It's Been a Long Time!

Hello, everyone,

I know you are probably not waiting with hearts pounding for my new post here, but a few people have asked me to write some more. I still do not see what's so interesting about our lives out here, but if you want.....

Life is really good. That's for certain. I am loving, loving, loving my job. How many of you can say that? ALL of you, I hope! Scotts Valley High School is a very special place, full of wonderful kids who now call me Mama Jude. (I kinda like that....) We are building up trust and caring a little more each day. These kids had a less-than-stellar art teacher before me. She was a hoarder who made the room impossible to navigate, I hear. She also "taught" the IB courses, which are supposed to be college level courses, by not really teaching at all. The kids just did independent study, which mostly meant that they fooled around in the studios, doing not much artwork at all. It's very concerning, as they only have two years to put together their IB portfolio and investigation workbooks for their final examination by an outside examiner! So, now, we really only have one year to do all that work. It is supposed to happen in 240 hours over two years....we really have a lot to accomplish! But, I think I can turn this around. The kids are working hard to accept this culture shift. They actually crave structure, and I'm the one to give it to them!

Chris has been enjoying his retirement. He says he's turning into his father, always looking for little projects to do around the house. He's turned into quite the handyman! It's a good thing, too, because there are always lots of things that need fixing or improving. The dogs and cat are happy to have him home a lot of the day, I'm sure, instead of only having NPR for company like they used to.

The weather here is amazing. It has rained for a total of 5 minutes since we arrived on June 26th. Not kidding....People here complain that it's "hot" when it gets over 75 degrees. It's "cold" when it's below 65, so there is only a small window of "perfect" weather. They are wimps! They have NO IDEA what hot is....hot is when it's 96 with 96% humidity, right? We Ithacans know hot. We also know cold. And rainy. And cloudy. The only thing we're not too sure on is sunny.....

Everywhere I go, I meet someone who came from Ithaca or who was born there or who went to Cornell or something. There was an undercover cop at my school the other day who was born in Ithaca when his father was a student at Cornell. He'd only been back once, but he knew the slogan! That's all that counts, right?

I spent the day today at a riding clinic at my boarding barn. It was with Ray Berta, a good friend and former student of some of the greats in natural horsemanship, like Tom Dorrance and Buck Branaman. Ray took us through a string of exercises on the ground in the morning, and then, we rode all afternoon. It was great to spend the entire day by Quincy's side or on his back. He was a really good boy, learning to come into my energy and give to my pressure when I wanted him to move away. The analogy is a magnet...in order to be connected to the whole horse, we need them to be able to come to us, emotionally and physically, which Quincy has no problem with, but also able to move away from us when we need them to. This is a little harder for him (and me) because we love each other so much that we are always up in each other's business, if you know what I mean. You horse people out there do, I'm sure. Anyway, we have lots of things we can continue to work on. Everyone here says we can do this groundwork in the winter when it's "too cold" to ride. (that means 50 degrees) They should see us at Healing Rein, riding in our Carhartts with two pairs of gloves and our Muck Boots on! The only time it's too cold to ride is when your fingers and toes are numb and your nose is frozen shut!

I don't have a lot of new pictures to show, but here are a couple. Enjoy!

Chris at the cliffs, watching the surfers and the dolphins.

 Here's Axel...looking adorable, as always.

Here are Quincy and me at the clinic today. Shorts, half chaps and paddock boots....always a fashion statement for me!

Welcome to Scotts Valley High School! Home of the Falcons and the new art teacher, Judy!

Hi everyone,

If you have not been hearing through Facebook, things have changed drastically on the job front. I had verbally accepted the job in Felton, but had not signed a contract yet, when Scotts Valley, a neighboring school, called to offer me another job! Their position is teaching International Baccalaureate Art as well as their Foundations course, and this is what I've been wanting to do for a very long time...ever since my old principal, Joe Wilson, talked about making Ithaca High School an IB school. So, I had both schools calling multiple time, changing their offers, fighting over me, each telling me how they were better than the other, and finally, I had to make a choice. I chose Scotts Valley. It was partly that their offer was significantly better financially, but mostly because I really wanted to teach IB Art. It's kind of like AP, but even more so, if you catch my drift. IB is a diploma program that is extremely rigorous, and is highly favored by colleges and universities. Students have to keep Investigation Workbooks and create a portfolio of their work from their junior and senior years. Their IB exam is an interview and presentation to the IB people, either in person or by video.

Here are some pictures of my rooms. Keep in mind that they are newly hauled out, but I have not had the time yet to make it my home. I'm working on it, today, Thursday and Friday. I want it to be warm, welcoming, inspiring and colorful for my new students when they walk through the doors on Wednesday of next week.

The mascot is a falcon and the campus is called the Nest. There is something I really like about saying I'm going to work in the nest. It's very maternal, don't you think?

