MGJ Newsletter

Art Show images

2011-05-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Photograph Acrylic Watercolor

bumper car Snowbound Interstate 80

It was a one day show at the Hart Senior Center in Sacramento.

What do you see?

2011-02-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

What does this sculpture look like to you?

Apple Hill 2010

2010-10-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

After Skyler caught a trout for me, he lost interest in fishing. Shae asked David to hold her pole and like a good Daddy here he is holding it for her.

The very slippery trout almost got back into the pond. David did make us and a lot of other people laugh trying to hold on to it. Shae did not catch a fish. Sterling rode a pony during the fishing

Paulette bought us each an apple doughnut. Very good.

After we bought our apples we drove to the Jack Russell Brewery and had a picnic. The adults each had a pint and bought six packs to take home. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of other people driving around from farm to farm buying produce. One of our California autumn traditions.

Crazy Horse pictures

2010-09-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Where we were going, at the top, eye close-up and the finish.

Vacation

2010-07-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

Visiting family in Nebraska. Here, for my friends, are some pictures of my family. My sister Sue is in a picture poster earlier from Crazy Horse. Road and mountain pictures coming soon.

With my sister Shirley, Aunt Grace
My sister Janell with brother Mick With Mick

2010-07-03T10:39:00.001-07:00

Shae Rachel wearing Grandma Rachel's white wool scarf.

Happy 4th of July to everyone tomorrow.

A busy day

2010-06-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Skyler playing first base.

Shae ready for her recital.

Sterling before her first recital.

vacation

2010-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Things that stand out from my morning drive through a Colorado valley surrounded by mountains.

1) A young deer played chicken with me on the highway. We both survived. I stopped in time. The deer looked at me and disappeared into the forest.

2) A baby moose started racing me down the highway. Then stopped and crossed behind me. It had knobby knees and the large antlers.

3) On the porch of a log house I passed a woman sat with her coffee. Her view of the mountains and valley was magnificent. I could imagine sitting there every morning if it wasn't so far from a city.

Vacation is almost over.

Vacation

2010-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here we are along with about 150 other people standing on the arm and taking photos. It was truly awesome. No trouble getting there and the hike up was through the forest. A beautiful day for a hike. I heard on TV last night there were 10,000+ people over the weekend.

Road trip

2010-05-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Update without photos.
In Omaha and being shown around by Bob and Shirley. We have been to Lincoln for a Volkswalk and visit to cousin Paul and his wife Sharon. (Thursday) Hiked a bridge across the Platte river. (Friday) Attended my sister Sue's and her husband's retirement party at a golf course in Norfolk Nebraska (birthplace of Johnny Carson). Two groups made up the celebrants: family and golfers. Good food, company and conversations. (Saturday)

(Sunday) My eight year old grand nephew helped us arrive at the proper place by using his grandfather's Garmin. At the golf course it showed we were driving across the grass instead of the road. He kept saying, Grandpa you are driving on the grass. Watching this kid explore and change screens and add things to the Garmin was facinating. He knew how to find things.

Today we walked across another bridge; this one across the Missouri River from Nebraska to Iowa and back. Great dinner at M's pub.

More later.

Road Trip

2010-05-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I looked out the window at a bright blue May sky. I stepped outside to a cold November day. I drove through rain, snow and sky-scapes. Late in the afternoon I drove through a Wyoming blizzard. Before I reached Cheyenne the wind came up. The sign boards said "wind warning" and suggested turning off cruise control. Here are samples of the roads and sky.

Road Trip

2010-05-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

The drive to Reno surprised me. Some trees had a decorative dash of snow that was being melted by the sun. Then that pretty cloud let go with some snow. No problem because the snow came only in flurries.

I arrived at the Black Bear Diner about five minutes before David called to say they were on their way. Then the hail started pelting my car. Black Bear posed with Shae, we had a great breakfast and I continued on my way.

The drive across Nevada was different from any other. Cold on this drive is a new experience. The sky decorated with cloud formations and green patches on the mountains changed the landscape.

I made my goal of Wendover and stayed in East Wendover, Utah. (Sunday, 5/23/10

Road trip

2010-05-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for my road trip next week.

Bodega Bay Weekend

2010-05-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Wave watching.

Inside Lands End

2010-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Setting up for the family picture. We had fun and this is the end of the weekend.

Kite flying

2010-04-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our annual trip to Salmon Creek at Bodega Bay was a big success we had lots of sun and fun. A little on the cool side for adults to put fee in the ocean. Kids loved teasing the waves. We arrived on Friday evening and left Sunday morning.

My 69th birthday has now been well celebrated.

City wildlife

2010-03-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

I was making coffee and looked out the window. This bird was looking back at me. By the time I got my camera I had to go outside and chase it down. This is the best I could do.

