Finally!

Look what we found today!

Finally! I seriously was beginning to think that we had the only chickens every born hatched that would never lay eggs. But just look at these beauties!

And they tasted pretty yummy, fried up with some veggies and served slathered in hot sauce. Just look at the pretty orange color, and check out how fresh eggs cook, the middle doesn't cook as fast as the edges.

Tomatoes and garlic courtesy of our garden.

Here's some more veggies from our garden. I'm not sure what to do with all those peppers. Any suggestions?

A beautiful story

My Dad's birthday is next week, he'll be turning 84. My Dad has Alzheimer's disease.

This picture was taken a few years ago, when he was more "himself". He now lives in a nursing home, and maybe wonders why he's there. Who knows, Alzheimer's has taken him away from us.

I recently came across this beautiful story of a son's love for his father with dementia. It's a wonderful story about how much we care for each other. Of course, it reminds me of my own family who look after my own Dad.

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

It's written and photographed by Philip Toledano, here's the link to his website: Mr Toledano.

I love how he is so gentle with his Dad, and clearly loves him so much. Stories are meant to be told, and this one is a beautiful tribute to all of us who are touched by Alzheimer's and dementia.

Point and shoot

It's remarkable, really. Now that I have my new camera, my kids are begging me to hang out with them at the beach and snap pics of them while they surf. I should have bought this toy years ago!

For instance, when younger son asked me to tag along with him to the beach to take some pics, I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the camera as fast as I could. As a mom of teenagers, it's these kinds of moments that we don't even dare to dream about.

I dropped him off with his surfboard at the top of the stairs to the beach, and turned the car around to find a parking spot. Anybody who has ever been to Laguna knows that finding a parking spot in summer is like finding the Loch Ness monster, or Chupacabra, or any other mythical thing out there. They may be out there, but it's not likely that you'll find one. But fortunately I was pretty lucky that morning.

I dashed down to Thalia Street Beach, set up my camera, and started looking for my kid. Even with my eye glued to a 300mm lens, I still couldn't find him.

 I decided to shoot some pics just to practice. I got some ok shots of some guys out in front. I'm still learning a lot, so this kind of practice is pretty valuable.

The waves were good, but I noticed that just south, at Brooks Street, some big sets were coming in, so I pointed the lens south, and shot a few streams of pics just for the fun of it.

We uploaded the photos, and he immediately noticed that the pics that I took at Brooks Street were of him!

On being a tourist

When you live in a tourist town for a very long time, you tend not to do what the tourists do. In other words, we usually avoid crowds, and head for the hills in summertime. It just so happens that our home is 1000 ft. above the crowds.

So, when guests from out of town come to stay, guess where they want to go? Yup, right smack in the middle of the sea of humanity. And guess what they want to do? Yup, everything that the tourists do.

Let me tell you, I did not think that I would like it one itty bitty bit, but do you want to guess what else?
It was fun. Did you hear me? It was really fun!

We browsed the crafty art at the Sawdust Festival where my sister-in-law bought a cool amber ring from Greg Thorne. We stand up paddled, (ahem) in the ocean, among the amazing kelp beds, renting our gear from Stand Up Paddle Co. on Oak St. and PCH. We actually walked the boardwalk at Main Beach, an activity that I would usually avoid like the plague.

Photo by: Syrahgirl

And we spent an afternoon on Balboa Island and Newport Beach. I haven't been there in years.

A lot of years. With my new, now working camera in hand, we traipsed around Balboa and rode the ferry over to Newport pier, pointing at the gulls and flotsam and jetsam, just like every other tourist in the vicinity.

Balboa Island is a very nautical themed place, as you can imagine. Surrounded by water, and sporting every kind of boat, from huge yachts for the uber wealthy, to sweet little dinghies tied to a pier and sabots navigated by kids, you really get the sense of how much these folks love their boats.

I know, I'm pretty artsy with my new camera.

Looking south from Newport Pier toward The Wedge.

Yea, so the tourists are definitely onto something here. They know where all the hot spots are, they know where the fun is, and they surely know how to have fun. I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Naw, never mind, I'm heading back up the hill.