Art Hop

February 5, 2026

Lisa and I went to knitting class again tonight. I feel like I'm definitely getting the hang of knitting, but purl was a little more wonky. I'm feeling a little bit better about it after working on it more in class this evening. Afterwards we went to Art Hop, where we toured Fresno Ideaworks and all of the equipment they have there for members to use, including pottery wheels, band saws, and welding equipment. Pretty cool. We are contemplating a membership.

Feelin' Crafty

January 31, 2026

Lisa and I signed up for a mosaic lamp class, although it was slightly intimidating to start, it was fun designing our lamps and putting together the pieces to make our own unique pieces. We were both pretty proud of how they turned out!

Craft Night

January 12, 2025

In the weeks before Christmas, Lisa and I decided to take a sewing class, during which we each made a pillow. Simple project, sure, but we were proud of our handiwork! So for Christmas, Lisa bought me a sewing maching. She is going to purchase one for herself too, but she wanted to make sure that my machine was straightforward and user-friendly. With this as an inspiration, we decided we need to have a craft night once a month. Today was our first one, with our main objective being figuring out the machine and how to get it threaded. Mission accomplished! (We also tried out Lisa's new engraving pen as well.) Now we just need to figure out what we'd like to actually make for our next craft night!

Soroptomists

January 8, 2025

Tonight I got inducted into the Soroptomist Club of Clovis. When Lisa moved here, she sought out and joined a couple of organizations she had belonged to in other cities, and Soroptomists was one of thoes. Not too long after, she sponsored (or invited) me to join too. I've been to a few of their events as Lisa's guest already, and honestly, I'm kind of amazed this organization had never been on my radar. The focus is empowering girls and women, particularly those who are in need. As an educator, being able to equip students with the resources and confidence to seek out their best life is the best part of the job, which fits perfectly with the Soroptomist vision. I'm looking forward to being able to find more ways to try and make a difference in our community.

Meanwhile, in Vegas

February 27, 2022

My Sunday was quite mellow, but Lisa and Danielle made their way to Las Vegas to do a run.  While I was sitting on my couch grading, these two were racing through Vegas for yet another medal.

More Theater: Wicked

February 20, 2022

Since we didn't end up going to dance classes yesterday, we wanted to make sure we got to some today.  On today's docket were definitely some dance styles I had not tried before:  60's Go-Go dancing and Burlesque.  They were both taught by the same young woman with a great, sassy style and a fun attitude.  I loved her as an instructor.  The Go-Go class was a lot of fun and though the dance routine wasn't difficult, it was a good aerobic workout that didn't feel like work.  That's a plus in my book.  The second class took us both significantly out of our comfort zones.  I'm not so sure how sexy or sensual either of us looked or felt, but I still have to say I was pretty proud of us for branching out.  I'm pretty sure that in order for me dancing in Burlesque style to have the intended effect, I would need A LOT of practice (and even then, maybe still not so much of the intended effect).

Not long after we made plans for me to stay at Lisa's this weekend, she noticed that Wicked would be in town not too far from her.  I had also seen this musical before, but I was definitely up for seeing it again.  Lisa hadn't seen it yet.  After our dance classes, we headed to the theater-a much more regal and sophisticated one than yesterday's. The two leads in the musical really had phenomenal voices and definitely were able to make those iconic parts their own.  Such an incredible performance!  Of the three times I've seen this show, this was definitely my favorite.

Next to Normal

February 19, 2022

After yesterday's concert, Danielle and I stayed in a cute little hotel room and then made our way back to Riverside.  I dropped her off and then continued on to Lisa's house.  Lisa just bought a new house, so this would be my first time getting to stay there.  Our goal was for me to help her do some setting up and decorating at the house, but as usual we tried to pack way too much into our weekend.  We did go and pick up a bunch of household stuff that we'd won at an online auction to help add to her new household.  Then we went to see a production of Next to Normal.  It's a play that I had seen before, but Lisa hadn't, nor had Phil, who joined us.  It's a powerful but pretty heavy and dramatic play with some difficult mental health subject matter.  I'm not sure how much Phil enjoyed it--he had no idea what the play was about--but Lisa and I really liked it.  They were some talented actors, and the venue itself was intimate and comfortable.  I'm really glad we were able to go. I have really missed concerts and live theater in the time of the pandemic.

Afterward we considered going to some dance classes, but we opted instead to grab some sushi for dinner.  We found an excellent little hole-in-the-wall place that was well worth it.  Then we just decided to get back home and start putting away the auction finds.  Even though we didn't make it to the dance classes, we still felt like we had a pretty productive day.

The Adventure Beast Rolls Again

February 6, 2022

This weekend, after visiting Nicholas, I continued up the coast to meet up with my sister and my youngest daughter in San Simeon.  We checked into the campsite (where we did 'van camping' instead of tent camping--an acceptable facsimile of camping for this bug-averse girl), and then headed into Cambria where we checked out the incredibly cool and strange Nitt Witt Ridge, pictured below. We ventured out to the ocean afterward to catch a beautiful sunset.  The next day we got up and hiked along Moonstone Drive, making sure we got our feet wet now and again along the way.  (Truth be told, I got more than just my feet wet, because I wanted to get a photo of me getting splashed by the incoming waves.) I was very impressed with how well the Adventure Beast stood up to the journey, and am looking forward to many more in our future.  It was a successful weekend--as is almost any weekend when I get to see the ocean and family members I love.

Gratitude

 January 9, 2022

There is a lot going on in the world that causes stress, anxiety, and sadness.  That's why it's important to take time frequently to think about the things for which we are grateful.  Here are five things I am grateful for today:

1.  I am grateful I am getting to spend time with Nicholas while he is staying with me, before he moves to start his new job.  Since the kids are all grown up, the extended times with them are fewer and farther between.

