Whether or not Dr. Seuss actually wrote it, the phrase, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” is something we’d quote and discuss, regarding our Dad and other aspects of our lives that had moved on, ended, but still resonated in our lives.

Thus, in the fullness of time and the inevitability of the stages of life and death, do I lament with pride and happiness the passing of our dear mother, Joanne Vail, on January 3rd 2023. She was 93, as she said, “a big number.”

Mom took a turn for the worse in 2022 following a blood transfusion for anemia. She did a second stint in the hospital and wound up in Pacific Coast Manor for a month – not good. This resulted in moving her from Independent to Assisted Living at Dominican Oaks. She went from a balcony to a nice porch, and our visits involved some wheelchair walks and bedside sitting…

Here’s a brief black & white summary of her childhood with father Frank, mother Guinevere, and brother Byrns; graduation from high school & college, marriage to Evan, and the eventual arrival of me…

Here’s our family in front of 1375 Tareyton Drive in Riverside (probably around 1970), the family home for 45 years…

Mom loved her garden…

…and our Dad.

Note: in bed at the cabin in Montana, a rare photo with Alicia (from Frances’s Mexican Restaurant), and some hilarious laughter at their 50th anniversary event in Sun Valley…

Here are some pix with Charlie & Veronica, myself & Nancy, her brother Byrns, etc…

In spite of her struggles this last summer, she aspired to “thinking happy thoughts.” Can you tell? “Be happy, go lucky!”

“I’m OK if you’re OK.” Some pleasant moments in her assisted living apartment…

Not only were we able to attend the Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner at Dominican Oaks, after two years of Covid, we were able to do it again at Christmas time.

However, while Mom put out place cards at Thanksgiving, she was not strong enough to come to dinner at Christmas. But we were able to hang out with her in bed…

Amazingly, she was able to hang on beyond Christmas until Ron E. arrived from New Zealand just after the New Year.

The end of one’s stay at Dominican Oaks comes when one’s picture is “on the piano” near the lobby (and, as it turns out, a couple other places thereabouts). Here was Mom’s picture on the piano and in the Assisted Living section…

While of course it is sad to lose one’s mother, it was wonderful to experience the event with my brother and sister, Ron E. and Nancy Anne. Special thanks to Jered for his help and support during the whole process!

We were able to spend three days together sorting through Mom’s stuff and attending to the various necessities of closing out a life – a kind, joyful, generous, and very precious one…

I’m still processing the passing of my Mom. So grateful, so blessed, so happy, yet sad, but more content, fulfilled, basking in the afterglow of her wonderful life, that led to my wonderful life, and to other wonderful lives, and other wonders…

This first collection is from the Santa Cruz Art & History Museum, with a special exhibit at the end of 2022 about farm workers. In that section, the very first photo here has a design made of beans grown at Pie Ranch on the floor below 12 sciency botanical pictures (bean plants?). Lots of other great stuff here, but don’t miss the corn cob made of human teeth! Enjoy…

This next batch is along one my favorite dirt roads above town that goes by our quarry (pictured), and these are rock images made by my fellow hikers, bikers, and neighbors in the Cuesta La Honda Guild…

Here is just a sampling of the signage made by my Art students for the “Hoop Dreams” basketball tournament (donor/sponsors). We also made four new banners for teams from new schools. We only had a couple of days, but the kids pulled it off…

Time for randomness. First up, I’m with Veronica at the Kaiser ER for something – it all worked out. Then, two angles of Mary Lynn’s Book Club meeting at our house. And, here’s Lucas Lawson and the Unturned Stone playing at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz for the release of his album “This Dirt.” Check it out!

In December, math teacher Chip Harrison and I took group of student to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). There was a special exhibit about Diego Rivera, and of course his giant mural “Pan American Unity.” We had to breeze through quickly, but I was able to take a lot of pix – some including our young scholars. Good times…

Here are some random adventures: Out on the La Honda Creek Open Space (some coyotes on the Grasshopper Trail under a full moon), riding to the top of Quarry Park in El Granada (spectacular view of HMB), and a serendipitous low tide at the end of Pillar Point (near Mavericks) and at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. In all cases, it’s me using and loving my ebike…!

