Archive for the ‘Day Off’ Category

A Perfect Day

City Folk

Reno is the perfect marriage of city and country. This weekend we hit the pumpkin patch at Corley Ranch in the Carson Valley. A great time was had by all, but the Allens are definitely city folk.

Above are photos of my little city slickers:

Jack practicing his ropin’ skills while riding a plastic horse

Kate wearing her Cosmo style purse, sparkling flats and perfectly coiffed hairdo

You can take the girl (and her family) out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl….

2009 National Championship Air Races

One of the many perks of living in Reno is over-the-top events. Every September our family and 50,000 aviation fans celebrate the National Championship Air Races. This was a quiet year for our family. No guests. Usually we host a pack of retired Navy pilots from around the globe. We’ve had friends travel from as far away as the Philippines to join in the festivities.

The US Navy Blue Angels were the highlight of the weekend for Jack and Pete. Kate and I were partial to the purple planes.

Left to right from the top:

1. The awe-inspiring Blue Angels. “Woo-hoo Fly Navy!!!”
2. Jack with his Navy issue headphones
3. 50,000 die hard fans (photo taken from the cargo bay of a KC-10)
4. Rare Bear, a Grumman F8F Bearcat, won 2nd place in the Gold Unlimited Final, averaging 479 mph.

Burning Man 2009

Photo courtesy of Mr. Nightshade

I’m a child of the Great Basin. Northern Nevada’s high desert is woven in my genetic code. I grew up with otherworldly sunsets, pure snow and mystical lakes.

I know this is where the heart of Mother Earth beats.

Every September, a few miles north of my home, the barren Black Rock Desert transforms into a booming civilization of 50,000. Living art, a gift economy, unadulterated self expression, large scale art installations and a towering 65 foot Burning Man find a home on the playa. I’ve been told these ‘things’ are only what’s on the surface of this monumental event.

I’ve never been to Burning Man, but I long to. Every year I stand behind a group of giddy Burners in line at the local grocery store. Sun screen, water, hats, water and hula hoops. I envy them and I laugh. At the end of the week I watch an endless convoy of cars, vans and RVs, christened with a fine dust veil, parade out town. I envy them and I laugh.

My husband has talked of going to Burning Man for the ten years I’ve known him. He wants to go so he can wield a flame thrower. He’s says this with a laugh, but I know he is only half joking. Nineteen years of wondering has me thinking. I should make a list.

Goggles, Hat, Camera, Flame Thrower….

Vacation Top Ten

Our whirlwind vacation to Santa Cruz has come to an end. It was fantastic. My only complaint is we should have stayed two more days. There was so much to do we never took a moment to kick our feet up and relax.

That being said, here are a handful of my favorite moments. A list of suggestions if you are lucky enough to spend a week on the beautiful Monterey Bay.

10. Eating at Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola. My apricot hazelnut muffin was to die for.

9. Practicing my photography skills

8. Kids learning to identify Brown Pelicans

7. Killer Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich from Zocolli’s Deli in downtown Santa Cruz

6. Flying kites on the beach

5. Surfers

4. Collecting sticks in the Redwoods

3. Roasting marshmallows on the beach

2. Seeing the 5th Great White Shark introduced at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

1. Kate saying, “The best part of vacation is Daddy sharing his Smoothie with me”. It’s the little things.

I’m sad to report we never found our Banana Slug. Next time!

Enough reminiscing. There’s a pile of laundry, luggage and toys staring me down, daring me to take it on.

More from the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Awestruck is the best word to describe the wave of emotion that flows over me every time I step foot in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We have visited countless times and each time I walk away with greater passion for the MBA’s mission to save our oceans.

This year I went with the goal of capturing the essence of the aquarium on film. Of course that’s not possible, but I’m happy with the photos I was able to capture while chasing a husband and two kids. I used my Nikon D70 with 50 mm and 85 mm lenses. I shot exclusively in manual with manual focus and no flash. Boy, what a difference it made! The only editing I’ve done is cropping to fit this blog space and some minor noise reduction to temper the graininess caused by my ISO setting of 1600.

Clockwise, here are the details of each of the above photos:

Afternoon Kelp Forest Feeding

Sea Nettle Jellyfish

Introduction of the fifth Great White Shark to the Outer Bay tank (Learn more)

Mackerel

My sweet husband as a contestant on the gameshow, “You Otter Know”

Every visit we learn and experience something new and inspirational. It always feels like the first time, which is incredible in our media-filled, short-attention-span world. The highlight of yesterday’s visit was viewing the introduction of the aquarium’s fifth Great White Shark into the Outer Bay tank. She is a 5 foot, 3 inch shark collected by the Aquarium staff off the coast of Malibu on August 12th. She will stay in the Outer Bay tank for several months then be released back into the Pacific. The aquarium’s goal is “to change public attitudes and promote protection for this magnificent and much-maligned ocean predator.” If you have a chance to visit her, take it. She is simply spectacular.

Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s footage of Great White Shark’s transfer into the Outer Bay tank.

Surf’s Up

Santa Cruz is known for its laid back attitude, open mindedness and healthy lifestyle. I appreciate all that, but what I love is the surfing. You know the age old question asking, if reality was not an issue, what would you do for a living? Well, I’ve always answered orchestra conductor. Today I realized the honest answer is Surfer. I’m a desert rat with minimal coordination and sketchy swim skills, but deep down I know I’m a surfer. Dude.

Time to Unwind

You can’t beat the excitement of the first day of a family vacation. It’s a feeling that rivals Christmas Eve or the first day of ski season. This morning we bottled the energy of two kids and two parents into a minivan packed to the brim with beach essentials. Our family prefers a road to trip to fighting the stresses of an airport, but today’s commute was a bit trying. After two stops just to get out of town, we hit bumper to bumper traffic beginning at Floriston. Yeah, yeah I know there is always summer traffic through the Sierra, but it didn’t let up until we reached U.C.Davis.

After an 8 hour drive (should have been 4 hours) I’m happy to report, we finally arrived in Santa Cruz with enough time to devour a pizza and hit the pool. While Pete and the kids splashed and flipped and laughed and played I enjoyed this oh-so therapeutic sunset. It’s officially time to unwind.

On Vacation

Photo Courtesy of Photomato

Summer is quickly winding down. For our family, that means it’s time to close shop and set out for an iconic family vacation.

We’ll be piling into Poppy’s minivan with our bikes, swim noodles and hiking boots, heading to the California Coast. We visit Monterey Bay almost every year. Monterey, Salinas, Gilroy, Watsonville. This year we are exploring new territory: Santa Cruz.

Our number one goal? Toes in the sand. We also plan to hike the Redwoods, search for banana slugs, fly kites, roast ‘smores on the beach and play on the boardwalk. If we don’t return, you’ll know why.

The studio will be closed Saturday, August 22nd through Friday, August 28th. All orders will be processed and shipped the following Monday. We plan to check email sporadically, but if we are struck with a case of surfer-itis, we’ll get back to you when we return.

Day Off: Scrabble Mania

I love Scrabble. I grew up with a grandfather who had genuine Scrabble powers. His skill and vocabulary were mind boggling. To me, he was one of the Scrabble greats. Thanks to him, Scrabble now has a mystical allure.

I secretly want to be one of those amazing and eccentric tournament players I read about in the hugely awesome book Word Freak. In reality, I lack the awe-inspiring brain power needed to survive among the gods of the Scrabble world. Instead I feed my hunger with online games among friends.

If you are familiar with Scrabble, you know there is a rating system. Wins, losses, bingos, and scores are tracked and calculated.  National Scrabble Association club and tournament members are ranked based on this rating.

As a teen my ratings (calculated by the PC game I played with my Grampa) hovered in the 1000 range. That number was a source of endless frustration. To put it in perspective, the current #1 player is David Gibson with a rating of 2066 (Holy $#?!). My Grampa had ratings in the 1600′s. Since my teens, my dream was to reach 1400. A goal I thought was unattainable. 

Because I don’t have the time for club play (and frankly, I’m too intimidated), I get my Scrabble fix by playing on Facebook. Yeah, yeah, Facebook Scrabble is not tournament play, but it has helped me hone my skills. I’ve made great strides in playing with an open style instead of a “step-ladder” style, taking risks and growing my vocabulary. My casual interest has become an obsession. I check for my turn online when I wake, before I go to bed and many times in between. I can play from my laptop or my telephone, so I never miss out when I’m on the go. A bit maniacal yes, but oh so worth it. 

In the past few months I’ve played nearly 60 games, all tracked and tallied by the magical FB Scrabble servers. And, voila, I have a Scrabble rating. It began at a baseline of 1200. Everyone starts there. Then it goes up or down depending on the level of play. I have been wavering between 1350 and 1390 for the last few months. Every time I get close to hitting that elusive 1400, I lose a game and my rating drops. I usually lose to my brainiac sister or my childhood friend Kaho. I complain, but I am so thankful for them. Their skill has pushed me to improve. 

On Monday, my dream finally became a reality. 1403. I did it! Above is the screen shot from my telephone. Since my rating has dipped back into the 1390′s, but if only for a day I was a Scrabble rock star. I’d elaborate more, but I need to go check my games.