her and billybob

when i reconnected with a dear friend from my undergraduate years i was so excited to see she had stayed in the art game. we reconnected by chance. i don't remember exactly how. but i was doing some work in NY and she was living in Brooklyn. we met for dinner at a deli and caught-up. i had recently moved to L.A. and we vowed to keep in touch.

life happened and our correspondence had its ebbs and flows but we have managed to keep each other up-to-date on most things. marriage, babies, new partners, marathons, jobs, new homes, exhibitions, travel ... it feels good.

when i saw her last year on a trip to NY it was like no time had passed at all. well that isn't entirely true. i did have a 3 year old and 10 month old with me. and she was now teaching at Pace. but it was easy to be together. and so nice. we had met when we were just 17. just starting out. our beginning was the same but we had taken such different paths. and we had both found places we were really happy to be in.

i was so pleased and proud to hear she was written up in the NY Times over the weekend. i love her work. not just because i love her. but because it makes me smile. (me and billybob is one of my favorites. and this too. oh i could go on.) and i am endlessly impressed by the level of production. and her wry view of popular culture.

congratulations jillian. i am not surprised! but oh so proud!

WIP Friday

to begin



to inspire

oh, and all that laundry too

have a lovely weekend!

moving on back

so to move on (get over) our holiday - (thanks for bearing with me!) - i'll share a little something i began (what feels like, and i guess was!) months ago, and finally got to the post office right before our holiday departure.



when backtack III was announced i was so right there. i thought. then i missed the sign-up and resolved i would stay up later next time. and then i read alicia's post. and had an "aha!" moment. this is for me.

i haven't had much experience with softies. (the last one i made was this little piggy.) and was primed for the challenge of doing it again. i used a pattern from the same book. one that i had had my eye on for a while. and set to work. she is made from that sheet (again) and some felt i received a long long while back from another alicia. i enjoyed the constrains of the rules. though think i may have about 33% colour rather than 20%. the buttons and letter "A" went through a lot of different trials but in the end i opted for subtlety.

i know miss chicken has found a very good home. (remember tucker? oh the patience of all those stitches!! i love him...) thanks alicia for inspiring me!

day fourteen - home

we arrived home early last night. it was an absolutely marvellous trip.

highlights included - our stop in portland; meeting up with friends - old and new; visitng with my grandma in white rock; meeting my brother's new friend; running on island time; being together; "morning" and "evening" beaches; sunrises and sunsets; catching crabs; letting them go; finding seastars; watching my girls with their grandma; all those stars in the big sky; the sound of the ferry; the sense that we are so small - and part of something so big; peace; did i mention running on island time...

today, i am tired. a little grumpy. finding it hard to return to routine. (what is the opposite of homesickness? not that i am not happy to be home - but i miss vacation already!!) and overwhelmed by the pile of laundry etc.!

it is hot here. very very hot. though it sounds like we missed the worst of it. and we are experiencing blackouts - though luckily not on our side of the street, yet (i do have that laundry to do!!)

and we are still worried about the fire on galiano - though it does sound like things are looking up.

i have a lot of photos to go through. (i have started a set here.) but don't feel like doing it today. i think it would make me teary. all the way home k kept singing - "goodbye galianooooooo. miss youuuuuuuuu". it is hard to explain the magic that this island holds over us. e cried as the ferry left the dock. one of those new cries - where she tries to hold it in - thinking she is too grown up to feel like this - then starts to shake as the tears swell. i told her it was ok to cry. that i love it too. and that we will return soon.

miss youuuuuuuu

day twelve

on our way back home...

from our perfect paradise







we are worried about it. all its beauty. its amazing expanses of untouched wilderness. and its lovely inhabitants. say a little prayer...

we hope to be home tomorrow. more to come...

up early this morning to hear the fire is still blazing. people evacuated. more prayers... looking forward to getting home.

day three

so far


up the 5


to castle crags state park


to portland - the lovely melissa's and a bbq that included favorite bloggers


and a street fair with the little birds!

i must say that portland is not only a beautiful city - it is full of beautiful people. meeting them has been such a treat for us all! thanks so much for all your hospitality!!



soooo great

off we go

goodbye palm trees



see you in 2 weeks.




unless i find an internet connection sooner!

happy july

i love the body language between these two. they are constantly touching each other. their bond is so strong. i find such comfort in the faith that they will have each other. i think it is so important to have that. i believe that they will be able to look after each other in a way that i will never be able to.

i have just begun reading this book, after spotting it on Amanda's blog. it is a subject i am very interested in. growing up, kindness was stressed above all. to everything - our planet, the bugs, plants, animals, other people (of course) and to ourselves. it is the gift that i am trying to give the girls.

i am trying to show them how. though i find it difficult at times. the plants, bugs etc. i think i have down, but others. kindness to others. beyond just the basics. to really show that "we" are here to love and help each other.

