cruz area is home to a few good wineries. Here we\u0026rsquo;ve stopped at the Boony Doon Vineyards tasting room. They have a very large variety of wines and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We definitely need to head up to Napa the next time they\u0026rsquo;re in town.\nAnother fun local destination is Capitola. They have a great little beach the kids always enjoy playing on. There are also a number of very good little restaurants. The whole crew poses for a few photos.\nWe get a lot of deer in our neighborhood. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist a quick shot of a family scurrying on the hill as we come down our street.\nGabe and I spend a lot of time every weekend just wondering around the property. There\u0026rsquo;s always cool new things to see. We turn over lots of rocks and wood looking for interesting creatures. I can\u0026rsquo;t recall, but I think Gabe is showing off a salamander we just found.\nMonica poses for a quick shot on the kitchen counter.\nThough our property is pretty much a park all by itself, we still need to head to official parks occasionally. Here we\u0026rsquo;re at one of their favorites, Skypark in Scotts Valley. That big swing that Gabe is using is the most fun in the area. They\u0026rsquo;ve even got me on the teeter totter.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011226_dadvisit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile my dad was in town, we filled our days with a pretty good variety of\ntrips. We weren\u0026rsquo;t ready for the long trip up to Napa, but the Santa Cruz area\nis home to a few good wineries. Here we\u0026rsquo;ve stopped at the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com\"\u003eBoony Doon Vineyards\u003c/a\u003e tasting room. They have a very\nlarge variety of wines and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We definitely\nneed to head up to Napa the next time they\u0026rsquo;re in town.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun with Ira, Karen, and Max"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s pretty common for us to have Christmas dinner at our house. Valri, Kim, and their family joins us as well as George, Ellen, and their family. This year we have the great pleasure of having my dad(Ira), Karen, and Max in town also. Ellen and Kim enjoy some conversation before dinner is ready. George hams it up for the camera. My dad has got a big smile on his face. Max is playing it pretty cool. Charlotte is happy having so much family over even if it\u0026rsquo;s a bit overwhelming. Hey, that\u0026rsquo;s what Christmas is all about.\nAll this adult conversation isn\u0026rsquo;t much fun for the kids, but a bit of Playstation is just what the kid doctor ordered. Even Kim takes a break to watch the kids pummel some bad guy in the game. Doug, Gabe, and Zachary always have a blast together.\nAfter dinner and dessert, the kids take the opportunity to go for a whipped cream shot. They look an awful lot like baby birds in a nest. Man that stuff is good.\nThe next morning, most of the family is gone with the exception of Ira, Karen, and Max. They\u0026rsquo;ve staying with us for almost two weeks and we\u0026rsquo;ve got lots planned for their visit. Opening presents on Christmas morning is a great way to start the day. Some of the booty we made off with this year included CD players, bread machine, Lincoln logs, DVDs, robot toys, and more. Don\u0026rsquo;t mind all the pajamas.\nKaren and Max find presents from Santa too.\nGabe scores big with a giant crocodile. He\u0026rsquo;s our little Croc Hunter. ","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011224_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s pretty common for us to have Christmas dinner at our house. Valri, Kim,\nand their family joins us as well as George, Ellen, and their family. This\nyear we have the great pleasure of having my dad(Ira), Karen, and Max in town\nalso. Ellen and Kim enjoy some conversation before dinner is ready. George\nhams it up for the camera. My dad has got a big smile on his face. Max is\nplaying it pretty cool. Charlotte is happy having so much family over even if\nit\u0026rsquo;s a bit overwhelming. Hey, that\u0026rsquo;s what Christmas is all about.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The big Christmas dinner, and what Santa left for everyone"},{"content":"Time to get all dressed up for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s big singing performance at school. Here\u0026rsquo;s our crew posing in front of the Christmas tree.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s one last huddle before going on stage. All the performers are prepped one last time before the big show. Time for one last question.\nMonica and Nick patiently wait for a glimpse of their brother Gabe, the star.\nThe room is packed and we never get seats up front for these events. I think you have to get there the day before. Look for Gabe in the front row, to right of center in the white turtleneck.\nAfter the performance, Nick poses with his good friend Gabi. Look out Broadway.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011218_singing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime to get all dressed up for Gabe\u0026rsquo;s big singing performance at school. Here\u0026rsquo;s\nour crew posing in front of the Christmas tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s one last huddle before going on stage. All the performers are prepped one\nlast time before the big show. Time for one last question.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica and Nick patiently wait for a glimpse of their brother Gabe, the star.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011218_singing/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe room is packed and we never get seats up front for these events. I think\nyou have to get there the day before. Look for Gabe in the front row, to right\nof center in the white turtleneck.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's singing performance at school"},{"content":"Charlotte and Valri head up to Bootjack early this year. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom isn\u0026rsquo;t feeling well, and the girls head out to cheer her up and visit their dad. Winter is an incredibly beautiful time of year in Bootjack. It seems practically like being at the north pole. The sun sets very early and way out of the position we\u0026rsquo;re used to in the summer. You can always count on fantastic sunsets up north.\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s Christmas tree goes down hard. Seems that Charlotte and Valri aren\u0026rsquo;t used to real trees. When it dries up, I guess it\u0026rsquo;s a bit too top heavy with all those trimmings.\nCharlotte and Valri spend a lot of time helping their mom with her projects. Here\u0026rsquo;s the first glimpse of the 36 legal file boxes of manuscripts she\u0026rsquo;s been working on for the past 40 years. There\u0026rsquo;s lots more coming.\nYou gotta bundle up in winter time up north. Charlotte, Valri, and Gordon enjoy the brisk weather.\nThe group makes a trip out to the big pond up on Valri\u0026rsquo;s property. I\u0026rsquo;m sure there will be a lot of snowmobiling going through here once the snow accumulates.\nThe beavers have been very active. Gordon has to break out the chain saw to clear the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011207_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Valri head up to Bootjack early this year. Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s mom isn\u0026rsquo;t\nfeeling well, and the girls head out to cheer her up and visit their dad.\nWinter is an incredibly beautiful time of year in Bootjack. It seems\npractically like being at the north pole. The sun sets very early and way out\nof the position we\u0026rsquo;re used to in the summer. You can always count on fantastic\nsunsets up north.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Valri in Bootjack"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re over Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house for Joe\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Joe, Doug and Nick crowd around the birthday boy while he opens presents. You gotta love how Doug wears his hat the same way as his older brother.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011204_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re over Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house for Joe\u0026rsquo;s birthday. Joe, Doug and Nick crowd\naround the birthday boy while he opens presents. You gotta love how Doug wears\nhis hat the same way as his older brother.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Joe's birthday"},{"content":"Gabe and Doug look very happy hanging with Santa at the Capitola mall. It\u0026rsquo;s a pretty rare thing for us to be at the mall, let alone do the Santa\u0026rsquo;s lap routine. I have to say though, that it made a big impression on Gabe. Doug looks like he\u0026rsquo;s enjoying it a whole lot too. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s also sporting his favorite spike hair style just for Santa. Not a lot of snow outside though.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011130_mall/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe and Doug look very happy hanging with Santa at the Capitola mall. It\u0026rsquo;s a\npretty rare thing for us to be at the mall, let alone do the Santa\u0026rsquo;s lap\nroutine. I have to say though, that it made a big impression on Gabe. Doug\nlooks like he\u0026rsquo;s enjoying it a whole lot too. Gabe\u0026rsquo;s also sporting his favorite\nspike hair style just for Santa. Not a lot of snow outside though.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Doug sitting with Santa"},{"content":"George really outdid himself for Ellen\u0026rsquo;s 40th birthday. We met up in San Francisco at Hawthorne Lane. He invited a large group of people who were clearly happy to be there to join in the celebration. George spoke eloquently about Ellen, and was followed by a number of their friends and family telling private stories about Ellen. Both the food and the company were outstanding. George and Charlotte enjoy one of those great moments. It must be good having a twin. The paintings on the wall are quite a story, but this is a family site so I can\u0026rsquo;t go into detail.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011123_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge really outdid himself for Ellen\u0026rsquo;s 40th birthday. We met up in San\nFrancisco at Hawthorne Lane. He invited a large group of people who were\nclearly happy to be there to join in the celebration. George spoke eloquently\nabout Ellen, and was followed by a number of their friends and family telling\nprivate stories about Ellen. Both the food and the company were outstanding.\nGeorge and Charlotte enjoy one of those great moments. It must be good having\na twin. The paintings on the wall are quite a story, but this is a family site\nso I can\u0026rsquo;t go into detail.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ellen's birthday"},{"content":"We had Thanksgiving at Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house this year. George, Ellen, and their family came down for the night as well. Here Kim and Gabe enjoy each other\u0026rsquo;s company for a moment. Then Gabe collapses from the effort.\nMeanwhile the girls work hard on getting everything ready. Val, Charlotte, and Monica are a great team.\nhe kids get to eat at their own table in the kitchen. It works out best for the kids and the adults this way. Everyone is being remarkably civilized. I guess they really like the food. Gabe, Doug, and Zach are having fun checking out Toodles the bird. Lindsey and Caroline are so well mannered.\nEveryone is either busying getting things ready for dinner, or circling like vultures. I\u0026rsquo;m definitely in the latter camp as usual. A few people are already bringin their food over to the dining room table. Man the food looks great.\nCaroline and Zachary are getting ready to go after a great Thanksgiving at their Aunt Valri and Uncle Kim\u0026rsquo;s house. Zach is in a bit of a daze, maybe it was too much stuffing.\nLindsey, Caroline, and Zachary head back to our house for the night. Nick and Lindsey, Monica and Caroline, and Gabe and Zach pair off for what will probably be a stay up late sleep over. Charlotte and I will try to stay at our end of the house and let them have some fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011122_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had Thanksgiving at Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house this year. George, Ellen, and their\nfamily came down for the night as well. Here Kim and Gabe enjoy each other\u0026rsquo;s\ncompany for a moment. Then Gabe collapses from the effort.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011122_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011122_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011122_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the girls work hard on getting everything ready. Val, Charlotte, and\nMonica are a great team.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011122_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehe kids get to eat at their own table in the kitchen. It works out best for the\nkids and the adults this way. Everyone is being remarkably civilized. I guess\nthey really like the food. Gabe, Doug, and Zach are having fun checking out\nToodles the bird. Lindsey and Caroline are so well mannered.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at Valri's"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s Gabe showing off his spike hair. He always sees his Peyser cousins sporting this attractive coiffure, so of course he can\u0026rsquo;t resist. I can never do it right, so mom gets all the credit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011108_spikehair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s Gabe showing off his spike hair. He always sees his Peyser cousins\nsporting this attractive coiffure, so of course he can\u0026rsquo;t resist. I can never\ndo it right, so mom gets all the credit.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's spike hair"},{"content":"It was a big day at Brook Knoll today. All the classes were performing a variety of dances for everyone. Here Monica is a cowgirl doing more western dances than I had ever heard of. She was occasionally having a little trouble with her clogs falling off, but she did fantastic as usual. We never get tired of it of course.\nNick did a great job with his dancing too. As you might expect, at this grade the boys are a little less enthusiastic about dancing with girls. Give him a few years and let\u0026rsquo;s check again on what he thinks.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011107_dance/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt was a big day at Brook Knoll today. All the classes were performing a\nvariety of dances for everyone. Here Monica is a cowgirl doing more western\ndances than I had ever heard of. She was occasionally having a little trouble\nwith her clogs falling off, but she did fantastic as usual. We never get tired\nof it of course.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_dance/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_dance/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_dance/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_dance/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_dance/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNick did a great job with his dancing too. As you might expect, at this grade\nthe boys are a little less enthusiastic about dancing with girls. Give him a\nfew years and let\u0026rsquo;s check again on what he thinks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica and Nick square dancing"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s the latest addition to the clan, Annabel Multer. She\u0026rsquo;s about 2 months old in these pictures. It\u0026rsquo;s good to see Scott and Bridget as parents. I\u0026rsquo;ve been bugging Scott about it for a while. Their dog Joe has got some competition now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s the latest addition to the clan, Annabel Multer. She\u0026rsquo;s about 2 months\nold in these pictures. It\u0026rsquo;s good to see Scott and Bridget as parents. I\u0026rsquo;ve\nbeen bugging Scott about it for a while. Their dog Joe has got some\ncompetition now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011107_annabel/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Welcome Annabel Multer"},{"content":"Well it\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday again and the real treat is that grandma Phoebe is in town. Of course that awesome looking cake was pretty good too.\nGabe is anxiously awaiting his serving of cake, but he\u0026rsquo;s gotta get past grandma. Nick managed to get a piece and is chowing down. Gabe is trying to wait, but he might lose it at any moment. It might show grandma a side of him that she\u0026rsquo;s never seen before.\nNow that the cake is out of the way, it\u0026rsquo;s time to get down to the presents. Monica shows off her booty. Pretty nice haul, but you can always expect that with grandma in town.\nWe wouldn\u0026rsquo;t want Nick and Gabe to feel left out, so I guess it\u0026rsquo;s presents all around tonight. Gabe is very happy with his Lego Bionicle. I suspect he\u0026rsquo;ll be asking me or Nick for help with putting it together.\nAbby wants to know where her cake and presents are.\nMonica lets us know how much she\u0026rsquo;s enjoyed her birthday.\nAnd I\u0026rsquo;m compelled to take a picture of my feet. Go figure.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWell it\u0026rsquo;s Monica\u0026rsquo;s birthday again and the real treat is that grandma Phoebe is\nin town. Of course that awesome looking cake was pretty good too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011104_birthday/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe is anxiously awaiting his serving of cake, but he\u0026rsquo;s gotta get past\ngrandma. Nick managed to get a piece and is chowing down. Gabe is trying to\nwait, but he might lose it at any moment. It might show grandma a side of him\nthat she\u0026rsquo;s never seen before.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's birthday"},{"content":"Gabe is having an awesome time painting pinecones. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day and there\u0026rsquo;s nothing finer than making pinecones even more beautiful. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of like doing a coloring book. There are so many little facets you can paint all different colors. Gabe wants to be an artist one day like his uncle Scott.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011102_pinecones/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe is having an awesome time painting pinecones. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful day and\nthere\u0026rsquo;s nothing finer than making pinecones even more beautiful. It\u0026rsquo;s kind of\nlike doing a coloring book. There are so many little facets you can paint all\ndifferent colors. Gabe wants to be an artist one day like his uncle Scott.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe painting pinecones"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s that fun time of year again for the kids. There\u0026rsquo;s always something fun at school for Halloween. Kind of a warm up for the big event this evening. Gabe is the black kitty if you couldn\u0026rsquo;t tell.\nAt home, everyone gets into their real costumes. Monica is some kind of tiger woman, Nick is a skeleton, and Gabe is Zorro. I loved that show as a little boy. Good to see the tradition being carried on.\nNext stop is the Peyser home, so we can hook up with their cousins and start the candy tour in our neighborhood. Gabe and Doug do some posing before heading out. Doug looks like Nick\u0026rsquo;s little brother in that outfit. I think Gabe is going to be a skeleton next year.\nAbby decides to take a nap and avoid all the excitement. Her favorite toy hedgehog makes a great pillow.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s that fun time of year again for the kids. There\u0026rsquo;s always something fun at\nschool for Halloween. Kind of a warm up for the big event this evening. Gabe\nis the black kitty if you couldn\u0026rsquo;t tell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt home, everyone gets into their real costumes. Monica is some kind of tiger\nwoman, Nick is a skeleton, and Gabe is Zorro. I loved that show as a little\nboy. Good to see the tradition being carried on.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween"},{"content":"Nick\u0026rsquo;s all time favorite stuffed animal was this Komodo dragon. Not quite its natural home in Indonesia, but it looks happy in our garden just the same.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011031_komodo/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick\u0026rsquo;s all time favorite stuffed animal was this Komodo dragon. Not quite its\nnatural home in Indonesia, but it looks happy in our garden just the same.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's Komodo dragon"},{"content":"This time we\u0026rsquo;re off to meet our friends Lynn and Peter and their kids at Disneyland. Everyone is all excited as we take the shuttle bus over from the hotel to begin the day.\nTime for the group shot in Tomorrow Land. Looks a whole lot like the opening shot at Universal Studios. Now I remember, we\u0026rsquo;re in LA so it all makes sense.\nThere was some kind of indoor fun area with lots of areas for kids to experiment with various things. We also enjoyed hanging out in this strange car. I think this was in Tomorrow Land too.\nNick looks very frightened at the thought of entering the mouth of Monstro the whale. I\u0026rsquo;m happy to report that we survived the trip. We also made a stop at the Sword in the Stone. The kids all gave it a hearty try, but I\u0026rsquo;m sorry to say none of our kids was King Arthur.\nMonica volunteered for a quiz show. Here she is as Contestant Number 2. She did a great job in front of everyone, but didn\u0026rsquo;t come home with the car.\nI took a few miscellaneous shots including Shrek, the kids in Adventure Land, and a cute picture of Gabe.\nWe watched the parade before leaving the park. Lots of your favorite Disney characters including the Seven Dwarfs, the Little Mermaid, and of course Mickey the Mouse. We\u0026rsquo;ll certainly be coming back here many times in the future.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011026_disneyland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis time we\u0026rsquo;re off to meet our friends Lynn and Peter and their kids at\n\u003ca href=\"https://disneyland.disney.go.com\"\u003eDisneyland\u003c/a\u003e. Everyone is all excited as we\ntake the shuttle bus over from the hotel to begin the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011026_disneyland/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime for the group shot in Tomorrow Land. Looks a whole lot like the opening\nshot at Universal Studios. Now I remember, we\u0026rsquo;re in LA so it all makes sense.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011026_disneyland/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was some kind of indoor fun area with lots of areas for kids to\nexperiment with various things. We also enjoyed hanging out in this strange\ncar. I think this was in Tomorrow Land too.