A Butter World

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69258556359303556742010-08-08T17:33:10.824-07:00A Butter WorldBedlam and chaos in the Butterfield house, which has been certified as experiment in rapid entropy.Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-66757232071957611622010-08-08T17:33:00.001-07:002010-08-08T17:33:10.892-07:00This blog has moved

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Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-68076900621602499152009-11-03T13:21:00.000-08:002009-12-11T20:20:21.903-08:00So many changes

The last time I posted, it was summer. Will was preparing for college by sleeping all the time, Satchel was working hard and vague about his plans, and the younger boys were ready to head back to school - Carson to middle school for the first time, Reed as a second grader.Now it's early December, and Will is almost done with his first quarter at Evergreen (and loving it!), Satchel lives in

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-78766566346277609732009-08-22T09:51:00.000-07:002009-09-03T09:33:20.589-07:00Where were the bears?

One of my favorite places to camp is in Yosemite, not down in the valley but up on the Tioga road. We frequent a campground there that's 'unimproved' which means you have to bring or sterilize your own water, and the road is rough, but that just makes it better in my opinion. Ponderosa pines, wildflowers, granite boulders, a clear mountain stream - it's kid (and me) heaven. Industrial strength

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-32178453804092410652009-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:002009-08-07T09:21:37.168-07:00Road Trip, Part Four - Home Again

On Friday morning we packed up the tent and headed off - hitting the road by 7 a.m. - to Arches National Park, where we planned to have lunch and spend a few hours (not nearly what Arches merits, but better than skipping it). Another beautiful drive with a sleepy kid, and we were soon in the crazy gorgeous canyonlands region. When we got to Moab, it was blistering hot, but we had our water

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-9576675715372932662009-07-31T09:52:00.000-07:002009-08-03T09:19:53.255-07:00Road Trip, Part Four: Eastward HO!

On Wednesday morning we got up fairly early and continued our trek eastward. We had the hang of the long drives, and the miles just flowed by as we listened to audiobooks and admired the desert. We took a very short break at 4 Corners so that Carson could stand it four states at once (I didn't tell him that a new survey places it a little ways away from the marker), but it was hot, touristy and

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-26121049872026988672009-07-29T22:14:00.000-07:002009-07-29T22:51:53.399-07:00Road Trip, Part Three: It's a Grand Old Canyon

On Tuesday, after a yummy breakfast of french toast in the garden, we headed up to the Grand Canyon. I was thinking, "If we're this close, we really ought to see it," but I wasn't sure how much Carson would get out of it. Well, he was blown away, loved it, took a ton of photos, and it was totally worth the day. He also got to see what a really popular park is like in the middle of tourist season.

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-54692250152805495222009-07-28T08:01:00.000-07:002009-07-28T09:28:36.238-07:00Road Trip, Part Two: Detours & Cinder Cones

On the second morning of our trip, it was up and on the road early before the desert got too horrible. It was a gorgeous drive through the early morning. We had flipped a coin on which direction to go out of the park - we could go north, east, and south to Kingman, or south, east & north to Kingman. We opted for the former, which worked beautifully until we got to the intersection where we were

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-568355182704129822009-07-26T21:51:00.000-07:002009-07-26T23:01:12.041-07:00Road Trip, Part One: How to Get a Solitary Campsite

Because Carson is 10, and because Will & Satchel got to go to Holland when they were 10, I promised him we'd do something special this summer. Not being able to afford India, I suggested we set out and see Mesa Verde & points in between in the Southwest. So on last Saturday afternoon, we loaded up into the car and headed off. We spent the night at good friends' in Merced, to give us a head start.

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-11189780278087562332009-07-03T08:24:00.000-07:002009-07-17T14:17:29.602-07:00Mixing my metaphors

I can't decide whether summer is flying past us on wings of a dove, or whether school is approaching like a freight train (with puberty on board). It's only three weeks into summer, but it's already feeling too short. And we've packed in a lot in these weeks already...Satchel is due back tonight from his trip to Europe - he went to London, Paris, Brussels, and Holland - finishing up his trip with

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-50328992727979457322009-05-09T13:01:00.000-07:002009-05-30T11:11:13.150-07:00It's a Dog's Life, It's a Sailor's Life, All the World's a Stage

I thought about making this into several posts, and back-dating them, but instead I'm just going to throw the calendar to the wolves and post randomly. Good luck, historians of the far future! (Hah!!)In no particular order:-- We have a new dog! It's now a two-dog house, which I thought might be completely nuts (but it didn't stop me) but is actually working out beautifully. Our new addition is

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-11308318065403968952009-02-20T20:10:00.000-08:002009-02-20T20:39:15.997-08:00Snowmen and Snow Boys

It was that time again, time for the requisite journey to the snow - so on Monday night Carson and Reed and I packed up the car and headed up to the mountains. It was raining here, so I knew it would be snowing there, but my little car has 4-wheel drive and we were only going to Kyburz (not so high up) so we went for it. The journey was uneventful, and we arrived to a warm cabin a few hours after

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-15610283121284386562008-12-22T21:36:00.001-08:002008-12-30T16:24:28.490-08:00Seasonal Thoughts

So I guess this year clinches it: I'm not really capable of writing a holiday letter, at least not BEFORE the holidays! But I was thinking of you all - and trying to get to it!Dec 21:Life continues at its mad pace here in the Butterworld - the pace madder than usual (is that even possible?) in December. But now we've survived the birthdays (Will & Satchel are 18, Reed is 7) and vacation is here,

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-87017592811644840312008-11-22T22:25:00.000-08:002008-11-22T23:15:31.086-08:00Good moments

First, a story from the teen front: Satchel and Will were talking late the other night - and Satchel was telling Will about how he and a co-worker were trying to bean each other with something (socks?) in the warehouse - the co-worker couldn't believe that he could never, but never, ambush Satchel. Satch laughed at him and said, "You didn't grow up with brothers, did you?" Will cracked up on

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-86615810752220918352008-10-15T12:18:00.001-07:002008-10-15T12:21:33.769-07:00Great photo

I didn't take this photo, but I sure do love it. I think some of the practicing that they were doing for their dance in the school pep rally seeped through into the game...

