2009 on Multer family website

Looking Back on 2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Basically 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.

Hula the Night Away

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Your 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.

I Spy A Zebra

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Volcano National Park: Hawaii

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Welcome Home

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Hells gate is always open
For the son of man
No closing time
We keep our doors open
Just for you
We value your partnership
You keep us alive
Our only faithful sponsor
Always coming back for more
We have no doubts
For your future
We can see the path
You have paved
There is no denying it
For in the end
You will wind up
On our doorstep
Just begging to be let in
And we will oblige you
We have been expecting you
We will say
Opening our arms
With a grin so wide
It could split your face open
But you have no idea
What you are getting into
Sadly though
There is no escape
This is your unwavering fate
You were born into
Damned from the start
It is not your fault
It is not mine
It is just your nature
To always have mischief on your mind
Do not worry or be sad
We here are welcoming
You can think of me
As an extended family
Were home is hell
And your reality is damnation
Don’t be afraid
Our door is always open
All you have to do is knock

Creeper Photo: Sleeping

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Falling Stars

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Merry Christmas

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I Found Santa

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Can You Find All the Cats?

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Can 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.

Creeper Photo: Dress Up

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Not to mention it was in Hawaii, it was so hot out I don’t understand how she could wear this without overheating.

Swimming with Turtles

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Visiting the Mauna Kea Resort in Hawaii

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’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’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.

Sport fishing with Gabe in Hawaii

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’re aiming to catch some very big fish, so we’re hoping our luck delivers. We’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.

When Do You Step In: Abuse

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

While 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.

Creeper Photo: Revenge

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Alright 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.

I 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:

Gecko

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

These 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.

Visiting the Hilton Waikoloa in Hawaii

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’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.

There’s no shortage of waterfalls and statues at the hotel.

It was fun watching the dolphins for a while.

hen we walked around the paths amidst the crazy crowds. Monica was dying to take a million creeper photos.

Creeper Photo: Cheer Up

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Exploring lava and volcanoes in Hawaii

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

After another spinning class, it’s time to explore the lava caves along this cool walking path at the Mauna Lani. Fancy running into Charlotte out for a run!

Charlotte and Monica continue their exploration out to the point.

Today we’re headed south to check out the volcanoes. There are a few funny sights along the way, but overall it’s just a really long drive in dreary weather.

Astronomy day on Mauna Kea in Hawaii

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s cruisers with the kids.

This afternoon I’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’s a crazy long drive to the top at over 13,000 feet, and the upper parts are all gravel. I didn’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.

Japanese Newspaper

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Creeper Photo: I Got Creeped

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

Travel Update: Hawaii

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Vacation time in Hawaii

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been way too many years since the family has been to Hawaii, so we’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’re heading to a place like the Big Island.

Paradise has been waiting for us here at the Mauna Lani hotel. Birds, flowers, and a lovely fruit place are waiting as well.

Light Up Your Day

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It 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.

Happy Holidays!!

Travel: Hawaii

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So, I know I have been somewhat neglecting my blog and I apologize for that.

SORRY BLOG

Now 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.

Don’t Tread On Me

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

People walk around as if they are living in a dream. Wondering from one destination to the next without thought or questioning.

Frankly it sickens me to no extent. The fact that people can so blindly pass through life, the impassiveness of humanity is frightening.

What makes people care so little?

What 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?

Rain Down

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Creeper Photo: They made me do it

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Rebel Children

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Look into my eyes
Please tell me what you see
Do you know who I am
Or have you seen someone
Just like me
Standing in the background
With dark solemn eyes
We are the Rebel Children
Broken yet strong
We can be found everywhere
Or nowhere at all
We are the vacant eyes
Of a forsaken god
Always watching
But who sees nothing
And does nothing
Hollow and dark
We are the stain glass windows
Peering deep into your soul
We do not pass judgment
We are the just the eyes
Of a century
How foolish for anyone
To have ever believe
We as humans
Were the images of angels
We are god’s Rebel Children
Never what we are expected
To be in the end
We fight through silence
With our angry eyes
Cast not at heaven
But into the passersbys
God didn’t make us this way
We did
We are the rampant soul
Of a stubborn child
We want only what we do not have
And hate all else
The consumers and buyers
Burning a hole in your soul
Grinding in a cigarette butt
No chance for a fire ever again
Snuff out that spark of life
Leaving you in an eternity of darkness
That you yourself created
So empty and hollow
Just trying to fill that hole
The hole you burned
With your money and lies
With your jealousy and hate
Slowly destroying your life
We are the Rebel Children
Who just don’t belong
The ones who can’t sleep at night
But can’t ever really wake up
We are everything
And nothing at all

Mo’s BBQ

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, you know you are jealous. I bet you wish you had a BBQ place named after you.

The Flight

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Blind Man (Short Story)

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A strange short story I just wrote quickly, not sure whether I like it or not.

Let 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.

Everyday 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.

Creeper Photo: The Effort

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

IB Tree

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

When Pigs Fly

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Creeper Photo: Biker Woman

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Palms and the Moon

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Santa Cruz Lighted Boat Parade

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’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.

The New Additions

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I 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.

Creeper Photo: The Waiting Game

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Palm Tree

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Spider Web Stars

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There are hands in my mind
Reaching in and rummaging around
Throwing out what is unwanted
Digging deeper for treasure
Pulling out string
And throwing it up into the sky
Making a spider web
To hold up the stars
Suspended on the strings
Of my diseased mind
Pulling out words
Like building blocks
Lying them on the ground
All around you
Locking you in
Yet building you up
Just to knock you down
Filling me back up
Unraveling the web
Of the universe
Putting it neatly away
Back were it belongs
But it will never be the same
Because at one point
It existed as a whole
It was real for even the slightest
Of moments not just a thought
But a real tangible thing
Where you could reach out
And grasp onto the
The trail of stars
The spider web threads
Weaving in the cold night air
Each lone star lighting up
The dark night sky
Once it has a taste of reality
It becomes a hunger that never abides
Becoming a monster
Always wanting something more
But you can’t give it life
You can’t give when you have
Nothing left for your self
My head is empty
You took out all the words
All the thoughts
And left me nothing
But a darkness and sadness
That consumes my entity
All that is left
Is the string of a spider web
On which I weave the sky
You can’t fix me
I don’t want to be fixed
This is who I am
What I was meant to become
So I close my mouth
And lookup at that sky
Of spider web stars
Knowing within them
Lay the words
Slowly unraveling into
Something entirely new
That the world has never seen
The sky sags under its burden
Crying as its words fall forth
Falling to the worlds feet
Where we pick them up
And use them as we will
Taking something that never belonged to us
Abusing them and destroying them
With no regards to the spider webs
That held them up for so long
Held the words of power
The words of life and creation
My words

Creeper Photo: Pissed Off Bride

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Evolve

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Camera

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The camera’s eye
Swivels and rotates
Focusing and unfocusing
Trying to capture you
In your purest form
Or your darkest moment
To swallow you whole
In the blink of an eye
It is watching you
With it’s great eye
Extending and retracting
The glass reflects
Back on you
It reaches out for
Your sprit
Your very soul
That brilliant shine
The smile
Always on your lips
The laugh
Bubbling out of you
And the life
That never dies
Now lives on
In the camera’s
Unforgiving eye
That swivels and rotates
As it watches
Be careful
It is always watching

Poisoned Apple

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Your Chariot Awaits

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Mirror Infinity

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Boy Soldier

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I wrote this poem in English class today, I think I like it. Not sure where it came from though.

The razor runs over the boy’s head
He doesn’t move or flinch
Just stares ahead into oblivion
With deadlocked eyes
Into a future of unknown miseries
With eyes held firm in a choice
He had no part in making
They shave his head
Put a warm gun in his hands
And teach him how to kill
Teach him to steal a life without remorse
They say Learn fast boy
Or get ready to die young
They smack him around
Take the boy’s soft exterior
And turn it into cold hard stone
Rip out his heart and memories
Of a time when safety was a given
And love was always near
Take all that he ever knew
And throw it away
The boy soldier hefts up his gun
His lips sealed and dead eyes
He has nothing left
But the eternal fight for his soul
Everyone runs from him
Like he is a monster
Because he is a monster
One they made him into
Ripped him from his home
And gave him hate
To battle an unknown enemy
There is no escape for him
Just a bloody sentence
That he has no choice but to accept
They label him and fear all like him
And run at the sight of his gun
Run they yell
It is the boy soldier come home again
But he won’t let it continue
As he stands over the body
Of a little girl the same age as him
A bullet in her chest
Blood blooming on her white dress
Like a ruby flower blooming
A bullet he shot from his gun
The tip of the gun digs into the earth
As he falls to his knees beside her
He grips the dusty earth
As he watches the last breathes
Leave the dying angel
Look how far he has fallen
And for what, for whom
No more he swears to the dry earth
No more blood
He turns the gun around
In his rough scarred hands
Covered in dust and blood
They belong to an old man
Not a twelve-year-old boy
He put the gun to his head
And pulled the trigger
That he was taught to pull
One more time
The boy soldier fell
Next to the dead angel girl
There will be no more wars
For this tortured soul
No more rivers of blood
Just the peace he never had
But always deserved

Creeper Photo: Carousel Wedding

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Dog Leaf

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I love my dog, she follows me around my yard. I wonder if she even noticed this leaf fall onto her face.

NaNoWriMo

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Creeper Photo: Dog Tired

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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. 😀

Ocean Sunset

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Contemplative Buddha

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Creeper Photo: Walking Mystery

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Why 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.

A Golden Sunset

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Shopping Cart (Desperation)

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is a baby crying
Uttering wails of fear
As its face contorts
Screaming and screaming
Sitting in a shopping cart
In a nearby empty lot
The baby looks around
Twisting from side to side
Bawling loudly
As it screams for help
But she doesn’t possess
The words to yell
Her tiny hands
Gripping the cold steel
Of the handle bar
Desperation etching
Lines of age
Into the infant’s
Soft face
The woman stands
On the other side
Of her car
She slides down
Against it as her body quakes
Her tiny frame
Rattled by her sobs
That she snuffs out
With a bony fist
The mother sits crying
Curled up into a ball
Wondering
If she should leave
Can she do it
Just walk away
As her child screams
She can’t take it
She can’t do it anymore
She is listening to her
Precious baby wailing
Just feet away
Yet so very far from her
The mother sits
On the edge of a choice
Between love and desperation
She gave everything for her child
And there is nothing left for her
She can’t even feed herself now
She has nothing left to give
Except her love
The infant
And the mother
Are separated by a car
And a long space
A need
And a lack of everything
Stands between them
As they both cry
Wishing for what
Neither of them has
Wondering what comes next

Creeper Photo: Thanksgiving

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I am thankful for all the weird people in the world and the strangeness of the world we live in.

