We're done!

Our summer camps are done!  Yesterday we finished camp #12.  In June I remember saying to Bruce, 12 camps, oh my.  Then in July we said only 6 more camps and then in mid-August only 3 and then last Tuesday only 4 more days...it went quite fast.  We had a great summer with all the kids that came to our camps.  144 kids came through the studio this summer, regulars who come to classes, regulars who come to camps every year and some new kids.  I enjoy camps, but it sure puts a wrench in my other life.  I haven't thrown any pottery since June.  I haven't road as many mile on my bike and I come home so tired.  I really like our fall-spring schedule of after-school classes.  I am a morning person, but would prefer to focus that energy on my passions (pottery & biking).  During our fall/spring schedule we don't have to be at work until 3:00 and only work until 5:30 - 6:00.  We do work all Saturday but then have Sunday & Monday off.  I'm ready to get back to that schedule.  BUT...enough about work.  Because I am officially on vacation!  So why am I up at 7:30 am working on the computer? 

Yesterday I ran about 8 million errands and realized that I hate running errands.  Traffic here in Los Angeles is horrible.  I tried to take side streets from here to there and although I didn't sit in traffic (this isn't on a highway...it's just on a street) it was still a pain.  We leave tomorrow for France.  3 glorious weeks in France.  ah....I'm feeling relaxed just thinking about it.  We just bought a new camera a couple days ago.  It's a Canon powershot SD850.  I LOVE IT.  Took the picture above while walking Dashell.  I just love this door it so reminds me of Europe, not Los Angeles.   

I took this one on the walk too.  It has an image stabilizer and takes really great pictures and it's easy to use.  It's also super tiny, great for throwing in the pocket of my bike jersey.

On my errands today I stopped by to see our friend Andrea and her dogs Burdock and Woof.  The are also golden retrievers and Burdock and Dashell are great friends.  Andrea is a very talented designer.  She makes a line of handbags (I have 2) and now she's making ceramic jewelry.  Her work is very unique and so cool.  She gave me this lovely pendant necklace.

Check out her website at Bite Down Bags, she makes amazing things:  bags (all animal free), earrings, cuff links, rings, necklaces.  All one-of-a-kind and so beautiful.  She is so talented it makes my head spin!

I also received this in the mail last week, it's a beautiful anklet from one of my best friends Laurey.  I was so surprised and touched it made me cry.  This anklet has a little boston terrier on it (for our little Daisy that we just lost) and she told me that she made it into an anklet because she was small and down by my feet.  I have worn it everyday since I got it and I just love it.  It's probably the most touching gift I have ever received...but that's Laurey, she's a beautiful person.

We have to take the furry kids up to their vacation ranch today.  The place we take them is amazing, it's called Alpha Pet Lodging.  Last year when we went to France we took Dashell their and he loved it.  Antje is the owner and she is a trainer and a vet tech and a dog lover!  Her place is small, she has a guest house that has 4 rooms inside and by rooms I mean rooms, not kennels.  Dashell stayed in the spongebob squarepants room (so fitting for him).  They have their own bed (not on the floor...a real bed), their own dog door that goes out to their private run and the front of the room has floor to ceiling bars, so all the dogs can look into the "living room" and see each other.  She only takes 4 families of dogs at a time, so there is tons of individual attention.  The dogs also have playtime 2 times a day in a very large arena.  Dashell loved it last year and I felt very comfortable leaving him there.  This time we are taking Dashell, Stella and Augie.  We normally would have someone stay at our house with Augie and Daisy.  But since we don't have Daisy anymore we thought that all the dogs would rather be together and having someone watch 3 dogs is asking A LOT!  I'm not worried about Stella or Dashell, but I must say I'm a bit worried about Augie.  He's 14, deaf and have never stayed any place besides our home.  I'm sure he'll be fine...the other 2 dogs look after him and he'll have new smells to investigate and Antje will take great care of him.  She doesn't take dogs on a Sunday, so we have to take them up today.  It will be very strange having a dog free house until we leave tomorrow.

I won't be blogging while I'm in France.  We are not taking the computer.  I need to free myself from this thing, it just sucks you in.  I don't want to think about work or be tempted to do any work.  But we will take loads of pictures and I know I'll have many stories to share with you.  I also can't wait to speak french everyday for 3 weeks!

A bientot

Comments

[swirldrops]

Wishing you both a wonderful, safe, R-E-L-A-X-I-N-G trip and looking forward to reading all about it when you get home!!!