Here's my big classroom:

This is one of my storage rooms....probably where I'll have students keep works in progress.

Another storage room:

This is where I will give the IB students their own special studio spaces and storage spaces, since they are the most advanced and most serious artists.

I have 15 electric wheels. The kiln is outside. I can't get into the gated area where it lives yet, as my keys don't work. Once I get the gate re-keyed, I have some cleaning to do to get it all ready to fire up my first test fire.

The fog is rolling in over the nest!

This is my door. The IB students are working on painting all of the doors around campus.

My big motto is going to be, "Why Copy When You Can CREATE?" There seems to be a habit of copying and tracing going on in the student work here....and that's going to stop NOW!

(You can see the copy of the Alfonse Mucha and the hand that was made by tracing a photograph on an overhead projector....)

Magnetic poetry on the front of my desk....an art room essential!

The most important things on my desk...my Dad, who inspires me as a teacher every day, and my mug, made by Ursula Hilsdorf...one of the best art students and by far the best student teacher I've ever had and now, she's the new art teacher at Ithaca High School! Best of luck, Ursula...have great fun in my old darkroom!

Let's hope we never have to use this. It's a kit of things we'd need if we were ever locked down for an extended period of time. I've never seen one of these. It even has bags to go pee in with tablets to cover the smell! Ugh.....

After school, I met Chris, Grayson, Carla and Bridgette at one of the top tourist attractions in Santa Cruz...the Mystery Spot. It's a crazy place in the Redwoods where for some reason, gravity is not quite right. Even when the ground seems level (confirmed by a carpenter's level), people are leaning at strange angles. It's hard to explain, but you all should Google it. It's really bizarre. 

They have this car out front...I think it even tops the Ithaca is Gorges Car, in terms of having total coverage! I have to admit, I'm a little jealous.

Here is out tour guide. Check out how she's standing.....

Here is Carla pushing a pendulum.

The kids are trying to walk inside the cabin which is built over the vortex of this phenomenon. It is not easy...some of us even got really nauseous! Something very strange is happening here.

Don't know who this guy is, but he's standing here, totally relaxed, at this angle. Can you explain it? Chris will be able to tell us all about it, after he reads the book I bought him in the gift shop that tells about this place and others like it around the country.

And last, but not least, I wanted to share this photo...my good friend, the banana slug, was back this evening...sliming his way across the driveway. I put him back in the garden and hosed him down, so he wouldn't dry out and die. Isn't he a beauty?

 Goodnight, John Boy. Goodnight, Pa.  Goodnight, Grandma.  Goodnight, Banana Slug.......

BIG NEWS!

I have big, wonderful news to share with you all! I got a job!!!!! I have yet to accept it, because I have another interview on Monday, but did you hear me? I GOT A JOB!

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA. The beautiful campus is in the redwoods and backs right up to...get this......FALL CREEK! Can you believe that? Me neither.....Anyway, the interview went really well, as did the writing assignment I had to do at the beginning and the demo. lesson I had to do at the end. The people on the panel were all really nice, I love the principal, and it seems like a perfect place for me. I would teach Digital Photo and Art (which is like Studio in Art...an intro. course). After the interview at the district office, the principal told me to drive over to the high school and ask her secretary to show me the digital photo lab, so I did, and it's really sweet! There are 35 Macs and 12 of them are brand new. The IT person was there installing the latest version of Adobe Photoshop on all of them. I'm really happy. 

I have been such a bear to live with, because I was so stressed about this job search. I love interviewing, applying and all that goes along with it, but the idea that I might not get a job kept creeping into my mind, poisoning my whole attitude. It's a wonder my beautiful, loving husband has not kicked me right to the curb. I've been horrible to be around...taking all my stress out on poor Chris. I'm very lucky that he loves me as much as he does and that he knows how to stick it out. Blessed, actually. 

I'll keep you all posted about the other interview and what I decide to do. If this school needs an answer before my interview, I will say YES!!! And I'll be happy about it, with no regrets. Life is good!

Life is up, Life is down...

My friends, when people ask me how I like my new life, I cannot give them a simple answer. It's very complicated. Some things are amazing and wonderful. Other things are hard or lonely or sad. But, that's how life is supposed to be, right? At least, I think so.

I always like to start with bad, so I can end on a happy note.

