With the temperature dropping and the wind picking up speed, we had a decision to make. The first three days of our annual trip to Death Valley had been low key, pleasant, and still. But the forecast showed a monster winter storm bearing down on the area, and our window for a safe exit was narrowing quickly. We broke camp in record time by the last stand of daylight, jumped in the car, and made our way back to the Owens Valley.

Approaching Highway 395, we could stick to our original plan and go north to Lake Tahoe, threading the needle through impending road closures. Or turn south and do an end-run around the Sierra, traveling hundreds of miles up I-5 during a gnarly rainstorm. We chose north (to the kids’ protests, they’ll have you know) and reached an impasse in Lee Vining, along the shores of Mono Lake. Road closures to the north, and now to the south, trapped us in this tiny town with (literally) no room at the inn. We found a gas station parking lot, pulled out our sleeping bags, and rang in the new year huddled inside our car, as snow dumped all around us throughout the night.

It was an inauspicious start to the year, but also a moment to be grateful for the light that shines through: the safety of our ad hoc shelter, our proximity to each other, and good news later the next day that we could escape to the south and find our way home.

With gratitude, our other travels this year were exciting and much less dramatic. In February, we traveled to Japan with our friends, the Schultzes, to ski in the Hakuba Valley and explore the weird and wonderful neighborhoods of Tokyo. Tonkatsu and Japanese powder shots each find their way to warm the soul. Later in the year, we took Carson’s lead in selecting our summer vacation destination, traveling to Kauai for a rare low-key week exploring new beaches and new ice cream flavors every day. Regular trips to Tahoe through the winter and summer provided a relaxing escape from city life. A holiday road trip took us through Corvallis for an OSU home game, a quick stop in Portland, and Thanksgiving with the Chinapens in Boise.

Carson

In the spring Carson decided that more horsepower was necessary for his interplanetary expeditions. He researched, spec’d, bought, and built a custom gaming PC from the ground up. His favorite games these days are Star Citizen and Kerbal Space Program (KSP) 2. He does emerge from his room regularly (usually when he hits his screen time limit) to play with Cali, watch movies with Dad, and take weekly parkour classes at Acrosports.

Not content to wreak havoc in the digital world alone, Carson entered his 1 lb combat robot Blood Rush in the junior antweight class at Robogames. He went 2-2, holding his own against some high-kinetic energy robots with impressive driving skill and build quality.

Carson continues to play viola in the Presidio Middle School Orchestra. Their recent winter concert was one of the cultural highlights of the year in San Francisco (check it out here – Carson’s group starts at 20:55). When he’s not trying to convince the family to watch one more episode of For All Mankind, he’s happy to keep you up to date on upcoming launches and landings from NASA, SpaceX, ESA, and their cohort.

Favorite Class: Math

Career Aspiration: Aerospace Engineer

Autumn

Autumn wrapped up her freshman year at ALHS and took on a four-week internship this summer at a local art studio as a counselor-in-training for youth art classes. She loves thrifting, and no article of clothing is safe from her scissors and seam ripper. She continues to draw, paint, knit, and crochet. She attended her first concerts this year, catching the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs with Dad at the Greek Theater; Outside Lands with Mom; Hozier with the whole family; and Ha Vey at a neighborhood club with friends.

This fall she returned for her sophomore year, with a more challenging course load and a goal to get more involved in activities. She reunited with her friends in the theater tech crew, working on both set design and costume design. For the fall play (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) she designed and sewed an original costume for one of the characters, receiving a shout-out from the director at the final performance. Autumn recently made the varsity soccer team and is getting regular play time as a defender for the Mustangs.

Favorite Class: Chemistry

Career Aspiration: Fashion Designer

Jody

In her own words…

Every once in awhile we choose those years as adults to shift our paradigms – or maybe they choose us. 2023 was one of those years for me and it wasn’t just the introduction to reading glasses. I set out to prioritize fitness and mental health, time with friends new & old, and to try my hand at storytelling. Travel highlights included summer “away camp” with a women’s group camping along the Yuba River, a weekend away in Mexico City with longtime friend Sandi, and a week-long salmon fishing trip at Langara Island, British Columbia complete with a shotgun ride in a helicopter.

As part of a mental health journey, I began exploring my voice and pursing the art of storytelling in song. I’m a member of an online songwriting circle with women in five different countries, taking singing lessons, and just purchased my first guitar. I enjoyed several live shows this year including Outside Lands, a trip to LA to see two RTJ shows with Matt, and a concert at my favorite venue, the Greek Theater in Berkeley. I’ve set an ambitious goal for myself to write 18 original songs in 2024.

Favorite Book of 2023: The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin

Favorite Album of 2023: 717 Tapes The Album, Warren Zeiders

Matt

After 23 years of grinding through a career that has been equal parts stimulating, challenging, exciting and frustrating, I decided to give myself a break. With the love and support of my family, I started a one-year sabbatical in April to focus on my health, my family, and growth outside my professional life. I’ve been thinking about this idea for years, and with careful planning the time was finally right to take this step. It’s been exciting and terrifying in all the right ways.

I’ve taken advantage of an open calendar and spent a lot of time outside, traveling about one week a month to destinations across the western U.S. I’ve been beach camping along the Lost Coast, explored slot canyons in southern Utah, tagged some high points along the Sierra crest, and floated down the Deschutes River. I’ve visited about a half-dozen National Parks, camped anywhere I could find an open patch of dirt, and stared down many miles of open road. This fall, Jody and I escaped to Banff for a long weekend, and a few days later, I took a camping trip to Pinnacles National Park with my brother, Scott. My time outside this year has been exciting, challenging, familiar, and therapeutic. It feels like a return to form in many ways.