Christmas would not be complete without one of Mary Lynn Vail’s Winter Concerts. This one was at La Honda Elementary and both our kids were able to see their Mom and all her students. Every grade performed! Missing here: African drumming, hoola-hoop dancing. But check out the Yoga as a performance art…!

More Art! The Ocean Blue Vault on Main St. in HMB had fascinating exhibit featuring AI enhanced photography…

We get lots of great sunsets, but this one day in December ’22 was particularly spectacular and I caught it from the top of the hill, still, and radiant…

Wilbur’s Watch is part of the Cloverdale Coastal Ranches, recently acquired by Midpen from POST. It features a marquee view of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse…

Winter break – ’22 to ’23 – has featured some intense weather – an atmospheric river – hopefully marking a dramatic end to a few years of drought. Unfortunately, mudslides and falling trees have compromised roads and electricity.

First up, bad news above Granny Flats reservoir. Challenges on the 84 and Pescadero Creek Road. And finally, Pescadero Creek flooded our campus way up to the district parking lot. Pretty amazing…

Oooops! This last bit floods in to 2023. Thanks to Esteban & Mr. Rose for doubling down!

Now, let’s let the waters – and time – flow for awhile…

Except for a starting shot of my precious family, this first batch are several nature excursions, some facilitated by my ebike of awesomeness. We’ve had more than a few spectacular sunsets, and I was back out on the marsh – one day up Pescadero Creek, another up Butano. Then there were some great rides up Gazos (the old Mountain Camp burned in the fires) and above Pie Ranch (another view of scorched earth). Pick some pix…

Then, there were some fun school events (in the current school year) – the Halloween Carnival, El Dia de los Muertos (can you see grandpa Frank Fagerburg’s picture on the shrine next to Margaret), and the LHPUSD school board candidate student-led forum. Congratulations to winners Allison & Veronica…

Of course, Art is a common theme here at randomvail.com, so just a sampling of the young artistes at work…

One startling event was the crazy car accident nephew Lucas Lawson was in one evening. Rearended at high speed by a drunk driver, he and a friend were pushed off the road, several flips of the car, but amazingly minimal damage to “Lucky” & his buddy. (The Honda emblem on the boot (belonging to the perp.?) were just souvenirs of, perhaps, the miraculous…?)

A ride into Pescadero Creek County Park had no signs dissuading me from exploring the long-closed and dilapidated Sheriff’s Honor Camp, formerly known as Camp Pomponio (infamous temporary home of author Ken Kesey). Like the incarceration facilities on Log Cabin Ranch Road, this place could be repurposed! Turn a Prison into a School…

A very random sampling: Porter College art, Ocean Gallery art (HMB), crap PD Zoom, custodian Jose demonstrating my Civil War rifle in class, a ride with Dave Crane, the world’s heaviest pumpkin, a walk at Waddell, and lil’ Charlie turned 20 years old…

Please know, I’m picky when it comes to posts. For every picture you see there are dozens of other great ones you don’t.

Thanks for looking.

Once again, I’m catching up, but have let winter break slip by before doing so. I reckon this is a sequel to my “Catch Up ’22” series from summertime. Anyways, here goes…

The Pescadero Art & Fun Festival was back for the first time in two years. Online in 2020, it was at Harley Farms in 2021, but made it’s return to the IDES Hall in 2022. These were my five submissions (I thought I had six?), and except for the painting, QR codes was kind of a theme. However, the wifi wasn’t hap’nin’ so lemme ‘splain ’em (with the links).

The three drawings: Nellie Bly, Wynn Bruce, and Sam McDonald are from my “Unsung Heroes” series. The painting was a wannabe-stained-glass window of my androgynous archetypal avatar. The collage/montage/assemblage combined the old pool clock with colorful toys and sparkly bits. Called “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity,” a quote from from Thoreau’s Walden, it’s a play on the tedium of gluing stuff to wood for hours, and the imagery of violence as depicted by little soldiers and cowboys & indians. There are 12 QR codes on a variety of topics, half Wikipedia pages & half posts from this blog (all writing pieces – fiction & non-fction)!

In any case, I was pleased with my collection this time (and after the fact, Sam McDonald sold to TomKat Ranch for $1K!).

