Thursday, June 30, 2011

sunset dinghy ride

It's been a long time summer tradition for our wee family to take the dinghy out well after dinner and putter around the creek or around town to see what we can see. Sometimes we make a new friend in the anchorage. Sometimes we spy a family of turtles our for a sunset swim. Sometimes we venture into town for ice cream. Sometimes we go and go for the sake of going.
So this last week we introduced Naia to the sunset family dinghy ride. Naia is still in the Weeble Wooble stage with her life jacket and only barely tolerated being in it at best. At 8 months old it's a full body experience and I appreciate how awkward it must be. She's a trooper, but her face says it all.
I was extra super proud of Zach who has become quite good at driving the dink. He's been taking the helm for a couple of years now, but in the past it was more like Mr. Toads Wild Ride. This time he helmed with confidence and ease, and steered us around obstacles and on course at a steady speed.
And of course, the ride served an extra purpose...

Ah yes, out cold.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

en garde

Ever since he was 4 years old Zach has been begging, and I mean BEGGING to take fencing class. He finally got to start this year and he loves it. I mean LOVES it! There's only one problem... nobody to practice with! Ever the resourceful lad he decided to take matters into his own hands. Of course first I caught this moment and explained that this scenario was NOT going to work, you can't fence with an unarmed opponent.
Well, Naia is now in training. She gets a front row seat to all of the action at fencing class.
And even when she was too little to sit up he was prepping her.
(She is exactly 2 months old in this photo, and yet she knows how to give him "the look".)

So the other day I was brushing my teeth (don't worry, this is going to get somewhere I promise) and Naia was begging for a toothbrush as always. Usually I hand her a second toothbrush and she coos happily and chews on it while watching me brush my teeth. This time I handed her the toothbrush and she smiled mischievously (can an 8 month old smile mischievously, oh yes!) and started fencing my toothbrush. Oh yes, young grasshopper, you  have learned well. The master fancer of the boat was thrilled! I quite frankly was stunned and decided to brush my teeth over the sink. :)

So here she is ladies and gentlemen... the world's youngest fencer.

Oh yes, I am going to have my hands full.

p.s. The fabulous wooden swords in the clip and the shot below come from Friendly Fairies. I can not say enough good things about these folks, they are the best! Search their past items to see all of the varieties they make.

Monday, June 27, 2011

mermaid island

Once a week we head to the island. Only this isn't actually an island in the sense of a body of land surrounded by water. It's actually just the beach and docks at a friend's house. But the kids have dubbed it mermaid island and we meet there once a week with a tribe of littles to spend the day fully immersed in sun and sand and sea. The mamas share homemade eats, bring their knitting or other projects, chat up a storm, and more often than not end up creating a kombucha tasting bar right there on the docks with a variety of takes on delicious home concocted varieties.

The kids, well, the kids go full tilt boogie. Most are pals from homeschooling with some sweet neighborhood kids thrown in the mix too. And they play with wreckless abandon. Splashing and swimming and digging and swinging and jumping and crabbing and every now and again they run over to the mamas for a dab of sunscreen or a sip of water or a quick bite to eat. And then they're off.
It feels like we're tucked away on an island, populated with friends and surrounded by endless summer.

Friday, June 24, 2011

~this (video) moment~

A Friday ritual. A single photo video clip capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - via soulemama.



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Thursday, June 23, 2011

ropes

Oh Dyneema how we long for your fibers. We are full of gratitude for being picked to be a part of the 2011 Dyneema Experience Team (and grateful to all of you who clicked over to help make it happen), but we're feeling like the slow kid on the bench who never gets in the game. We see Team Redan Ned and Team Panther and the rest of the teams racing around the sea with their fabulous new rigging and yet still we wait, surrounded by mildewing old line, dreaming of shiny ropes.
I know that rigging 40 boats is a monumental task. I know it's easier to get to the European teams first because you are a European company. I see the benefit in outfitting the sexy racers before the cruisers with tomato plants hanging off their stern and baby seats strapped in their cockpits. It's all a PR campaign afterall. And babies don't appeal to the machismo of the sailing world.
But we really need that rigging. We have big plans too. Of course by looking around here it may seem by glancing at our boat that the only testing of your rigging we'd do is to see how high the boy can swing.
But truly, if the line does indeed show up before, say, September... we promise to photograph it and color coordinate everything, and figure out how to splice the stuff, and yes - even go sailing (provided our mainsail shows up one of these days too. We're told it's stuck in customs, that's another story.)
Yes, sailing with both sails and no engine running. Dyneema asked us to write about our plans for the new rigging. And teams from all over are waxing poetic about winning races and circling the world. But here's the thing Dyneema, really, we just want to go sailing.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

the longest day

We cheated a little, morphing our birthday celebrations and solstice celebrations together. Zach kept talking about wanting to make a spiral of fire on the beach on his island. I am trying to figure out where he came up with this idea -- sort of a summer version of the winter garden spirals we've done at Waldorf festivals in the area maybe? So I packed a beach bag of votives and every jar I could fish out of recycling that week and our dear friend Kim helped me make the little spiral path.
Kim's family with her kids K & R were anchored out celebrating with us, and made the weekend joyful and easy. Watching the kids walk the spiral path, I wondered what they would remember of all of this.


These long sun soaked days of childhood, will they be lost in the short memory of adult life? How would they mark the changing of the seasons in years to come, without mom and dad around, out in the world on their own? Will they look back on these photos and snort and say, "crazy hippies!" Or will they come up with traditions all their own? Will they even notice the longest day as their days fill with this and that? I hope they at least pause and savor the sunset, appreciate the rhythm of our planet, and feel a little love from days long gone by.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

birthday afloat

This is where I want to celebrate my birthday mama.

Naia can come too.

I want to eat lots of munchies.

And swim with my friends off the back of the boat.

And then I want to go to my island and play.

(someday this will all be mine!)

It was a low key, roll with the flow, hanging out with friends, sandy wet bums, chocolate faces kind of day.

Monday, June 20, 2011

seven

There is just no way that I am the mama of a seven year old. A long limbed, cheekey, creative, sweet hearted seven year old.
He's big enough to light his own candles.


Big enough to greet friends and tie them off correctly.


Big enough to swim to the island.

Big enough to hold her on deck while underway (don't worry her PFD was only removed for photos).


But he will always be my baby.

We had such a lovely, slow, go with the flow weekend out on the hook at Zach's Island with friends celebrating his seventh trip around the sun. So much to catch up on... and a busy work week too... all in good time.
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