Jul 28
everyone does things with their own flair and style – sometimes i have to remind myself that my girls’ individuality and uniqueness is a GOOD thing. i can get frustrated and when everyone is home for summer vacation and spending LOTS and LOTS of time together… well those unique traits can really stand out (to put it politely)! so yes – do it your way, with our own style. my girls sure do - even while swinging! and i must remind myself to breathe and embrace those three little individual personalities.
Jul 25
i love going to the farmer’s market. we have a good one close to our house – it’s grown quite a bit in the last few years. the fruits and vegetables have become a bit more exotic, there is usually entertainment and yummy food to sample. most of all, it makes me feel like i live in a community – people are out, enjoying the sunshine, buying locally, buying organic. it’s cool, i love it! i like to just walk through and see at what is in season. i nabbed some squash blossoms so i can make cheese stuffed squash blossoms with shaved squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. i’ve had to wait all year to find squash blossoms! the girls like to eat at “Red,” east african food. they make yummy sambussas stuffed with savory delights like cream cheese and coconut, spinach garlic and assorted spices, potatoes & lentils. so good and so different! it’s pretty at the farmer’s market – beautiful shades of natural color, textured fruits and vegetables and exotic foods to sample. my favorite booth has a couple dozen vintage chalkboards that they strategically place around their booth. so much to look at!
Jul 24
the older i get, the more i realize how important tradition is. even if it’s small – mexican food after a day at the beach, or if it’s big – a yearly trip to bass lake – creating shared and repeated memories are those that i remember the most about growing up. i don’t remember the designer jeans i wanted for my birthday in junior high, or the new toy i got for christmas when i was six – but i do remember the homemade birthday cake i received every year made with love by my mom and the holiday traditions of decorating our house with the same christmas decorations year-after-year. well that is what bass lake is to me – it may not be the best lake on the west coast, or the least crowded, or the prettiest beach. but it’s a place where i grew up – water skiing and swimming all day, playing with my cousins, sleeping in a tent with my mom, eating my uncle’s “ortega stew” (don’t ask!) and feeding the birds every day. we will always go to bass lake, forever & ever because it is a big part of who we are. what are your small traditions? some of ours: early morning donuts with the race horses during del mar race track season, looking for the almond in our christmas rice pudding, making holiday and birthday gifts out of found objects, decorating the house for special occasions, celebrating valentine’s day in a BIG way (happy birthday mom), saying “i love you” every night at bedtime.
Jul 22
there are a lot of emotions that are up there on the importance scale – compassion, kindness, happiness, contentfulness (is that a word? if not, it should be), and well…hope. do not under estimate the power of hope because it’s almighty. i have been in situations where hope is all i had and it got me through. so i like to do what i can to inspire and stir up a bit more hope in my life. bass lake is a big part of that. when we’re driving up to the lake, we drive through some VERY small towns. the kind of town that just HAS to breed lottery winners. so we always buy a ticket in a tiny town and wait all week to cash it – we spend the week hoping and dreaming about how things could be different. it’s really not about the $$ but about the ability to dream, because after all – chances are we won’t win. but we have that hope and that hope is worth the $1 that we spend – it spurs countless conversations, reasessement of values and always the million dollar question – would we tell anyone? i also buy a stack of magazines – i scoop every magazine off the shelf at target. every day i read at least two from front to back, ripping out pages of inspiration (new music, fashion, books, etc…) and start a folder of dreams. i love the stories of people who started something cool almost by accident. that’s hope. it was at bass lake that i hatched the idea to reinvent myself as a photographer. inspired that “yes, i can do it!” i love how i come back from bass lake, refreshed, full of dreams and full of hope… so the million dollar question – would you tell if you won?
Jul 21
when it comes to food – anything goes at bass lake. i throw good eating habits to the wind and let the girls eat sugar cereal for lunch, eat chips at 8am and even have a bit of soda! i remember when i was little and my mom and i would grocery shop for camping – she always asked if i wanted Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms? WOW, really? that type of food was off-limits during the rest of the year. but when we camped, sugar cereal it was! so i continue that funny little tradition and allow the girls to eat junk all week. they burn so much energy between the swimming, the tubing/skiing and hiking around that i figure it’s OK. what the heck! they LOVE it – it’s exciting to bend the rules and load up on sugar. when you vacation do you bend the rules or allow your kids to do something that doesn’t fly at home? would love to hear – maybe we can add to our traditions!
Jul 20
bass lake 2010. getting ready for the trip is half the fun – it’s about the journey, right? i love the feeling of excitement, anticipation, familiarity, tradition, family & friends and relaxation all rolled into a nice little package. that’s bass lake to me. this it the 61st year my family has gone to bass lake – my girls are the fourth generation to attend. it’s a special place for us and we go every year and wouldn’t miss it for anything. i love getting ready – it’s a ritual and i have it down to a science. tightly packing the girls into the car, they seem to like the comfort of creating a little cave in the car. surrounded by pillows, coloring books, “uno,” books, movies & snacks. they’re ready to hit the road and get to bass lake. only a seven hour drive… i love it when we hit the line where the pines start to grow, we roll down the window and take a deep breath. we’re here! bass lake 2010.
Jul 18
we just returned from our yearly family tradition – bass lake! this is the 61st year my family has been to bass lake. it’s a special place – a place of memories, fun, relaxation, time to collect your thoughts and renew. i feel great! a bit sad to be home, but happy to have such a special place where my mom spent her childhood, i spent my childhood and now my girls are continuing that tradition. i will blog about our trip this week but just wanted to let you know that….we’re BACK and refreshed!
Jul 6
please come to the city of hope’s “taste of hope” on august 22nd in coronado, california. i am so honored to be the “ambassador of hope” and would love to see you there – supporting the fight against cancer and having a good time! buy your tickets here.
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