The ocean draws people like light draws moths on a sweet, sticky, southern night.. Especially when there is something like THE US OPEN OF SURFING GOING ON.
Yes, that's right. Today I went to the quarter finals and finals of junior surfing. These kids were the best of the best. They were SO good. I would have put a video up here but I forgot my camera. ;)
There were so many people at the beach. It was almost like I was actually in the sea, because of the current I was fighting. There were all kinds there, and most of them were half naked. I'm sorry to put it so bluntly, but it's true. It seems like the more skin showing, the better around here. A lot of the people I saw had "Free Hugs" written across there midriffs in lipstick or eyeliner.
The air was filled with dust, which from afar looked like a dark cloud of smog, but once I got into it I realized it was only half smog, and the rest was sand-dust kicked up into the air by the ever flowing crowd.
It was better once we got down to the water's edge, the air was cleaner and the surf washing up onto the sand was nicely refreshing. We got there just as the final heat of the junior women's was wrapping up, and we watched as the two girls fought for the waves. We stood in the three-foot-area of sand that we claimed as our own for two hours, watching the people ride and dance and play on the waves.
I have to say the coolest event was probably the junior men's long boarding. You can do so many more cool tricks when you are londg boarding. There's a lot you can do on short boards, but these guys were dancing back and forth on their boards. There's this trick called "hang ten" which has now also become quite the phrase in Cali, but it's where, when you're riding the wave, you walk all the way out to the front end of your board and hang all ten toes over the edge. And these guys would walk out to the front of their board, shuffle back, and forth, back, and forth. They looked like they were dancing on the waves.
Eventually, all the standing in the sun and watching the wave-riders caused our stomachs to grumble, so we made our way up the boardwalk to Wahoo's Fish Tacos. THE best taco I've had, in, a long time. Well, The waves are calling. Have a good night everyone!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Awesome Opossum
Today me and my mom were peacefully making lunch, when Grace came in the backdoor. She walked past us into the living room, took one look, turned back and came into the kitchen again.
"Mama, I don't want to scare you or anything," she said with no expression on her face, "But there's a baby opossum in our living room."
"What?? Where?? Go get your father!"
"Ok," she responded cheerfully.
So my dad came in and we made a blockade and propped the door open so that the only way it could go was out the door. (Apparently the opossum was under our chair)
We put pictures and boxes against the chair and then my dad pushed all over underneath the chair. We waited in much suspense for a little baby opossum to come scurrying out, and finally it ran out and out the door. Grace and I chased it around the house and into the garden where it ran under a log. I didn't see very much of it, but I saw enough to see how very adorable it was!
Finally something exciting happened!
"Mama, I don't want to scare you or anything," she said with no expression on her face, "But there's a baby opossum in our living room."
"What?? Where?? Go get your father!"
"Ok," she responded cheerfully.
So my dad came in and we made a blockade and propped the door open so that the only way it could go was out the door. (Apparently the opossum was under our chair)
We put pictures and boxes against the chair and then my dad pushed all over underneath the chair. We waited in much suspense for a little baby opossum to come scurrying out, and finally it ran out and out the door. Grace and I chased it around the house and into the garden where it ran under a log. I didn't see very much of it, but I saw enough to see how very adorable it was!
Finally something exciting happened!
| Who could be scared of these little guys?? |
Friday, July 19, 2013
Lost in Translation
Something happened today that made me appreciate my small town that much more.
My mom and sister and I were peacefully unpacking a box in our garage when a commotion started up in the street.
A white van had stopped in the middle of our road and another car was behind it. It seemed like the white van was waiting for the other car to pass it but that car was waiting for the white van to move. Finally the white van moved and the other car pulled up into it's spot. Once it was parked the driver got out of the car and started yelling at the driver of the white van obnoxiously loud, and the driver of the van started yelling back. "Learn how to drive!!" the car driver yelled, repeatedly. The van driver was yelling back and I couldn't understand what they were saying. This went on for about 6 or 7 minutes, the continuous yelling, and then they both got into their cars, slammed the doors and drove off.