Now Blooming

2010-03-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

Think Spring

Cloudy building

2010-02-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

In my neighborhood

fun photo

2010-02-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a painted rock along the American River in Folsom, CA

2010-02-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Cow sitting on a foggy hillside.

We have had a lot of fog. It doesn't accumulate like the snow in Nebraska. And I'm grateful.

Apartment photos

2010-01-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

Brunch at my home

2010-01-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here I am in my kitchen New Year's afternoon. There are Joan, Wolfgang and Jeannette who came to brunch at my new apartment. There were others who left before we had our Kodak moments. Paulette, Adreinne, and Joan C. I made something new Ebelskivers. We also had hoppin john, fruit salad, scrambled eggs with cheese, coffee and tea. By the time we started out on our walk the rain had started so it wasn't as long as we had intended.

January 1, 2010

2010-01-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

Photo of Paulette and me, New Year's Eve after the midnight dessert feast at the Spotlight Dance Studio. Dancing until 1:00 am.

The first photo of the year.

Before the dance I walked 10k with the Sacramento Walkingsticks. A very nice evening, the full moon sometimes visible above the government buildings of Sacramento. I rushed home to put on my sparkly top for the dance. I thought I might see the 9pm fireworks as I drove to the studio. I was too early or the fireworks started late.

advertising

2009-12-22T12:54:00.001-08:00

Since I don't watch commercial TV; this year's annoying advertisement is from the newspaper:

Who has time to go caroling...

WHEN YOU CAN

SHOP!

Its over a picture of three children, dressed for snow, singing.

And then...

Last week I decided to browse the Macy's store near my new home. An employee asked if she could help. "No thank you. I'm just browsing." I said. "Are you shopping for yourself or someone else?" ""Neither." I answered. Her make-up and sparkling earrings almost fell off. I walked away.

Basketball

2009-12-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today I drove with friends for many hours to see Stanford women stomp the Lady Vols from Tennessee. The other people going to Stanford were the ones who sat next to us at the Monarchs games for ten years. One woman said it is like losing her summer family. Read on.

Sadly we have lost our Monarchs. The team has been dispersed. Only the Kings remain in Sacramento. We will have to find something else to do on summer evenings.

mosaic

2009-12-17T10:15:00.001-08:00

No finished water colors yet but here is the mosaic I made last winter.

New place

2009-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of my patio on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The leaves cover the dirt area. There is nothing planted there. I may have to do something about that when spring comes. The picture on the right is taken from the north, and yes that whole wall on the left are windows. Didn't like them too much during what we call a cold snap and Nebraska people call spring weather. Next, I am standing in front of the windows. You can see the 12 story tower in the upper right. Next, you are looking toward the north. That is a very big tree. This morning I watched a squirrel climbing it with a nut in its mouth. The other one is taken from the south of the patio.

As I get the place together I will send inside photos. Right now things are being moved around on a daily basis.

What I have been doing besides moving:

I went to a farewell party for one of my students from last year. She is returning to Japan. We had dinner at a Korean BBQ. This was a new experience for me. The chicken, beef and port are brought to the table sliced and raw.

You cook it yourself. There is salad and vegetable side dishes including kim chi a very popular Korean dish.

I ate it for the first time. It is spicy and I did like it.

I am still walking with the Sacramento AVA walking club. We walked in the little town of Winters, CA last weekend. A few weeks ago there was a walk around Folsom, CA, I am a fair weather walker so I'm waiting for the sun to shine again.

News from the West

2009-11-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

October: Skyler's birthday, Apple Hill, David got a promotion and is working all the time. Paulette had a birthday. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant. I started a watercolor painting class, searched for a new apartment.

November: Found an apartment, about five blocks from the state capitol. Drove to Reno on Friday and delivered Shae's and Sterling's birthday presents. Stayed overnight. Saturday--we went to Home Depot and they built trivets. To the Dollar Store for some shopping. Sterling's ballet lesson where she refused to participate. TCBY for a frozen yogurt snack. I sewed the patches on Skyler's boy scout uniform, we played action UNO. I came home. Shae took pictures with her new camera. I drove home in the afternoon. Shae and David went to a father-daughter ball on Saturday evening.

I'm moving one car load at a time and will take the big stuff on the 21st.

New season

2009-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

This morning it was cool enough for long sleeves--until about 9am. So that's how I know it is fall. And the tree outside my kitchen has some yellow leaves. I know the first day of fall was a week ago but it is hard to believe it when the temp outside is still getting up to 100.

My new ESL class is good although it is low intermediate instead of Advanced like last year. I have to practice speaking more slowly. I can always tell because their eyes glaze over. Most are too polite to say anything.

