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Two Front Teeth

Todd — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:57:09 +0000

We thought it might happen at Christmas and give us cause to sing that old song, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…” but Christmas came and went with Emma’s two front teeth merely wobbling.

As of this morning, though, both of the shiny white front teeth are gone! The first gave way last night while Marla was brushing Emma’s teeth. They were ecstatic and called me at work to relay the news. The second tooth came loose while playing at The Engle’s this morning. Our little girl is a snaggletooth!

You can see the missing teeth in some of the photos I took today during our “bird watching” walk in the canyon as well as in the shots of Emma and Henry hamming it up in the bathtub. (Wait… see missing teeth?)

Let’s hope the tooth fairy leaves wondrous treasures!

Biking in O’Neill Park

Todd — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:55:19 +0000

We had a nice, wet January and February and the spring was gorgeous. Lush green on all of the hills and flowers popping out all over. Henry, Emma and I went on a bike ride across the street in O’Neill Park at the end of Mach, just as the wildflowers were nearing their peak bloom.

We took a little detour from the paved trail and tried our hands (or legs, as it were) with riding bikes in the dirt. While Emma managed just fine on her bike Henry, still with training wheels, had a tough time. Back to the pavement we went.

We stopped every two or three feet so the kids could look at a flower, lady bug or even just a stick. It probably took us a good hour to travel half of a mile but the adventure was well worth it.

Fire In The Canyon

Todd — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:26:47 +0000

California has been under siege since Sunday from wildfires. We’ve had an incredibly dry spell the past two years, with literally only a couple inches falling each of the past two seasons. Couple that with our annual Santa Ana winds and you’ve got a perfect recipe for disaster.

Fire broke out Sunday night on Santiago Canyon Road, apparently from arson. We are a good 7-8 miles away (see O.C. Register map here) and, given the way the winds were blowing, didn’t have much to worry about. We were even fairly smoke-free.

That all changed yesterday, though. As the winds shifted the far started moving southeast and ever closer to us.

Marla called yesterday as she and the kids went to the library and were able to see flames on the hills above Trabuco Canyon. The fire is still many miles away but being able to see the flames in person certainly changes the way you follow the news.

I went out last night and took a few pictures looking out across Lago Santa Margarita. That’s a much different view than from a few years ago when the hills were dusted with snow, don’t you think? The O.C. Register map is a bit out of date. The flames in the pictures are on the eastern side of Live Oak Canyon Road.

Thankfully with the winds dying down the fire department has been able to bring in choppers and planes and make lots of headway in containing the fire. The last reports indicate that it is 50% contained – a huge improvement over the 15% yesterday.

Now all we have to deal with is the giant plume of smoke drifting from the east and Camp Pendelton… More pictures of that later.

Playgroup Picnic at O’Neill Regional Park

Todd — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:22:07 +0000

Last weekend we had a picnic with Marla and the kids’ playgroup at O’Neill Regional Park. In all six families (12 adults, 25 kids and two dogs) got together to spend an evening hanging out in what passes for wilderness in Orange County.

To be fair we have seen tarantulas, deer, coyotes, rattlesnakes and more in the park so it is fairly wild considering the suburban setting. Thankfully none of the more sinister wildlife were out and about during our picnic so the kiddies were able to run wild in the grass and the arroyo.

Some favorite moments:

Zane and Zuzu playing in the bubbles
Alex hamming it up for me
Cali and Henry goofing off with the giant frisbees
Henry and Zane throwing balls into a tree
Tadd proudly showing off his captured critters
Bradi and Carli exploring the arroyo with their dogs and dad

We had a great time, staying right until sunset. Hopefully it will become a more regular tradition!

Rattlesnake!

Todd — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 05:07:20 +0000

We were taking a relaxing walk in the canyon across the street (O’Neill Regional Park) Saturday night when we spotted a snake slithering through the bushes.

Being the fine father that I am I wanted to responsibly show my children the beauty of nature. I remember thinking about It being important to teach them to appreciate wildlife…

… until I heard the high-pitched rattle start up.

Then my thoughts were all about, “Let’s get the Hell out of here!”

It seems that we crossed paths with a Western Rattlesnake, one not uncommon in Southern California. The past few years of above average rain have increased the population of their prey (rats, mice) and, in turn, the population of rattlesnakes has exploded.

We’d previously only seen gopher snakes so close to home.

Marla relayed to me tonight that a friend’s dog was bitten by a rattlesnake in their backyard just earlier today.

Guess I’ll have to add that to the list of things to look out for when we venture outside! (There are also tarantulas, mountain lions and deer across the street.)

marietta national cemetery (in ir)

Todd — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 22:22:07 +0000

Uh, what? Pictures that aren’t of sweet Emma and Henry? Yes, ’tis true. While we were vacationing I took a few pictures of things that weren’t my progeny. Shocking, I know.

I had visited the Marietta Confederate Cemetery a few years ago (here are the pictures) and wanted to do something similar this trip.

So, while Emma, Henry, Marla and Granma were off visiting with cousins Bailey and Erin I took a drive up to the Marietta National Cemetery to see what I could find.

Unfortunately I went at high noon rather than waiting for better light. Rather than heading home empty-handed I decided to haul out the IR filter and see what I could do.

I’ve experimented with IR before and always liked the results. (See O’Neill Regional Park in Infrared and Skypark Circle in IR for examples.)

You’ll either love these or hate these. I think they add a kind of spooky “otherworldliness.” (Is that even a word?) There are a few normal shots scattered throughout so you can see what the scene really looked like.

Let me know what you think! (And fear not, I have lots more of Emma and Henry coming up soon.)

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Arroyo Trabuco Wilderness Hike

Todd — Tue, 01 Jul 2003 03:46:55 +0000

I took far too long a hike in the Arroyo Trabuco Wilderness. Came back sunburned, but had a great time. I suspect the round trip was approximately 7 miles or so. If you check out the 2nd map in the link above our house is near the bottom, where the Tierras Creek Trail crosses the gray line and comes closest to Antonio.