I 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.

Thanksgiving at the Peysers

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’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.

Ode to the Absent Pet

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I saw this dog a long time ago at the SPCA and I really wanted to adopt you.I still think of you.

I 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?

I 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.

Charlotte and Gordon visiting Hearst Castle

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and Gordon continue their trip south after spending the night in Cambria with a stop at Hearst Castle in San Simeon. It’s a great day and an awesome tour.

The interior is ridiculously elegant.

The Christmas decorations add quite the touch.

I wouldn’t mind this pool in my backyard.

Polar Dog

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

No this isn’t animal abuse, my dog enjoys hats, especially my polar bear one.

Her fur almost matches, maybe the next genetic hybrid should be the polar dog. Well Gracie, at least you can be the first.

The Hat

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The woman walks
Along in a crowded street
Surrounded by people
Yet so alone
A scarf like a noose
Wrapped around her frail neck
Hands shoved deep
Into her pockets
She only looks
At the ground
The rhythmic step of her feet
Her wide hat
Shields her from the world
She ignores them
Is afraid of them
She wraps herself tighter
In what is safe and comforting
And is content in isolation
So she walks along
In a crowd of people
Without faces
The wind picks up
For a moment it whispers
A soft secret in her ear
A riddle told to fast
As the wind
Carried her hat away
The woman let out
A short little gasp
As her barrier was removed
She reached forward
Fingertips grazing it
Just out of reach
As it bounces and rolls
Along the dirty street
She chases in vain
And no one will help
Finally out of breath
And out of heart
She gives up
Standing in the crowd
Puffs of winter breath
Clouding before her as she watches
Her hat dance away
Her hair billowing about her
Watching with sad longing eyes
She stands still among thousands
As she turns to leave
A tap on her shoulder
She turns in surprise
A man stands before her
Her hat in hand
Holding it out towards her
A smile but no words
She takes it and offers
A shy little smile in return
As she starts to pull it
Back into place
He reaches out to stop her
Why
He asks her
You have such a pretty face
He smiles and lets go
Giving an impartial shrug
You don’t need to hide
You are beautiful you know
He leaves her with
His few soft words
And a knowing smile
She stands there
Hat in hand
Filled with his offerings
Her eyes are wide
And her hands slightly quake
She lifts the hat
Looking at it now
And tosses it away
She watches it
Flit and dance in the sky
Gone forever
She smiles slightly
The stranger’s knowing smile
She doesn’t need it anymore

Charlotte and Gordon driving to Cambria

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte is heading down to San Luis Obispo to bring Nick back home from Cal Poly for Thanksgiving. This time she’s heading south down the Big Sur coast with her dad. The view always blows you away.

A nice stop at Nepenthe for some coffee, while soaking in some of the soothing statues and views.

A beautiful sunset ends the day in Cambria for our intrepid travelers. Tomorrow it’s down to San Simeon and then picking up Nick.

Sand Piper

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sandpiper in Morro Bay.

Sisyphus

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Perfection

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Every second
Youth wasted
On planning
Adulthood
How your
Life will
End up
And should
Every second
Of life
Washed away
Never to get back
My house
My career
My husband
And family
Set in stone
Finally I
Reach my planned
Life and happiness
The perfect
Husband
Sits, reads the newspaper
Drinks coffee
He says
He loves me
The perfect
Baby
A little girl
Sits in her high chair
Angel with black hair
Pale face
Blue eyes
The perfect
Dog
Never barks
Nor bites
The perfect
House
Just as I
Had dreamed
High ceilings
In the rainy woods
The perfect
Job
Writing and teaching
Always published
Students love me
I am perfect
My life complete
Except I
Had no childhood
I wish I
Had a perfect
Childhood
I am not
Perfect
My life is incomplete
To live
A perfect life
I must
Sacrifice
Who I am
I think to myself
“This isn’t
What I wanted”
I don’t want
To be
Perfect
“This isn’t
What I wanted”
I can’t
Be perfect
Because I am
Unhappy
I look
At everything
Just as I wanted
Just as I planned
Everything
Planned out
Perfect
But now that
I have it
I don’t want it
“This isn’t
What I wanted”
I planned
So I could
Be happy
But now I have
Lost everything
That was really important
Perfection
Is a joke
You can’t be
Perfect
Because to get
Something
You must give
Something else up
To be perfect
Or happy
You choose

Creeper Photo: Hamster Boy

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Pure Wool. No Bull.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Crab Sun

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Creeper Photo: Fisherwoman

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Harlequin’s Dance: A Story WIP

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

“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.

Lending a Hand

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Bonfire

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The boy sits
Alone on the beach
With glowering eyes
And a heart
Full of hate and anger
He listens to the ocean
Roaring day and night
Arms wrapped tight around
His scraped and bleeding knees
Tattoos run up his arms
Like black veins
A fire burns before him
As he stares deep into it
Watching the fickle flame
Dancing too and fro
How unfair it is
For it to be free
When he stands in chains
He waves his hand
Slowly through the flames
But he doesn’t feel the pain
He doesn’t feel anything anymore
So he takes what is left
Of his meager belongings
And throws them into the fire
It crackles and waves
Sparking to life
As it consumes another’s
The boy watches
His life go up in flames
Burning slowly to ashes
As it withers and curls
He stands
And walks away
He is done
He is finally done

Creeper Photo: Left Behind

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Maybe I will write a poem about you, if so I will post it later so you won’t be alone.

Creeper Photo: Tiger

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Hello Tiger. I enjoy your tail. And your ears.

Portrait of a Person (Interview)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I know people
How so?
I can understand people
Better than most
Because I can see
Through their eyes
Feels as their hearts feel
How do you do that?
I don’t know
I just do
Well, who are you?
I don’t know truthfully
I am nothing I guess
Because I am everything
Or everyone I should say
I don’t mean I am
All powerful or all knowing
You mean like god?
Sure
I am my writing
I am my characters
Every face I paint
With my words
is me
Their face is mine
I don’ have my own anymore
I am a mosaic
Of everything I have seen
Will see
And have made
How did this happen?
I don’t know
I have always been this way
Is it hard?
Yes
It is never easy
Not having an identity
of your own
it is hard not knowing
who you really are
I can’t remember
The last time
I have seen my own face
So you are saying
You have no face?
I laugh
I guess so
I am the portrait of a person
Without a face

Recycle

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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?

This is in University of Washington for those wondering where this phenomena occurred.

I 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.

Balto

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

What is that in the distance? Could it really be?

Yep it is: BALTO!!!

This 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.

Creeper Photo: A Skeleton’s Death Wish

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Well this guy just cracked me up. Standing on a corner smoking in a skeleton outfit. There is just something funny about that.

Creeper Photo of the Day: Run

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Little kid running at University of Washington. I have the same sweatshirt. yeah.

Creeper Photo of the Day: Belong

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

More New York City with Charlotte

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I’m with Matt again for another day at the conference. Meanwhile Charlotte enjoys more travels around the city. This time she’s headed uptown, with a visit to the Empire State building and some big city panoramas.

Then some pretty sites in Central Park.

A few more great midtown sites, then it’s time to head back to the hotel before indulging in a ridiculous steak at the Primehouse with friends.

Mosquito Hunter

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I have been telling my friends all day so now I am going to tell you:

I hate mosquitoes with a fiery passion that is unparalleled.

I 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,

Truck Bed

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Creeper Photo of the Day: Love is Blind

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Enjoying New York City with Charlotte

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

While Matt and I enjoy attending the Global Sourcing Forum in NYC, Charlotte enjoys herself walking the city. It’s a lucky treat that the Veteran’s Day Parade is going on, so there are plenty of fun sights and people to take in.

Charlotte really loves shopping in the Lower East Side. That girl of mine loves getting a good deal.

Matt and I head downtown to meet up at Katz’s Deli. I’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’ll have to come back again soon.

Ferris Wheel

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Anyway.. 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.

The Little Princess

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I took this photo in Seattle of this little girl and it reminded me of a poem I wrote once, here it is.

There is a little girl
Sitting on the sidewalk
She cries with little
Hiccups of breath
As silver drops
Run rivers down her face
Her hair bobs with her bouncing breaths
She squeezes her eyes hut
Creasing a face
So soft and young
Making cardboard out of dough
Holding her knee in her hands

A Coin Flip

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Are you afraid
Of the dark
Or just what
Lies inside of it
When you see darkness
Do you see the shadows
Or the light
That hides within
When you look
Into a mirror
Do you see yourself
Or a reflection
Staring back
As life slips
From your heart
Do you think back
Or wonder ahead
As the sun sets
Do you see
The beautiful colors
Or the impending
Darkness that it brings
Do you see
The glass as
Half full
Or half empty
Tell me which
Side of the coin
Do you prefer
Choose your side wisely
It decides your fate

A Rose by any other Name

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Ah 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.

Buffalo

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Say hello to Mr. Buffalo from Yellowstone. They were everywhere.

Gabe the budding cyclist

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Gabe and I are off to ride the hills around Scotts Valley. It’s nice to have another potential crazy road cyclist in the family. I figure eventually everyone will come around as well.

Smoker

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Crab Pot

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I 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.

Creeper Photo of the Day: Red Hat

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Intro: Creeper Photo of the Day

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Red Ivy

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Remember

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Wow I just found this poem I wrote in eighth grade. Kind of interesting.

I open my eyes and see you
Your soul so happy and filled with joy
Two peas in a pod always together
Arm in arm right by my side
Sun shinning on your soft face
Wind tousling your brown hair
Silence, laughing
Hiding in prickly bushes away from the world
Our little hideout made out of blackberries
One so sweet, one so sour
No one can touch us
Our world of dreams and fantasies

Space Needle

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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).

But 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.

Fremont Troll

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I’m Seventeen!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Basically 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).

Halloween in Seattle

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here are a few of my favorite Halloween costumes I saw while in Seattle.