The Sacramento Monarchs ended the season at the very bottom. Oh well there's always next year.

Paulette and I went with friends to see Wicked in San Francisco. It was fantastic. We had been in Ashland the week-end before and saw three plays. Equivocation, All's Well That Ends Well and Don Quixote. Good plays and the weather was beautiful. They were having sidewalk sales and the craft show was still going on. Almost not enough time to get everything done between plays.

Are we having fun yet?

2009-08-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Shae and Sterling are visiting for a few days, three to be exact.

Here are some pictures of some of the things we have been doing.

Dominos are a versatile toy.

On Sunday, Shae and I went to see CATS. She liked it and so did I

Sterling ran errands with Auntie P.

A touching moment on the way from Paulette's house to mine: Shae said, "I'm sad to be leaving Auntie P's house." P's house is twenty minutes from mine.

In my bathroom, the flush handle is on the right side instead of the left side. I have no idea why. Sterling, 2 and three quarters started to flush the toilet. She stepped back with panties around her ankles and said, "The handle is on the wrong side." She's the only one who has ever commented on it in three years. She told me several times in a tone of voice that said, "Fix it."

Here's our schedule for today: Breakfast Cereal for Sterling, eggs for Shae. Shopping for groceries and coffee and chocolate milk at PEETS. We baked cookies, had mac and cheese for lunch. Sterling took a nap while Shae and I did a project. We went swimming. Chicken and rice for dinner. Watched Monsters INC. Ice cream with our cookies and to bed.

We will probably be even busier tomorrow.

Cinquains

2009-08-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

I found a scrap of paper with these little poems called cinquains. The format is: first line-a noun, second line- adjectives describing the noun, third line-3 verbs ending in -ing, fourth line a 4-word phrase and last line one word. (may repeat the first word)

Two new year's poems

Resolution

easy, difficult

works, nags, sings

My resolution is unclear

2009

new, untried

waiting, coming, looming

filled with clean days

year

Water

clean, clear

falling, roaring, crashing

cleans mind and body

Water

Circle of life

2009-04-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

Lots of birthdays in our family this month. My great granddaughter, Robin had her first birthday this week. I won't try to list the rest you all know who your are. Just Happy Birthday Jerry tomorrow.

A friend's sister died last week a few days before her first grandson arrived in the world.

Two weeks ago my friend and fellow writer, Jim died of colon cancer. Our writer's group (of three) met the Tuesday before he died and had scheduled another meeting for the next Tuesday. It was not to be. Jim liked the family stories I had been writing for the blog. He had been writing a book on being a survivor of cancer. He did survive about five years and tried many treatments. He exhausted all treatments and prepared for the end of his life. I was honored to be part of his support in the end.

This is the story I would have shared at our next meeting.

THRESHING TIME

Neighbors worked together to harvest the oats. First the grain was cut and tied into bundles. Then the crews of men ant teen boys stood the bundles up into shocks. The shocks looked like teepees.

The Grenier brothers had a threshing machine they brought to each farm.

When threshing day arrived people arrived. The men came with hay racks pulled by teams of horses or tractors. The threshing machine stopped at the edge of the field. A belt, very wide maybe 12 to 18 inches, connected the thresher to a wheel on the tractor. The noise of the tractor and the thresher was as loud as a jet airplane. It ran constantly as the men and boys brought the shocks of oats to be threshed. The grain spewed into wagons that hauled it to the grainery and the straw dropped on the ground.

Meanwhile back at the farmhouse, Mother fried several chickens, prepared a pot roast and some kind of potatoes. The women arrived about ten with potato salad, corn on the cob, green beans, peas, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. There were cakes, pies and cookies for dessert. Iced tea was made in a big kettle that would be used for canning tomatoes, peaches and pickled cucumbers.

The dining room table was stretched to it's longest and sawhorses with planks appeared on the lawn outside for the overflow. Every chair in the house and some folding chairs from other women were set up.

At noon, exactly 12 noon, I'm sure, the machine was stopped and the men arrived to wash with Lava soap at the outdoor pump. Some of the men took short, black combs from a pocket in their bib overalls and combed the straw out of their hair. They took places at the tables and women and kids old enough to carry a platter or a bowl kept the food coming. They served dessert and coffee. The men thanked and complimented the cooks and returned to the field.

Women and kids took places at the table to eat and gossip.

Stacks of dirty dishes turned into clean ones and returned to the cupboards.

Bologna, cheese, and chicken or tuna salad sandwiches were prepared cakes were cut and a huge pot of coffee made. At four PM this lunch was loaded into the car and driven to the field. This time the machine continued to separate the grain from the straw and the crew members ate as they brought their load from the field. They worked until the field was finished or dark.

