It was our first true hike as a family, with Goen able to run along beside us. And it was a great way, I think, to round out the old year and welcome the new. I've already put it on my calendar for next year in hopes of making it a tradition. Our way of telling the old year to take a hike as we take one of our own. Cheers to you on this first day of the year! May it be filled with plenty of hikes and fresh air.
The morning of New Year's Eve dawned bright and cold. The night before, we made plans to go for a hike before lunch. I feel so lucky to live in an area filled with natural places. This county has 34 open space preserves alone. We chose Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserve, which has wide trails along most of it, is relatively flat, and ends in a waterfall during the winter. In short, it's toddler friendly. Even though we got a bit of a late start, there were puddles with patches of ice left from the night before. That's how cold it's been here lately. It's a strange thing for this SoCal girl to see, to be sure. The trail is perfect for taking little ones. Goen was able to walk, run, inspect, and explore. David carried him over the steep or dangerous parts and I carried him when he got tired. Since it was our first time there and the trail markers were not clear, we weren't sure which forks to take in the trail. At one point, we almost turned back without getting to the end, thinking that we had missed the waterfall. Luckily a couple mountain bikers came up behind us and let us know it was just ahead. Sure enough, around the bend we heard sounds of splashing water. I was especially glad because I wanted to try out photographing the waterfall with a slow shutter speed to get that cool smooth effect.
It was our first true hike as a family, with Goen able to run along beside us. And it was a great way, I think, to round out the old year and welcome the new. I've already put it on my calendar for next year in hopes of making it a tradition. Our way of telling the old year to take a hike as we take one of our own. Cheers to you on this first day of the year! May it be filled with plenty of hikes and fresh air.
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Such a short weekend, but so much to mention here. Our trip got off to a great start. Goen slept almost the whole 2 1/2-hour drive. When we arrived, we found out that they upgraded our room to a king bed on the third floor because our ground floor room had flooded from the rain the day before. Easy drive, big bed, nice view. Perfect!
Saturday breakfast was the usual continental-style and the only seating was outside where the seagulls waited for the slightest chance to pounce. Scuba divers, sailboats, and surfers dotted the ocean, which we could see from almost everywhere we went. I was amazed at the blueness of the ocean and the whiteness of the sand. The conference center at Asilomar is in the middle of a state park so most of the grounds are part of a rehabilitation effort and, therefore, off limits. While David attended lectures in the morning, I walked around the grounds with Goen. We found deer, secret sitting rooms, meandering pathways, and a boardwalk that led to the sandy shore. We met back up for lunch and ate at a little burger shack near the beach. The hoped-for after-lunch nap was not forthcoming, though, so I walked, carrying Goen, to a fabric store nearby (Can you believe it? What luck!). Despite all the beautiful material, I couldn't find anything that fit with my current project list. I did, however, walk away with a yard of chalkboard fabric that I bought on sale for $5. I'm sure you will see that in a post soon. As they say, all good things must come to an end. Saturday night after dinner we noticed that Goen had a rash that appeared that day. We decided to leave for home rather than risk things getting worse (as they so easily can with young children). It's gotten better since we returned home so it was probably just a reaction to the laundry detergent used on the sheets. I was sad to miss out on another day there, but glad that we could be so flexible. Even though our visit was short, it was sweet and packed full of beautiful scenery, delicious food, and my little family. Six months. I have been blogging here for six months. That's half of a year! I can hardly believe that time has gone by so fast (though if you had asked me as it was happening I would have said it was dragging by). Now, looking back at my archives, it feels like the past months have just zoomed by. Part of the reason it felt so slow at the time was that I didn't get to spend much time at my sewing machine. Once Goen was able to reach the reverse button, it was all over and I could only sew when my husband took him on an outing, which wasn't nearly as often as I would have liked. This past week, we noticed that he was tall enough to reach my machine when he stood on his tip-toes. That spurred us to find a solution for my sewing dilemma. The change we came up with was to move my sewing stuff into the garage. We have a two-car garage and one car, so there is plenty of room to set up a little sewing studio, and that is just what we did. Now I can actually sew while my toddler sleeps since he can't hear me down in the garage, two flights below. My husband was joking with me about now having all his "car"s in one place. Ha ha, honey. I love a good joke.
Here is a little photo tour of my new space, a semi-blog-birthday gift to myself! Can't you just feel the heat from looking at this photograph? It may be fall, but the sun beating down on us these past couple weeks is starting to convince me otherwise. Even with windows and curtains closed, our house heats up pretty quickly. I have been taking advantage of the morning hours to get some outdoor time for Goen, and myself. As often as possible, we bicycle to the park down the street, where I lay down my picnic blanket in a shady spot. While Goen runs circles around me (both literally and figuratively), I sit on the cool, moist grass and munch on some crackers (today it was homemade rye with caraway seeds. Yum!).
