2005

Today we took the kids for a hike in the Redwoods with a nice stop at the river.I think Monica is convinced she’s an otter. Gabe enjoys painting himself using the river rocks.

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. Seems like it’s also a good opportunity to play in the sand as well.

We haven’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. A few shots around our fine ship. While Gabe focuses on the job of catching the big one. Gabe didn’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. ...

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’s been missing. Needless to say he’s totally hooked now, and we’re shopping for yet another wetsuit. ...

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.

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. A little beach time is in order following many hours of spinning and zooming.

Our first attempt at a bonfire this year didn’t work out very well, but today was a perfect day. We had a great crowd and a beautiful day.

Charlotte, Paula, and Sally are off for a hike this morning down at Pogonip. The old clubhouse is quite a site.

Today is a very big day. Not only is it the start of summer vacation, but it’s also the last day for Nick at Middle School. Next year he’ll be going to High School, driving, dating, and other very scary things. The family gets dressed up for the big event. There’s plenty of milling around before the event starts. Monica and Gabe aren’t very happy about all the waiting. I’m just hoping the weather holds and it doesn’t start pouring on us. ...

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!