TRAVELS WITH MATTIE

Yesterday, we drove out of the mountains.  After a wonderful week with Sid and Anni, and a final beautiful long weekend at the Lee Vining Creek  home, we drove south on the 395 and hit the Alabama Hills just as the sun left Lone Pine in the dark on a perfect Eastern Sierra night.  I always feel like a little of my heart stays there. So before I get all sentimental about how my life is unreal and lucky and I love both my summer and non-summer homes more than I can say, here's what happened since Hawaii...in pictures. We spent a lot of time with the little monsters, and got to celebrate Sid's 8th birthday. You were born EIGHT years ago? Where did those years go? I love you. We painted faces and had a cake.  Anni the creepy bunny and Sid the creepy puppy. Caught stealing cookie dough. We made cookies, hatched sea monkeys, made bracelets, built Legos, watched Star Wars, played soccer, climbed, walked with Mattie, read stories, p...

Hi everyone! We had a great time in Kaua'i! It only took me 30 years to make it to Hawaii, but I finally got over there and had a blast. Of course I missed Mattie horribly, but there were plenty of creatures and great views to keep me preoccupied. I'll write more about it later, but here's the KAUA'I MEGA MIX!   Off to climb with Greg and Annika! Love, Allison & Mattie

SORRY LOYAL READERS! Where did those three weeks go? Mattie and I are having an amazing time up in and around the mountains. Exploring, swimming, climbing, eating, beers, the most wonderful surprise from my students (mail at the Latte Da!?) that brought tears to my eyes, fun with family and friends, relaxating, treasures in the sagebrush, a great-horned owl, Bodie is awesome, back to the Lee Vining Creek home and the Sierra family (including the elusive Heather)...it goes on and on and on. We've had somewhat of a home base up near Tahoe/Reno for the past couple of weeks, which has been nice, with intermittent trips for climbing, adventuring and spacing out in the mountains. Yeti and Dad came up to Scott's for a week earlier this month which was AWESOME. Discovery Museum, swimming in the pool and lakes, BBQs, ridiculous thunder and hail storms that created flash floods. Etcetera. I love them all so much, and it's been a great summer with more family time than usual. La...

Hi everybody! We're still having the greatest time up IN NEAR the mountains - we've spent the past week (after a wonderful break on the coast) hanging out around Reno doing some rat- and bearded dragon-sitting while the whole gang was down in Santa Monica for a visit and Disneyland trip. Which means: climbing, swimming, swimming, climbing, thunder and lightning, movies, river walks along the Truckee, beers, climbing, running, cleaning, and generally relaxing. As much as we adore our sweet tent home, sometimes housesitting is really nice. Now we're hanging out here until Yeti and Dad drive up this weekend with the little monsters and more insanity ensues. It's beautiful. The sunsets are unbelievable. The cabin is going to inherit a sweet buck skull once the maggots have finished their work on it (thanks (?) Greg). I LOVE SWIMMING IN LAKE TAHOE. Mattie is loving the air conditioning. I'm getting excited for another school year to start and I miss the sweet st...

I know, I have a ton to catch you up on from the past couple of weeks.  Including:  - A really amazing wedding for Rhett and Avital  - A great weekend with my best buddies in Santa Barbara  - Hanging out with Yeti and Dad!  - More climbing, wandering, and adventuring in the Eastern Sierra  - A beautiful night with great food with Danielle and Lindsey  - The Mono Market has MonoLasagna now. Seriously. I haven't been very good about taking pictures. But here's one I stole! A sneak peak into the future of Summer 2014: August 25th - September 3rd, Greg and I are Kauai bound! We've had a great little break (and a lot of showers...) on the coast. Heading back up to the mountains tomorrow night for some Tahoe time! Love, Allison & Mattie

Allison is wearing her Dad's Cheetah swimsuit from the 1980s, a tie-dyed shirt her Uncle Rob gave her (with a hole in the armpit), and a headband made out of a broken shoelace. Welcome to my Fashion Camp. This is something I've wanted to write about, but since I really like to keep Travels With Mattie about happy things that I love dearly -- Mattie Dog, family, mountains, wild animals, best buddies, mountain lion sightings, climbing, petroglyphs, the cabin, mortars, Laughing Places, really good space-out sessions, hiking, delicious food, Mono Bars, the Mobil Station, and all kinds of really important things like that -- I've resisted for an entire year.  But it's happening again  this year and it just makes me want to puke everywhere. Allison, WHAT is happening again? I really want to tell you so that you can puke in solidarity, but first some background.  This is how I spend the majority of my life:    Sometimes I get dres...

