Words We Live By

"It is imperfection — not perfection — that is the end result of the program written into that formidably complex engine that is the human brain ..."

I read these words in a NYT article on Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, who recently passed away. Dr. Levi-Montalcini was a neurologist who persevered against cultural norms to follow her desire to become a doctor at a time when women were expected to marry, becoming housewives and mothers, and Jewish people were not allowed a profession in her home country. The contributions she made to science, and our understanding of cell growth and nerve networks was revolutionary.

Not a perfect picture; but guess what -
he was having too much fun to stand still.

Her words have struck a chord with me. It reminds me of what made art so fascinating for me. Mistakes in execution of a piece can lead to great discoveries. The realization that 20 people could look at the same thing and render it back 20 unique ways. That imperfections and mistakes are not necessarily calamities, failures, or cause for embarrassment.

Dr. Levi-Montalcini's words are also meaningful to me at this time with James. In the midst of a school year where he is being pressured to fit in,  become a model student, and measured against educational standards of normal, it helps me pull focus and remember that the world is not perfect. It gives me pause to remember that, although at school James is seen (by several on his team) as flawed and not capable of academic achievement, his imperfect brain still interacts and reacts with the world. He is still growing and learning. On his path, not theirs. And that is okay.

With imperfections come discoveries, surprises, and new things that can lead to changes in our world. It makes life a little more breathtaking and wonderful. To me, that is better than perfect.

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: County Fair

Summer county fairs are so traditional. The Sonoma County Fair was a staple of my childhood. Every year my brother, cousins, and I looked forward to the day when we'd spend a magical afternoon at the fair, whirling on rides, eating corn dogs and cotton candy, and getting up close and personal with farm animals. Through it all, the summer sun soaked into our skins and and the smell of dry, baking hay filled our noses. The best relief came from the large and echoing Hall of Flowers.

It's so much fun to be able to share this with my own kids. They are all about rides, food , and fun. My daughter, however, is really interested in the animals; we'll be starting her in 4-H this fall. James loves all the people. I love the flowers and seeing traditions that have not had to be revived for the new food-to-table movements in our society.

Here are some photos from our day:

Sombrero and bright colours help me track him in a crowd.

Got calf?

Summer in Sonoma County!

Great horned owl, found and raised by humans.

A boy and his dreams.

Looks like fun!

Okay, this is new ...

Love this and want one for the garden.

A set in the Hall of Flowers.

Don't know what this is, but I like the colours.

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday 

A Visit to the Marine Lab

On Friday, the kids and I joined their grandparents on a visit to the UC Davis Marine Lab on Bodega Bay. We drove through some lovely summer countryside and enjoyed a picnic together before joining one of the free, docent-led tours through their facility.

Sea anemone

Some flounders

James became bored about half way through the tour, so we walked back to the main hall for a bathroom break and waited for everyone else to finish up.

We had gorgeous weather and hopefully James learned some new things about fish in our area. His big sister soaked up enough information from before the tour  to answer some of the tour guide's questions to our group. I am sure she'll be sharing this with James for quite some time.

Sea urchin, sea star, seaweed, & some bivalves in the outdoor tide pool.

On The Road to Family-where

So the kids and I are on the road. We've traveled the routes down to the south many times, between 1 and 4 times a year. We're pretty seasoned van travelers. The worst part for me is prepping for the week I'm not at home, while packing. This is where routine-dependent, picky-eating children come in handy. I know what to pack to relieve some stress of living outside the routine box we call home.

This year, I took on a few extra challenges, such as prepping for the end of school and still catching up from when my daughter was sick (with paperwork and to do lists). Oh, Foolish Mom. Then, 2 days before departure,  the weather turned up to heat (90°) and all the cherries on the tree popped into ripeness. Gah.

This is a different trip, because we are front loading it with visiting family and winding up with a visit to Disneyland. We had a GREAT sleepover our first night -- the kids went nuts meeting and playing with their cousins. That right there made the trip for me. Despite my packing too much stuff and losing track of it, we enjoyed running around, catching up, hanging with the pets, and spending time with family.