On Tuesday, I was on my way to work, on Ocean Street, which, by the way, really does go directly to the ocean, when a car rear-ended me really hard, knocking me into a pick up truck in front of me and causing him to hit another car in front of him. A real, four car pile up! My little car, who Erik named Wee Dog, took the brunt of the impact, and the hood folded in half and came up to cover my windshield. The rear bumper didn't look that bad, but the floor of the trunk crumpled completely. I missed my second day of work at the Gateway School thanks to that stupid, Mercedes Benz-driving idiot who hit me. His insurance is paying for everything, of course, including my rental car. The only car Enterprise had available that day was a Hundyai Santa Fe, so I took it. Well, the next day, his insurance company called me to tell me that I had to trade it in for a cheaper car, because they would not pay for such a nice car. I had to get something "comparable to my own", which apparently they think is cheap! Humph! So, I went to get a different one the next morning. I drove off the lot in a nondescript sedan and went to a coffee shop to sit and think for a bit. I was not there for five minutes when Enterprise called me to tell me that they made a mistake and rented me a car that was not supposed to be rented out...it was slated to be sold, so could I please com right back and trade it in for something else. They offered to upgrade me to a nicer car with no extra charge, since it was their mistake. So, I drove back there and was given a choice of a black car or a silver car. Guess what I picked? Duh....... So I drove the black car to work and found out that it had NO AIR CONDITIONING! It's hot in California, in case you don't know that....especially at midday. So, I called Enterprise back and told them that I had to have functioning air conditioning, and they agreed. That meant ANOTHER trip to their place to trade for my fourth car of the day. So, now, I am driving a red sedan of some kind...not sure what it is, honestly. I think it's a Kia. Ugly as sin. On the way home, it tells you what your gas mileage is. The car never got over 18 mpg, and my Wee Dog gets 38-40 mpg! So, I called the guy's insurance and complained that I should not have  to pay extra for gas when this accident was NOT MY FAULT! They agreed, so it looks like either I will be getting car number 5, or I will be sending them my gas bills when this is over. My car will be in the shop until Aug. 23rd, at least. The estimate is only $700 under being totaled. When they take it all apart, if they find any more problems that add up to $700, I will lose my precious Ithaca is Gorges Car, and that would really break my heart. So, think good thoughts and send them our way, ok? Thanks!

That's it for the bad news. Oh no, it's not. I forgot. We decided that since I do not have a job yet, and money is really tight and we're getting scared, that we'd better sell our horse trailer. So, I took it to wash it last weekend, then I took a bunch of pictures of it, then Chris helped me put the divider back in it (we didn't use it on the trip out here), wash the inside walls and sweep it all out and I posted it on Craigslist. One email later, a woman came to see it this evening, and I sold it! It's really sad, but all in all, this means that we spent exactly $500 to get Quincy out to California...an unbelievably low cost to bring a horse 3000 miles! I will miss it....I have always wanted a trailer of my own so I could go trail riding and to the beach and all that, but maybe someday, we'll be able to afford it again. For now, I'm just happy that I got such a good price for it and that I will be able to help pay our rent until I get a job.

So, it's time for the good stuff.

I just finished my first week of teaching little children at the Gateway School, and it was SO MUCH FUN!! I taught Art Around the World to ten beautiful 6 and 7 years olds. It was a blast. Today we invited their families and had a great art show/party. It was really fun and I loved it.

Next week, I'll be painting a mural with kids in grades 5,6 and 7. I can't wait! The following week, I'll teach another Art Around the World class and another one called Art of the Masters. I'm excited for both of them.

The biggest, best news, though, is that I have two (that's right....TWO) interviews coming up. The first is on Tuesday of next week and the next one is Aug. 12. They are both for high schools. The one on Aug. 12 is for an International Baccalaureate program, which is something I have always, always wanted to do. So, please send positive vibes in my direction. My dream is to get offered BOTH jobs, so I can choose the one I like the best.

In the meantime, I just got my scores on the CBEST. I needed to earn a 143 on the three parts together, and I scored 192. I am SOOOOO happy! That means that I am one step closer to my permanent CA credential. All I need to do now (and this is by far the hardest part) is to pass the CTEL exams. They are about teaching students whose first language is not English. I hear the tests are very hard. I bought a book to study, but have not started yet. My test is on Aug. 20. Wish me luck!

The universe doesn't revolve around me, even though this blog seems to tell you otherwise. Chris is doing well. He is seeing a physical therapist that he really respects and admires, and she is working with him on exercises that will help him build up his core muscles to better support his back and hopefully, relieve his pain. He loves it here...the weather suits him just fine!

The animals are all happy. Quincy has a bit of a friendship going finally with an old, old horse called Joker...a buckskin quarter horse gelding who stands next to Q and doesn't chase him around like so many of the others. That makes me very happy.

So, all in all, life is good. I miss Ithaca so much, though. Not the place. The people. YOU. I love you. I think of you all the time. I really do. Thank you to my students, especially Conor, who have kept in touch. I say especially Conor, because he has been calling and we've had some fantastic conversations, like the ones we used to have in my classroom. Keep them coming!

Much love to everyone. Remember to stay in touch. My beloved friends, Daniel and Gerry, will be coming in 3 weeks to spend some time with us, and I am sooooo looking forward to that.

Judy

It's a BUSY, BUSY life!

It's been a long time since I've written anything, so to anyone who cares, I apologize! I just don't really think our lives are all that exciting, but if you like hearing about it, then, here you go!

