GroundArt

2012-01-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more fotos of the past fall and early winter. It has been super warm and nice...literally.... no rain for 2 months and even our visit to the Sierras was shockingly 'nice' and warm considering the lack of snow and mild winter temps. We have played at the beach....gone up the coast....stayed indoors cultivating the art in all of us.....gone on bike rides....taken trips to the beach again...gone sledding and skiing....and visited the snowless Sierras. What a wonderful place we live!! Peace and hair grease.

2012-01-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

I can only say that it has been a super first day of the year. Woke up to 3 beautiful girls (playing, giggling, tired and cranky).... and banner surf! Strong...offshore wind, head high plus - to micro- (depending on the wave of choice) BARRELS! Family fun day at the beach.

Look forward to a year of good sleep....good surf....continued good work...and watching my beautiful family flourish, love, and learn.

Peace and God bless from GroundArt.

2011-12-11T13:08:00.001-08:00

My family is crushingly precious and I am very lucky. Love these photos!! We are having a banner fall and early winter. Surf has been good too....but no photos to prove it! Hah!

postingsomepicsfools

2011-09-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

here is to a fun and interesting time in life. LOVE these girls... 1, 3, and 33...Peaceout.

long time no hear or speak

2011-07-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

my my...life is great and busy. I could ramble for some time but will just have to post some photos for the time. Will speak more when more time comes my way. love yall and life. GroundArt.

winter

2011-02-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

All my girls are super RAD...but holy moly has it been a rough season....thank God it is only a 'season'....we are ready for good health, warmer weather, and sleep at night. Here is a happy photo on the Gondola at Northstar just after Grandma Bev passed away this Feb. Peace and God bless.

november sun

2010-11-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

now that our november summer appears to be coming to an end......im looking forward to winter. enjoy these fall photos of the groundart clan.

Family of 4

2010-09-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

We are in full family mode these days at the Sveinson compound and enjoying every new and difficult experience. June Miel Sveinson was born on Sept. 5th at 10:39pm. What a remarkable difference the second birth is than the first. I have been truly blessed to witness both births of my daughters go down in the same room...1 year, 364 days, 1 hour 20minutes apart. Katie was again AWESOME!!

Three plus weeks have already flown by and though both Katie and I are in need of breaks...we realize that this special time goes by so very fast. And here I thought that having one child was a major imprint into ones daily free time....try two (both under 2.5 years). Yowza! Not much surfing going on these days.....ok, I can't lie...I have gone surfing but not nearly as much as I would dream to. Today I found some newborn photos of Frances and was impressed and a bit surprised to see how similar they look...especially having thought for the past few weeks about how different I thought they looked. The time I am able to spend and invest with Frances these days will be forever memorable too....we have had much special daddy Frances time and she is doing remarkably well considering what a change she is experiencing and going through too.

Delight and know that the GroundArt crew is live (alive) and in full effect....we are embracing each hour with a sense that the last small phase has just passed but we will next endure a similar and rewarding next few hours. Hour by hour....day by day.....learning that slow and steady wins the race. (We are always here at home hoping for a small break if anyone wants to come and visit and take Fran to the park) Not to forget though how very blessed we have been with many dinners and lots of gifts from friends and family the past few weeks and we THANK YOU ALL!!!

We may even try for a family outing to the 'Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Festival' a free event in SF Golden Gate Park to see one of our favorite bands play this Sunday evening....the Avett Brothers. Wish us luck. Peace out...God bless and enjoy the photos.

The days are fast.....and slow.

2010-08-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

We here at GroundArt headquarters if you don't know already are due to receive new child very soon. It has been a great first two years with our little one Frances Dillon and we will cherish and miss the moments that have passed but look forward to growing through the new ones with both her and her little sister.

I could blab on and on about how magnificently smart and impressive our daughter is but I won't. Suffice to say that at 23 months she can recite her ABC's like she's been doing in for years now and she can tell you probably 25 words in Spanish including counting to 10...and most colors. It will take me years to stay one step ahead. Both grandparents from the Montana side have visited this late spring/summer and it was very pleasant. We are sorry we don't make it to Montana more often however tonight I did ask Frances during our night time ritual, "where do Grampa Craig and Grandma Patty live?" and she replied after some thought...Montana. I was considerably impressed given that we don't really emphasize it too much.

Most weeks are spent the same....working while Fran and Mom do fun things around town with other moms and friends. Afternoons we spend sunning in general and watering the plants...taking bike rides to the library or park...and recently swim lessons on the weekends. Katie has been doing some great knitting work she recently learned and as you shall see in the photos has made some great hats for the kids.....!! The time goes incredibly fast and both Katie and I are just blessed to be able to spend practically each moment growing and helping Frances learn and have fun. We know the road ahead will be challenging but equally rewarding. Thanks and God bless to all that care and follow. Peace.

Lee / Katie / and Frances.....soon to be big-sister

OOOOOH boy....OOOOOH gosh.....hey babe, whoa back..beep beep

2010-04-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

Good golly it has been some time since I last checked in to the GroundArt bloggage. Life is just cruising and doing exactly as they say when you have kids. THE DAYS ARE LONG BUT THE WEEKS/MONTHS/YEARS FLY BY. Sure as the manure on the bottom of your shoe.

