Skatepark Review: Rancho Penasquitos

****

JASPER SAYS: I gave it four stars because I came here before and now I am better. I learned to drop in since the last time I came and now I can drop in to some of the stuff here. I liked going there because I could use my brother's board too, so I could try other boards. It was a good park and I did a rock' n' roll fakey without the coping. See my first video post:

Skatepark Review: The Cove, Santa Monica

***

JASPER SAYS: I gave it a three star because the skatepark didn't have a lot of stuff I can do and we spent most of our time signing in. We sign in at the office and they had to check if we had elbow pads, knee pads, and helmet and I had to get my own skate pass with my picture on it. The good thing about it, it had a drop in I could do and a big bowl that I could walk into and go around. I might like it better when I come back with my friend Elijah, because we challenge each other.

First CrockerBoys Christmas (2007)

Great Christmas morning. Jasper was up at 5 am, still on Minnesota time. He read a chapter of The Thief Lord, woke me up and snuggled for awhile. Then he had to see what Santa had brought. Then he came back to snuggle, then to his room to read again. Finally at 7am he runs in ready to open his stocking, but alas Silas was still asleep. Arghh! Jasper started vibrating and shaking "I can't wait any longer" he screamed, arms flailing and head spinning. Then at 8 am Silas wakes up and we get started with stuffed stockings and Santa presents.

I want to thank my mom for making this first CrockerBoys Christmas a family occasion. I would not have done it without her encouragement. We leave to Del Mar tomorrow morning for Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles, stay tuned for the Christmas that keeps on giving.

SILAS SAYS: I love you! All I want to say is I love you.

JASPER SAYS: I liked Christmas and I got a really cool Lego that you can see in the picture. I am building the spider right now.

The two "big" Santa presents.

The Portland Grammas. Thanks mom!

Skatepark Review: Crocker-Amazon SF

**

JASPER SAYS: It wasn't that great because it didn't have that much things that I could do, and was really really small. It was small because it only had a little bowl that had three sections and a little mound thing that you can see in the back of the picture. I liked the upper bowl that I was dropping into in the picture.

One Smart, One Not

Jasper snaps a pic of DaDa defying the laws of age (not smart?)

Jasper continues to drop in deeper and steeper (smart?).

Wizard on a Lizard

Jasper had the idea and DaDa snapped the pic. Our dearest Beardy puts up with the CrockerBoys.

Cold Big Sur(f)

I joined Joel and a high school buddy of his, John, for the annual pilgrimage to southern Big Sur. The weather was unstable but we braved it anyway. Met two of Johns friends at Plaskett campground. First day, very cold, huge surf and strong winds. We combed the beach for jade, a Big Sur tradition. I found lots of green rocks, but I don't think any jade. I needed to get some surf and get pounded so I paddled into a frothy pit and scraped for a few waves, but got the pump and felt much better. Saturday was lazy. Long breakfast, check the surf spots, still too messed up, then a drive deep into the Big Sur back country and a hike down to a creek. Another evening jade hunt and more beef and whiskey. Sunday, so much warmer, no wind, and smaller, but still strong, surf. Nice mid-morning surf at Willow Creek: big faces into shallow boney boulders. Here are additional pics from the TRIP.

John and Joel "sharing" Willow Creek.

A tree by any other name...

Tis the season and we had a great time decorating our tree this year. Nothing like a run to community thrift to augment our dwindling ornament stocks. Notice the lower half got a bit more attention.

Silas Stands Up

SILAS SAYS: I learned to stand up. I went fast down the Hill, I mean fast, not slow, fast! Do you know why I went fast, because I was going down a hill. I did some tricks. I put my board up then I put my foot down on the other side, then I pushed the skateboard down and started going down the hill.I like standing up on my board because it is fun. Do you know how I learned to stand up? Because first I was going on my belly, then sitting down, and then standing up.

Silas getting the hang of standing up.


Once he gets standing he starts "landing" tricks.

Skatepark Review: Novato Skate Park at Hamilton Field

****

JASPER SAYS: I learned to drop in at McInnis skatepark and now I am dropping Novato skatepark on a littler hill. I like Novato four stars because it doesn't have as much stuff as McInnis that I can ride and Novato skatepark has good stuff that I can do, but not as much. I like it because it had a little bowl that was slanted on one side and it was steeper on the other side. I might try to drop into the bigger hill at Novato skatepark next time I go. It is really close to McInnis, so I can go to two skateparks in one day.

Elijah and Jasper chilling for a moment at Novato.

Japser doing a drop in on the little hill at Novato.

Faux Venice with Mo

Spent the week in Las Vegas at the Venetian living in an extreme suite, the only room I could get. Presented new technology to about 400 GIS faithful. Amos lives here in Vegas and I got some good face time with him. I escaped the Matrix of the monster hotels and saw an underground Samuel Becket play in a cold warehouse just off the strip. Our work team went and saw the Cirque du Soliel show last night "O". Yesterday was my fist day out side the Venetian in 3 days. As one point I thought i had made it outside, but the sky turned out to be painted and the lights mimicked sunlight. Ready to be in the real world and see the ocean again.

Uncle Mo in his new habitat.

Uncle Mo and I living large in the living room of the suite in the Venetian

Everything is bigger in Vegas. Uncle Mo proud of his new rig.

Need for Speed

SILAS SAYS: I was so fast that the outside of the picture was blurry. The wind was so cold on my ears that is why I knew I was going so fast and I was screaming because I was going so fast. I just lean that's how I turn when I am going that fast. Fire Fast! I started at the 20 [an address] then I went higher and higher up the hill. I keep going faster and faster. When I used the longboard it was a bit faster so I started down low.

