Happy Memorial Day!

Well, if it's not obvious, we haven't posted in awhile! We've been mondo busy since our last post. I'll try to BRIEFLY explain through all the pictures, and vignettes about what's lately been going down at the Bay Area Doxeys. These are in no particular order, but here goes...

Sweet Caroline. The girl is driven. She's witty, smart, spunky, fast, and loves to be with all the other kids. She CRUISES around the house. Stands up.

She'll be walking in no time. Teething. Buy stock in Oragel now. I'd pay $10,000 for a tube of it some nights. She's a peach though. Sturdy. Durable. Yet a lightweight. Uncanny. Personality a mix of Nathan's and Liza's. Full of promise.


Historic Columbia, California. If you ever have an itch to explore the Gold Country, we highly recommend the quaint, historic town of Columbia, which is very close to Angels Camp in Toulumne & Calaveras Counties, just a tad north of Yosemite. It's one of many Mother Lode towns along highway 49, named after the 49ers. You may have even heard mom talk about wanting to go to the "Celebrated Jumping Frog" festival at Angels Camp in Calaveras County... well, this is VERY close to that gig.

We cruised up there with Tom and Hilary and their kids today (Saturday). Old time everything--stagecoach rides, panning for gold, incredible candy store, blacksmith shop, candle making shop, dry goods shop, everyone dressed in period clothing, wooden bowling alley, old time dentist and apothecary, old time picture/daguerreotype studio, live musicians, a frosty sarsaparilla for the kids, large tree lined streets, perfect weather.

The kids had a blast--especially with the super sized jawbreakers. We liked it even more than Old Town Sacramento, and we liked that a lot!

New Master Bath. a.k.a. The longest project in Doxey Family history. We don't know why this project took so long. It could be b/c we only could work on it in what seemed like 3 minute increments and it takes me a long time to study up on code stuff. It's one of the biggest reasons we haven't posted for so long. If you see a posting drought from us, it usually means there is a project underway. Life is just freaking busy.

Here are the before, during and after shots. I swapped out one sink for two, split the drain line, split the supply lines, moved the electrical outlets, installed new "beadboard" walls, new crown molding and baseboards, new travertine on the floor and countertop, two new sinks, new trimwork, new fixtures. The best part...it's up to code and I stayed in budget (less than $500 for EVERYTHING).

You won't believe this, (actually, maybe you will) but I've been "collecting" parts for this for about two years, as they have presented themselves (e.g. were free) on Craigslist--less than a few miles away. I don't drive the whole Bay Area for this stuff! The two brand new sinks, beadboard paneling, 4" crown, large beveled mirror medicine cabinet ... all free.

I used leftovers from other jobs around the house for all the other trimwork. The faucets and other hardware came from HD EXPO as it was going out of business...50% off. The only thing I had to buy was PEX supplies for the inner wall plumbing, ABS pipe, brown paint for the mirror trim, a new flange, 2 GFIs, lighting, some studs to build a header on the load bearing wall and of course the travertine and grout. I love seeing how nice I can make something for little outlay. Julia has officially painted all the trim in our house. Steady, patient hands, unlike mine. That's a lot of trim!

It turned out really nice. We like it. There are a lot of kids endlessly jockeying for position / boxing out while brushing their teeth around here so it's handy too.

Tyler Boshard, The Cook. Tyler Boshard stayed with us for a week a few weeks ago. We loved having him here. He found the Asian market and went all out making us incredible sushi ... Sashimi one night and Tempura Shrimp another night. He was a good help/playground for the kids too.


Bike Riding Season. I guess it's always bike riding season here, but it's been especially nice lately. Liza is loving her new bike. We go over to their school and just cruise. So fun.


The kids (mostly the boys) are gearing up for the big mountain bike ride this summer. Sometime on Memorial Day we're going to ride across the Golden Gate bridge again and go into the Presidio and Presidio Cemetery for the festivities. Fun.

"Show Your Stuff" Night at Country Club Elementary. Last Thursday we got to go in the kids classrooms and see all the incredible things they have been working on. They really are amazing!


Nate wrote and illustrated three books (seriously, these are hardbound, illustrated and even have a laminated book jacket!). One of them is the funny family story about all the glass we have broken in our house--a lot. His teacher Mrs. Faegenson is an absolute dream--such a great teacher. Julia spends a lot of time volunteering at the school (as many other parents do) and we've been really lucky with awesome teachers so far. John is loving it as well. They have had a great year.


Rhodi. Can I just say our Rhododendrons are amazing? This one is right outside our front door. There are about four others like this of all colors around our house. Bless the former owner.

Speedy The Turtle. Our friends found a turtle on the side of the road and now he lives in our kiddie pool in the backyard. His name is Speedy, and he really is speedy. He eats chopped up worms, egg shells, roses and more. He can stand on his hind legs, pull himself up on things with his huge claws. Quite agile he is. He was a hit at Julia's last pre-school day this past week. Part of the lesson that day was on ... you guessed it, turtles. All the kids made turtles out of paper plates and paints, etc. Fun.



Sierra's baptism. A few weeks ago we cruised over to Reno for Sierra's baptism, and to see the high school play. Grammie, Dorothy, Ty were there too. Very fun. Clay did a great job.

Julia's Recital. If I could show you the program I would. Then you'd really be impressed! 15 students played. All did very well. Julia is amazing, as always. One her Mother's Day presents from the kids was the score for the musical Wicked. It's tricky to play but she loves it. I think it's totally inspiring the kids to play piano, b/c they're hooked on Wicked.


Fathers & Sons. This year it was held on a hillside up Crow Canyon in Las Trampas Wilderness.

Marvelous location. Close to home and work. Handy.

Tug of war. Raccoon stole a tin foil dinner. Smores. Burned marshmallow torches.John threatening to eat one of them. Raccoon fights in the night. Tents. Cattle stampede in the morning.


Exhausting hike the next day up the Rocky Ridge and Elderberry Trails. Very scenic. Overall... no burns, no eyes poked out, no forest fires, no more energy.


Timpview Class of 1989 Reunion Fervor. I'm sure you've heard about this (everyone is talking about it you know)...my 20th high school reunion is this July. I am heading up the reservation making end of it, communications, money collecting. I enlisted the kids to help get the word out to all who are not on Facebook or our official reunion site. Lots of work. Fun. Exhilarating.