The next day the scene changed but the people were the same.

Bodega Bay Weekend

2009-04-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Pictures taken on the beach.

One big fat starfish, a sea anenome, sea gulls, sand designed by the sea, and mussels.

Bodega Bay Weekend

2009-04-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is the spiral staircase in the beach house we rent for a weekend at Bodega Bay

Through the window we can see Salmon Creek and in the distance the waves are breaking on

the beach. We enjoy this trip once a year. It is for my birthday and this year is the fourth annual.

David, Robin, Skyler, Sterling and Shae waiting for the cold water to splash their feet. The water is very cold this time of year.

Bodega Bay Weekend

2009-04-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Bodega Bay pictures coming soon.

We had a great time.

I believe

2009-03-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

NPR has a part called "This I Believe" people write essays and then read them on the air. There are also printed collections of these essays.

These are some of my thoughts so far. Consider this a work in progress.

I believe in the interconnected web of being. The web that connects me with every living thing on the planet. I try to do what is the best for this web. I try also, to do right by the earth, the air, the sky and the water that sustains our lives.

I believe in family however YOU define and live it for yourself. I have family I can reach out and physically touch, some I touch through telephone and internet. There is my family of origin and longtime close friends who often feel and act like family. And there are the ancestors.

Teaching

2009-01-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

I missed watching the Obama Inauguration and hearing the complete address of our new president. I was teaching an ESL class. I heard pieces of the address on the radio during the day. Today I returned to the same classroom. One of the students brought the text of the speech to class. I asked the class if they would like to read it aloud. They did. I walked among them and listened in awe as the speech was read in a dozen or more different accents. Amazing. We spent the two hours with Obama's words. They asked about some of the phrases. The unfamiliar metaphors and idioms.

I have taught ESL for ten years and this was one of the most exciting, difficult and satisfying class I have taught.

San Francisco

2009-01-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

On a perfect Saturday, I walked seven miles with a group of friends. We walked all around the Presido in San Francisco, we walked along the beach and were rarely out of sight of some part of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We even found the buildings currently occupied by Lucas Films and here I am with a statue of Yoda. Looks good, he does. The building was closed and through the windows we did see Darth Vader.

San Francisco Bay was dotted with sailboats and rowing crews. We think they were racing.

An end and a beginning

2009-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Thoughts about the end of 2008

1. Secular Christmas:

Black Friday should be discontinued. Someone died.

The commercial with dancing corkscrews wearing red and white Santa hats singing Bev Mo lulia. Sick. (This may have been a California thing)

2. Keeping Christ in Christmas.

Please bring back 'swaddling clothes" for Jesus. Dressed in cloth doesn't work for me.

Glad Tidings is better than good news.

Sore afraid is better than terrified or as one pastor said 'So scared they peed their pants."

The list could go longer but I have some positive things to say.

1, Going to the Nutcracker with Shae and Skyler and Robin.

2. Shae and Skyler playing in the fresh snow until their hands were cold, cheeks rosy and a very short snowman decorated the yard.

3. Christmas eve service ending with candles and Silent Night.

4. The quiet that falls over the city when most businesses close for Christmas day.

5. Cards, family photos and newsletters.

Looking forward.

It's a new year with 364 fresh new days ahead. I spent the first one having brunch with friends and then a long walk under foggy skies.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody.

Two Saturdays

2008-11-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

These pictures are for the baseball fans among us.
Last Saturday I spend a little over three hours on a 10K Volkswalk through five cemeteries. We went to Colma, CA, just south of San Francisco where the dead of SF have been burried since the late 1800s, There are fabulous statues, mausoleums, stones of all sizes and shapes and monuments large and small. I would guess every nationality and ethnic group is represented, some in their own cemeteries. A lot to see. For more history google, Colma, CA and got to the city site for the history. I will have to go back because I didn't get to see the Wyatt Earp grave. (Because it was the Sabbath) He is in the Jewish cemetery because his wife was Jewish.

Today, 11/22/08, I drove through the early morning, rather heavy fog to Davis to walk the 5K Turkey Trot. I walked with some of my friends. I had to work hard to keep up with and pass my 83 year-old friend who claims not to be competitive. Jan and I crossed the finish before she did because she was distracted by talking to someone. Coffee, scones, muffins, coffee and conversation followed. This year's t-shirt is ugly.

Ruby Tuesday

2008-11-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a Ruby Tuesday sunrise from my balcony.

Election

2008-11-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

The clear sky and slightly crisp air on Election day put everyone in a very good mood. I walked to my poling place. There was a line of about twenty-five people. Everyone seemed ready to party. I voted and on my way back home a woman stopped her car and asked if I needed a ride. I claimed my free tall coffee from Starbucks.