I've been doing everything I can think of to find a job, but no real luck yet. I have been accepted as a teaching artist with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, which means that local schools that do not have art programs can hire me from among a pool of about 8-10 other artists to come in to teach workshops or residencies. I have developed three possibilities for schools to choose from, ranging from a mixed media identity unit, a mural project and an "I Can't Draw" workshop. This could be a lot of fun, but it's not something that brings in regular income. I have also been chosen to be a sub in another arts council program that teaches high school students to teach art to elementary students. That's a pretty cool idea, don't you think? I'd love to be a regular in that one....maybe someday!

I was invited to a "meet and greet" at the Fusion Academy...a private school in Los Gatos. It was a series of informal interviews with administrators and teachers there, much like speed dating! Apparently, I did well, as the head of school has invited me back for a formal interview. There is not a full time Art position, but I am going to propose piecing together a few different things, such as some clubs, leadership training and possibly my course called Contemporary Issues...something I've been wanting to teach again for a long time. We'll see. It would be a fantastic opportunity...a really cool school! All of the people there are young enough to be my children, but apparently, they feel they might be able to put up with an old lady on their faculty.

I just applied for a job as Activities Director at the school I originally fell in love with here...the Pacific Collegiate Charter School. I really, really want to work there! I'm also waiting to hear if I get an interview at Scott's Valley High School, an International Baccalaureate school about 20 miles away that would be a fabulous job. So, some irons are in the fire, and hopefully, something will come up very soon. We really need income!

I start my summer gig at the Gateway School on Monday, which I'm looking forward to. I'll be teaching Kindergarteners and first graders the first week. We're doing art from around the world...drums and adinkra cloth from Ghana, yarn paintings and pinatas from Mexico, origami from Japan, Inuit style printmaking from the Pacific Northwest, and mardi gras masks from our very own New Orleans. Should be a lot of fun!

Our house is pretty well unpacked, except for some finishing touches. I'll post pictures soon...gotta get going now, though.

We miss everyone and would love to get emails or calls from you when you get a chance. We're making friends, many through our Unitarian Church and others from the barn. Everyone is very nice and we feel super welcome here.

We love you!

Judy and Chris

Goodbye POD!

Today was the day that our dear friend, the POD, left us. We worked our tails off for the last week to get it emptied, and the man came this morning to take it away. I tried to upload a video, but it won't work. Oh well...just imagine a big white box driving off into the distance and us waving good riddance to it, and that's what it looked like. We are NOT sorry to see it go. It has been the focus of our lives (and this blog) for weeks now, and we are sick of it!

The house is really starting to look like a home. I will upload pictures once the last box is put away. Right now, it's a little crazy around here, and messy. Soon, though, it will be lovely!

I also made a video today of Quincy in the round pen. On days when I don't have time or energy to ride, I can give him some really good exercise in the round pen. It's like lunging, without the lunge line, and he is so good at it. He knows voice commands, and he is so much fun to watch. Here he is:

We are hoping to get all our work done by this weekend, so we can relax and have a little fun. I'm dreaming of a motorcycle ride on my new Harley!! We want to go to Moss Point...a beach a little bit south of here, where they allow horses. I want to check it out and decide if I want to take Quincy there soon. He's never seen a beach or the ocean, so the first time, I probably will not ride him...I'll just walk him around to let him get used to the crashing waves and the sounds and the sights that are all new. This is a real bucket list kind of a thing for me. I always wanted to ride horses on the beach, and now, I've done that. But to do it on my OWN horse...that will be the best!

It's great living so close to Grayson again. We see him almost every day, and that is wonderful. He loves it here and he is in his element. He's working out at CrossFit, and he looks so strong and healthy. We got to watch him challenge the gym owner in a workout. The weights he lifted were all based on his body weight...and the workout did repetitions starting at 10 and working down to 1. It took him 17 minutes, a lot of sweat and a lot of great support and cheerleading from his friends at the gym, but he got through it and it was incredible. I had no idea he was so strong! I couldn't believe this was my little boy! Well...used to be my little boy, I guess.....

The POD arrived!

Yesterday, the POD arrived! We have been living for 3 weeks with just what we brought on the road, and it has been fine. So, what do we need all that stuff in the POD for? I had half a mind to deny delivery and tell them to take it back, but I guess that's probably not allowed. Now the unpacking has begun. Chris and I have very different ideas about how the process should go. He would bring everything in, pile the boxes in the right room, and be done with the unloading. Then, he would work on unpacking the boxes as he got the time or felt like it. I know better....with this method, the boxes could potentially sit there for weeks, months, or possibly even years! My method involves bringing in one box at a time, unpacking it, putting all the stuff where it belongs, and going back for the next one. Luckily for me, I have won this one, and we're doing it my way. I have a very serious psychiatric condition called BTSD, or Box Traumatic Stress Disorder. If I see boxes in my home, I become agitated, anxious, angry, aggressive, shaky and generally very distasteful to be around. The only good box, in my mind, is an empty one.