I won't lie and say it was an easy winter. No,...it was tough. Long rainy weeks and lots and lots of colds....but when March and the sunny skies hit, boy did we get on with it! Life here in Marin has been very fun, rewarding, and difficult....wait...I think I said that back in November. Well....it has. Our daily seems to be early morns....coffee and breakfast with Fran. The beautiful wife wakes and starts her day about 1/2 hr prior to me shooting off to tug on some wires and fix somebodies electricity. They usually play all morning outside if the rain isn't falling....and our daughter loves her routine. A walk down to Muffin Mania....checking out all the famous stops along the way including the fairy bath (local neighbors fountain)....and sometimes the park. Of all the things they do and people they see...well it varies and I don't know them all but Katie and Francini have a great time living learning and loving life each and everyday. Some of which are difficult. Most are awesome. Frances can say basically anything she wants....however she mostly says a lot of what she hears all the time. Song repeats...sayings....things she wants....things she eats and names of people she knows. She BLOWS me away at how much she remembers!! I find myself in complete astonishment most of the time I am with her because of how much she already knows. Sure shows what a great job my wife is doing each day raising her.
Then....around 4pm or so, I get to come home and help out with the late afternoon shift which normally gives Katie a good break. Fran and I look in the garden or compost for bugs and worms (which she LOVES!) and blow bubbles or go on bike rides. She has recently become really attached to the neighbor girl across the street Eva and pretty much always wants to play with her if possible. Then for the rest of the evening we do our bedtime routine and put her down pretty early so she can be well rested for the next days adventure. Weekends we have been looking at houses....surfing and going to the beach on nice days....resting and prepping our craziness for another babe. Yep...you heard it. We are havin another.!!! So yippee to summer coming up and another beautiful life and fall warm months ahead. With no further rambling....I give you some pics of the last few months and thank you for stopping by. Peace.

Kauai'....Aloha and Mahalo.

2009-12-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Not sure what to say about things other than how RAD they are. Ok, ok...not every moment in life is super fun but most things, even the not fun times, turn out to be excellent learning moments that all make the fun possible in one way or the other. That is groundArt philosophy 101, a course that is no longer being taught.

In other news....the GroundArt trio just got back from an epic week on Kauai'. It was glorious in so many ways...but mostly the memories of Katie, Frances, and I exploring the island and the beaches and playing with Sohrob, Hannah, and Alma in our snug little south island apartment just steps from baby beach....all of it..... I guess looking back....it was all fun. Even all the 'challenging' moments of traveling with 2 beautiful, fairly 'spirited' just under two year olds.....it was all great. All of our faces were 'lit' with excitement at one point or another and each moment was a blessing. Oh yeah...the surfing was really fun too....! Hee hee...

Fun trip up north

2009-11-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you!! to all those who sent out Bday wishes. Aside from practically an entire day of surfing on my birthday....and another great family/beach/surf day out at Bolinas last Sunday...this past weekend was spent at a beautiful nook up north.....SURFING! I love Mendocino county and the northern coast of California. Today however was delightfully spent with the Fran.....as Katie needed a well deserved break and time to herself. Enjoy the following new pics of our tribe the beautiful fall 09. GroundArt says peace and God bless.

long time much talk now!!

2009-10-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! so much happens in the journey of living life...( riding waves, literally and figuratively)...especially when you have a pistol like FRANCES! Our daughter is a wild one, I tell ya. The past few months have been difficult to say the least....but filled with great blessing too. Sheash..it has been some time since I updated the blog so here it goes.

Grampa Craig and Grandma Karen visited around labor day....we had fun and spent a short stint in the pool. That was when the pistol turned one year of age. Fran began to walk around that same time. Then came time for full on bay area September...waves were fun...we went to the beach often and the weather was great. Cousin Annie was born. What a babe! Frances loves the beach and went several times in Sept. Katie...the beautiful 'MOMMA' turned the big three-one toward the end of Sept. and too began a difficult sleep/teething pattern for Fran. Seems like for the last 2 month plus she has wanted to stay up extra long for her 'awake' periods at night making it super hard for momma and dada to get good sleep. Then great grandma Bev and aunt Pam came to visit...unfortunately Fran wasn't feeling so hot...but we did spend some quality time enjoying great food around San Rafael. Soon thereafter, Fran came down with a gnarly temp. Dada escaped the house from time to time to enjoy probably the worst fall surf in some time. Although, he did really enjoy one super foggy fall morning in 8-10 foot great fun surf at ocean beach watching the dolphins explode out of the back of the waves. Now here we are in mid Oct. and the waves look like March....but sure feels like Fall around town. Frances is getting better....slowly..Momma too....but soon things will be cruising right along like normal. I love the fall.....mostly because it signifies the turning of another year...good friends show up around Holloweenie.....and better beers begin to arrive on the shelves. Should mean good waves too....but those have truly yet to come. Love you all....peace and God bless! GroundArt. enjoy the pics.

Too hot...too cute summer days!