The world watched us on Tuesday and I believe we can be proud of ourselves. Thank you, LaDawn for your words from France.

I want to share this story about my friend who has lost her ability to communicate due to rapidly progressive aphasia. She lives in a memory facility. She has worn an Obama for president button, daily, for the last two years. Legally she cannot vote. However it was her wish to vote. Her daughter talked with the memory care director at the facility and it was arranged for Elinore to 'vote'. She was given an absentee ballot and voted for her candidate. According to her daughter she was on 'cloud nine' today because she had voted for Obama in this historic election.

Apple Hill

2008-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took a family trip to Apple Hill. The orchards and farms are open with pony rides, clowns, crafts, apple food and millions of apples.

Here is Sterling taking her first pony ride; she doesn't seem very impressed. She is not easily impressed.

SloMoe the clown chose Paulette as a volunteer after saying I need a woman in her 40s. Shae and Skyler jumped around her pointing. "Auntie P is 40. " They shouted. The clown missed her with all the darts that broke the balloons. This clown was very entertaining.

Shae and Skyler were volunteers to hold the tightrope while SloMoe walked it juggling toilet plungers. Shae is very serious and Skyler almost dropped the tightrope when one of the plungers hit SloMoe in the face.

Other adventures included a little hike at one place. Sterling, almost two, trudged along even up the rather steep hill.

We had a picnic at the Jack Russell brewery with pints of beer for the adults.

It was a perfect fall day.

Alaska

2008-10-19T19:43:00.003-07:00

Alaska

2008-10-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

A little taste of Butchart Gardens We were told not to miss it and I agree--in Victoria, don't miss Butchart Gardens.

Ship's log, Thursday, August 7, 2008--Victoria, B.C., Canada, 6:00pm First line ashore.

It is difficult to describe our tour of the gardens. Here are a few of the flowers and scenes we saw.

11:30pm All lines gone.

Back on board the ship we spent time with people we met in the Crow's nest lounge. Jessica and the HAL cats played Hernando's Hidaway. Paulette and I danced a Tango. we had a couple of drinks and went to our cabin to pack for disembarkation in the morning.

Ship's log: Friday, August 8, 2008--Seattle, Washington, 6:15am First line ashore.

We are awake early and our room service breakfast arrives--again, right on time. We are scheduled to leave at 8:15am. Our luggage has been picked up overnight and sent ashore. By 8:30 we are looking for our bags in the terminal and by 8:45 we are in a cab to the ferry dock. Chris picks us up at the Bremerton ferry terminal. Back in Port Orchard we pack the car, take Chris to lunch and at about noon we are on our way back to Sacramento. We arrive home in the wee hours of the morning.

All during the trip we had lovely weather. The only rain was on shore excursions was in Juneau. It changed to partly cloudy for our bike tour. Tracy Arm was cold because of all the ice in the water, I guess. The other places were pleasant.

Alaska

2008-10-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

This will be a long post and will finish my writing about the trip. It is about time. I can't seem to move on until I finish this. Ever had that feeling?

Ship's Log: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, Sitka, Alaska, 7:00am Leg go starboard anchor.

Our room service breakfast arrived exactly on time and we watched the activity outside our window while we ate.

The Sitka port is too small for a cruise ship to dock. Therefore we must get to shore by Tender. My first vision about a tender included muscular sailors with oars in a lifeboat. That turned out to be wrong. One of the tenders had been riding above the deck just outside our cabin window. We noticed three crew members climbing up and down the ladder and then they lowered the tender to the water. Each motorized tender has bench seats for about 100 people. No problem getting on. I didn't have to step or jump across a gap between ship and tender.

We did not schedule an excursion for Sitka so we get a self-guide tour map and start walking. It's early and the stores are closed as we window shop along the main street. We find stairs leading to the top of Castle hill. Up we go; no need for Stairmaster today. The view at the top is fantastic. We can see The Amsterdam anchored in the middle of the harbor.

Castle hill was the home of Alexander Baranov, the Russian territorial governor at the end of the 18th century. He built a house for his wife who is said to have brought civilization to Sitka, Alaska. The house is gone now.

We walk down stairs on the other side of the hill and across a bridge to the University of Southwest Alaska, Sitka. It is housed in one small, modern building. I was looking for T-shirts for David's kids. There was no bookstore and only adult t-shirts sold by the office staff. Back on main street, fellow passengers are swooping in and out of the various shops. We browse an art gallery of native art. The paintings and sculptures are nice, even beautiful but expensive and large.