High Chair

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Empty store
A TV. On mute
It feels so empty
In a corner
A high chair sits
Covered in dust
Long forgotten
I wonder
Was it ever used
Did a child
So loved
Once sit in it
Now gone
Blue with colorful
Cotton candy designs
Where is the baby
Did tragedy strike
To steal it away
From it’s loving parents
Plucked like a flower
Cut down before its prime
Feathers floating
Softly to the ground
Did an angel take it away
Or perhaps
The child just
Grew up
The chair
Just unneeded and unnecessary
As a child
Grows to big
For it’s former joy
Growing apart
From all it
Ever knew and loved
The child was taken
Away from it’s chair
Because it no longer needed
A baby’s chair
So now
So empty
A blue high chair sits
With cotton candy designs
In a corner
Forgotten
Gathering dust

Parrot Friend

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Just one of many weird things we encountered in Pike’s Place Market. Here is a little video I took.

Shout Out of the Day: Gabe

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

My 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.

RIP: My Big Leaf

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

In University of Washington I found a gigantic leaf.

Yes, 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.

Would You Like Some Coffee With Your Cream?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Pike Place Market

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Pike 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.

Oh and a lady walked into the back of a car and whipped out. Funny but sad.

Here 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.

Gabe the Halloween bunny girl

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Gabe and Doug are planning an early Halloween around the neighborhood in an attempt to bring in a big haul. Gabe’s also decided to go as a Playboy bunny. I’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.

I think it really terrifies Doug.

A little basketball and then it’s time to skip off to scare the neighbors.

Halloween

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Don your masks
your alter egos
it’s time for the dance
a dark waltz
full of mischief and grief
hide your face
and smile anew
the night is yours
no light lies between you
no boundaries
just a moon
and a cry
to keep the night alive
grinning faces
with twisted smiles
children running
tricks to be played
under the night’s watch
for a night
you are who you truly are
when the masks go on
they finally are off
let out your darkness
to share with the world
close your eyes
pull down your veil
it’s time to play
let out a howl
it Halloween day!

University of Washington

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Washington Plane and Arrival

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Travel Update: Seattle Adventure

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sitting in an airport with my super travel buddy, my mom. Drinking Starbucks and perfecting the skill that is creeper photos.

We 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.

Vacation Time!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Red

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Red 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.

Cheshire Grin

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Smile real wide
Let the Cheshire cat inside
He has been waiting
To be let in
Ever patient
With a demon’s grin
Waiting outside your window
Looking inside your life
Looking for a way in
To your lonely little world
He has a fancy for games
And riddles it seems
So play a game
Let down your wall
And let the Cheshire cat in
Watch as its face splits open
With the devil’s smile
As it laughs
And laughs
And laughs
At you
And the game you call your life
Yet there is nothing
That you can do
As you sit paralyzed and wait
Insanity is knocking on your door
You have blocked and barricaded
And sealed all the locks
Yet every moment the clock
Ticks faster
Until all your time is lost
The cat is laughing
As you loose your mind
You plead for help
But it just keeps going
And going
As the pendulum swings faster
You pray for silence
And your eyes to block out
The demon’s smile
It is eating you away
Until you realize it is nothing
Just a cat and its smile
Just a laugh and a whisper
That all is not well
Look the cat in the eye
And walk away
Down the path you came
Smile real wide
At the forest’s darkness
And let the Cheshire cat inside

Sunflower Light

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Bend 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.

Coffee Shop

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Every chair occupied
Tables covered
Newspapers open
Showing crime
Pain
Misfortune
All born by man
Incessant clicking
Of fingers
Swiftly moving
On keyboards
Coffee beans ground
Thick heavy scent
Of coffee
Mixed, tainted
By the ugly scent
Of humans
So many blank
Open faces
Trying unsuccessfully
To communicate
With one another
But the space
Between them
Is just too far
The gap of worlds
To large to cross
Open mouths
Lacking any sound
Hand gestures
To a blind man
A woman sits
In the far corner
Laughs
Big teeth
Open abyss
Consuming all
Putting nothing out
People talk
But nothing
Ever comes out
Maybe
They just have
Nothing to say
Wishing out of habit
Not necessity
Here in a coffee shop
So close
Yet so far from the world
Coffee and people
So very different
Forced to live
In silent harmony

Pelican Rest Stop

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Cactus

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Balance

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Gracie the Frisbee Dog Extraordinaire

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I 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.

Mystery of the Blue Buddha

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is a blue buddha in our garden… and I don’t know how it got there.

Alice (Tea Leaf Prophecy)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Little Alice
Sitting in a tea cup
Swimming in a sea
Of tea leaf prophecy
Sinking into a
Deceiving warmth
Of false security
A spider’s lullaby
So sweet and comforting
You could die
And never know it
Little Alice
Takes a big breath
And goes under
She opens her eyes
Peering through a
Refracted world
Where lines are blurred
And everything shines
Where you are
Simply floating
No heaviness here
No weight
Holding you down
She blinks
In slow motion
As her hair floats
A halo framing her face
Little Alice
Is weightless
As her lungs
Begin to ache
But she still
Stays under
As her eyes
Start to tear
And her mind
Begins to fog
Here the world
Is so beautiful
Your souls only mirror
She opens her mouth
The last bubble escapes
Floating to the surface
For a moment it waits
Just below the surface
But then it pops
A whisper escapes it
But no one hears
Little Alice
Is sleeping
In her little tea cup
Peaceful and beautiful
A sleeping angel
As a sparrow lands
Balancing on a line
Between our world and the next
On the tea cup’s rim
Singing a tea leaf prophecy
Of a water angel
Not afraid to die
Little Alice
Was the brave one
Who stood up in the end
Took a look
Into the abyss
And jumped right in

Fall Colors

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Fall is finally here, this is my favorite season by far. I just wish that in California there were more trees that changed colors.

Bike Green

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Advertisement gets you no where, action gets you everything. So people… ride a bike, take the bus, carpool, recycle and all that good stuff.

Dreaming in the Past

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I 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.

Knock Knock, it’s your Neighbor!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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:

Piling Line Up

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Portrait Girl

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Wire teeth
Frame a smile
Pulling up corners
Like a curtain
Let the show begin
Feather plumed lips
Fall into a pale face
With cheekbones of glass
Each jutting out
Ragged yet beautiful
Stained glass eyes
Gleam in refracted shards
Color shines through
Empty yet bewitching
A gate into a hollow soul
Spider web hair
Brushes her face
In the breeze
Shifting and changing eternally
Soft as silk
And fine as diamonds
Here you are
The portrait girl
They love you for
Your eyes
They love you for
Your smile
They love you for
All the wrong reasons
Until you die inside

Take Off and Landing 3

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Enjoying San Francisco before the Nike Women's Marathon

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow is the start of the Nike Women’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.

Charlotte always enjoys Chinatown, and today she has a special interest in people’s apartment windows. The underwear on display is pretty funny.

It looks like they’re making their way through North Beach and can’t resist the pastries along the way.

Harlequin’s Lullaby

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Dark hands
Reach for you
Suffocating, drowning
But yet you see
There is nothing
I can do

Water rushing up
All around you
A dark embrace
Never letting go
Just another puppet
In a marionette show

Puppets dance
Jointed dolls twirl
Then fall
Broken limbs, empty eyes
A shattered face
A ruined disguise

Strings plucked
Dark hands stream
The chords of your soul
Any moment to break
To fall back to earth
Just the devil’s stake

Take Off and Landing 2

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

My brother taking the sand dune leap. Very cool take off and flight pattern Nick, way to go.

Buoy

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Really busy, here is a buoy in Morro Bay from our kayaking trip.

Charlotte and friends off to the Nike Women's Marathon

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte, Sally, and Michele are off to San Francisco again this year for the Nike Women’s Marathon. On Sunday, Charlotte will be proudly running like a girl.

And there are their names up in lights. You go girls.

Defiance

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

“I am done being scared”
She said
Picking herself up defiantly
“I won’t be pushed around anymore
I’m gonna be the toughest girl around”
She balls her tiny fists
And looks me in the eye
I just feel old
Looking the avatar of defiance
Right in the eye
I sigh sadly
At the visage of a girl
Going done a difficult path
“You don’t have to be tough
You just have to be smarter
Than them to win”
I say sitting in a chair
I feel so tired
“No”
She says flexing
And unlacing her fists
That should never know
The feeling of anger or hate
Her faces tightens
As she shakes her head vehemently
“I will show them
I am not just some stupid girl”
She is angry now
But so am I
“Well maybe you are just some stupid girl
What then
What if you can’t change”
I yell at her
“What if you are stuck forever
Just being that dumb girl
With the angry fists
What then
When all they see is a girl with
Hate coiled in her eyes and
A fist for a heart”
She looks at me
With shattered eyes
And the beginning of tears
“I’m sorry”
I say desperately
As I reach for her
To cradle her sadness away
“I didn’t mean-”
She turns and runs away
Leaving me with open arms
As I watch her run
But for a moment
She stops
Turns back to me
With a pinched face
And defiant eyes
“You’re wrong”
She whispers
Those two tiny words
Ring in my ears
Ricochet through my brain
And she is gone
I sit back
Rub my weary eyes
And sigh
“I hope you’re right”

Flowers and Art

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

More Open Studios art….

Here is a nice combination of my photography and an open studios artists work.

I really enjoyed the way this photo turned out and learning about this woman’s style of art.

I think it was called encaustic, but anyway it was very cool use of wax and paper. Very interesting.

It is always fun during open studios to find not only new artists but the ways they execute their art.

Sweetness 2 for the track

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I’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’t wait for the next trip down to the velodrome.

Wire Heart

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Baby Shoe Gangster

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Listeners (Work in Progress)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Everyone comes to me
And I say tell me your sad song
You look upon me
With pleading eyes looking to be strong

They look for hope out of desperation
So tell me tell me
Why you cry so loud at night
Help me see

Mission Hall Ways

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This was a really cool old mission near Cal Poly. Very nice and old, my kind of style.

Lift Off and Landing

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

My 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.

