My life Since 2003
  • Poco a Poco

    Poco a Poco

    Poco a poco.Little by little.  Our plan for this house is revealing itself more visibly.  Originally, this house was the center of a 440 acre working ranch. They logged, sold timber locally to build houses and barns. They had an orchard, supplying the nearby Sugar Pine Mill workers with apples nearly year round, making cider…

  • Dispatch from Neverland

    Dispatch from Neverland

    The heat has finally broken here in Mariposa County. I’ll be the first to admit that I had no understanding just how hot it was going to get here from early July until late August. It was the kind of heat where you wake up thinking it won’t be too bad but by 2 o’clock…

  • Dreams are Worth Pursuing

    Dreams are Worth Pursuing

    Five weeks ago Jackson and I pulled out of San Diego and headed for Ahwahnee in a 16 foot rental truck from Budget. Several hours later we pulling into our driveway, the truck took out a limb on an old peach tree, and Murray and Kristen greeted us. Tonight, Murray and Ms. Bey (our dogs)…

  • “Hey dogs, want to go for a walk in Yosemite?”

    “Hey dogs, want to go for a walk in Yosemite?”

    We’re just over an hour to Yosemite Valley, truly one of the coolest places on earth. When I asked our dogs if they wanted to go… Murray immediately went and jumped in the back of the car.

  • Our Journey to Ahwahnee

    Our Journey to Ahwahnee

    Last night, I sat on the porch of our century old workshop enjoying the timeless cool, evening breeze. The sun filtered through our towering pine trees. We sat in the silence with only the birds and mosquitoes as background music.

  • Shifting Your Parenting Goals

    Shifting Your Parenting Goals

    My blogging journey started when we learned Kristen was pregnant with Megan. 21 years ago, using a Gateway laptop, and a now long-out-dated version of Microsoft Word, I wrote daily entries into a documents pouring out my hopes and dreams for my unborn child.

  • Risky Business

    Risky Business

    It’s late. Maybe it’s still February 26th? Maybe it’s the early morning hours of February 27th. I can’t remember. But I’m awake. Jackson is snoring next to me. Megan is tossing and turning in the next bed over.

  • School Choice Matters

    School Choice Matters

    For families living in the City of San Diego, today marks the opening for the School Choice application. Here’s why school choice matters, especially for the poor.

  • The scary place we’re at and how we turn it around

    The scary place we’re at and how we turn it around

    This afternoon a group of outsiders are coming to San Diego to attempt to disrupt the San Diego Unified School Districts board meeting as the district debates implementing a vaccine mandate for the prevention of COVID-19 among students 12 and up. This debate isn’t controversial or out of context in the least. The district already…

  • Is the world getting worse?

    Is the world getting worse?

    Is the world getting worse or do we just have more immediate access to everything that’s going on in the world so we notice it more? Maybe I’m getting old? Or maybe things truly are really bad right now? It’s honestly hard to tell.