Camp Wintaka

the kids spent a week at camp wintaka and boy was it strange having no kids around! i found it refreshing in some ways and really lonely in others. i know that my kids love camp and this was lizzies first time to finally go with her big sister. getting ready to go she showed a few signs of being overwhelmed and i got a tiny feeling she might actually get homesick. upon her return she said she was fine and never really missed us much. it's perfectly natural to miss your kids or for kids to miss their parents and i think it's a great life lesson to muster through it and realize you will be ok, that missing someone means you love them. 

i admit i was teary eyed when liz came off the bus







we had a "date breakfast" this morning, cleaned up the house and set up a special lunch for the girls (flowers in vase for a special touch). girls arrived at 2pm, tired but happy. i am so glad my kids are experiencing the same camp i did, loved hearing all the stories about what they did and what they ate and how much they loved their counselors. emily has already picked her camp name (for when she is a counselor) M and M of course!

Acoustic Tidal Artwalk

i have posted about this event in the past, this is our second time hosting a craft table and it went off without a hitch again. i wanted to get rid of some of my leftovers from camp fire meetings, my garage is packed to the rafters with so much "stuff" so i repeated things i have done before. 

clothespin people/creatures was a really big hit (with the adults too)



friendship bracelets (didn't have a good photo of that table but it's the crowded one you see here)



and last.... the poo poo pops! i saw this here and thought i would try it. basically a take off of the seed bomb idea.



clay dirt (from my own backyard of crappy clay) + worm castings (the "poo") and water mixed with seeds (we used the natives we have collected for years: poppies and sundflowers)



mixed up and then put into paper cups with a popsicle stick



once dry, just pop it into the ground. this was a big hit but i was very surprised that not ONE kid wanted to mix the dirt/seeds by hand!! i didn't bring a spoon but after i realized no one would touch the dirt i found a stick to stir it up. i had planned for dirty hands so had buckets of fresh water to rinse and baby wipes for extra clean up. strange, huh?



some artwork on along the water. basically this is a showcase for local artists and musicians (there is a stage set up) and art is hung on huge posts along the waters edge. it's a magical event with the sun setting behind the artwork, music playing, kids running around and the fresh air coming off the ocean. the lagoon is a section of wetlands that is in the midst of being restored and the same people who have saved it are helping with los cerritos wetlands. everyone working together to save what little wetlands remains here






the bottlecap chain was my favorite i think



feather earrings and extensions are all the rage here right now






someday i hope i can have a booth of my own paintings... we'll see!

kayak

my new love

paddling in the bay, the same bay i used to swim in as a kid. great exercise, fresh air and there is even a channel leading into the wetlands! If you are a local, i highly recommend renting kayaks and checking out the bay and naples island.

summer flies by

finally some r and r at the cabin!
special time with grandparents at the children's forest






we supersized our pool this year, my biggest dream is to have a REAL pool but for now this makes the heat waves manageable...




happy summer!!

4/9/09-6/14/11

my grandpa made it to 102!

 

(this is 99)






my grandpa loved spam and eggs for breakfast and for a joke his friend would give him cases of spam on his birthday every year. i feel very lucky to have had my grandpa for so many years, really glad he passed peacefully in his sleep at home without the hospital setting. hoping the family can take its time going through his house and belongings, want to hold on to him a little longer.

local parks

as the weather has warmed up a bit we have had the itch to check out the park scene. i am so happy my girls still love to go to the park and play on the equipment, i know pretty soon they will whine and complain at the suggestion... or maybe not.

 

we are lucky enough to be surrounded by large regional parks and a nature center (along with the community gardens where i have a plot) PLUS the wetlands (we are trying to save) is just down the street and goes all the way to the beach. this is just a tiny oasis in a jungle of cement and its almost enough to keep me here forever...









enjoying my new cell phone camera



here's to a weekend off... we are headed to the pacific marine mammal center in laguna beach to take a tour of the facilities and earn a marine patch (camp fire group). i spent a summer interning there when i was in college and it made a profound influence on me. check out the website and if you are local, it's worth a visit. the drive through laguna canyon is gorgeous and you can go on the freeway or up/down the coast.

fly up

lizzie flew up!

starflight level, 2nd fly up... camp fire usa
pinned!
celebrating at the flagpole, these kids have completed two years of camp fire already. time sure flies!