Sybil

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The woman sits
Her third eye gone blind
Once one with sight
Is cursed and damned
She foretold a world
Without boundaries
Filled with hate and despair
Where man turned against
His brother and sister
A fate wound tight
With deception and fear
So they gouged out her eyes
And sealed her fate
Out of fear disguised
As anger and hate
But she could hear
Through their petty lies
They were scared
Of this world foretold
And decided instead
To kill the messenger
Two birds with one stone
She could see everything
But nothing at all
She didn’t even see
Her own decided fate
Sealed by a hand that quaked
She could hear the dead talking
And the living moan
But the simple prophet
Just wished to be left alone
To abandon her burden
And simply go home
She wanted nothing
But received the world
Balanced delicately
Atop her head
One step
One mistake
Could mean a great fall
Under the weight
She faltered
And spilled out her words
Meant only for gods
Not the poor common soul
So she was punished
Forever to be the damned prophet
Of a forgotten age
But an unforgettable name
The seer with no sight
Just a girl
A child
Given the gift of night
Filled with shadows and deceit
That waited ever patiently
For just the right time
She is now a woman
With a regret
And a third eye gone blind

Weird Cat (The Evil Eye)

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Bottles

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I really enjoy this photo, especially the gold caps. Fun stuff.

Visiting Mission San Miguel

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We’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.

The old chapel and entry ways were particularly beautiful.

The central courtyard was so peaceful and inviting.

It really was a great idea to stop and enjoy this great place.

Kayaking with Nick on his birthday

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Plenty of cool birds are out today enjoying the sunshine.

It’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.

Weekend Getaway

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Well enjoy the weekend people, poke around the old stuff, you might find a little surprise somewhere in it.

Beauty

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A blossom bloomed
Opening slowly
Shyly
Showing it’s new found beauty
Opening to the sun
Reaching up high
To the bright blue sky
Not knowing
That the sun
Doesn’t always shine
When the rain comes
The blossom wilts
Hiding its beautiful face
Turning from the pain
The heavy drops
Weigh it down
Pulling away
It’s beauty
Petal by petal
Until nothing is left
The blossom
Lays broken
Shredded on the ground
In its place
A bud pokes through
A new chance
A new face
A new beauty
As a blossom blooms

Cork it Up

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Something about this photo really strikes me as funny.

Violin Baby

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Fly Away (Aeroplane)

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Come take my hand
and lets fly away
fly away from here
lets find a world
without the constant
of noise and death
we will stand together
on the brink of insanity
with out hands held tight
and we will never let go
bear with me
the pain of the coming years
when I grow distant
pull me back down
when I become darkened
be my only light
when everything is just too much
be my simple love
lets watch the world burn
from atop our aeroplane
held up by strings
so thin it could cut
be careful you say
the world isn’t our toy to play
oh how right you are
we are the toys
of a globe spun too fast
where reality and insanity
come frighteningly close
lets fly
fly away
put your hands over my ears
protect me from the onslaught
of the world’s words
be the barrier between
the world and me
save me
whisk me away
so we can forever fly away

Snow White

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Nails

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I am not sure why or how, but I feel like this explains my life right now. Kind of sad.

Balance

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I stand above a river
On a thin plank of wood
Below the rapids rage
Above the sky is blue
I hold my arms out
As if I could fly
I squeeze my eyes shut
And imagine what it is to die
How easy would it be
To totter off to one side
Loose my balance and fall
Into the churning waters
Would anyone notice
Would anyone care
If I jumped
Would I scream
From fear or the rush
The finality of it all
Would I smile
As time seems to erase
When you fall
For a moment you fly
The wind rushing past your face
And then there is nothing at all
So I open my eyes
And let out a sigh
Put one foot in front of the other
And start to move forward again
Slowly but surely
Across this balance beam
Thin as a knife
Only the pure can make it
Only the true survive
Am I strong enough
Or will my sin
Cause me to take
That final dive
Walking on a knifes edge
This is my final test
To put one foot in front of the other
And never look down
To balance on my shoulders
The worlds good and evil
And never loose my footing
So I keep my head held up high
Eyes only on my goal
Of redemption
In the blood red sky

CHOP SUEY

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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 😀

Double Spaced

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

Pikachu I Choose You

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The Face of Happiness

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Is 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.

Levi's Gran Fondo bicycle ride

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday we drove up to Santa Rosa for Levi’s Gran Fondo ride. This morning it’s time to head over to the start for the big event.

I’m hooking up with Matt Twisselman to do the 100km route. Besides being a great guy, he’s also the LOC chairman for the the Santa Cruz stage of the Amgen Tour of California. He’s also the guy I have to thank for the great Chairman’s Ride jersey I’ll be wearing today. Matt is busy working the VIP area with Levi and the other ToC honchos.

Open Studios

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Hailey

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Heading up to Santa Rosa for Levi's Gran Fondo

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and I are headed up to Santa Rosa to do Levi’s Gran Fondo ride tomorrow. First we need to get through San Francisco.

Then there are a few cool sites while we make our way through Marin. There sure is a ton of traffic around here.

A few interesting shots now that we’ve made it to Santa Rosa.

They’re just starting to set things up for tomorrow’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.

Mimic

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I stand alone
But never truly alone
I see myself in the mirror
But it doesn’t follow me
It shakes a finger
Laughing
I wave it waves
Copies me but not me
I wonder if it is
Another world
Boring world
All you do is copy others
Sounds familiar
Mimic me
Let me see
Show me the greatest you can be
Not much

It steps from the mirror
A barren lake
She grabs me pulling me through
Her eyes empty and black
Lifeless
Hair tattered, a mess
Skin pale and sticky
Blood
She pulls me into the water
Drowning in her arms
Mimic me, mimic this
Take my breath a deadly kiss
Drowning slowly
It laughs at me
Your mine now
She whispers into my ear

Tough Love

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Can 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.

I 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.

Antennas

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I am still not really sure what the heck this thing is, but I thought it looked pretty cool.

It 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.

Anyway, I enjoy it, therefore you should enjoy it. I mean you are reading my blog.

One (IB English Essay)

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I just have to put this out here,

I NEVER WANT TO LISTEN TO U2 EVER AGAIN!

Sorry 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)

Sarah

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Shout 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.

Saying goodbye to Bootjack for the winter

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and Gordon have finished up closing everything for the winter. One last walk around the camp before heading out to California tomorrow.

Charlotte missed the fall peak, but it’s not so bad anyway.

There’s time for one last visit with Betty in Rabbit Bay as well

Then a trip to Cyndi’s Jam Shop in Bootjack for some sweets to take back home followed by a drive out to Calumet and Tamarac Waterworks.

Light it Up

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Sunset in Bootjack

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sunsets like this just make me wish I was up in Bootjack with Charlotte.

Wish (Post #100)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Lift your feet
And make a wish
Close your eyes
And feel the world
Without touching
Or searching
Just know
As you have always known
Your heart beats
With the worlds heartbeat
Breathe out your worries
And breathe in consciousness
Let it cleanse your soul
That has wilted and withered
Let it go
Let it go
You can still be free
Let your chains fall
And sigh out the darkness
That has gathered
Around your heart
Threatening to suffocate you
To drown you in doubt
To snuff out the brilliance
Of your individual soul
Feel the breeze
Brushing through your hair
Kissing your skin
And know
You are alive
And you are lucky
The world lies in front of you
With a big red bow
Sitting patiently on top
Yes child
It is in reach
But to reach it
You have to
Step out of the eclipse
Shadowing your life
Look beyond
What fate has decreed
Make your own destiny
Don’t listen to them
They don’t know
They can’t understand
What the world truly is
They are blinded
By pride and foolishness
They don’t know
What the world whispers
Late at night
When no one is listening
But I listen
So raise your arms up
And scream out loud
Through your head back
Laugh a little louder
Put a little bounce into your step
Smile from ear to ear
A real smile
From the bottom of your heart
Make a wish
To never again
Fall into the eclipse
To never be a victim
Of the darkness again
Wish for a world
Full of sun kisses
And rose petals falling
Wish it
Believe it
Make it real

Fragile

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The fragility of life
Is a very scary thing
The thought that
All you ever have worked at
Is for nothing
With just a cut
A scratch
Your life could be taken away
An accident
A slip
Could send you astray
That your life
Could all just be
Another burning ash
In a cigarette try
Just a walk
Could be your last
A fight with family
Could bring an end
So very fast
Just a word softly uttered
Could end it all
A little slip
Could wind up
Being a very big fall
Showing you that
You really are
Insignificant and small
Just a speck
In the eyes of all others
In the face of God
Every bone, every muscle
Every word
Every moment
Could be taken away
Ripped from you
With just a thought
Your world destroyed
Never to return
And no one
Would ever know
That you were gone

Joke

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Life sure can be a joke some times, so remember people, JK. 😉

Just a side note, but isn’t joke a weird word?

I 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.

Natalie

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Shout 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?

Candle Scrabble

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Clara

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

Death of a Toy

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I was driving
Up a long twisty road
Guarded on both sides
By trees standing tall
They hunch over the road
Creating a great canopy
As they try to peer
Into the car’s windows
Hidden among them
Are small homes
Like rabbit holes
Nestled safely away
In a bed of evergreen
I drive along
But something rolls
Out in front of me
A tennis ball
Bounced its way toward the road
I thought nothing of it
Then I saw the little boy
He ran with arms outstretched
Eyes on only the ball
Just like daddy told him
He ran blindly into the road
After his renegade ball
Right in front of my car
I slam on the brakes
And hear the squeal
Of burning rubber
I push against the wheel
As I hear the ball
Pop under my tire
The little boy looks up
Right into my eyes
The car screams
I scream
And squeeze my eyes shut
I can hear a mother screaming
Who will never
See her son grow or succeed
Who had fate snatch away
The little amount of joy
In her sad lonely life
But then I open my eyes
The ball bounces
In front of my car
I turn slightly
And see that little boy
Standing on the edge
Of the evergreen road
On the edge of safety and sanity
Watching the death of a toy
I start to cry
All I can think is
See how thin the line
Is between me
And a murderer
Or is there a difference at all

Charlotte in Bootjack

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

George and his buddies are up north for some fishing, hunting, and good times in general. I heard from Charlotte that the stories were hilarious.

Coffee Shop

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Coffee shop in Palo Alto, with flowers in it? Not really sure, but I thought it looked cute anyway.

Golnoosh

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Shout out of the day goes to the Nooshmiester!!!!! Love yah Nooshers and I am thinking about you and your craziness! KEWAH!

Charlotte

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Shout out of the day goes to my woods loving mom. Love yah :D. I will miss you while you are away.

Harry Potter Day

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Clearly.

They 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.

Shrunken Door Frame (Alice and Wonderland Effect)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

I don’t have to walk through the locker room doors anymore.

Alright, 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.

