Boneylegs

I did the second to last work day at Sunset School yesterday. Great day with all the kids I have come to know and love. Several times kids just came over, crawled up into my lap, and relaxed. All these wonderful kids have touched me deeply. I spend much of the morning painting faces, see Silas as Yoda below.



The highlight of the day was the Boneylegs play put on by Silas' pre-K group. Everyone was wonderful and Silas played the cat who helps the little girl escape the witch called Boneylegs. Laura does such a great job with these kids and the play was amazing, from the set, to the costumes to the memorized lines for the kids. They were all so engaged. We are going to miss Sunset School.

Dad I'm Board

I went down to Santa Cruz to see Matt and Cori, get some south swell and hit the O'Neill Memorial Day sale where I got Jasper a new surf board. He has been using his buddy Elijah's 6'0" Softops surfboard. By getting a new board, Elijah and Jasper can hit the surf together. So yesterday, after dinner, we met in front of the house and the boys surfed the fast inside with the help of the dads.

Even after a long day at school, Jasper was excited to get on his new board. The water was cold and the wind was up, but he charged it. He got at least 10 waves with over half being great cold water wipe outs. Every time he wipes out and tumbles under the water he comes up smiling. I am one happy father!

Twins!

Today at Lakeshore Elementary is the kick off of spirit week and the first day is twin day. Jasper and his best friend Ben-O bought matching shirts. Their irreverence comes through as the shirts say: "Your lips keep moving but all I hear is blah blah blah."

Coot Baby!

[Guest Blog: Gramma Ila] Please share with grand children of the Mia Rose, Silas, Jasper and little Hayden variety. Gramma Renee and Gramma Ila Suzanne saw about 8 babies that looked like this yesterday. They are baby Coots. A duck kind of bird that is mostly black. Aren't the babies strange looking?



Grown up Coot

Love and hugs,

The grammas

I Get Paid for This

After two days of meetings with my team at work we took a day to retreat and bond on Tomales Bay. It has been windy most of the week, but today dawned still. I have not had the boys for 4 nights so this morning I was up at 6:30am and in the water by 6:45 for a fun, but frickin cold surf. No one else was out, but there was size, wonderful, powerful size.

Then off to Tomales Bay for a sea kayak. My boat mate was Felice one of two new members to our team. Nine of us total went out to Hog Island and then across the bay to where a small gray whale has been chilling out for the last month. It was amazing to float next to this behemoth as it came up for 3 breaths (see picture below) and then dove down for mouthfuls of mud. We also saw a large herd of Tule Elk and one very large bull Tule Elk at the waters edge.

After several hours of paddling and floating we went back to the kayak base camp and ate ourselves silly on raw and barbecued oysters. We talked a little shop and discussed our Myers-Briggs results: I am an INTP. Does that explain anything?


That little bump is a gray whale. Thanks Peter R for the pictures.

Cousins for a Price

We brought our extended collection of Fisher Price play sets down to Del Mar to give to the the California cousins. This is, of course, an extended loan since I plan to retire by selling this priceless vintage collection on eBay in 10 years. The kids really enjoyed playing with the "Price" at the beach house, Silas even remarked that he was not quite ready to give them up even though he had not played with them for over a year. Mia and Hayden are the proud recipients of the Fisher Price house (pictured) and airport sets along with miscellaneous little people and accessories that I have accumulated from thrift stores, garage sales, and eBay over the last 10 years. Thanks for sending the picture from your phone Andy.

Enjoy my little nephews!

More Cousin Bonding

All four cousins got a lot of great face time together cruising around Del Mar and dinners at the beach house. Look at these beautiful kids, definitely related through the powerful Crocker genes.

Brother Takes Brothers to Legoland

Thanks to my brother Andy for taking the Crocker Boys to Legoland yesterday. Grand adventure with Danielle and the Horowitz kids.

Jasper says: Legoland was really fun. I went on Test Track three times and I also went on the Dragon Ride three times. I got three toys, one was a key chain of Stormtrooper, another toy was an Aqua Raiders thing, and I also got a little helicopter. Andy and Danielle took me to Lego land.

Silas says: It was the funnest thing I ever went to. I wish we could go on Thunder Mountain, is that at Disneyland, oh yea. Thank you Andy for taking me.


Silas, Elijah and Jasper soaked after the pirate ride


Jasper taking the corners in his new sports car

Seven Year Old Stands Up

All of a sudden he got it. Jasper stood on a wave and then every other wave after that. Once before in San Francisco on Ocean Beach he connected with a wave and stood for a ten count. This time he stood for a ten count ten times! I was in the water with him and thankfully Uncle Lars took a bunch of pictures.

Jasper says: surfing was fun and can stand up for a long time. I caught about maybe ten waves on the surfboard. Then I boogie boarded for a while afterward. I surfed for maybe 2 hours.

For Tom Crocker

Took a walk down the Del Mar beach today with Jasper, Silas, and Amos, passing spots where I played when I was young, so many good memories on this beach. At the Three Palms near 17th Street is the refurbished Powerhouse Park building. Here is a small brick, a memorial to my father Tom Crocker who died 10 years ago this June. His ashes were spread beyond the waves at 17th Street. Jasper, Silas and I picked fresh flowers and laid them here.

I miss you dad. You would be proud of all the Crocker kids and these amazing grand kids of yours. See you in the surf.

