Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day so what else should I do but upload a photo of my mom!?!? Here she is in one of my favorite old photos taken during the 70's when the Carol Brady hair was the IN style! Very glamorous! We lived in Redondo Beach at that time in a yellow house on Fisk Lane and during the summers my mom would take all five of us kids (plus friends!) to the beach just about every weekday while my dad was at work. We had a blast! My mom would pack a great big picnic lunch of tuna & Miracle Whip sandwiches on homemade wheat bread, fruit (I especially remember green grapes), and homemade chocolate chip cookies. YUM! Such great memories. Just one of the many things that my mom did for her family while I was growing up (she also made just about ALL the clothes we three girls wore). I had a very happy childhood and, since the mom is the heart of the home, she is very much responsible for that. My dad played his own big part, just in a different way, which you will hear about next month on Father's Day.

Thanks, Mom, for my chocolate-chip-coookie-childhood. I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Signs of Spring

Nothing more "springy" than a bird's nest with brand new eggs! I've been keeping an eye on a certain bush in front of our house where a house wren (I think!) has decided to set up housekeeping. When I first noticed the nest a few days ago there were only 3 eggs in it. Yesterday there were 4, today there are 6! It's seems strange that most of the eggs are bluish-white and 2 are speckled. It almost looks like two different birds are using the same nest. Could that be?? Or can a single bird lay eggs that look so different? And I always thought birds only laid one egg a day but two have appeared in the last 24 hours. I'm really intrigued by this situation. I guess I'd better get out my bird books and do some research. I also need to try to get a good look at the bird (or birds!) that is using the nest. She must hear us coming out of the house because only once have I actually seen a bird fly out of the bush, and even then I didn't get a good look at it. Every other time the nest is already empty of Mama Bird.This is the bush where the nest is, about 2/3 of the way up and slightly to the left. Not very high off the ground, which worries me as there are cats in our neighborhood! My own cats are not allowed to roam unattended but I know others are. Also, crows are known to be nest-robbers and have ransacked nests in the past. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to see these babies hatch and eventually leave the nest.
Some of my daisies in the front yards. Aren't daisies just the happiest flowers??? They're always so cheerful! Have a happy day!

Cinco de Mayo at Angel Island

A little group of my family members stole away on Monday and went to Angel Island to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We consisted of Mike and I; my sister Denise, her husband, Dave, and two of her kids, Jenny and Adam; my sister Karen and her friend, Jen; and my cousin Laurel and her two boys, Bryce and Bradley. Above photo, left to right: Mike, Denise, Laurel, Karen (carrying Bradley), and Jen.
Bradley was so good; when our hike quickly became too much for his 2-year-old legs, he allowed us to simply pass him around like a sack of potatoes.
Bryce, 5, spent some of the day on Mike's shoulders. Sorry, Jenny, it looks like your spot has been taken over now that you are too tall for this mode of transportation!


Some of us travelled to Angel Island by sailboat, on the Mirage.
Usually, Mike does most of the driving. This time he had help from Captain Adam, who was at the helm just about the entire way and took his duties very seriously!
Jenny sat in the bowsprit and kept a sharp eye out for submerged navigational hazards.
Others arrived on the ferry from Tiburon. There's Karen, Jen, Laurel, Bradley, and Bryce.
Well, we had to have a pinata! It was Cinco de Mayo, after all! Mike worked the rope and the three boys took turns having a go at it with a big stick. It was an extraordinarily well-constructed pinata but they did finally manage to smash it open. Laurel helping the boys gather up candy. Bradley looks like he's found something he especially likes!

Adam and Bradley gathering up goodies. We had hoped for warmer weather but got a partly-cloudy day with more cold wind than we liked. But at least it made for a good kite-flying activity. In the late afternoon we spent some time aboard the Mirage - mainly to warm up! Bryce enjoyed "sailing" the boat.We were even treated to a little parade of geese; Mom and Papa at the front and rear, and the goslings in the middle. Happy Spring!