2009-08-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Camping with the Groundart Trio

2009-08-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

This has been a difficult/exhilarating and hot week!! But very fun. Katie and I took Fran out on her first camping exploration to Lake Pillsbury in the beautiful Mendocino Natnl. Forest. It was challenging but sooo super rewarding! Fran experienced many firsts' and loved being outdoors all day long! To slightly complicate our arrival...we made it to our destination...aka love-bar-point via kayak and canoe. What a treat! Here are a few photos of our journey. Enjoy. The last one in transport home was a clear...."Why are we going home?"

Everyday activities...

2009-08-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Some fun times are going down around here. Although Frances has her difficult moments....she loves getting outside. Here are a couple pics of us getting ready for a ride around town on another beautiful afternoon. There is a link on the left to see more of what is going on with Yuba Bikes. I think they are about the best thing on earth next to my family and the tools I use to ride waves in the ocean.

Fran says: "Dada...bike?"

Papa says: "Yeah you wanna go on a bike ride?"

Fran responds: "Si"

Newest in new....fun times

2009-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all: life here in San Rafael is great. South swell pulse just leaving .....beautiful foggy skies at the coast and warm Marin temps keep us happy. Frances is doing splendid! She has soooo much to offer our world and the people who live in it. She was super happy to meet her grandma Patty from Montana. And although grandma Patty wasn't able to take her windsurfing or golfing yet...I think she too was super happy to meet her grand-daughter. Pictured above is the families new ride into the good life. My new friend Ben at Yuba Bikes was extremely generous in handing over this beast....hopefully I can help the company sell them as I ride it with Frances and Katie all over San Rafael. Oh yeah....by the way, if you need a 'certified by the state of Californian' bonefied Journeyman electrician....you can now call me. No longer an apprentice.....well, I guess we are all apprentices in a 'forever- learning' sort of way. Peace out and God bless.

leeroy

posting is pics right now...

2009-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

love you all....here is the babe and her first bike ride ever! She loved it.

long time no post....Fran keeps us busy!

2009-05-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple new pics from Francini's 'best-friend forever's birthday party....and from a recent super warm day at the beach. Life is great! She is starting to really sign...(communicate with her hands) and crawl very fast!! She crawls to things in order to stand and try to walk/do things she isn't quite ready for...but it seems as though the inevitable is around the corner. I have only seen one other girl that can keep up with her....and that is Oceanne. She can be seen at a link from the Princess Fanny surprise site...and she is a new friend of Frances'. I enjoyed finally meeting her parents. Get me a Yuba cargo bike folks!!! I would get rid of everyother bike toy I own to have one of these!

Life in Groundart world remains the same...great! I mean to say that life for Katie and I is challenging right now, but we are healthy, and getting out and exercising when possible....gettin to the pool or the ocean to cool down as we have had quite a warm winter and spring, and feel as though we are blasting into summer. Bring it on! Soon we will be seeing Grandpa Craig and Karen...then off to a trip to Yosemite.....maybe a quick weekend extension trip to Pillsbury a lake in Mendocino.....then comes the much anticipated visit in July from Grandma Patty! We are looking forward to a fun one. Love you all! Keep in touch as I am rather bad at that. Oh and sorry for the repeat pics folks...Katie momma just informed me that these are on PFS. Leeroy

thankful

2009-03-28T21:19:00.001-07:00

o9 is really movin. seems like yesterday when Katie and i were hanging with friends on new years ...thinking and drawing up our personal posters for the year..verbalizing to an audience of accountability what changes we'd like to make in our lives...and how we'd be able to help others fulfill theirs. Feb. just rained- on- by literally...atleast here in the bay. March however has been marvelous. Temps in the 70's plus....super mediocre surf..but who cares when spring moves in because it always brings a momentum of change. The above new photo was taken in Baja....a few years back when Katie and I went on a two month road trip down the eastern sierras and all the way to Pescadero...close to Cabo San Lucas BAja California Mexico. Man I love Baja. Of all the places I have been blessed to visit...it ranks next to Chile on the most next most wanted to visit list. We look forward to planning a winter with Frances on the beach and in the dunes of southern Baja.

On the home turf...i was recently granted the aok by the state of Cali to take my state Electrical exam...wooohooo... Another goal near completion..and one I will likely utilize to carry us through the following months and years of this recession. I pray that the work continues in our little bubble of the universe.

Katie and Frances are doing supremely awesome. Each one growing daily with the newness of an ever changing life and super mother. I enjoy very much living and growing with them. Even though I still crave to plunge myself into the ocean as much as possible...I too crave coming home and spending warm afternoons with my daughter and wife...walking the beautiful streets of San Rafael and watching our babe grow so FAST! We are looking forward to some camping trips this summer....and climbing again....along with trips to our gym and long days at the pool. Speaking of pool...Frances and her bff Soleil took their first swimming lessons this past week and loved it. My good friend Danny's wife Anke teaches infants how to swim, and although it was a sick day for me...i felt very fortunate to be there to witness my baby's first day of plunging herself.

love yourselves and your neighbors peoples.....surf if you live near waves and if you don't well then....do something you love and have a beer on me.

leeroy

cool new pics

2009-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last of the bunch...of beautiful winter days..

2009-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a family shot in downtown Mill Valley after a great afternoon hike/walk up the Dipsea stairs. We have had a wonderful string of 60-70 degree days all through January. Finally today the rain is back and boy do we need it! Frances and Katie are doing great..although we are trying to teach Frances some important sleeping lessons early in life and it requires much of our energy!