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-87590585238390738442008-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:002008-10-01T21:08:55.383-07:00Indians on the Beach

It seems so long ago already, but a couple of weeks ago my mom asked me, "Would you like to take the kids to see the Indian Warriors on the beach?" Being, as usual, highly attuned to the cultural landscape & happenings in the Bay Area, I answered, "WHAT? Indians? Huh?"It turned out to be a wonderful art installation at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. So we planned to take Carson & Reed on a Sunday

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-11986760960099700542008-09-16T14:36:00.000-07:002008-09-16T14:39:03.042-07:00'Nuff Said!

At Carson's 10th birthday. With brothers.

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-66501888464589776602008-09-10T22:37:00.000-07:002008-09-10T22:41:46.664-07:00Here we go again!

No, really, I'm not a soccer mom! I don't drive a mini-van, I work, and I coach... um... soccer. But only for the little guys.But today Reed had soccer from 3:30 to 5, Carson had soccer from 5 - 6:30, and Will had a game at 4:30. Somehow I managed to fit in Reed's practice and part of Will's game. So I guess I have to face facts... for at least a few months each fall, I'm a soccer mom...

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-20797303134794688462008-09-08T10:32:00.001-07:002008-09-08T10:42:36.251-07:00Getting Medieval

It was quite the weekend, as usual. (But when isn't it around here?)Carson turned 10 on Friday, and planned for himself a "medieval sleepover" party with 4 friends. They had a blast - I think their favorite part was dinner, followed closely by the treasure hunt. But they loved the pie fight too, and swimming, and making shields, and dressing up, and playing, and just hanging out. Carson always

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-90718344539786256062008-08-16T15:49:00.000-07:002008-08-16T21:22:19.328-07:00Ahh... Beaches!

Two camping posts in a row - it doesn't get better than that, in my book!This time, we headed up the coast. My mom in Emma's car with Emma and Julia, and I with Carson, Reed, and Carson's friend Tony. We headed west from Fairfax, and then up Highway One. We were concerned about fog (a California coastal hazard in summer), but went for it anyhow. As soon as we hit the coast, we hit the fog too. It

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-60435523959638251512008-07-27T17:35:00.000-07:002008-08-01T08:28:43.081-07:00Here's to Camping with Friends!

A favorite place, some favorite people, no phones or computers - how could we go wrong? We had a wonderful 5 days at Standish-Hickey, swimming, sunning, and relaxing. Britton, River and Mage, Jolie and Nio, Emma and Julia, and Carson's friend Kevin all joined us. We had a wonderful time, and it was especially wonderful to have such good friends there. It was a little more adventurous than usual

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-78942231925196447392008-07-09T19:54:00.000-07:002008-07-09T21:44:55.479-07:00Good Old-Fashioned Fun

This last Friday was the 4th of July, (for those of you who haven't looked at a calendar lately, or might not have noticed due to being in, say, India). We had oodles of fun over the weekend, starting with the annual picnic out at Skywalker Ranch. It's huge fun, totally old-fashioned and wonderful. I usually describe it as the small town 4th of July picnic that we all wish had really existed.

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-31432816849323751062008-06-21T22:26:00.001-07:002008-06-21T22:26:50.613-07:00Cherries, Heat, and Missing Bits

Yesterday was another annual ritual - picking cherries from Bev's remarkably prolific little tree. It was a scorching hot day, but nice in the shade of her yard. We picked cherries, ate, cooled our feet (and the dog) in her metal tub (a repurposed cattle trough that she keeps cool water in for humans - not to drink!), picked more cherries. Now today I need to pull out the industrial pitter and

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-39731090250137701062008-06-14T07:15:00.000-07:002008-06-14T23:28:04.443-07:00Festivalities

Today was one of my favorite "gosh I love my hometown" events of the year: the Fairfax Festival & Parade. If you live in Fairfax and are involved in the local community in any way, chances are you'll get invited - perhaps by more than one group - to be in the parade, and it's worth it. In the 10 years since we bought our house and got involved at the grade school, I haven't actually seen the

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-60099617218382599062008-05-28T09:22:00.000-07:002008-05-28T09:32:27.651-07:00Teeth

Two photos here that should speak for themselves...

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6925855635930355674.post-61275398624287385522008-05-14T18:32:00.000-07:002008-05-15T08:55:29.711-07:00Perfect Little Vacation

On Sunday Will and I headed out to catch the plane and go to Santa Fe - Will to visit my college, and I (ostensibly) to accompany him, but really to see my old home town and visit friends that I had neglected for far too long. It turned out to be a fantastic trip - only two days, but a true vacation.We started out, when we arrived, at a pasta dinner that Melissa and Ron had thrown together - very

Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18156004741221780703noreply@blogger.com3