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Disneyland with the Mishkys"},{"content":"Another road trip for the Multers. This time we\u0026rsquo;re off to Universal Studios. We\u0026rsquo;re a little concerned about Gabe and some of the more exciting rides. I\u0026rsquo;m sure he won\u0026rsquo;t suffer any real permanent damage.\nThe Mummy Returns was not a good first attraction. It was way too scary for Gabe. We tried to not bring him in, but of course he had to beg for it, and he sure got it. Lots of mummies popping out and scaring the heck out of you. The maze of tunnels was cool though.\nNo trip to Universal Studios is complete without a visit to Jaws. Gabe loves sharks like crazy and Great Whites are of course the very coolest. It\u0026rsquo;s also rather convenient that the Santa Cruz area is home to lots of these monsters for real. I won\u0026rsquo;t break the news to Gabe. He likes playing in the ocean.\nThe Jurassic Park ride was really a blast. We couldn\u0026rsquo;t take Gabe along, but everyone else had tons of fun. It really was a shame given how much he also loves T-Rex and raptors like any good boy should.\nWhile walking around the park, we decided to take a break with Lucy. This actress did a great impersonation, though I suspect the kids just thought she was a nice lady.\nThe Waterworld show was about as good as the movie. That of course isn\u0026rsquo;t saying a whole lot. Lots of splashing and explosions to keep you entertained. Kevin Costner never showed.\nThe Animal Planet Live show wasn\u0026rsquo;t too exciting. All the kids love the show on TV, especially Crocodile Hunter. His arch-enemy Jeff Corwin had the limelight at this attraction. I personally think his show is pretty lame in comparison. It always looks like he\u0026rsquo;s being way too rough with the animals, especially the snakes.\nWe did a few more rides at the park, but didn\u0026rsquo;t get any pictures. I took Nick and Monica in to see Terminator 2 3D, which was very cool. Gabe really enjoyed flying around on the ET Adventure ride. We also had fun shooting plastic balls at each other at the Nickelodeon Blast Zone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011026_universal/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother road trip for the Multers. This time we\u0026rsquo;re off to\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com\"\u003eUniversal Studios\u003c/a\u003e. We\u0026rsquo;re a little concerned about\nGabe and some of the more exciting rides. I\u0026rsquo;m sure he won\u0026rsquo;t suffer any real\npermanent damage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011026_universal/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mummy Returns was not a good first attraction. It was way too scary for\nGabe. We tried to not bring him in, but of course he had to beg for it, and he\nsure got it. Lots of mummies popping out and scaring the heck out of you. The\nmaze of tunnels was cool though.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun at Universal Studios"},{"content":"Gabe loves to have friends over just like anyone would. Today Dominique is over to play. I could say a lot about these pictures, but I think they speak for themselves just perfectly.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011012_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe loves to have friends over just like anyone would. Today Dominique is over\nto play. I could say a lot about these pictures, but I think they speak for\nthemselves just perfectly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011012_gabe/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Dominique"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s trying to stretch the harvest time in creative ways. We decided to experiment with PVC and plastic sheets. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how well those binder clips are going to work. We spread out a few techniques across a few of the planting boxes. Anything to get a few more tomatoes.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011012_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s trying to stretch the harvest time in creative ways. We decided to\nexperiment with PVC and plastic sheets. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how well those binder\nclips are going to work. We spread out a few techniques across a few of the\nplanting boxes. Anything to get a few more tomatoes.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Preparing the garden for the winter"},{"content":"No, Nick is not 56 years old. Just a small birthday at home this year.\nAnd you know everyone really enjoyed the cake. Well at least the icing on the cake.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNo, Nick is not 56 years old. Just a small birthday at home this year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd you know everyone really enjoyed the cake. Well at least the icing on the\ncake.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20011007_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's birthday"},{"content":"We had a huge crop of pumpkins this year. The kids wrote their names on them while they were still small. As they get big, the writing scars over and it gets larger. A very cool trick. Selecting your pumpkin while it\u0026rsquo;s still on the vine is a big deal for each of the kids. With the corn stalks it looks almost like Sukkot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010915_pumpkins/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had a huge crop of pumpkins this year. The kids wrote their names on them\nwhile they were still small. As they get big, the writing scars over and it\ngets larger. A very cool trick. Selecting your pumpkin while it\u0026rsquo;s still on the\nvine is a big deal for each of the kids. With the corn stalks it looks almost\nlike Sukkot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010915_pumpkins/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010915_pumpkins/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010915_pumpkins/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010915_pumpkins/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The pumpkin kids"},{"content":"George and his family headed up to Bootjack later in the summer, after we had left. Valri and her family were still up north when George arrived. Charlie takes the jet ski out for a spin, and then gives Doug and Valri a ride.\nThe clubhouse is still looking good. The golf cart is a very popular toy that everyone likes to take for a spin. It tends to be involved in at least one major accident every year.\nGordon, George, and Charlie went out on Lake Superior for lake trout. Charlie clearly is champ of the camp with this catch. Nowadays a lake trout that big is huge! It\u0026rsquo;s really a shame all we normally catch are the small ones, but that\u0026rsquo;s fishing all over.\nCharlie, Joe, and Doug enjoy the day out at Jacobsville. It\u0026rsquo;s still looking very warm for this late in the year.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a good shot from Portage Lake looking back at the whole camp. From left to right you can see Valri\u0026rsquo;s, the studio, Gordon\u0026rsquo;s house, grandma\u0026rsquo;s cottage, Gordon\u0026rsquo;s garage, and Rice\u0026rsquo;s place (which is now Valri\u0026rsquo;s).\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010904_george/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGeorge and his family headed up to Bootjack later in the summer, after we had\nleft. Valri and her family were still up north when George arrived. Charlie\ntakes the jet ski out for a spin, and then gives Doug and Valri a ride.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_george/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_george/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_george/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_george/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_george/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe clubhouse is still looking good. The golf cart is a very popular toy that\neveryone likes to take for a spin. It tends to be involved in at least one\nmajor accident every year.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"George's trip to Bootjack"},{"content":"For a short while, Nick and Monica took lessons in Kuk Sul in Scotts Valley. We like to encourage the kids to put in enough time with a particular sport and then stick with it if they enjoy it. Monica enjoyed it the most from what I could tell. Ultimately it lost out to tennis.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010904_kuksul/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eFor a short while, Nick and Monica took lessons in Kuk Sul in Scotts Valley. We\nlike to encourage the kids to put in enough time with a particular sport and\nthen stick with it if they enjoy it. Monica enjoyed it the most from what I\ncould tell. Ultimately it lost out to tennis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010904_kuksul/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick and Monica try Kuk Sul"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s tough to make out, but trust me, George and his family are visiting. Caroline, Lindsey, and Zach are down on the playground playing with our kids. I\u0026rsquo;m down there talking to Gabe about something. Abby is the only one that noticed she should pose for the camera. Smart dog.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010903_hoyems/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s tough to make out, but trust me, George and his family are visiting.\nCaroline, Lindsey, and Zach are down on the playground playing with our kids.\nI\u0026rsquo;m down there talking to Gabe about something. Abby is the only one that\nnoticed she should pose for the camera. Smart dog.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hoyems over for play"},{"content":"Charlotte has been putting a ton of work into both the front garden and the vegetable garden in the back. She restocked the river bed and put in a bunch of new plants and mulch. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to see things looking so good.\nMeanwhile the vegetable garden is really kicking into full gear. The tomatoes are rolling and the corn is looking very tall.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010901_yard/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte has been putting a ton of work into both the front garden and the\nvegetable garden in the back. She restocked the river bed and put in a bunch\nof new plants and mulch. It\u0026rsquo;s nice to see things looking so good.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010901_yard/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the vegetable garden is really kicking into full gear. The tomatoes\nare rolling and the corn is looking very tall.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010901_yard/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010901_yard/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's gardens"},{"content":"Check out this garden! You can pretty much see everything Charlotte planted this year. Tons of tomatoes, Gabe enjoying sugar snap peas, and lots of pumpkin vines. See what else you can make out. There\u0026rsquo;s lots more.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010802_garden/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCheck out this garden! You can pretty much see everything Charlotte planted\nthis year. Tons of tomatoes, Gabe enjoying sugar snap peas, and lots of\npumpkin vines. See what else you can make out. There\u0026rsquo;s lots more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010802_garden/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's vegetable garden"},{"content":"Gordon and his family joined us up north this week. Here\u0026rsquo;s a whole pile of cousins hanging out in front of the clubhouse. Gordon is doing something with note cards, while Nick seems to be listening attentively.\nGordy is taking the kids out on the pontoon boat.\nMonica and Kayleen have some fun swimming.\nGrandma, Valri, Kim, Doug, and Gabe do the rounds in the golf cart. Gabe shows off with a very cool pair of sunglasses.\nEveryone heads over to Rice\u0026rsquo;s to chill out. It\u0026rsquo;s become the quiet place where you can sneak off to and read a book, or just relax. Of course that\u0026rsquo;s only when the kids aren\u0026rsquo;t playing over at the clubhouse.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a nice collection of portraits. Enjoy pictures of Gabe, Monica, Nick, Chris, and Kim. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure what Kim is up to with those glasses.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon and his family joined us up north this week. Here\u0026rsquo;s a whole pile of\ncousins hanging out in front of the clubhouse. Gordon is doing something with\nnote cards, while Nick seems to be listening attentively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGordy is taking the kids out on the pontoon boat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica and Kayleen have some fun swimming.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010731_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrandma, Valri, Kim, Doug, and Gabe do the rounds in the golf cart. Gabe shows\noff with a very cool pair of sunglasses.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a really fun, short boat ride over to Houghton. We typically tie up right downtown and then hang out and maybe have lunch. The ride can be a bit cool, and you have to keep an eye out for the weather. The kids of course love the ride. On a warm day it\u0026rsquo;s fun to jump off the boat and go for a quick swim in the middle of the lake. You can get a glimpse of one of the MTU buildings on the south shore of the channel.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010725_boattrip/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a really fun, short boat ride over to Houghton. We typically tie up right\ndowntown and then hang out and maybe have lunch. The ride can be a bit cool,\nand you have to keep an eye out for the weather. The kids of course love the\nride. On a warm day it\u0026rsquo;s fun to jump off the boat and go for a quick swim in\nthe middle of the lake. You can get a glimpse of one of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.mtu.edu\"\u003eMTU\u003c/a\u003e\nbuildings on the south shore of the channel.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boat trip to Houghton"},{"content":"Valri owns a big chunk of land on the other side of Bootjack Road. We go up there occasionally to enjoy the big pond. They\u0026rsquo;ve got a bunch of beavers that keep themselves busy knocking down trees and keeping the pond full. Makes for good frog hunting. The challenging part is dealing with the mosquitoes. They grow them really big up north, and this far from the lake they\u0026rsquo;re really bad. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty tough making your way around the pond, so we tend to bunch up at this particular spot.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010725_bigpond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eValri owns a big chunk of land on the other side of Bootjack Road. We go up\nthere occasionally to enjoy the big pond. They\u0026rsquo;ve got a bunch of beavers that\nkeep themselves busy knocking down trees and keeping the pond full. Makes for\ngood frog hunting. The challenging part is dealing with the mosquitoes. They\ngrow them really big up north, and this far from the lake they\u0026rsquo;re really bad.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s pretty tough making your way around the pond, so we tend to bunch up at\nthis particular spot.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The big pond"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s birthday time for Doug. We all head over to Rice\u0026rsquo;s for the party. Lots of balloons, presents, and hanging out time for Gordon and Kim.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010724_dougparty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s birthday time for Doug. We all head over to Rice\u0026rsquo;s for the party. Lots of\nballoons, presents, and hanging out time for Gordon and Kim.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010724_dougparty/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010724_dougparty/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010724_dougparty/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Doug's birthday"},{"content":"I try to take one of the boats out on the lake everyday. The little metal boat is always good for a quick trip for fishing, driftwood collection, or just a ride. Sometimes we take the canoe if it\u0026rsquo;s not too windy, and other days it\u0026rsquo;s the Sailfish if the wind is just right. A bit of wind today.\nMeanwhile the wind makes for great fun swimming in the lake. Nick, Monica, Charlie, and Joe play in the waves. Hopefully the wind will keep picking up and then it\u0026rsquo;s really a blast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010723_boating/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI try to take one of the boats out on the lake everyday. The little metal boat\nis always good for a quick trip for fishing, driftwood collection, or just a\nride. Sometimes we take the canoe if it\u0026rsquo;s not too windy, and other days it\u0026rsquo;s\nthe Sailfish if the wind is just right. A bit of wind today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010723_boating/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile the wind makes for great fun swimming in the lake. Nick, Monica,\nCharlie, and Joe play in the waves. Hopefully the wind will keep picking up\nand then it\u0026rsquo;s really a blast.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Boating and swimming on a windy day"},{"content":"Gordon and Charlotte are off to the annual lobster feast. I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ve been looking forward to some time with their friends and a little grown up time. Camp has been run over with kids for many weeks now.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010719_parents/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon and Charlotte are off to the annual lobster feast. I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ve been\nlooking forward to some time with their friends and a little grown up time.\nCamp has been run over with kids for many weeks now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010719_parents/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010719_parents/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010719_parents/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010719_parents/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon and Charlotte off for lobster"},{"content":"We headed north today to check out the old town of Redridge in Houghton. There\u0026rsquo;s a very cool old dam, though I didn\u0026rsquo;t get any pictures. We hung out at the site of part of the old copper works. Lots of fun and dangerous stuff to climb all over.\nThe beach and cliffs along here are incredibly beautiful.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s also plenty of old mining garbage like this tangle. I thought it was kelp like back in Santa Cruz, but you certainly won\u0026rsquo;t find any seaweed in Lake Superior. Turned out to be a tangle of wire. Pretty interesting.\nThe kids had a blast playing in the river. The lake is really cold, but this outlet was just right. Karen came along on the trip too.\nAfter a long day of fun in the sand and water, Gordon and I got the traditional lunch ready. We cooked blackened potatoes and lots of hot dogs. Gordon throws the potatoes right into the fire. You peel away the blackened portion, load it up with salt, and enjoy.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not sure what Valri and Monica were doing out in the woods, but it\u0026rsquo;s best not to ask.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe headed north today to check out the old town of Redridge in Houghton.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a very cool old dam, though I didn\u0026rsquo;t get any pictures. We hung out at\nthe site of part of the old copper works. Lots of fun and dangerous stuff to\nclimb all over.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe beach and cliffs along here are incredibly beautiful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010718_redridge/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s also plenty of old mining garbage like this tangle. I thought it was\nkelp like back in Santa Cruz, but you certainly won\u0026rsquo;t find any seaweed in Lake\nSuperior. Turned out to be a tangle of wire. Pretty interesting.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trip to Redridge"},{"content":"The clubhouse is so cool looking, we can\u0026rsquo;t get enough pictures of it. Nick and Joe spend most of their day in there doing things behind locked doors. They load it up with soda, videos, and snacks and then lock the little ones out. It looks so friendly on the outside.\nMeanwhile Monica enjoys swimming in the lake. No doors here.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010715_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe clubhouse is so cool looking, we can\u0026rsquo;t get enough pictures of it. Nick and\nJoe spend most of their day in there doing things behind locked doors. They\nload it up with soda, videos, and snacks and then lock the little ones out. It\nlooks so friendly on the outside.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010715_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile Monica enjoys swimming in the lake. No doors here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010715_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010715_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack clubhouse and Monica swimming"},{"content":"The little pond is at the edge of Valri\u0026rsquo;s property by Bootjack Road. We often ride our bikes, or the golf cart over for an easy adventure. There are loads of frogs, tadpoles, and small fish in there and we never tire of catching them. It\u0026rsquo;s messy going, but Valri looks very prepared in her waders.\nMonica shows off some of the booty they\u0026rsquo;ve collected on this trip.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe little pond is at the edge of Valri\u0026rsquo;s property by Bootjack Road. We often\nride our bikes, or the golf cart over for an easy adventure. There are loads\nof frogs, tadpoles, and small fish in there and we never tire of catching\nthem. It\u0026rsquo;s messy going, but Valri looks very prepared in her waders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica shows off some of the booty they\u0026rsquo;ve collected on this trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010711_littlepond/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The little pond"},{"content":"Kim takes the jet ski out for a spin with the kids. Someone takes a turn riding on the back and watching while the others hold on to the raft for their lives. Monica is out there hanging tough with Chris and Charlie.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKim takes the jet ski out for a spin with the kids. Someone takes a turn riding\non the back and watching while the others hold on to the raft for their lives.\nMonica is out there hanging tough with Chris and Charlie.