As summer faded into fall, I dedicated more time to craft and creative work. I love my time in the workshop. Focus can be challenging for me, and this creative manual work encourages me to take my time, learn from my mistakes, and appreciate the product of my learning and labour. After a trip to Amana, Iowa in September, I was inspired to finish a leather working project I started years ago, and since then, have been slowly working my way through some hand-tool woodworking projects of a smaller scale than last year’s dining table. This year, I also started learning piano with an approach that suits my goals. My brain is learning faster than my hands, and it’s a struggle that I deeply enjoy.

Musical Highlight: MTT Conducting  Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at Davies Hall

Career Aspiration: I’ll Keep You Posted

Cali

Cali continues to love everyone at full throttle. She experiences the world through her nose and a simple walk around the block can be a 20-30 minute olfactory adventure. She will turn three in a few weeks and generally passes her days sleeping, snarfling, and taking walks in Mountain Lake and Golden Gate Parks.

Favorite Greeting: Muzzle Punch to the Crotch

Favorite Way to Relax: Belly Down in the Snow

This has been a year of reflection — taking stock of the life we’ve built, the patterns that burn-in over the years, both those that bring us joy and fulfillment, and the parts that no longer serve us. It’s been important for us to fight inertia and make thoughtful strides toward the life we want to live going forward, as individuals and as a family. It hasn’t always been easy, and often lays bare the atrophy induced by comfort and complacency. But also exposes the opportunity to grow and build something new and vital. With credit to Leonard Cohen, “It’s a reminder that there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

We’re stoked about 2024 and what it holds in store. As ever, we hope the new year brings more opportunities to explore and grow and create — to see you and make new memories together. We love you and hope to see you soon. Peace be with you and yours, this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn, Carson (& Cali)

San Francisco, CA

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CODA (family playlists from 2023)

Winter 2023 Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify

Summer 2023 Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify

As the shadows stretch ever-farther north and we warm our souls around the amber glow of holiday cheer, it’s time to look back on the year that has passed in this Pritchard Life.

We welcomed the new year amid the crisp and quiet calm of Death Valley, an annual tradition that helps us turn down the volume of our daily life and find a moment of peace. The epic winter we hoped for never materialized. The snow cover was thin, but we nonetheless took advantage of our new basecamp in Tahoe for regular sorties to Kirkwood and Heavenly. Carson challenged himself on Thunder Saddle, and Autumn challenged herself to wake up in time for our departure each morning.

We made a quick trip south in June to celebrate the start of summer at Disneyland, doing laps on our favorite rides, crushing Dole Whip, and rising with The Resistance. Autumn ran point on summer vacation planning to New York City and Washington DC. We landed in the middle of a heat wave and spent ten sweaty days sightseeing, eating delicious food, and moving from one air-conditioned space to the next. NYC highlights included: The Highline, The Met, Hadestown on Broadway, dinner at Blue Ribbon, dessert at Milk Bar, and exploring Central Park. DC highlights included: The Library of Congress, National Air & Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy), the National Cathedral, and an epic rainstorm that hit while we were visiting the Lincoln Memorial.

An October trip to Yosemite brought us back to the Sierra during our favorite time of year, and a couple of low-key Tahoe weekends offered a chance to relax before the crescendo into the holiday season.

Carson

Carson graduated Magna Cum Getmeouttahere from Lafayette Elementary School in June and matriculated in Presidio Middle School in the fall – Go Panthers! He’s begrudgingly playing the viola in the beginning orchestra and looking forward to selecting a new elective soon (very soon). His favorite game is Kerbal Space Program where he gets to calculate the delta-v needed for orbital insertion burns to various celestial bodies in the KSP universe. He does a weekly parkour class at AcroSports and keeps the fingers nimble with a speed cube (AKA: Rubik’s Cube) that he can solve in less than a minute. He has a limitless appetite for burgers and pasta, and is a trusted friend of our dog, Cali.

Favorite Movie: Top Gun: Maverick

Career Aspiration: Flight Engineer at JPL

Autumn

Autumn made the quantum leap to Lincoln High School this year – Go Mustangs! With campus a few miles away in the Sunset District, she takes MUNI every day which is a character building experience without equal. She’s taking Japanese as her foreign language, and joined the theater tech club to explore set design and the unsupervised use of power tools. The diaspora of friends across various high schools is a manageable social speed bump, and it seems like a Sunday picnic in Golden Gate Park with the extended crew is about as good as life gets right now. She also continues with weekly parkour classes and her creative streak hasn’t slowed down with time spent baking, crocheting, sewing, painting and drawing.

Favorite Book: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Career Aspiration: Fashion Designer and/or Model

Jody

About this time last year, we broke ground on a full remodel of our backyard, a little urban oasis in our foggy corner of SF. Jody stretched her design skill from lighting to boardwalks, fences, retaining walls, and plants. She managed the project with a talented build team, and insisted on planting everything herself. We wrapped the project in the early summer and effectively doubled the living space of our home, with a comfortable, flexible, and beautiful outdoor space for everyone to enjoy.

The team at PritchardPeck is slowly making their way back to their SOMA office with a flexible work culture and distributed team. Jody is leaning into more residential and landscape lighting design, which brings a different type of challenge than their larger commercial projects. She’s made an impressive commitment to her mental health and fitness this year, finding peace in her morning run to Ocean Beach and a little pain with every set of RDLs.

Favorite Book of 2022: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Favorite Album of 2022: Born for This by Chase Matthew

Matt

I also started to split my work week between home and the office, joining my team at Gap twice a week at our perch above the Embarcadero. It’s been a challenging year for our business, but I’m encouraged by the talent of my team, the values of our company, and the energy of our brands.

