Goodbyes & the Goodguys

The California Whitacres found some time in these weeks leading up to Tim & Jill's much anticipated voyage to the South Pacific, to hike, sing & be merry together. It was fun to get back in the habit of that after a time of business that had kept us apart.

Here are some of our moments together.

This is a great hike at the top of the Cuesta Grade. It is a nice wide dirt road that is not too steep and has some spectacular views.


Jill, Tim & Mumsy



Toby (beloved Hawk-dog), just so happens to be one of the best dogs to take hiking . She is obedient and heels the first time you command it. I have never never seen her run away or go scurrying off after an animal. She just stays with you, and I love that.

Kona, on the other hand, is prone to wander. She also is incredibly fast. I think it is in her nature and has yet to be broken of it. On one of these Whit Fam hikes Kona decided to book it after a deer. Before we even knew what was happening she was already up to the top of a nearby hill. She was called sternly and repeatedly , without any response.

Toby, the beloved wonder dog, however, stayed right by my side. She did not move at all, and seemed to smugly smile in that "older brother who is proud not to be the prodigal son" way, saying "see, good dog stay, bad dog go". Which is true of course, but it was so funny to me seeing this stark contrast between these two animals.

It got me thinking about how even though I love Toby dearly, she is not the most stable dog. She is moody, wary of strangers, cold to anyone but the two and a half people she actually likes, hateful to any dog but one, and just all around unpredictable.

Kona, also a beloved dog, is the opposite. She loves everyone she meets and shows it, wether you are man or dog. It is obvious who her favorite is (Jill), but she is friendly to all and expects to be loved freely. If you pet her and she appreciates it she will lick you as a thank you. She is warm, wiggly and sweet.

It is strange how much I identify with Toby. Perhaps not right at this moment, but at some points in my life, I have been leery of everyone, expecting the worst, cold and guarded. Sometimes I just want to shake her and say "you don't have to hate and be afraid of everything! Open your heart little dog!" It definitely would work better for her. I think she would be surprised by the response.

Alas, not every dog can be a Kona. Lucky for Toby, that is exactly why I love her. For her strange neediness, her guarded vulnerability, and her obedience.
I digress.

Modeling, glasses and a camera

Lake Santa Margarita, but beware the deer chasing dogs

After one of our hikes together we took the show to Grandpa's place.
Here we are singing to and with him.


I love the way that music reaches people, and specifically how it still reaches Grandpa. He keeps is head down a lot lately, because he is tired and maybe because he has pain. It is neat to see how he lifts his head when we sing together and he remembers a part.

These are some of my favorite times with him.

Dancing it is.

Yes, we did actually dance because Kelly brought a homemade cd. This picture proves it.

& again, proof. I think we moved to "Thriller" at this point.

Princess Tess acting as a servant, carrying the pretend bubbly to the girls.

Princess Teska serves the peasants.

Don't ever invite over a gaggle of highschool girls without reinforcements.
Here are mine,

me, Wendy, Boss Man, Tess

Dance Part-ay

So a few of the highschool girls came over for a dance party. Unfortunately I ran out of time and never actually got the music needed to make the "dance" part possible. The girls were great sports though. We danced some, jumped on the trampoline some, sat in the hot tub and drank sparkling cider & just hung out.
These girls are such a joy to know.
Emmy, quite possibly my tallest friend


Cheyenne, she looks like she's flying and I love that!


I couldn't post all the pictures we took, but some of them were so funny.
Here's Emmy catching Cheyenne after a few mis-haps.
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Mackenzie & I enjoyed the show

Fall & the Pumpkins it Brings

I still feel a little like a foreigner around this time of year. The seasons we enjoyed growing up in Papua New Guinea were two, depending on which part of the country you found yourself.

Rainy & Dry.

Rainy was the really rainy time of the year, and Dry was the less rainy time of the year. I loved it!

But, I must admit that I love this Fall thing too!
I love the sky becoming crisper, and the nights cooling. I love the heartbreakingly beautiful sunsets that hint at change. I love wearing scarfs, drinking hot drinks because I am actually cold, and sleeping with no less than 5 blankets.

So Fall has peeked it’s pretty head around the bend and I for one am relieved. I found myself growing increasingly anxious as the daylight hours shrunk more noticeably this past month. The rain and the cold bring a brightness to my being that the lack of sunlight can drain.

I know some of my friends will note the irony that I, Linda, feel sad at the loss of sunlight, since most of them know me as "anti-sun girl". I do love the sunlight. I love anything warm and tropical and brilliantly sunny. I just hate skin cancer and premature aging. This is not the point, so I will move on...

October has been a busy time, but for the first time in a long time, it has been a fun busy time. Since quitting my second job I have found some precious time with friends, family & the pretty pretty outdoors.

Here is a picture of the beautiful Princess Teska. (I still find myself gagging at the thought of putting a pumpkin on one's head...but royalty will be royalty, eh?) Just imagine this pumpkin headed princess driving up to a youth group car wash...she scared the...er...pumpkin seeds out of me...



Her shirt reads "Triple Threat, We are all in this together".
The next weekend was actually Halloween and I got to hang out with Brooke, Tess, Rachel & her friend. The girls were so cute, dressed up as fairies. We went tricker treating in Brooke's & Rachel's neighborhood which happens to be where some of our friends from church live also. This is us popping in at the Hornes as they were getting ready for a dance party.

Me, Rebecca H., Rachel L-C & friend.