Mama's Night Out

Just like Clint Eastwood in Escape From Alcatraz, Mama made it to the main land, for a night. Daddy stayed home and Uncle Nick was her chaperone and escort for the evening.


It was a fuh-reezing wind chilly night. They ran into Emmett's dad James on the way to the big rock show.


And Auntie Zollo was working the door.


Luca's Uncle Dann. If I had been allowed to go out again in Seattle for this night, I would have known everyone.


This is Mama's favorite new band, Past Lives. It was only their second show and Mama says it was A Moment.


This is Dean and Randy who are my Uncle Mike's buddies from L.A. who Mama and Nick know from the world wide web of blog but have not known in person yet. Their band was super great and they, the real guys, were super greater even.


This guy Julian met my mom when she was pregnant with me and I was only just part of the future. Nobody could believe over 3 years have past since then. Apparently for people my parent's age, time is now speeding by like Lightning McQueen.


Liars on stage getting avant weird. (Lying is a bad thing.)


Three bands, a lot of friendly conversation with friends, and good ole Uncle Nick had even pulled the car around to the front of the club when Mama walked out so she could avoid the bitter cold...a solidly good night out! And they made the 12:15 ferry home with hot chocolate and snacks. Ta Da!!!

Heavy Vivaldi

Yeah, that's me, out in the darkness of night. On the ferry boat on the dark sea. It felt strange and wonderful to be out in the world in the night time when I'm usually at home in my pajamas. It made me feel like I would remember this dreamy dark feeling all my life. We were off to Seattle to see Uncle Nicky do a performance at an art gallery, an art performance. He played drums to The Four Seasons on a giant heavy metal drum kit. It was the neatest thing to see and hear! I sat in my Dad's lap with giant earphones on and I just sat there quiet and smiling at my Uncle Nick for over 20 minutes. It was such a special thing. Everyone in the place went nuts for it. Mama said it was what your ears always sonically wanted to hear but never have before. Something new for the eyes and ears! That's what we're all searching for and Nicky made it happen.



Goood Job Nick.

stephy wephy

My mom's cousin Stephanie came to spend the night. She has a big job with Wells Fargo and she was in Tacoma doing her big work and so she ferried over here after for some dinner and kisses from me. She's just about the nicest thing you're ever going to meet.

She is part of my forever family. Her daughters are my cousins forever.


It takes a winning personality to distract me from bacon.


I wish you were still here Stephy Wephy. Thank you for my San Francisco cable car which I still am in love with. See you soon!

real life skills

It is so super cold outside! I know there's winter all around. Even our old town of Los Angeles is finally getting it. It's cold enough to snow here but the sun's been out which for some totally boggling reason makes it even colder. But there's still work and play to be done so we bundle up and get it done.


I go to the park to practice my digging skills and get a little work out.


This helps me later in life when I have to help Daddy dig a big hole to replant the Christmas tree so it can stay alive and in our family forever.


Freezing on the outside and sweating on the inside. Icy hot.


We are winter woodsman. We are proud and invigorated. Breathing life.

say cheese

Poor Mamop has been on a campaign to healthy up Bobby the whole time I've known her. She puts out the healthy wheat bread but Bobby takes the big white sourdough. Then he piles about a half pound of sharp cheddar on it. Then he fries it so the cheese melts out onto the pan so that the sandwich has cheese fried on the outside and in. This is a nine inch sandwich.
But there is a ray of hope because every night for the past two weeks, Bobby rides the stationary bike upstairs in the attic for over a half hour. Right before he comes downstairs for his giant bowl of ice-cream.

sprinkles on top

Pretty great birthday party. All my friends, all their moms and dads, balloons, cupcakes, cake, pizza, cars, trucks, trains, costumes, and a giant fort. The warmth of friendship was everywhere.


And even more presents. Does it seem to all you guys that I get a new toy about every other day? Because that's the way it seems to me. My parents tell me to buckle down for a long dry spell. I love all my newest presents though from Emmett and Luca and Himal and Nicky and Derek and Zollo....thanks buddies!



Breaking the silence of cupcake gobbling, Emmett declared "This is the best birthday party I've ever had with Gus."


It was the most fun day for me, really. Hours after everyone had left, after I realized it was truly all over, I was struck with an overwhelming wave of sadness and had to lay my head in Mama's lap and say with newly-discovered melancholy, "I wish all my friends were still over here with me."

all tomorrow's parties

Tomorrow is my birthday party. I already had my birthday birthday but tomorrow my friends come over for cupcakes and ice-cream and games and balloons and bubbles and a bunch of other stuff. I am very anxious for the party time to be here. And I simply cannot decide which outfit to wear:



It comes down to comfort vs. style I feel. Mama says to always go for style.

birthday booty

Yes, I got many fun new toys for my birthday. I got a basketball hoop and a ball and I am getting really good already and love to say "nothing but net!" Mama loves the NBA and has high hopes for me there since it looks like I'm going to be pretty tall. But my favorite toy, as of yesterday anyway, is this one from Amy Lou:


I am a night in shining armor, coming to your personal rescue. All last night I wore this helmet and practiced taking my sword out of its sheath, lunging, stabbing, and then replacing my sword in its sheath. Over and over I did this, for more than an hour straight.

