Bay Area in the Late Spring Anyone?

I know, I know, we only post to our blog every 2-3 weeks, but nevertheless...here's your Top 5 (plus one) from the Doxeys.


1. Flowering Wonderland. It's no secret that the Bay Area is pretty much a modern day garden of Eden. I mean, those of you who know us well know we can't grow a thing, but yet our yard (thanks to the previous owner's knowledge of what blooms, when and how and why) seems to be a flowerly wonderland.

But alas, I have to comment that it is not just our yard. The Bay Area is a flowering mega wonderland right now. Not sure why. Must be Spring. I'd say at least bi-weekly we're stunned to see some new variety of flower that we've never seen before--and they're just growing in somebody's yard at the side of the road. I mean, who thinks up this stuff? Christmas tree sized, pointy flowering things? Let's just say we're regularly left with a sense of awe at the Creator's creative hand.

2. Julia visits Utah. On April 24th and 25th Julia was in Utah for baby Mariah's sealing. It was a quick trip but she had a great time. It was WONDERFUL to see family and friends--especially to see how happy Dave and Shanni are. Dave & Shanni's little family is just pure, high concentrated energy. Mariah has quite a little story!


3. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Let's just say I continue to chop wood. No broken windows to report. Now I chop safely out by the woodpile (a.k.a predetermined location for many dad/rebel child chats), under the arbor/trellis thing going out to the creek.

SIDE NOTE: Yesterday I was at a 6-7 Stake Little Philmont all day. Elder Dahlquist was the keynote and it was quite good. There were about 500 East Bay Area Scout Leaders there.

It was almost like a reunion. At lunch I sat at a table where on one side there were many of my old Bayside ward leadership friends (who I hadn't seen in 6-7 years), and on the other there were many of my current San Ramon Scout cronies, as well as many other Danville Stake buddies. Friends, Cronies and Buddies--what more could you want?

Julia was a huge sport and stayed home, 7 mos. pregnant with sick kids. But for me, it was a great day of training and very fun to see old friends and ward leaders from our old neighborhood. Worlds were colliding right and left. Hilary Call (my sister in law and Primary maven) was there amongst all these dudes in full Class A uniforms. Funny sight to say the least. I'm probably going to Wood Badge this fall, which should be fun. I'll keep my wood chopping/hunk of wood through the window story to myself.


4. Mantle done. The mantle is done and on the wall. That thing took far longer that I anticipated. Now we can hang Christmas stockings, have a place to safely put the matches (because it's tradition--you can't just put them anywhere else), and have something to break the clock's fall if it happens to be hit with a football.

5. Lego wars. We're trying to glorify the creations of the boys by giving them some publicity. I mean, how would you feel if you went to all that work, only to have your little sister stomp on it...day after day? Nate and John are actually quite prolific Lego creation builders. They've mastered topics of congruence, foundations, resourceful design (Nate is pleased as punch that the real Millennium Falcon costs around $100 and he built is for about $.15). They both agree that they can build anything better than instructed by the instructions that come with a set. Nate thinks selling his designs over the Internet would be far more profitable that their last lemonade stand toy sale on our own Northland Avenue (they not only didn't sell anything, nobody even stopped).

6. Stake Conference. As many of you know, our stake conferences are at the Oakland Interstake Center.

Tradition has it that we always go up on the overlook (above and on the temple) in the gardens to see the view of the whole Bay Area. It's not open all the time, but it was this time so Nate & John got to go up there. Of course, it's beautiful. For more pics see the Recent Photos link on the right nav.

Later.