A Sand Castle for Giants

Shredding the Kelso Dunes

Over winter vacation, I found myself wanting to feel like a kid again.  I had two weeks off of “school”, and I was going to make the most of it.  Sledding is an activity that has the power to make the most serious grown-up feel like an eight-year-old.  You can do it in snow or on sand, and you don’t have to drive more than a few hours from Los Angeles to do both.  With that in mind, my sister sidekick and I set out on a two-part sledding adventure.

"Line Dancing is the Ugly Girl's Dance"

A couple of two-steppers at the Cowboy Palace Saloon

I grew up in the small town of Chatsworth, California.  You may know Chatsworth as the porn capital of the world, but I know it as the sleepy suburban horse town where the hottest nightlife is a bar called the Cowboy Palace.  Unfortunately, I moved away from Chatsworth before turning 21, so I never got to experience the Cowboy Palace.  So for my sister Kyrsti’s birthday, I decided it was time to go back.

My Brother, The Pirate

My Brother, the Pirate

Since I began Shoestring Adventures, my brother Mike has been my mentor in trouble-making.  Every few weeks, he checks up on me to make sure I have at least one weekend adventure planned.  Mike knows about a lot of stuff, like how to read weather patterns and geological maps and how to predict the precise location of buried treasure.

So when Mike confided he had a treasure map that led to a secret pirate cave, I volunteered to join him on the expedition.  I had a moment of panic when I saw the actual treasure map, a crumpled pink Post-It with a freeway exit written on it.  Mike had to remind me that this was an adventure, and I just had to trust him.

I Was A Girl Scout Dropout

2012 Shoestring Adventures

I was a Girl Scout dropout.  I started my own club instead.  It consisted of three members, and each of us held high-ranking positions in the organization. 

Our first order of business was to decide on a name.  My suggestion “Perennial Peace” was overruled by our babysitter, who said it sounded like the name of a funeral home.  So we agreed on “Perennial Friendship”.  My grandmother had just taught me the different types of flowering plants, and to me, perennial was the way to go.  Flowers all day, every day.  Friendship too.