Mackenzie

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

Silence

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Great streets of silence
Have filled the network of my life
In times of necessity
Silence overtakes my faint heart
Swallowing whole
The words so desperately
Floating up in bubbles
That quiver in their fragile state

Whenever words are needed
They have failed me
The power of that word
Falling swiftly, heavily
From an uncouth mouth
Can change the world
In a movement too fast
For the eye to register

The Incompetence of Doctors and the Joy of Shopping

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Alright so let me explain. I had an interesting day today, it consisted of several parts:

School ( well duh, I go to school everyday) In school I did nothing but worry about the next step of the day.
Doctor. 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

Ball of Yellow Sunshine

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I really like this photo for no real reason. Fun stuff during golf.

Heidi

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Shout out of the day goes to Heidi my wondrous new golf buddy!!

Paint Drops

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Let the paint drip
Let it dry
Ignore it
Walk on it
Refuse its existence
Deny it the life
It was owed
Yes
It is just that easy

One day you will find yourself
And stop
You stand on hollowed ground
Where just a single
Red drops stands
Old and worn
It still remains
Hidden but present
In a cement jungle
Of cross-hatched lies

You will stand there
And look at that single drop
And wonder
How could I have let this pass
How could I have let
These things go so unnoticed
Reflected at you
In a single drop
Are your mistakes

Slanted Barn

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Tired of Being Tired

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I hate it when you feel like you had a good day but in the end you look back and say,

What the Hell, that sucked.

That 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,

Trash

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Breakin’ the Law

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Let’s Talk

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

A 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

People talk, and talk, and talk but never say a word.

Prairie Dog Love

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

While 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:

I have seen them do that.

She 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.

IB Art Project

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

The Trees and The Leaves

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The leaves are falling
Gone in a blur
But who will remember
The fallen leaves
Each color unique
As they drift away
Forever forgotten
Gone in the breeze
The trees protectors
Forgotten, when they fall
Never to be remembered
For who they really are
When they have fallen
They freeze in the snow
Forsaken and discarded
Like an old broken toy
The trees stand bare
Believing they can stand
Forgetting the leaves
And their role in its life
Winter pushes forward
The tree cannot stand
But the leaves all fallen
Can never be returned
As the snow melts
The tree must see
Its horrible mistake
The fallen leaves lay dead
Buried by snow
Now the tree stands bitter and alone
So it grows more leaves
To replace those loyal to it
So easily forgetting its treason
But as years pass by
And seasons replay
Over and over
The tree repeats its mistake
Never learning its lesson
Cursed forever to relive its life
The leave’s revenge
For they never fall alone
Because inside they know
Each fall that passes
Has its winter in turn

Ladybug Ride

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It is fun to be a kid sometimes. This is me playing in a park near Bend Oregon.

Missing Child

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The woman stands
Arms full of grocery bags
In front of a store
She doesn’t move
She is frozen
Those that pass her
Look to try and see
What her far away stare
Is focused upon
What horror she is witnessing
But what they don’t see
Is that it isn’t
An image her stricken eyes
Have fallen upon
But the absence of it
Alone the mother stands
Her child is nowhere
Gone from sight
Disappeared into a world
Beyond the safety of a mother’s touch
Where there is no play
Only a harsh reality
Of survival and death
She wonders
How could this happen
What did I do
To deserve this punishment
The statue begins
To regain life
As a scream burst forth
From petrified lungs
Dying for release
The bags fall
As her arms reach out
For something that
Is no longer there
Her child is gone
In just a blink of an eye
She has vanished
The mother screams
Over and over again
For her child
But there is no answer
Just the stares of the passersby
She falls to her knees
Her child’s favorite foods
Lay strewn about
The mother of a missing child
She hears nothing
Sees nothing
But her child
Before she was gone
Remembering that last look
The last moment before
Destiny was changed
Taking her baby away from her
So she sits on her knees
Her arms held out to nothing
With her child’s favorite foods
But no child
No one stops to help
Because they don’t understand
What it means to lose
A part of them
But now she does
The wailing statue
Waiting with empty arms
And a horrible plea
For a missing child to come back
And never again leave

Thinking of Nick (Cal Poly)

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Yes, That is Gum Coating the Entire Wall.

Natural Bridges

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I am trying out some black and white photo styles. This is in Natural Bridges if you couldn’t tell.

T.V. Reality

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

GIVE ME A BREAK?!

Do 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.

Implosion

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

How fast does
The human heart die
When a cry
Is all that portrays
A desperate agony
The sound of a heart
Ripping itself into pieces
“No more” it cries
“I am done
It hurts too much
To keep going”
So does it take years
Or maybe only seconds
For the heart to implode
Slowly collapse in on itself
To bleed out on the streets
Where people watch
But no one moves
To save an innocent from death
There is just a silent horror
Reflected in dull empty eyes
Watch as a hand
Dips into my chest
Pulls out my heart
It cries and it cries
“I am done, I am done”
One last rebellion
To die before the sun
It was hidden away
For it’s whole life
Now in death it is shown
Looking into the light

Say It

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

This 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.

Say it

Aega

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

You of light
Whose heart is ever growing
Lay down your hair
And watch the lilies bloom
You, the child
Of the greater gods
With eyes that glow
As bright as the sun
And your smile
Could make flowers bloom
And your soul
So pure and untouched
Sheltered in a world
Never scarred by hate
Evil, or disgrace
Yet they fear you
The titan child
Your brilliance
Brings darkness
Into their envious eyes
Run child, run
They come for you now
There is no where to hide
And they will find you
It is only a matter of time
You can’t scream
Or shout out for help
They are the help
The good guys
Gone so bad
Have turned on you
Betrayed you
Put a knife in your back
Even though you did them no wrong
It is your heart they fear
So they must carve it out
Snuff out its brilliance
Kill off the sun
Then they’ll bury you away
Where the sun can’t shine
Your heart still beating
And your eyes gone wide
They seal you in darkness
You, the child of the sun
Will never again see the sky

Bald Eagle

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Cream and Tan

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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:

Cream 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.

Teal Barn

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I love this old decrepit barn. Very pretty with the teal roof. I have a lot of great barn pictures taken along my journeys.

A Very Strange Dream

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I sit in a
White tiled room
I feel like I
Was dropped here
A camera is sitting
In my hands
Resting peacefully
But why am I
To capture this
A walled in cell
Made completely
Of glass
Stands tall
In the middle of the room
A man paces
Inside of its
See through barrier
The walls are so thin
There is so little standing
Between him and me
Imprisoned and watching
His eyes only on me
A wolf’s eyes
Burning into me
I shift uncomfortable
“Be careful with him”
He says to me
In a dark cold voice
The edge in it surprises
And scares me
“Who?”
I ask
My eyes
Being held by the wolf
He doesn’t take his eyes away
But nods at my lap
A wry grin splitting
Open his face
I look down
A baby boy
Lies where my
Camera had been
His head is bent
At an awkward angle
I scream and scream
Looking down at him
His tiny broken body
And his broken neck
With blue skin and unstaring eyes
Dying in my arms
I plead for help
Looking frantically
From the baby
To the prisoner
But all he does
Is laugh at me
He puts his hands
Against the glass
And starts to push
And as the glass
Starts to crack
He says
“You can only help yourself”

Dandelions

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Nick starts at Cal Poly

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This weekend we’re moving Nick into his apartment and new life at Cal Poly. It’s still hard to believe that this day has actually arrived, but I’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.

His apartment has four private rooms, a shared living room, and kitchen. As if it wasn’t good enough, one of his roommates brought a big flat panel TV.

TOK and Stupidity (Batman)

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

Me + Cold Medicine = Bad News and Weird Things

So 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.

Goodbye Nick

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Goodbye my brother, I will miss you so!!! Good luck at Cal Poly. I still think you are a mountain goat.

LOVE YOU!!!

Parking Lot Paranoia

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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:

They 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.

Lollipop

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I climb the stairs
As doors close with a hiss behind
Thousands of eyes watching
Walking down death row
Calmly
I sit down in a chair
Images rush past me
People walking away forever
Never aware of me watching
Silently
I put my hand against glass
Cold and warm from other days
Everything rocks back and worth
People whisper, cry, laugh
Quietly
I look down beside me
A little girl sits there
Lollipop to big for her small mouth
She licks relentlessly at it
Noisily
I hear everything at that moment
Two rows up a baby howls, hungry
Three rows back a man coughs, dying
Across the isle a man and woman fight
Angrily
I see everything at that moment
Five rows back a woman with a black eye
Four rows ahead a man without an arm
Across and seven rows back a blind man sighs
Sadly
I sigh too and stare at my hands
“My mom says it is rude to stare at people”
The little girl looks up at me questioning
“Why do you stare at them” she asks
Curiously
I speak to this girl so much younger than me
“Because there is so much to see” I reply
“I see nothing” she whines
“Look very closely and you see everything”
“Everyone tells a story, but your mother is right”
Simply
I listen to her as I do everyone
“Well what’s your story?”
“A long and sad one” I reply
I don’t see it” she says
Confused
“I see your story” I say grinning
“You like lollipops”
She stares blankly at her lollipop and says “No”
“My mom gave it to me before she died”
Silence bustling
People get up and leave the bus
She stands alone and waves to me
Still sucking “Goodbye” she says
I just sit there wondering
Calmly

Taffy

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

Agates

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sorry, 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.

Flan Pac Man

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This was a dessert I had at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. I made him look like a Pac Man.

Some how this picture is slighty depressing and at the same time makes me laugh until I cry.

If any of you have ever eaten at the buffet at the Bellagio, you know what I am talk about when I say:

YOU CAN NEVER LOOK AT FOOD THE SAME AGAIN!

Nowhere

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

This 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.

We 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?

Pause

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is always a pause
Before death finally comes
A moment that lingers
Between so very different worlds
After such labor
And such pain
When the breathing
Becomes so rapid
It screeches out
Screaming its way
Out of your dry mouth
Each breath is an effort
Like no other
As your lungs heave
Trying to keep going
Knowing you are almost there
The race is almost over
Your time has come
As your eyes
Hang open
In deep empty sockets
That have become
As dark as a storm
Watching every movement
Knowing it will be your last
You will ever see
Hoping to find an answer
To all the questions
You still had left
Your fingers twitch desperately
Try to fix
All the things left broken
Your skin prickles
Trying to feel
All that was never known
Your legs become restless
Trying to run that last
Stretch of the race
When suddenly you hear it
The noise you have been waiting for
Dying for inside
A soft yet urgent call
So you let your muscles loosen
And forget about all else
There is nothing left to see
Nothing left to touch
All that is left broken
Shall remain that way forever
And the race
Is finally complete
As your breathing slows
A smile plays
On your cracked lips
You know it is time to go
Then the world seems to stop
Standing on its toes
Then the long pause
And you are no more

Rock Pile Art

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!