A lot of things shifted in the drive across the country. We had this thing packed so neatly and tied with a million ropes to keep things in place, but that did not work very well. So far, though, nothing has been broken, not even some lightbulbs that were inadvertently left in lamps. Amazing.....

I've been spending an inordinate amount of time on my computer, looking for jobs. For the people out there my age or older...remember "pounding the pavement"? Well, that's is NOT how it's done anymore. Everything is an online application, uploading my resume and letters of recommendation and taking online exams to judge my suitability for the position. It's so different than the last time I looked for a job. I haven't mailed a single cover in an envelope with a stamp! It's strange to put all that stuff out there into cyberspace and trust that someone is actually going to see it and respond.

The part-time job I interviewed for was given to someone else, unfortunately, because I think I would have really loved it. But, at the end of my interview, the principal said, "The wonderful art teacher we have right now, pretty much just lets the kids do whatever they want, and that's how I'd like to keep it." Well, that is NOT how I had interviewed. You know me....it's all about curriculum development, aligning to the state standards and the Common Core, writing lesson plans, devising rubrics for formative and summative assessment, oral critiques, etc.... I think that's what turned them off to me. They seem to want a much more laid back, laissez-faire teacher, and I definitely did not present that way. If only I had known! I could talk that talk, if I had to!

I came back from that experience more determined than ever to find work, so back on the computer I went, and I started applying for all kinds of jobs, in teaching and otherwise. I've applied for positions with online education companies, doing virtual teaching, overseeing programs, and some that I don't even know what they do, but I applied anyway! Then, I found a job that just sounded like a whole lot of fun, so I applied for that too. In fact, I am about to leave the house for my interview for it! Probably no one else applied for it. It's at the Skylark Ranch...a Girl Scout Camp. The job is 20 hours a week, doing general grounds work, maintenance, carpentry and get this: LLAMA CARE! They have 4 llamas that I would be responsible for taking care of. Doesn't that sound awesome! The only problem is that I think this ranch is pretty far away, and the pay might not even cover the gas to get there. So I'm going to check it out, but I may not even be interested once I see where it is. It'll be a nice day trip adventure anyway.

More later!

Well...the job interview went great, and guess what? I GOT THE JOB! Guess what else? I'm not taking the job. I'll tell you why in a minute. First, let's look at the day.....

 This is the road to the Girl Scout Camp. It was 2.5 miles of dirt road, winding up into the Santa Cruz Mountains, all the way to the top of one of them. Arriving at Skylark Ranch, all we could think was, "How would you feel taking your little daughter up here and leaving her there for a week or two weeks or whatever?" It's sooooo remote...so invisible...no signs to the camp, nothing, just this sketchy looking place on top of a mountain with gorges on both sides of the road that we were afraid the car was going to fall into. They have all these sand bags on the road to divert the water, to keep the road from getting washed away completely. It's one lane, no way to pass by another car, but maybe there are never two cars on the road at the same time anyway. We saw deer, wild angelica, usnea, also known as old man's beard, (which is the west coast version of Spanish moss), lizards, ravens, mazanita trees, madrone trees and redwoods EVERYWHERE!

When we arrived there, we met John, the ranger and one-man show at the camp. He is responsible for all the building, maintenance, grounds work, custodial work, etc.... for this camp, as well as supervising the rangers at something like 13 other camps around California. It is enough work for at least 5 people. The Girl Scouts have finally agreed to hire him a helper for 20 hours a week, at $14/hour. That COULD be ME! I would absolutely love it. But the first thing he told me was that the llamas are gone. Two of them were recently killed by a mountain lion. The Girl Scouts reacted by sending the other two to a horse boarding facility in Soquel, nearer to Santa Cruz, to protect them and to remove the "bait" from the camp, for the safety of the girls. I was pretty disappointed, but it's good to keep them safe, for sure.

The camp is 50 miles from our home, so at that rate of pay, with two hours of commuting each day, (on a good day, with little traffic, which is not typical),  it is simply not feasible. I am so sad, because I would absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE to work there. There are also horses there for the summer months, but the job doesn't involve their care...they are taken care of by the people on the camp staff. Here are some of them:

Chris says he would love to work there too. The ideal situation would be to have John's job...he gets to live there for free, plus get paid to do the work. I would be in heaven....here is the best spot of all, Inspiration Point:

We had to get here by four-wheeler. No truck could go up the narrow, rutty, steep "roads" to the top of this mountain. The horses go there, though. We could tell by the telltale road apples.

On the way back home, we stopped at Waddell Bluffs. This is a beach where there were people surfing, belly boarding and swimming. The water is very cold, so you have to wear a wet suit all the time. It was so beautiful!