In our hearts, Tom Crocker

Child Size Fish Caught

We woke to a local fisherman in front of the beach house pulling in the largest striped bass "striper"any of us have seen. The kids who were awake went crazy for this large sea creature. The local fisherman from Oceanside had never seen one this large and we took pictures of him and the fish and will be mailing him some photos. We asked him for his email address and he said he still has a rotary phone.

Later that afternoon he brought us a few large steaks from this beast that we will make into fish tacos this afternoon. Silas was a little nervous getting near the fish as it was still moving. These are the same fish that locals in SF go for in front of our house on Ocean beach.

Skatepark Review: Carlsbad Skatepark

****
Jasper says: Four stars. I gave it four stars because it was good, but if it was bigger I would like it more. It had a mound I could go down into a little bowl. I twisted my ankle and it really hurt, but I still skateboarded some more.

Elijah says: I liked the ramp that was that was turned down and that you go off to the side. I also liked the little hill that we went on. I felt a little scary but after I did it for awhile I felt like I was good. If I was Jasper I would give it five stars.

Del Mar Daze Begin

Landed in Del Mar today, only two quick hours from Chekka's house this morning. Listened to a couple more chapters of Dragonrider from the iPod. Immediate jump into surf for dada, Del Mar felt like Ocean Beach... lots of duck diving and shifty peaks. Jasper was on his skateboard or in his wetsuit the entire day. He and Elijah really enjoyed athletic company together. Silas and Lucas did fantasy play. I saw them on a bed with a flash light pretending they were performers.

Stocked the house with food and it took 3 chickens to feed the mass of humanity that came through. Westons, Crockers, FinkleCrockers, Horowitzez, Marones, and Lars. Eve and Ben stopped by too. The boys were in family and friend heaven. Here are some shots:


Silas drags a seaweed buch to throw on the rocks


Japser's after dinner surf in pounding shorebreak... smiles


An interesting cross section of my family and friends. Dada with Lars and Shaq (Hayden Crocker).

Kitties, Pokemon, and Chekka

Jasper says: the kitten's name is Lucky. She is Alex and Eric's kitten. She is a very playful cat.She likes to bite you and she can jump about four feet high. She likes a Mudkip (Pokemon) toy, she likes to try to eat it and if I wave it around and I put it on the ground then she tries to get it. They have a dog named Pal and she likes to play with him.


Dada says: first day of vacation. Only 5 hours to get from SF to north LA to stay with my old friend Chekka and her family. We enjoyed the first few hours of the Audiobook Dragonrider on the way down. All three of us were mesmerized. Chekka's home is always welcoming. We all went swimming in the backyard pool, still a bit cool, so my boys put on their wetsuits. Lars joined us for the evening with his two dogs Dixie and Bongo. Lars is also joining us in Del Mar for the next 3 days.

Eric, Jasper, Silas (water balloon), Alex, and Pal

Chekka and I went to kindergarten, high school prom, and UCSC together. When I had chicken pox and my kindergarten class went to the nursery she brought me back a fern. I remember planting that fern at the Van Dyke house near the chimney in Del Mar and it grew and thrived for years. Over the last 20 years our families have spent a little time together almost every year. Her husband Craig and I climbed El Capitan, in Yosemite, together about ten years ago. That was my biggest climb ever.

Earth Ski Maze

Silas says: the Earth Ski Maze is at the DeYoung sculpture garden. Its a maze that has the earth and the ski. I like it because it is like a maze and I love mazes, and because the earth and the sky. And I feel like a giant that is bigger than the earth.

I feel like I am bigger than the earth. See the first two pictures in the previous blog entry.

Silas as Art

Wonderful sunny moring in SF, the third beautiful day in a row. Spent the moning with Silas' pre-K class at the Japanese Tea Garden and then the DeYoung sculpture garden. These city kids live quite the cultured life. Here are a few art shots of Silas from today. I'll add the story Silas wants to tell of the Earth Ski Maze soon.

Skatepark Review: Pacifica Skatepark

*****
Jasper says: Five Stars. This skatepark was better than the Santa Cruz one because it is bigger and has more stuff that I can do. I like the double jump as you can see in the picture. My brother Silas bonked his head on the concrete when he was riding down a hill. He is pretty good skateboarder also.

Silas says: when I bonked my head on the cement it hurt very much. But now it doesn't hurt that much because I am in the house and in the house it is pretty cold so it is not hurting.

Dada says: hot day at the park, better day for surfing, we are on our way to the beach. Silas went down a shallow hill four or five times and then wanted to do a bigger hill. On the bigger hill the board got out from under him and he got a good goose egg. Nothing a little ice cream and kitty cookies wont cure.

Jasper gets serious air on the double jump


Silas cranking down hills before his bonk.

Ariel Slugs Lifeguard

Maybe I should have put a couple commas in the title for clarification. Ariel, my little baby sister (at 18) has recently decided to go to UC Santa Cruz for college. This is the Alma Mater for both George and I and represents the Slug (as in Banana) part of the title. Ariel was also recently selected to be an elite City of Del Mar beach Lifeguard. In fact, as I write this she is in the middle of her 8-hour a day training every weekend until summer. So, the legacy continues:

Charlie Crocker

DM Lifeguard 1984 - 1987

UCSC 1984 -1991

George Crocker

DM Lifeguard 1 2001 -2006

UCSC 2001 - 2005

Ariel Crocker

DM Lifeguard 2007 - ????

UCSC 2007 - ????

We are all so proud of you Ari and your dad would be especially proud.

Ariel, Janice, and I on a recent visit in Santa Cruz