the 4th

this past weekend we headed up with a group of andrew's friends & headed off to "sea ranch" in sonoma county.  relaxing atmosphere with no traffic, open fields, hot tub on the deck, someone else cooking my meals, other dogs for jack to mess with, & a beach filled with treasures!

notice:  all photos were taken with my phone.

on the drive in (therefore through a windshield) -- i couldn't wait!

on the trail to the water

J didn't like the open back stairs.

right off the bat we found a mini-crab!
yeah, i'm holding it like a tarantula...

these little guys were A's fave.

this one was my fave!

i will admit that any photo i couldn't get "doctored" up, i turned black & white...

i think J had a good time -- he had many mini-adventures & couldn't resist checking out all surfaces. 

luckily it was low-tide, so everything was exposed!

this one last photo is the only pictures i got from the house:

the group.

the primitive stairs.  loved 'em!

updates

1.  andrew is finishing out his third quarter as a salesman.  he won't let me talk about any of the details except to say he's "doing well."  boring, right?  sorry to hold back on you.  other than that, he has a new friend -- chris -- who's an intern from minot state here for the summer.  we all graduated high school together, so please jump to: summer adventures & site-seeing opportunities.

first adventure: self-serve frozen yogurt.  chris couldn't resist  the candy store appeal!

2. i started camp galileo a couple weeks ago.  i'm in-charge of teaching science curriculum to kids that really don't want to be put back into classrooms -- plain & simple.  therefore i'm left to my own devices of creativity & uncommon teaching practices.  good times!  luckily, all of the other staff members are in the same boat & it's a sink-or-swim effort for all!  i'll let you know if my sanity breaks down.  i just consider it good birth control for the time being.

3. jack is fantastic!  he's spending time with me at camp this summer.  other than that, he has tons of friends & admirers.  

here's one example:  katie.  she is another jack russel rescue that met jack when she was 3 months old -- ripe out of non-training mode & being a hyperactive mess.  one reason that i fell in love with her was that her owner swooned over the possibility of katie becoming a "trained" jack.  (notice the "")  he helped me realize that the dream has not died of jack growing into a sweet, mature pup.  therefore, i accept the ball of adrenaline that is katie.

katie has on the harness, which makes identifying much easier.
they like to wrestle.  if you haven't caught on to what they're up to.

jack does impressive jackie chan moves.  i'm biased in this statement, i know.

did i mention these were taken with a phone?  sorry for the shotty quality.

obviously she can hold her own -- that face can haunt!

4.  for those who don't know -- minot is flooding.  i'm not going to go into the details.  half the people who read this blog have either written about it themselves, have read about it on someone else's blog, or are dealing with it themselves.  here's a couple pictures from the USGS to bring the severity across & i would like to point out that this is no "fargo"-annual-style flood.  this is a 500-year flood that has crested at the highest point they've measured since they started keeping records in the 1800's.

if you would like any details & more pictures, i recommend visiting the kxmc website.  they are not running their 24-hr coverage anymore, but it was devastating to see the footage around the area.

here's a direct link to all flood related searches.
if you would like to help, please visit here 

i wish i could say as a geologist that there are ways of solving this for the near future.  i know there are answers as to how it can become less of a blow & methods of lowering the risk, the there's no quick-fix. i'm very interested to hear what the experts have to say & wish i had the opportunity to join in on the research.  for now, i'm happy that everyone is safe -- family & friends included.

celebrating dad day with a feature on mom.

the man himself -- stu.

my dad is such an amazing person.  no question about it.  unfortunately, he was stuck in the magic city alone (mom is on a cruise) for his special day working hard on finishing the basement.  when i stated the fact that he has been fantastically celebrated as a dad for almost 40 years, he said he has loved every one of them.  that's my dad!

i could go on-and-on with the highlights of how much i cherish stu and how his unwavering support has made me so appreciative for my life & choices i've made -- but i haven't shared the few photos i have from ione's visit to ca!

on this note, i must admit that we were terrible hosts in planning outings & making sure that our guest was entertained every moment of her visit.  the majority of our time was filled with sitting around, playing on electronics, exploring the farmers market, running errands, and cooking delicious meals.  i feel like this is what it would be like if i moved back into the sautner household!  we loved having my dear mother around for the week (even though we missed you dad!) & appreciated the down-time she allowed us to have!

jack & mom got along -- *sigh of relief* -- but i think she was a little thrown-off by how much of a shadow freak j is.

she even brought him new toys!  (which were then destroyed & destuffed within 12 hrs)

these are the only other photos i have documenting the activities we did: a dinner at macaroni grill.  this ridiculous server made us obsessed with trying to write our names upside-down.  in cursive.  are you serious sir?  it's like he knew that i would still be trying to accomplish this 2 wks later.  (it's on a whiteboard now, so i'm not wasting as much paper!)

the server's addition.  it took him 5 seconds.  i'm still at 10+.

britt + sf

as i mentioned, britt johnston (a friend from high school) came in for a visit to sf.  she had to combine a california vacation get-away with catching up with old friends with worrying about her parents house in minot flooding (they live on the edge of a river/bridge) with trying to see all the sights!  so, we had BIG shoes to fill!

with a couple trips to sf, hours of shopping, and clint & conni's house acting as our hub, i think she left happy! 



chinatown -- i took her about two blocks in & we bailed.  too many people on those tiny sidewalks!




on all 4 corners around union square are hearts with various artsy decor.




this was my favorite one.  so much detail on such a big heart!




we made a stop by alamo park -- from the full  house opening scene -- i realize i've shot this sight a million times before, but look at those clouds!



jack took the opportunity to rip up some lovely, city park grass.  i caught a couple less-than-impressed glances from other patrons, but i showed no shame.  little man is set in his ways.



his mouth is in the ground.  that takes some motivation!



again, one of those shots that you've taken a million times, but can't resist!  both times that we went to sf we had beautiful skies.  that happens about 10% of the time & usually isn't forecasted, so lucky us!

while admiring the view, we found a friend! 
we also got a show -- him eating a fish & a pelican trying to snipe his feast.  did you know that they have to throw around the fish in order to get the pieces off?  we thought he was just messing around, but it came quite clear as he was barking at the pelican that he had no choice!



a view of the city skyline.



alcatraz in the distance. one of my favorite bay details = old ship port docks. 

alcatraz again.

up next: mama sautner visits!  t-minus 4 hours until her arrival!