They let the cliffs collapse to build the road, up to a fence that keeps it all off the road, and once a year, they bulldoze the loose stuff over the road to the beach, where it is washed away by the tides, mimicking the natural course of things. The Monterey Aquarium scientists monitor the process and it's pretty cool! At area restaurants, you can "Tip the Ocean". That means leave an extra tip that goes toward maintaining the beaches and the ocean, for conservation of the land and animals there.

This is a huge marine sanctuary that extends from San Francisco down to Santa Barbara, about 500 miles, all supervised by the Monterey Aquarium. Some restaurants advertise that they only serve fish that are raised in a sustainable way.  We ate at a great place called the Davenport Roadhouse. When we pulled into the parking lot, a black Ferrari, with cameras all over the roof, pulled over to me and asked if they could take a picture of our Ithaca is Gorges Car. Of course, we said yes. The woman, driving, said she went Cornell Law School. It was pretty cool to have them, in their own amazing and eye-catching car, want to take a picture of our little Honda Fit! Chris offered to trade up, but they declined. Oh well.....

This is an incredible back yard. Any of you who come to visit us will be taken to the aquarium, for sure! It's a world-class, must see, attraction!

Yesterday, I went to the Gateway School, where I will be working this summer, starting on July 29. I had to meet with my boss, Jackson, and the supply manager, to get all my supply orders ready so I'll have what I need to start teaching. Talk about beautiful! The school is literally one block from the ocean, so when I do my lesson about Andy Goldsworthy, we will be walking to the beach to find shells, stones, and driftwood to work with. It's incredible. I always brag about IHS having a waterfall in our backyard, but this is pretty cool as well!

Housewarming!

Carla and her friend, Florence (Flo) arrived at 2am, having driven cross country  over the last several days! It's great to have them here...Carla will stay with us for about 6 weeks before heading to Colorado for her internship. Flo can only stay until Sunday, as she has to get back to work in Ithaca on Monday. They were in on the planning that Grayson masterminded to throw us a wonderful housewarming party today. They got us to take them to a nearby bakery for coffee to get us out of the house so Grayson could set up. When we got back home, there were a bunch of cars in the driveway and the sign I had made to welcome Carla and Flo had been changed to say, "Welcome Home, Mom and Chris". Out on the deck, the grill was stoked, there was a massive spread of food, beer, sodas and tequila, and the following people were here to help us celebrate our big move:

Kaiya, Emily, Sean, Ethan, Natalie, Viktor, Bridgette, Brandon, Carla, Flo, Bridgette.

It was SO nice to share our new home with everyone. There was music playing, beer pong, dogs romping in the yard and great conversation. It was really, really awesome and we are so grateful to Grayson for making it happen. Thank you, Gray!

Tonight, we went to the beach near Grayson's house to watch the fireworks. They are not sanctioned, but everyone just brought their own, rather impressive fireworks and set them off all around us. It was intense, because some of them were so close to us that we were actually nervous about them hitting us. But, it was really fun to watch!

Quincy went out for a few hours in the gelding pasture again today. Yesterday, he did well for the time that I was supervising, but after I left, he must have gotten into a battle, because he has a pretty good bite on his back with very clear teeth marks. No deeply broken skin, thank goodness, but the hair is stripped off and it's quite swollen. I feel so bad for him, but it's normal for horses to go through this as they work out the herd dynamics with a new horse. He is playing it pretty smart...keeping out of the corners and being on the alert all the time for attacks. But, he must have let his guard down and he got hurt. He was very happy to see me and to come inside with me. Today was better, but when I returned to him, I found him waaaaaayyyyyyy back in the furthest away part of the pasture, all by himself. I really hope he will make some friends soon, or at least one good buddy, so he won't be so lonely.

I rode him yesterday, and he was great. We went on the trail that goes all the way around the olive grove and the apple orchard, so we saw the entire property. It's very nice....except for the ground squirrel holes that you have to watch out for. They are such a problem that the ranch owners have a guy who comes to shoot them three days a week, and he averages something like 50 per day! I'm not a fan of that method of control, but I also don't want my horse falling into a hole or a tunnel and hurting himself!

Chris is getting pretty comfy here...he knows his way around the neighborhood quite well from the 8 weeks he spent out here before. He is sleeping well in our awesome bed, except for the night that I leaped out of bed at 3am because a massive spider crawled (and by that I mean ran really fast)  up my back! Then, I made him tear the bed apart looking for the damn thing, but we never did find it. Anyway, I read up on it and learned that peppermint oil is a good spider repellent, so we bought some pure oil at Whole Foods, and I soaked about 50 cotton balls with it and put them all over the house, and especially around the bed. I also bought Dr. Bronner's soap...peppermint scented, and washed with a TON of it so now I smell like a candy cane. But I don't care, as long as it keeps the spiders off me!