We buy a bus ticket to the Alaska Raptor Center. The volunteer staff nurse rescued bald eagles, hawks and owls back to health and help some to return to the wild. One enclosure is a large room called the aerobic room where the birds practice flying before they return to the wild. There is an area where those unable to return to the wild are cared for. We spend some time in a room with Sitka, a bald eagle who cannot be returned to the wild. A volunteer holds her and answers questions as Sitka looks from side to side. Bald eagles are awesome creatures.

We take a walk along the creek although the sign cautions us there have been bears on the trail. We do not meet a bear but do see evidence there has been one visiting the area.

We have lunch of reindeer dogs and beer at an outdoor reindeer dog stand. We sit in pleasant sunshine and watch a groups of tourists searching for treasures to take home. As we leave, Paulette tells me I just ate Rudolph.

We wander in and out of art galleries and shops, buy a few souvenirs on our way back to the dock. The tender takes back to the ship.

Ship's Log: 4:42pm Commenced heaving starboard anchor.

Another wonderful dinner a little dancing and watching the captain's toast to the passengers after he introduced the executive officers of the ship.

Ship's Log: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, Ketchikan, Alaska. 6:36am, first line ashore.

Ketchikan seems to be built on a shelf between the mountain and water. It snakes for several miles along the southwestern shore of Revillagigedo Island, facing Tongass Narrows. We begin our self-guided tour of Ketchikan by walking up many stairs through a residential area. Homes are built on the hillside so sidewalks are stairs. There are new homes next to old dilapidated ones and rehabilitates buildings. A short hike takes us to the Totem Heritage Cultural Center and Totem Bight State Park. We tour the museum where they have preserved some very old totem poles in glass cases. There are modern and traditional examples throughout the building and outside.

We take the Married Man's Trail back to the row of shops and museums that originally served as the bordellos of Ketchikan. These buildings are build along and on stilts over the rushing water of a creek. A bronze statue of a salmon "swims" above the water in honor of the upstream journey of spawning salmon. We have seen salmon swimming upstream. Walking back to the ship we buy Kettle Korn from a vender in a shop under a statue of a whale. We have our picture taken with the only full-size bear we encounter on the trip.

Last chance to buy stuff in Alaska so we get our souvenirs on the way back to the ship. Captain Henri Lefering greets us at the foot of the gangplank as we return to the ship.

Ship's log: 12:34pm: All lines gone.

I spend the afternoon walking all the decks to see what's around. There is a teen lounge at one end of deck nine. There are some Red Hat ladies playing ping-pong next to the teen lounge. I see the shuffleboards--no one is playing. I walk through the Lido cafeteria and have coffee and a brownie with ice cream, take a picture of an orchid on my table,read my book and watch out the window. I walk through the Casino, the duty free shop, the photo gallery where the pictures taken by the photographers on board are displayed and for sale. Ours are not worth buying. There is a spa with expensive massages, facials and make-up for sale. While I do this Paulette is in the bar taking a mixology class. She learned to make martinis and margaritas.

Then it is dinner time and after dinner we go to the lounge and listen to Bamboleo, the trio from Mexico. We dance and talk to some members of the Chinese family celebrating their mother/grandmother's 80th birthday. She is the best dancer of the family.

Cruising Alaska

2008-10-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ships Log: Monday, August 4, 2008, Tracy Arm Alaska. 7:10am Entered Tracy Arm

Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are narrow and deep and over 30 miles long, bounded by Canada on the east, this Wilderness area is highlighted by two sheer-walled fjords.

I knew this day would not include a shore excursion and wondered how I would pass the time. When I woke up, I peeked out between the drapes. I saw mountains, and lots of whit things in the water. I put on my glasses and recognized the white things as various -sized pieces of ice floating on the gray-blue water. It all looks cold under the overcast sky.

I took a long , brisk walk around the deck. The mountains on both sides were amazing. Some of the ice, we are told is ice bergs and we are only seeing the tip. Near the end of my walk crew members set up coffee carts on each side of the deck. In addition to coffee they have hot chocolate and some add-ons, Kailua, Baileys and brandy. I choose free regular coffee in an insulated cup that cost $18. It is blue with Holland America printed in white. Of course I needed it. I pass on the add-ons.

A full day to explore the entire ship. I carry my book and journal with me. The coffee cafe serves a terrible latte--saves me money since lattes cost extra and brewed coffee is great and free.

After breakfast I find a place to sit and write. Then move to a chair near a window to read and watch the scenery go by. Paulette has gone to an art auction.

Dinner at 7:00pm and then the Filipino Crew Show.

At noon the weather: Light airs, partly cloudy skies and temperature: 58R/ 13C

6:20pm left Tracy Arm.

Cruising Alasksa

2008-08-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Seattle, Washington

Friday, August 1, 2008 4:00PM Let go all lines.