But that isn’t the point. I make rock pile art all over the place. Just spreading a bit of man made beauty.

These 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.

Colors

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I love it when I see colors in everything. Here are some random pictures full of vibrant colors.

Nature’s Beauty

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Just some beautiful things in nature, a spider’s web at Pictured Rocks, and a nice sunset at Estes Park.

Stand Up

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Old bones creak
As I stand
Dust falls
From my heavy shoulders
Raining down
On old wooden floors
Both wood and bone
Creak in protest
Stand up
Come now old one
There is much to be done
Your time hasn’t come
The day still awaits
The birds are still singing
The flowers are blooming
So drop your
Cloak of age
Let if fall
Slip from your shoulders
Once weighed down
By a burden
About knowledge and age
Let it pool on the floor
Step over it
Leave it behind
Stand up
There is much
To be done
Old mistakes to fix
Old friendships to mend
There is time
There is time
Watch the sun fall
And the moon rise
Smell lavender
Dancing in your home
Welcome winter
The coming storm
Open your arms
And scream
To no one
About nothing
Whisper out your misery
Bow to destiny
It’s time to wake up
Leave behind
Your worries
And regrets
Of those you leave behind
Stand up
Smile at death
Greet him nicely
And say
“I have been
waiting for you”
He will smile back at you
And say
“Stand up
there is much work
to be done”

Arnold the Raccoon

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This is Arnold, he was the baby raccoon we found in Michigan.

His mommy died so we gave him a home and fed him until he was old enough to live on his own.

I miss him. He lived in the Peyser household. He is still out there somewhere. He was so cute and small.

I was just thinking about him and wanted to wish him well where ever he is.

Creeper Photos

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Death On My Window Sill

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There is a banshee
Standing on my window sill
Looking through frosted glass
With eyes that always see
Hollow and empty
They stare onward frigidly
Black as coal
Burrowing into me
A porcelain face
Frozen forever
In a horrified scream
An abomination
A disgrace
It taps its cold fingers
On my window panes
Begging pleading to be let in
Frozen forever in many winters
It beckons sadly
Trying to warn me
A sign or forwarding
Of ending tragically
A banshee is telling me
There is death
On my doorstep
Weeping and crying
It is trying to warn me
To make my ends meet
Before death can ever find me
It is telling me in the end
There is no place left to hide
When winter comes
The breeze brings a whisper
Of forewarned death
And a child too foolish
To bear heed to a banshees warning
Of death on my window sill

Haikus

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Uncertainty lives
In the eyes of the wicked
Where sin is just sin

Remember the names
Of the forgotten and lost
For no one else will

Know your hearts true grief
Behold your life’s agonies
There is nothing left

Don’t despair dear child
Monsters bumping in the night
You are not alone

Publishing my Work

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

So 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.

Sunsets

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I have seen sunsets all around the country and they are always different. They really are amazing.

Lethe (guide me)

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Be my guide
To the river banks
Walk with me
Through darkness
So I may
Find the light
That has been absent
From my life
For what feels like
An eternity in darkness

Hold my hand
And sing to me
A soft melody
To sooth my raging heart
Lead me to
The waters edge
Where memories are erased
Where past are forgiven
And forgotten

Wild Flowers

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Funny Cat

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Does 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.

iTunes Tricks

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I hate it on iTunes when you really, really want a song but for some reason they only sell that song with the whole album.

I 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.

Funny Road Signs

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Raging Waters

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!!

With that said, I have to say something.

WHAT IS UP WITH THE BOTTOMS OF THEIR POOLS?

I 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.

Untitled

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A tall tree
Like a sentry guard
A world full
Of controversy
And falling stars

Yelling and screaming
You tear out my hair
Betrayal afoot
A friend afraid
To cry
Shattered pieces
Wings are torn

Pictures of friends
Ripped to pieces
Wake up
And smell the ashes
There is blood
To be had

Once friends forever
Are no more
A promise never upheld
Sadness builds another wall
Forming a shell
Hiding away from all

World’s Largest Sand Crane

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Some 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.

Steele, North Dakota I believe, the middle of nowhere. Still now I can say I have seen the world’s largest sand crane. Beat that.

Golf and Stupidity

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So here is another incident after the Ghosts and Stupidity, there will probably be many more like this.

Today 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.

Funny? Yes. Painful? Yes. A really stupid moment? Definetely.

Sunflowers

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I just like to have time to stop and smell the flowers…

but I don’t

so here is a quick photo of some gigantic field of sunflowers. I wish I was there not here doing loads of homework.

I think this was in North Dakota somewhere near Bismarck I believe. It felt like it stretched on forever.

Teacher’s Apple

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I on the other hand, have a different idea about why apples where the gift of choice.

She Prayed

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The little girl knelt
Her hands together
And head bowed
She prayed
She asked for
Forgiveness
She pleaded for
Guidance
She begged for
Repentance
She wept for
Redemption
She prayed hoping for an answer
That never came
She picked up her head
Her soft hair falling
And looked at the stars
She asked silently
God why don’t you answer me
Yet no answer came

She prayed every night
For the rest of her life
Waiting for that answer
That never came
Faithfully she returned
Every night and knelt
She refused to loose hope
Hands together
And head bowed
She prayed
She always listened
But no word came
But still she believed
That he was waiting
And watching over her
He never did help her
He never reached down
To a child on her knees
And said to her
It is all right, you can go now
You can go free
He left her all alone
Her parents didn’t understand
Then her children didn’t understand
And then her grandchild didn’t understand
But she didn’t ask
For their understanding
Just to be heard

Mount Olympus

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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,

Hey, looky there, it is Mount Olympus. It was in Montana the whole time!

Everything was coated in fog except for the top of this gigantic mountain just poking out of the fog like Mount Olympus.

Police on the Off Ramp

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

Spontaneous

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Some say the best poetry
Is written spontaneously
Starts with a line and grows
Snaking upward to it’s full potential
So here is a poem
Without meaning or purpose
It floats empty knowing it means nothing
Each word spilled out
Carelessly and without love
Callously crumpled up
And unfolded again
A second chance at life
Rising from the ashes
Born again, whole and new
But still it bears the scars of old
Written on its skin
Each scar bearing a story
A note of a different life
Of a different person
So where will you go
With new meaning and purpose
Who will take you in
Love you with a blind heart
Giving with empty hands
A person opening their soul
To someone they don’t know
Opening up to a new meaning
Give chance a chance
Trying to find light
In a world of darkness
A means for war
In times of peace
A person wondering through snow
With no shoes
Or intent to survive
Would you give your eyes
To help another open theirs
Give yourself to someone new
Just to see what would happen
On the roll of a dice
Take one last chance
Stroll in the horizon
Don’t look back over your shoulder
There is nothing left behind you
But hands that will drag you down
Be free let go of them
Walk on glass or through fire
Just to feel who you are
A kiss to a stranger
You will never know
A random impulse to live
Or a spontaneous choice to die
It all lies in your hands
All you have to do is reach out
Grasp onto destiny
And don’t let it go
Hold on tight or they will carry you away
The ties are pulling
but you must be strong
You must not bend or break
Now you must make your final choice
To be spontaneous and choose
As I have chosen.

Swimming in a Glacier River

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

When 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.

I 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.

More Wildlife

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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!!

Trickster

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Strangely enough, this poem started out being about a fox. Weird I know, some things just evolve as you write them.

Come you trickster
Come play with me
We are so alike
Know every trick
In the trade
Why do you hide?
Oh trickster of mine
Show the world your true colors
Lay down your cards
The games almost over
Time to see
The true end
Why do you run?
When is it you
Who holds the cards
The world is yours
To be had
Resting gently
In your palm
Yet here you run
With your tail
Between your legs
Some trickster
You turned out to be
You who cannot
Play the game
We live by mercilessly
Come play with me
Our dying breed
We’ll see who wins
We who are common
Must stick together
For we are dying company
Few and far between
Feared and revered
We walk the land
One king left standing
The tricksters are gone
Exiled and discarded
For fear of who we are
A dying race
Who always wins
Come my trickster
It is time to begin

Black Bear

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

A 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,

Worlds Touching

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I looked out the window
My chin resting on my open palm
The glass fogged
As I peered out
Cars filled with people
Some lonely, some afraid, some dead inside
Some looking for life, and some giving up on it
Trees blending into one another
Black top, yellow lines
Black top, yellow lines
I pulled up my sleeve
And wipe away the clouds
Forming on my window
I watch more cars pass by
In a hurry to reach nowhere
Each face in the car
Blank as they stare forward
Eyes only on the destination
Not the beauty on the way
A car pulls along side us
Silver and low to the ground
A mom talking on the phone
But in the back
Sat a little girl
She was looking out of her window
Right at me
For a moment I just stared back
It felt like an eternity
That our eyes were latched together
In that instant
I knew her
I knew her whole life
And I am sure she knew mine
She was the daughter ignored
She made her own world
Because the one she had
Had no place for her in it
I could see her parents in her eyes
Arguing, yelling
She heard it all through thin walls
And cried herself to sleep at night
She was the odd man out
Always the child in the back seat
She didn’t need them
Or their fickle love
She had all she needed
But not all she wanted
She made her own way
Through a treacherous life
And always would
I raised my hand
And waved to her
I smiled and nodded slightly
And she did the same
And our cars moved on
Our worlds separated
Just a moment
That our worlds touched
I wonder what she saw in my life
What she thought
Of a stranger through a car window
I just sat back and smiled
My mom looked over at me and smiled back
“What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing” I reply
Because no one could understand
How I understood
So I keep her world a secret
Locked tightly away
Of a daughter ignored
And a world passing by

Ghosts and Stupidity

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

All right I just had to post this to show how stupid I really can be.

I 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.

Post Summer Heat

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The 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.

Wildlife Across the Country

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Here 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.

Copper Harbor Collectives

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here 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.