The backyard project was driven by Jody’s vision, but I had room to play in the design as well, contributing some fun details, including a 700 lb cypress bench, a scaled model of the sun and earth, and an outdoor dining table, which we christened when hosting Thanksgiving this year. Serving a meal I made, to people I love, at a table that I built was a very memorable moment for me.

Music was a focal point of my year. After a COVID-driven hiatus, I went on a bender, seeing nearly 20 concerts this year, from hip-hop to black metal to chamber orchestra. Highlights included: Pearl Jam, Zeal & Ardor, Roger Waters, and front-row seats for Kid Cudi. I might need to tone it down in the new year, but we’ll have to see who’s touring first.

Most Used Tool of 2022: Lie Nielsen No. 7 Jointer Plane

Favorite Book of 2022: Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson

Cali

Our aggressively affectionate bernadoodle Cali shows no signs of calming down as she approaches her second birthday. She’s like a love bank where you make deposits and withdrawals with an incredible interest rate. When the floof is in full effect, she nearly doubles in volume. On weekdays, she gets outside with one of her very favorite humans, Angela. She loves the snow, which works out well during our many Tahoe trips through the winter.

Favorite Park: Golden Gate

Fur Insulation Rating: R30

Time keeps a steady drumbeat, and the years seem to pass with increasing pace. The march is inevitable, but maybe we should find moments to pause, reflect, try some new dance moves, and find different patterns as we move ever forward. In this new year, we hope that our paths cross with yours more often than not. Peace be with you and yours, this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn, Carson (& Cali)

San Francisco, CA

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CODA (family playlists from 2022)

Winter 2022 Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify

Summer 2022 Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify

And…we’re back!

Wait…what about 2020? Honestly, staring down a blank screen this time last year, I didn’t have it in me to recap a year that defied explanation. We went on lock down, bought our first house, made travel plans, canceled travel plans, mourned the loss of Grant, started a new job, spent waaay too much time on Zoom, and weathered a year together that kept us off balance but grateful to have each other. MC Rob Base said best…

Joy (pump, pump, pump it up) and pain

(come on, come on, here we go)

Like sunshine (what else? what else?) and rain

(ah yeah, here we go)

“Ah yeah, here we go” is a pretty apt description of how we rolled into the new year. With the epic shitshow of MMXX in the rearview mirror, we entered this year a little ragged and weary, but with a soupçon of hope that the universe would steer us back to a more balanced field of play.

We started the year by testing the outer limits of social distancing at our favorite hideout in Death Valley, camping for four nights and ringing in the new year under a milky blaze of stars that provided a bit of perspective on the year that had passed.

Our homeboy Ullr was a little stingy with the snow last season, but we still managed a dozen+ days of masked skiing at Kirkwood, Heavenly and a first-time trip to Park City, UT with our favorite snow-conspirators, the Schultz family. It wasn’t the most epic ski season, but it was certainly one we will remember.

With the pandemic beginning to wane, we planned a proper vacation with an eye toward relaxation and none of the logistical gymnastics that accompany our typical vacations. Our plan was to join the Pritchards del Norte for ten days of low key living in Cabo, where the big decisions each day would focus on food and pool choice. Two weeks out, we realized the kids’ passports were expired (oops). With a crippled U.S. passport system and no options to expedite, we rolled the dice on a more creative plan to cross the border by foot (AKA: the Tijuana Two Step). It worked, we chilled, and everyone ended up back in the U.S. in time to start school in late August.

With plenty of homebound weekends, we starting chipping away at a long list of projects in our new home. Owning a 100 year-old house is a bit of an adventure. Visions of a remodeled kitchen were put on hold as we decided to be grown-ups and eat our vegetables first. We put on a new roof, rewired the house top to bottom, and replaced a sixty(!) year-old furnace with a modern version that will almost certainly not last as long. Just before Christmas, we broke ground on a “down to the dirt” rebuild of the backyard that will be ready for warmer weather in the spring.

Carson

Carson weathered the fourth grade ensconced in his fortress of solitude with a Chromebook and headset providing a portal to the outside world. Our carefully crafted screentime rules went flying out the window, and Carson doubled down on Minecraft and War Thunder where he was able to connect with friends and escape to an alternate universe for a few hours a day. In-person learning resumed in the fall with Carson entering his final year at Lafayette Elementary School. We watched his smile grow as he spent more time IRL with friends old and new.

Carson heads to Planet Granite once a week to climb the walls in a dance between gravity and grip strength. In October, Carson and Dad took a trip down to Austin, TX to eat barbecue and watch F1 racing at the U.S. Grand Prix. Verstappen won the race and Carson won by skipping three days of school. Over the course of the year, he burned through the Percy Jackson canon with pace and continues to geek out on anything with wings and a motor.

Career Aspiration: Robotics Engineer

Favorite Movie: Iron Man 3

Autumn

Autumn managed a year of remote learning with patience and grace that belies their age. Art remained front and center as they mastered the layers and brushes of Procreate to produce some fun and truly stunning work. In the summer, Autumn joined a character design class at the Walt Disney Museum to learn more about the heroine’s journey. Now that school is in session, parkour classes at Acrosport and art classes at CreativeIQ round out the weekly calendar.

Autumn started their final year at Presidio Middle School and is now preparing for the big jump to high school next year. Not to be outdone by Carson, they burned through over 18 books and will probably knock off a few more as we head southbound on 395 in a few days. Autumn turned 13 this fall and celebrated with a trip to New York City with Jody. They watched Hamilton on Broadway, ate cookies and cake at Milk Bar, and visited the museum at FIT. It was a trip to remember.

