Life with Dylan

Category: Beach

  • Sunset Sunday – Classic SoCal

    Nothing says Southern California quite like the silhouette of a lifeguard tower on a beach at sunset.

    Thank you Rebecca for sharing you beautiful sunset picture from Hermosa Beach, CA.

    Do you have a favorite sunset picture that you would like me to feature here? If so, send me your picture and the location it was taken. After all, what good is a beautiful sunset if you can’t share it with others?

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

    *Please only submit pictures you have personally taken and own the rights to.

  • Where do you find inspiration?

    After what seems likes weeks of doing some serious soul searching, today I found my inspiration at a very familiar place. The place where I feel the closest to nature.

    What inspires you?

  • Treasures in the sand

    You never know what you will find when you walk along the beach. Sometimes all you see is sand and maybe some kelp that has washed ashore. Then there are those rare times when you find something special – something unique. I like to call these findings treasures in the sand.

    To some this is just a small shell and some pieces of colored glass. To me it is much more. This was once a home to a small ocean creature – a sea urchin – and the glass has been washed in the tide so many times that it is now smooth. The contrast of colors and textures speaks to me. The shell tells a story – the story became a photograph – and this photograph is now my treasure.

  • Wordless Wednesday – A day at the beach

  • Good-bye Summer, Until We Meet Again …

    I can’t believe summer is over and my little boy will be starting 3rd grade in just two days. Where did the time go?
    It seems like the older I get, the faster the years go by … and the more I wish I could freeze time. My cuddly little boy is growing up so fast.

    As I look at school pictures from the past 3 years, my mind is flooded with memories and my heart is filled with love. Through pictures like these, I can freeze time … at least in my mind.

    (more…)

  • Spring Break in Monterey

    This year we decided to not only get away for Spring Break, but to take our first road trip together. It was better than I thought, considering the furthest Dylan has driven is San Diego (2 hours), and this was going to be a 6-7 hour drive. The Are we there yet? didn’t start until Santa Barbara, and then it was How much longer? about every 40 minutes. I tried to get him to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery, but it didn’t last too long.

    At last, he sleeps and the drive is peaceful.
    It’s just not a road trip without a stop at McDonald’s!
    Dylan’s picture from the road. (only 1 hour to go)

    We arrived in Monterey about 4 pm and I immediately felt relaxed. Something about hotels and being away from home, not to mention the fresh coastal air, was just what we both needed. Our agenda included The Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and anything else we saw along the way to our destinations.

    The aquarium was amazing and we spent almost all day there. Took over 150 pictures! Definitely worth the drive to see this place.

    Dylan even got a little education on Steinbeck with some historical landmarks…

    And in true Dylan style had a little impromptu photo shoot …

    A little stroll through the Cannery for some lunch.

    Lunch at Bubba Gumps

    A Kid in a Candy Store … Classic!

    Day 2 – The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (like he needs any more animal/nature facts to add to his ever-growing encyclopedia of a brain)

    Who cares if it’s only 60 degrees outside … we’re going in the water! Well, Dylan went in the water. For about 2 minutes and then he decided his feet were freezing so we put our shoes back on and went for walk along the rocks to see marinelife up close. We spent almost 2 hours here along the shore in Pacific Grove.

    Just a few of the seals we saw

    Come on Mom, let’s go!

    The kelp beds from above

    This sign was great … Tsunami in California?

     After a long day of sight-seeing, we decided to have an early dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf. Dylan love the fact that seals were right outside the window of the restaurant. he thoroughly enjoyed his calamari and pasta!

     We had an amazing time together and will always treasure the bond that we share.

  • Open House!

    I remember being a child and getting so excited for Open House. This was the one night that I could really show off all my talents and hard work to my parents on my playing field … my classroom! This year, the theme for Dylan’s Open House was the ocean and all the wonderful creatures who call the ocean their home. Being the little brainchild that he is, Dylan volunteered to help each student with the research for the individual reports. The teacher gave him a list of all the ocean animals and he brought in his books (with pages marked for each student) and shared his wealth of knowledge.

    I have only seen Dylan this excited to go to school a few times. He kept asking me if it was time to go yet. Knowing how much I love the ocean, Dylan was super anxious for me to see all of the wonderful things he had been doing in class. The classroom was completely transformed into an underwater world and I was so amazed at what Mrs. Fratantaro had done with the kids. Orca whales on one wall, jellyfish hanging from the ceiling, starfish and sea urchins lining the ledges, sea otters on another wall … all beautifully made by the students. Oh, and the reports … wow!

    Dylan and his Viper Fish

    Love this painted fish and on the back is a story.

    Handmade with love. A ceramic fish I will treasure always.

    I am so proud of Dylan. I can’t wait for him to bring home all the other things he made!

  • My Deepest Apologies …

    Considering it has been almost 3 months since my last post, I must admit I have no excuse except that I have been extremely busy with work, school, and life in general! I will try to get caught up here with some of the highlights and promise to do better over the summer.

    The Cub Scout year ending with an overnight camp out and I sent my little guy off with Grandpa …

    Then it was time to earn his official Tiger Cub Rank!
    As May came to an end the Southern California weather began to warm up and we both needed to escape the hectic day to day life that can becomes so crazy. Being true to our Beach Baby roots, we headed down to Little Corona for some impromptu fun in the sun after school!
    No idea why this picture came out purple, but I absolutely love it!!
    June came and Mommy turned 40 … WOW!!