Eyes

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Some say that eyes
Are a mirror into the soul
That if you look close
You can see everything
There is to know about that person
That you can know someone
Just by peering into their eyes
Yes I believe that
But then you have to think
A mirror can look both ways
When you look into another’s soul
You must first face your own
As it reflects back at you
Can you handle the truth
As you look inside of yourself
So look into my eyes
Tell me what you see inside of me
If you find emptiness
Does it mean I lack a soul
Or if you see madness
Does it mean I have nothing left
Tell me who you think I am
Look into me eyes tell me what you see

Hot Cheetos

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

First 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.

Results for Stuffed Animals at School

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So basically, no one listened to my rant last night.

Bad 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.

The 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?

Shoe Tree

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Stuffed Animals

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

This is Dakota, I named him Dakota even though we bought him in Montana, because I am just that talented with naming things.

Scented Candles

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

To Sleep: The Answer

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here is the second part to last night’s poem

To sleep
At night
I must
Believe
In love
Not just
Hate

To live
A life
In favor
Not disgrace
To hide away
To save face
To leave
Escape this place

To forgive
My sins
Is to
Forget the world
And all
It’s hate
To believe
In destiny
But not
One’s fate

I do
Deserve
To live again
To live
A life
Not burn
In sin
I do
Deserve
To see
The sun
To see
The darkness
Of the world
Undone

Hanging with my bro in Chicago

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I’m in Chicago for a couple of days for the Agile Alliance Agile2009 conference. It’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.

Then it’s over to Grant Park to enjoy the Buckingham fountain.

We then wandered over to the Agora sculpture before grabbing the bus back to Scott’s house.

Mona Lisa Smile

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Mona Lisa smiles at me
Perfect teeth but somehow wrong
She looks and stares but cannot see
She holds her pose forever strong
Such confidence in a twisted smile
But what could it mean
Is it happiness in a vial
Or maybe she can see behind the scenes
But the smile stands for only one thing
A secret kept far from the world
A heart song plucked from a string
A love note never unfurled
The base of music and sight
The sound of a storm
An answer to human kinds plight
The world a moth to butterfly transformed
But she keeps this to herself
Caught only in a little smile
A book gathering dust on a shelf
A man in jail waiting for a trial
But the secret that was never told
Seen only in a paintings smirk
Forever forgotten in a world of old
But seen only by those who know its works

Monk

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

To Sleep: The Question

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Why can’t
I sleep
Late at night
Why can’t
I believe
In the light
Why can’t
I love
And only hate
Why can’t
I forgive
Life’s disgrace
Why can’t
I forget
Your words
Why can’t
I feel
The pierce of
A sword
Why can’t
I live the life
I hold
In my hand
Why can’t
I stop my life
From slipping away
Like sand
Why can’t
I remember
The name
On the grave
Why can’t
I see the path
I have paved
Why can’t
I sleep
Late at night
Why can’t
I stop
This battle tonight

Lemon Water

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I really, really hate it when at a restaurant they put lemon slices into your glasses of water. It ruins the water entirely.

I have four theories as to why someone might commit this heinous crime.

They 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.

Rock Pile Art

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

These are just for you Golnoosh!!! Here are the rock piles I was talking about in Bend Oregon.

Shogun Bathroom Key

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Today 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.

A New Beginning

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

A Warning

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Dare you read what I have to say
Be ready and be warned
For the words I swear will hold sway
Inside this book lies my hopes and dreams
Behold my world
My darkness, my thoughts and fantasies
Every word I write
Every verse or story holds a world
Inside these words I write depict a fight
Do not take lightly what I say
Perhaps you understand
But if not you will one day
Here lies a world no one has seen
A world untamed and unscreened
Here my friends I am queen
Queen of these damned forgotten souls
These words a story
Of the devil’s uncollected tolls
If you dare have heart or stomach to hold
Please my friends and enemies take part
Come one Come all
To my sweet darkened world
Every word you see isn’t a word at all
Please understand my warning
To those who choose to partake
In this book is my heaven my hell
Here lay words that
Make the world bow with only one shake

The Pedestrian Poet

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I 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.

Santa Cruz roadtrip - Crater Lake

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I miss my girls!

A few more shots around the crater.

Then it’s time for more broken down old cool buildings. And of course a good size fire.

The haze continues to be a problem as they head past Mt. Shasta. Soon they’ll be home and I will be a very happy man.

Santa Cruz roadtrip - Spokane and Bend, Oregon

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A quick trip through Spokane, Washington before spending the whole day traveling through Oregon. The aliens have landed!

Looks like the wind is really blowing over the Columbia River.

Monica is such a llama lover, though it’s hard to deny the appeal of these incredibly adorable creatures.

Then of course there’s the spectacular shoe tree in Shaniko, Oregon. Yet another favorite of Monica’s.

Then it’s into the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Charlotte told me this was one of her favorite places during the trip.

Santa Cruz roadtrip - Glacier and Coeur d'Alene

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and Monica continue their long trek home through Montana. Your eyes aren’t fooling you, that derelict wooden building really is slanted that way. And yes that is a giant penguin.

This 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’m going to hurl.

Santa Cruz roadtrip - North Dakota and Montana

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The trek continues for the girls as they travel across North Dakota. Some interesting sculptures along the way through endless fields.

Looks 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.

The prairie dogs are totally adorable.

Onward through North Dakota, with no time to stop at Home On The Range.

Santa Cruz roadtrip - Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

There 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.

Monica and the girls do a road trip to Copper Harbor

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I know Monica really likes Cliff Cemetery a lot. It’s a great setting hidden away in the woods.

Then a few shots at the bridge into Eagle River.

Enjoying a nature hike with Karen

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Looks like there were plenty of beautiful berries, flowers, and mushrooms.

Hiking Bare Bluff and swinging around in Jacobsville

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s nice to find a hike with some real elevation here in Northern Michigan.

Back 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’s place broke off and moved in front of our place. Now that’s something we’re going to have to keep track of.

Hunting agates and fishing on Portage Lake

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We’re visiting our favorite agate beach over at Calumet Waterworks with the Hoyems today. Monica and Lindsey leave their mark, and in Monica’s case it’s muhr.

We’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.

There’s a few storm clouds brewing out over Lake Superior. Gotta keep an eye on those bad boys.

New hike exploration day in the Keweenaw

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Lindsey and Monica are two girls you don’t want to mess with while they are online.

The 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.

Then it’s north along the coast past the Jam Pot to Great Sand Bay.

A tiny bit of randomness from da U.P.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Not much to say today, but I did like these two photos of Nick and Monica.

Canoeing and tubing on Portage Lake

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Time for some first time water skiers to try it out. Pretty funny.

Charlotte joins Gabe and I for a short paddle in the canoe.

Nick, Zach, and Doug have a blast on the tube. There are some pretty priceless shots in here.

Family photos, party, and race

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’s big family get together time as everyone is here at the same time. It’s great to have Lynn and Greg over as well.

Getting everyone to stand still for such a big group photo is quite the trick. Monica gets the award for weirdest face.

It’s not really anyone’s party, but we are celebrating a lot of 5s in everyone’s age. Gordon is coming up on 85, Charlotte and George hit 50 this year, the rest are still doing the 50s thing. I’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.

Hiking and cycling Lac La Belle

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and George are heading out to Lac La Belle to check out some hiking areas. She’s always on the lookout for the next great hiking area, and we haven’t explored this end of the Keweenaw that much yet. It’s also a great chance to get dropped off in a new spot for cycling as well. It’s raining out, but I love the ride along the south shore.

The 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.

Exploring at the Freda Mill and an evening with the Marshall Tucker Band

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s not to love? It’s also a beautiful drive through the woods, and Lake Superior is always a treat.

Charlotte’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’s really hard to suffer through the vocals of the original lead singer. He’s had throat issues over the years, and clearly he’s lost the old magic. The rest of his band both sings and plays spectacularly. I’m not much of a MST fan, but it’s definitely a great band.

Boat ride to Houghton, and a late night fishing contest

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’re heading over to Houghton via Portage lake and the channel. It’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.

The trip back is a great excuse for Gabe to show off his many goofy faces.

A few random photos from Bootjack

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The many faces of Michigan

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Catching a nice size pike is a great way to start the day. Just ask Gabe and he’ll tell you all about it. For Monica, it’s the joy of photographing our local bald eagles.

George has a few faces he wants to share with everyone.

Annie does as well.

It looks to me like Charlotte is pleading with Monica to stop taking her picture, or something like that.

Tubing, Bootjack chicken BBQ, and some fishing

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I think there’s only one thing more fun than getting dumped off the tube out on the lake, and that’s probably driving the jet ski trying to dump people. It looks like everyone is really enjoying themselves.

While everyone else is just chilling on the dock.

They even managed to flip the jet ski.

Looks like Gordon and the girls did a bit of exploring.

Then its over to Bootjack Fire & Rescue for the stupendous annual chicken BBQ ritual. Monica enjoyed the burros we passed everytime we drove to town.

Picking up Gordon and Annie in Newberry

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte and Monica drove down to Newberry to pickup Gordon and Annie. It’s a pretty long drive, but happy to have Gordy’s kids join the crew up in Bootjack for the week. They got back home just in time for another great sunset.

Exploring Gay, dining at the Dreamland, and bonfire in Jacobsville

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’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’t have a single gay person in it.

A few cute photos from Monica on the way back to the cabins.

It’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’t wait to put in some quality recovery time.

Seaman Mineral Museum at MTU

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’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.

They have an unbelievably large collection of specimens (over 5,000), and I hear that they have way more than what’s on display in the back rooms (over 26,000 in total). It’s hard to pick a favorite, but they are known for their copper and iron pieces.

Agates, matzah balls, waves, and sunsets in da U.P.

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Pouring over the rocks you’ve collected is almost as much fun as picking them at the beach. Everyone is working hard identifying all their little treasures.

I 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’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.

Taking Ira and Karen to Calumet

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Good morning Bootjack! Let’s see what’s waiting for us out there today. One of our local bald eagles, some pretty flowers, grandma’s place in the garden, an evil squirrel, happy dancing Charlotte busy cleaning, and some of grandma’s artwork.

We’re off to town today, specifically Calumet to play tourist with Ira and Karen. This place has plenty of old, cool buildings.

A favorite place of ours has to be Copper World. What’s not to like, they’ve got copper, cool hats, cool signs, funny finger puppets, fudge, licorice pipes, and did I mention copper?

Back with the family in Bootjack

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Nick 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’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’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.

Fishing in Jacobsville with grandpa

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Now that’s one cool shore bird. Charlotte’s sister Karen thinks it’s from Alaska. Pretty good omen considering my recent trip to Alaska.