Career Aspiration: Librarian or Costume Designer

Favorite Singer/Songwriter: girl in red

Jody

After 20 years working on other people’s homes, Jody found an outlet behind our own front door. Sanding, patching, painting, decorating, and lighting her way to a comfortably classy space for our family to enjoy. She’s a vision of patience when managing Matt’s unqualified, but nonetheless strong, opinions about design. Our backyard (a lifeless pile of sandirt) provided a blank canvas for Jody to design an outdoor space for our family. With work now underway, there will be ample opportunity for Jody to dig in the dirt and bring our little sliver of San Francisco to life.

The PritchardPeck team has been remote since the beginning of the pandemic but continues to thrive as they do amazing commercial and residential work. They celebrated a lowkey 10-year anniversary this past summer. The raison d’etre for the company has always been to have a creative outlet for their partnership and provide for their families. In that spirit, a second venture (adventure?) emerged this fall as Jody and Kristin bought a second home in South Lake Tahoe for our families to share. After staying in every fleabag motel, casino hotel, and Airbnb in the greater Lake Tahoe area, we finally have our own home base.

Favorite Performance: Hamilton on Broadway

Career Aspiration: Ice Cream Truck Driver

Matt

After nearly twelve years at Williams-Sonoma, I started a new job at Gap in August of 2020. I spent most of this past year leading a talented team of product managers, building tech that improves the customer experience, and wondering when I would finally meet everyone in person (it was over a year). It was a big transition, and I was grateful to feel welcomed amid the weird circumstances of the pandemic. While the grind of remote work has been challenging, the chance to step outside a couple times each day for a quick walk in Golden Gate Park makes it worthwhile.

After so many years of dreaming, the new house provided enough space for me to build out a workshop in the garage. There’s room for woodworking, a bench for robot and RC car repair, and enough space for the myriad odd jobs that come up in a old house. My goal in the new year will be to finish more projects than are started.

After nearly two years without live music, SF started to open up this fall and I was able to hit a few concerts, including OutsideLands in October and a triple header (Metallica–Thievery Corporation–Metallica) on a three-night stretch in December.

Mantra: “You’ll Think of Something”

Favorite Concert: Metallica 40th Anniversary at Chase Center

Cali

Failing in our bid to adopt an Ewok, we turned to the best alternative and welcomed Cali into our home in March. She’s a high-energy Bernedoodle named for our home state (and an LL Cool J song), whose advertised “mini” stature was quickly dispatched within a few months. Puppies are hard and she is a spaz beyond reproach, but she’s is a lovable little monster and ridiculously cute. Check her out on the Instas.

Her arrival was timed to land after ski season, and we’ve managed to get her somewhat under control as the snow has started to fall again. The floof is in full effect with this one and we hope it keeps her warm as she has no choice but to become a powderhound.

Level of Floof: Epic

Favorite Human: Jody

In 2020, we broke the glass and sounded the alarm on our daily interactions with the outside world. It felt both severe and necessary, totally frustrating and oddly comforting. In the past year, we peered outside to see that the coast was mostly clear and some semblance of life could resume. We’re not past this thing, but hopeful that we’re progressing toward something nearly normal.

We hope the new year brings more time with friends and family, travel to places near and far, shared meals, big smiles, love, laughter, and a little mischief. We love you and hope to see you soon. Peace be with you and yours, this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn, Carson (& Cali)

San Francisco, CA

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CODA (family playlists from 2021)

Winter 2021 Playlist on Apple Music and Spotify

Summer 2021 Playlist (EP) on Apple Music and Spotify

Thank you, once again, for indulging this internet-friendly and highly-edited view into the past year of this Pritchard Life.

Carson

As the kids get older, the toys get a little more sophisticated and a little more dangerous (same goes for the kids, I guess). We started the year building a 3D printer and have been melting plastic into interesting shapes ever since. Carson entered his first two robot combat competitions and discovered just how much kinetic energy a 1 pound robot can generate when he went head to head with the former RoboGames champ, Rhino (answer: a lot). Together we built a small autonomous car, and have more robot projects in the pipeline.

It was Carson’s turn this year to plan our summer vacation, anywhere in California. After much deliberation (not really), we hit the road for a week and a half in SoCal with a well balanced itinerary. After testing the limits of our intestinal fortitude at Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor, we settled in for a few exceptionally chill days at Terranea Resort, where the biggest decisions revolved around which pool to swim in and when to break for lunch. From there, we hit Disneyland for a few days and capped things off with an incredibly cool tour of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, where we got to see the assembly of the Mars 2020 Rover.

Carson entered the third grade at Lafayette Elementary School, which is an active construction site for the next 12 months. He’s stoked for ski season, and plans to do more laps on Chair 6, where he laid down his first turns early in the year.

Career Aspiration: Robotics Engineer

Favorite Movie: The Martian

Autumn

After six years, Autumn bid farewell to the monkey bars and math tests at Lafayette Elementary School and served as emcee at her fifth-grade promotion ceremony in June. Two months later she started the sixth grade at Presidio Middle School (go Panthers!). The new freedom (and responsibilities) came on quickly: walking herself to school, taking the bus to after-school activities, and negotiating a six-period schedule. Day by day, she’s finding her way.

Autumn remains an artist at heart, whether painting or sewing, drawing or crafting, she’s a prolific maker and creative soul. Leading up to the holidays, she put in many hours making a stockpile of Japanese Knot Bags that she sold during Small Business Saturday on Clement Street – netting a tidy profit along the way. While the soccer season (SF Vikings) consumes much of the spring and fall, we take a break in the winter to spend as many weekends skiing as we can manage. When Autumn was young, we joked about skiing Chair 10 (The Wall) at Kirkwood when she was 10 years old. Late in the season, on a beautiful spring day, she did just that. Learning the value of a solid edge and well-timed hip check, she made her way top to bottom and earned her stripes as a Kirkwood grom.