Seattle to Juneau--894 1 nautical mile=1.15 statute miles.

Excitement in the little Port Orchard house is high. Paulette and I prepare for our cruise. Chris and Mike (our hosts) get ready for their dance competition in Tacoma. Packing, repacking, deciding what to take and what to leave. We are loading Mike's Rav 4 twenty minutes ahead of our self-imposed deadline. It's 10:00am. Paulette and I are dropped at the Bremerton Ferry. We wait about fifteen minutes and board for the 45 minute trip to Seattle. The weather is gorgeous after yesterday's day of rain. We hire an independent taxi driver who delivers us to terminal 5 for $10 in his Lincoln Town Car. We enter gate 5 and there is the Amsterdam, our home for the next seven days.

Cars, buses, taxis and people with multiple bags are everywhere. The boarding process looks daunting and time consuming. I'm worried about Paulette's passport that expires August 23, 2008. The recommendation is a passport six months to expiration. We attach tags to our bags after we are given our cabin number. They disappear into a scanner and we are directed to the next counter. Passports checked (the desk person didn't blink an eye) photos taken, key cards issued and we are passing through the metal detector to the gangplank. It is less than half an hour since Paulette paid our taxi driver.

Smiling crew members welcome us, in several languages, as our key card is scanned and we step aboard. We are directed to the Lido deck for lunch and before we reach the elevator the announcement says the cabins are ready. We find our cabin and Inan, our steward. He asks if we want the queen bed turned into twin beds. We say yes and thank him. We leave our carry-on bags and find the Lido deck. Here we are eating less than thirty minutes after boarding. Yes! there is a lot of food. Yes! it is good. Well, it is lunch time. We find a place at the rail of deck 9 for sail away. We snap pictures, listen to the ships horns, (the Princess cruise ship blasts it's horn) in response ours. The other cruise ship and the Seattle skyline disappear. From the deck below Jessica and the HAL Cats play rock and roll music.

After half an hour or so we descend to deck 8 and drink beer as we chat with a couple from West Virginia and watch land disappear. When we return to our cabin our checked baggage is in the middle of the floor.

We dress up and go to our first on-board dinner about 7:00pm. Four courses: appetizer, salad or soup, entree and of course dessert. After dinner we go to the Ocean Bar. The trio from Mexico played cha chas and rumbas. We have a drink and dance for a while. Paulette leads and we are the only ones on the dance floor; almost the only ones in the bar.

Saturday, August 2, 2008--AT SEA: 12:00nn GPS position: 51 degrees 09'5N/ 130 degrees 07'9W Gentle breeze, overcast. Temperature: 54 F.

What to do on a ship at sea? We go to the gym and walk on treadmills while watching the ship glide through the water. Breakfast first: anything you want and things you don't are available. A seminar on shopping in Juneau. A presentation about a two minute make-over. Selling something of course. I find various places to sit and read, buy a not-very-good latte and walk through the gift shops. Not much there to tempt me. This is a good thing. We decide to sign up for a tour in Juneau--Bike and Brew. Of course I can do it. I skip lunch but have some ice cream and coffee in the afternoon. Another great dinner, no, I can't remember everything I ate; mostly fish and seafood. My favorite dessert was a berry cobbler with ice cream. We are seated with a couple from England. He a retired school principal and she a school principal.

Sunday, August 3, 2008--Juneau, Alaska 11:12am-First line ashore

I set foot in Alaska. We rush to take pictures of this accomplishment. I have now been in all fifty of the United States. It's misting rain. We find the statue of Patsy Ann and Paulette takes my picture. I take one of her while she tries to send a text with my picture in Alaska. It did not work.

Patsy Ann, a Bull Terrier was born in Portland, Oregon in 1929 and came to Juneau as a pup. Her sculpture sits a short distance from where her coffin was lowered into Gastineau Channel as a small crowd watched in 1942. Her sculpture sits watching and waiting with eternal patience, whether shrouded in fog, bathed in sunshine or covered with snow. Patsy Ann was stone deaf from birth but she somehow 'heard' the whistles of approaching ships long before they came into sight and trotted to the wharf to meet every ship.

We join the throngs of people rushing to the shops, Red Dog Saloon, and other attractions of Juneau. We purchase post-cards and trinkets and I find a somewhat water resistant jacket to replace the two sweatshirts that will soon be soaked. I think, maybe the bike tour will be cancelled. NO, The leaders right on time and we climb out of the mist into the vans for a drive to our starting point. By the time we are issued bikes and helmets the mist has stopped and we are ready to ride. The first up-hill is more than I can peddle I walk the last 100 yards and after that--no problem. The tour is nine miles. We ride through the University of Southeast Alaska, Juneau. We stop at the Chapel by the Lake. A beautiful log building with a view (behind the pulpit) of the lake. We ride for a time and stop on a small beach where we have a snack and can see the Mendenhall Glacier across the lake. We ride around the lake on bike rails and through a forest. One log house, not a cabin by any means, flies a big Nebraska N from it's balcony. Our guide tells us the rule when riding through the forest is: Don't let a bear eat the guide." We get a closer at the glacier and a waterfall. Then it is back in the van to the Alaskan Brewing company.