Jump-a-roonie

JASPER SAYS: Yesterday I was skating on the sidewalk in back of my house on the ramp with my friend Elijah. I was going off the jump and trying to land it. Then finally landed it once and after I landed it 12 other times. I fell two times when I went off the jump. Click on the picture to see me bigger.

Pie Factory

Thanksgiving pies: 2 pumpkin and 1 apple. Nuf said.

Wrestle Mania

JASPER SAYS: Wrestling is fun for me because I like to wrestle. I like to wrestle before bedtime. We have levels of wrestling and we get to pick a level between 1 and 5. Level 1 is snuggle wrestling. Level 2 is kind of hard but not really hard. Level 3 is pretty hard you might get hurt. Level 4 is you probably will get a bloody nose or probably cry. Level 5 is death. I like to usually go on Level 2 or 3.

SILAS SAYS: It is fun. It is fun. It is fun. I like to go on level 1 and zero. My favorite kind of wrestling is surfing. I stand on my Dad's back and he wiggles so its hard. So its like I am standing on him and he is the surfboard and he makes it wiggle like the waves that are coming by.

Perfect Boys Weekend

We have all been quite sad and frustrated. A ship runs into the Bay Bridge and it closes the beach in front of our house for a couple weeks. I had not surfed or exercised in almost two weeks, we had to escape the "Beach Closed" signs. So we loaded the wagon up with surfboards, wetsuits, boogie boards, skateboards, helmets, beer and a chicken and headed to Santa Cruz to the GCC. We arrived as the fog lifted and hit the beach, Jasper, Gabby and I played in the pounding shore break while Maya and Silas cooked extensive concoctions in the sand. Then I got some amazing surf, big sets, fast and hollow, exploding with me in it. I felt so much better... ALIVE! An evening of yummy GCC cooking and friendship, card games, movies, and hot tub. Then this morning I got up before everyone and hit the surf for another 1.5 hours. I was alone with the otters and seabirds and I had a long chat with a harbor seal. Glorious waves, smaller, but greasy morning glass and fast hollow sets. Yummy.


Jasper takes the hill. Looks so much like Del Mar 33 years ago.

We loaded up the car and headed straight from Santa Cruz to the McInnis Skatepark in northern San Rafael. Joel and crew met us there so Elijah, Lucas, Lila, got their first taste of Jasper's favorite skatepark. Elijah and Jasper really challenge each other, Jasper went down a big drop he had been avoiding. Then we headed off to my friend Andrew's son Jeremy's eighth birthday. They hired the Lego birthday crew to come in and supply guidance and cool pieces. Silas and I worked on a double motorized tractor. The Lego guy like Silas' enough to not disassemble it and take it back to show his colleagues as an example.

The birthday skate crew. Silas' chose the parts for the black board.

We gave Jeremy a skateboard for his Birthday. Silas picked out all the pieces, the deck the trucks and the wheels. This, of course, lead to a major skate session in front of Jeremy's house at the end of the party. Silas got bolder and bolder butt skating from higher and higher up the hill, and Jasper enjoyed being the best skater there (besides DaDa he said). Got home with a car full of stinky boys, wet clothes, wet wetsuits, and tired boys, all three of us. A good weekend.

Silas with deck and skate shoes heading back up for another run

P.S. They opened our beach today, we can surf at home again, we may actually survive Thanksgiving.

Mustangs Final

Silas soccer team, the Mustangs, had there final game this Saturday morning. Most of the team showed up so we had a good game. Silas played hard, got knocked down, knocked down, and kicked hard. Check out the picture of him and Adam taking on the guy in the shiny shirt. such focus, such direction. End of a fun season, where scores aren't counted except by the children and there is no goalie. MicroSoccer rocks!

Rubber Band Wars

Uncle George stopped by this afternoon with a "friend." They had done a big ride over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Marin Headlands. They arrived in the middle of a big game of Risk and we fed them Food Loaves and had a rowdy rubber band war. The Lego rubber band guns turned out to take too long to load so we all started using our hands. Great to see you George!!

The Mud People

Jasper decided he did not want to leave the property or get out of his pajamas today. That left Gramma Ila and I with the challenge of providing stimulating activities for he and Silas. After about 42 games of solitaire and some computer time, Gramma Ila convinced us all to get a facial at home with some fancy spa mud. Here is the result!

Glorious November Beach Day

Another day of offshore winds and clear skies. Tribal day with the H and C clans, this day our faces all marked in blue, even Dada. Wave jumping, body boarding, fort building, jelly fish and dune leaping. Another glorious day on the beach in San Francisco. More pictures from the day can be found at this link: PICTURES.

The blue crew ready for action.


This little ones and their yummy jelly fish.


E gets big air leaping off the dunes.


Jasper throws himself into space.
Click on the picture to see a closer view of his happy face.

BOO!

Halloween 2007. Got to spend the morning in both their classrooms. We baked cookies the night before for the parties and got to see the costume parade on the the upper playground. Then trick or treating in our friends neighborhood in the inner sunset. MORE SUGAR!!!

Boba Fett and the little devil



Silas' good side.



The loot!

Pretty Little Pumpkins

Prepping for Halloween we carved the pumpkins we purchased at the pumpkin patch with our pals the week past.

SILAS SAYS: it is a Pichu and it is a Pokemon. You can't see the outside of the pumpkin because it is actually a pumpkin. I wish everybody a happy Halloween.

JASPER SAYS: I made the face on a piece of paper, then my dad carved it like the picture looked like. I got to light the candles in both of our pumpkins, twice.

Jasper: Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday I went to the pumpkin patch with Silas' class and today it was with Jasper's 3rd grade class. Spent the morning in the nearby community gardens doing scientific observation in their science journals. Jasper filled his with the names of seeds, flowers, roots, and vegetables. Jasper's best friend in his class, Joshua, came over this weekend and you can see him and Jasper in the picture below.