Summering in the Solstice

Summers and Weekends.

Nothing goes better together. It seems like we have decided to pack this summer with weekends full of events and plans and sound and trips. Pre-children summer weekends were special as it was time to get out of town, hit up a favorite camping place or try a new trail on the bikes and search out the best local Mexcian food. Then the boys came and weekends were the precious days that Tim had with them, and precious days when I had him. And now we have shifted again, to something right in the middle.

This Solstice weekend really kicked it off with something to do everyday.


We started our weekend with a very special wedding of a best friend.

I spent the afternoon with her in the cool hotel room as she had her time to prepare and breathe (as best one can before a big event).

I loved re-discovering the local hotel redone and classy, having a sip of champagne and then coming home to feed the boys and gussy up a bit with Tim before heading back out for the special event. Gotta' love a local wedding. It was beautiful but I found I left my camera in the bag most of the night, too caught up in having fun rather than being behind the lens to capture it. I highly recommend a traveling photo booth at your next event.


It was a blast and I plan on doing something with the silly tipsy photos Tim and I ended up taking. Congrats, Jess and we love you much Adam.


Saturday was another night out for us. I found a link to a not so local Mason Jennings concert and impulsively bought the tickets, figuring we would figure it out when the day came.

It was a concert for a really good cause in support of the Ojai collective of parents promoting healthy eating and educating their kids in the garden.


We decided to make a night of it and packed up the car for an overnight car camping experience. I am so very glad we decided to go...it was perfect watching my most favorite musician while sitting in the town park. We had blankets (and local Mexican food) and comfy chairs. What better way to welcome the Solstice?


Then we had the gift of getting close, much closer than usual

...and watching Mason perform with a very special guest. I figured we might see Jack Johnson as he was the original performer for the Food for Thought concert.

He showed up on stage all woolly bearded and they did a few numbers together that made my night including their version of this song. I loved the crowd, very easy and casual, ignoring the kids and crashers tumbling down to be closer to the stage. And they paid a pretty penny for those front seats, while we lawn crashers got in on a 20 dollar bill.

I wanted the encore to go on forever, but it did come to a close. One of the best concerts I have seen in years, well, one of the only. And then a semi-comfy night snugged down in the back of the Subaru and an early morning drive home.

Because, you know, it is Father's Day and the best place to be for that is Home.

We came home to find Mace snuggling on our bed with my Mama, Owen hanging out on the periphery watching Sesame Street. And then a family brekky prepared by my brother and Auntie Net.

Round 1

Round 2

And some rest and some fun and a quick project I tried to pull together for Tim's Daddy Day.

I wanted to do a freezer paper stencil using the boys' hands in combination with their Daddy's much larger hand. This came out a little sloppy, my layering of the paint was not well planned. I was aiming for showing how little their hands are, trying to avoid a overly 80s feel.
Tim said he liked it. I put the date there so some day, down the line, Tim can look at it and now how very much they have grown. And if he does like it, I guarantee he will have it for ten years or so. We just recently retired his Tsitsikamma shirt from our Africa trip. Ah, to think how the guy who once camped his way through other countries and shaved a mohawk into his hair on a 50C day has become such a wonderful father, everything to his boys, every step he takes into it assured and enjoyed. Thanks, baby, you are the best-est of Dads to the boys we brought here.


Freezer paper is easy and fun, but I think I need a better fabric paint. Does anyone out there have a brand they can recommend? I picked mine up at the local Joann's and I am not sure if there is better quality paints or if it was my hasty application of the ones I have. Any suggestions appreciated. Or I might just have to jump into silk screening like my little sister has.

And how else would you end a perfect weekend except with two little boys showing us how they use the big potty?

Ta da. Hope your Solstice weekend was a celebration for you.