We miss everyone! Please email or call us...we'd love to hear from you all!

Starting to settle in.....

It's Saturday, June 29. Yesterday, I had a job interview at the district offices of the Live Oak School District. The job is at Cypress Charter High School, and the interview was so much fun! The committee consisted of Les Forster, the principal, a teacher, a parent and two students. It was great. They gave me the question in advance, when I arrived early, so I had time to think about them before going into the room. I was not nervous, just excited, and I talked a blue streak, I think, as I always do! I hope to hear some good news soon...I would absolutely love to work at this little school. There are only 150 students in grades 9-12, so it would be such a great community experience.

The really great news is that Harper Lee is back. She snuck out an open window our first night here and I was franticly searching for her from Wednesday to Friday. Last night, I can't explain it...I just felt her presence SO strongly. So I was outside calling her, like I had been all along, but this time, I took a flashlight and got down on my hands and knees to look under the hedgerow around the yard. Sure enough....I saw her bright green eyes shining back at me. She never made a peep. She just sat there until I climbed my way to her and picked her up and brought her inside. She is fine...hungry, but fine, thank G_d.

Today, we worked on cleaning up the house a bit before our landlord inspection tomorrow. Grayson had already done a lot of cleaning for us, which we are very grateful for. We got the work done early enough so that we felt we could afford some time off, so we went to the beach with Grayson and Bridgette and Caitlin (Bridgette's sister, who is here visiting). It was SO sunny, but windy, so it didn't feel hot at all, and we got good starts on our California tans. I met two girls riding horses on the beach and they told me the secret entrance to this beach, so I can bring Quincy there someday. He will need to be much more bombproof before he can go there...there are people, dogs, kits, frisbees, footballs, etc... all over the place, and he would probably freak out if I tried going there now.

Speaking of Quincy, he is doing well. He's been moved to a paddock that allows him to sniff the noses of other geldings that he will eventually be living with. We are integrating him into the herd a little at a time, which is good. He got started on switching to the California hay, which is totally different than New York hay....it's made from oats, and looks like straw, but he loves it! I'm mixing it now with the hay I brought with me for a few days. I took him for a walk around the property today so he could check things out. I won't ride him for a week, though. He's been through quite the ordeal, and I just want him to relax, put a little weight on and get used to things here.

Deven and Derek are having a blast here. They've been doing some serious shopping, hitting just about every surf shop there is in Santa Cruz. They should have lots of nice souvenirs to bring home with them from this trip. They have been amazingly helpful to us, even after we got here....taking the dogs out, cleaning, etc... I don't know what we would have done without them.

Abner rented a car yesterday to drive down to LA, where he has family. He'll visit with them for a couple of days before heading back home to his farm in Ithaca. He really misses his family: his beautiful wife Jodi, who is nearly 7 months pregnant, and precious Diego, his little boy. I'm sure that will be a very happy reunion when he gets home.

Chris is enjoying the sunshine, and already has a great tan! He took a nice nap on the beach today, which is exactly what retired dentists are supposed to do, right? I think so....

I hope you are all doing well. We miss everyone so much. Take good care of yourselves and each other, will you? And remember to email us or message me on Facebook.

Much love,
Judy

Chris' email: chrisdevenpeck@yahoo.com

Judy's email: 9monkeygirlz@gmail.com

Well, my friends....we have arrived. I'm very sorry for the break in writing, but we've been traveling for the last 5 days and it was impossible to write my blog during the trip. I thought I would be able to do it each night from the motels, but we were so exhausted and worn out when we finally arrived at each destination, that I just couldn't do it. I also could not do all that typing with just my thumbs on my phone from the road. So, I have a lot to fill you in on.

We left on Saturday, June 22nd. Our companions were Abner Argueta, the owner of the barn where Quincy lives, and  Derek Devenpeck and Deven Rose, our two nephews. Before I go any further, I have to say that this trip would NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THESE THREE WONDERFUL PEOPLE!

Abner suffered a concussion only one week before we left, so we were not sure he would be able to come with us, and he was going to be the one to help drive the truck and trailer. Well, fortunately, he recovered enough to be able to come, and I thank God for that. Abner drove the ENTIRE way. I thought I would be able to do some of the driving, but with the only very little bit of horse trucking experience I have, it would not have been safe for me to drive on Route 80. where everyone is going 80 mph and the tractor trailers are boxing you in on three sides. So, Abner shouldered the entire burden and he was amazing.

In the Ithaca is Gorges Car, Deven and Derek did 99% of the driving, because Chris had too much trouble staying awake on the road, so they just took it over, and again, I am so grateful!

