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