2.  I am grateful I get to text or talk with my kids several days each week.  I like to talk to them, and they like to talk to me!

3.  I am so grateful that although Nicholas got Covid, he is experiencing relatively mild symptoms.

4.  I am grateful for Lisa and Mo.  Man, I don't know where I'd be without those two.  They are my sounding boards, they make me laugh, and they check in on me all the time.  I do the same for them.  Having best friends makes doing life wonderful.

5.  I am grateful for a seemingly endless supply of books.  So many ideas and stories we can inhabit for a time.  It's kind of mind-blowing to think about the millions of ideas and perspectives out there that we can enjoy and learn from.  That's pretty cool!

An Adventure, Indeed!

May 2, 2021

A couple of months ago, my youngest daughter and I decided to co-invest in what I like to call a 'project van'.  Danielle is really excited to design and create an ideal travel space to go out and do some exploring now that she's graduating from college; I am really excited to have a relatively comfortable and inexpensive way to hit the beach or chase waterfalls for a weekend here or there.  This weekend my sister Lisa and I decided to take my Adventure Beast traveling van out for her maiden voyage.  Even though the van still needs to have a little work done to shore it up (it's definitely seen its share of miles with its previous owner), I wanted to drive it and get a sense of what problems might present themselves so I could report back to my mechanic when I take it in.  

On the whole, the Adventure Beast did beautifully.  We picked a weekend when the weather couldn't have been better.  The van was a champion driving up to Sequoia and we set up camp Friday evening, cooking dinner on the firepit and then settling in the van to sleep for the night.  It was pretty convenient not to have to pitch a tent; the back seat lies flat for one bed, and the center chairs are taken out so that we can lay down a foam mattress for a second bed.  I will say that my sister and I fit perfectly, though I'm not sure anyone much taller than the two of us would fit quite as comfortably.

Saturday was our big hiking day.  We had intended to hike up to Morro rock, but the signage indicated that the hike would have been a much longer one than what we had seen when we looked it up online.  We still had a great hike and saw the rock from a distance before changing plans and turning around.  

Lisa knows that pretty much the only reason for me to hike is to find waterfalls or rivers, so our second hike was about finding a beautiful water source.  As we were heading up to our next scheduled destination, the Adventure Beast protested--the only time on the trip it did.  The elevation, combined with the air conditioning, got the best of the vehicle and it started to overheat.  We pulled over to the side of the road and decided to take a lunch break while we gave the van a chance to cool down.

We had just finished up our lunch and were idly relaxing--me sitting in the passenger seat with my feet dangling out the open door, and Lisa standing outside nearby.  Suddenly, nearly simultaneously, I heard an incredibly loud CRRRAAAACKKK!!!! and Lisa yelling "Look out!!!" and she dove toward me.  Just out in the near distance in the forest, a tree split about two-thirds of the way up its approximately 80-foot trunk and the top crashed thunderously and dramatically to the ground, just inches away from the back of the van.  The impact of the tree hitting the ground shattered the wood into sizable logs and shards of lumber that littered the area.  On the way down the tree hit a huge metal sign, which no doubt changed the trajectory of the falling tree just enough to avoid us and the van.  We were really very lucky, but it definitely got our adrenaline going! I don't know many people who have been up close and personal with a tree falling in the forest, but I can't say I recommend it.

After looking around incredulously and calming ourselves down a little, we decided to get back on the road and find the calming serenity of the waterfalls.  We actually decided to change courses and go back downhill instead of continuing up in elevation because of the Adventure Beast's seeming reluctance.  Fortunately, we happened on not just one but two beautiful spaces to hike to waterfalls.  Both were well worth the journey.

After heading back to camp, we set out to cook a delicious campfire meal, which we ate while gazing up at the multitude of stars in the sky.  It was a peaceful way to end quite an adventurous day.

All in all, despite the quite unexpected tree nearly crushing us, it was exactly the weekend we hoped for.  There are still some mechanical issues that need to be addressed with the van, but this trip showed me that it's going to serve exactly the purpose I had hoped for it.  I'm looking forward to many more adventures ahead.

The Last Hurrah Before We Go Back to School

January 6, 2018

This weekend my sister and my niece came up for a quick visit.  Lisa already had to head back to school last week, and most of the rest of us start up again on Monday, so it was nice to get a get-together in one more time before we hit the ground running with the new semester.  Today was a whirlwind--we had brunch with Nicholas, Danielle, and Taylor, then drove Danielle to the airport so she could spend a couple of days with her dad.  Then Lisa and I got together with Mo for a bit before heading to REI (for a couple of hours!) to pick up some much-needed gear for the trip we'll be taking in early spring.  Naturally, we ended up at Me N Ed's (a Clovis must-have) in the evening and were joined by our friends Bill and Renee.  Lisa then met up with an old friend in town while Doug, Taylor, and I hung out at home and watched a little Black Mirror.  When Lisa got home we went out walking to make sure we got our 10,000 steps on our Fitbits (especially in light of all the eating we did today!)  Lisa and Taylor will get up bright and early in the morning to head back to Fullerton, since Taylor has to work tomorrow.  I will be getting back into school mode ahead of Monday's professional development day, but today was all about family and friends!

Late Christmas With the Mayes and Gaetje Families

January 2, 2017

Schedules were pretty tight this year, so our Christmas with the cousins happened after the New Year.  It doesn't matter to us; celebrating Christmas is about getting together with family no matter when it happens.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip: