Children Are Miraculous

This really says it all.........

~~Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (SARK)~~

A Perfect Day

Last Sunday, my husband and I and our son, Alex, spent the afternoon in Trinidad----it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, in my humble opinion, and is just a few miles from our home, off of Highway 101 North.

We first took Scenic Drive to Tepona Point and stood for quite a long while just watching the waves crashing to shore. There were several people walking on the beach below and a few were fishing from the rocks in an area that looked far too dangerous for us to even attempt reaching (I confess: I am desperately afraid of heights in places that have nothing to hang onto). Alex wanted to see the boats in the harbor so we continued on Scenic Drive, turned left into Trinidad proper, down the hill past the lighthouse and the HSU Marine Lab. We parked amidst an adundant and varied collection of cars and SUVs, many with surfboards attached to their tops and walked out onto the pier. There were fishing boats dotting the harbor and while we were there, two boats were lifted from the water, attached to their waiting trucks, then driven off the wooden-planked dock which bounced and shook with the effort. It was such a lovely, sunny, windy day and local folks seemed to have the same idea we had----get out an enjoy it before the winter rains come again.

There is no point in explaining what others have already done so well. So, just click on the links below to learn more about this heavenly spot where the Redwoods meet the sea. The photos were taken from Tepona Point, which is on Scenic Drive between Moonstone and Luffenholtz Beaches.

http://www.discovertrinidadca.com/

http://pages.suddenlink.net/popenoe/scenes/Trinidad.htm

View to the south from Tepona Point

Trinidad Harbor in the background

Casting a shadow

Tepona Rock

Tepona Rock with Trinidad Head in the background

College Bound

Ah----the maze of paperwork that accompanies the college admissions and financial aid processes.

My middle son, Matthew, graduates from highschool in June and so, needless to say, we are gearing up for his continuing education (an AA degree in Liberal Arts) which he has decided to obtain from Cerro Coso Community College. With the rising cost of university tuitions, coupled with the fact that California is in dire financial straights (meaning not much offered in the way of state financial aid), starting out at a community college is definitely something to be considered. We have filed the one-stop shopping FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and just finished the application for Cal Grants. I am so grateful that these programs exist----a college education should never be denied someone who has the desire for it, but not the funds.

Because Matthew is already enrolled at Cerro Coso, which is located in the foothills of the Sierras, making the transition from concurrently enrolled highschool student to full-time regular student should be fairly painless. He, very fortunately, has a wonderful counselor at his highschool who has been instrumental in walking him (and me!!) through this whole college admissions thing. Thank you, Betsy!

Matthew wants to earn his English degree after CCCC, so he will most likely arrange a transfer to our local higher learning establishment, Humboldt State University, in 2012. What can one do with an English degree, you might ask? For Matthew, who wants to be a writer, an English degree can help pay the bills while he awaits the publishing of his first novel. Matthew is a very gifted storyteller, so I have no doubt that before long I will be standing in line at Borders to have my copy of his book autographed. Wow! That is such an exciting thought!

The fact that Matthew will earn his entire Liberal Arts degree online is an amazing thing to me. Just a decade ago this would have been an impossible feat. Making educational degrees more accessible to the masses is such a wonderful idea. Not everyone can afford to move away from home to attend college, or maybe they have obligations that render a move completely inappropriate. Or maybe, like my son, the online student has absolutely no desire to attend college away from home and finds the thought of campus life unappealing, at best----a waste of time, at worst. Online education is defintely the 'wave of the future'.

Here are some links with information that may be helpful in preparing for college:

http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/CollPrep.pdf

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/College.asp

And I must say that, regardless of what choices our children make concerning the pursuit of higher education, it is so important that we, as parents, offer our love, our support, and a listening ear.

Keats

A Thing of Beauty

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its lovliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkn'd ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits.

Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils

With the green world they live in; and clear rills

That for themselves a cooling covert make

'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.

~John Keats~

Beach Day

Yesterday afternoon I took my sons to Moonstone Beach in Trinidad, just a few miles from our home. It was a perfect beach day-----the sun was shining, just a bit of wind and clear blue skies. We finished up our schoolwork in the morning and then packed up some drinks, the Frisbee and a bag for shells. Matthew and Alex were glad to get out of the house and I definitely needed a respite, as well. The rugged and untamed coastal beaches of my beloved northern California soothe my soul and lift my spirits.

Moonstone Beach

The boys played Frisbee, stopping occassionally to help me hunt for shells. The beach was littered with mussel shells, a few clam shells, and broken sand dollars. The sand was hard and compact and the tide was far enough out that we could explore the sea caves, too.

Inside the Sea Cave

As I stood on the beach looking out over the Pacific, a flock of brown pelicans flew past, headed to the rocks just a short distance away. I called out to Matthew, pointing excitedly, "Look, Mattie. Look at that!" He watched for a while and then said simply, "Very cool, Mom."

We are so privileged to live on what I consider to be one of the most lovely places on earth. We are surrounded by majestic Redwood forests, the Trinity Alps to the east, the King Range to the south, various rivers, and of course, the grand Pacific. I am so glad that my children have the opportunity to grow up amidst such awe-inspiring beauty.

Moonstone Beach