Mother's Day Weekend 2012

I had a fun and crazy good weekend with my two kids, so good that I was actually exhusted when it was over.

Started off with my favorite activity, weeding  LOL  Seriously, I love it, I love getting dirt under my fingernails, love pulling out a stubborn weed, planting ,digging and uncovering treasures like this lone marigold in Zach's garden.  For me it's the best, most relaxing therapy.  And it was especially nice that we were able to help my son clear his garden in Pasadena.  He lives in an old back house and has his own plot of land to do with whatever he pleases.

But I do have to admit that Jim and Zach did most of the hard work.  Some of the weeds in Zach's garden were as tall as me, I kid you not.

It only took us 2 1/2 hours but we managed to clear the whole space.

And found a few buried fruits and vegetables from his winter and spring garden.

As you can see, Jim was really happy when we were done.

But we still had to Rototill the soil and rake it smooth.  Another sweaty, backbreaking hour. 

But man oh man does it feel good when you are done!

And of course I had to give that Rototiller a try.  Check out the pumpkin patch that sprang up in Zach's compost pile on the left there.  I counted 10 baby pumpkins, and also found a lone cherry tomato plant in there with at least 30 tomatoes.  Way to go Zach!!

Next we made a pit stop at a local Pasadena nursery.  What a treat that was.  This place almost rivals Rogers Gardens, almost. 

They had a good 1/4 acre of Japanese Maples, so many varieties I've never seen before.  And many raised vegetable gardens.  Just check out this huge lettuce plant below.  Crazy I tell you!

And the topper was my son made an amazing dinner for my daughter and her boyfriend who drove up, my husband and I, and Zach's new gal friend.  What you ask was on the menu??  Healthy Food.  Jim was TERRIFIED.  Zach baked 3 huge spaghetti squash and topped it with sauteed Italian sausage in his own homemade marinara sauce with a fresh loaf of French bread.  I wish I would have taken a pix, I was so proud of him.  And even Jim ate and enjoyed it.  Hee, hee  :) 

On Sunday, Dani drove me to the Corona Del Mar coastline to visit another of my favorite places, the tide pools with a view of Laguna in the distance. 

The day was spectacular and the water was warm.  We shared a sandwich at Bruegal's Bagels on PCH and then she took me to have our toes done.  Two whorl wind days with my babies. 

And then there's my 2 sweet babies at home who gave me a much wanted fiber book on Boro.

But the real kicker was my ex had Jim and I over for a Mother's Day bar-b-que that night.  It just doesn't get any better.  :)

Thank you all for 2 wonderful days.  I love you all so much!! 

Short Day Trips over the 3 Day Weekend

If you follow my blog you know that one of my favorite places are the Tide Pools in Corona del Mar. My kids take me there every Mother's Day, but the weather was so glorious over this last weekend that I asked Jimmy to take me to the beach, after doing a bit of garage saleing that morning (mostly we were at Mickey D's tasting their new oatmeal, not as good as Jamba Juice though LOL) Fortunately, he enjoys the Tide Pools as much as I do so off we went. It was perfect there, not too warm or cool, just right. We laid out and soaked up the sun for about an hour and then we explored the pools.

I was surprised by how many people were there doing the same thing, kids were playing in the surf, divers were out in the seaweed clumps (yuck), and lots of fishing and pleasure boats too.

The tide was out so we were able to walk amongst the sea creatures and observe. The pools are policed, you aren't supposed to remove any rocks, shells, etc., but that's way too hard for me. I took home a piece of beach glass, and Jim found a rock in the shape of a heart. He stained it mahogany when we got home, shellacked it and put it on display over the fireplace, alongside our other treasures. :) Couldn't resist taking a shot of this sand castle below, the tide hadn't gotten to it yet. I loved how it was totally decorated with beach wood and shells.

And just look at the patterns in the sand below, they looked like leaf shapes that day. Soooo Cool! That was Saturday morning.

Sunday morning Jimmy asked me if I'd like to take a drive down to Fallbrook. I had heard that it's somewhat of an art community, so of course I wanted to check it out. Let's Go!!

As we were driving south on the 15 towards San Diego, the hills just kept getting more and more lush. Everywhere you looked it was breathtaking. Above is the Fallbrook off ramp. You can see how green everything is.