I was also please that my niece, Rosa Lawson (Rosart), entered some pieces (including cards/bin art) and one sold (red dot!)! Importantly, I should be showing all my student art – there was a lot – but all I have is a pic of some ceramics and the butterflies (The Mariposa Project) fastened to the fence out front. Also in this set: a cool painting, David Hope, and myself on stage with the Mariachi Band. As always, a rollicking good time…

Of course, PAFF ain’t the only show in town. Also returning in 2022 was the Kings Mountain Art Show. So, here ya go…

Another interesting opening was Big Basin State Park after the devastating fires of 2020. I reserved a parking spot within the first week and in addition to exploring the basics, took a great e-bike ride on some of the fire roads thereabouts. Some other moon shots are thrown into this batch of tree pix…

And again, the pool was rockin’! While I was not pleased with how my CLHG colleagues chose to run it – back to lifeguards, etc., it wound up being a relatively successful season with both our children being gainfully employed. Might add some video clips, but just know that once again a swam around the world (or at least a mile or two each week of the summer)…

Speaking of art, there was a fair amount of it amidst the miscellany of the Pescadero Barn Sale. Always fun to pick through the treasures and kibbitz with the community. Here’s what I brought home…

This last batch is random! The Geocache in the corner of the cemetery across from Dominican Oaks in Santa Cruz (still there after all these years). Charlie moving into his dorm room in Porter College at UCSC (even tho’ he’s an Oakes College affiliate). Me at the Puente Harvest Dinner @ Harley Farms, and Boman Irani cooking up some delicious Indian food in his kitchen…

Thanks for hangin’ in there. Stay strong, there’s more…

As it turns out, I’ve got more than one Youtube channel, both of which are devoid of subscribers, thus however do I have more stuff to post here. Some of these are blasts from the past, but as a history teacher, I make no apologies. Looking back always helps us look forward! (Still gotta figger out YT.)

Charlie on fiddle, from one of Mary Lynn’s concerts at La Honda Elementary School…

Veronica vocals, at Louanne’s & Sharon’s wedding in Florida back in 2013…

I made this Bon Voyage slideshow for Elayna, my cousin Susan’s daughter, when she embarked on a semester at sea a couple of years ago. Sadly, Susan, born one day after me, died of cancer, and the father has not been around. Happily, Elayna is a buoyant, upbeat, and life-loving young lady. The first half are pix from Susan’s family, the last half from ours, with an emphasis on traveling the world…

Kind of a sequel to our world trip in ’15-’16, since we had not visited South America then, was a summer trip to Peru & Bolivia in 2019. As in Morocco, we went with Intrepid and had a great time. It was a particularly fun group of people who our kids connected with. This trip was well documented at the time, but here’s a summary slideshow I made not too long ago. (Sorry for the generic music.)

You’d think I’d make more videos, but I sorta feel like others do a better job, so I am more of curator than a producer. However, during the Covid-infected 20-21 school year we were asked to make bilingual videos for Back-to-School-Night. I’m including this because I was employing a kind of scrapboard look and in the background it shows the slideshow I made for the Pescadero Middle/High School website which I’d created (now replaced, much to my consternation). And it shows one of Google Classrooms, my blog, and the free online textbook I’ve been using for the last couple years (serendipitously featuring the Supreme Court chapter). Apologies for my Spanish…

This last video was too long for the actual Outride Bikes grant proposal (being over 3 minutes), so I put some of these clips on a slideshow. However, it does not show the clips from Greg Virgallito (jumping and riding a wheelie) and myself (see the slideshow). We got the grant and now there are 25 Specialized mountain bikes on campus for our students to use. No soundtrack, just the basics…

There’s more! As Recreation Director, I’m supposed to help put on a couple of annual events. For the last two years, the CLHG Easter Egg Hunt had been canceled due to Covid. Thanks to super-volunteer Corinne Poulson, the event was back and dozens of families showed up to enjoy the fun…

In my previous post, I featured some student art work. This batch shows the process in both the art room and the tin shed, and it features some supplements – Puente-sponsored art therapy, Dan Geraci’s metal arts, and some ceramics aided by local potter Tom Shuman. And there’s some shenanigans too…

A very random batch: First up, an event at Pie Ranch which features their new ranch house being rebuilt after the fires. There’s also part of a property that was purchased, a Scrabble game, more pix of the Daniel’s Nature Center, and Charlie looking scary (but happy?)…