A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN SANTA CRUZ

NO MATTER HOW YOU SPEND IT.

SOME SPEND IT STANDING ON THE EDGE OF A CLIFF
CATCHING A FISH.
CRAZY!

SOME SPEND IT
CATCHING A GAME OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL.
ATHLETIC!

AND THEN THEY'RE ARE THOSE
WHO CATCH A RIDE ON THE BOARDWALK.
FUN!

WE SPENT OUR DAY WATCHING ALL OF THEM,

AND OUR NIGHT CATCHING LIVVEY'S 

PROUD!

 SHE SANG IN THE CHOIR, 

 RECITED A READING,

AND SANG A SOLO.

BEAUTIFUL!!!

SINCE THIS IS HER LAST YEAR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,
AND HER LAST TLC SCHOOL CONCERT,
IT WAS
BITTERSWEET!

BET YOU THOUGHT IT NEVER WOULD HAPPEN

FINISHED!!!

BEFORE STARTING THE OTHER PUZZLE I RECEIVED FOR CHRISTMAS,
I'VE GOT TO
GET TO MY KNITTING!

A WARM 71 DEGREES IN SALINAS

PERFECT DAY FOR A SWIM MEET

GOOD THING GORDAN HAD HIS ACT TOGETHER TODAY.

HE HAD AN EASIER TIME SWIMMING THE 500 

(20 LAPS OF THE POOL)

THAN I DID AT TAKING PICTURES.

HOPEFULLY THIS IS HIM.

I DID HAVE ONE WHOLE RACE OF PICTURES, AND COME TO FIND OUT IT WASN'T GORDAN, IT WAS A BOY FROM THE OTHER TEAM.  I ALSO HAD A GREAT VIDEO OF THAT BOY.

THE GUYS WITH THE LAP COUNTERS
STRUGGLED ALMOST AS MUCH AS ME,

AND GORDAN SWAM ON!

GO GORDAN GO!!!

I KNOW GORDAN LOOKS JUST LIKE HIS DAD,

BUT WHEN I SEE HIM DOING THE BREAST STROKE,

I SEE SIGNS OF UNCLE CRAIG.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT BOTTOM LIP!

HE'S THE SPLASH

IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS PICTURE,

COMING IN STRONG,

FOR A GREAT TURN,

I'M TITLING THIS,
"I'M GOING THAT A WAY."

THIS IS THE 500

AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS,

ASIDE FROM THAT NO ONE WANTS TO DO IT,

20 LONG LAPS OF THE POOL!

AND- - - - - 
GORDAN, ON THE TOP OF THE PICTURE,
FINISHED WITH A STRONG SECOND.
GREAT JOB GORDAN! 

GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR COUSINS
AT THE MEET TODAY. 

SALAD ANYONE?

I'VE GOT THE LETTUCE!

I PLANTED LETTUCE IN THIS PLANTER LAST YEAR, AND THEN, WITH THE DROUGHT, STOPPED WATERING IT.  I CHOSE MY SHRUBS TO GET ANY EXTRA WATER.  LOOK WHAT I FOUND WHEN I CLEARED OUT THE WEEDS,

  LETTUCE!

MAKES ME WANT TO GO BUY SOME SEEDS, AND THIS YEAR KEEP THEM WATERED.

WHAT TO DO ON A STORMY SUNDAY AFTERNOON,

WATCH WATER POLO

OF COURSE!

 THE FIRST GAME FOUND LIV, #5 OUT DEFENDING

 AND GOING FOR THE BALL

WHILE ROXY WAS GOALIE.

SINCE THE TEAM DOESN'T HAVE A DESIGNATED GOALIE,

THEY ROTATE THIS POSITION.

I DON'T THINK TOO MANY PLAYERS WANT TO BE GOALIE,

SO THIS IS GOOD PRACTICE FOR ALL OF THEM.

CAN'T BE SURE,

BUT SINCE I TOOK THIS PICTURE,

IT MUST BE OLIVIA BEING DOUBLE TEAMED

AND DUNKED!

