TRAVELS WITH MATTIE

Hi Everyone!  Sorry it's been forever. Mattie and I tend to get wrapped up with work during the fall quarter, and coming back from 3 months in the mountains it's always a little overwhelming. Fall is our blogging break-time. But we're BACK. We had an amazing fall. We worked hard. We went on adventures. We saw the best concert ever (David Rawlings Machine at the Lobero...just...good God, insanity) and then more great music (like Willie Watson at SoHO). The weather was perfect and there have been a few wonderful rainstorms that brought rocks down on the road. Mostly, Mattie and I have been enjoying the relaxing days we spend wandering, working, drawing (new art coming soon!), reading, spacing out, cooking (that's right, you guys, I've been COOKING). I worked hard to get back in shape, and was repaid with a sickness that still has me down almost a month later. WTF.  BIG NEWS: It's been exactly one year TODAY since Dad's aortic dissection, so we...

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...