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010709_jetski/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun with the jet ski"},{"content":"Gabe gets the Santa Cruz look going for school today. He\u0026rsquo;s sporting the Hawaiian shirt and the spike hair. The girls better watch out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010703_spikehair/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe gets the Santa Cruz look going for school today. He\u0026rsquo;s sporting the\nHawaiian shirt and the spike hair. The girls better watch out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010703_spikehair/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010703_spikehair/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010703_spikehair/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's spike hair"},{"content":"Back east the stuff to watch out for is poison ivy. Out here in Santa Cruz, the nasty stuff is poison oak. All you have to do is rub up against a leaf or branch and the oil gets on you or your clothes. From there you can spread it all over the place without even knowing it. We\u0026rsquo;re not sure where Nick got it, but he clearly rubbed it into his face. Time to break out the cortisone. Poor guy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010703_poisonoak/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eBack east the stuff to watch out for is poison ivy. Out here in Santa Cruz, the\nnasty stuff is poison oak. All you have to do is rub up against a leaf or\nbranch and the oil gets on you or your clothes. From there you can spread it\nall over the place without even knowing it. We\u0026rsquo;re not sure where Nick got it,\nbut he clearly rubbed it into his face. Time to break out the cortisone. Poor\nguy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick's poison oak"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Debi is in town with her son Jared. Here they are hanging out on the deck catching up with Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010703_debi/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Debi is in town with her son Jared. Here they are hanging\nout on the deck catching up with Charlotte.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010703_debi/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010703_debi/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting with Debi and Jared"},{"content":"Charlotte headed down to San Diego to spend some time with our friends the Mishkys. We both have known Lynn since our days in Boulder long ago.\nCharlotte and Lynn headed out to Palm Springs to spend some quality time at Merv\u0026rsquo;s Place.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte headed down to San Diego to spend some time with our friends the\nMishkys. We both have known Lynn since our days in Boulder long ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn headed out to Palm Springs to spend some quality time at\nMerv\u0026rsquo;s Place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010630_mishkys/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte visits the Mishkys"},{"content":"This summer the kids all attended soccer camp. It really was a lot of fun even with the huge number of kids all playing at the same time. Nick, Monica, and Gabe each played in separate groups. There was a fair amount of waiting on the sidelines for your turn.\nOnce a group was called out, there was no shortage of running around. The coaches did an awesome job coordinating this many kids.\nAnd when they got tired of playing soccer, there was always playing in the river. That\u0026rsquo;s quite a pack of little ones with Gabe on the verge of getting very wet.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010627_soccer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThis summer the kids all attended soccer camp. It really was a lot of fun even\nwith the huge number of kids all playing at the same time. Nick, Monica, and\nGabe each played in separate groups. There was a fair amount of waiting on the\nsidelines for your turn.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010627_soccer/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010627_soccer/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce a group was called out, there was no shortage of running around. The\ncoaches did an awesome job coordinating this many kids.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Soccer camp"},{"content":"Monica has quite a few collections going. She\u0026rsquo;s got the stuffed animals, dolls, rock collection, Pokemon cards, and figurines. She\u0026rsquo;s particularly fond of these teddy bears that are on proud display.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010603_bears/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica has quite a few collections going. She\u0026rsquo;s got the stuffed animals, dolls,\nrock collection, Pokemon cards, and figurines. She\u0026rsquo;s particularly fond of\nthese teddy bears that are on proud display.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010603_bears/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's cherished teddies"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s double feature night at the drive-in and time for some family fun. We load up the car with pillows and blankets, and swing by Pizza My Heart for some dinner. The place is crawling with families. People are playing football, soccer, and making plenty of trips to the concession stand. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty clear that the actual movie is secondary to the whole drive-in experience. Families have really taken over, so I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how much teenager action will be going on. Guess they\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait until it gets dark.\nThe kids setup on the roof for the best view and I\u0026rsquo;m sure some privacy. Charlotte and I certainly don\u0026rsquo;t mind the time it gives us. I keep waiting for the sound of a child rolling off the roof. We don\u0026rsquo;t make it all the way through the second movie, but we\u0026rsquo;ve certainly packed a great time into this night out.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010519_drivein/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s double feature night at the drive-in and time for some family fun. We load\nup the car with pillows and blankets, and swing by Pizza My Heart for some\ndinner. The place is crawling with families. People are playing football,\nsoccer, and making plenty of trips to the concession stand. It\u0026rsquo;s pretty clear\nthat the actual movie is secondary to the whole drive-in experience. Families\nhave really taken over, so I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how much teenager action will be going\non. Guess they\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait until it gets dark.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Family fun at the drive-in"},{"content":"Nick, Monica, and Gabe all attended Parent Participation Preschool (PPP) in Scotts Valley. They all went for one or two years before kindergarten. We all built great memories of the times spent at school, but the best memories for the kids were clearly their friends and their teachers Kathy and her son Nathan. We\u0026rsquo;re very sorry to see that the school has closed, but it was a great time while it lasted.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010514_preschool/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick, Monica, and Gabe all attended Parent Participation Preschool (PPP) in\nScotts Valley. They all went for one or two years before kindergarten. We all\nbuilt great memories of the times spent at school, but the best memories for\nthe kids were clearly their friends and their teachers Kathy and her son\nNathan. We\u0026rsquo;re very sorry to see that the school has closed, but it was a great\ntime while it lasted.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Teacher Kathy and Nathan from preschool"},{"content":"Monica had a school biographies project where she played the part of Hellen Keller. She looks so pretty with her hair up. I\u0026rsquo;ve also included a number of her friends: Colleen as John Muir, Heidi as Pocahontas, Hudson as Lincoln, Justin as Edison, and Ocea as Eleanor Roosevelt.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica had a school biographies project where she played the part of Hellen\nKeller. She looks so pretty with her hair up. I\u0026rsquo;ve also included a number of\nher friends: Colleen as John Muir, Heidi as Pocahontas, Hudson as Lincoln,\nJustin as Edison, and Ocea as Eleanor Roosevelt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010510_biographies/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's school biography"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s Monica with her 2nd grade class at Brook Knoll. In order following Monica they are: Mrs. McDermott, Alex, Caitlin, Case, Coleen, Daniel, Danielle, Heidi, Hudson, Jessica, Joey, Jonathan, Justin, Mitchell, Ocea, Regina, Shane, Taylor, and Terry.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s Monica with her 2nd grade class at \u003ca href=\"https://brookknoll.scottsvalleyusd.org\"\u003eBrook Knoll\u003c/a\u003e. In order\nfollowing Monica they are: Mrs. McDermott, Alex, Caitlin, Case, Coleen,\nDaniel, Danielle, Heidi, Hudson, Jessica, Joey, Jonathan, Justin, Mitchell,\nOcea, Regina, Shane, Taylor, and Terry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010503_grade2/20.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Monica's 2nd grade class"},{"content":"Monica\u0026rsquo;s friend Coleen is joining us today for fun at Gordon and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place in Sunny Cove. They get all suited up for playing in the very cold Pacific ocean.\nThe ice plant behind the house is looking especially beautiful this morning.\nBefore we head to the beach, we\u0026rsquo;ve got to make a stop at the tide pool behind the house. This is better than any playground.\nThen it\u0026rsquo;s off to the beach. Nick invited his friend Jeff over also. It\u0026rsquo;s a great day and the girls enjoy some body boarding in the surf.\nGabe didn\u0026rsquo;t bring a friend along this time. He doesn\u0026rsquo;t seem to mind and enjoys his time creating little rivers and ponds in the sand.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica\u0026rsquo;s friend Coleen is joining us today for fun at Gordon and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s\nplace in Sunny Cove. They get all suited up for playing in the very cold\nPacific ocean.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ice plant behind the house is looking especially beautiful this morning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore we head to the beach, we\u0026rsquo;ve got to make a stop at the tide pool behind\nthe house. This is better than any playground.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010422_sunnycove/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Coleen and Jeff join us at Sunny Cove"},{"content":"Our friends Kim and Pete and their kids Lily and Jack join us for fun at Sunny Cove. The basin behind Gordon and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place is a big attraction. Occasionally we have to take cover when a big wave comes over the cliff.\nWe amass a very cool collection of creatures from the tide pool. We make a nice temporary home for them for the day. I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ll be happy when it\u0026rsquo;s time for us to go.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur friends Kim and Pete and their kids Lily and Jack join us for fun at Sunny\nCove. The basin behind Gordon and Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place is a big attraction.\nOccasionally we have to take cover when a big wave comes over the cliff.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010415_sunnycove/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe amass a very cool collection of creatures from the tide pool. We make a nice\ntemporary home for them for the day. I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;ll be happy when it\u0026rsquo;s time\nfor us to go.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Kim and Pete join us at Sunny Cove"},{"content":"With grandma and grandpa staying at such an awesome beach, we have no trouble getting the kids to visit frequently. Nick, Monica, Gabe, and Joe explore the beach and the rocks. It\u0026rsquo;s a little cool today, but that\u0026rsquo;s Santa Cruz.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a basin carved into the cliff behind their house. It\u0026rsquo;s a great place to climb around. It fills with water at high tide and is home to all kinds of great creatures.\nThe house itself is a lot of fun as well. Nothing like a new house to run around in. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great place to work on Easter eggs. Our house has great acreage, but the view from this place is beyond belief. It has to be one of the best locations in Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWith grandma and grandpa staying at such an awesome beach, we have no trouble\ngetting the kids to visit frequently. Nick, Monica, Gabe, and Joe explore the\nbeach and the rocks. It\u0026rsquo;s a little cool today, but that\u0026rsquo;s Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010413_sunnycove/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a basin carved into the cliff behind their house. It\u0026rsquo;s a great place to\nclimb around. It fills with water at high tide and is home to all kinds of\ngreat creatures.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting grandma and grandpa at Sunny Cove"},{"content":"Gabe chose to have his birthday at the local skating rink in Scotts Valley. The birthday boy works the wall. He\u0026rsquo;s a blast to watch. He only pushes off with his right foot, never his left.\nMonica, Nick, and Charlie look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying Gabe\u0026rsquo;s party also.\nGabe\u0026rsquo;s friends are having lots of fun also. Some are shown here: Dominique, Jack, Doug, Jacki, Kayla, Maia, Timmy, Trevor, and Wyatt.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe chose to have his birthday at the local skating rink in Scotts Valley. The\nbirthday boy works the wall. He\u0026rsquo;s a blast to watch. He only pushes off with\nhis right foot, never his left.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica, Nick, and Charlie look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying Gabe\u0026rsquo;s party also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010330_skateparty/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe\u0026rsquo;s friends are having lots of fun also. Some are shown here: Dominique,\nJack, Doug, Jacki, Kayla, Maia, Timmy, Trevor, and Wyatt.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday skate party"},{"content":"Gabe turned five today. It\u0026rsquo;s a school night, so the party is small, but he can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the weekend. He\u0026rsquo;ll be joining a bunch of his friends for fun at the skating rink.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010328_birthday/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGabe turned five today. It\u0026rsquo;s a school night, so the party is small, but he\ncan\u0026rsquo;t wait for the weekend. He\u0026rsquo;ll be joining a bunch of his friends for fun at\nthe skating rink.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010328_birthday/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010328_birthday/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe's birthday"},{"content":"Charlotte and Gordon are spending a month or so in Santa Cruz. We arranged an awesome house to rent at Sunny Cove. Valri, Renee, and Charlotte swing by to see how things are doing, and to catch a few rays.\nI think Charlotte is saying thank you, but I\u0026rsquo;m fine. Meanwhile Gordon looks like he\u0026rsquo;s settling in very nicely. I bet he\u0026rsquo;s thinking about when it will be time to go fishing. I\u0026rsquo;m ready when you are Gordon.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010318_sunnycove/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Gordon are spending a month or so in Santa Cruz. We arranged an\nawesome house to rent at Sunny Cove. Valri, Renee, and Charlotte swing by to\nsee how things are doing, and to catch a few rays.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010318_sunnycove/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010318_sunnycove/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think Charlotte is saying thank you, but I\u0026rsquo;m fine. Meanwhile Gordon looks\nlike he\u0026rsquo;s settling in very nicely. I bet he\u0026rsquo;s thinking about when it will be\ntime to go fishing. I\u0026rsquo;m ready when you are Gordon.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gordon and Charlotte at Sunny Cove"},{"content":"I never tire of looking at the faces of my family. Every little detail and expression is worth a thousand words. Posing, forced smile, concerned, and hard at work. The faces of my Gabey.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010317_gabe/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI never tire of looking at the faces of my family. Every little detail and\nexpression is worth a thousand words. Posing, forced smile, concerned, and\nhard at work. The faces of my Gabey.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010317_gabe/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010317_gabe/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010317_gabe/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010317_gabe/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The many faces of Gabe"},{"content":"The Hoyems are over for a visit and Zach has challenged Gabe to a chess game. Gabe makes the first move and can\u0026rsquo;t contain his glee. Zachary looks very concerned about Gabe\u0026rsquo;s move. He tries hard to recall that particular grandmaster opening. There\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite as impressive as the ability of these young champions to look dozens of moves ahead.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010307_chess/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe Hoyems are over for a visit and Zach has challenged Gabe to a chess game.\nGabe makes the first move and can\u0026rsquo;t contain his glee. Zachary looks very\nconcerned about Gabe\u0026rsquo;s move. He tries hard to recall that particular\ngrandmaster opening. There\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite as impressive as the ability of\nthese young champions to look dozens of moves ahead.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Gabe and Zach playing chess"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a local marine lab we like to visit when we don\u0026rsquo;t want to do the drive down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The UCSC Long Marine Lab is a quiet little place in west Santa Cruz with a nice selection of displays and interactive exhibits. Another nice day in Santa Cruz.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010225_marinelab/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a local marine lab we like to visit when we don\u0026rsquo;t want to do the drive\ndown to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The \u003ca href=\"https://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu\"\u003eUCSC Long Marine Lab\u003c/a\u003e is a quiet\nlittle place in west Santa Cruz with a nice selection of displays and\ninteractive exhibits. Another nice day in Santa Cruz.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010225_marinelab/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010225_marinelab/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Long Marine Lab"},{"content":"Karen\u0026rsquo;s in town and the girls head off to Big Sur. Karen is a birder and she always enjoys heading to California to check out different birds as compared to the ones she finds in Wisconsin. The group gets lots of shots together.\nNeedless to say, the scenery is as impressive as you can imagine. They look like they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying the day together.\nAfter a long day outside, it\u0026rsquo;s time call it quits. Must be just like the old days growing up.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eKaren\u0026rsquo;s in town and the girls head off to Big Sur. Karen is a birder and she\nalways enjoys heading to California to check out different birds as compared\nto the ones she finds in Wisconsin. The group gets lots of shots together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeedless to say, the scenery is as impressive as you can imagine. They look\nlike they\u0026rsquo;re enjoying the day together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2001/20010114_bigsur/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a long day outside, it\u0026rsquo;s time call it quits. Must be just like the old\ndays growing up.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte, Valri, and Karen in Big Sur"},{"content":"The family came to visit me at work today. Gabe is trying to give me advice on the current software project.\nWe headed over to the plaza area of San Jose for the Christmas in the Park event. Every year they set up displays for people to enjoy. There\u0026rsquo;s also skating and other things to do at this time of year.\nWe also headed over to the Tech museum. It\u0026rsquo;s a fun collection of technology related interactive displays. Learn how a computer works, experiment with gravity and optics, see an IMAX movie, and make believe your a San Jose Sharks goalie just like Nick.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20001228_sanjose/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe family came to visit me at work today. Gabe is trying to give me advice on\nthe current software project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001228_sanjose/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe headed over to the plaza area of San Jose for the Christmas in the Park\nevent. Every year they set up displays for people to enjoy. There\u0026rsquo;s also\nskating and other things to do at this time of year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001228_sanjose/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001228_sanjose/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also headed over to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thetech.org\"\u003eTech\u003c/a\u003e museum. It\u0026rsquo;s a fun\ncollection of technology related interactive displays. Learn how a computer\nworks, experiment with gravity and optics, see an IMAX movie, and make believe\nyour a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhl.com/sharks/\"\u003eSan Jose Sharks\u003c/a\u003e goalie just like Nick.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun in San Jose"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again where the Multers, the Peysers, and the Hoyems converge on Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house for Christmas dinner. We have 3 kids, George has 3 also, and Kim has 4 boys. They have the best time when they all get together like this.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s also a great time for everyone to catch up on events. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of milling around in the kitchen before dinner is ready.\nThe kids table appears to be the epitomy of manners, but don\u0026rsquo;t be fooled. Most likely this very same table erupted into a food fight once the camera moved on. At least they\u0026rsquo;re having fun.\nDinner is always a great time. Lots of good conversation, tasty food, and many glasses of wine. Good thing we only live on the other side of the neighborhood.