James kept his newly graduated cousin (congratulations!) up until almost 1am, playing Angry Birds on his iPhone. Thanks, Dude, that was really sweet you are now his new hero. It took him a while to warm up to the dogs and cats, but he did finally relax and pet one of the cats and oohed at the adorable flop-eared rabbit.

After lunch, we met up with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa and James bonded over Mac gadgets. I remembered to get pictures this year - yay!

Finally, after a few mishaps, we landed in Anaheim, at what James calls "the letter Q hotel." Oh, beds never felt so good! We even got a free fireworks show from the balcony. Today: The beach! And more family -- I can hardly wait!

Farmers' Market Sunday

Our town has a lively little Farmers' Market that I've come to love. During the summer it's held twice weekly, but we've made the longer-running Sunday morning one Our Market.

First, I really like Farmers' Markets. They recall random times of picking up fruit fresh from the fields and orchards of the Bay Area when I was a kid. Thanks to my Mom, these seemed more like fun excursions than a chore. Also, I learned to chose my foods differently when I lived in France over the course of 2 years in my 20s. The marketing & cooking mentality shift from weekly Albertson's to as-needed les marchés en plein air excursions was profound. In a good way. And it's nice for me to be able to bring good things from my past life into my current one with children of my own, including one on the spectrum, which has thrown us into a parallel universe, so to speak.

For several years, I was desperate to find things to do with James, my early riser. Usually that meant getting him out of the house, as he wakes ready to go and does not do voice modulation well. Our house does not do sound prevention well, either - quel désastre! So then I stumbled on the Farmers' Market.  Our markets don't start early, but if we first went out for a drive (with coffee!) or playground trip, finishing with the market made a great icing on the cake.

I love being out among people, seeing fresh produce, and smelling good things. James loves the people and the music, because the local Farmers' Markets have live musicians. This summer, I made more of a push to have this be a weekly event for the kids and I. We do enjoy it so.

The bread lady, as we call her, knows us well. She and my daughter share a name, which is a common one with an uncommon pronunciation, which gives them both a thrill. Some day, I promise myself I will indulge in the roasted peppers - mmmm!!! We get ideas for jewelry, crafts, and cooking just by strolling past the stalls. We see people we know and socialize. My daughter pets as many dogs as she can. Both kids love to play in the town's water fountain. I look at all the colours and shapes of the flowers and plants, and think back to when I had time to paint and draw them. For now, I capture them on film.

   

James loves the fresh sour dough ficelles and the music. Over the course of the summer, I have successfully gotten him to watch and admire the musicians from a discrete distance. Before, he'd go right up to them and talk, sometimes touching their arms or instruments while they were playing. Good heavens, he was quick to nip in and do that! Fortunately, they were very good-natured and did not get upset. Now when I remind James that he can watch near the chairs or the walkway walls, he says "okay" and remembers to do it. The trombone still delights him from across the Green, though, and makes him dance whenever he hears it.

The Farmers' Market stays in my mind for days after the event, as we use up the good food that we have bought, in dinners and school lunches. I only wish it lasted throughout the year.

You'll never know who you'll see at the local Farmers' Market!

Fringe Benefit

Our first motel had a nice fringe benefit: a grassy central courtyard with a gazebo and goldfish pond at our end.

Technically, the waterfall is not a fountain, and the pond is full of fish and therefore not suitable for wading or swimming. So the kids loved spending time running around it, checking out the waterfall, the little bridge, and ... feeding the fish.

It's true. We lucked out and happened to be there when the groundskeeper was going to start tossing them their Fish Chow (or whatever). My daughter asked politely if we could feed them and he said "sure!"

Recap: more water, rushing water sound, bubbles, fish, bridge, gazebo, fish swimming, warm and lazy afternoon, get to wear swim suits, get to *feed the fish*, and no school. It's official, we have a new favourite motel.

(P.S.: notice James's shoes -- he has a thing for constantly putting them on the wrong feet. Gah!)