i am not a terribly social person. but, i feel that our neighbors are a very important part of our lives. we share more than a street with them. so i am starting here. we see them everyday and i think we need to do more than just smile and wave before we exit our cars into the safety of our home. (this seems to be the practice in other los angeles neighborhoods i have lived in where everyone seems to have a gardener and never sets foot in their frontyard except to depart.) we know almost everyone on our street by name. we know when someone elderly has fallen and needs a friendly visit. we know when someone is heading off on holiday and needs an extra eye kept on things. we know when there is a new baby on the way. or when much loved foster children are being returned to their mother. we all try to be there for each other.

what is tough for me seems to come naturally for the girls. they love sitting on our front walk (i mourn the demise of the front porch in modern architecture and so envy angelique.) checking out who is coming and going. our family can be frequently spotted gathering at the end of someone's driveway (more often than not our own) gathering up more neighbors as they head out for evening walks and cool breezes. kids run up and down the sidewalk. moms, dad, grammas, grandpas share stories and advice. "where did you get your new windows?" "how can i get k to sleep through the night!?"

so on saturday we invited a bunch of them over for a swim and bbq. it started with one couple and their 5 month old daughter and a brother who was visitng from san diego. then grew to another couple (who brought the girls some really cool temporary tattoos from their quickly gaining momentum business) with a really cute dog, then another with a 3 year old. it was wonderful. the girls loved it. we had all met before but hadn't sat down all together. we decided we should try and do this more regularly. we joked of putting a gate in our back fence so the neighbors across our alley wouldn't have as far to walk. we spoke of organizing a block party for the fall. closing down our street for the day. or maybe a progressive dinner down the street. i would love to try one of these ideas. will let you know.

what do you do to build community?

oh and only two more sleeps 'til we are on vacation!!

can't help myself

i know i said i wouldn't be posting often - just yesterday - but i had to share...

when we got home yesterday there were 10 turtle eggs in some long long grass in our little temporary turtle enclosure! we have already had the discussion that these may not end up being a group of hatchlings. but we are still quite excited! we consulted a local turtle expert and have decided to leave the nest alone, burying it carefully in some light soil - as giselle should have... checking it for wee ones around the middle of october. (i was surprised how long it all takes.) then we will see...

we should have expected something. she has been acting strangely for the last month or so. being very picky about what she eats.



(eating the worm but leaving her veggies!) and digging up the yard. not really knowing anything about turtles we thought this may just be her thing. and now we know better. she may be a mama!

anyone have any experience with this?

this coupled with the fact that we received a fantastic cd of kids music and an even more fantastic box of beads (some homemade shrinky-dink ones that the big bug is swooning over) from the very generous urchins yesterday(thank you thank you jennifer! the kids' music swap really showed me how generous and talented this community is!) and then the house three doors down had a small electrical fire (just minor damage to the house exterior thank goodness) this morning resulting in six (wow!!) firetrucks and two paramedics parking outside our door, has made for a couple of very excited bugs - and one mama who couldn't resist the pull of the post! (thank you firemen for being so quick and taking care of our dear - elderly - neighbors so thoughtfully!)

wednesday feels like monday

oh i am moving s l o w l y today. it was so hard to get the girls out the door this morning. and even harder to get myself to work. we had a lovely long long weekend (we all took monday off as well). it was hot. too hot. and our a/c - which i finally agreed to have turned on - conked out. so we swam. and we played. and we lounged. and we opened amazing mail - and listened to amazing music. (thanks so much molly!!) and we visited friends and family who live in cooler climes. (it always amazes me that you can head 20 minutes down the 405 freeway and the temperature can drop 30 degrees!)

so much to do. finish up loose ends. and pack. before we head off on holiday next week. one week from today we begin our trek up the coast. with stops at mt. shasta and in portland (very excited!) all the way up to vancouver. where we will do a little visiting then catch a ferry to paradise. (at least my idea of paradise...) a week in a cottage by the sea with my mom, brother and his girlfriend. i can't wait. so if you don't hear from me too much. you know i am busy preparing. getting the tent ready! and making some plans to meet up with some wonderful people i have met through this blog! oh i really can't wait!!

the ties that bind...

so the surprise was -

my mother-in-law passed on to me a bag of her husband's - my late father-in-law's - ties. (he passed away just shy of a year after the big bug was born, and only 4 short months after i lost my own dad... it was a very hard year for us.)

to do with as i pleased. hmmmmm... some of them were quite amazing. (he was quite an amazing dresser in his day!) so i decided to transform them into a belt for each of his eleven grand-daughters.



i have only completed three of the eleven. and think i will make matching headbands for the little girls. the three that received theirs already were tickled. d's family is very very close. and his father taught them that family should always be one's priority. so this is just a small piece of their grandfather - their "wadah" - to carry with them - and to remind them of what is most important...

Happy Canada Day!

Though I am far from home. We still found a great way to celebrate!