Yesterday, after sitting for a while, we got up and strolled around. I was so glad I had brought my camera, because I immediately noticed how clear and expressive the shadows were. Even the brightness of this sunny day was no match for solid objects. As we walked, I snapped pictures of some of the interesting shapes I saw around the park. My bike, my orange bag, my son, myself, someone else's bike. All this and more paraded in front of my lens. I love the way the ground brings texture to the flatness of the shadows. It even gives a grainy feel like pictures from an old 35mm film strip. My favorite part of this was changing from a global perspective of the things around me to a more focused view of the shapes of the things creating the shadows. It was a fun exercise in mindfulness (or half-mindfulness since part of my brain was trying to keep track of my toddler). It definitely convinced me that I need to bring my camera with me more often so that I can bring the same presence and creativity to other moments in my life. What about you? What shadows have inspired you this week? Link to your images in the comments for all to see. As much as I like to get a good deal at JoAnn's, they just cannot compete with the beautiful presentation and superior quality of Once Around, an arts and crafts store in Mill Valley. Everything is delightfully arranged in rainbows of color. The pictures below are just a small sampling of what they have to offer. They even have a "bits and bobs" section where you can fill a small bag for only fifty cents. I must confess that I can't help but help myself to a bagful of these goodies. They are perfect for art journals, kids' crafts, and mixed media projects. My trip there yesterday yielded a bag of bits and bobs, a piece of red felt, a fat quarter of solid black fabric, a copy of Taproot magazine, and three one-yard pieces of quilting cotton that I plan to use for a quilt for Goen when he has his own bed (not that I expect that to happen any time soon). I have a lot of other projects on my board right now, but it is so hard to find "perfect" quilt fabrics that I decided I had better start sooner rather than later. I'm sure he will be close to ready for it by the time I cut, sew, and quilt it. Once I have all the fabrics for that project I will show you my full palette. The felt and black fabric are for a stuffed animal I will be making soon. All in all, it was a fun way to spend my birthday money, and I look forward to going again soon. In the meantime, enjoy a look at Once Around. And my purchases...
As this has been our first summer spent in Marin County, we are still learning what there is to do around here. A few weeks ago I was browsing the web site for the Marin Art and Garden Center (which is only about a 10-minute drive from our house and well within Goen's tolerance for car rides) and discovered that they put on a free weekly summer concert series in the early evening on Thursdays. My favorite so far has been the Klipptones. They did covers and "mash-ups" of old and new in an old-school, jazz club style. If that doesn't make much sense (and I'm sure it doesn't) just check out some of their tunes on their web site. We also saw Ring of Fire (a Johnny Cash cover band, of course). And last night was Danny Glick and his band.
My favorite things about this event are 1) it is outside, 2) there are lots of other kids running around, and 3) it's an excuse to eat crackers with goat cheese. It's a laid back group of people who are there to socialize and hear some music at the same time. They are not bothered by a toddler wandering onto their picnic blanket. Quite the opposite, in fact. So I look forward to the Thursday concert all week. This time, the music wasn't as rousing as I had hoped, so we took the opportunity to walk around the gardens and admire the flowers, trees, and fountains. Here, in brief, is a photo tour of our jaunt to the MAGC. Although we have been living in Marin County for almost a year now, we have not taken many adventures into the beautiful forests that surround us. Until now. Several weeks into summer, and just days after a failed trip to Point Reyes, we drove to Muir Woods National Monument. There is so much to see there, and so many eloquent words to describe it, but I will let the woods speak for itself. All I can say is, I'm glad we got the annual pass.
