TRAVELS WITH MATTIE

Hi friends! It's been a while! Mattie and I have been busy writing about the Channel Islands, finding new little nature walks near the cabin, visiting with friends (including an amazing last-minute trip down to SB from Danielle & Lindsey), and editing (nano nano). And in the past two days, fun at Lizard's Mouth. Lizard's Mouth is a large rock and sandstone playground (not to be confused with The Playgrounds - another sandstone wonderland nearby) that has been one of my favorite spacing out venues for some time. The Lizard's Mouth rock formations are incredible, the weather is incredible, the view is incredible, the climbing is incredible. And the past two days there have been some of the best. I headed up West Camino Cielo on Sunday to 70 degree weather with no wind. Chameleon rocks morphed from gold to orange to lavender as the sun went down, and I did a few bouldering problems between space-out sessions from rock perches. Transient gold, Lizard's M...

When it rains at night there are a thousand toads on the road home, and we stop the leaking truck to move them aside. The raindrops are fat and heavy and fall from twisted oak boughs to wash the cabin skylights. Mattie Dog curls up on a sleeping bag called The Cat's Meow 20 Degree. I wrap myself in the new-smelling Pomer Hoit (it is too hot here and belongs in the mountains) and sink into the sage couch next to hot tea and a snoring puppy to think about islands and granite. The coyotes and the turkeys are quiet. We all listen closely as winter arrives on Paradise Road.

Oh boy, this week... Here are things that are new: I rocked my ankle last Monday and have been out of commission for 7 whole stupid days, but am finally feeling better and am hoping to get back outside by the end of the week. Climbing and running progress is keeping me motivated and I can't wait to get back to it. Thanksgiving was wonderful. I spent two days in Santa Monica with the family (we missed some of you guys!), then drove up to SLO to spend a very welcome weekend with Danielle, Cole, Mary, Lindsey, Jon, Mattie, Kai, Collins, and a couple new friends from San Francisco. Cole made raging bonfires both nights and we listened to the ocean heaving at Morro Strand. I saw the most insane shooting star of my life from their front porch and made two wishes on it, because it could handle it. I spent more time with my family and watched Moonrise Kingdom again...and then again. I drove back to Santa Barbara last night and arrived at the cozy cabin under bright moonlight. Of cour...

VOTED. Now, waiting for good news. I forgot to post a picture of a new design yesterday. I recently finished the new logo for the Santa Barbara Trails Council - here's a picture of it laser etched onto a wine box. A wine box? I think it's a wine box, if that's a real thing. Anyway, the landscape was originally done by hand, and the rest edited and put together with super hi-tech graphic design software (right). I like it. Now back to waiting, impatient and optimistic.

Hi friends - It's been a relatively good week, with reminders of why I left Santa Barbara, and why I came back, and why I'm ready to leave again. But it's beautiful, hot, the colors are quintessential Fall In Los Padres National Forest (everything wears translucent ecru), and there's been some time for bouldering (outside and in), hiking, running, and early evening sunsets with Mattie Dog. #ihateyoudaylightsavingsandiwantmysunshineback Mattie and I have been doing some substantial exploring in the back country whenever we get a chance. And to add to our log of creature buddies, here are some pictures of new friends: The little stick bug (Senorito Stickito) hanging out on our screen door! Muddy prints on our front porch bench. I took a little run/hike back to Gibraltar dam the other day, and on the way back was SO happy to find this little home on the dried shores of the Santa Ynez River:  Guess who lives here. Guess. HERE'S A HINT. yes...

This week we saw a FOX at the cabin! Wildlife update. FOX just hanging out looking all awesome at the cabin. Then we spent a bunch of time working on our Halloween costumes. I love Halloween SO much, and all of my wonderful friends who love it just as much. Adam and I working on the SAFARI JEEP! SAFARI ANIMALS I'll post more pictures soon - it was a great Halloween Safari Adventure at the Neighborhood with a million Bren friends and animal dances. Happy HALLOWEEN WEEK! Love Allison & Mattie Dog

Hi everyone! First, thanks to all my buddies who came up last weekend for a rip-roaring wild west cabin party/BBQ! It was a million tons of fun with a million tons of good food (including the best all time pasta salad from Sara). This week... We decided it was time to relocate our friend and cabin local black widow, "Lil' Buddy." Mattie and I were just fine when she was staying up high in the bathroom corner minding her own business. But then she relocated to the LOWER bathroom corner and a little too close for comfort, so she had to move outside to an oak tree. Lil' Buddy pre-relocation. Last weekend was the Wild West BBQ, with hot dogs, salads, pasta salads and S'MORES for days. We played music, drank wine and beers, and watched sun fade over the Santa Ynez River(bed). Then we had an awesome slumber party, coffee in the morning, and said Goodbyes early the next day while the turkeys gobbled from down the road. Adam and Bobby (in fancy boots) man...

