GO!

Well, it's that time of year again! The time when I drive myself crazy by coming up with a blog post Every Single Day In November. The time when you flock to my blog by the tens to check for the newest post. The time when I catch up with all kinds of stuff I should have posted months ago. Yes, it's NaBloPoMo: National Blog Posting Month! I will provide a link in the next few days, but it's quite a confusing time for NaBloPoMo as they've just officially switched from an independent site to BlogHer.

But enough of that. I signed up for the torture all by myself, so I'll live through it. I did last year, anyway. Here's a cute picture of Darcy-as-fairy for Halloween. She is fueling up on quesadilla and cucumbers before hitting the candy and the trick or treating:

Stay tuned for more scenes for our life in and around the National Parks all month long!

Get Set!

In just a week, it will be NaBloPoMo -- that means a new post every day. It's hectic for me, but fun for you! Here's Darcy and her friend playing pioneer at the edge of the corn maze when we went to the pumpkin patch two weekends ago. I'm going to try hard to figure out how to post video on the blog. Last time I tried, it didn't go so well, but we have some great videos we'd like to share.

(Darcy now reads and answers email. If you would like to correspond with her, let us know and we'll send you her address. Just be warned: You might write three paragraphs, but as typing on the QWERTY keyboard is very frustrating for her, her responses are generally one or two sentences.)

Get Ready!

It's almost November and I have agreed to keep Auntie Best company in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) again this year! Every day in November, you can look forward to a new post. Pictures! News! Fun links! They're all coming your way!

"Special Day For Me!"

And so it is. The first day of kindergarten. A very special day for Darcy and she woke up chanting softly, "Special day for me! Special day for me!" I think she might have been a little excited about starting school today. Above, getting ready to climb into the truck to go to school. Below, outside her classroom itching to get inside and start being in elementary school. She knows at least one other person in her class AND in the after-school program, which she's also completely excited about. She is in a K/1 composite class and looks very, very small compared to the rest of the kids. We'll have a report about the first day later. Now I need to get started with a very busy week of work.

August Vacation Part I

It is September. Darcy is no longer a preschooler. Yesterday was her last day of preschool and she starts kindergarten on Tuesday. Our August vacation was wonderful and revived us all to enjoy the last bits of summer in Del Norte. I'll be posting some pictures over the next few days. Here is a taste of the joy that being cousins together can bring.

Darcy and Liana celebrate matching outfits sent by grandma (Kathy) ten minutes after arriving at the house from the airport.
They insist on wearing the matching outfits again the next day (and, I believe, the next day, too) while being a great cheering section for my swim in the triathlon.

While I wait for my team mates to finish the ride and run segments of the triathlon, the girls sport their skirts on the surfboard outside Ocean World, our local aquarium. They had a great time and then came to see me get medals -- and promptly claim one each to wear.
The skirts came off for sprinkler time in the yard. Michael was giving our lawn and fruit trees a good drink before we abandoned them for ten days in Bend. It's the dry time and now we have a carpet of redwood leaves from our unwatered redwood fairy ring.

Proudly showing off their wetness once the sprinklers went off.

This is the 200th post for this blog. Not bad, but I've definitely been less prolific about writing in the past few months. I'll try to do better because I know Darcy has a lot of fans out there who are missing out on seeing all the different stages she's passing through. I don't have anything profound to say today. Michael is off golfing, Darcy and I are about to go to the farmers market and we have vague plans to go enjoy the beauty of the Smith River this afternoon. Del Norte is entering what should be two months of glorious weather and I hope we're able to take advantage of a lot of it before the rains start again.

I've been reading one of my favorite blogs a lot recently (Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op) and thinking a lot about getting rid of a lot of the stuff that we've accumulated over the years. I have made some small starts, but I know there are many boxes lurking in the garage that we've barely opened. Life is too short to be taken over by stuff. I learned recently that books can be recycled in our mixed-stream bin, so I'll be tossing a lot of old editions of textbooks that absolutely nobody wants any more. It's going to feel good.

Enjoy the last days or weeks of summer wherever you live. We're busy treasuring every sunny morning.

A Good Beginning and End

Well, it hasn't been the best of days. I've been mad enough to spit nails at all the idiots in Congress who can't behave like adults and actually do their jobs. And my big plan to get some particular work done didn't happen quite as I'd hoped. BUT...there were some highlights. First, after many months of planning and hoping and waiting, the Little School of the Redwoods -- Del Norte's new preschool -- opened for business. Despite the fact that she'll start kindergarten in about a month, Darcy wanted to go, so go she did:

She's carrying the backpack she and Michael made from two bubble-wrap mailing envelopes and blue duct tape, and proud of it. It's loaded with some of the many books she has made recently. Many of you might receive a book or two in the mail soon because there are about a dozen sitting on the coffee table right now.

She did not want to pose under the sign outside the door, even though that was my plan for the picture of the day. I promise that it says "Small Avenue/Little School of the Redwoods".

Inside, there's no doubt where you are!

Dropping Darcy off at Little School was a morning highlight. The evening highlight was supervising Darcy in the bath with the bubble machine spitting bubbles at her non-stop. It was FUN. She had tricked me into taking her to the beach earlier and when I wouldn't let her swim (in her clothes), she suggested a "just play, no washing hair" bath and I was happy to oblige.

I just took her a glass of water in bed and she asked what I was doing. When I told her that I needed to finish the dishes, she told me that it's late and I should be going to sleep. I couldn't agree more. Good night!

Happy Fathers Day!

Well, it's Fathers Day! Michael slept in and is off playing golf right now after eating not-quite-what-I-meant-them-to-be breakfast burritos. I think I'm doing pretty well so far. In honor of Fathers Day, here are two pictures of my father, Dave, and many pictures of Michael and our girl. They are more or less chronological.

Michael and the brand new Darcy Jo.

Darcy and her daddy, sacked out in the recliner in King Salmon.

Still in King Salmon...learning how to stick out your tongue.

Darcy's first camping trip -- and first visit to Yosemite!

Rock-climbing on Teutonia Peak trail, Mojave National Preserve.

Darcy's first baseball game.

Sunset among the Granite Mountains, Mojave.

Town ball at Fort Humboldt State Park.