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20001225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s that time of year again where the Multers, the Peysers, and the Hoyems\nconverge on Val and Kim\u0026rsquo;s house for Christmas dinner. We have 3 kids, George\nhas 3 also, and Kim has 4 boys. They have the best time when they all get\ntogether like this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s also a great time for everyone to catch up on events. There\u0026rsquo;s plenty of\nmilling around in the kitchen before dinner is ready.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas at Valri's house"},{"content":"Time for a real vacation! We\u0026rsquo;re off to the Big Island of Hawaii with my mom. We stayed at the Mauna Lani villas. This place is so unbelievably beautiful. I am definitely not going to want to go home. Our place is on a series of inland ponds that the native Hawaiians built for fish farming. The kids have tons of places to run around and play.\nWe spent a lot of time over by the snorkeling area. We could spend the whole day there on the beach. There was also a great little restaurant we enjoyed lunch at regularly. I\u0026rsquo;m hanging out in my regular attire. I wish I had some underwater photos from our many snorkeling trips. The reef is spectacular and all the kids got the hang of it after a while.\nOne day we headed out for a road trip. We drove north along the coast and then cut across to the town of Hilo. We drove from dry lava surroundings, through tropical rain forest environments, to the opposite coast. It was such a varied collection of environments across a pretty small area. The cliffs on the coast reminded me of Kauai.\nAnother day we headed over to the Hilton for a look around and dinner at the local restaurant. This was a fabulous hotel, though more mainstream style than the Mauna Lani. They had a great dolphin area where you could swim with the animals. There was quite a line. We enjoyed their many pools and shopping.\nI sure wish we had taken a lot more pictures on our trip to Hawaii. It was such a great place, I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to go back again. I never did make it to Mauna Kea. I was dying to go, but it would take the whole day and I didn\u0026rsquo;t want to spend it away from the family. I of course regret it immensely now, but I guess it\u0026rsquo;s just a good reason to go back sooner rather than later.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20001119_hawaii/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for a real vacation! We\u0026rsquo;re off to the Big Island of Hawaii with my mom. We\nstayed at the \u003ca href=\"https://auberge.com/mauna-lani\"\u003eMauna Lani\u003c/a\u003e villas. This place\nis so unbelievably beautiful. I am definitely not going to want to go home.\nOur place is on a series of inland ponds that the native Hawaiians built for\nfish farming. The kids have tons of places to run around and play.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001119_hawaii/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001119_hawaii/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001119_hawaii/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe spent a lot of time over by the snorkeling area. We could spend the whole\nday there on the beach. There was also a great little restaurant we enjoyed\nlunch at regularly. I\u0026rsquo;m hanging out in my regular attire. I wish I had some\nunderwater photos from our many snorkeling trips. The reef is spectacular and\nall the kids got the hang of it after a while.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hawaii with Phoebe and the family"},{"content":"Charlotte is off for fun in sin city with her good friend Lynn. All these photos she came back with look pretty innocuous. I hope she was a good girl.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is off for fun in sin city with her good friend Lynn. All these\nphotos she came back with look pretty innocuous. I hope she was a good girl.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20001110_lasvegas/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn in Las Vegas"},{"content":"Monica, and Nick dress up for Halloween at school. Monica looks great as a black lipped witch. Nick does the scary skeleton man. It\u0026rsquo;s looking very busy at school with tasty treats everywhere.\nAt home Gabe does the Pokemon look and shows off his jack-o-lantern. Nick and Monica did a great job on theirs as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMonica, and Nick dress up for Halloween at school. Monica looks great as a\nblack lipped witch. Nick does the scary skeleton man. It\u0026rsquo;s looking very busy\nat school with tasty treats everywhere.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt home Gabe does the Pokemon look and shows off his jack-o-lantern. Nick and\nMonica did a great job on theirs as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000930_halloween/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween at school and jack-o-lanterns"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m off to Japan and the fusionOne KK offices there. I have a great view from my office. The rest of the crew that joined me on this trip work out of the conference room. Koichi is the president and does a fantastic job showing me the best Japan has to offer.\nI also had a chance to check out a trade show where we were exhibiting. The booth looks great, but the marketing seems a little odd to me.\nI ate like a king the whole visit. I made sure I tried every type of cuisine I could. Here I\u0026rsquo;m sitting with some fusionOne people at a very nice udon restaurant that Akiko recommended.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20000917_fusiononekk/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m off to Japan and the fusionOne KK offices there. I have a great view from\nmy office. The rest of the crew that joined me on this trip work out of the\nconference room. Koichi is the president and does a fantastic job showing me\nthe best Japan has to offer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000917_fusiononekk/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000917_fusiononekk/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000917_fusiononekk/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI also had a chance to check out a trade show where we were exhibiting. The\nbooth looks great, but the marketing seems a little odd to me.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David visits fusionOne Japan"},{"content":"Charlotte was able to join me on a business trip to Hong Kong. We stayed at the Conrad International hotel. I had to spend everyday locked up with a bunch of computer geeks, while Charlotte toured all over the city. I did manage to get away for one tourist trip to Lantau. There\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful monastery on the island where we wondered around for quite some time. We then hiked up to the gigantic bronze Buddha that is the highlight of the entire island. Pictures can\u0026rsquo;t really capture the size of it. Wish we had more pictures.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20000815_hongkong/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte was able to join me on a business trip to Hong Kong. We stayed at\nthe \u003ca href=\"https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/hkghcci-conrad-hong-kong/\"\u003eConrad International\u003c/a\u003e hotel. I had to\nspend everyday locked up with a bunch of computer geeks, while Charlotte\ntoured all over the city. I did manage to get away for one tourist trip to\nLantau. There\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful monastery on the island where we wondered around\nfor quite some time. We then hiked up to the gigantic bronze Buddha that is\nthe highlight of the entire island. Pictures can\u0026rsquo;t really capture the size of\nit. Wish we had more pictures.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Charlotte in Hong Kong"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re in Bootjack again for another fun summer. Charlotte and Karen pose on the dock for the camera. Karen does some rock picking, and Kim looks like he\u0026rsquo;s ready to relax.\nMonica loves hanging out on the dock and swimming so much, she does a little dance for us.\nGabe loves going out on the boats. He convinces me to take out the canoe, but he needs to work on his paddling skills. A new treat this summer is an inflatable clear bottom boat. I don\u0026rsquo;t know that it worked too well, but it was fun while it lasted.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re in Bootjack again for another fun summer. Charlotte and Karen pose on the\ndock for the camera. Karen does some rock picking, and Kim looks like he\u0026rsquo;s\nready to relax.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMonica loves hanging out on the dock and swimming so much, she does a little\ndance for us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/2000/20000701_michigan/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGabe loves going out on the boats. He convinces me to take out the canoe, but\nhe needs to work on his paddling skills. A new treat this summer is an\ninflatable clear bottom boat. I don\u0026rsquo;t know that it worked too well, but it was\nfun while it lasted.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Bootjack"},{"content":"The biggest startup I ever did was fusionOne. We never did anything in a small way, and the launch of the revolutionary Internet synchronization service was no exception. We had advertisements running on TV, billboards along Highway 101, big signs in the airports, and even more I probably didn\u0026rsquo;t even know about. They were pretty funny for the time, so I figure it was worth saving for posterity.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s an excerpt from one of the advertising site at the time:\nFusionOne, San Jose, Calif., June 26 launches its first TV commercials in a $30 million campaign from Black Rocket, San Francisco. FusionOne enables consumers to link data between computers and wireless devices. \u0026ldquo;Sync is everything\u0026rsquo;\u0026rsquo; is the tagline in the 30-second commercials. The campaign also includes outdoor and print ads, as well as online ads from SF Interactive.\nSync is everything.\nAnd here are the TV commercials.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/2000/20000626_fusionone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe biggest startup I ever did was fusionOne. We never did anything in a small\nway, and the launch of the revolutionary Internet synchronization service was\nno exception. We had advertisements running on TV, billboards along Highway 101, big signs in the airports, and even more I probably didn\u0026rsquo;t even know about. They were\npretty funny for the time, so I figure it was worth saving for posterity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s an excerpt from one of the advertising site at the time:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"fusionOne advertising blitz"},{"content":"Gordon sent us these pictures of their visit to Isle Royale. Gordon makes a fishing trip there once a year, but having Charlotte along for the trip I\u0026rsquo;m sure was a pleasure.\nThey didn\u0026rsquo;t catch any fish, but it looks like they nearly caught a moose.\nEven this far out in the wilderness, nothing can stop Charlotte from catching up on world news once they get back to the lodge.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eGordon sent us these pictures of their visit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/isro/\"\u003eIsle Royale\u003c/a\u003e.\nGordon makes a fishing trip there once a year, but having Charlotte along for\nthe trip I\u0026rsquo;m sure was a pleasure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey didn\u0026rsquo;t catch any fish, but it looks like they nearly caught a moose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1995/19950901_isleroyale/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven this far out in the wilderness, nothing can stop Charlotte from catching\nup on world news once they get back to the lodge.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Gordon in Isle Royale"},{"content":"Time for another summer in Bootjack. We have no shortage of little ones crawling around camp this year. George and his family are here as are Valri\u0026rsquo;s family.\nA few of big Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s art works in progress.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eTime for another summer in Bootjack. We have no shortage of little ones\ncrawling around camp this year. George and his family are here as are Valri\u0026rsquo;s\nfamily.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few of big Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s art works in progress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1993/19930701_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Summer in Bootjack"},{"content":"I can\u0026rsquo;t get enough shots of our little man.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901116_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI can\u0026rsquo;t get enough shots of our little man.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901116_nick/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The many faces of Nick"},{"content":"The beach is only 2 blocks from the house, so it\u0026rsquo;s a common walk for us. Today we head out with Nick to enjoy a fabulous day in Half Moon Bay.\nA nice little nap is in order after our trip to the beach.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901110_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe beach is only 2 blocks from the house, so it\u0026rsquo;s a common walk for us. Today\nwe head out with Nick to enjoy a fabulous day in Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nice little nap is in order after our trip to the beach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901110_nick/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick goes to the beach and takes a nap"},{"content":"Our dog Hazel is getting used to the idea of a new \u0026ldquo;pet\u0026rdquo; in the family. Nick sure is a whole lot cuter and I love those adorable outfits.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901102_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur dog Hazel is getting used to the idea of a new \u0026ldquo;pet\u0026rdquo; in the family. Nick\nsure is a whole lot cuter and I love those adorable outfits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901102_nick/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nick and Hazel get to know each other"},{"content":"My mom came to town for a few weeks to help out now that Charlotte and Nick are back home. It\u0026rsquo;s really been a tough time for Charlotte and having my mom around has been totally invaluable.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901022_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom came to town for a few weeks to help out now that Charlotte and Nick are\nback home. It\u0026rsquo;s really been a tough time for Charlotte and having my mom\naround has been totally invaluable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901022_nick/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Grandma helps out with her new grandson"},{"content":"Nick was born at Mills Hospital in San Mateo at 5:02am. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was born with the same size gigantic head I was sporting. It proved quite an ordeal for Charlotte that resulted in many days at the hospital recovering, followed by many weeks of recovery at home.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901010_nick/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNick was born at Mills Hospital in San Mateo at 5:02am. He weighed 8 pounds 9\nounces and was 21 inches long. He was born with the same size gigantic head I\nwas sporting. It proved quite an ordeal for Charlotte that resulted in many\ndays at the hospital recovering, followed by many weeks of recovery at home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901010_nick/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901010_nick/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Nicholas Scott Multer joins the world"},{"content":"Charlotte and I couldn\u0026rsquo;t make the wedding back east since we were in the hospital to have Nick induced. So while we have our little party in the hospital, George and Ellen tie the knot. The rest of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s family made it no problem. Sure wish we could have been there too.\n!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19901006_wedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I couldn\u0026rsquo;t make the wedding back east since we were in the\nhospital to have Nick induced. So while we have our little party in the\nhospital, George and Ellen tie the knot. The rest of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s family made\nit no problem. Sure wish we could have been there too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901006_wedding/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901006_wedding/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19901006_wedding/04.jpg\"\u003e\n!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"George and Ellen get married"},{"content":"A bunch of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friends held a baby shower for her at Valri\u0026rsquo;s house. Even Lynn made it up from San Diego.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA bunch of Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friends held a baby shower for her at Valri\u0026rsquo;s house.\nEven Lynn made it up from San Diego.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900901_babyshower/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A baby shower for Charlotte"},{"content":"The many faces of family enjoying themselves in northern Michigan.\nA few photos of camp including Gordon\u0026rsquo;s house and grandma\u0026rsquo;s place. The table near the dock is a common meeting place.\nOf course we spend most of the day hanging out at the dock.\nCharlotte and I visit grandma\u0026rsquo;s place in Calumet.\nPinochle is serious business up north and we get plenty of games in almost every night.\nTrips to Jacobsville are a regular staple as well.\nGeorge gets in some business over his vacation while Chris shows us the only kind of business we really should be up to.\nOur attempt to head home is thwarted by some heavy fog. Charlotte shows off a newspaper as proof when she has to explain back at work the next day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe many faces of family enjoying themselves in northern Michigan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/08.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few photos of camp including Gordon\u0026rsquo;s house and grandma\u0026rsquo;s place. The table\nnear the dock is a common meeting place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course we spend most of the day hanging out at the dock.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/21.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I visit grandma\u0026rsquo;s place in Calumet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1990/19900701_bootjack/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePinochle is serious business up north and we get plenty of games in almost\nevery night.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Summertime in Bootjack"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off to New York for our good friend Lynn\u0026rsquo;s wedding to Peter. Charlotte was Lynn\u0026rsquo;s maid of honor.\nThe ceremony went off perfectly, though this was my first full Catholic event and a bit longer than I was used to. Charlotte looked so great.\nThe reception was a blast. I\u0026rsquo;m sure it\u0026rsquo;s a night everyone will remember, especially the new happy couple.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off to New York for our good friend Lynn\u0026rsquo;s wedding to Peter. Charlotte\nwas Lynn\u0026rsquo;s maid of honor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ceremony went off perfectly, though this was my first full Catholic event\nand a bit longer than I was used to. Charlotte looked so great.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reception was a blast. I\u0026rsquo;m sure it\u0026rsquo;s a night everyone will remember,\nespecially the new happy couple.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1989/19890701_lynnwedding/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lynn's wedding"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are down in Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving dinner at Valri\u0026rsquo;s house. Pam and Lyle came down from Half Moon Bay with us. We\u0026rsquo;re also joined by our friend Stewart who\u0026rsquo;s down from Berkeley. Chris is looking very sharp in his little outfit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are down in Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving dinner at Valri\u0026rsquo;s\nhouse. Pam and Lyle came down from Half Moon Bay with us. We\u0026rsquo;re also joined by\nour friend Stewart who\u0026rsquo;s down from Berkeley. Chris is looking very sharp in\nhis little outfit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19881125_thanksgiving/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at Valri's house"},{"content":"Scott\u0026rsquo;s in town visiting, so we decide to take a hiking trip out to Yosemite. We start the hike at Glacier Point and go as far as Scott can last. An old friend from our Colorado days is in town as well, and he joins us for the hike.\nCharlotte is busy working out our route, while I gear up for the trip.\nLots of spectacular scenery along the way. We pass quite a few waterfalls on this trail. It\u0026rsquo;s very nice starting at the top of the canyon rather than the valley floor. You also get lots of fantastic views of Half Dome and other peaks.\nWhat\u0026rsquo;s that, a deer? Photo opportunity for our visitor.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eScott\u0026rsquo;s in town visiting, so we decide to take a hiking trip out to\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e. We start the hike at Glacier Point and go as far\nas Scott can last. An old friend from our Colorado days is in town as well,\nand he joins us for the hike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/15.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is busy working out our route, while I gear up for the trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880830_glacierpoint/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLots of spectacular scenery along the way. We pass quite a few waterfalls on\nthis trail. It\u0026rsquo;s very nice starting at the top of the canyon rather than the\nvalley floor. You also get lots of fantastic views of Half Dome and other\npeaks.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking in Yosemite with Scott"},{"content":"We make a visit to Santa Cruz while my brother Scott is in town. We check out the the view from the wharf. The boardwalk looks like a lot of fun also.\nWe then head out to Steamer Lane and the surfing museum. There\u0026rsquo;s a nice view of a sailing regatta and someone catching a wave. It\u0026rsquo;s always a nice day to visit Santa Cruz. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a warm spot in comparison to home in Half Moon Bay.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880828_scottvisit/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe make a visit to Santa Cruz while my brother Scott is in town. We check out\nthe the view from the wharf. The \u003ca href=\"https://beachboardwalk.com\"\u003eboardwalk\u003c/a\u003e looks\nlike a lot of fun also.