Gotta love life with these two babes to look forward to after a hard day at work. Hope all is well out there for fellow GroundArt blog checkers. Feel free to drop a comment from time to time to let me know you are checking in on us. Also...don't forget to check up on Frances' blog on the left at Princess Fanny Surprise link. Peace and God bless all.

new and old stuff from Groundart...

2009-01-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

what can I say? Life is great!

Leeroy Jan 09

Quite Inspired

2009-01-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed very much being able to witness the inauguration of our newest president. I was running MC wire between 2 three way switches...watching through a door into a living room...but nonetheless I felt inspired and present. It was relieving to me to see a diverse group of people speak, pray, sing, and share including Obama's speech itself. Id like to think that we will see quite a change and feel more of a spirit of humility and respect for hardworking/hard living peoples all around the globe. I thought his speech embodied a true Christian spirit in offering peace to a broken world. Simultaneously, he did a good job at appreciating those that drive our own country and paid tribute to its foundations and heritage. All in all his speech offered a much needed difference to that of the war monger, fear driven Bush era that has now, thank God, come to an end. For those that do not share these same opinions, I would urge you to listen carefully to the words of his speech with an open mind and try to see that what he stands for is what every person on earth longs for in a deep way. Peace and God bless.

one New years resolution

2009-01-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

Use the bike more!

Winter at Ocean Beach

2008-12-31T12:05:00.001-08:00

Life as a father is amazing! Our daughter, Frances, the beautiful babe in the big cup is about to turn 4 months and I think she too has had a nice Christmas. She is growing and changing daily!

The new Mandala tri-plane hull sure likes to shred waves like these... Although not my pics, they sure do resemble the ones that were coming in the other morning. It was another proper dawn patrol for breaking in the new board.!!

Ocean Beach, on the west side of San Francisco, is by many considered a world class beach break when things line up properly. Like most exposed sandy bottom locations though it has it's fickle days, all factors playing on one another. Tide, wind, swell, swell angle, working sand bars etc..

This fall and winter I haven't had as much time to surf at OB as I go to a slightly closer location that unfortunately is even more fickle...but also often gives way to fun and challenging surf conditions. At any rate, the new single fin is performing much easier and more fun than I ever thought possible, and blessed me with a super fun session monday morning. Comparing the performance differences to that of my quad Hess Lola, which is also a super fun and rewarding surfboard, the tri-plane hull is like riding a slightly wider and fatter version of a skateboard with super soft cruiser wheels in place of the harder, edgier and choppier modern day street version. Likely a rider of the aforementioned only would understand my silly jargon.

Happy Christmas to all and may the new year bring love and joy..... and waves. Peace and God bless.

Test mission Mandala

2008-12-20T15:48:00.001-08:00

Hello folks. Here are some shots of early morning

december...test piloting my new board. Also...the board bags are hand built with recycled shags..GroundArt approved. Mani...if you ever check out the site...THANK YOU SO MUCH...THE BOARD YOU MADE ROCKS!

jafs juice

2008-12-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

i recently saw and hung out with my good buddy Jafgas..and his right winged-ass has decided to start making biofuel. here is a look.

life is all about the good times....and the not so good.....mostly good round these parts. Merry Christ' bday.

leeroy

life on the coast

2008-11-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

I found some neat sayings from the 20's that I want to share. Life here on the coast is good...the following photos are what you get to do after a session of surfear. But first...here are some of the dichos..

balled up = confused, messed up

dry up = shut up, get lost

bank's closed = no kissing/making out

hard boiled = a tough, strong guy

pinch = to arrest

piker = a cheapskate

by the way...that is my daughter FRANCINI...if you hadn't learned from any of the previous posts...sorry no photos of the ocean or the beautiful coast...80 degrees and offshores in late November.....Back to her....she is the true blessing!!

that's my daughter....

2008-11-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

That's my daughter in the water...everything she knows I taught her. That's my daughter in the water...I lost every time I fought her...

She's thinking.... "what have I got myself into tonight?"

brown bag timing

2008-11-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

shoulda been here yesterday....

fun fall...

2008-11-12T19:12:00.001-08:00

well folks and followers....life here on C st is great. Halloweenie was fantastic, as was my birthday. Thank you for all the great gifts and givings. It poured rain, but some good friends and I made it out to check the surf anyway...and have some cheves...see some live Japanese Motors..etc. The pics above are some good ones...the board.... I have been told is coming really soon!!!chomping at the bit for that, except when it shows it will be the color of the Syrah in my glass right now. My good friend Bri and his beautiful girl EVA on halloween evening.....and last but not least..beautiful Kathrogena and Francini.....they can be further visited at the Princess Fanny Surprise link to your left. Also...check out the 180 South link...cool stuff. Work is good, friends and family are great and thank you Lord for another beautiful fall. Oh...lastly I want to give a big shout out to the birth of our new friend and brother to Noah...Hendrik....born on Nov.6th. peace out!!

another glorious day

2008-10-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

some photos of life...

spending time with the little woman

hoping soon to receive the Mandala hull...should look something like this coco

pretty sure she's thinking about shredding.

