Into the woods

There is something magical about this little cabin.

Maybe it's the friends we see there and the laughter we've shared gathered in the backyard...

... Afternoons of playing games at the dining room table...

...A group of girlfriends gathered around comfortably in the living room, sipping on wine or drinking a beer, and talking about life.



Or perhaps it's because we know that this cabin was built on a foundation of love and a testament to what these beautiful women share.



Congratulations to you both, and thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.

May your love be like the misty rain, gentle coming in but flooding the river.

                --Traditional African

Fire and a Photography Lesson

I was just finishing up in my classroom when I got a news alert on my phone of a fire in Woodranch. I could see the fire from school and decided to head home to get a closer look.

I went (straight) up the hill, camera in tote. From the top, I could see the helicopters dipping into the reservoir and then flying straight over head to drop it on the fire.

Super fun moment for a wanna-be photographer: a guy up there started talking camera stuff and ended up getting a whole bunch of tips from him about shutter speed and ISO. Now, if I could just remember to clean the dust specks off my lens...

Then I left to go watch the Seahawks play preseason. We won :)

Named after the Mexican outlaw Joaquin Murietta

Murietta Canyon, Ojai

According to the interwebs, Joaquin Muretta (or Murieta) (or Murrietta) was the Mexican Robin Hood. If only we could figure out how to spell his name, we could make a Disney movie!

Look carefully, do you see the butterfly in the middle?

We took our borrowed Ventura County Hikes book and headed up into the hills of Ojai.  There are a bunch of trails that all connect, but we started here at Murietta.  It was a nice low grade stroll with a surprising amount of green!

Aaron thought he had found the perfect walking stick.  Maggie agreed.  It's perfect for her! 

We came to (yet another) empty river bed and decided to add a little zen to the place.  Perhaps it will summon the rain...

...It's been 1.5 months since we took the picture.  No rain yet.

Black is the color of my true love's hair...

And green is the Emerald Isle.

It's been almost 2 months since Ireland. So what took me so long to write this blog? I had so much to say (and SO MANY pictures to show!) that I didn't know where to begin!  I'll start with this: It was amazing.  The end.

Just kidding! The grass was almost neon green.  The sky was overcast often, but when the sun broke through, it was glorious.  There were cows in the fields and deer in the meadows.  There were ancient castles and tombstones of those you think of only as legends.  

There was an abundance of water -- beautiful, running, water -- that flowed shamelessly along the River Shannon...and my faucet sink (gasp!)

There were caves with stalactites and stalagmites larger than I've ever seen before. There were cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that took my breath away.

There was a bus full of smiles and laughter and friendships forming. The cities were clean and friendly, and the tour guides were charming and oh, so patient (Thanks, Martin and Anne!) Limerick, Killarney, Cork, and Dublin welcomed us into their streets (and their Pubs) to feel what it meant to be Irish.

There were meals shared in hotel dining halls and great castles. There was one reason we were all in Ireland together: beautifully sung concerts, performed with passion and intention. There were moments when you realized the music you created together is what unifies our hearts.

Oh, and there was whiskey. My god, was there ever some whiskey.

For the full set of pictures I took in Ireland CLICK HERE! Please let me know which pictures you liked most by commenting on them!

We skipped the swimming holes and went straight for the hills!

Aliso Trail, Santa Barbara

We aren't exactly sure if the swimming holes would've even had water.  Everything else is dried up, including the river bed here...which made for a nice Robert Frost moment.

I'd like to take a moment to thank the inventor of switchbacks. Freaking genius. Interesting fact: Switchbacks are uncommon on the east coast. Those New Englanders prefer to go straight up the hill! Weird. 

So up, up, up we went. And it was beautiful. 

You don't realize how far you've gone...

...until you see the other side of the mountain you've been climbing. 

Not just 1, but 2 lakes!

Pentachaeta Trail, Westlake

It was a Wednesday afternoon and the sun was out.  I had to make a trip out to Agoura Hills, so I figured I could find a new place to hike.  Yelp suggested I try out this hidden beauty!

Admittedly, it was a rather bland landscape at first.  The only highlight was the little lizard that came to say hello.  He's my second lizard friend in recent weeks (the other lived in a cute pair of shoes in my garage.  May not be the roomiest, but damn if it ain't great decor!)



I'm still not super impressed with the view, but it's growing on me.  I looked back to see a good chunk of Westlake Village in sight!



Trudging just a few more feet up the hill, I notice something shiny on the horizon.  Step after step, it reveals itself -- a LAKE?!  Up here??  Crazy!

There were also some interesting flowers to shoot.  I liked the spikes on the left one, the feathery petals on the middle one, and the spiked balls of the right one.

All in all, pretty great little hideaway.  Thanks, Yelp!

Sand, wet dog, and a full heart.

One of the greatest parts of this Memorial Day weekend was the anticipation!  Ideas rattled around in our heads, lists were made, itinerary posted on a post-it...

Before I say anything more, a moment to remember the veterans who gave their lives fighting for our country.  My heart is full of gratitude; I thank you.  Little tidbit: Memorial Day, then Decoration Day, began 3 years after the Civil War and was a day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.  Why the end of May, you ask?  Because that's when the flowers would be in full bloom.

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard

Between running away from incoming waves and digging for sand crabs, I snapped a few pictures of Maggie being cute.

This pretty girl had a great day splashing through the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean as she chased after her red flying disc (not a Frisbee, because that is copyrighted).  I love the way she'd tumble into the sand and send it spraying up.  And the way she'd take a beeline back to us through the water.

I know Maggie wasn't the only one who had a great time.  Beach time = Success!

Treasure! That is what you are...

"So, does this count as a hike?  We're outdoors..."

"Are you asking if I'm going to post this?"

"I just want to be featured in your blog."

There's not much I can say about this trip, so I'll just relive it in quotes so you can feel like you were there. 

"We are getting weird this weekend."

"Fresh fresh"

"Room 11511"

"The nerd in me is super happy it's a palindrome."

"You wan' pink toes?"

"No, I like the green I picked out."

"How 'bout we just do one pink?"

"Umm, no thanks."

"I'll charge you for a single and pour you a double."

<morning yawn> "Yeah, you might want to call Aaron today."

"Well, my shuttle is going to be here in 2.5 hours...love you guys, good night"