Surviving The Heat.

You don't sit still in Shafter. Even in 110 degree heat.

Target practicing (yes my target it Jake)

The lawn just HAD to be cut.

 I haven't felt this hot since I was pregnant. A clingy toddler can help you remember that.

My hair in its natural state. Yikes.

As the sun started to set, we decided to take a bike ride through the almond and cherry orchards.  We all excepted a wave of coolness that usually accompanies us through the water soaked crops. We were in no such luck, a cloud of thick, sticky, heavy water filled heat followed us on our 5 mile ride. The faster we went, the more I felt I was being swallowed by the damp air.

The heat of the valley. It wouldn't be home with out it.

Developing Film, Part 1

I took a roll of fresh (ok semi fresh) film in to be developed today. I am pleasantly surprised to find a few gems, enjoy!

I call this , ode to the Mennonite Men's Chorus. Jake's family is Mennonite and I tease him that in old age he will join the Men's Chorus which he has yet to confirm or deny...

Uncle AP showing Violet the proper etiquette "tidiness"

gardening, our favorite pastime.

This is Jake's dad. We call him "Pop", actually everyone calls him Pop including people who are not related.  Pop is a craftsmen, he makes furniture (like what he is sitting on in this picture, along with 90% of everything in our home) and an artist.  Can't you tell?

This is our old kitchen in our first home (the green house).To the right was our breakfast nook with two large windows that over looked the city's park. To the left was the entry way to our laundry room which doubled for a place to put our refrigerator ( not for aesthetic reasons obviously, but for space reasons). Our laundry room had a door that led to the back yard which (again) for whatever reason people used as the front door.  Oh, yah, I'm pregnant in this picture devouring a lime (with real fruit) popsicle.  

Family Support

When we were visiting Shafter last weekend I was asked by my sister in law Hillary to take some pictures for her website. Hillary is a singer/songer writer and does a TON a local mic nights in her area. She has been working l o n g hours to send her music out world wide starting in January. When she first asked me to take pictures I was really hesitant. If you haven't noticed, I take pictures of my daughter, I do not do editorial spreads. But she reassured me she "liked my style" and wanted some "in the moment pictures". Here is one of the pictures, I can't reveal them all! That's the point of the website.

Hillary has a song about a man who covers up his tattoos. These men do NOT want to cover their tattoos, obviously

They turned out MUCH better than I thought. I stayed up until 2am (and that's late for someone who goes to bed at 10 everynight) editing editing editing my heart away, trying to make them professional. I am new to photoshop and everything I have learned has been mostly via youtube.

Stay tuned to see more pictures when Hillary's new website is finished. Until then you can listen to some of her music and enjoy her story here

In Shafter...

In Shafter, there isn't much to do.

Which is great, because there is always time to stop and smell the roses.

But don't stop too long, someone will notice and put you to work.

After you toil in the sun, you are rewarded with a hot meal, with some of the town's finest.

This small farm town, produces anything from potatoes, cotton, almonds, cherries, pistachios. When there is a drought, we often summons the rain gods for help. my father in law. what a character.

On Sundays in Shafter, we would play lawn golf in the park which was right across the street from our house. This park is the center of the town. On any given day, and at almost any TIME of day I could look out my living room window and people would be in the park. And no one believes me, but on Mexican Independence day, I saw a camel tied to a tree.

Isn't she cute? Our fist home together.  When we visited this weekend Jake and I walked from Jake's dad house (which is 5 blocks away) to our old green house. Everything was so familiar, but I felt a sense of sadness because I knew the house wasn't mine anymore.

 In Shafter, people come and go. But most end up, one way or another, coming back. We wish that some could have stayed a little bit longer. I thought a lot about Jake's Mom Ruth this weekend who died three years ago from Ovarian cancer.  I don't always think about her when I'm there (at least not in this capacity). Maybe because it seems like the fog on Oleander has been finally lifted since her passing.

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The fog has finally lifted so new generations can enjoy the small town of Shafter.

our weekend

Off we go to L.A. for a very special little girl's 2nd birthday. Items packed? 12 cans of baby food, 20 diapers, 2 bibs, a stroller, a portable crib.. how many days did we stay? One.

Birthday girl Lori and Violet quickly became friends.

A real LIVE baby doll

FINALLY a family picture

Cousin Lori and the girls

How did we have such light haired children??

Cousin Azad with Violet. He is SO great with kids. He is going to make a great dad one day.

On our way home, we stopped for dinner in Shafter. What a perfect day in our small little town. 

Can you tell what Aunt Hillary is saying? "vio-LE-t" 

Grandpa Greg always has the snazziest shirts... Doesn't he?

A family picture, minus Katie of course

BATH-tism by submersion

our house, is a very very very fine house...

I can't believe we are moving in approx. 22 days! I love our little green house on Mannel. We have so many memories of BBQ, bocce ball, lawn golf, gardening. There however, are a few things I WON'T miss..

1. the fact that our bathroom acts as a hallway between the kitchen, and bedroom.
2. having our refrigerator in the laundry room.
3. lack of DISHWASHER.
4. having to manually refill our toilet a couple of times a week.
5. getting an electrical jolt when I use the washing machine.
6. did I hear cats in our basement?
7. having to use the trash can to block the bathroom door from popping open from people walking in and out the back door.
8. using the back door as the front door.
9. is that rat shit in my cereal?
10. is that a cockroach on the stove?
11. is it really 113 degrees and the air conditioner is broken?
12. having a bathtub that is not corroded over with lime and various mildew.
13. announcing that you are "going to use the bathroom" when there are guests because the lock does not work.

Can't wait for our new adventure, in my home town!