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880828_scottvisit/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880828_scottvisit/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880828_scottvisit/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe then head out to Steamer Lane and the surfing museum. There\u0026rsquo;s a nice view of\na sailing regatta and someone catching a wave. It\u0026rsquo;s always a nice day to visit\nSanta Cruz. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a warm spot in comparison to home in Half Moon\nBay.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Scott visits Santa Cruz"},{"content":"My brother Scott and our friends Brian, Pam, and Lyle are over the house for the day. Our backyard backs onto state property, so there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of room to play. It\u0026rsquo;s a good day to enjoy the swing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880827_montara/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy brother Scott and our friends Brian, Pam, and Lyle are over the house for\nthe day. Our backyard backs onto state property, so there\u0026rsquo;s plenty of room to\nplay. It\u0026rsquo;s a good day to enjoy the swing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880827_montara/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880827_montara/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880827_montara/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880827_montara/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying the day in Montara"},{"content":"The dock is so peaceful and inviting. One would think that vacationing in Bootjack is all relaxation, swimming, boating, fishing, and all kinds of other fun things.\nYou would be mistaken. Everyone needs to pitch in and work together on the wood pile every year. Gordon relies on this weed for heating in the winter, and it\u0026rsquo;s a small price to pay for all the hospitality and good times. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great chance to work up a sweat and get bit by the really big mosquitoes that buzz around the sawdust.\nEven Chris tries to do his part. I think he\u0026rsquo;ll be ready to work the splitter next year.\nAnother fun job is erecting a new birdhouse. This one is a monster and takes everyone working together to get it up.\nCharlotte helps Chris out with an impromptu shower. Looks like Chris is trying to give grandma a shower in return.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880823_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe dock is so peaceful and inviting. One would think that vacationing in\nBootjack is all relaxation, swimming, boating, fishing, and all kinds of other\nfun things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880823_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou would be mistaken. Everyone needs to pitch in and work together on the wood\npile every year. Gordon relies on this weed for heating in the winter, and\nit\u0026rsquo;s a small price to pay for all the hospitality and good times. It\u0026rsquo;s also a\ngreat chance to work up a sweat and get bit by the really big mosquitoes that\nbuzz around the sawdust.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Fun and work in Bootjack"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are headed up to the Trinity Alps north of Mt. Shasta. We hear that the backpacking is great up there, and it\u0026rsquo;s remote enough to remind us of hiking in Colorado. Mt. Shasta is a great site on the way up.\nThe hike is very steep as we climb through Long Canyon. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice hike and we welcome the rest when we break for camp.\nWe head up to Deer Creek Pass for the big view of the trip. If we had more supplies and time, I suppose we could go down the other side, but it\u0026rsquo;s back the way we came.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880701_trinityalps/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are headed up to the Trinity Alps north of Mt. Shasta. We hear\nthat the backpacking is great up there, and it\u0026rsquo;s remote enough to remind us of\nhiking in Colorado. Mt. Shasta is a great site on the way up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880701_trinityalps/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880701_trinityalps/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hike is very steep as we climb through Long Canyon. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice hike and we\nwelcome the rest when we break for camp.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking in the Trinity Alps"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Jana from Colorado has come out for a visit. We make a trip up to San Francisco on a windy day.\nOn a drive through the back country we come across a very cool red barn. It makes a great excuse for a stop along the way.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880601_jana/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s friend Jana from Colorado has come out for a visit. We make a trip\nup to San Francisco on a windy day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880601_jana/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a drive through the back country we come across a very cool red barn. It\nmakes a great excuse for a stop along the way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880601_jana/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880601_jana/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880601_jana/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880601_jana/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Jana comes for a visit"},{"content":"We didn\u0026rsquo;t do the big honeymoon thing after we got married. We decided to do a local trip and save the big trip for another day. We headed out to Lake Tahoe some exploring, hiking, and time away together.\nThe peaks aren\u0026rsquo;t huge around the lake, but the view certainly is amazing.\nOn the way home, we stopped at Virginia City in Nevada. Pretty cool old spot with plenty of history.\nOne last photo as we pass through Sacramento on our way back home to Montara.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe didn\u0026rsquo;t do the big honeymoon thing after we got married. We decided to do a\nlocal trip and save the big trip for another day. We headed out to Lake Tahoe\nsome exploring, hiking, and time away together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe peaks aren\u0026rsquo;t huge around the lake, but the view certainly is amazing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880320_honeymoon/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way home, we stopped at Virginia City in Nevada. Pretty cool old spot\nwith plenty of history.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The honeymoon"},{"content":"I had a bit of time before we needed to head out to the church for the wedding. What better way to pass the time then wondering out on the golf course for a little putting. Mike and Chris help keep me relaxed on what will be a big day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880319_golf/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI had a bit of time before we needed to head out to the church for the wedding.\nWhat better way to pass the time then wondering out on the golf course for a\nlittle putting. Mike and Chris help keep me relaxed on what will be a big\nday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_golf/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_golf/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A little golf before getting married"},{"content":"The big event was held at the Half Moon Bay Methodist church. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful old church and the perfect size for our relatively small group.\nEveryone is gathering for the ceremony. Everything is kind of a blur to me. I am so excited to marry the love of my life.\nThe wedding was beautiful. All I could do was keep looking at my new wife and try to keep my legs from shaking. I\u0026rsquo;m sure everyone else in the congregation had a much easier time.\nI made it through without falling down. Introducing the new couple, Charlotte and David Multer. Wow!\nLots of smiles and milling around before moving on to the reception. Let\u0026rsquo;s have some fun!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880319_church/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big event was held at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hmbcumc.org\"\u003eHalf Moon Bay Methodist church\u003c/a\u003e.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful old church and the perfect size for our relatively small\ngroup.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/40.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone is gathering for the ceremony. Everything is kind of a blur to me. I\nam so excited to marry the love of my life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_church/30.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wedding was beautiful. All I could do was keep looking at my new wife and\ntry to keep my legs from shaking. I\u0026rsquo;m sure everyone else in the congregation\nhad a much easier time.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and David get married"},{"content":"We had the reception in Ocean Colony in Half Moon Bay. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful golf course with the reception area on a bluff overlooking the Pacific ocean. We were also lucky to get a sunny day. Half Moon Bay is well known for its fog.\nThe new couple ready for some fun.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a great collection of photos of everyone that came for the party.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s funny how much more fun everyone seems to have as the night wears on. There might be a connection to the never ending stream of alcohol.\nNow that we\u0026rsquo;re all juiced up, it\u0026rsquo;s time to dance like mad men.\nGotta have the obligatory cake shot. I sure did enjoy taking off that garter. I suspect Mike really enjoyed having Charlotte in his lap too.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880319_reception/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe had the reception in Ocean Colony in Half Moon Bay. It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful golf\ncourse with the reception area on a bluff overlooking the Pacific ocean. We\nwere also lucky to get a sunny day. Half Moon Bay is well known for its fog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new couple ready for some fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s a great collection of photos of everyone that came for the party.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/29.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/36.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/37.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/40.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"41\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/41.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"42\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/42.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"43\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/43.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"44\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/44.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"45\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/45.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/46.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"52\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/52.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"55\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880319_reception/55.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s funny how much more fun everyone seems to have as the night wears on.\nThere might be a connection to the never ending stream of alcohol.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The wedding reception"},{"content":"Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s shower was a busy affair. Lots of family where in town for the wedding. Here\u0026rsquo;s a few converging on the event. Not quite sure what I\u0026rsquo;m doing hanging around here.\nPlenty to catch up on for everyone that attended. Little Chris was the only boy to crash the party.\nHere are two generations of Hoyem sisters.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880318_shower/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s shower was a busy affair. Lots of family where in town for the\nwedding. Here\u0026rsquo;s a few converging on the event. Not quite sure what I\u0026rsquo;m doing\nhanging around here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/19.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlenty to catch up on for everyone that attended. Little Chris was the only boy\nto crash the party.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/16.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are two generations of Hoyem sisters.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_shower/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's bridal shower"},{"content":"We held a big dinner party the night before the wedding at our house in Montara. There were plenty of friends and family. It was a great informal way to catch up with many people we hadn\u0026rsquo;t seen in a long time. Both Charlotte and I have family mainly back in Michigan and New York.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe held a big dinner party the night before the wedding at our house in\nMontara. There were plenty of friends and family. It was a great informal way\nto catch up with many people we hadn\u0026rsquo;t seen in a long time. Both Charlotte and\nI have family mainly back in Michigan and New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_dinnerparty/27.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Charlotte's dinner party"},{"content":"Luckily there aren\u0026rsquo;t a lot of pictures from this party. We really didn\u0026rsquo;t get out of hand, but there certainly was no shortage of gag gifts. Mike brought the Hawaiian leis, but failed to bring the Hawaiian dancers.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1988/19880318_bachelorparty/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLuckily there aren\u0026rsquo;t a lot of pictures from this party. We really didn\u0026rsquo;t get\nout of hand, but there certainly was no shortage of gag gifts. Mike brought\nthe Hawaiian leis, but failed to bring the Hawaiian dancers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_bachelorparty/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_bachelorparty/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1988/19880318_bachelorparty/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's bachelor party"},{"content":"Charlotte and I do a bit of posing by our house in Montara. That tree swing was always a lot of fun.\nOur good friends Lynn, Scott, Donna, and Stewart are here from over the hill. More good friends, Pam and Lyle, live down in Half Moon Bay just down the road.\nMontara state beach is just a short walk from the house. We head down there very frequently. Another beach a little further south is a busy surfing spot. Every morning on the way to work we see loads of surfers hanging our in the water.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1987/19871101_montara/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I do a bit of posing by our house in Montara. That tree swing was\nalways a lot of fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur good friends Lynn, Scott, Donna, and Stewart are here from over the hill.\nMore good friends, Pam and Lyle, live down in Half Moon Bay just down the\nroad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871101_montara/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMontara state beach is just a short walk from the house. We head down there\nvery frequently. Another beach a little further south is a busy surfing spot.\nEvery morning on the way to work we see loads of surfers hanging our in the\nwater.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Friends visiting in Montara"},{"content":"Our very first home is so awesome. It backs onto state land, which gives us loads of room. It\u0026rsquo;s really a welcome change from renting in Cupertino. Especially after coming from Colorado. There\u0026rsquo;s a great path going further into the woods that passes a beautiful flower field. In the other direction we often walk to the beach or up Montara mountain.\nThe back deck is also a great place for me to work on my bike. Nothing like cleaning a chain on your very own deck while you enjoy a beautiful day in Montara.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1987/19871001_montara/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur very first home is so awesome. It backs onto state land, which gives us\nloads of room. It\u0026rsquo;s really a welcome change from renting in Cupertino.\nEspecially after coming from Colorado. There\u0026rsquo;s a great path going further into\nthe woods that passes a beautiful flower field. In the other direction we\noften walk to the beach or up Montara mountain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19871001_montara/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe back deck is also a great place for me to work on my bike. Nothing like\ncleaning a chain on your very own deck while you enjoy a beautiful day in\nMontara.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our home in Montara"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn headed out to Sequoia National Park to do some backpacking out to Moose Lake. The girls are missing Colorado a whole lot and need an alpine fix. It\u0026rsquo;s a very exposed area, but the terrain is very stunning.\nLooks a bit colder at camp, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;re ready for the break. Sure wish I could have gone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn headed out to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/seki/\"\u003eSequoia National Park\u003c/a\u003e to do some\nbackpacking out to Moose Lake. The girls are missing Colorado a whole lot and\nneed an alpine fix. It\u0026rsquo;s a very exposed area, but the terrain is very\nstunning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/28.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks a bit colder at camp, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure they\u0026rsquo;re ready for the break. Sure wish\nI could have gone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870711_mooselake/29.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn backpacking at Moose Lake"},{"content":"Charlotte and I hooked up with our friends Lynn, Dave, and Lori for a backpacking trip in Yosemite to Half Dome. We made our way from the valley up Nevada falls. No shortage of water along the way on this hike.\nWe made our first stop in little Yosemite valley before heading up to the top of Half Dome.\nThe hike is a never ending series of steps carved into the granite. Good thing we left the packs back at camp. Lynn decided to haul her stuff up to the top and spend the night. At the top of the steps we all take a rest and a photo opportunity.\nThe rest of the way consists of a series of planks and a cable railing. I decided to stay here and let those with more of a taste for heights venture to the very top.\nCharlotte, Lynn, and Dave make it to the top and are clearly rewarded with one amazing view.\nAs if the view wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough, they decide to show everyone how little they worry about heights. While they\u0026rsquo;re up there looking down, they spot a rock climber coming up. Just shows you that they\u0026rsquo;re is always someone a little crazier than you are.\nLynn bravely camps out on top of Half Dome while we head down to enjoy the protection of the valley.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I hooked up with our friends Lynn, Dave, and Lori for a\nbackpacking trip in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/\"\u003eYosemite\u003c/a\u003e to Half Dome. We\nmade our way from the valley up Nevada falls. No shortage of water along the\nway on this hike.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made our first stop in little Yosemite valley before heading up to the top\nof Half Dome.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1987/19870620_halfdome/11.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hike is a never ending series of steps carved into the granite. Good thing\nwe left the packs back at camp. Lynn decided to haul her stuff up to the top\nand spend the night. At the top of the steps we all take a rest and a photo\nopportunity.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking to Half Dome"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn headed out to Yosemite to hike inTuolumne Meadows. They took a trail that went to May Lake. They\u0026rsquo;re both working hard to see what California has to offer in comparison to Colorado.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn headed out to Yosemite to hike in\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/tuolumne.htm\"\u003eTuolumne Meadows\u003c/a\u003e.\nThey took a trail that went to May Lake. They\u0026rsquo;re both working hard to see what\nCalifornia has to offer in comparison to Colorado.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860806_maylake/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn hike to May Lake in Tuolumne meadows"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re all moved out from Boulder to Cupertino now that I\u0026rsquo;m working for Apple. We found a nice house to rent near the mountains and local park hiking such as Stevens Creek Canyon park. It\u0026rsquo;s still close to work for both of us. This is also the sacred shrine where Charlotte and I first lived together.\nOf course what makes it a really great place are when our friends come to visit. Lynn, Scott, Donna, and Brian came for a visit during Christmas.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re all moved out from Boulder to Cupertino now that I\u0026rsquo;m working for\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.apple.com\"\u003eApple\u003c/a\u003e. We found a nice house to rent near the mountains and\nlocal park hiking such as Stevens Creek Canyon park. It\u0026rsquo;s still close to work\nfor both of us. This is also the sacred shrine where Charlotte and I first\nlived together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1986/19860401_cupertino/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course what makes it a really great place are when our friends come to\nvisit. Lynn, Scott, Donna, and Brian came for a visit during Christmas.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Our new home in Cupertino"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s a big transition time right now. The Boulder days are drawing to a close with the shutdown of Burroughs, but Charlotte and I are getting closer every day. I was invited out to Portland for an interview with Intel. They put us up for the whole weekend, and luckily for us it was a beautiful weekend. Here\u0026rsquo;s Charlotte posing in front of the Columbia river at Crown Point. on our way to the coast for the day. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe we rented a Firebird.\nThere were all kinds of great sites along the way including rainbows, waterfalls, and plenty of trees.