The first day, we pushed it hard, driving to Princeton, IL, 90 miles west of Chicago. We did not arrive at the horse motel where Quincy was staying until nearly midnight, and we got a little lost trying to find it late at night. Finally, we got him there, and there was no one around...not even any other animals. So Quincy had to stay all alone in a strange place, which, as a herd animal, was pretty hard for him. In the morning, when we went to load him back up, he was so happy to see us and to be around his human herd, that he went onto the trailer pretty quickly.

The second day, we drove to Big Springs, NE, where the only big things are the cornfields. There was nothing but corn, for as far as the eye could see.

Quincy went to HQH Stables there, and stayed outside in a paddock near some other horses. There was incredible lightning all night long, and I barely slept, worrying about Q having to weather a storm out there in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, it never materialized. He was not anxious to get on board in the morning, since there were other horses there. In the process of trying to get him on the trailer, he slipped out of his halter and took off at a dead gallop into the cornfields. Abner was saying, "Oh Judy, this is baaaaaddddd....." as we chased him around, with me thinking I would never see my beloved Quincy again. The only thing that saved him was his herd instinct, which brought him back out of the cornfields to sniff noses with a stallion in one of the paddocks. At that point, all I could imagine was a wild horse fight where Quincy would be the sorry loser. But, again, someone seemed to be watching over us when I was able to walk up to him and slip a rope around his neck while Abner gotk the halter back on him. Finally, after more attempts at loading, Abner said to him, "Maybe we will call the vet to come give you a little shot" and Quincy just gave up his resistance and walked onto the trailer perfectly. Phew! I asked for an adventure, but I did NOT mean this much!

After two days of intense driving and arriving at barns after dark, we decided that we would take it a little easier and add another day to our trip. So, the third day, we drove to Salt Lake City, UT, and arrived at the barn in daylight. We had a much less stressful time of it, and everyone was in better spirits, for sure. We even had time to shower and go out for a nice Chinese dinner at PF Changs, which was wonderful.

 Quincy had a nice barn to stay in and he loaded much better the next morning. We had a blast seeing the Great Salt Lake and the salt flats outside Salt Lake City....it is such a strange landscape. Deven and I had to lick the ground to see if it was truly salty, and yup...it sure was!

We wondered what they did with all that salt until we passed the Morton Factory! This day, we took it much easier and did more stopping along the road to take pictures and explore a little. It ended up being our most fun day, for sure. We ended up in Fallon, NV...a weird little town with nothing but casinos. We had dinner at the Stockman Casino and went to bed.

Chris and I didn't get to see each other much, since we were in different vehicles. But, we got to hug and kiss at every rest stop we took and we texted each other a lot in the car.

Yesterday was our last day, and it was probably the hardest. We only had 4.5 hours to go, according to GPS, but going through the mountains on windy, narrow roads, made it take much longer and be much more stressful. We got stopped by a Sheriff outside Reno, NV. He was really nice, and just wanted to check our paperwork on Quincy, so it was not scary at all....in fact, it was quite fun talking to him and telling him about our adventure. He asked me not to take his picture, but I didn't listen, and snapped a couple when he wasn't looking. He did allow me to take some of his car, though.

He even went into the trailer to look at Q and compare the picture of him on his papers to the real horse. I watched the whole process on my trailer cam, which he did not know I had.

After crossing into California, we stopped at the Agricultural station, to check in with those folks and to register Quincy in the state. That was also fun because the people were so nice. When I told the man I wanted a souvenir, he grabbed a piece of paper and stamped it with his official stamp and handed it to me. Perfect!

Lake Tahoe was Abner's favorite scenery so far, and it is gorgeous! I'd love to take a motorcycle trip up there someday soon!

We arrived at Linda Murrer's barn, where Quincy is living, at about 6:30. Abner had asked me not to cry, but I couldn't help it. Even though I wasn't doing the driving, my stomach felt the tension of it for all 3000 miles and the relief I felt when we got to our destination was overwhelming. Grayson arrived right away, on his Harley (actually, MY Harley...) It was so good to finally hug my boy, after all these months of planning this trip. It was his push that got us to do this move, and I am so grateful to him for that. I am thrilled to be living close to him again. Now, if I could only get Hayden to join us, I would be in heaven!

 Quincy got to go into the round pen, and he immediately rolled in the sand...his first roll in 5 days. Then, he trotted all around the pen, moving his muscles that had been working so hard balancing in the trailer for so long. He looked really, really happy.

He got hay, water and a delicious dinner of bran, grain and a little sweet feed, which he loved. He looks incredibly good, considering what he has gone through, having only lost a little weight. His temperature was good the whole way, he drank water at every stop, he munched a little bit of hay along the way and he peed every time I went into the trailer with him to take a pee break myself. You really bond in a whole new way when you start peeing with your horse, I 'll tell you!

Of course, there are a million details that I have left out, but the most important things for you to know are:

1. We are all safe...humans and animals alike
2. We had an amazing adventure
3. This is the most incredible, diverse, beautiful, awe-inspiring country imaginable
4. We love you all!