Career Aspiration: Interior Designer

Favorite Song: Calm Down (Taylor Swift)

Jody

In May, Jody teamed up with sister-in-law Jena for an epic trip to Peru. With guides to lead the way, Jody enjoyed the rare treat of having someone else worry about all of the little travel details that she is typically on point to manage. They toured Incan ruins, ate all of the things, and hiked some incredible trails on their way to Machu Picchu, topping out at a personal best 15,034 ft. along the way.

The team at PritchardPeck has grown to 13 strong, with several new designers coming on board throughout the year. One of their projects (El Pípila) earned a James Beard award for Restaurant Design [Ed. Note: due in no small part to the lighting design]. Jody and Kristin also earned some notable new jobs, including the Mission Rock development in SF and projects with Studio Gang, SOM, and BIG, the latter of which materialized after a 24-hour whirlwind trip to NYC to meet face-to-face while they were “in the neighborhood”. Dreams are free, but the hustle is always full-price.

In August, we said goodbye to Jody’s grandfather, Russ Clover. His passing brought sadness, but his spirit remains an inspiration to Jody and the rest of us who aim to follow our curiosities and never stop learning. We celebrated his life with a service surrounded by friends and family from near and far.

Favorite Book: The Coddling of the American Mind (Greg Lukianoff)

Favorite Animal: Alpaca

Matt

I’ve lived near the ocean my entire life. And while big blue is a short walk from our house, I don’t actually spend that much time in or on the water. Earlier this year, I decided to change that and started stand up paddle boarding (SUP) on the weekends. Actually, stand-up paddle boarding is a bit of a misnomer, given that I spend more time kneeling, falling, and swimming than I do standing. When I am vertical, I strike a silhouette less like Poseidon and more like Quasimodo after a 12-pack, but I’m having a lot of fun out there. Later in the year, I managed a couple of paddles in the open bay from Crissy Field to Aquatic Park, which brought it all together.

I enjoyed some great concerts this year, often with Jody, sometimes with friends, and occasionally by myself. There were small shows: Bob Moses at Mezzanine, Phosphorescent at The New Parish. There were interesting shows: Brittany Howard at The Fillmore, Explosions in the Sky at The Fox. And there were shows that were 20 years in the making: Massive Attack at Bill Graham Civic and Metallica with the SF Symphony to open the new Chase Center. In April, I traveled to Seattle to take a four-day leather working class from a master craftsman at Pratt Arts Center – because clearly I need another hobby.

Favorite Book: Reamde (Neal Stephenson)

Nostalgia Overload: Seeing the actual Delorean/time machine from Back to the Future

I’m finishing this post from the hotel lobby in Bishop, CA. It’s well after midnight and the fire is making its final stand. Tomorrow we head into Death Valley NP for our annual pilgrimage to the solitude of the desert for four nights of camping. It’s not an easy form of relaxation. The drive is long, the weather cold, and the landscape stark. But in the cold and inky black of the desert night, we enjoy a silence that stands in contrast to the buzz of daily life. And in that silenceand darkness, we find little moments of joy that shine so bright, like the first rays of sun hitting your face each morning.

We wish you moments of joy as well. We love you and hope to see you soon. Peace be with you and yours, this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn and Carson

San Francisco, CA

Our year opened beneath a starlit sky, deep in the backcountry of Death Valley National Park. We opted for two nights in the weird and wonderful Saline Valley and two more at our home away from home in the shadow of Lake Hill in the Panamint Valley. We skied through the winter at Kirkwood where both kids pushed themselves to new heights. Autumn skied Sentinel Bowl for the first time and Carson found his groove in Snow Snake Gully. Matt and Jody had some memorably steep and deep runs and plenty of groomers to catch our breath.

As summer came around, our travel plans took a sharp left turn. Rather than the Mexico trip we had envisioned, we decided to venture farther north (much farther) and spent two weeks in Norway and Denmark. From Bergen to Flåm to Oslo to Billund to Aarhus and finally Copenhagen, we chased the midnight sun by plane, ferry, cruise ship, train, funicular, car, bus, bike, and dinghy. In Norway we drifted through fjords, drove over high alpine passes, toured stave churches, and saw viking ships more than 1,200 year old. Our time in Denmark centered around design and architecture. We visited museums, design centers, urban beaches, brewpubs, bakeries and spent very memorable days at the Lego House and Tivoli Gardens, the latter of which found both kids on their first upside-down roller coaster (The Daemon).

Carson

Our man Carson entered the second grade in the fall. He loves to build with Lego, cardboard, masking tape, hot glue, and whatever else he can get his hands on. In the summer we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute for their annual open house, and had a chance to build underwater ROVs. The hook was set, and we decided to build our own ROV for underwater adventures 20,000 leagues beneath the swimming pool at Grandma and Granddad’s house. For Halloween, Carson designed a wicked Death Eater costume, and Mom came through on the fabrication to deliver one of the scariest costumes this side of Hogwarts.

Carson also had his first official season of soccer with the Lafayette Dolphins (with real games), and swam his way through the Gold Plus level at La Petite Baleen swim school. He is becoming steady and strong on longer bike rides, touring the NW corner of the city at bike camp and with Dad – from Crissy Field to Ocean Beach and points throughout Golden Gate Park. His first ride across the GG Bridge isn’t far away.

Career Aspiration: ROV Engineer
Favorite Song: Believer (Imagine Dragons)

Autumn

The mass of volatile energy who we call Autumn continues to make us proud, make us laugh, and drive us all a little crazy sometimes. She started her final (5th grade) year at Lafayette Elementary this fall. Meanwhile, she stepped up to play club soccer with the SF Vikings this season, providing a reliable foot at defense. The team was on a winning streak before smoke from the NorCal wildfires brought the season to anti-climactic finish.

