I like to think of my dogs in this way===============>
And it is a bummer when you come back to hear that they have been nightmares--namely one large white one, by the name of Chops.
Shit he did: Puke on the dog blanket (trashed now), crossed major traffic to eat out of a trashcan on the other side of the road, started fights with other dogs, and was just generally unruly. POOP--Confirms the fact that I need to get out of apartment living, get a job that gives me more free time, and get out camping, more often.
Big thanks to Julia, Mauricio, Marta, and Dave, for watching the little buggers--Flow was apparently perfect. Chops, is in the terrible twos, and requires constant supervision and monitoring. Also, his hurt paw from the Nevado de toluca hike, still hasn't closed--I think the pain might be a source of his agitation--not an excuse, just a specuation.
Here are some pics from our 15,200ft (4600m) summit. I hiked with fellow ASF English Teacher and mentor, Siri Berman, and her boyfriend Stefan Barsanti. THe dogs trooped it to the top with great elegance, aside from Chops spill and gashed foot.
The vistas were great, and as the 4th highest peak in Mexico, it was a great physical challenge:
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This last weekend saw me headin back North to visit friends and fam, and attend Danny's wedding to Christina in Carmel .
Here is the short and skinny:
Met Gloria for In-N-Out, met mom at home, and napped.
Flew up to San Jose and dined with Aunt Tee and Uncle Steve.
The greatest extended family I got. The conversation, humor, and life musings, as always, was absolutely phenomenal--Love those folks! We ate at Oswald's in Santa Cruz. B Man (Brian) wasworking and we chopped it up. He sat down and shot the shit for a minute or two, and then he sent us three exquisite desserts. a beautiful little moment in time.
Stopped over and saw the Klines at their respective places of employment. Stopped at Soquel and saw some familiar faces.
Headed down to Carmel. picked up a tux and a gift, and made our way nice and slow down the coast.
Went to the rehearsal wedding and dinner in Carmel. Beautiful city. Met some new and old friends.
Headed back to the hotel cabanas, enjoyed brews and conversation late into the night.
Arose early, before the wedding, and at Andy'surging we hit up Point Lobos. Did some sweet early morning hiking. Stopped early o the hike in favor of some sweet food.
Hit the wedding and then a plethora of photos. It was a beautiful day, and Danny and Tina were absolutely radiant.
Made it to the wedding reception, and it was a blast. Great food, great dances moves, made a toast to the bride and groom, and smoked an authentic cuban--it was a damn good time. I found my way to bed by 10, and it felt so so so lovely.
Flew home, met up with Gloria, Joey, and his buddy from the SEALS Flint. We went to Greenblat's in Hollywood and got down on some hot pastrami. After that I went home, met up with the folks, watched a little Lakeshow and Lost, and then went over to Gloria's crib, which lead me to her couch, which put me right to sleep--not a very good best friend, to just fall asleep, but she understood.
Addendum: The next day my mom and I made a nice an early exit for LAX. We took a pair of vibram five fingers which I ordered to REI for a size change. We then attempted some breakfast at Mickey D's, but we were past the dreaded 10:30 am cutoff for breakfast. After changing the shoes, I realized I didn't need two pairs, and that the fit still wasn't right--my mom made the plan to head over to Uncle Gil and Aunt Char's house. I decided to give the shoes to my Uncle, who is my fellow May 26th birthday buddy. My mom slipped in through the side door, and into the house. I am not sure if it was open or she broke in. In any event I left the present on their table. I believe they are out of town, so the gift shall await their return.
After that, we took the scenic Manhattan Beach drive, and my mom dropped me off at the appropriate gate with plenty of time for incidentals. We had, for us, a fairly tearless goodbye. A sweet ending to a sweet vacation.
Now I am back at school, with two weeks left to teach.
Possible futures:
Shaun informed me that he has landed me a few market jobs for the summer. He also told me, that he checked with his inlaws, and I could stay on the backend of their property, if I built a small fence for my dogs--probably around $200, and that would be the cost of living for the summer. Thus far, this is my only option for making money this summer, and it sounds pretty damn nice.
Hypothetically, leave DF at the end of June, take a quick but kick ass road trip up through Mexico to Austin with Ms. Tess Wheelright. Drop her at the airport, and book it across the southwest to Santa Cruz. Get situated by the beginning of July and start working for a few months. Start paying rent August 1st in Austin. Go to Burning Man for the end of August, and then head on down to LA for September, then drive down to San Diego for Joey's graduation from SEALS training, and across to Austin for ACL on October 8th, and a new life!
Right now, post California vacation, this is sounding like an amazing plan. Also, got offers to spend a week or two up in Jackson Hole for ski season, and learn the ways of snowboarding from Zachy Zimmerman.