One year.....goes so fast.

2008-10-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have not posted a lot in the past year...but I have enjoyed playing with the site. It is amazing how fast one year goes by.

Things I am looking forward to this year: Loving my beautiful wife day after day..turning 31 soon...hopefully seeing the Japanese Motors live...surfing more (now that I have no broken arm this fall) receiving my new Mandala hull...going on more walks...exploring the world with my brand new daughter...

thanks for stopping by...peace and God bless.

leeroy

good times

2008-09-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Katie officially turned 30 this past week. I think she is handling it well. Frances is just a love muffin....who occasionally poos, wees, smiles, fusses...and cries. She is wonderful!! Here's to having some time off spending it with my wife and sweet daughter!!

Leeroy

beautiful babe..

2008-09-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

One week into the mix and the beautiful babe seems to be right on track. She, like any newborn, has her fussy times...but overall she is a great baby.

The beach photo was taken two

days prior to her birth..the place that Katie and I went to walk as she went into early labor. The other photos

are post birth...with

super good friend Adam both babies in Moby wraps.

Fatherhood hasn't completely sunk in yet...although demanding and super rewarding, I want to enjoy each moment as they come and live in each one. As I have been told...each small phase doesn't last long...so enjoy all of them.

Peace everyone!! Oh yeah, lastly is a photo of the super sweet single fin beauty that Manuel Caro of Mandala Custom Shapes has shaped for me.

leeroy

We had a baby GIRL....meet Frances Dillon Sveinson

2008-09-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Quick note to those that check....we have a beautiful baby girl who was born on Saturday, Sept 6th at 514pm....she weighed 7lbs2oz and is 18.5in long. We are so blessed and love her so much!

peace yall...and check back soon.

lee

Experiencial...

2008-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well...we have had another amazing northerncalifornia region summer week. Hot..foggy..classic south swell...windy...cool...more fog....and now warm and mild. Makes for great growing season...tomatoes, squash, peppers and other plants. I was recently given some succulents and planted one with the "angel" (see photo). As my wife and I prepare for the birth of our first...we are trying to enjoy doing stuff that we probably wont for a little time to come...at least the first several weeks. This past weekend we caught up on all sorts of laundry and more birthing flag mayhem...as well as over the past month or so, i have been doing all sorts of cleaning up things that needed to get done. I had been wanting to resurrect this bike you see here, so that when it is time I can just simply jump on it for errands around town to avoid the carsky. I have also finished up some looming side work..and also, just finished a very hip and functional long board surf bag. The sewing thing has really got us in 'knots' in terms of wanting to spend a lot of our current free time wanting to sew. It sure is fun to make things, and be creative with fabric...especially when you can look back at some super rad or functional bag that you just made. I think we also finally finished with all the new baby stuff we have received as gifts over the past two months. Thank you all again for being such givers!!! Enough with my rant...enjoy the good life. God bless.
lee

birthing flags

2008-07-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

It was fun to make these flags for Katie this weekend. Yarn, paint, fabric, sewing and gluing.

peace everyone and thanks for the great gifts from all the showers.

lee

holy f$&#ing goodness!

2008-07-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

that's not blasphemous is it? no wonder I am such a normal fool. I am just tripping on the fact that we are having a baby in 30 days. I know the baby ticker to your left says different but hey...I was off for several months.

Katie is doing awesome!!! We have recently been sewing birth flags...and it is very rewarding and peaceful. We have also been doing a bout of the birth classes...every wed. night for the past 3 weeks. Super good info...I like that our birth class totally represents the style of birthing that we want to strive for. No drugs...all natural, with minimal interventions considering all things go well.

Along with Scooby (our nickname for what dwells inside the belly of Kathrogena) a new surfboard that I ordered has been on my mind. I am determined to have it shaped for our baby...and keep it in great condition until he or she is old enough to give it a try. I am going with a Mandala shaped single fin stubbie or hull...orangish in color and biofoam. It will be a gem. In addition to making birth flags...I have recently enjoyed picking out some cool fabric to make another surfboard bag for the long board.. Pics to come soon. I guess I now realize and believe that "nesting" isn't just a lady thing..it certainly is a guy thing too because I have definately been feeling more and more in need getting everything in order around the house so we are ready!

ready, ready, ready....like I say.....holy f$&*ing goodness.

Junio, Julio, and Agosto

2008-06-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well manana I will embark on a slightly new adventure. Though I have run and raced in the past (nothing serious) tomorrow I will run in the long time (second oldest race in North American history) famous race from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach called the Dipsea. I've always wanted to do a marathon or triathalon but never have really been into running. The dipsea is only 7 miles...but a gruelling seven, up and over Mt. Tamalpais in beautiful Marin county CA. I did run cross country in high school...but truly grew to hate it...but as I get older, I mostly enjoy the challenge of different things and the mind frame one must put themselves in, in order to press on, move forward, and eventually finish what is laid out in front of them. My good friend Derek has done it and he says it is not only really hard and mostly up hill...but you have to basically pass 1500 other runners that have because of handicap, been able to go ahead of you. Wish me luck.