\nWe made plenty of beach stops to goof around.\nThe beaches were totally awesome. I had never seen such huge expanses of sand with huge rock outcroppings way out in the ocean.\nAs they day drew to a close and we enjoyed the beautiful sunset, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t stop thinking of how I loved my dear Charlotte.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1986/19860301_portland/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s a big transition time right now. The Boulder days are drawing to a close\nwith the shutdown of Burroughs, but Charlotte and I are getting closer every\nday. I was invited out to Portland for an interview with Intel. They put us up\nfor the whole weekend, and luckily for us it was a beautiful weekend. Here\u0026rsquo;s\nCharlotte posing in front of the Columbia river at Crown Point. on our way to\nthe coast for the day. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe we rented a Firebird.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and David visit Portland"},{"content":"Nothing like spending Christmas with Charlotte. Looks like Ed and Barb are over as well.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eNothing like spending Christmas with Charlotte. Looks like Ed and Barb are over\nas well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851225_christmas/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Christmas with Charlotte"},{"content":"Our favorite ski spot in Colorado has always been Steamboat. George and Gordy met us up there for some fun in the snow. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a drive all the way out there, but it\u0026rsquo;s well worth the trip. Turns out I had to drive through a snowstorm this time that really wiped me out by the time I got there. Amazingly I managed to get a flat just before I got to the condo. Gordy met me for the very first time out front and spotted me staring at my flat tire. As Gordy tells it, his first vision of me was of some dumb loser that Charlotte hooked up with. He then says he realized I was just a brain in some kind of daze.\nThis trip turned out to be a big turning point for Charlotte and me. We were relentlessly teased by our brothers about the just friends thing, but it was pretty obvious to everyone, including ourselves, that there was a whole lot more between us than had been in the past. We had the best time skiing ever and from then on saw more and more of each other. I think Gordy has gotten over his first impression.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19851201_steamboat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOur favorite ski spot in Colorado has always been Steamboat. George and Gordy\nmet us up there for some fun in the snow. It\u0026rsquo;s really quite a drive all the\nway out there, but it\u0026rsquo;s well worth the trip. Turns out I had to drive through\na snowstorm this time that really wiped me out by the time I got there.\nAmazingly I managed to get a flat just before I got to the condo. Gordy met me\nfor the very first time out front and spotted me staring at my flat tire. As\nGordy tells it, his first vision of me was of some dumb loser that Charlotte\nhooked up with. He then says he realized I was just a brain in some kind of\ndaze.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and her brothers in Steamboat"},{"content":"Lynn had been living in San Diego and was heading north to Palo Alto and a new job. Scott and I decided a nice trip up the California coast while helping Lynn move was a great idea. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to believe that the three of us and all her stuff fit in that one little car.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynn had been living in San Diego and was heading north to Palo Alto and a new\njob. Scott and I decided a nice trip up the California coast while helping\nLynn move was a great idea. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to believe that the three of us and all\nher stuff fit in that one little car.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_movinglynn/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Scott help Lynn move to Palo Alto"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s always a good time to head over to Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place for some beer and goofing around. The panther is also a regular fixture at Charlotte and Lynn\u0026rsquo;s parties. Looks like we\u0026rsquo;ve all been drinking for a little while.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIt\u0026rsquo;s always a good time to head over to Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place for some beer and\ngoofing around. The panther is also a regular fixture at Charlotte and Lynn\u0026rsquo;s\nparties. Looks like we\u0026rsquo;ve all been drinking for a little while.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851101_boulder/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Having fun with Scott, Stew, and the panther"},{"content":"We started Halloween at work. Here we are at the Burroughs offices showing off as a nerd (not much of a stretch for me) and as a gypsy.\nBack at Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place we get ready for the party. Charlotte and Lynn dressed as Yin and Yang. They temporarily has me play the part as well.\nThe whole crew ready for trick or treating. Stew was very scary looking in his outfit. I don\u0026rsquo;t know why I let Charlotte and Lynn make me up as a girl.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe started Halloween at work. Here we are at the Burroughs offices showing off\nas a nerd (not much of a stretch for me) and as a gypsy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack at Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place we get ready for the party. Charlotte and Lynn\ndressed as Yin and Yang. They temporarily has me play the part as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19851031_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe whole crew ready for trick or treating. Stew was very scary looking in his\noutfit. I don\u0026rsquo;t know why I let Charlotte and Lynn make me up as a girl.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn's halloween party"},{"content":"Charlotte, Lynn, and I are off for a big backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons. We\u0026rsquo;re concerned about bears, but we\u0026rsquo;re all excited about this trip and the big peaks ahead. We came close to not making it, following our stop at a small town amusement park. We spotted the rides and the lights on our drive up and thought it would be fun. Turns out the ride operator on the spinning ride thought it would be fun to let the ride keep going. We managed to overcome the nausea by the time we arrived.\nLynn shows a little leg to keep me moving up the trail. Plenty of great views.\nThe trail was so hot, we constantly stopped to take a dip in the river along the way. The water was so cold, it was always hard to put the backpack on and keep rolling.\nA few poses at the top.\nOn the way down we pretty much ran out of water. We were begging for drinks on the last part. This left us exhausted by the time we got back down to the lake. Time to relax and remember how much fun this trip was.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19850705_tetons/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Lynn, and I are off for a big backpacking trip to the\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/grte/\"\u003eGrand Tetons\u003c/a\u003e. We\u0026rsquo;re concerned about bears, but we\u0026rsquo;re all\nexcited about this trip and the big peaks ahead. We came close to not making\nit, following our stop at a small town amusement park. We spotted the rides\nand the lights on our drive up and thought it would be fun. Turns out the ride\noperator on the spinning ride thought it would be fun to let the ride keep\ngoing. We managed to overcome the nausea by the time we arrived.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Backpacking with Charlotte and Lynn in the Grand Tetons"},{"content":"A whole bunch of us headed out to Creedmore Lakes for a bit of hiking and some camping. We wound up scrambling around all over the place and getting lost. There was a bit of panic for some, but we managed to find our way after a little faith in the direction we were heading.\nSettling down for the night, there was no shortage of conversation. I love that shot of me in the tent with the essential supplies piled out front.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA whole bunch of us headed out to Creedmore Lakes for a bit of hiking and some\ncamping. We wound up scrambling around all over the place and getting lost.\nThere was a bit of panic for some, but we managed to find our way after a\nlittle faith in the direction we were heading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850601_creedmorelakes/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSettling down for the night, there was no shortage of conversation. I love that\nshot of me in the tent with the essential supplies piled out front.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Camping at Creedmore Lakes"},{"content":"Charlotte, Lynn, and Jana are out for some hiking up at Estes Cone.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte, Lynn, and Jana are out for some hiking up at Estes Cone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1985/19850519_estescone/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hiking at Estes Cone"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of snow up in Bootjack in December. It looks so beautiful, but it is unbelievably cold.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s no shortage of snow up in Bootjack in December. It looks so beautiful,\nbut it is unbelievably cold.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841201_bootjack/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Winter in Bootjack"},{"content":"Charlotte and I are over Ed\u0026rsquo;s place for dinner tonight.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19841125_thanksgiving/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and I are over Ed\u0026rsquo;s place for dinner tonight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841125_thanksgiving/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841125_thanksgiving/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841125_thanksgiving/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Thanksgiving at Ed's place"},{"content":"The big Halloween party was at Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place this year, and boy was it big. Charlotte and Lynn came as a pair of dice, I don\u0026rsquo;t know why. It appears that Ghostbusters was big this year, and I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist.\nThe aftermath of the party is best left to in-person descriptions.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe big Halloween party was at Charlotte\u0026rsquo;s place this year, and boy was it big.\nCharlotte and Lynn came as a pair of dice, I don\u0026rsquo;t know why. It appears that\nGhostbusters was big this year, and I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aftermath of the party is best left to in-person descriptions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19841031_halloween/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Halloween in Boulder"},{"content":"Charlotte is off backpacking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness again. This time she\u0026rsquo;s on the Pawnee Pass trail and the top of the Continental Divide. Sure looks windy at the top.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte is off backpacking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness again. This time\nshe\u0026rsquo;s on the Pawnee Pass trail and the top of the Continental Divide. Sure\nlooks windy at the top.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840801_pawneepass/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte backpacking over Pawnee Pass"},{"content":"The interpid duo are off for another hike in the mountains near Boulder. This hike is to the top of the Twin Sisters near Estes Park. Looks like a great view.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840701_twinsisters/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe interpid duo are off for another hike in the mountains near Boulder. This\nhike is to the top of the Twin Sisters near Estes Park. Looks like a great\nview.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_twinsisters/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_twinsisters/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_twinsisters/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_twinsisters/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn hiking the Twin Sisters"},{"content":"Charlotte made quite a few awesome backpacking and road trips while she lived in Colorado. Here she\u0026rsquo;s heading off to the Grand Canyon. Sounds like it was an amazing trip, though hiking there in the middle of summer may not have been the best idea.\nCharlotte enjoyed this great view of Monument Valley.\nShe also made a stop in Mesa Verde.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte made quite a few awesome backpacking and road trips while she lived\nin Colorado. Here she\u0026rsquo;s heading off to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/grca/\"\u003eGrand Canyon\u003c/a\u003e.\nSounds like it was an amazing trip, though hiking there in the middle of summer\nmay not have been the best idea.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte enjoyed this great view of Monument Valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/14.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe also made a stop in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/meve/\"\u003eMesa Verde\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_grandcanyon/23.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte's hiking trip to the Grand Canyon"},{"content":"While staying in England, I decided to pack my bags and head across the channel and visit Paris for a week. I took the hovercraft and then a train to the city. After settling in at a small hotel, I ventured out every day to explore the city.\nI really enjoyed Notre Dame and the area around there. I made this trip many times while I was in Paris.\nThe Eiffel tower was amazing, as was the view from the top. It sure is hot and hazy in Paris in the summer.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840701_paris/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWhile staying in England, I decided to pack my bags and head across the channel\nand visit Paris for a week. I took the hovercraft and then a train to the\ncity. After settling in at a small hotel, I ventured out every day to explore\nthe city.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840701_paris/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI really enjoyed Notre Dame and the area around there. I made this trip many\ntimes while I was in Paris.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David goes to Paris"},{"content":"Once I graduated from RPI, I flew out to Europe for a nice long trip. I packed one bag and hung out mostly in England for about a month. I stayed at a few different small hotels around the city. I also stayed with my cousin Emily for a while as well. I loved wondering around the city and really got to know my way around the Tube very well. Plenty of great sites to take in on my first ever trip abroad.\nI spent quite a bit of time in the Hyde and Regent\u0026rsquo;s Park areas. The London zoo was a fun spot and I always enjoyed watching people play cricket. Never quite understood the game, but it was a good way to relax.\nI also enjoyed short day trips to areas just outside the city.\nI also made some longer forays into the countryside like my trip to the southern coast.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840601_london/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eOnce I graduated from \u003ca href=\"https://www.rpi.edu\"\u003eRPI\u003c/a\u003e, I flew out to Europe for a\nnice long trip. I packed one bag and hung out mostly in England for about a\nmonth. I stayed at a few different small hotels around the city. I also stayed\nwith my cousin Emily for a while as well. I loved wondering around the city\nand really got to know my way around the Tube very well. Plenty of great sites\nto take in on my first ever trip abroad.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David goes to England"},{"content":"Charlotte and Lynn are off to do some climbing and camping at St. Mary\u0026rsquo;s glacier. It\u0026rsquo;s really not much of a glacier, but it sure is damn cold. Charlotte tells me it was pretty miserable out on the ice. Look out, number 5 pick axe!\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and Lynn are off to do some climbing and camping at St. Mary\u0026rsquo;s\nglacier. It\u0026rsquo;s really not much of a glacier, but it sure is damn cold.\nCharlotte tells me it was pretty miserable out on the ice. Look out, number 5\npick axe!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_glacier/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte and Lynn go hiking on a glacier"},{"content":"Charlotte really got into rock climbing while she was in Boulder. She proudly displays her climbing gear back at the apartment. Time to head off for some climbing on a great day.\nCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s working on her technique with a local rock climbing class.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte really got into rock climbing while she was in Boulder. She proudly\ndisplays her climbing gear back at the apartment. Time to head off for some\nclimbing on a great day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlotte\u0026rsquo;s working on her technique with a local rock climbing class.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/13.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840501_climbing/12.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Charlotte rock climbing in Boulder"},{"content":"I wasn\u0026rsquo;t even in Colorado yet when Charlotte did a trip to Steamboat for some skiing. Looks like the usual crew from Boulder that I would be getting to know in just a few months. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to get out of school and start having some real fun.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1984/19840219_steamboat/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI wasn\u0026rsquo;t even in Colorado yet when Charlotte did a trip to Steamboat for some\nskiing. Looks like the usual crew from Boulder that I would be getting to know\nin just a few months. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to get out of school and start having some\nreal fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840219_steamboat/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1984/19840219_steamboat/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Skiing in Steamboat"},{"content":"Lynda\u0026rsquo;s Bat Mitzvah took place while we lived in Florida. I haven\u0026rsquo;t got the real photo album, only a few extra photos that you\u0026rsquo;ll find in this story. Here\u0026rsquo;s the crew at the synagogue.\nA few classic posed shots, one heck of a cake, and I have no idea how I wound up being carried around on a chair. I thought it was Lynda\u0026rsquo;s turn.\nAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the new woman. I love that picture with grandpa Harry.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda\u0026rsquo;s Bat Mitzvah took place while we lived in Florida. I haven\u0026rsquo;t got the\nreal photo album, only a few extra photos that you\u0026rsquo;ll find in this story.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the crew at the synagogue.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few classic posed shots, one heck of a cake, and I have no idea how I wound\nup being carried around on a chair. I thought it was Lynda\u0026rsquo;s turn.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1977/19770423_batmitzvah/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd here\u0026rsquo;s the new woman. I love that picture with grandpa Harry.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lynda's Bat Mitzvah"},{"content":"A Bar Mitzvah is a major right of passage for any Jewish boy. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great excuse for a party with all your friends and family. It also entails a huge amount of preparation. All my years of Hebrew school built up to the study for my Torah and Haftarah reading in front of one huge congregation. Services were held at the Suburban Temple in Wantagh, NY.\nRabbi Robert Raab and Cantor Walter Lewis were both there to point out any mistake I might make. Reading Hebrew is hard enough, but they leave out the vowels in the Torah. And trying to sing the Haftarah must be quite a laugh for those in the audience.\nA few last poses at the synagouge before heading off to the party.\nStudly poses in his hot blue velvet three-piece suit. Time for the party to start at the Fountainebleau in Westbury, NY. I can\u0026rsquo;t believe I\u0026rsquo;m posting these pictures.\nGotta love the goofy poses with my friends. I guess the girls are all hot for me. I suspect they were threatened by the photographer if they didn\u0026rsquo;t do it. I am so embarrassed.\nThe obligatory family shots. My grandma Edith, and grandma Gert and grandpa Harry look great. My grandpa Charlie died shortly before and was sorely missed by everyone.\nThe proud mother and father introduce their son and his new manhood. Lynda and Scott bring out the tallit. Well, it\u0026rsquo;s mostly Lynda with Scott hanging on.\nUncle Albert slices the Challah.\nNo Bar Mitvah party is complete without the new man being carried around in a chair. I was sure they were going to drop me.\nThanks for everything mom and dad.\nThis table is mostly my mom and dad\u0026rsquo;s friends. There\u0026rsquo;s Barry, Letti, Bobby, Arthur, and more.\nMy friends were spread across two tables. I\u0026rsquo;ve forgotten most of their names, but I can make out Lee, Andy, Beth, and Mindy.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a bunch of people from the Multer family including Abe, Bert, Dorothy, Carrie, Edith, Albert, Shirley, Alfred\u0026rsquo;s wife, and Sadie.\nAnother table filled with people from the Zelmanow side of the family including Gert and Harry.\nA table full of Multer family including Carole, David, Norman, Martin, Elsa, Bobby, and others.\nA table full of my parent\u0026rsquo;s friends and my uncle Jeff and aunt Eileen.\nA table of Zelmanow family including Peter, Dorothy, Edward, Philip, and more.\nMore cousins from the Multer family including Jonathan, Emily, Mina, Morris, and Tina.\nEven more friends of my parents.\nEven more family including Charles, Marsha, Joel, Elaine, and others.\nA few last great family shots. Dancing with my mom, visiting Edith, and Gert and Harry.\nI love this picture of Scott behind the cake. He looks like he can\u0026rsquo;t wait for his Bar Mitzvah.\nThe party draws to a close, and studly waves farewell.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvah/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA Bar Mitzvah is a major right of passage for any Jewish boy. It\u0026rsquo;s also a great\nexcuse for a party with all your friends and family. It also entails a huge\namount of preparation. All my years of Hebrew school built up to the study for\nmy Torah and Haftarah reading in front of one huge congregation. Services were\nheld at the \u003ca href=\"https://tbtwantagh.org\"\u003eSuburban Temple\u003c/a\u003e in Wantagh, NY.