Autumn has laid waste to a towering stack of books over the course of the year. There’s an acute obsession with the world of Harry Potter, and she definitely identifies with Hermione. But her first love is art. She spent a good portion of her summer attending art camp at the de Young Museum and attends a weekly painting class at a nearby art studio. In the fall, Autumn received an Award of Excellence for her entry in the Reflections art contest. She is becoming a more capable baker, and loves to watch The Great British Baking Show with Dad.

Career Aspiration: Landscape Architect or Fashion Designer
Favorite Song: Dark Side (Alan Walker)

Jody

Jody drew inspiration during our travels, from installations by Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell, to the urban architecture of Bjarke Ingels, every turn was illuminated by something different and new. In the fall, she found time to build a stunning costume so she could embody Cersei Lannister, her favorite villain, at the office Halloween party.

The team at PritchardPeck Lighting is taking on evermore interesting projects, from office towers to theaters to taquerias. They completed their highest project yet – on the 55th floor of the Salesforce Tower. At the beginning of the year, they moved their office three blocks and a world away from their prior location on Market Street to a building of their own in SOMA. They’re keeping it real, they’re keeping it weird, and sometimes it’s just real weird.

Transcendent Moment: the midnight sun at 60° N in Flåm Norway
Favorite Concert: Florence and the Machine (Outside Lands)

Matt

Matt thoroughly enjoyed this year’s travels. Whether it’s Death Valley or Monterey, New York or Copenhagen, the chance to see (and usually eat) something new and different never gets old. But some of his favorite weekends are those spent at home: eating a picnic breakfast at Lands End, haunting the stacks at Green Apple Books, catching the sunset at Ocean Beach, the connection with this city grows deeper every year.

Work never slows down, and plenty of challenges remain. Matt’s team at Williams-Sonoma grew substantially in the past year, and he often feels like a full-time recruiter. But that Peppermint Bark isn’t going to sell itself, so the march continues.

Transcendent Moment: whale watching at the Farallon Islands
Favorite Book: Ordinary Grace (William Kent Krueger)

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Life, like the universe itself, tolerates no stasis…

So we find ourselves moving through life — too often stumbling from one bout of over-scheduled delirium to the next, but sometimes with clarity of thought, and the capacity to appreciate all that we have, and the presence of mind to tell the people we love how much they mean to us. Those people are you. We love you, and we’re thinking of you, and we look forward to spending time with you, hopefully sooner than later. Peace be with you and yours, in this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn and Carson
San Francisco, CA

With 2017 fast approaching, I think it’s time to check the rear-view mirror for one final glimpse of the year that has passed. As is our tradition, we rang in the New Year under a starry sky in the depths of Death Valley National Park. We took day trips to explore the salt pan at Badwater and the lush labyrinth of Darwin Canyon. Some day, these kids are going to figure out that other families don’t drive to the middle of nowhere to celebrate the New Year in the cold and inky black of the desert night. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. Later in the year, we logged two more camping trips to The Presidio (3 minutes from home) and Pinecrest Lake (3 hours from home). And with respectable Sierra snowpack, there were two ski trips to Kirkwood and Alpine Meadows. With both kids in ski school, Jody and I were finally able to ski together for the first time in too many years.

The highlights of the travel calendar came in the spring and summer. In April, we surprised the kids with a trip to LA where we got to watch our favorite show (BattleBots) being taped and doubled the surprise with a day-trip to Disneyland. In June, we made good on a promise to return to Italy and took a two week trip with the whole family to Tuscany, Rome and Sorrento. The kids are becoming more capable travelers, aided no doubt by the promise of gelato and ample pool time.

Carson

Our little man Carson bid a fond farewell to his pre-school homies from the Builders’ Workshop at 150 Parker School. He spent his summer days building forts at Camp Doodle and working through the wobbles with his sister at bike camp. After three years of drop-off duty, it was finally Carson’s turn to line-up for morning pledges and become a Lafayette Dolphin. Having both kids at the same school has been a game-changer for our family, and Carson loves his kindergarten class. He joined his friends on the pitch at Marina Green for his first season of soccer and has made it to the final stage of his swimming class.

In March, Carson and Dad packed the car for an epic seaside adventure. We started our weekend touring the historic ships at the Hyde Street Pier. Heading south, we hiked along Devil’s Slide and tiptoed through the tidepools at Moss Beach. We spent two nights “camping” at Costanoa, checked out the otters and jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and stopped by Pigeon Point Lighthouse to round out the weekend.

Carson still loves building with Lego and we keep him well-stocked on cardboard and masking tape. He’s quick with a smile (and sometimes tears) and enjoys knocking-out a hasty set of push-ups to impress the ladies.

Career Aspiration: Home Builder
Favorite Gelato: Arancia (orange)

Autumn

The little lady of the house is growing every day and in every way. She spent a lot of time with her nose buried in books this year, flipping through the adventures of Ivy & Bean, Clementine and the Babysitters Club. Like her brother, she has an affinity for building blanket forts and sand castles. She’s become a pretty good helper in the kitchen and always seems to be working some angle for more dessert.

Autumn continues to play soccer in the spring and fall with SF Sol soccer club, and has become a capable (if somewhat distracted) defender. She is gaining confidence on the ski hill and graduated from La Petite Baleen swimming school in the fall. She spent most of her summer at the de Young Museum summer camp, making time with her first love: art. Autumn moved upstairs with the rest of the big kids at Lafayette Elementary this fall. And while the third grade brings new challenges (multiplication!), she enjoys their regular field trips and lessons from Art in Action, which are taught by her mama.

