Sometimes a family vacation just clicks and that seems to be the case out here in California. For much of the summer, we’ve all been running around in different directions and it’s fun to be together in this magical house, the house of Hepcat’s youth.

Hepcat’s mother is an artist, who makes beautiful ceramic work. She has a large studio with a potter’s wheel. OSFO has been pining to throw pots on a wheel every since she was away at camp.

Voila. The electric wheel in the corner of the studio works perfectly and OSFO is learning froma pro how to center a pot.

Tres tres difficile. But OSFO is hooked on the goopy, sensual feeling of the cold, wet clay on her fingers.

Teen Spirit has been reading a lot; he just finished Factotum by Charles Bukowski and is halfway through the great Slaughterhouse Five. He’s playing his songs for his grandmother and figuring out new songs on the piano.

OSFO is hooked on diving into the swimming pool and wants me to judge every dive. No perfect 10 yet, but she is really starting to get good.

Hepcat is, of course, fiddling with the Little Orange Car, the Porsche that belonged to his Uncle. He’s been restoring it over the last few years. When he can drag himself away from the car, he takes his 1950’s underwater camera housing into the pool and shoots some pix of OSFO and Teen Spirit underwater…

I find myself excited by the creative energy around me. Piano, potter’s wheel, cars, tools, swimming pool, books, underwater camera…

I am full of love for my family and happy to be in this beautiful part of the world.