SOOC: Moving at His Own Speed

James loves getting to do his Kids on the Move class every week. I think it has actually helped him be more confident with his body. I got to watch him this week and was struck again by how James has his own way of doing things.

While he may not be hopping and leaping like the others, giggling and chattering with them, he is there and participating at his own pace. He is smiling and taking things in. Occasionally, he tries something different; something he's never done before. If he doesn't do it like the others or perfectly, that's okay.

James seems to be the type of person who enjoys the journey, moving at his own speed. What is so wrong with that? He is growing, doing, and happy. It's a refreshing change of pace from testing, quotas, and checklists.

Even though ther eis no post yet this week on The Slurping Life, you can still visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present. No cropping or fixing -- it's life, straight out of the camera.





  

Bright Colours

I love bright colours on James. They make him easy to spot and track in a crowd. They match his personality. I do not understand the concept of camouflage-patterned clothing for boys. I need to know what this guy is up to, and where he may be headed. The running away has tapered off, but he gets interested in many things and does not always stop and check in before he heads off to explore.

Hmmm, what to wear on Saturday at the Autism Walk? I think something red is a must for James. He loves to wear this colour. He's liked to wear yellow pullovers a lot this winter too, which brightens my day (although his smile is much brighter).

Thank you so much to everyone who's donated and supported us in this walk. It means so much!

Special Exp. / Wordless Wednesday: Stairs

What did James love most about the place where way stayed last week? Stairs! We don't have them in our house. I'd have let him climb them over and over ... except there was a room downstairs with a TV & VCR, and he just would NOT stay away from all those buttons ...

So we'd have some play time each day on the stairs. I think he liked the carpeting too. It's good to see him hanging on to railings and supporting himself, evening pulling himself up with his arms. He's been getting better at this on the monkey bars, and things like this help even more.

Although I doubt there will be stairs at the event, I plan to take my camera along this Saturday on the Walk for Autism Speaks and get a few special shots of James on his 2 mile walk with me. He is sure to find something fun to explore!

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. Please, please, please -- check out today's Special Exposure Wednesday post. It brought tears to my eyes (good ones), because we went through something very similar with James last year, minus the boat. A very happy birthday to you, big guy!


and ... Wordless Wednesday

Special Exp./Wordless Wednesday: Exploring

Exploring a tree at the Discovery Museum. Who lives here?


Many things to look at and touch!


"I think I'll stay a while ..."

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

and ... Wordless Wednesday

Five 'til Midnight: Exploring

As James becomes more engaged and openly curious, he is starting to explore the world around him. He is confident, and not shy as his sister was. At the Discovery Museum in Sausalito, James loved the large hands-on exhibit room that allowed children to make all kinds of music and sounds with found objects. His noise and chaos level tolerances were much better than before. And of course, he still loves things that spin (like the round washers on long, threaded screws):


James and his class go on several walking field trips each year. Usually they go to Mac Donald's for a snack and use of the play room. Recently, the teacher has added two more destinations -- the bowling alley that is family-friendly and right next to the school and the town's public library. This year, the childrens' librarian held a special reading session of The Very Hungry Caterpillar for their class. It was a hit!



Of course, nothing can compare with getting reacquainted with the backyard, once summer arrives again:

Solar on a Rainy Day

Last weekend we had a rare, non-seasonal rain system blow in. We have been baking in an Indian Summer, so the cool and wet weather perversely made us excited to get out.

We ended up taking a drive to the Solar Living Center in Hopland. It's been a family favourite for years.

James really loved exploring places of interest. He loved following the spiral path to the middle of the koi pond, making the wind chimes sound in the gift store, and eating an iced fruit bar out on a bench. He was bummed his legs were not quite big enough for the energy-producing bikes and loved chasing his sister through a tunnel.

And now, as we head into a weekend of blue skies and record-breaking high temps, I look back on that rainy afternoon with fondness:

The main play area for kids:



The Spiral Walkway:



Trying the power-generating bike:



Ice cream treat!

Special Exposure/Wordless Wednesday: Tent!

Salute to summer, from a rainbow tent in our living room:


For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

and ... Wordless Wednesday