Career Aspiration: Artist or Architect
Favorite Gelato: Limone (lemon)

Jody

Earlier this year, Jody’s grandmother, Natalie Salsig, passed away at the age of 95. Jody was close with her Grandma, having lived with her for a period during her childhood and again as fresh college grad. While her passing was tough for the family, they took time to celebrate a life well-lived and a legacy that will carry on for generations to come.

Jody clocked many hours on the ice working toward her pre-bronze skating test, which she passed in May. And while she enjoys her time on the ice, she decided to give it a rest for the time being. Seeking some new way to challenge herself physically, she discovered the pleasure and pain of barre class and makes time to get to the studio a couple times each week. She continues to take on evermore challenging sewing projects, completing several dresses for herself and concept-to-completion halloween costumes for both kids.

Jody and Kristin celebrated five years of PritchardPeck Lighting with a well-lit client party at their new digs on Market Street. In October they flew south of the border to deliver a presentation at the IALD Enlighten conference and took a few extra days to refine their plans for complete domination of the lighting world.

Transcendent Moment: floating in the ocean beneath a full moon in Mexico
Favorite Gelato: Cocco (coconut), Cioccolato (chocolate)

Matt

This summer I celebrated my 40th birthday surrounded by family and friends at a party in Golden Gate Park. Jody and I stole away a few weeks later to Napa for a relaxing weekend and once-in-a-lifetime dinner at The Restaurant at Meadowood. I’m staring down my fifth decade on this planet and feeling pretty good about where I’m at. I can’t say that every day is a highlight reel of epic accomplishments, but I post enough wins at work and at home to keep the arc of my smile bending in the right direction.

I continue to love cooking for the family and friends. Whether it’s school day lunches for the kids, sous vide steaks for dinner, or dutch oven biscuits in the backcountry, it continues to challenge me in the best way possible. I continue to log plenty of miles on the bike (1,500 this year), and started focusing more intently on my health as a remedy for too many hours behind a desk and too many “anything-in-a-breadbowl” lunches around my office. I look forward to more time in the shop and behind the lens focusing on creative projects in the new year.

Favorite Concert: Metallica at AT&T Park with Scott
Favorite Gelato: Cioccolato Fondente (dark chocolate), Stracciatella (chocolate chip)

I’m writing this post on December 27th, the day before we leave for our annual pilgrimage to Death Valley. I push myself to write this post every year, usually while Jody is frantically packing for our trip. Maybe it’s a silly tradition, but it helps me bring closure to the year that has passed and open a new page for the year in front of us. With that, we invite all of you to be part of our lives and our memories in the year to come. No matter how often (or seldom) we see you, we miss your faces and voices and hope this new year brings us closer together. Peace be with you and your loved ones, this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn & Carson
San Francisco, CA

Before 2016 kicks down the front door and makes himself comfortable, let’s take a look back on the year that has passed in this Pritchard Life. Knowing no better way to reflect on the days of auld lang syne, we welcomed the new year from our fortress of desert solitude: Death Valley National Park. For a taste of something new, we visited the northern reaches of the park, camping at Mesquite Flat and taking day trips to Ubehebe Crater and Scotty’s Castle. A couple of days in, the weather went from bad to ugly and we made a hasty exit, leaving that desert tempest in the rear view mirror.

In October we found a few days to escape to Yosemite. It had been about 3 years, and while the waterfalls (and everything else) were dry, we enjoyed some beautiful weather and tackled our first (minor) summit as a family. Lembert Dome in Tuolumne Meadows rewarded our effort with incredible views of the Yosemite high country and a first summit for the kids. On the same trip, the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges and we made our first fireside pizza in a new dutch oven that we’ve affectionately named The Crusty Dutchman.

The marquee adventure in 2015 was certainly our trip to the Canadian Rockies, where we visited Banff and Jasper National Parks, along with Golden, BC. After a week of camping, hiking and relaxing, we boarded the plane home with plans for at least two return trips: a winter trip to sample the epic powder of the region and another trip to venture further afield and experience the backcountry of the region.

And sometimes an amazing experience is just outside your front door. During a sunny day in early October (AKA: SF Summer), we were splashing and swimming at China Beach and were suddenly joined by a huge pod of dolphins just off shore. A month later, while snacking on Arizmendi pastries at Lands End, a pod of humpback whales put on a show for us around Mile Rocks Lighthouse. We logged these events as reasons #437 and #438 why we live where we do.

Carson

After four memorable years (with both kids) at Presidio Preschool, we went on the hunt for Transitional Kindergarden program for Carson. We were fortunate to find a spot at 150 Parker Avenue School. While touring, we were smitten when we saw the Dirt Kitchen and designated wrestling area. Carson has made fast friends and is thriving in a program that lets him explore his curiosities.

At home, his obsession with Lego, robots and anything with wheels shows no sign of waning. In May, we gathered all the Pritchard men together for a trip to Monster Jam, where Carson and his big cousin Rowan got to see what [horsepower + massive wheels + huge air] looks like. It looks awesome.

Favorite Movie: The Iron Giant
Favorite Breakfast Food: Waffles and Chocolate Croissants

Autumn

Our super silly, super serious girl Autumn just keeps growing up, despite our best efforts. In the spring she made her off-off-Broadway debut in the first grade chorus for the school play, Shrek Jr. She continues to devote most waking moments to her first love: art. This summer, Autumn found her own little nirvana during three weeks of summer camp at the DeYoung Museum. Daily tours of the galleries, hands on projects and instruction, and plenty of time to run around outside made for a very happy little girl.

Throughout the year, her confidence on two wheels has grown and we’ve begun taking short bike rides through Golden Gate Park, down to the beach and around the neighborhood. Autumn played soccer this fall with the all-girls SF Sol. The team’s first and only win, late in the season, was met with a degree of jubilation generally reserved for no-hitters and overtime bowl game victories.

