Summer Vacation

Nearly 30 years ago, we went on a trip up the coast of California. It was planned as a long camping trip with a quick first stop as an overnight visit with my relatives in Petaluma.

We drove up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.

Just south of San Francisco, our Volkswagen camper leaked fuel into the oil. By the time we arrived at my aunt's house, our engine was ruined (which we had just recently rebuilt). We were stuck for the entire two weeks of our vacation trying with little success to get our car fixed. In the end, they were able to get it running enough for us to drive home to L.A. and our own mechanic. But they warned us to drive slowly and take it easy.

I had been so angry while waiting and wasting away our vacation.

Driving home, at 45 miles an hour, gave me a completely differently outlook. The anger blew away with the wind through the windwing window. I realized that I could notice more, enjoy the trip a lot more, just by going more slowly.

North of Santa Barbara we stopped for the night at a little, rundown campground. We sputtered to a stop and set up camp. Across the highway was the ocean and there we discovered another campground - a wonderful place called El Capitan State Beach.

We went back the next year, and the year after that. Other family members started joining us. It's now a family tradition, and the only place my guys want to go for summer. And we still go there in that same Volkswagen camper.

Station 20

We have an annual beach party every summer and for years we've set up near station 20; here we were yesterday at 6am claiming our spot for a day of fun in the sun.

Nan

Today, I was getting my classroom ready for our final show next week. There were vinyl letters on the wall - the names of students left over from the year-end show of the full-time BFA program. I was going around pulling the letters off the wall. Before I completely removed Sean Heffernan, I noticed this bit of loveliness left on the wall.

Nan was my mom's name.   I think I will leave this on the wall for a while longer.

Lei materials

While I was on Molokai recently,

I gathered lots of materials to make new leis.

These are bags of hihiwai shells, half shells of the kukui nut

and kamani nuts from the sacred grove

27/27

July 27, 1985- maybe it's lucky to be 27 years on the 27th?

muralist

Mural in the making

Lunch Time

I spent my lunch hour watching this young girl spend her lunch hour doing summersaults and handstands across the grass.

Stairs at Otis

I love these stairs. Up and down all day long in my favorite place.

statement art?

Political statement? scary.

Staples Again

Seriously? Again?

The third (or is it fourth) time that I've shared

this crowded freeway interchange with the Staples truck

during morning rush hour.

Pet rat

This man is feeding his pet rat; I hate rats but had to snap the photo when I saw this; creeped me out and I'm sure I could've gotten a better photo but I couldn't look at them again. YUK!

Sunday

July is pretty crazy for me. I work almost every day of the week, on my feet for 7 hours, commuting at least an hour each way, no air conditioning in my car. Sunday is my recooperating day, and boy do I need it, though by late Sunday afternoon I always start thinking about my classes again.

You'd think I'd be dreading the coming Monday, but instead, I've noticed that I'm looking forward to it. 

elephant mural

Came across this artist painting this mural in Downtown LA.

From My Window

From the window of my classroom I sometimes watch the kids play in the public pool. One morning, splashing and playing all by itself, was a lone seagull.

"Fannah"

When I made a quick stop at the local market to pick up a few items, I noticed parked at the curb was the station wagon of my youth; not a station wagon similar to the one we had when I was little, but THE station wagon my mom owned; I knew because it had the same license plate as when I was a kid and I remember it vividly because we called the car "Fannah" because the 3 letters on the plate were FNA; seeing the old car brought back memories of summer day trips to the natural history museum when it was my mom's turn to entertain the group of us neighborhood kids or of our little dog who would jump from the rear to the middle to the front and back again while on his way to the groomers for his regular 6 week standing appointment; amazing how this car is still in circulation after over 45 years; I doubt when my daughter is 50 years old that she'll see our old van still in circulation; the phrase "they don't make them like they used to" pops in my head and thinking that makes me feel all my 50+ years.

Lowrider

I've heard of a low rider car but never a low rider bike.

Rush Hour Buddies

I spent 10 minutes with a Staples truck in morning rush hour traffic . . . two days in a row, in the exact same spot, on the exact same freeway interchange.

sunset

I was fortunate enough to enjoy our lovely sunset this evening.

Cactus Flower

That's not going to last long, but so surprisingly lovely when a cactus flowers.

Bloom

Saw this bloom on this succulent in my yard and thought it was pretty.