This week in the history of Mattie and Allison, there were: fires, front porch sits with beers, turkeys, friends, family dinners, bouldering sessions, and OSPREYS EATING FISH AT RED ROCK. Here are some pictures. Holdover picture from last weekend's trip to Big Sur. Dylan, Jessie, Me, Dad. Sara, Sam, and Bobby sitting down for dinner in the cabin. AN OSPREY WITH A FISH. Lil' truck, Bobby and Sam hang out for a Paradise Road cabin sunset. Our buddies, the wild turkeys. They wake us up in the morning.

Hey guys! Another great week on the Central Coast. Mattie and I are still getting used to the wild turkeys that come stomping along the front porch of the cabin every morning - and to the raccoons doing hat-dances on the roof at night - but we are in love with our new little place in the oaks. THE CABIN. It's all wood and beautiful and cozy. There are deer, wild turkey, feral pigs, and a million quail all over all the time. There's a little wood-burning stove that we've had no use for yet because the weather is perfect and warm, and the sunsets turn the living room yellow like fall. It's two miles from Paradise Store and zero miles from paradise. I spent last weekend with family. We headed up to Big Sur for the 21st Annual Jade Festival and spent the day hanging out with Dylan and Jessie. Dylan made an incredible comic book about Jade Hunting that he sold by the millions to jade rats at the festival. It's one of the best things ever. Dylan. Published autho...

HI family and friends! It has been a long two weeks since I last wrote. I finished teaching the math and stats intensive courses at UCSB on Friday, so finally have some breathing time. It was fun, stressful, challenging, and rewarding, and for the first time in my life (and maybe the last...) I had an ocean view office out of the 4th floor of the Bren School, with a wall of windows looking over Goleta Beach and Campus Point. I didn't have time to miss the mountains, but an email from the Ljungs up in Mono City had me a little anxious today... It also reminded me that I hadn't posted about my last hike in the mountains before heading down. I hiked with John and Mary on a beautiful little 8-miler, starting near Tuolumne and going up to a great lake (help? Cathedral Lake? maybe?) for lunch. The lake was incredible, and there was rusty red granite everywhere. I tried to find bedrock mortars, failed, and we walked back down the dusty trail, down Tioga Pass, and I was back at my ...

We made it back to our stomping grounds, and could not be happier for 2-3 weeks of living with Sam, Sara, Bobby and (sometimes) Adam. Teaching starts Tuesday. Not a bad walk to work. OH HELLO UCSB.

Another great week in the Eastern Sierra. Here are things that happened. SIDNEY TURNED 6. BUCKEYE HOT SPRINGS (and rednecks galore). BIGHORN SHEEP and BIGHORN SHEEP EXPERT. BOBCAT. SARDINE LAKE HIKE.  PTARMIGAN. SOCCER GAME and GREAT DAYS with JOHN AND MARY. MOBILE STATION. MAMMOTH PASS TO RED'S MEADOW HIKE. THE DOOR HANDLE AND STEREO BREAK IN THE TRUCK. THE ASPENS ARE TURNING COLORS. Here are some pictures: 6 YEARS of the amazing Sidney. Lunch and bookstore tours with Uncle Dan in Carson City. RED TAIL on the way to Buckeye Hot Springs. Bridgeport is weird. Mattie paying her respects to Jordan locals (Mono City hills). Bighorns somewhere near Lundy Canyon. Mattie in shelter for the first big rain of fall. Mono Basin, doing what it does best. REALLY. THIS HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE. Looking down on Sardine Lake, then Walker Lake, then Mono Lake after a hike up Bloody Canyon. We've had the best time up here. Last weekend...

HI EVERYBODY! It's been a while, and things have been perfect on the Eastern slope. I left Markleeville/Hope Valley/Minden about a week and a half ago, then drove with Mattie Dog down to the Mono Basin. We stayed for two nights along Lee Vining Creek, had some beers and food at the Mobil Station, and went on short walks around the Lee Vining/Mammoth/Mono areas. And we spent some time looking for artifacts, duh-doi. Then I got a call from the wonderful Eastern Sierra foster family, John and Mary Ljung, inviting us to stay with them for a night at the Mono City Magic Castle. I don't remember if I have described the house before. It is situated on a hill about six miles north of Lee Vining on the 395, overlooking Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierras. The entire southern side of the house is windows - giant wall-sized windows that look over the valley, sagebrush, lake, and a ton of thundercloud skies. There is usually a premier league game on the television wh...

The truck is back and running like a champ with it's new (rebuilt) transmission. YAAAAA truck! Mattie and I had a great week while waiting for it. Here is a brief report: We spent two days in South Lake Tahoe. It was busy, smokey, crowded. We went on some great walks around the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, up to Fallen Leaf Lake, and had good meals and beers with a view of Tahoe. Mattie and I sat together on the shore and watched an epic stand-up paddle-board race, while a drunk married couple had an even more epic shouting match behind us. We smiled at each other and I gave Mattie a big hug. New buddies along Taylor Creek. We left Tahoe and were happy to head back towards the Carson Wilderness for some painting. "Caples Lake," 8"x10" oil on canvas board "Charity Valley Sundown," 8"x10" oil on canvas board "Hope Valley Meadow," 8"x10" oil on canvas board We did a few others - some were sacrificed ...