Favorite Movie: The Sound of Music
Career Aspiration: Fashion Designer, Artist

Jody

Jody has chosen the mantra, “Ice is Nice” and most Monday nights she can be found skating at Yerba Buena Center. Some weeks are great and some weeks are not, but she loves her time on the ice and is making progress toward her pre-bronze test. The team at PritchardPeck lighting shows no signs of slowing down. Feeling the squeeze of their small office, they upgraded to a bigger space in the heart of the city’s mid-Market neighborhood. They are doing complex and beautiful work on a number high-profile projects while managing to lean into a very demanding work-life balance. Growth like that requires strong roots, and Jody returned to hers in late August at the 20-year reunion for Glencoe High School Class of ’95. There were drinks, laughter and enough awkward conversation to last another decade. Roll Tide!

Favorite Book: The Neopolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante
Guilty Pleasure: Taylor Swift 1989

Matt

Earlier this year, I was selected for a leadership development program at Williams-Sonoma. Along with an incredible cohort of peers, I’ve had the opportunity to see facets of our business that are far removed from my day-to-day role. The program focuses on developing self-awareness as a leader, which has been an enlightening and sometimes challenging journey. Away from work, I let my geek flag fly: building robots, rockets and making plans for a high-altitude balloon launch in the spring. I squeezed in one weeknight bikepacking trip to the Marin Headlands and continue to enjoy the world’s greatest daily commute. Next year is the big 4-Ohhh…steel yourselves for the requisite mid-life shenanigans.

Favorite Book: Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
Best Sunset: Seeing the Green Flash from Sutro Heights Park

It seems that Old Man Time just won’t slow the fuck down, so we’ll try to make these years count. It was so good to see many of you throughout the year. Let’s all continue to live, love and make memories. Peace be with you and your loved ones this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn and Carson
San Francisco, CA

P.S. If you’d like to see more of our family portraits, they’re posted on Flickr.

It is time once again for a look back on a year in the life of the family Pritchard. This year was one of growth and travel, laughter and tears, creative inspiration and not nearly enough sleep.

We rang in the new year deep in the heart of Death Valley National Park. Our little hideaway offered quiet days, incredible views and plenty of low-altitude passes from the local F-18 squadron. In May we celebrated our ten year anniversary! We kept the promise we made to ourselves years ago, and marked the occasion with a trip to Paris. Autumn and Carson remained stateside with the grandparents. We enjoyed a week of late nights followed by lazy mornings, incredible food and beautiful sights. It rained every day and we couldn’t have cared less. We spent the entire week in the city, scouting restaurants, museums and ice cream parlors. Highlights include an evening concert at Notre Dame Cathedral, more than a few mind-blowing meals and several hours sitting on park benches doing absolutely nothing.

We returned home feeling a little guilty for leaving the kids behind and promptly planned an end-of-summer trip to Disneyland as a thinly-veiled attempt at penance. It was a memorable trip…you can read more about it here. A general lack of planning and preparation threw some salt in our camping game, but we did manage to sneak outside for a night or two under the stars. We woke one night in Samuel P. Taylor Park to the rumbling of an earthquake – an interesting experience when you’re connected to the earth beneath a canopy of mighty redwoods.

Autumn came bounding out of Kindergarten and tumbling into the First Grade at Lafayette Elementary. She devotes much of that energy to her art: drawing, painting, cutting, gluing, molding, sewing and generally creating. She entered the PTA Reflections Art Contest this year and saw her entry recognized at the school and district level before moving to the state competition. Autumn also began playing soccer with the SF Micro Soccer league. What the matches lack in competitive game play, they make up for in giggles and priceless views. The soccer pitch is at Marina Green – a stone’s throw from the water, with views of GG Bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island.

Carson started his second year at Presidio Preschool, where he made strong connections with his teacher Dustin and a small group of friends (both real and imaginary) who seem to focus their energy on building things up and promptly tearing them back down. When he’s not busy playing with Lego, he can also be found playing with Lego (this kid has a habit). Carson and Autumn got to experience MakerFaire for the first time in May. Fire breathing robots, giant bubbles, remote controlled battleships and massive Tesla coils sparked enough interest to make this a perennial adventure. In the fall we got our hands dirty as we designed and built our first medieval siege weapon and hurled unsuspecting gourds into the wild blue yonder.

Twain Harte has long been a special place for the Salsig clan, and this year Jody poured herself into revitalizing the family cabin there. It’s a throwback to the mid-century, and has been renamed Winter’s Camp, in honor of Jody’s grandfather William Winter Salsig. This all came to life in stolen moments between growing a business and fulfilling her role as SuperMom. PritchardPeck Lighting continues to ascend in both the profile of their work and recognition from their industry.

It was an engaging year for me at work. I took on a bigger role at Williams-Sonoma and had the opportunity to do a bit of travel. In May I traveled to Nashville to visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an amazing organization with whom we have a long-standing partnership. That inspiration led to some quick, creative work with a team of talented folks to bring online donations to our brand websites in time for our annual giving campaign. In September, I had my 20-year high-school reunion and had a chance to connect with some close friends and some vaguely familiar faces. All in all, I’d say we’ve aged pretty well. In March we said goodbye to my Uncle Dennis, who left us too soon, but left behind an amazing family and memories that will keep us laughing and smiling for decades to come. We miss you, Uncle D.

We loved spending time with you all this year – whether it was a weekend brunch, a trip to the mountains or just a fleeting moment as our paths crossed. And if it’s been too long, let’s do something about that in new year. May peace be with you and your loved ones this season and always.

Matt, Jody, Autumn and Carson
San Francisco, CA