THIS LOOKS KIND OF ILLEGAL TO ME LIV,

ARE YOU TRYING TO HOLD HER ARM DOWN

OR JUST FEELING HER MUSCLE. 

 ROXANNE #4 IS OUT OF THE GOALIE BOX

AND DOING SOME DEFENDING HERSELF,

STOP THAT BALL LIV,

 IT'S YOURS!

 OK ROXY,

STOP THIS BALL,

 AND CALL IT A WIN

 WITH A SCORE OF 6 TO 4.

GREAT JOB GIRLS!
NOW LET'S DO THAT ALL OVER AGAIN.

MY CAMERA BATTERY GAVE OUT 

JUST BARELY INTO THE SECOND GAME.

 I DID GET THESE GREAT PICTURES OF #4, 

WHO I HOPE IS LIV,

DRIVING THE BALL DOWN FOR A SCORE.

THEY BOTH CHANGED NUMBERS A COUPLE OF TIMES

THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

TRYING TO KEEP THE PICTURE TAKER ON HER TOES,

HUH GIRLS?

SCORE!

EVEN THOUGH SHE LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT

IN THE SWIM CAP, I CAN TELL THIS IS ROXANNE

DRIVING THE BALL  

BECAUSE SHE WEARS A DARK BLUE SWIM CAP 

UNDER THE WATER POLO CAP.

THE LAST QUARTER OF THE GAME,

AND ITS OLIVIA'S TURN TO BE GOALIE.

BY THIS POINT THEY WERE WINNING 

WITH A SCORE OF TWENTY PLUS TO NOTHING.

 SHE HAD LOTS  OF TIME TO POSE FOR THE CAMERA,
WHILE CRAIG TOOK THIS PICTURE.

GREAT GAMES GIRLS!
I'M GLAD I CAME OUT ON THIS BLUSTERY DAY.

MY EVERGREEN PEAR

HAS TURNED EVER BROWN!

THESE TREES ARE NOTED FOR GETTING BLIGHT, WHICH CAN TURN A BEAUTIFUL GREEN TREE BROWN WITHIN A WEEK OR SO.  WE'VE SPRAYED FOR IT  IN THE PAST, JUST WHEN THE LEAVES START TO SPROUT.  DIDN'T DO IT THIS YEAR, AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT LOOKED LIKE FALL IN OUR BACKYARD.  YESTERDAY WE STARTED THE TASK OF PRUNING BACK ALL THE BRANCHES.  THIS MORNING IT WAS RAINING SO WE WERE GOING TO TAKE A DAY OFF.  I CALLED BETTY, AND AS USUAL WE HAD A LONG CHAT.  MY HAPPY MOOD FROM TALKING TO BETTY QUICKLY VANISHED AS I LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAW DARYL CONTINUING ON THE TREE.  

NO MORE CLIMBING IN TREES FOR DARYL!
HE WAS ABLE TO USE THIS EXTENDABLE PRUNER,
ONLY HAVING TO GET ON THE LADDER ONCE.

HE HAULED THE BRANCHES UP ONTO THE DECK,

AND I CUT THEM INTO FOUR FOOT PIECES SO THEY WILL FIT IN THE GREEN CAN.

THE LAST TIME WE PRUNED THIS TREE OURSELVES, STEVE WAS HERE AND HELPED ME WITH THIS TASK.

IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH, BUT JUST ASK STEVE, THE PILES HAVE TO BE THE RIGHT SIZE, AND THEN EACH ONE TIED UP BEFORE WE FILL EVERY GREEN CAN ON THE BLOCK WITH THE BUNDLES.  ONE MORE DAY AND HOPEFULLY THAT SHOULD BE FINISHED.

I LOVE THIS TREE, AND HAVE GREAT HOPES THAT IT WILL SURVIVE.
BUT KNOWING THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN,
AND ALL THE WORK IT INVOLVES,
I JUST MAY BE SECRETLY HOPING THAT MAYBE IT WON'T.