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvah/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvah/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRabbi Robert Raab and Cantor Walter Lewis were both there to point out any\nmistake I might make. Reading Hebrew is hard enough, but they leave out the\nvowels in the Torah. And trying to sing the Haftarah must be quite a laugh for\nthose in the audience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's Bar Mitzvah"},{"content":"The following pictures were the leftovers that weren\u0026rsquo;t used for the formal album. This group was taken at the synagogue. I think three other kids had their Bar Mitzvahs that same day.\nA few studly shots over at the reception.\nA few more posed shots and a few more table photos.\nTime to hit the dance floor.\nAnd a few cake shots to end things.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe following pictures were the leftovers that weren\u0026rsquo;t used for the formal\nalbum. This group was taken at the synagogue. I think three other kids had\ntheir Bar Mitzvahs that same day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"22\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/22.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"35\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/35.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/10.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"39\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/39.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"23\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/23.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/20.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"14\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/14.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"33\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/33.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"38\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/38.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"11\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/11.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"29\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/29.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few studly shots over at the reception.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"13\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/13.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few more posed shots and a few more table photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"17\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/17.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"24\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/24.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"12\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/12.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"26\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/26.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"36\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/36.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime to hit the dance floor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/32.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"15\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/15.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"16\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/16.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"18\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/18.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"21\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/21.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"31\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/31.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"34\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/34.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/40.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd a few cake shots to end things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"19\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/19.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"25\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/25.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"27\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/27.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/28.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"30\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/30.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1975/19750215_barmitzvahmisc/37.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's Bar Mitzvah leftovers"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite as irritating as a kid with a noise maker and I\u0026rsquo;ve got my uncle Jeff in my sights. Of course he took great enjoyment out of bugging me, so it\u0026rsquo;s only fair I get a turn. I\u0026rsquo;m thinking about attacking my little brother Scott next.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1970/19700501_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite as irritating as a kid with a noise maker and I\u0026rsquo;ve got my\nuncle Jeff in my sights. Of course he took great enjoyment out of bugging me,\nso it\u0026rsquo;s only fair I get a turn. I\u0026rsquo;m thinking about attacking my little brother\nScott next.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1970/19700501_david/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1970/19700501_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1970/19700501_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Annoying uncle Jeff with a noise maker"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re visiting historic Jamestown, VA with my uncle Peter and aunt Dorothy. First some group shots in front of the pavilion honoring John Smith and the first settlement.\nEnough of that, time for some fun on the ships.\nAnd to top it all off, my uncle intends to launch me from a cannon. Lynda looks very pleased.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re visiting historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/colo/\"\u003eJamestown\u003c/a\u003e, VA with my\nuncle Peter and aunt Dorothy. First some group shots in front of the pavilion\nhonoring John Smith and the first settlement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnough of that, time for some fun on the ships.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd to top it all off, my uncle intends to launch me from a cannon. Lynda looks\nvery pleased.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670801_jamestown/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Enjoying Jamestown with my aunt and uncle"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re off for a big vacation this time up to Lake George. I think we stayed at the Holiday Inn.\nWe visited Fort William Henry and enjoyed a boat ride on the Ticonderoga.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s also a place called Santa\u0026rsquo;s Workshop with lots of fun things to do for kids like Lynda and me.\nHere I am showing off my prized possession from our recent trip to Lake George. I loved that musket rifle.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWe\u0026rsquo;re off for a big vacation this time up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.visitlakegeorge.com\"\u003eLake George\u003c/a\u003e.\nI think we stayed at the Holiday Inn.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/01.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe visited \u003ca href=\"https://www.fwhmuseum.com\"\u003eFort William Henry\u003c/a\u003e and enjoyed a boat\nride on the Ticonderoga.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere\u0026rsquo;s also a place called \u003ca href=\"https://www.northpoleny.com\"\u003eSanta\u0026rsquo;s Workshop\u003c/a\u003e with lots of fun things\nto do for kids like Lynda and me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"10\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670601_lakegeorge/10.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere I am showing off my prized possession from our recent trip to Lake George.\nI loved that musket rifle.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Vacationing in Lake George"},{"content":"I fondly remember many summers we spent in Amagansett with my grandpa Charlie and grandma Edith. There was always plenty of swimming in the pool and the ocean, fishing, digging for clams, and playing in the sand dunes. I think we had some of our best times on these trips.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1967/19670501_amagansett/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI fondly remember many summers we spent in Amagansett with my grandpa Charlie\nand grandma Edith. There was always plenty of swimming in the pool and the\nocean, fishing, digging for clams, and playing in the sand dunes. I think we\nhad some of our best times on these trips.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670501_amagansett/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670501_amagansett/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670501_amagansett/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1967/19670501_amagansett/05.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Trip to the Hamptons"},{"content":"A few great shots of me and Lynda before heading off to bed.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1966/19661102_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA few great shots of me and Lynda before heading off to bed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1966/19661102_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1966/19661102_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David and Lynda before bed"},{"content":"Lynda looks so adorable in her cute little bunny outfit, while I go for the evil look. Now let\u0026rsquo;s get rolling and get ourselves some candy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1966/19661031_halloween/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eLynda looks so adorable in her cute little bunny outfit, while I go for the\nevil look. Now let\u0026rsquo;s get rolling and get ourselves some candy.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The devil comes out for Halloween"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m not sure who my mom is serenading, but it sure is making Edith crack up. Meanwhile dad makes a bit of his own noise.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1966/19660101_newyears/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m not sure who my mom is serenading, but it sure is making Edith crack up.\nMeanwhile dad makes a bit of his own noise.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1966/19660101_newyears/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira and Phoebe have fun on New Year's eve"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m doing quite the serious pose outside our house in Copiague.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1965/19650701_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m doing quite the serious pose outside our house in Copiague.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Little man David"},{"content":"My grandma Edith and grandpa Charlie lived at 2411 Quentin Road in Brooklyn, NY. I always loved going to their house to visit. There were always lots of great places to explore and things to do. It\u0026rsquo;s even more fun now that I\u0026rsquo;ve got my little sister Lynda to play with.\nI\u0026rsquo;m having fun playing with grandpa while my great uncle Sam Reiss and my great grandpa Sol Fine enjoy the shade.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1965/19650701_quentinroad/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy grandma Edith and grandpa Charlie lived at 2411 Quentin Road in Brooklyn,\nNY. I always loved going to their house to visit. There were always lots of\ngreat places to explore and things to do. It\u0026rsquo;s even more fun now that I\u0026rsquo;ve got\nmy little sister Lynda to play with.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1965/19650701_quentinroad/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1965/19650701_quentinroad/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1965/19650701_quentinroad/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1965/19650701_quentinroad/04.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m having fun playing with grandpa while my great uncle Sam Reiss and my great\ngrandpa Sol Fine enjoy the shade.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Visiting grandma and grandpa in Brooklyn"},{"content":"That truck looks like so much fun. I\u0026rsquo;m sure I would drive around ringing that bell all day long. Looks like some local kids check out the fun and join in.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1965/19650401_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThat truck looks like so much fun. I\u0026rsquo;m sure I would drive around ringing that\nbell all day long. Looks like some local kids check out the fun and join in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1965/19650401_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David plays with friends out front"},{"content":"Yet another big day for a 2 year old. It\u0026rsquo;s looking a bit nippy outside, but I sure do look cute in that hat and coat. I spent a lot of time playing out front by that little tree.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1964/19640401_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eYet another big day for a 2 year old. It\u0026rsquo;s looking a bit nippy outside, but I\nsure do look cute in that hat and coat. I spent a lot of time playing out\nfront by that little tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640401_david/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David playing in the front yard"},{"content":"Another day of fun for a 2 year old. Man life was so easy.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1964/19640301_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAnother day of fun for a 2 year old. Man life was so easy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/07.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1964/19640301_david/09.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David riding the tricycle in the house"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve got family visiting today. My Uncle Albert and his family are over with my grandpa Charlie. Looks like I had a lot of fun and ended up wiped out in the crib.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1963/19631201_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve got family visiting today. My Uncle Albert and his family are over with my\ngrandpa Charlie. Looks like I had a lot of fun and ended up wiped out in the\ncrib.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631201_david/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631201_david/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631201_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631201_david/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631201_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Uncle Albert and grandpa Charlie visiting"},{"content":"After a short stint in Brooklyn, followed by an army posting in North Carolina, I\u0026rsquo;m back in NY at my home in Copiague. My uncle Peter and my grandma Gert are over for a visit.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1963/19631001_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a short stint in Brooklyn, followed by an army posting in North Carolina,\nI\u0026rsquo;m back in NY at my home in Copiague. My uncle Peter and my grandma Gert are\nover for a visit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631001_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19631001_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Uncle Peter comes for a visit"},{"content":"Charlotte and her family are in Canada on Lake St. Clair visiting with the Clark family.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eCharlotte and her family are in Canada on Lake St. Clair visiting with the\nClark family.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"09\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/09.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/06.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"08\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/08.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1963/19630701_charlotte/07.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Hoyems visit Lake St. Clair"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m not sure what this picture is, but my cousins Lisa and Tina seem to enjoy having a baby around. Jonathan\u0026rsquo;s attention is clearly focused elsewhere, while I desperately try to keep my attention on the same thing.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1963/19630401_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;m not sure what this picture is, but my cousins Lisa and Tina seem to enjoy\nhaving a baby around. Jonathan\u0026rsquo;s attention is clearly focused elsewhere, while\nI desperately try to keep my attention on the same thing.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David visiting with his cousins"},{"content":"I think these are pretty cute, but then again I\u0026rsquo;m pretty biased. I love the way the photographer jammed my fist into the side of my face. Gotta do something to hold up that big fat head.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1962/19620301_david/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eI think these are pretty cute, but then again I\u0026rsquo;m pretty biased. I love the way\nthe photographer jammed my fist into the side of my face. Gotta do something\nto hold up that big fat head.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"01\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/01.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"02\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/02.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"03\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/03.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"04\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/04.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"05\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/05.jpg\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt=\"06\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/multer.com/content/posts/1962/19620301_david/06.jpg\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David's baby pictures"},{"content":"Thank you mom. If it weren\u0026rsquo;t for you, both myself and this site could have never been. David Lawrence Multer was born in Brooklyn, NY at Maimonides hospital on February 8, 1962 at 2:10 AM. I was a big boy from the start, weighing in at 9 lbs 2 oz and 21 inches long. They even went in with forceps to grab my big fat head to pull me out. I\u0026rsquo;m still sporting that oversize head to this day.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1962/19620208_baby/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThank you mom. If it weren\u0026rsquo;t for you, both myself and this site could have\nnever been. David Lawrence Multer was born in Brooklyn, NY at \u003ca href=\"https://maimo.org\"\u003eMaimonides\u003c/a\u003e\nhospital on February 8, 1962 at 2:10 AM. I was a big boy from the start,\nweighing in at 9 lbs 2 oz and 21 inches long. They even went in with forceps\nto grab my big fat head to pull me out. I\u0026rsquo;m still sporting that oversize\nhead to this day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David Multer joins the ranks of the world"},{"content":"My mom\u0026rsquo;s family poses for this group shot on the day of the big wedding at Beth Israel synagogue in Brooklyn, NY. Harry and Gert are there with Peter and Jeff. I wonder if my dad was intimidated at all with Peter towering right next to him. Thanks for getting married guys, a big first step towards my existence.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/posts/1960/19601218_wedding/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy mom\u0026rsquo;s family poses for this group shot on the day of the big wedding at Beth\nIsrael synagogue in Brooklyn, NY. Harry and Gert are there with Peter and\nJeff. I wonder if my dad was intimidated at  all with Peter towering right\nnext to him. Thanks for getting married guys, a big first step towards my\nexistence.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ira and Phoebe get married"},{"content":"Welcome to the new home for the Multer family! I put a ton of effort into posting stories to the site for many years, but ultimately life got in the way. I feel bad for all the years the site sat idle, but the long wait is over. I\u0026rsquo;ve setup a whole new structure that will be much easier to maintain and add to as the years go on. It\u0026rsquo;s also a much better approach for posting content in a simple and unified way.\nAnother big step in building the new site was finding a new way to handle all the Multer family genealogical data. I also finally bit the bullet on that one, by migrating the content to WikiTree. It\u0026rsquo;s a great service that\u0026rsquo;s totally free, flexible, and much easier to collaborate with other family members. You\u0026rsquo;ll find the link in the Genealogy section.\nI hope you enjoy the new website.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/about/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the new home for the Multer family! I put a ton of effort into\nposting stories to the site for many years, but ultimately life got in the\nway. I feel bad for all the years the site sat idle, but the long wait is\nover. I\u0026rsquo;ve setup a whole new structure that will be much easier to maintain\nand add to as the years go on. It\u0026rsquo;s also a much better approach for posting\ncontent in a simple and unified way.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About"},{"content":"Summary I am an expert at building and leading agile software development teams that ship products that delight customers. I am self motivated, highly disciplined, very technical, hands-on, and know what it takes to help any business succeed. I am currently retired and not looking for any new positions.\nEmployment Shopify - Toronto, Canada (remote) Senior Engineering Manager (November 2021 - February 2023) I led engineering teams responsible for buyer engagement for our retail merchants. Responsibilities included backend and POS mobile functionality for checkout, cash tracking, non-credit payments, pay with installments, and taxes. Specific accomplishments include:\nGrew responsibility to multiple teams from a single team and initial focus on POS checkout. One of four senior engineering leaders responsible for all of Shopify Retail engineering. Led team and project to migrate Retail POS checkout to new Checkout One platform. Also led coordination for the overall migration for all POS migration across other Retail engineering teams. Overall leadership for the team that shipped Shop Pay Installments for Retail to merchants. Established lightweight agile rituals and GitHub project boards to foster a positive team atmosphere and quality incremental project progress. Top performer for staffing efforts across all of Retail engineering. Onboarded developers, interns, and new engineering management to my team. Led teams responsible for high priority incidents and bug resolution for POS checkout and related functionality. Hookalu - Santa Cruz, CA Founder (November 2017 - June 2025) I started Hookalu to give developers a highly scalable and reliable service for handling webhooks. Hookalu lets developers easily connect hundreds of webhook sources with dozens of service destinations in AWS or GCP. The service is built using serverless AWS solutions including Lambda, SQS, Cognito, and DynamoDB with front-end via JavaScript and React. Details regarding the service:\nHighly optimized first phase pipeline tested at thousands of requests per second. Currently handling production workloads of thousands of RPS. Extensible architecture for adding new webook sources with various features such as large payloads, request signing, automatic creation/destruction of webhook endpoints, and more. Inspection of webhook requests without ngrok. Extensive instrumentation of the control and data planes. Detailed usage data and analysis tied to Stripe billing. Universal Audio - Scotts Valley, CA Director Cloud Services (June 2014 - November 2021) Leading an agile team building amazing apps and services in Python, JavaScript, and more running on a pile of AWS services.