It was terrible how loud they were yelling, and the argument was finished with one person yelling, "Get out of our neighborhood!"
Now, if this had happened in our little town back in Wisconsin, it would have been so differently. It would have went more like this...
The two cars pull up, the person in front engrossed in a phone call.
The car behind beeps politely, and the person in front waves and moves out of the way.
Once the car in front stops, the person behind the wheel steps out and hangs up her phone. She motions for the car behind her to stop, and they do. The other driver gets out of the car, walking up to the first driver.
The first driver walks up to the second and gives her a hug.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there,"
"No really," the second says "It's my fault,"
"No really, I should've been watching better, let me take you out for tea,"
"Well, if you say so, at least let me buy the scones then," the second says.
"OK, that sounds great. Come over to my house, say, around, 3?"
"Oh perfect, I'll be sure to get the scones."
"Great! See you later!"
They smile at each other and get into their cars and drive off.
California: 0
Small Wisconsin Town: 1
My mom and sister and I were peacefully unpacking a box in our garage when a commotion started up in the street.
A white van had stopped in the middle of our road and another car was behind it. It seemed like the white van was waiting for the other car to pass it but that car was waiting for the white van to move. Finally the white van moved and the other car pulled up into it's spot. Once it was parked the driver got out of the car and started yelling at the driver of the white van obnoxiously loud, and the driver of the van started yelling back. "Learn how to drive!!" the car driver yelled, repeatedly. The van driver was yelling back and I couldn't understand what they were saying. This went on for about 6 or 7 minutes, the continuous yelling, and then they both got into their cars, slammed the doors and drove off.
It was terrible how loud they were yelling, and the argument was finished with one person yelling, "Get out of our neighborhood!"
Now, if this had happened in our little town back in Wisconsin, it would have been so differently. It would have went more like this...
The two cars pull up, the person in front engrossed in a phone call.
The car behind beeps politely, and the person in front waves and moves out of the way.
Once the car in front stops, the person behind the wheel steps out and hangs up her phone. She motions for the car behind her to stop, and they do. The other driver gets out of the car, walking up to the first driver.
The first driver walks up to the second and gives her a hug.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there,"
"No really," the second says "It's my fault,"
"No really, I should've been watching better, let me take you out for tea,"
"Well, if you say so, at least let me buy the scones then," the second says.
"OK, that sounds great. Come over to my house, say, around, 3?"
"Oh perfect, I'll be sure to get the scones."
"Great! See you later!"
They smile at each other and get into their cars and drive off.
California: 0
Small Wisconsin Town: 1
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Length of a Day
Today was one of those days that when you look back on what happened, it seems impossible that it all could've happened in one day. I look back and I think, that was today?
And yes, it was.
For the most part of the day we were unpacking boxes, and we finally found our kitchen stuff! We found our plates and the emerald green glasses with the little paintings on them, the pots and pans and the silverware.
It's so nice to find all our stuff, because when you're plopped down in a completely unfamiliar place, it's not so nice. But then eventually memories and happy images begin to surround as your things do as well. It's a very nice feeling.
I also got a super nice letter that may or may not have made me cry in an awkward sort of way, and then after reading the message inscribed in Morse code I went back to work, but with a bit of a smile on my face.
When my dad finally got home we went to the ocean, and every time I go to the ocean I become happy all over again. Grace and I bounded into the waves and rode them on our boogie boards (I haven't went surfing yet, but I'm filling the gap with boogie boarding which is much easier but almost as fun)
After ditching our boards on the sand we grabbed our masks and snorkels and dove into the underwater world.
And guess what!?
I saw a stingray!!!!!
It was so cool and so exciting, and ironically enough just the other day one of my friends sent me a letter in the mail, and in this letter was a bucket list. And on this bucket list, as number 6 or 7, was "Pet a Stingray."
But the stingray was so cool! It was just drifting along the bottom, and when it saw me it looked at me like, "Sup dude," and continued on it's way. The edges of it were all ribbony as it pressed against the bottom and it's tail was waving back and forth. It's eyes just looked like holes in it's head from above, but they didn't miss anything.