Hey everyone!  We had a great weekend, and made a last minute decision to spend a week and a half on the coast around a Friday wedding in Camarillo! So we're home. Like, home home. In SLO.  Last weekend on the east side was stunning. The thunderstorms made it even more special than usual (and cooled it off a little, which was crucial). Greg came down for a few days, we watched the World Cup finals with John, Mary, Elin, Nathan, Aria (sp?), Gabe, and the Elusive Nora at the Mono City house (thank you for hosting a great World Cup party!), wandered around and looked at all kinds of mortars, climbed at the Bachars and the Ice Creams, swam in the perfect water at Lundy Lake, ate at the Mobil, and watched the supermoon rise over a serene Mono Lake.  Yesterday, Mattie and I decided we wanted to see Yeti and Dad, and friends in SLO and Santa Barbara, so we made the long (and hot...I mean, so stupidly hot) drive through Yosemite (gorgeous, with rain), grinding throug...

Yeesh, finally! After a year (or more?) hiatus, I'm finally painting again. Here's the newest one, done on site south of Lee Vining: Stormy on the Parker Lake Road 9x12 oil on canvas board Thunderstorms again today. Yesterday we found an ULTIMATE mortar boulder. We ate a burrito at Ohana's395 (it's awesome). Greg is coming back to the Lee Vining Creek home TONIGHT. The Trespassers  are playing at the Mobil in just 3 hours. I mean, really you guys. Love, Allison & Mattie Dog

A beautiful, wonderful week that reminds us why we need a life with a lot of wandering. My friends came up and we spent 4th of July weekend at a beautiful cabin on June Lake. We went on hikes, drank beers and moscow mules, went fishing, swam, watched World Cup, and spent the evening of the 4th in Panum Crater as the sun went down over the mountains. We were sad when they left for the coast. I miss you all. I am the luckiest ever to have such amazing, interesting, curious, hilarious friends.  My friends (aka a really cool indie rock band) just hanging out in Panum Crater. This afternoon we watched Germany absolutely destroy Brazil at the lovely summer home of our Sierra family, the Ljungs! Great company, wonderful food, nice chairs, a big TV, and a view of thunderclouds over Mono Lake? There have been worse ways to watch a terrible game! The outcome I wanted, but it just ended up being sad. The summer storms have moved in and it is amazing. After the game we went wande...

Hi everybody! It's been another great week up on the east side. Last week, after a couple days (and showers) in Reno, I headed south (with Sid and Anni) to meet Yeti and Dad back along Lee Vining Creek. We walked around the sagebrush and in the evening went to the Mobil, where Sid and Anni danced like crazy hippie children for 3 hours straight to the wonderful Sweetwater String Band. It was awesome. Also, more fish tacos. On Friday, Scott and Laura came down and we all hung out at Mono Lake where (most of us) floated like bobbers, Sid cried because the salt stung her skin all over, we washed off and fished in Lee Vining Creek before getting ice cream (and Mono Bars, duh) at the Mono Market, went fishing (again...Scott was there...), and ate at the Mobil AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING. We had a campfire with s'mores. The next morning (Saturday) they all left (for home or Bass Lake) and Mattie and I were alone for a whole FOUR HOURS before Greg drove down to meet us...of c...

Hi guys! Relaxing days up in Reno this week, with a lot of soccer watching and hanging out. And, of course,  getting really fired up for the US game tomorrow! Here's a new video we made today from the past couple of weeks. We're trying out all kinds of silly editing things for practice, so just ignore all the weirdness. Love, Allison & Mattie the "USA Soccer SuperFan" Dog

Hi everybody!  We've had another great week on our travels. Unfortunately I'm having some trouble editing my videos, so you'll have to wait a bit for the next inspirational movie (or "bitchin' footage," as Greg calls it). So for now, an old-fashioned picture 'n' text blog post! Last week we did some great exploring and wandering in the foothills, where we found special rocks (like metates and petroglyphs). Crazies in true mountain fashion near Thomas Creek.  Me and Greg with the little monsters.  Anni, Sid and perfect petroglyphs. Mattie finds a beautiful metate.  We watched World Cup games (seriously Michael Bradley, just fly home and do this entire country a favor) from bars and mountain cafes (sometimes in Spanish - thanks Univision).  And last week we drove south through my favorite places (like Lee Vining, where we of course stopped to say hi to the lovely Elin and stock up on Mono Bars) and down to Conv...

Hi Dad. This is my favorite Father's Day, because you're still here.  You came home! I mean, you're really home and awesome! Holy cow. What a year.  Which means we still get to do all kinds of awesome things like carve pumpkins:  And walk around beautiful lakes in places like this:  And you get to go to the mountains with Yeti:  And hang out with the little monsters:  And see all kinds of amazing places:  And play in the ocean:  But mostly it's the best because we can still just hang out and have fun and talk all the time, because I don't know what we would do without you.  We love you. Happy Father's Day.