The widget says 74 days to go....and counting. Katie and I are both super psyched...but also feeling slightly overwhelmed with how fast the baby is coming. Katie is beautiful and doing great...going to prenatal yoga once a week...and staying active, walking and exercising.

The surf is not flat...but not calm in the norCal region.

The sun is shining....weather is sweet yeah...make you want to move...your dancing feet

100 to go...

2008-05-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

I just noticed on the baby calender gadget thing that tells you how many more days until she's due, it said 100. That's pretty cool...only a 100 days left until I am a father. WOW! What can you say about that? Well....I'm pretty psyched to become a father....I look forward to making it smile, and laugh...I look forward to teaching and playing more...more like a kid I guess and playing less like an adult. I realize that there will be times when I'll want to be doing other things than changing the dirty d...but maybe not. For the longest time I think that was my greatest fear..was letting go more of me and my time..not so much anymore and I don't really know why. I'm sure those times will come along but with such a rad wife like the amazing one I have...I have it made. Thank you Katie for carrying my child, and thank you come May 14th for a glorious 3 short years of marriage. I love you so much and thank the Lord that He brought you into my life.
Lately I have really been enjoying The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, a very insightful book that answers, discusses, and philosophizes about all the challenging questions relating to God and the views that many athiests', agnostics, and other believers challenge with those of Christianity.

Anyhow...other than that trying to keep life simple yet progressive, surfing when possible and worthwhile, and spending good times this spring with my beautiful wife and child to be. Peace and God bless.

New Ride

2008-03-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Fueled by the passion of turning and carving a board.

Enjoy.

South swell love in March

2008-03-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

Shoot out after work, catch a couple of these puppies...makes the week a whole lot better.Small south swell..just enough to send some good size pulses to Cronkite. Very Nice.This is Jack Wolford photography...a long time local and super ripper in our area.

God bless and enjoy your week-end. Peace
Leeroy

Time For Baby....'s

2008-03-05T22:46:00.001-08:00

Well yes..the news is officially out. We are going to have a BABY! Thank you for your prayers and thoughts...keep us in them. Peace out and keep living life to the fullest.

leeroy

Day trip to Santa Cruz

2008-03-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Kevin and I were able to score a fun day at the Lane in Santa Cruz. I need to remember to bring my own camera so I don't have to borrow stuff like this from other photo sites. We got there early and enjoyed a myriad of surfable condition, small south swell, localized north wind swell..etc The rest of the coast on our way south was chunky and later, blown to pieces. Such is spring and the conditions it can bring. It was fun to check out this spot...I mean I have 'checked it' before, but never really surfed it..and as the tide dropped and conditions improved I think I remember why. Guy after guy piled into the lineup and before too long it was super crowded. At first I surfed my friend Danny's beloved garbage can find, a sweet old 70's style single fin...and then later surfed my 5'11 Hess that felt super skatey especially after having ridden the monster single fin. Good switch and good timing with the tide. Kevin meanwhile, enjoyed himself on the smaller stuff further in and around the point, checking the longboarders and still getting a feel of what this surfing thing is all about. We finished up with some great coffee, good snacks, a beautiful drive up the windy California coast, good music and good conversation. Gracias amigo. We will do it again soon.

Groundart Mascot en vivo

2008-02-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Groundart mascot finally came to life while hunting out at lake Sonoma with some friends Levi (not pictured) and J..the beast of a man next to the beast. Hunting has always been a part of my life and a genuine way to explore the outdoors, enjoy the wildlife at many levels, and provide the hopes of filling the freezer with good meat. This pesky sow of a wild pig went down with the help of two...two slugs from a shotgun that is, and one beautiful bow and arrow shot to the vitals. These pigs out at lake Sonoma, or all of the California region for that matter, are a non native species and threaten other wildlife, add a tremendous erosion and landscape issues from the much rooting around, and are a very hearty, tough animal that reproduce like rabbits. All these qualities make them a good hunt, not to mention the savory wild boar meat that will soon come to the plates of many. J, my new friend and the man that shot this beautiful beast was literally beside himself with happiness and well, luck. She (the pig) basically swam across the lake nearly right to him...but hauling ass to say the least, allowing for his hunting techniques to set in and work for the better. Myself, well..I ran into three others, but was unable to emerge with the same success. These little diesel propelled earth movers do not stand still long. They run very fast. That's all for now, check back again soon to the adventures of GroundArt in the northern California region.

Peace folks...Leeroy

sugarbowl

2008-01-28T06:52:00.001-08:00

After two long weeks of work, work work...rain rain rain, catching up on side jobs, rain rain rain, catching the surf good a few short times, and playing in or avoiding the downpours; the day finally came to go explode at Sugarbowl. A good morning to remember "the good-ole days". Today I awoke knowing that all good things come from God above. I am very blessed and loving the life in which I am privileged to live, knowing that I am not my own god, but living for the One that provides grace and mercy, love and sacrifice. Live on. Peace.