We got there at lunchtime, so we were definitely looking for a fun place to eat. It was blazing hot, so to cool off we went down this little walkway, above, and found the cutest place to eat called Le Bistro, below. They were serving Sunday brunch and it was delicious. I would recommend this spot.

After lunch, along the main drag on Main St., we found the Fallbrook Art Center. It's a combination arts and crafts gallery, right up my alley. They have an area where they showcase local artists and their art work is for sale. The main show this month was High School Student Art from the neighboring areas. This watercolor/pen and ink truck above was done by high schooler Chandler Lowe, grade 11, from San Pasquel High. It was my favorite piece in the show. Below were several mixed media deconstructed books from Mission Vista High, grades 9-12, all anonymous. I thought they were a really clever assignment, something I'd like to try with my 2nd or 3rd year 3-d students.

These mixed media paper mache' hand sculptures were also pretty darn amazing, the top one done by Shannon Claque, grade 12, from San Pasquel High. Jenna Hansink, grade 10, from Vista High did the one below.

And then the last piece that really caught my eye was this woven basket form, made by Janetta Bracey, grade 12 from Vista High. She used painted acrylic strips that she wove together. Another great idea to teach from.

On our way home from Fallbrook we still had some time so we stopped off at Old Town Temecula, founded in 1859, (below). What a fun stop that was. Like an old west town with lots of great shops and places to eat. We discovered that it's also a biker town, cuz of the huge Harley store where all the bikers show off their rides. I saw so many chix on bikes, it was way cool. I think I want to learn how to ride. Jim has a bike, I think it's time he taught me. Whatcha think????

I wanted to shoot more pix of this place but my memory card was full. So maybe next time.

Mother's Day 2010

My kids both know that one of my favorite places is down in Corona Del Mar by the tide pools off Poppy Street, so for the third year in a row off we went in my new little Mini Cooper. We stopped off first in Newport Beach for lunch at Ruby's, then hung around the tide pools looking for beach glass, cool shaped rocks and shells. I found two rocks shaped like hearts , so I gave one to each of my babies.

As you can see the day was a bit overcast but not too cold. I always love seeing the beautifully appointed homes on the hillside as you walk down to the tide pools.

The nasturtiums were in bloom, and all the vegetation was so lush due to our excessive rains this season.

Once down by the pools there are several small caves carved into the landscape as well as homes hanging over the cliffs that are fun to look at.

The tide was low so we were able to get very close to the pools and see all the sea creatures moving around. In the shot above in the upper right, the thing that looks like a black rock is actually the largest sea slug I've ever seen. It was on the move and pretty gross looking.

And because the tide was so low you could see all the plant life growing on the rock formations(below)

The kids also took me to downtown Laguna Beach to a favorite new store that sells only recycled things. I'm pretty sure it's called Green Cube. Got several new ideas for my art students there. We also stopped off at this very cool candle making store in Laguna Canyon right next to the Sawdust Festival grounds, I think it was called Pier Light, where you can pick a mold shape, wax colors and scents and pour your own candle. It was a two hour process and we were running out of time, so maybe we will go back there next year and do it together.

Before heading home we made one last stop at my beloved mother's grave to say hi and bring her a lovely bouquet of flowers.When I got home my amaryllis bulb that I had picked up at Big Lots had opened. Isn't it gorgeous! And then my favorite shot of the day was catching my daughter Dani in a snapshot when she didn't know I was shotting. Don't be mad Dan LOL

So thank you Zach and Dani for a wonderful Mother's Day, for making it very special with all my favorite things. I love you two with all my heart. xoxoxoxox M'er. For EXTRA CREDIT on a small piece of pink paper with your name and period, tell me what you did for your mom this Mother's Day.

Mother's Day 2009 - Corona Del Mar

Had a wonderful Mother's Day with my babies, Dan and Zach. They whisked me away for a gourmet lunch at Tom's Burgers and then off to the tide pools at Corona Del Mar which is a delightful beach community nestled between Newport and Laguna Beaches off Poppy Street. Here we are up at the top overlooking the coastline.

Love the rock formations in the sand, they remind me of dinosaur bones.

The next three pix are of the tide pools and the amazing marine life thriving in these protected waters. You are not supposed to remove anything but it's so hard not to take home a rock in the shape of a heart or some beach glass.

Zach and Dani posing for me on the rocks. It was pretty overcast that day, you can tell by looking at the sailboat in the distance, and then when we were leaving the sun came out. Of course. :) The water was warm though and felt so good.