just one more story

When I was a little girl i would snuggle in my dad's big black chair with him and a mountain of books.  My favorite refrain was "just one more story.  please, just one more story."  He would oblige most of the time, but after hours of reading stories he would feign sleep.  I would poke him with my little fingers trying to wake him up.  "Come on Daddy, just one more story.  That's it, I promise."  

On this last trip home to visit my parents my dad built a fire one night and as we wait for dinner he read me a story.  I love to listen to him read as much as I love to hear the story.  Something about listening to stories is soothing.  

Today I found the prefect site for listening to stories.  I think I could spend hours listening to "just one more story".  The StoryCorps has instituted the national day of listening, set for this coming Friday.  They ask you to set a side 1 hour to interview a person that is important to you about their life.  Take a moment to learn about this amazing project.  This would be a wonderful tradition to start.

free shoes..????!

Simple Shoes have a little drawing going to win a free pair of shoes.  And since I clearly love my Simple Shoes (seen here in this picture)... I hope for non-rainy days so I don't get them muddy ... I'm going to enter this drawing.  So... here's their little video.  

I've been called a dork for wearing shoes with recycled tire soles and hemp, but I'm proud to be a dork!  

Pick me Simple, pick me!!

out and about

Today Lukas and I had a fun and busy day.  First order of business was driving into Eureka to deliver a couple huge boxes of apples to the Eureka Rescue Mission.  A few days before we had picked 3 big boxes full of apples and the tree still looks full.  The guys at Eureka Rescue Mission seemed a bit surprised at all the apples we had for them.  We saved one box for the Food Endevor in Arcata only to find out that they were completely over run with apples and didn't need ours.  After droping off the apples we headed over to the Eureka Library.

It had been so long since I'd been to a library for anything other than studying for school.  I'd forgotten how much I like libraries.  Rows after rows of books all organized.  Just makes me happy.  As a little girl my mom would take us to the library weekly.  I would leave with as many books as I could carry and read all of them by the time we went back the next week.  Today we were looking for books on photographing the Oregon Coast and such.  It was fun to look up the books, find them, and page through them quietly together by the windows overlooking the wharf.  Lukas ended up finding a great book on landscape photography and I got to enjoy the library.  

From there it was back to Arcata to find out our apples weren't needed and then on to Wildberries to pick up some fish for dinner.  Got some talapia and a little ice cream too.  Then back home we went to play a little basketball and then head back out again, this time to the beach.  

When we go to the beach the clouds were pretty, but nothing special.  I walked the dogs down the beach while Lukas shot away.  The sun sunk lower in the sky and the sunset exploded.  What was predicted to be a rainny day turned out to be the most beautiful since we've been up here.  

Sunset @ Santa Cruz

A couple evenings ago Lukas and I hit up low tide at Lighthouse Beach in Santa Cruz.  The goal was to get cool pictures of the natural bridge that is just north of the light house.  But, the light wasn't quite right... It was hitting the back of the natural bridge that is just about inaccessible unless you go for a little swim.  Now we know... got to go at low tide in the morning.  But the dilema with that is the tide doesn't seem to get very low in the mornings.  Gosh, being a photographer's assistant can be such trying work.  

As Lukas said, the sunset was a good "vanilla" sunset.  And it was.  A beautiful wash of golden orange and deep blues.  I like vanilla - it's nice and simple.  The ocean that night was calm and it came to life with color as the sun sunk lower on the horizon.  Here's the photographer hard at work:

As we walked north along the cliffs we heard music up ahead.  Interpertive melodies on piano. And that's what it was, a long haired, strawhatted man sat at an upright piano playing away to his heart's content just steps away from the cliffs and the ocean.  I had to smile at the simplicity of it all.  Why wouldn't you want to play beautiful music in the cool air of the setting sun?  So what if your instrument doesn't happen to be the most portable of all instruments?  

While Lukas entertained himself taking pictures I got to watch the stars come out.  

*inspired*

In high school a guidance counselor nominated me to attend a leadership conference.  I clearly remember the incredible energy that took over the group of 100+ high school students from all over Northern California.  It started slowly, building upon the inspiration of the students that had been the year before.  By the end of the short weekend each one of us truely felt like we could make changes - we could make a difference.  I remember writing in my journal "I want to always remember the feeling I had this weekend".  But, over time that feel faded.  I still know it is in my power to create positive change, but the imense inspiration and excitement that I had that weekend in high school hasn't really come back.  I am searching for it.  

After hearing Obama speak tonight I feel our country is catching the feeling of inspiration that I felt that weekend in high school.  It is in our hands to make a difference and create change.  Our voices can be heard.  It is an amazing time to live in where our president-elect can stir up such inspiration in the people.  

"So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? 

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can."