THREEDOM

I woke up this morning to find I was THREE years old! Which means today is my birthday!!! Time to celebrate people!


It was actually not unlike other normal two year-old days, at first. I went to school. I was doing my laundry and ironing. And then teacher Kim called everyone over to the carpet squares to talk about my special day.


Me and my harem.


We all pretended to make a birthday cake for me, with pretend eggs and pretend flour and pretend oven mitts. And then I had to choose three girls to be my three candles. I chose Caroline, McKenna and Ruby. Then I blew them out.


And then Mama brought cupcakes and I passed them out to all my lady friends.


All this celebrating at it was only 10 in the morning...

when the logs roll over...

Another super day in a series of super days when big trucks visit our yard. Our neighbors were chopping down some trees so Bobby told them to just dump the trees over here after they chop them and that's just what happened.


It was a giant truck with a crane and the driver sure knew how to work that crane. Someday when I'm older I'm going to work a crane as gracefully as this guy.


And then the driver shifted the lever that raised the body and the pump pushes the oil through the lines in the hoist which opens up like a telescope and pushes the body and lifts it up so the logs will slide out. (I know all this by heart thanks to my favorite book about heavy machines given to me by my aunt Amy Lou)


And then these giant tree trunks rolled on out like a thunder storm and they sit in our yard this very day for me to look at with amazement at their size and power and former beauty.


Mamop offered the driver a sixer of beers for his trouble which he touched with nervous and hesitating fingers but finally said no because he was a "tea-totaller" now and she told him we have some "tea-totallers" in our family too so she understood and the driver said "Well, tell them to hang on!"

POOCASSO

Am I a genius artist? Am I? Do genius artists know that they are genius artists? Basically, I just like to express myself in any which way I can. At school I get to paint so this is my new form. The paint is sticky and it makes my clothes painty, but oh well, this is just the dirty and sticky road of the true genius artist.

crazy shades of winter

January. Three months of rain behind us, three months of rain ahead of us. These little beauties are the only good thing to come out of it. Personally, I like to jump in mud puddles and I rarely get cold, but the getting dark at 4pm is a little annoying because when I wake up from my nap the day is already gone. There is a whole lot of indoor soccer being played around here and I am seconds away from injuring one of Mamop's precious teapots. Thank god school started up again or we'd all be going even more crazy with my constant need for playing. Only problem is there is all girls at my school who don't like to dig in the sandbox like I do and the only boy is this guy Simon who gets mad when I call him Kimon because I say K's for S's. Well, I'm Korry!

tell me have you seen her?

Sorry for the blogger break, but Mama took a spur of the moment trip WITHOUT ME to Portland and I was too preoccupied with confusion to blog. Daddy told me she went to spend a night out with Lisa trying to have fun and shake off the boredoms, so the confusing part of course is why then did she leave me behind?



They went out to a nice elegant dinner.


They got a fancy hotel in downtown with just themselves and no kids. Again, I am confused as to how they thought they would have a good time without us. They ordered movies and popcorn from room service. And they stayed up til almost 3 am talking about the many sordid memories and funny experiences between them. Do you know they have been best friends for 27 years? That is a whole lot of memories and experiences.


While in town, Mama also got a chance to meet up with a girl named Shayla whom she has come to know through the world wide web and this girl Shayla showed her the southeast part of the city and told her all about the many things that make living in Portland so great. Mama said Shayla was way cool and that I will definitely get to meet her next time we go there.


The next time I come there might be the time that I come there for real. How strange it will be, for all of us, to start a new city from scratch.


Here it is. Learn it. Love it. Live it.

truck twins

Just when we thought the gift giving of Christmastime was finally behind us, I went over to Himal's for one last present. Now, everywhere I go, I ask if there's going to be a new toy for me, everyone that comes into my sight I ask, does he have a new toy for me? Mama is a bit worried that I'm not going to snap back into my old semi-humble self and this glorious season has indeed created a yule-tide monster.


I gave Himal a present too. Giving also gives me joy. It just gives me much much less joy than getting.


Holy Moly! Do you see the size of this dump truck he gave me? What a pal! What a great guy this guy is!


And the best part is that Himal got the exact same truck himself for Xmas so there will be no sharing issues when we go sand dumping at the beach.


You know, all this talk to our moving to Portland, its exciting and all, it gives my parents something to look forward to. But personally, all I can think about is how am I ever going to leave my best friends here? Look at Himal. Look into his eyes. They are bright hazel. You don't find eyes like this on every street corner. You don't find friends that give you giant dump trucks on every street corner. I know its only three hours away. I know I'll be visiting Bainbridge all the time and I know Himal will come to visit me in Portland. I know this is just the weird and winding road of life that no one can predict. And I will not spend my last months here walking around like a mopey sad man...

shoot me like a cannon into this new year

2008 is up on us and we are up on it. Full force. Starting things off in the belly of nature, the Grand Forest, the new year's day walk. Breathe it in. Smells different from 2007.


It was a cold and invigorating hike through the woods. This blind man followed us the whole way.


Running into the future at full speed.


Pointing out all the local flora and fauna...totally impressive since he can't see!






Nature. Peace. Tranquility. Focus on what's important in the world. These are the things we ask to have in the new year.


Go get 'em!!!!