I was so excited when I saw it that I forgot the bucket list entirely and bounded up the beach to my dad, bouncing along like an excited little puppy.
"I saw a stingray! I saw a stingray!"
When we left the beach I was starving, and when we got home dinner was ready, which is pretty much the best thing ever, to have a meal all ready for you when you get home.
After dinner I had a thoroughly amusing and long conversation on the phone, which brings us to now. And this is beginning to sound boring now, so I leave you all with this:
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with ketchup."
And yes, it was.
For the most part of the day we were unpacking boxes, and we finally found our kitchen stuff! We found our plates and the emerald green glasses with the little paintings on them, the pots and pans and the silverware.
It's so nice to find all our stuff, because when you're plopped down in a completely unfamiliar place, it's not so nice. But then eventually memories and happy images begin to surround as your things do as well. It's a very nice feeling.
I also got a super nice letter that may or may not have made me cry in an awkward sort of way, and then after reading the message inscribed in Morse code I went back to work, but with a bit of a smile on my face.
When my dad finally got home we went to the ocean, and every time I go to the ocean I become happy all over again. Grace and I bounded into the waves and rode them on our boogie boards (I haven't went surfing yet, but I'm filling the gap with boogie boarding which is much easier but almost as fun)
After ditching our boards on the sand we grabbed our masks and snorkels and dove into the underwater world.
And guess what!?
I saw a stingray!!!!!
It was so cool and so exciting, and ironically enough just the other day one of my friends sent me a letter in the mail, and in this letter was a bucket list. And on this bucket list, as number 6 or 7, was "Pet a Stingray."
But the stingray was so cool! It was just drifting along the bottom, and when it saw me it looked at me like, "Sup dude," and continued on it's way. The edges of it were all ribbony as it pressed against the bottom and it's tail was waving back and forth. It's eyes just looked like holes in it's head from above, but they didn't miss anything.
I was so excited when I saw it that I forgot the bucket list entirely and bounded up the beach to my dad, bouncing along like an excited little puppy.
"I saw a stingray! I saw a stingray!"
When we left the beach I was starving, and when we got home dinner was ready, which is pretty much the best thing ever, to have a meal all ready for you when you get home.
After dinner I had a thoroughly amusing and long conversation on the phone, which brings us to now. And this is beginning to sound boring now, so I leave you all with this:
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with ketchup."
Saturday, July 13, 2013
The Greatest Distance
This morning I woke up sick. Today was supposed to be a work day, since it's Saturday and my dad is home, but i woke up sick, and I always tend to feel guilty when I'm sick and lay around all day and everyone else is working.
But I was running a fever, so, in bed I lay, amusing my self with photography books and the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Quite good, by the way.
Sometime when I started to feel hungry I ate, and then after lunch I lay outside on our small grass lawn, under my blanket that is the color of the sea.
As I lay there the leaves whispered to me and the wind blew softly around me, and the sun fell in a dappled pattern on the grass.
It was the perfect atmosphere to fall asleep, but my thoughts were running a thousand miles a minute. I watched the leaves glisten in the sunlight and the next thing I knew an hour had passed. This caused me to think of a philosophical conversation I had had earlier in the summer. It went something like this.
We walked into the woods carefully, avoiding the thistles and branches that threatened our path. We were quiet for a while, which is not unusual for us, as we often are quiet, thinking our separate thoughts together.
She spoke up then, starting the conversation, but I don't remember exactly how. It quickly turned in a philosophical direction, as philosophical conversations are our specialty. Soon we were talking of time, how it just goes on, never stopping to wait for anyone.
"Time, I think, is the greatest distance," she said, "Because no matter what you do there is no way to cross the distance. You can cross any distance of land, if you try, but there is no way to cross the distance of time."
I was quiet for a moment, letting that roll around in my mind.
This is only one of the many discussions we have had, but I'm afraid it also is one of the last. Because no matter how much we say that it's not, 2,000 miles is a pretty great distance itself, and life tends to get in the way.
