Orcas Island 2010
Ten days spent in island time—even if it was a “workcation,” it was one of the best weeks of our year.
Watch the video below and then click through to see more photos.
Here are a couple bonus videos—A Night at the Opera and a Day at the Races:
Lastly, here’s a video we created under the Belle Creative umbrella for the festival:
Black Butte Ranch 2010
We took one of our favorite road trips to one of our favorite places to be with some of our favorite people. There are a few videos below and be sure to click through to the rest of the entry to see a bunch of photos!
Here’s Elliot’s directorial debut—a short film about people who play tennis and the girl who films them:
Elliot gave a recital of the piano pieces she’s working on and finished it with an original, improvisational performance:
May trip 2010
We took to the road again to visit our family in Washington. First up was a stay at Meema + Dampa’s in Bellevue where we got to see Meema sing in the Kirkland Choral Ensemble at the beautiful Bastyr as well as celebrate Dampa’s 60th birthday at the beach on Alki.
We finished up the trip with a stay in Federal Way at Mimi + Pop’s house during which time we went to see Lauren star in Seussical the Musical (a life-changing experience for her wide-eyed, adoring little cousin.)
Below are a couple videos and be sure to click through for more photos!
Dixon, CA
back at the old house again.
I spent my early childhood in a small farming town in the middle of California flat lands. I loved it—the tight-knit community, the agricultural lifestyle, potlucks, parades, little league, etc. After moving across the continent and then north and finally back again full circle to northern California, it’s a surreal experience to visit this place that looms so large in my nostalgia. On our way to pick up Mommy from the Sacramento airport, we stopped by the old stomping grounds and Elliot patiently took the tour . . .
"that's where you lived?"
the same cracked sidewalk I rode my tricycle on.
the main drag.
I often wonder what it would've been like to have never left.
self-explanatory.
kindergarten through second grade here . . .
I still remember standing in that grass on the first day of school.
Christmas 2009: Meema + Dampa’s, Wolf Creek
Dampa’s fudge, board games galore, myriad drummers drumming, applets and cotlets and, of course, the unwrapping of many presents—Christmas in Bellevue was a lot of fun! Though we were sad to leave, we were excited to stay at our new favorite: the Wolf Creek Inn—a historic stage coach stop which became a favorite of Mary Pickford, Jack London, Orson Welles, Clark Gable and more. The Inn is a gem and the food is amazing.
Click through for a few more photos . . .
Christmas 2009: Winters, Mimi + Pop’s and cousins
We decided to make the trip up north for Christmas. And we decided to drive. The weather was spectacular. Despite a minor hitch (overheated car) that left us stranded on the side of the road and then exploring the village of Winters while our engine was looked over, our drive was fairly uneventful.
Our stay with Mimi and Pop was wonderfully eventful, though. What you see here is an attempt to capture
Click through for photos . . .
flower girl
Strange as it may sound, I thought a lot about what my sister’s wedding day would be like. I can confidently say, she exceeded all expectations—which is what you get when one designer marries another designer and throws a d.i.y. shindig.
More after the jump . . .
back to the happy place
I will admit to being a bit of a Disneyland freak. I could walk through the entire park in my mind. I could probably even ride some of the rides in my mind (though, I’m not a big enough Disneyland freak to refer to the rides as “attractions.”) Taking Elliot to Disneyland twice this year has been a blast.
This second time was made even more fun because of her two cousins. That and the strategic planning that only comes out of the minds of Disneyland freaks.
Here’s a video I put together in an attempt to capture the day, which was, of course, capped off by the vintage loveliness that is the (formerly Main Street) Electrical Parade.
click through for photos . . .
camp lakewood
Growing up, my grandparents lived in a comfortable suburb of L.A. We’d visit them for several weeks every summer, spending our time in their lush yards, the neighbor’s pool, the beach, Disneyland . . . truly a magical time for my sister and me. When they moved to central Oregon, we found a new beautiful, fun place to spend our times together. But we will always miss that special home, award-winning yard and helicopter-filled evenings by the firepit watching a sunset turn into sparkling stars as we roasted weenies, sang songs and told ghost stories.
This summer, Sarah, Elliot, Sarah’s parents and I were invited to join Sarah’s sister Julie’s family at her in-law’s home in Lakewood, just outside of L.A., for what they’d come to call Camp Lakewood. It was a special treat for us that turned into a fun reminder of those long-gone childhood memories at my own grandparents’ home.
Click through for photos…
to black butte and back : the video experience
Here’s a short video I put together using the footage from last weekend’s trip to Black Butte Ranch to spend the weekend with family and celebrate my grandparents’ 60th anniversary. It also documents one of Sarah’s and my favorite drives: Sonoma to Central Oregon.
