dog surfing

Yesterday, Boyfriend and I went to Imperial Beach to watch the 8th Annual Loews’ Surf Dog Competition. We brought Addie, who finally went into the ocean and immediately regretted it.

That guy rode in with his dog balanced on his back.

Here is an excerpt from last years' competition:

"At the seventh annual Loews’ Surf Dog Competition in Imperial Beach, more dogs are wearing sunglasses than are humans. The competition is held each year in Imperial Beach to raise money and awareness for the ASPCA, and it is no small event. News stations have camera crews on risers made of thin metal pipes, and each time a dog comes in from its heat, it is immediately swarmed by reporters. Spectators stand knee-deep in the Pacific to get good iPhone pictures. Many have given up trying to keep their clothes dry and don’t bother rolling up their pant legs. My clothes are soaked through too, but it’s mostly because a group of kids in the surf zone are running around, splashing everyone except the friend they are aiming at."

To read the rest of the essay, go to this page.

Also, someone dressed their dog as Big Bird before putting them in the water. I didn't get a good photo of it, but I thought you all should know.


much love,
hedgie

winter night flash fiction

For some reason, just as California got out of June Gloom and into summer, I started thinking about winter.

Bear with me for a moment:

She remembered standing over the floor vent with her brother on winter nights. The metal grate itself never got too hot to touch, so they would stand right on top of it with their bare feet. Back then, she still wore one of her Dad’s old shirts as a nightgown and would hold out the hem of the bottom to catch as much of the heat as she could. She imagined herself as a hot air balloon preparing for a long journey.  Then walking to bed through the dark, the warm folds of fabric would brush against her stomach and thighs, the way she thought fireflies must feel like when people caught them between cupped hands and put them in glass jars like they did in movies.



much love,
hedgie

i return!

Boyfriend got a new job, which required training in Boston for two months. Since my job is telecommuted, we decided to get Jr. and Addie and go together. We just got back to California this week and I'm too tired to write, so here's a photo montage of some of the cooler things we got to see while we were out there:

Massachusetts:

Boston.

Sculpture at MIT.

Old Burying Point in Salem.

Plymouth Rock. A man there asked me if the rock was famous because the Pilgrims crashed their ship into it.

Sacrifice Rock, also in Plymouth. Native Americans traveling the area would place stick figure sacrifices on it for safe passage.

My babies.

Literal fork in the road. Left side goes to Massachusetts, right side goes to Rhode Island.

Story goes that the person who lived here during the witch trials helped those accused of witchcraft run away. The townspeople marked the rock to make him a target for their fear and anger. The guy who lives here now refers to it as "Ex-wife Rock".

My ghost photo at the Lizzie Borden House. This spot marks where the Step-Mother's body was found. (There's no glass between me and that spot).

The Lizzie Borden home is now a bed and breakfast. You can stay in any of these rooms.

Visiting the aquarium with friends.

The Daily Catch in the North End. It was amazing. Go there. Peer pressure.

Our awesome little family.

Museum of Bad Art. The art really was bad.

Mapparium.

Bunker Hill.

Vermont:

The Whispering Statue. If you sit at the end of the bench and another person sits at the opposite end so that the statue blocks them from view, the acoustics work so you can hear them whispering.

The ad for this place read "Meet your soul mate llama". How could we pass that up?

Cabot Cheese Factory Tour.

The Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard.

Rhode Island:

Grave of a suspected vampire.

An abandoned amusement park, the Enchanted Forest.

I use anchors in all of my decorating.

Every slight curve is marked like this. It made me feel like I was in Mario Kart.

New Hampshire:

Ruggle's Mine.

They arm you with picks, shovels, and buckets and let you loose in here to start your very own cave in.

Andres Sculpture Park.

Grave of a man who was persecuted for his beard. People would actually physically attack him and try to shave it off, but he never gave in.

Four-legged chicken in the Woodman Institute Museum.

Room of instant nightmares.

Connecticut:

Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center.

We made a little contribution.

We made a second trip to Mark Twain's house because it was that awesome.

Maine:

The International Cryptozoology Museum.

I had a very intense conversation with the owner about the Patterson-Gimlin film. He is a firm believer of its authenticity.

We had an amazing time, but it's good to be home. I missed our oven.


much love,
hedgie