But as I lay in the grass today, that particular conversation came back to me. And I continued it with myself. I thought about how time passes differently for everyone. For the traveling writer time may pass in used up pens and pencil leads broken, and if you were to ask them them the time they may reply, in an ambling matter, "Why, it is three spilled lattes past one wrinkled manuscript."
Or for the rushed office worker it is, "Exactly six minutes until nine and I am already late," they spout, as they shove you out of their way.
For the grandmother rocking in her rocking chair the world goes by in cups of tea and grand children's visits, but for the factory worker it goes by in hours put in and the desperate time between paychecks.
For the detective it is mug shots taken and cases solved, and for the child it is Pb&j sandwiches and nap times.
For the priest it is sermons given and blessings made, and for the tired hotel housekeeper it is sheets washed and towels folded.
How does time pass for you?
Does it pass in the rambling way of the breeze, who has no rush whatsoever, or the frenzied rain, who must thoroughly soak everything before the sun has the chance to dry it up?
Or is it in the consistent crashing of the waves on your feet, or the rolling sensation of the grain of sand?
Next time you are rushing because you are late, look at the old homeless woman who is counting the hours and days by the coins dropped in her little Styrofoam cup. Slow down a little. Look at the little girl who isn't counting the time at all, but living life by the number of scraped knees and ice cream cones. Slow down a little. Enjoy it. This isn't like the fair, where you buy one wrist band and come back again and again.
You only get one ride.
But I was running a fever, so, in bed I lay, amusing my self with photography books and the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Quite good, by the way.
Sometime when I started to feel hungry I ate, and then after lunch I lay outside on our small grass lawn, under my blanket that is the color of the sea.
As I lay there the leaves whispered to me and the wind blew softly around me, and the sun fell in a dappled pattern on the grass.
It was the perfect atmosphere to fall asleep, but my thoughts were running a thousand miles a minute. I watched the leaves glisten in the sunlight and the next thing I knew an hour had passed. This caused me to think of a philosophical conversation I had had earlier in the summer. It went something like this.
We walked into the woods carefully, avoiding the thistles and branches that threatened our path. We were quiet for a while, which is not unusual for us, as we often are quiet, thinking our separate thoughts together.
She spoke up then, starting the conversation, but I don't remember exactly how. It quickly turned in a philosophical direction, as philosophical conversations are our specialty. Soon we were talking of time, how it just goes on, never stopping to wait for anyone.
"Time, I think, is the greatest distance," she said, "Because no matter what you do there is no way to cross the distance. You can cross any distance of land, if you try, but there is no way to cross the distance of time."
I was quiet for a moment, letting that roll around in my mind.
This is only one of the many discussions we have had, but I'm afraid it also is one of the last. Because no matter how much we say that it's not, 2,000 miles is a pretty great distance itself, and life tends to get in the way.
But as I lay in the grass today, that particular conversation came back to me. And I continued it with myself. I thought about how time passes differently for everyone. For the traveling writer time may pass in used up pens and pencil leads broken, and if you were to ask them them the time they may reply, in an ambling matter, "Why, it is three spilled lattes past one wrinkled manuscript."
Or for the rushed office worker it is, "Exactly six minutes until nine and I am already late," they spout, as they shove you out of their way.
For the grandmother rocking in her rocking chair the world goes by in cups of tea and grand children's visits, but for the factory worker it goes by in hours put in and the desperate time between paychecks.
For the detective it is mug shots taken and cases solved, and for the child it is Pb&j sandwiches and nap times.
For the priest it is sermons given and blessings made, and for the tired hotel housekeeper it is sheets washed and towels folded.
How does time pass for you?
Does it pass in the rambling way of the breeze, who has no rush whatsoever, or the frenzied rain, who must thoroughly soak everything before the sun has the chance to dry it up?
Or is it in the consistent crashing of the waves on your feet, or the rolling sensation of the grain of sand?