Click through for a video of the luncheon, for those who are interested . . .
to black butte and back
These volcanoes have been around for millions of years. Elliot has been gracing our presence for three and a half. For sixty years, my grandparents Grandmere + Poppa have been enjoying wedded bliss. To celebrate all these things, we took another road trip—also north—but this time veering off at Mt. Shasta on old interstate 97 to central Oregon and Black Butte Ranch.
click through for more . . .
spring trip: seattle to sonoma by way of wolf creek
The words historic, haunted, wolf, isolated elicit excitement in Sarah and me. These words, combined with an old stagecoach Inn that housed the likes of Mary Pickford, Jack London, Orson Welles and Clark Gable that resides near a ghost town, elicit lodging lust in Sarah and me.
On our drive up to Seattle, Sarah saw a sign for the Wolf Creek Inn. After investigating on the iPhone, she discovered the above-mentioned items and we eagerly called to reserve a room on our drive down the following weekend. Luckily, we got a room. Then we learned of the vampire.
Click through for more . . .
spring trip: federal way
There are few better places to spend time than on Mimi + Pop’s back patio in nice weather. We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather and we couldn’t have had a better time staying with Mimi + Pop. Chalk drawings, mouthwatering marina sauces, drives in the Chevy SSR while blasting Chuck Mangione, dancing lego Michael Jacksons, chromalumes, neon green espressos and lots and lots of playing filled our few days there.
Click through for more . . .
spring trip: bellevue and port angeles
Rock skipping, pizza, glacial lakes, snow-covered mountains, easter golfball hunts, stuffed polar bears, card games . . . We had a wonderful stay with Meema + Dampa. We spent the first night in Bellevue, before heading up to Port Angeles to visit Grandma. The weather was incredible in Port Angeles and we took full advantage of being in a beautiful setting in gorgeous weather. After a couple nights there, we returned to Bellevue for one more night. Elliot had so much fun with her Meema and Dampa, especially the latter who was bed-ridden the last visit and was really enjoying making up for lost time.
Click through for more . . .
spring trip: sonoma to seattle by way of dunsmuir
Our niece Lauren was performing a role in the production of Sunday in the Park with George at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle this spring, so we felt it was excuse enough for a road trip. With both of our families living in the Seattle area, we always find a way to visit with everyone on our whirlwind trips. We love the trip up to Seattle and even with the challenges that accompany a three-year-old traveling companion, we had a wonderful drive.
Click through for more . . .
the happy place
To celebrate Sarah’s birthday, we drove down to L.A. for Elliot’s first visit to Disneyland. Though short, the trip was more fun than we could have planned. A beautiful drive, a late night Michael Jackson dance party, Peter Pan notes, cupcakes, Donald Duck kisses, tears, pirates, laughter, pirates, fireworks, hijinx with Seth and B-List celebrity sightings at breakfast . . . we couldn’t have asked for more.
short: Elliot just walked. Peter took a picture.
The second of two videos from last summer’s visit to Orcas Island. Cookie decorating. Sound of Music sing-alonging. Beach playing. Yard wandering. It doesn’t get any better than this. Except when the sun is setting . . .
(Does everyone agree it’s a pleasure to play with clean sand?)
short: Elliot has a baby rabbit. Peter has a chipmunk.
Here’s a compendium of moments from last summer’s stay in Black Butte Ranch, OR with Grandmere and Poppa. Elliot delighted in the bike rides, the various swimming pools and simply playing outside. But, as you can see, she had a particular passion for distributing baby animals to everyone.
Click through for some photos Sarah took during the trip . . .
(So So the mouse loves to eat couscous while listening to Yo-Yo Ma and talking about Boutros Boutros-Ghali.)
short: Elliot wants to make nothing. Peter wants to make a sunset movie.
The first of multiple Orcas Island videos, here’s one of the sunsets we enjoyed from the beach just below the grassy yard of the house we were staying in. Watch for the green flash . . . !
(everyone needs a good camping stick.)
snow, train whistles and ghosts
To get out of temperate wine country and let Elliot experience playing in the snow for the first time, we drove out to the Gateway of The Sierras, historic Truckee. Sarah and I first visited this charming gold rush town several years back during a springtime trip to north Lake Tahoe. We fell in love with it immediately and have wanted to return ever since–the blanket of snow it was buried in this winter was just enough impetus. We enjoyed tromping through snow streets, marvelling at enormous icecicles, glutenous dining, sledding, building a snowman and a noisy, wintertime nightlife that included the standard saloon-town fare of jazz trios, train whistles and drunken arguments. We also stopped in beautiful Nevada City on our way back to Sonoma.
More about our trip below the jump . . .
frosty love
Elliot had never played in the snow before, so we drove out to one of our favorite little mountain towns, Truckee, to let her experience a white post-Christmas. As we climbed towards Donner Pass and patches of snow began to appear, she began to regularly ask to get out of the car and build a snow man. She remained patient as we got into snow-blanketed town and checked into the historic Truckee Hotel, ate some lunch and then search the area for the perfect sledding spot. When we finally found a suitable place, she threw herself gleefully into sledding down the hill and lovingly building her first snow man. The smile never seemed to leave her face. She LOVED sledding and, as you can see, she LOVED the snow man.
More of Sarah’s photos below the jump . . .
