Del Mar Days for July 4th

JASPER SAYS: My vacation was very fun. We went surfing and body surfing and boogie boarding. We also had SiSi and my birthday. We also went hiking at Red Rocks and found this really cool sculpture that had three things that looked like gears and standing up on 3 poles. We also went to La Jolla Cove and went snorkeling. We a bunch of fish. The main one we saw were Garibaldi. Garabildi is an orange fish.

SILAS SAYS: We went to Red Rocks and had a really fun time. We letterboxed in Red Rocks, we fixed them up. I found this crazy thing that has these cones on the sides and a bucket at the bottom of the cones. It had 3 of those lots of cones. We went to La Jolla cove. We saw lots of fish, there were millions. The second time we went to the Cove the waves were big and it was not as much fun.

Ring Bearer Bearer Bearer

So the first of the San Diego cousins gets married... presenting Ben and Carrie Weston. The ceremony and reception were at the Martin Johnson House at Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, apparently the same location that my father celebrated finishing his PhD. It was an amazing, hot day overlooking the Scripps Pier and Blacks Beach and a short loving ceremony presided over by Reverend Andrew Crocker. Hayden was the ring bearer, Silas was the ring bearer bearer, and Jasper was the ring bearer bearer bearer as you can see in the picture. Mia was the flower girl, and after a couple diva moments, she got into character and did a great job slowly walking down the path tossing white rose petals.

SILAS SAY: I got to hold Shaq (Hayden) in the wagon and Jasper got to pull us. Mia was the flower girl. Dada just watched, he was nothing. Shaq wore a white shirt and me and
Jasper and you know that Mia was the flower girl and she wore a yellow dress. Shaq is one year old, Mia is 3 years old, Jasper is 8 years old and I am 5 years old. There were a couple little hills and Jasper pulled us and we went sown and it was super fun. I got two Juice Squeezes. There was white chocolate shells on the cake and even i got to eat one. I did a toast and I went up and I sang "By the Rivers of Babylon". Mia was really sad because she didn't really want to be the flower girl.

JASPER SAYS: It was fun. I did not really have to hold the wagon, because it was downhill and I had to keep it from rolling all the way down. When it got dark I started playing Gin with my dad and I beat him by 185 points in one hand.

Del Mar Holidays 2007

We drove to Del Mar in one day and stopped at skateparks and Lars' new house on the way. We had a great time with all the cousins and family we have in San Diego. Many birthdays, the messiest was Hayden's (Shaq). Beach time, more skate parks, Legoland, Belmont Park, and many wonderful meals and gatherings with the Del Mar Crockers, the Portland Grammas, and the Westons. Visit this LINK for more pictures and have a great NEW Year!

Shaq enjoys the fruits of turning one year old.


Legoland adventure for Grammas and DM Crockers.


A few CrockerBoys hanging out at red rocks in Del Mar.

Ten years gone and still in our hearts

Tom Crocker 12/7/42 - 6/16/1997


Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of my fathers death. After his cremation Janice and the Del Mar kids swam out at 17th Street in Del Mar and released his ashes just beyond the waves. To remember Tom and celebrate some of what he loved in life and instilled in us, his 5 children (Charlie, Andy, George, Amy, and Ariel) and his widow Janice along with cousin Ben Weston swam out together at 17th Street to the quarter mile buoy. We formed a circle around the buoy holding hands and talked about our father/husband. On the swim back in the swell picked up and we all frolicked bodysurfing in the shore break as he had done with us before so many times at the same spot. I was sure he was there with us in the waves.

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.

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).