...the plans are coming together!

what started as a two week trip to new England this summer for a couple of weddings, has turned into a 2 1/2 month summer adventure on the road.

I decided back in feb that it would be fun to drive cross-country, instead of flying in and out. in the last couple of years, I have spent a lot of my vacations traveling outside the USA to put some distance between myself and work. I've been craving more time to explore this country, and this summer it is falling into place. :)

on Tuesday (July 3), my 9 1/2 year old niece, christina, is flying from Boston to sf (on her own!), and she will be my companion for the next 12 days driving from sf to our cousin dani's wedding in state college, pa. it is such an amazing opportunity for us to spend this time together, and I can't wait to share the adventure with her. for the west-east crossing, I am planning a northern route up into Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, south Dakota, Chicago, il... and stops at many national parks and landmarks.

after the west-east crossing, i plan to spend close to three weeks in new england with my family and friends. looking forward to a little east coast summer! then, in the first week of August, my best friend from high school, Kate, is going to join me for the trip back west. unlike my trip east, we have not made any substantial plans, and I can't wait to just explore our way back west for a few weeks.

and, as if that wasn't enough of a summer adventure, I am going to drop Kate off in Vegas, then head to flagstaff Arizona, where I will be joining a rafting trip through the grand canyon for 2 more weeks.

when all is said and done, I should be rolling back into sf mid-September with a crispy brown tan, and a basket of stories to share. :)

it's good to be 38 so far...

my birthday weekend with friends kicked my 38th year off to a fine start. feeling good. got my feet back on the ground this year. a little clarity about what i do well, and making choices about how I want to live. cleaned out the cobwebs, cleared a lot of clutter, and opened up a lot of questions about who I am and where I want to go. don't have many answers to the questions, but I am on the right journey. ;)

and oh boy, I have quite a summer packed with journeys and adventure planned.....

meat!

no one went hungry, and significant amounts of meat was grilled!

adult refreshment stop...

on the way home, Geordie, Arvind and I made a visit to our beer Mecca... the Russian river brewery in santa rosa. home of my beloved (and by far, one of the best beers on the market right now) pliny the elder.

the three if us shared the 18-beer sampler. so delicious! standouts were "happy hops" and "supplication".

and no birthday weekend would be complete without a new hoodie! thanks again Arvind and Mala for such a fantastic gift! :)

playing about in boats

our big adventure for the weekend was loading up all the families into the boats, and crossing the river for an afternoon on the beach on the other side. it was hilarious that it took us hours to coordinate getting everyone over there.... but everyone enjoyed a low-key afternoon.

river queen crew & sunset birthday celebration!

on Saturday evening the girls put together a birthday toast on the upper hot tub deck... complete with customized beer mugs for me, wine glasses for shannan (her 40th is in July), decks of cards for mani, and a variety of party favors for Otis & olive (celebrating 4 years old on may 31st).

it was an awesome festive evening. girl couldn't ask for more on her b-day! xo.

the "river queen" mansion on the Russian river

for the long memorial day weekend this year, Mala and I rented a mansion on the banks of the Russian river, and herded 18 of our beloved friends, and their 10 children to join us for some fun and relaxation. it was quite a full house!...

first off, the house itself was amazing! 7 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, and about 18 porches! the game room (a.k.a. "man town") had a pool table, fusball, & ping pong, and giant tv, and games galore! of course, poker was played. outside, there was a huge hot tub on the deck overlooking the river, as well as a boat ramp stocked with a variety of canoes and kayaks.

it was a whirlwind at times with all the families around, but we never had a chance to get bored. some went wine tasting, I never left the property.

http://www.vrbo.com/286986

my butterflies - growth, change, metamorphosis

it has been quite a year, and my loss that I didn't dust off the blog site sooner to capture some of it. better late than never. a lot to blog in the coming months... and here is a good place to start.

this new tattoo captures a lot of the theme of my last year. growth, transition, evolution, metamorphosis. I'm digging on the nature theme developing on my body, so decided to keep it going. I have such vivid memories of the life cycle of monarch butterflies from growing up, and they seemed to capture my mood nicely.

monarch caterpillars chomping away at milkweed. wrapped up tight in a chrysalis. rebirth. then butterflies frolicking on summer zinnias. I connected with Erik at idle hands just after the new year to give birth to this piece.

Erik originally sketched it to fill my right arm down to my elbow, but I wasn't ready to sleeve out yet. had a dream one night that it covered my side, and we made it so!

we started the inking in early feb, and just finished last week. 6 sittings, which for the size isn't too bad. least I forget anytime soon, however, this one hurt. a lot. my body didn't like anything about this trauma to my abdomen area. ouy! we just worked it slowly.

I'm so happy with the finished piece... if only it would finish healing, and stop itching. ha.