Summer is off and running.
A game my son created at tech camp – “Lava Monster”.
Belt testing in Karate. Paying respects to those that came before.
The new belt.
Meet the newest ember of Harry’s Rainbow Loom Dragon family – Cloudjumper.
Cat sitting.
Surf Camp. ( I rented a 500mm lens and it was so worth it.)
Hang Ten Dude.
Project life/365. That’s a lot of photos. A lot of photos!
But there are also many days I don’t feel like taking a photo and nothing exciting is going on so, I take a photo another day of something currently going on in our lives:
And while these photos may seem mundane, they are often my favorite. These photos represent those stories that make up our everyday lives.
These sites are great for inspiration:
Don’t ask.
Surviving on iced coffee from Starbucks.
The Giant Prospector of Washoe Valley.
Thank goodness there is a candy store right next door. So many decisions.
Every flavor of salt water taffy you could ever imagine.
Must have that one.
Jumping across the Giant Poker Chips of Reno.
Touching the Blarney Stone of Reno.
Crossing beneath the infamous Reno sign.
Before we left, Harry wanted to rock climb the wall next to the Reno sign that reaches to the clouds. Warming up.
Starting the ascent.
And up.
Landing on the first leg of the journey.
That tiny purple speck is Harry about 1/2 way up the second leg. People were cheering from across the street. He climbed vertically about 115′ (that is 140′ from street level). Crazy!
Resting on the giant bike lock.
Some sore fingers after that adventure, but all smiles. I am so impressed he got as far as he did, there is no way I could ever do that.
What a great way to end the trip. Then, it was time for the long drive home.
Pastries, coffee and Rubik’s for breakfast at the famous Erick Schat’s Bakery.
There was a crazy bird who attacked anyone who walked by. 
Stopping for a little fishing.
The fish weren’t biting so we moved on and had a picnic at Mammoth Lakes. Harry decided to try his hand a whittling.
And a game of Giant Jenga.
The Upside down house in Lee Vining. 
And a brilliantly placed park next door.
Sunset over Lake Tahoe.
Harry has an obsession with flames/ lit candles at restaurants.
He always has to blow them out. Always.
Jumping at the Lake.
Goodnight.
We decided to make an adventure of our long road trip from San Diego to Reno. I found this brilliant website – Roadside America – the Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions. (They also have an app.) Our fun stops broke up our trip in just the right ways, allowing time to stretch, catching a slice of Americana, seeing areas/people we might never have seen, random art and oddities and so much more. Off we go….
The car is packed.
The Muffler Man.
Grape Day Park.
The road trip driver.
Big Gumby and Pokey.
Living Ghost Town in Randsburg. We met some really neat people here.
The UniRoyal Gal.
The Give/Take Sculpture in Olancha.
Harry gave a few Rainbow Loom bracelets he made. He looked in the take canister but decided not to take anything.
“Be kind not right.”
Pit stop.
Nightmare rock is not so scary.
A stop in Bishop.
And day one is complete.
The last day of school. Testing their towers (they made of toothpicks, wax paper and glue) for strength and durability.
Patrick explaining the forces involved in the collapse.
The final demolition.
Movie time – How to Train Your Dragon2 with friends (including his collection of Rainbow Loomed dragons.)
A fusebead Minecraft Sword creation.
Celebrating Father’s Day at Safari Park. Tigers.
My boys.
Isn’t this what Fatherhood is all about?
Harry trying coffee for the first time.
Here is what he thought. Please help us.
A day at the Fair.
A sampling of the fine delicacies at the Fair – potato chips on a stick.
Carnival games.
Jump.
Rides.
Butterflies with butterfly whisperer.
Playing instruments from the ranch.
Being silly.
Food, food and more food.
More rides.
Patrick found a place to sit and relax.
The joy of a new carnival game prize.
Can’t get enough of the photo booths.
A selfie.
The Fair at night.
This was one crazy, fun busy week.
Someone finagled me into buying this giant inflatable fish at the grocery store.
Dave and Busters.
Harry ran out of coins in about 10 minutes flat. So then he just pretended to play.
What to get with all those tickets?
Crazy straw glass were a must.
Field trip to the science museum. 
Don’t ask.
Playing pool for the first time and he won. Must be beginners luck. 
Harry interviewed a remarkable octogenarian for a paper for school. 
Volunteering to help organize the library at my son’s school reminded me of my childhood obsession. I couldn’t get enough of these Nancy Drew books. 
Don’t ask. Seriously. This is somehow Harry working on his paper for school. hmmm..
He is so funny. 
Drawing a mean, angry squid.
The purple colored squid doesn’t look so scary and mean.
Something is wrong in the universe. Raja is on Moomba’s tower. This is just pure trouble.
Enjoying his favorite drink – a Fanta at our favorite Burger joint.
We created a list of things Harry needed and wanted to accomplish over the weekend (along with a little Hangman). Please notice his “Drive Mom Crazy.”
surf and sea design 