Whew! It's been a full week of posts. But here is the cherry on the sundae. My sister planned for over two years how she wanted her wedding to be. And her planning showed in the details. Here is a photo tour of the wedding ceremony and the reception that followed later in the day. The Ceremony Family and friends arrive at the Ventura pier in Southern California, the wedding will take place on the shore beneath the pier. Ventura is about 15 minutes from the town where my siblings and I grew up, so it is a special place. Before the ceremony, we wait for the groom and everyone else to get in place. I take the opportunity to get a few pictures. Here is my dad and Kristin as they wait to walk down the beach. My brother Dalton acts as ring bearer. I snap this picture without him knowing it. He looks so contemplative, looking off into the distance. The rings are tied to a handmade burlap and lace pillow with twine. Along with each ring is a dog tag stamped with "Beauty" for her and "Beast" for him. My sister admires her bouquet one last time as she gets the go ahead from down the beach. Everything is ready! With a big grin on her face, Kristin walks onto the sand and towards her sweetheart. A proud dad by her side, they walk arm in arm. My sister MariJane is the flower girl. But, instead of flower petals, she is scattering little pebbles at the feet of the procession. Then the bridesmaids (except for me since I ran ahead to get the picture) all in red. It is a slow walk because of the sand, but then I suppose it is supposed to be a slow walk anyway. Inch by inch, we get closer to the chosen spot. As per tradition, Zachary still has not seen her dress. It is an exciting moment! And then he sees her and she sees him. It is a touching moment. Everyone has a smile on their face, and a few have joyful tears. The ocean beats on the sand and the wind blows in our ears so it is hard to hear. My brother-in-law Steve (in the center) begins the ceremony. When he gets to the vows, Kristin goes first. She sings a song she wrote herself. Zachary speaks eloquently of his love for my sister. More tears, and I can't stop my own. After some wonderful words read by the best man and my sister Averie, it is all over. But it has only just begun. We take many pictures of the wedding party. Here is one of almost all of my immediate family (my brother and his wife were unable to attend) plus one aunt. And here is just the sisters: Me, Annie, Kristin, and Averie. The pier supports created a wonderful neutral backdrop for all the pictures. It was a lovely wedding, but the celebration is only just beginning. Taking Photos After the Ceremony We spend quite a while taking pictures after the wedding. My sister has a nasty sunburn to show for it. But we get some pretty shots for them to remember this special day. The Reception The wedding is over by 11:30, but the reception doesn't start until 5:00. It's a good thing, though, because there is still a lot to do to prepare. We manage to finish almost everything before guests start arriving. Kristin put together this table. On the left is a box for cards tied with red and black tulle. On the right is a shadow box frame with a slot cut in the top. Instead of a gift registry, the couple requested donations for their future home purchase. The stickers on the front spell "home fund" and inside is a little painted wood house and their engagement picture. Right in front of the home fund is a copy of the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go, which they used as a guest book. Guests were asked to sign wherever they liked. Here is another of Kristin's brilliant ideas. Messages in a bottle. Every table has a bottle on it and slips of paper and pens. Each bottle bears a label for a significant anniversary, starting with the honeymoon and going to 50 years. Everyone writes advice, suggestions, quotes, or other fun stuff and puts them in the bottles. The bottles will stay sealed until the anniversary listed on the label. It was lots of fun to come up with things to write for each bottle. The bottles are reused sparkling juice bottles with a chalkboard label, some ribbon, and stickers. They are also filled halfway with sand. After everyone has a chance to digest their food, we bring out the cake. Kristin and Zachary cut the first piece together. If you missed it, check out the cake post to see how we made the cake. It was delicious! After they feed one another a bite of the cake, Zachary puts a dab on Kristin's nose. She tries to do the same to him, but he is so tall that she can't reach when he backs away from it. While the guests finish their cake, the father/daughter and mother/son dance begins. It is a slow dance and both couples have a good time dancing and chatting with their respective parent. My sister has a smaller (and less special) bouquet for throwing. Dalton catches it, but when my brother Jerem tells him the significance of catching the bouquet, Dalton gets a funny look on his face and drops the flowers on the ground. Kristin wore her garter under her pants (she didn't want to wear her dress at the reception; they wanted it to be less formal), so Zachary has a hard time getting it off. As per tradition, he uses his teeth. Zachary throws the garter to the small crowd of guests and MariJane catches it. Of course, she doesn't know the story behind it either, but she is a bit young anyway. My brother Jerem in the center wearing a shirt I designed and painted many years ago. And then the dancing begins. Most of the guests had left, so it is just my family. It is lots of fun spinning and bouncing along with the music with all of them. I know, my sister Averie is in every picture of the dancing, but she has so much exuberance that it's hard not to photograph her moves. After all the guests leave and everyone else is inside cleaning up, Kristin quietly comes to get me. She asks if I will take some pictures as she and Zachary have one last dance alone in the fading light. (I didn't want to use a flash and end up with flat pictures, so they are a little fuzzy, but in a pleasingly artistic way.) And then they leave for their honeymoon and their new life as a married couple. Oh, the places they'll go! Thanks for joining me for Wedding Week. It was a fun way to continue the celebrations. I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you use any of the ideas or tutorials from this week, please leave a comment with a link to some pictures. I always like to see how other people use ideas in their own way. |
Carley Biblin
Hi. My name is Carley. I love to sew, craft, and create. As a Jane-of all-crafts so to speak, I enjoy sewing, writing, cooking, drawing, photographing. But the constant thread (if you'll excuse the pun) throughout my weeks is needle arts. Archives
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