well this summer's been good from the start

Over the weekend temperatures crept steadily well above 100 degrees, topping off around 106, unseasonable for June (but we're back to our 70-80 degree days already.) Meanwhile Saturday's only goal was to stay cool so we headed up to the lake with a big group of friends. It was full but we parked across the way and walked in for free to this shady spot, spread out blankets and snacks, and played with babies for hours.

sylvan adores lucy. he asked if he could hold her and they sat and shared some strawberries.

i got to see my good friend mary, who owns mama earth farm with her husband ben. i haven't seen her since the birth of her second son, alder, who is now six months old! crazy how time flies and how newborns turn into plump bouncy smiley curious big bundles with so much personality all their own.

it is oddly satisfying to hold two babies at once. rebecca played with alder and aesop, two bouncing giggly bundles of PURE BABY HEAVEN.

although a few of our friends do have daughters, lucy is often the only girl in the group. she doesn't mind.

mary's four year old Yarrow is a fearless adventurer! He loves the water and knows all about the local plants.

mamas and their babes: mary with yarrow and alder, rebecca with sylvan, me with lucinda, and elsie with zillion and aesop.

and a photo with doniella! the token non-mama friend who is so nice to have around to help keep your head on straight and hold a baby for a while. and just be normal ;)

being in and around the water and friends all day makes for a very happy little girl. 

we capped off the summer day with an evening at marcos cafe in lotus. i have written about my favorite riverside venue before; it always feels like pure summer to hang out there.

 

i was worried that lucy might have a rough time since her nap got cut short, but she was in rare form. give her live music, an outdoor venue, and a bunch of friends and she is guaranteed to shine. the girl is a social butterfly indeed! 

we came to see our friends play music and we were truly entertained. justin's crazy jangly hip hop in bling wraith, then daniel's loopy electro pop in pregnant  ... lucy was groovin.

playing with jorden.

we made a tiny friend.

 all in all, a perfect day.

the only way to end a day like that: sleep naked with a fan on. 

well summer's off with a bang. long lingering sunlight, water and cherries and fans and picnics and popsicles. i'm in heaven.

faretheewell grandma georgie

and i know she will fare well indeed. my sweet grandma georgie passed away on thursday. we were able to have a nice conversation the night before, and she seemed reflective and quiet and meditative. lucy touched her hair and smiled at her a lot (she's always loved granmda faces) and i got to hold her hands to warm her up and talk to her a little bit about family odds and ends. she was not in pain, and she died the next day in her sleep.

grandma georgie was 101 years old. born in central california in 1912, she spent all her years in this valley.

here she is with her mother-in-law, my great grandmother mathilde from honduras.

and with her husband, my grandfather Carlos "Buck" Beatty who passed away in the 60s. I never met him but everyone, EVERYONE raves about what a wonderful person he was. georgia never remarried after his death, and has been waiting for this moment to see him again, as well as two of her sons who have already passed on.

my grandparents years later after they'd had five kids.

addie and i with grandma in the early 90s.

grandma meeting lucy, thanksgiving 2012. i am so grateful she got to have her last thanksgiving and christmas here in my home.

in a week all the beattys will converge again to celebrate her glorious life and spirit.

it has been nice to share little bits about her here over the years. i will miss her. i am writing her obituary so i'll spend the next few days getting my facts straight and taking a journey into her endless memories and stories; what a treat.

Where have I been?

Hi lovely friends! In case you've been wondering why i've been totally off the radar for a few weeks, it's because my computer broke when i spilled a glass of water on it. except maybe it didn't actually break cause this morning i said to darin, hey could you pop that battery in and try it out one more time? and lo and behold, it came on! so here i am, and i hope i'm back to stay!

i had several posts i thought of putting up while my computer was down, but i think i'll just offer a mish mash of photos since weve been back from our trip.

flowers from our garden all around the house for mayday....

lucy trying out the swing emmy got her way back before she was even born. it's a hit!

a hike down to the river, our favorite spot on the Cosumnes....

wildflowers all along the way.

lucy LOVED the river. and our river ain't warm. she sat right down in it and splashed about.

river family.

backyard hang outs with friends.

 

i missed the kiss, but let me tell ya this girl LOVES her friend sylvan.

and playing in the water with oliver!

another river hang out, this time at the American (which is even colder!)

this time addie and utah came to join us!

my first mother's day! darin and lucy let me sleep in till 9 and then brought me treats in bed.

we found a cool Barn Sale out in the country.

then we all met up over at my mom's for some good motherly hanging out.

my mother's day present to myself...a new pool for my backyard. i'm a dork about my little swimming pools. gotta have it, all summer long. it makes my life bliss. lucy loved crawling the perimeter around and around as it filled up a little bit with nice fresh cold water.

then she turned ten months old!

and that night there was a hippie music festival down by the river and darin played bass in the band Flannel. 

we ate strawberries, danced, and enjoyed the music and all the tie dye.

that sunday i drove all the way down to discovery bay to attend my old friend kim's daughter's birthday. 

it was the longest trip i've taken alone with lucy and although we had some difficult moments and i was utterly exhausted by the end of the day, overall i was pretty proud of us!

lucy had a great time playing in sydney's playroom. baby heaven...nothin but toys and soft carpet and a million things to pick up, check out, and put together, and surrounded by lots of other kids and babies. here she is meeting little ayla, what a doll! when lucy sees other kids playing she makes this high pitched little cooing scream; she does it to the cats too. i think she thinks it sounds cute, and she feels like she is joining the conversation.

our girls getting to know each other :)

so that's just a smidgen of may. i hope you are all radiant with summer delights and i can't wait to go catch up on all your posts!