Next time you are rushing because you are late, look at the old homeless woman who is counting the hours and days by the coins dropped in her little Styrofoam cup. Slow down a little. Look at the little girl who isn't counting the time at all, but living life by the number of scraped knees and ice cream cones. Slow down a little. Enjoy it. This isn't like the fair, where you buy one wrist band and come back again and again.
You only get one ride.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
An Underestimated Power
I'm sorry, but these past few days have not been the best. I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed with all the boxes crowding our house, and today we really did nothing. All three of us needed a break and we found it by disappearing into our various books and TV shows.
But as I was moping about today, thinking about how it seemed we had too much stuff, I had a much needed epiphany.
I realized that I have so much to be grateful for.
I have a roof over my head every night.
I have three meals a day.
I have an awesome sister and parents who love me enough to send me to a Waldorf school and pay tuition in Southern California.
I realized that I cannot rightfully complain about having too much stuff, because so many other people have nothing.
I decided to make a list of the little things I am grateful for, to help remind me, and I hope you do too.
And remember to be grateful everyday for being alive, because you never know when that might be taken away from you.
But as I was moping about today, thinking about how it seemed we had too much stuff, I had a much needed epiphany.
I realized that I have so much to be grateful for.
I have a roof over my head every night.
I have three meals a day.
I have an awesome sister and parents who love me enough to send me to a Waldorf school and pay tuition in Southern California.
I realized that I cannot rightfully complain about having too much stuff, because so many other people have nothing.
I decided to make a list of the little things I am grateful for, to help remind me, and I hope you do too.
- My dog
- Summer Breezes
- Long boarding
- Getting hilarious e-mails from my best friend that cheer up my whole day
- Realizing I am actually over someone
- Being excited for the future
- The ocean
- Having a house
- Internet access
- My ukulele
- La Maison
- Viroqua
- Costa Mesa
- Good music
- My Family
- Ice cream
- Laughing till I forget
- California sunsets
- avocados
- Sunshine
- Saltwater
- food
- My friends in Viroqua
- My future friend in Costa Mesa
- My two bestest friends
- Showers
- Hot water
- electricity
- woods
- wildlife
- lemonade
- good books
- passing a whole day doing nothing
- passing a whole day being absolutely productive
- seeing the number of views on my blog quickly rising
- getting letters via snail mail
- carpet
- being ninja without even trying
- grass
- falling into bed
- bagels
- being happy
- inside jokes
And remember to be grateful everyday for being alive, because you never know when that might be taken away from you.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
1800 to 1100...An Interesting Fit
I don't have time to write much right now, but I'll try.
First order of business..
I'm sorry for any typos in my blog, some are written at a very late hour, but if you find any could you comment or email me? It always helps, and I'll try to go back and fix it.
Second order of business..
Moving from a four square-three bedroom-two-bath-1800-sq.ft house on four acres of land to a 1100 sq. ft house does not work very well.
I mean, I love our little house here, but our stuff just doesn't fit.
We have been working on it, my mom, my sister and I, and it is slowly coming along, slowly being the key word here.
But that's okay, I think, to go it slow.
Because the process of getting here took so long and so much energy, that's it's okay to rest and recuperate out here.
I hope everyone who is reading this had a lovely day, or is having a lovely day, and I'm very thankful that you've all stuck with me this far.
More later.
Over and out.
First order of business..
I'm sorry for any typos in my blog, some are written at a very late hour, but if you find any could you comment or email me? It always helps, and I'll try to go back and fix it.
Second order of business..
Moving from a four square-three bedroom-two-bath-1800-sq.ft house on four acres of land to a 1100 sq. ft house does not work very well.
I mean, I love our little house here, but our stuff just doesn't fit.
We have been working on it, my mom, my sister and I, and it is slowly coming along, slowly being the key word here.
But that's okay, I think, to go it slow.
Because the process of getting here took so long and so much energy, that's it's okay to rest and recuperate out here.
I hope everyone who is reading this had a lovely day, or is having a lovely day, and I'm very thankful that you've all stuck with me this far.
More later.
Over and out.
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