Growin a Beard

2007-12-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Time to start that Donegal!
Check out Growin A Beard for

further insights, contest rules, and the movie trailer to probably the best documentary of it's kind. I will be officially participating again this year, not in Shamrock of course, but here in the northern Bay region with some good friends. I will likely have to produce an incredibly sculpted beard with any chance to win as some of my fellow competitors will actually need to trim their beard over the course of the next three months, while I will still likely lack a few hairs in such time. Future pictures to follow. Above is a gentleman that has been competing in the ACTUAL contest for years, and takes something? to make his beard grow green. Really.. check out the DVD. Peace

Happy new year all: may you find yourself loving and giving to others in the year to come.

Leeroy

Good life..

2007-12-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

There was a recent event, 2.5 months back, that set us back a tad. As you may know..I nearly destroyed my left wrist skateboarding.. requiring surgery and a small titanium plate, screws, etc..

I have since slowed down some, healed near fully, and haven't REALLY missed skateboarding THAT much.. though I do enjoy it. What i did miss however was surfing..... and it feels good to say that I can now go surfing. Not just go to the smallest waves possible and ride my long-board( which i realize each time i do that, it's really fun too), but actually going wherever looks best and enjoying where I left off in late Sept. This past weekend was a culmination of two good things at once, as I enjoyed overhead surf at a not-to-be-named spot on the north coast of California, and a brand new board from the Hess flavor. Being out on a new shred craft in good waves was a true blessing... and no matter how fun and rewarding skateboarding truly is .... well.. it's just not even close to experiencing the beauty and rawness of the ocean. S0.. simple enough, without going into all that would examine my crazy thoughts about how far I should or can push my limits on a skateboard, which alone has fascinated and challenged me for 15+ years, I know that it isn't paying the bills... and my health to keep surfing means a whole lot more than grinding some pool coping. I want to appreciate the Good life... I will grind again, I will likely fall again.. but now, I'd like to go surf. Peace, and God bless this Christmas.

Farewell toSummer

2007-11-07T08:16:00.001-08:00

As I listen to the changes of season once again...I was thinking back on what a great summer. My wife and I had the privilege of a great late spring break when we messed around down in Santa Cruz, hung at the beaches, in town...etc. The importance of vacation and spending it with the one you love is well...super important. We both very much look forward to times when we can be off of work for extended periods. Personally, as much as I do enjoy what I do for a living..work sucks. Having traveled some in the past, we both often wonder how it will be down the road. Will we be able to go away for a month, or three...or visit Africa the way we once dreamed, the right way for at least 3 months time? Will I ever get to go on that super long, fun, surf filled road trip that I always wanted? I planned it about 10 years ago...when I lived in Costa Rica, there are all these super cool old Land Rover's everywhere..I desperately want to buy one, drive it south, turn around and of course spend a year or more driving north, camping and surfing along the way. Inevitably though I know that somehow, as fun as it would be, it is also selfish....so I thought ok, we'll add some humanitarian work in with it, in order to justify the trip. Well, to make a long story short, that trip has yet to happen. Now of course, still with out kids, there are so many places we'd like to visit and things we'd love to do...when does one have the time and money? I want to see Iceland, travel to Kenya and volunteer in the orphanage, spend two months in Australia, go back to South America and visit Peru, go back to Chile, go further south into the Patagonia..go back to Europe and do all the classics..France, Italy, Spain to name a few. As a farewell to our summer here in Northern California, and dreaming about traveling...I am looking back on the summer and realizing how much traveling we did do. After Santa Cruz we went up to Oregon, and hung with my mom, took some kiteboarding lessons, drank some fine beer, enjoyed time in Portland with our best friends Michelle and Adam....a VERY cool trip that my mom wants to make a 'classic'. She pretty much charges everything she does. I didn't include the picture, but this trainer kite brought her down hard. We learned after those scrapes and bruises that a soft, grass filled park my be a better option. I was able to take a skate trip with my friends Nick and Joe...skated the crap out of that combi bowl...at least to the best of our abilities..and to end it, just temporarily, my wife threw me the coolest surprise 30th birthday party ever. Played kickball, ate great food, good drink, and shared a very special time with good friends. That's her, the beautiful Lemur with WWII bomber goggles on. Looking back, and looking forward....looking to the now if you will, I realize that we enjoy thinking about possible epic trips in the future, but we live a very great life here at home. I personally am psyched for my friends, blog post on left The Voyager, who are doing those great trips in Central America and doing the humanitarian aspect while still enjoying the culture and surf. Knowing that my wife and I, with kids or not, will one day go and do all that God is calling us to. So, thank you, friends and family, for being a part of our lives here at Groundart. Peace and Grace.

Turning30feelsgood

2007-11-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

What else do you do the night before you turn a ripe new age. Thank you all for visiting and experiencing life with us. We love you. Peace, and happy Halloween.!

Wine country visit

2007-10-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

As a reunion to our time of union..my wife and I revisited the area we went just after being married. That vacation, over 2.5 years ago, we weren't truly able to experience because my wife fell super ill...and kept me on watch taking care of her and hoping she would get better but instead she came down with pneumonia. So, we went back and fortunately had a great time cruising through the vineyards, enjoying the Sonoma sun....searching the hideout bins of thrift stores and second hand shops for our upcoming Halloween events, and of course buying gifts for people..drinking wine. We were stoked with the place we stayed: The Gaige house...if you can ever afford staying there it is highly recommended, located in Glen Ellen, and a very short distance to many great wineries. Of this trip our favorite was BR Cohn. Nanci treated us very kind there. We tasted a few of the wines, reds and whites, but mostly enjoyed the small succulent garden, the nice views, and the interesting interaction we had with a trio of gay men. "That's hot!" is what he told me about breaking my wrist skateboarding...my wife enjoyed their belligerence...I enjoyed the view. Our horse friend was nice, his neighbors were having a barn sale where Katie got some cool clip-on jewelry...we really enjoy stopping at barn sales and or yard sales, antique sales....somehow though when they call it a 'barn' sale, you know its' going to be better than just a 'yard' sale. On this occasion however, that was not the case.