I’m not sure if Gabe caught any fish on this trip, but I do recall that he caught someone’s lake trout rig that got stuck in the pier.

Hanging with Gabe and Doug in da U.P.

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Gabe is loving his new cycling cap the girls brought back from Jelly Belly. Only problem is, I love it too. You know I’ll be borrowing it on rainy days for sure.

Gabe and Doug sure have a great time hanging out with each other. And there’s almost nothing better than hanging out in Bootjack.

Looks like it’s still kinda rough out on the lake for fishing.

Bootjack roadtrip - Across Wisconsin and arriving in Bootjack

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The girls spent last night at the Winfield Inn in Bayview. Looks like a very beautiful place, especially the gardens.

And a lovely koi pond.

Plenty of statues and views. Charlotte would love to come back and stay again sometime.

Charlotte and Monica went for a run along the Lake Superior shore before heading out for the last stretch of driving.

Then it’s off to the Apostle Islands lakeshore area. It’s definitely an area I would love to go visit, especially for some fishing with Gabe.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’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’s been an awesome trip, and I’m excited to think about the next time I head to Alaska.

Bootjack roadtrip - Minnesota and Wisconsin

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’re all going by at high speed.

Then it’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.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Our lunch spot has a few big boulders with some really interesting formations. I’m thinking they’re some kind of fossils, but Matt and Brendan think it’s volcanic. Dirk told us the area is all old sea floor and primarily sedimentary rock with lots of fossils. Maybe I’ll figure it out sometime.

Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through South Dakota

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

A break in the town of Deadwood was a good opportunity to check out the local history.

The Adams Museum was very enlightening. Say hi to Wild Bill for me.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We’ll be leaving our campsite setup today for some day hiking up in the hills.

I want to checkout a canyon that goes around the back side of the nearby mountains. It also makes for a great lunch spot.

Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through Little Big Horn to Wyoming

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’t drive this far in the winter, but it sure looks like it was a scenic drive.

I hear they really enjoyed visiting Little Big Horn Battlefield. Lots of excellent Native American history.

Looks like the goodbye to Wyoming didn’t last that long, as they head to Gillette for the night.

Bootjack roadtrip - Driving through Yellowstone

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s really interesting to compare the photos from that trip here.

They 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.

Then it’s on through Lamar Valley, the really beautiful area of the park. Plenty of wildlife, including a shaggy black bear. And here’s the area in the winter.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’ve made it to the Marsh Fork and Dirk’s first pickup point. We won’t be leaving from here, but it’s a nice sign we’re on track.

This is an incredible spot with a great campsite overlooking the riverbed.

Bootjack roadtrip - Salt Lake City to Gardiner

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Following yesterday’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.

The billboards in Utah totally rock. A few other sights, but otherwise not much to see.

Rolling into Idaho, it’s time for lunch and a frisbee break for Gracie. I’m sure Gracie was jealous of the awesome doggie trailer. Nice twist on the motorcycle sidecar approach.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s not to love?

Bootjack roadtrip - Tahoe to Salt Lake City

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Gracie 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.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Today we’re up and over Carter Pass to the north side of the Brooks Range.

There are so many beautiful colors and flowers in the tundra.

The 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.

Bootjack roadtrip - Santa Cruz to Tahoe

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

First stop is the Jelly Belly factory near Sacramento. I know they’ve bought at least a few bags of belly flops.

After checking in at the hotel in Truckee, it’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’s another long day ahead tomorrow.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’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.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

After a very nice night in Wiseman recovering from our travel, it’s back to Coldfoot to catch our flight with Dirk over at Coyote Air. He’s got a beautiful pair of Beaver planes, along with a very cool pair of geese.

It’s a stunning flight north to our destination in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

There’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.

Backpacking in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s still the Brooks Range, but it should be even more isolated with less brush and tussocks to negotiate. First we’ve got to head north from Fairbanks via the Dalton Highway. It’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.

Tour of Lick Observatory

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I’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’s an incredibly long and windy road to the summit at 4,209 feet. I’ve always wanted to ride my bike to the top, but now I’m not so sure.

Thank you James Lick for a great legacy.

Nick graduates from Scotts Valley High School

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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.

The family is all here while Nick and his friends are all on display.

There’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.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip

Sun, 31 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We’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.

Yesterday was all about Kings Canyon, but today we’re headed for Sequoia National Park.

We’re headed up Moro Rock before the afternoon storms head this way.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday we got to Kings Canyon too late for any hiking, but this morning we’re heading out to Cedar Grove and the hike up to Mist Falls. Now this is one big descent down into the canyon.

With a few very pretty little flowers along the way.

The Kings River is really rolling like crazy. We don’t stop at Boyden Cave, but we do make a quick stop at Grizzly Falls.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon road trip

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Charlotte, Monica, and I are on the road to Sequoia & Kings Canyon for some hiking in the Sierra. We couldn’t talk Gabe and Nick into it, so it’s kind of a girl’s weekend with me along as the third wheel. It’s going to be awesome!

A freakin big tree welcomes us to the park after not too long a drive from Santa Cruz.

It’s very cool to walk in a redwood forest filled with Sequoia’s instead of the usual coastal redwoods.

SVHS senior awards night for Nick

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Tonight is the SVHS senior awards event. It’s a bit of a mystery as to why we received an invitation, as we don’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’s great to see these exceptional students recognized for all their years of hard work. Nice job Nick! It’s also good to see a bunch of Monica’s friends helping out at the event.

SVHS awards night

Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’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.

Nick grabs his award and runs.

Monica looks jazzed.

And the girly grabs a record busting two awards.

Gabe's track meet final

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Gabe’s previous track meets were practice for the real thing today. He’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’s got a new goal to keep him motivated. Today he got first with 67 feet and is aiming for the record next year.

His cousin and constant companion Doug is looking good out there too.

Hiking Middle Creek with Lynda

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Lynda and I are off for a hike out near Lancaster this morning, before I head back to California. It’s been a great visit and I’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.

Lynda's disco birthday party

Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I decided at the last minute to grab a flight out to Philadelphia to surprise my sister Lynda for her birthday. It’s also a great chance to see my mom for Mother’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’s just say it was a little bit funky.

The dance floor was a mirrored ball, flashing, colored light spectacle from some other planet. The fog machine was also a nice touch.

California quail on the lookout

Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s on the back deck posing for me.

Picnic lunch at the beach

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Time to head north to sand dune beach for lunch and fun in the sand. Nick enjoys a walk along the rocks by himself.

Gracie is our little ball fetching cowgirl doggie.

The wind is blowing and the gulls are soaring.

While Monica shows me her killer kung fu.

Run for cover, it’s an attack helicopter!

Gabe and Gracie head for the same rocks a little while later. I missed the shot of Gracie way out by Gabe.

SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge Bike Ride

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This year is the seventh running of the most excellent SVEF Mt Charlie Challenge. I’ve been doing it every year, even before the current route up Mt Charlie. It’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’s always worth a big thank you to them for making this the best fundraising event for SVEF for the past seven years.

Another day in Mojave

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday we got into Mojave and had a beautiful night in the desert under a full moon. This morning we’re heading out to the top of the Kelso Dunes. Gabe decides to take the steep, direct route. What an animal.

That’s the RV way the heck down there!

Once we crested the front edge of the dunes, it was like a sand hurricane. I didn’t want to wreck my camera, so unfortunately I couldn’t capture how totally amazing it was up there.

RV trip continues on to Mojave

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’m starting to get pretty good at this RV thing.

We originally wanted to head for the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, but we’ve heard it’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.

Another day in Death Valley

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday we got to Death Valley kind of late, so we’re off to the Mesquite Dunes bright and early this morning.

The dried mud along the way reminds me a bit of the trampled areas of snow during my trip to Yellowstone. Very cool.

Monica does a nice little dance on the edge of a sand dune.

A few of the big dunes are just ahead.

It 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.

RV trip to Death Valley

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We’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’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’t as bad as I thought, but we go through a number of passes covered with windmills, an ominous portent of things to come.

Wedding Anniversary in Sonoma

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s a beautiful spot, and there were no shortage of couples enjoying their own getaways.

The vineyards look so tranquil.

We headed back through Sonoma via backroads at a leisurely pace.

We 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!

Wedding Anniversary in Sonoma

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Last year’s anniversary in Napa was so much fun, we’re heading up to the same area again this year. This time we’re off to the Sonoma valley area right next door. It’s a much smaller valley than Napa, which makes for an even nicer trip.

There’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.

Gracie and her snake

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There’s a very special bond between our dog and her stuffed snake. And you better not come between the two of them.

Yellowstone in winter

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday was an awesome day in Yellowstone park for wildlife, but today we’ll be enjoying some really close encounters. The antelope are out in full force as soon as we drive into the park.

Here’s a great scene showing a typical indigenous human herd that roams the park looking for great wildlife. There’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.

Yellowstone in winter

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s pretty amazing to be standing next to such big names, though my photos really didn’t work out very well. I’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.

Yellowstone in winter

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Another great day awaits in Yellowstone after yesterday’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.

We 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.

Yellowstone in winter

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday was a great day in Yellowstone, and today we’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.

The cascading hot spring terraces pose for some nice photos. This is part of the lower terraces area.

Here’s a nice hot spring cone formation called Liberty Cap.

They call these travertine deposits.

Yellowstone in winter

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I’m joining Matt, Mark, and Emily on their trip to Yellowstone this winter. I haven’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’s my turn. We flew into Bozeman and then drove down to the hotel in Gardiner. It’s a bit gray out this morning, but I’m looking forward to my first day in the park.

Amgen Tour of California Santa Cruz

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The prologue stage in Sacramento was pretty awesome, but today the race is coming to Santa Cruz! I’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’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.

Amgen Tour of California Prologue

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The most awesome professional road bicycling race in the USA takes place right here in California every year. It’s the Amgen Tour of California, and I’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’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!

Loving the new car

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Acura has been a great car, but I’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.

Tour of California Ride the Stage Ride

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’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’s a bit wet out, but I’m looking forward to a great day.

Hiking in Big Sur with Charlotte

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s an incredible, warm, sunny day and we’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’s kept pretty busy reminding people they can’t hike in the area.

Hiking the Cahill Ridge trail with George and friends

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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’s a great chance to hike an area that’s not really open for public use. It’s also an opportunity to get to know some of George’s very nice friends. We’re missing a few people this very cold morning, but the rest of us are ready to enjoy a great day.