This is what I do

My basic job description: I go to sites and see what's there. I'm a site sighter. I look at plants, I look at water, I look at landscape features, and, often, I look at the sky. Recently, a day in the field looked like this:

Something about this was odd.

This is a Pacific Tree Frog, which we fondly call Hyla:

These are freakin' coyote holes! Rhonda, a wildlife biologist, enlightened me to this fact while we were out there, and I was amazed. I had no idea where coyotes made their dens. Another interesting point: Rhonda frequently sticks her arm in burrows to see what's inside. I watched with cringing eyes.

And here is the common garter snake. We were hoping it would be the endangered San Francisco garter snake, but it wasn't; it was a far-fetched hope since we weren't in the right area anyway. A word to the wise: garter snakes "musk" as a defense mechanism. It smells really bad, and if you don't wear gloves, it's really hard to get off your hands.

Another common site feature: cowsus obnoxicus. That's our truck up on the ridge surrounded by cattle. They thought our beige truck was the white feed truck and wouldn't leave us alone. We would return to a number of cows licking our bumpers. Hitting the panic button was a tad funny, although definitely not coffee grinder stampede inducing.class dismissed.

Some things you just can't live without

Like this:
http://www.safebanana.com/

And so, we golf.

no holes. no flags. just a golf club, some scavenged balls, sunny sunny day, and an empty orchard destination in the Santa Cruz Mountains. sweet.

bb guns. 7up cans can run but can't hide.

Get out your white gloves....

Sunday was Miss Brinly's 5th birthday, and in celebration, we had a tea party. Twelve little girls made bracelets, hats, and drank pink lemonade and ate little tea sandwiches. After most of the children had left, my family and I played outside, trying to fly an ill-fated dragon kite and riding Barbie scooters. It was a good day.

(this was my first time trying to collage photos. It came out okay. Some of these are so freakin cute, they deserve thier own space)

Contemplating Suburbia

Contemplating ContemplatingContemplating Pearl Choice

Up on the Roof

Fun with the camera on a clear Valentine's night on my roof. See cool info on Valentine's Day here. Especially check out the History and Legends section.

Carry Oakey

I love karaoke. I won't hide it. I think it's great. I've only been a couple of times, but each time has been radder than rad, one evening even culminating in two friends performing an extremely fun version of I Want You to Want Me that was so monumental, the entire bar started a dance party behind them on stage. Cheap Trick would have been proud.

The second time I went karaoke-ing public style, the final performer ended up doing an unfortunate strip tease to whatever Britney song of the hour, glorifying the stage in his undies. It was moderately traumatizing, and that, coupled with last call, cleared the bar quickly.

Recently, I had the most fabulous karaoke experience. I was hanging out in Pleasanton with my parents; we went to a movie and out to dinner with Mish and her folks. Upon return home for dessert and coffee, we busted out the Playstation American Idol karaoke. Between Nelson (those blonde twins, remember More Than Words?) and old Christina A. and that song All My Life by KC and JoJo that used to play at every junior high dance I ever went to, the karaoke experience could be called nothing other than decadent. My dad commented that it thought it was fantastic that Mish and I (and our generation in general) had no qualms about getting down with gusto to the songs. And get down we did.

But the highlight of the evening, that will be forever impossible to top, was my mother and Jan's (Mish's mom) rendition of Proud Mary by Creedance Clearwater Revival. It was the first time my mom had ever karaoked and she was amazing. We all joined in (how could we not?!?), my dad even doing the deep background "Rollin" from the easy chair.
Mish and Jan: Mom and Jan throwning down Proud Mary:

good, good times.

where the worker bees be

For some reason, some folks are curious what my office looks like....it's kindof under construction right now (we are getting a wall!) but this is more or less what it has looked like for the past year and a half.

My mess (note my rad hammerhead pen):


My wall that Amy stares at all day
:

Amy's wall that I stare at all day:


I'm lucky she's usually sitting in that chair.

days of you

This past week has also been celebratory in the ways of birthdays, red kites, and new jobs. Monday, in celebration of his 28th year, Justin and I meandered to Sukhothai which is rad because it serves you tons of brown rice.

New jobs were the theme of dinner and desserts at the Cliffhouse. There are really cool old photos of the Sutro baths in the downstairs restaurant. Christian just kept coming out with these plates of amazing food, and just when we thought there could be no more, this came out:

And finally, Vernon made me the coolest red kite. How can you not love that? I can't wait for a windy day without rain so that we can take it to OB and fly it. I'll try to video the adventure.

ttttacos

Last Saturday was taco night at the Masonic House. Sarah and Marc were in town, so an impromptu gathering of sorts rallied around a tray of homemade tacos. And homemade margaritas.

cordless

Once I find my freakin' camera cords, I can post some new pics and fun things, but until then enjoy the loveliness that is Ashley G .

"I like Your Scarf" ---ashleyg