Groundart is doing mighty fine these days. Thank you for tuning in and checking out what is new on our home front. I am close to wrist recovery, swimming again but not yet working, nor able to surf...but I do turn 30 this week and feel very blessed that I am able to do what I can. I have learned that it is easy to take the simple things for granted, yet it is often those simple things that allow one to lead a healthy and 'simple' life. Without them, each person and case being different, life can be taxing, hard, and sometimes hopeless. My heart just sinks when I see people that would love (would die) for some simplicity in their personal difficulty. I pray that in the seasons to come, we would all take check, and thank the Lord for the simple blessings that He provides. But further, that we would take the time to help our friends, family, and strangers around us that have needs, that long for the basics in life to be simple for once. We change and grow the most when we look beyond ourselves and begin to put others first. That is one thing I am working on, ...selfless not selfish. Peace and God bless you all. Below is an interesting take on stuff like this, an exert from 'Blue Like Jazz' by Donald Miller. "There is a poem by the literary critic C.S. Lewis that is more or less a confession. The first time I read it I identified so strongly with his sentiments, I felt as though somebody were calling my name. I always come back to this poem when I think soberly about my faith, about the general precepts of Christian spirituality, the beautiful precepts that indicate we are all flawed, all of us are flawed, the corrupt politician and the pious Sunday school teacher. In the poem C.S. Lewis faces himself. He addresses his own depravity with a soulful sort of bravery:

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through;
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, reassurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin;
I talk of love--a scholar's parrot may talk Greek-
But, self imprisoned, always end where I begin.

Six billion people live in this world, and I can only muster the thoughts for one. Me.

some new day

2007-10-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

Just north of the bridge, Marin Headlands 10/20/07

Here are a few shots of our most recent trip to the beach here in the greater bay area region. Beautiful sunny skies, clear nights, cool mornings, and overall nice warm indian summer. Looking far right at the shot above is Ft. Cronkite, a fun spot that can work good. On this day however, it was a little mixed up and not quite shining like it can throughout the winter. It was nice to see a lot of sand movement however....so, thank you swell and giver of good sand bars. I enjoyed watching the few guys that were out as they made it look better than it really was. The foto on the bottom looks south toward point Bonita (hidden), but further south looks at Ocean Beach in the city. Thanks for checking! Peace and God bless. 'so fearfully and wonderfully made, how could they say there is no God....reminded every breath that I breathe, it's by Your hand, I have been made'

FRESHfall

2007-10-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to any who may stumble upon the GroundArt blog. In the past several weeks I have become privy to the shared interest blogs of the surf board riding world and found them very inspirational, healing, funny....and interestingly made me want to start my own.

The wonders and changes of the fall often bring a heightened awareness to my sense of creation and desire to spend most waking moments outside. It may be a result of the amazing Indian summer we often experience here in northern California, or just the simplicity of the new crisp mornings, early eves and changing leaves. The fall is always the best time of year to cruize around, go on long drives, search for wild game....search for waves. I've always thought that Sept. 1st should be celebrated as the new year. Inevitably each fall season brings hope, warm weather, a birth celebration for both my wife and I.....it brings pumpkins, costumes, and the expectation of darker hoppier beers that the holidays provide.

Growing up hunting in Montana, the fall was always the time that my dad and I would blaze trail looking for antelope, deer, and elk among other things. What we found most of the time was freezing cold wind, temps...and as my dad would say when he was asked about the weather from outside sources....."clear and still...., clear up to my ass and still snowing." I miss those days. I truly do miss the beautiful fall colors of Montana. Nothing obviously compared to what folks see out east, but it sure is a great time of year as all the tourists leave, the snow starts falling...as one anticipates how good (or bad depending) the winter would be. Major anticipation surrounded that time of year because I love to hunt, and love to explore the mountains, love to snow board and get to those places in the back-country where no one else lingers for miles.

Now...in northern California, the same feelings come about during autumn....but instead of hunting elk and deer, I have morphed into a 'california-jiggler' hunting for the magic of sliding down and with waves. I've been riding boards my whole life...skateboards, snowboards, wake boards....now surf sleds, and as most surfers know---there is no experience like it. Maybe dropping into a steep, chest deep couloir....shredding endless lines day after day of the winter, hucking from cliffs and booters (back woods snowboard lingo) ....maybe.....but riding waves, really clean lines, figuring out how each one wraps and warps your mind and delivers you fresh cold gifts. ok, enough rambling....

So, to those of you who find this blog, on its very first entry.....welcome! I hope that you will continue to check back. Thank you for sharing your findings, thoughts....your interests and sweet pics.