\nI led a small team responsible for all Web development and Cloud operations at Universal Audio. I pioneered our agile development,, scalable and reliable AWS operations, data warehousing, REST API platform services, and our current efforts with Shopify Plus. Our team provides critical service components for our world-class audio products, and the online store that handles close to half the company’s revenue. Specific accomplishments include:\nLed transition to Shopify Plus platform built on JavaScript, React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and more. Architected and built scalable and reliable REST API service to support applications across the entire company using Python, Flask, ECS, API Gateway, RDS, and more. Architected and built a scalable data warehousing solution based on AWS Data Pipeline, Redshift, and Looker. Established suite of first-class services and processes for monitoring and integration using Datadog, Segment, Sentry, Drip, CyberSource, and more. Our team has delivered better than 99.99% uptime overall and no security incidents. Architected and built scalable and reliable AWS infrastructure based on EC2, RDS, ElastiCache, and more that moved us off dedicated Rackspace hosts. Built a highly productive happy team and lightweight agile process that continuously delivers multiple production releases every week. Leading the way for the entire company in how a modern startup leads great teams. Took over stalled Magento 1.x transition project and made it a success. Introduced CI/CD, automated tests, and continuous improvement. Waverley Software - Palo Alto, CA Senior Vice President of Engineering and CTO (April 2005 - March 2013) Waverley provides software development outsourcing services and expertise in a broad range of software areas including mobile (iOS, Android, mobile Web), server (Java, Ruby, PHP), desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux), and specific technology areas such as synchronization, telecom, embedded, and more.\nResponsible for leadership of all engineering and project management operations including:\nEstablish and run our development offices in Ukraine. Define and support strategic partnerships with engineering teams in Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Work with leading edge clients such as TripIt, GroupOn, Yahoo, and Fanhattan on existing and new projects. Provide technical and management leadership for project teams through code reviews, architecture, design, bug reviews, and agile processes. Lead design, build, and test of projects using mobile Web (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), mobile apps (iOS, Android), server (Java, Ruby, PHP), and desktop (Mac, Windows). Define and drive best practices and agile processes for use with all clients. Develop new client and project opportunities. Leadership of our onshore and offshore project management teams. Establish and provide support infrastructure for all internal operations. Responsible for tools such as wiki, SCM/Git, bug tracking, code reviews, CI/Jenkins, and Basecamp services. Define and execute technical strategy for the company. Executive and board member leadership for the company. Silverback Systems - Campbell, CA Vice President of Software Engineering (April 2003 - February 2005) Silverback Systems is a start-up that is developing a new breed of processors to enable and capitalize on the emergence of IP Storage. The solution provides a state of the art architecture that carefully balances the combination of silicon and software for the next generation of networked storage and data centers.\nJoined the company to head the software team. As the leader of the software engineering and quality portion of the company, my accomplishments include:\nManaged two local and one remote development team. Drove need to focus on smaller number of projects and gain alignment around a product driven process. Established additional engineering, quality, and release engineering processes. Shipped multiple product releases that included drivers and firmware for use with the iSNAP processor. Led the development teams responsible for the most technically advanced product offering in the marketplace for TCP/IP and iSCSI offload. Built a quality organization where none existed before. Established additional development and quality labs to meet growing feature and quality standards. Brought much more of a people focus to a primarily technical management style organization. Improved internal communication capabilities through the use of regular status, meetings, reviews, and a Wiki intranet. Represented the software and quality teams at the executive and board level. fusionOne - San Jose, CA Co-founder, Senior Vice President of Engineering and CTO (August 1998 - April 2003) Privately held and founded in 1998, fusionOne is the pioneer developer and marketer of carrier-class, synchronization software solutions that make accessing and updating information simple and seamless across multiple communication and computing devices. The company is backed by JP Morgan Partners, Nokia Venture Partners, Oppenheimer Funds, 3Com Ventures, El Dorado Ventures, amongst others. Recent partnerships include Nokia, Sprint, Apple, and Lucent.\nStarted the company with the current CEO based on my vision of a distributed approach to personal information usage across a wide range of devices. The products spanned desktops, handhelds, mobile phones, enterprise servers, and carrier-class servers. As the leader of the engineering and quality portion of the company, my accomplishments include:\nPlayed crucial role in all four rounds of financing totaling approximately $150M. Defined technical strategy for the company that is still the foundation for the current business. Drove the development of a world-class data center based on Solaris, Oracle, EMC storage, and Cisco networking. The consumer service signed up over 750,000 subscribers. Defined the software architecture using a mixture of distributed components in Java, C++, C, Java servlets, JSP, JDBC, HTTP, HTML, and XML. Delivered software agents for a wide range of platforms including Windows, Palm, PPC, and various mobile phones. Delivered a full suite of Web applications including contacts, calendar, mail, tasks, notes, bookmarks, and files. Built a world-class development and quality team from scratch. At its peak, the entire group totaled approximately 150 people. The group was divided into multiple subgroups each with a director/manager. Group included multiple development groups, quality assurance, international engineering, release engineering, and technical documentation. Managed an international development and quality team that delivered multiple versions of internationalized and localized product for Japan. Other languages were built on a needed basis. Drove development of appropriate engineering processes at various stages. Standardized key software support for source control, defect management, IDEs, and other tools. Shipped over 15 production releases of the synchronization service. Responsible for entire engineering budget. Partnered with sales/BD team to develop and close all critical business deals. Managed offshore quality and development teams to enhance our primarily local teams. Created and managed our entire patent strategy and portfolio. Filed over 34 domestic and international patents. Inventor on over 20 of these patents. Handled multiple aspects of 4 acquisitions and due-diligence for other potential acquisitions. Managed 3 reduction-in-force efforts. Presented at many conferences and seminars. Drove our joining and participation in key standards organizations such as W3C, WAP Forum, OMA, SyncML, and IrDA. Agaté Technologies - Fremont, CA Vice President of Engineering (June 1997 - August 1998) Agaté pioneered hot swapping of IDE peripherals and continues to spearhead the move towards a new paradigm in data availability and security. As a premier designer, developer, and marketer of mobile data storage and management, Agaté is committed to delivering breakthrough technology solutions that give users accessibility, mobility, and security of data that are cost-effective and user-friendly. Agaté has been licensing hot-swap technology to various OEMs since 1997, including HP, NEC, and Siemens.\nJoined Agaté to assume responsibility for product development, quality assurance, and customer support of startup company\u0026rsquo;s hardware and software solutions for hot-swapping of desktop and notebook IDE/ATAPI devices. Innovative Tioman software for notebook system OEMs bundled with major manufacturers such as NEC and Acer. HotData desktop dock solutions sold through channel and OEM relationships. My accomplishments included:\nRewrote the Tioman code using C++ and object-oriented design. Started the project to design and develop a version for Windows NT. Created a quality/support team. Shipped multiple versions of the Tioman and HotData products. Saved OEM relationships with existing key customers due to lack of quality and delivery failures. Provided key technical leadership in securing new OEM relationships with multiple system OEMs. Cheyenne Software - Lake Success, NY Engineering Director (August 1996 - June 1997) Cheyenne (now part of Computer Associates) was a leading provider of backup and anti-virus software products for the enterprise. Their award-winning ARCserve, InnocuLAN, and BitWare products provided unprecedented support for enterprise data sources and a wide range of storage devices.\nCheyenne purchased Moniker as part of a plan to deliver retail storage and anti-virus solutions to consumers. My accomplishments included:\nLead development of business and products for entry into the CD-Recordable (CD-R), CD-ReWritable (CD-RW), and DVD markets as part of the new Cheyenne Desktop Division. Launched release of Moniker’s Spira product as Cheyenne Zap for CD. Enhanced drive support for the latest CD-R and CD-RW drives. Led continuing drive to establish Zap for CD with drive and system OEMs. Worked with other Cheyenne groups to integrate CD writing capabilities into backup products. Moniker - Scotts Valley, CA Founder, President and CEO (April 1994 - August 1996) Founded in 1994, Moniker (now owned by Computer Associates) was the pioneer in developing CD recordable software solutions for Windows. The flagship product Spira was the very first complete software solution for creating 100% compatible CD-ROM discs using simple and intuitive drive-letter access.\nStarted Moniker to take advantage of the new CD-R drives for desktop computers. The goal was to provide software drivers to OEM partners that avoided the complexity of premastering applications that were never designed for everyday consumer use. My role covered every aspect of the business including:\nStarted company to deliver consumer software for desktop CD-R products. Shipped breakthrough software-only solution called Spira for drive-letter access to CD-R drives for both Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 systems. Designed and developed the complete Spira product. This included CD-R drive specific device drivers, file system driver, and user interface elements all written in C++. Shipped many versions for both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Built user documentation and help system. Worked with drive OEMs to define the MMC standards used for all SCSI and ATAPI drives. Handled all corporate matters. Raised capital to start company from local angel. Invested my own personal money as well. Hired and managed sales and administrative staff. Drove all OEM and reseller account deals. Handled small retail manufacturing to support reseller efforts. Outsourced and managed marketing and public relations through outside consultants. Outsourced and managed sales efforts aimed at distribution and OEM sales in Japan. Sold company to Cheyenne Software. Returned all of the original capital to investors. Meridian Data - Scotts Valley, CA Engineering Team Lead (July 1992 - April 1994) Founded in 1988, Meridian Data (now part of Quantum) is a developer and manufacturer of easy-to-use network storage solutions. With more than four million users, Meridian Data\u0026rsquo;s systems are deployed worldwide throughout Fortune 1,000 class companies, small businesses, government and educational institutions.\nJoined Meridian Data as a software engineer to build a new network device for creating CDs. At the time, mastering a CD-ROM was very expensive and required highly complex equipment. The NetScribe product was designed to make this process as simple as writing to a file server. My accomplishments while at Meridian Data included:\nDesigned and developed the Windows client drivers that made NetScribe server appliance access appear identical to local drive letter access. Provided critical skills for file system driver development entirely in Windows. Worked with the server team on specification and development of appropriate protocols. Managed design and development of a Macintosh client through an outside contracting company. Pioneered the design and development of the Visual CD retail product that provided an intuitive desktop style approach to managing all types of CD based information such as CD-ROM, CD-Audio, and PhotoCD. Created user documentation and marketing materials for Visual CD launch. Shipped multiple versions of both the NetScribe and Visual CD products. Grew to take on engineering management responsibilities for all CD recordable and application products. NetManage - Cupertino, CA Founder, Lead Software Engineer (December 1990 - July 1992) Founded in 1990, NetManage (Nasdaq: NETM) delivers access, publishing, integration, and support solutions and services that maximize a company\u0026rsquo;s investment in existing information systems and provide the bridge to the new Internet economy. Award-winning NetManage products and service offerings include a comprehensive portfolio of application integration software, host access software, centralized management, and real-time support solutions that transform corporate information assets into powerful eBusiness solutions.\nJoined NetManage as the fourth engineer while the product was only an IP stack and a Telnet client. Brought on to help complete the suite of TCP/IP applications called Chameleon for Windows. The Chameleon product competed with similar products from FTP Software and Novell. NetManage was the first hot TCP/IP company IPO before Netscape. Named numerous times as the fastest growing startup of the year. As a founding engineer, my critical contributions included:\nDrove the vision of simple and elegant Apple-like solutions built to harness all the capabilities of the TCP/IP standards. Responsible for the drive to deliver both client and server solutions for all products. Designed and developed the FTP client and server application, protocol, and APIs. Designed and developed the SMTP/POP client and server application, protocol, and APIs. Designed and developed the SLIP dial-up networking support including scripting. Designed and developed the routing capabilities and user interface. Designed and developed the RPC client and server modules and APIs. Designed and developed the NFS/PCNFSD file services client and server. This is the industry first implementation of NFS entirely in Windows 3.1. Designed and developed the LPR/PCNFSD print services client and server. Designed and developed the ICMP protocol capabilities. Designed and developed the next version of the configuration interface and support modules. Designed and developed the NEWT application that encapsulated status, statistics, and routing information and control. Shipped numerous versions of the NEWT, Chameleon, and ChameleonNFS products. Wrote the user and programmer documentation for all products. Helped in development of the NEWT socket interface that ultimately was submitted and endorsed as the WinSock standard. Tested all products to insure high quality of deliverables. Supported key accounts through customer support calls. Supported key customer sales opportunities such as Walmart. Worked tradeshow booths as part of building sales opportunities. Apple Computer - Cupertino, CA Lead Software Engineer (April 1986 - December 1990) Started at Apple to work in a newly created networking group focused on non-AppleTalk communication products such as SNA, X.25, DECNET, and others. My accomplishments included:\nDesigned, developed, and shipped file conversion utilities for RTF and other file formats. Led development of the MacAPPC product. This product provided peer-to-peer connectivity to IBM systems using APPC/LU6.2 protocols. A MacOS device driver provided transparent network access to any application. The protocol layers ran on a MR-DOS NuBus card. Played an active role in the development of the MR-DOS coprocessor product that MacAPPC was based on. This product was a NuBus adapter that ran the Apple MR-DOS multi-tasking, message passing kernel. This foundation product provided a UNIX like environment for communication applications such as MacAPPC. Played a major role in the development of both user and programmer documentation for MacAPPC. Shipped two major versions of MacAPPC. Presented a session on MacAPPC development at an Apple developer conference. Burroughs - Boulder, CO Software Engineer (June 1984 - April 1986) Joined Burroughs (now called Unisys) following graduation from RPI. This advanced R\u0026amp;D facility was working on an entirely new suite of products based on an advanced new distributed network architecture. These new hardware and software products were built on technologies such as UNIX, 32-bit processors, OSI/MAP, FDDI, IEEE 802.6, network services, telephony, integrated voice and data, and network management. My accomplishments included:\nWrote specifications for network management solutions. Interfaced with various other hardware and software groups to establish standardized interfaces. Participated in standards organizations for networking and network management. Designed multiple components based on a state machine foundation. Coded network management components in C++. Education Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - Troy, NY B.S. Computer Science (1980-1984) Hollywood Hills High School - Hollywood, FL Graduated with honors (1976-1980) Patents 8,621,025 Mobile data transfer and synchronization system 8,442,943 Data transfer and synchronization between mobile systems using change log 8,315,976 Data transfer and synchronization system 7,587,446 Acquisition and synchronization of digital media to a personal information space 7,415,486 System using change log stored at a server to identify changes to user\u0026rsquo;s application data for synchronizing data between systems 7,035,878 Base rolling engine for data transfer and synchronization system 7,007,041 Synchronization system application object interface 6,944,651 Single click synchronization of data 6,925,476 Updating application data to aggregate change log 6,757,696 Management server for synchronization system 6,738,789 Data package including synchronization data 6,694,336 Data transfer and synchronization system 6,671,757 Data transfer and synchronization system ","permalink":"https://multer.com/people/david/resume/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"summary\"\u003eSummary\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am an expert at building and leading agile software development teams that ship products that delight customers. I am self motivated, highly disciplined, very technical, hands-on, and know what it takes to help any business succeed. I am currently retired and not looking for any new positions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"employment\"\u003eEmployment\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"shopify---toronto-canada-remote\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.shopify.com\"\u003eShopify\u003c/a\u003e - Toronto, Canada (remote)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"senior-engineering-manager-november-2021---february-2023\"\u003eSenior Engineering Manager (November 2021 - February 2023)\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI led engineering teams responsible for buyer engagement for our retail merchants. Responsibilities included backend and POS mobile functionality for checkout, cash tracking, non-credit payments, pay with installments, and taxes. Specific accomplishments include:\u003c/p\u003e","title":"David Multer resume"},{"content":"Here you\u0026rsquo;ll find a information for people in the Multer family and our genealogical ancestry. My great-grandfather Max Multer emigrated from eastern Europe in the late 1800s and moved to New York. We\u0026rsquo;ve since spread out across the country and connected with a variety of other families. You can find the Multer genealogy on WikiTree. I encourage you to explore our tree without an account, or create a free account to view living persons and contribute.\nA huge thanks to Ellen, Stacey,and Daniel for providing a wealth of great information on branches of the Multer family I had lost track of. Their ongoing efforts to stay connected with other family members plays a huge part in keeping this information up to date. The next difficult step is trying to track down Max\u0026rsquo;s ancestors in Eastern Europe.\nI have to also give a big thanks to Bea, David, and Karen for their contributions connecting the Valentines, Zelmanows, and Hoyems.\nAnother big area is trying to connect to Multers that appear to be related. We need help finding the connection between the Solomon Multer family and how they may be related to Max Multer and his ancestors. Thanks to Phyllis for all her great information.\nNote that all this information is secure, free, and protects living person\u0026rsquo;s privacy. Also be aware that all copyrights apply. Do not duplicate and/or reproduce in any form without express permission.\n","permalink":"https://multer.com/genealogy/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eHere you\u0026rsquo;ll find a information for people in the Multer family and our\ngenealogical ancestry. My great-grandfather \u003ca href=\"https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Multer-52\"\u003eMax Multer\u003c/a\u003e emigrated from eastern\nEurope in the late 1800s and moved to New York. We\u0026rsquo;ve since spread out across\nthe country and connected with a variety of other families. You can find the\nMulter genealogy on \u003ca href=\"https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/MULTER\"\u003eWikiTree\u003c/a\u003e. I encourage you to explore our tree without an\naccount, or create a free account to view living persons and contribute.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Genealogy"}]