Let’s start with the “etc.” Here are a couple pix from La Honda – the pool at the end of the 2016 summer season, and the LHE Harvest Dinner, and the Montara Lighthouse and Lighthouse Keeper’s House.

For Teacher Appreciation day, Stanford offered free tickets to the Washington State Game. So Charlie & I went, since Mary Lynn & Veronica had gone camping in Mendacino for an abalone family trip with the Kelly’s. Fun times at the Fan Fest and in the stadium, except that Stanford got trounced, 42-16.

Cross Country. Both Charlie & Veronica run cross country for HMB High and Cunha respectively, but due to schedules, I’ve attended more of his meets. Here are a few of them including SF, the Artichoke Invitational at HMB, etc. (Note Cougar Hill)

Study Questions: 

1. What is the more famous lighthouse near Pescadero?
2. What do Stanford football fans want you to fear?
3. What’s your mile time?

Yesterday, Sugar, Veronica and I took a hike up to the top Cuesta (Brian’s AKA the Roquena Trail). Before hand and along the way, we experienced some local nature. The biggest banana slug I’ve ever seen was in our yard right out the back door (love that time lapse).

Out on the trail, other banana slugs were making love, a poor oak tree is living life with a chainlink fence, and we found a turtle by one of the reservoirs. Flying termites were swarming hither & thither.

And here’s a before and after of one of our favorite old oak trees near the top of Brian’s Trail. It had been a must-climb and even held a geocache, but gravity and time have had their way and it collapsed while we were abroad. More than just seasons change…

Last year (2015), I started this blog on my birthday. I had a few posts, then on September 1st, we started our “Journey to the East,” a circumnavigation that went more or less from here to NYC to Europe to Asia to Australia, then home. At first the posts were short, but as I (or WordPress) got better so were they, well, at least longer.

With a few exceptions, the blog was mostly a photo journal. I engaged in several posts of commentary, and usually explained the pix & clips, and eventually I started to add study questions at the end with the idea that in the future I’d turn it into a curriculum tool. The premier version of WordPress costs money, as does the extra storage – necessary for video and the vast quantity of media it now has – but I hope to keep it up for a few years so that our kids Charlie & Veronica can check it out occasionally, show friends, and be reminded of our epic adventure. (The “Contents” page on the nav bar has all my posts in chronological order, and is most useful.)

I had intended to start a new round of “Reflections” and I still may. I’d also intended to do more with my media and develop curriculum around it. However, being swept up in work and life back home, the hours necessary have not been available. Moving back into the house, now maintaining it, and getting the yard under control have been one challenge.

Another has been my work schedule – 5 preps in 3 departments. I teach “Intensive English” (honors level, mixed grades 6, 7, 8), all Middle School Social Studies classes (Ancient Civ. in 6th, Medieval & Modern Times in 7th, and US History in 8th), and one class of PE (grade 6) on Mon., Weds., Fri. Then, shuttling our own kids to and from school and cross country, not to mention catching up with dentist & doctor appointments and car issues, well, too much to do, no time to do it.

Nonetheless, I plan to squeeze in some reflecting and have worked up a couple new slideshows from the trip. They’re kinda fun to make, and there were a lot of pix, especially at the beginning, that didn’t get into the blog. There were also sections of the trip where the wifi was bad or there were other complications that precluded thorough posts. In addition to looking back on our journey, I want to document some of the present.

So time & timing permitting, I’ll be continuing to post here, and randomvail may get even more random. Relax & enjoy!