The brewing company, a real treat, (not just the beer). We are handed a small glass of beer and led to where we can see the brewing tanks. Our guide tells us how to make beer. He is a great story teller and entertains us with the history of the company. Everything that comes to Juneau must be brought in by barge or plane. (There are three large brewing tanks.) There is no road access to this capital city. When our glasses are empty we are invited back to the bar for refills and then he continues the story. He strokes his gray beard as he tells us the rest of the story. We are invite to have another glass of beer and buy souvenirs. The bike guide returns us to the dock. We choose not to ride the Mount Roberts tram due to fog covering the view. We try to go into the post office but it is locked--then we remember it is Sunday. The Twisted Fish sounds like an interesting place to eat but a little pricey so we opt to return to the Amsterdam dining room. We never did get into the Red Dog Saloon.

10:43pm All lines gone.

Trip to Seattle

2008-08-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

We joined the line of cars waiting to load the 10:15am ferry to Seattle. A security dog sniffs each car in the four lines. We drive on to the ferry, park the car and climb two flights to the passenger deck. I get coffee and settle in for the forty-five minute ride. I watch passengers and the passing scene. I eavesdrop on the group in the next seating booth. I hear a local telling their southern visitors about the area. They share "home" stories. A cell phone rings. "Hello. I can't hear you." Someone else takes the phone. "Here I'll see if I can hear." pause- Speaker phone, Now everyone can hear. Someone begins to talk of the Tacoma Narrows bridge and how to cross only the free direction and go back another way to avoid paying a bridge toll. They decide it is too much trouble to save a couple of dollars. We d rive off the ferry, turn right and find terminal five where our cruise will start. We tour Seattle due to my less-than-perfect navigation skills. eventually we get to the bookstore.

We took a trip to Seattle to visit my friend Jennifer. We drove on to the ferry, parked the car and took pictures of the trip. In Seattle we visited the University of Washington bookstore. Met Jennifer and she took us to a tiny Mexican restaurant. After lunch we caravan to a small but tranquil Japanese garden. Walking among the perfectly pruned and shaped trees is relaxing. In the water are many well-fed carp. We see about out eight dinner-plate size turtles and one duck.

Time to go. Jennifer gives directions back to the ferry dock. All is well. We are following the signs to the bremerton ferry and suddenly find ourselves in the hell of Seattle freeway traffic. I have never eard Paulette swear as she did in the five or ten minutes it took us to find an exit. Fortunately it was the street we needed. Although the turn looks wrong when we get to the corner that threw us into hell we take the opposite way and find the ferry dock. On board we buy Haggen Das ice cream bars for $4 each (worth it) and soon we are back in Bremerton. Paulette has a private lesson with Chris. The group Rumba class followed. Great day.

I will post more photos of Seattle later. My learning curve on photobucket is high.

I'm back

2008-08-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

OK so I've been back for five days and haven't gotten anything posted. Sorry. My nice little internet provider was bought by COMCAST. It took me four hours of waiting one day and then another two the next to get back on line. I find it interesting how much I use email, my blog and the internet in my life.

Now I'm working on the slide show. I don't think I want to use all 300 pictures. Some of them aren't that good. And I'm very proud of some of them.

Have a look at my first video.

Last day.

2008-08-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

This evening we will be in Victoria, Vancouver, British Columbia. We are going to the Burchart gardens. Something everyone we talked to said not to miss. Right now we are sailing along through fog. Mostly it is cold outside but comfortable inside. We are 120 nautical miles to Victoria. The captain just said so.

We walked the deck for breast cancer. It is the Holland American chosen charity and they have raised $1,000,000 in the last year. It was a little cold but fun to walk the 3.2 miles. Last night at our formal dinner they brought out baked Alaska for dessert. The dining room staff walked around the dining room with the Alaska with sparklers while marching music played. The chef and his crew came out for bow. We were eating with a couple from Liberty, Indiana. She had just retired from 28 years of teaching and he changed from teaching to investment business in the 70's. It was the fourth night we sat with people we didn't know and there was at least one teacher in each group.

Yesterday we walked all over, well almost all over the port at Ketchikan, Alaska. It sits at the base of a mountain and houses built on the mountain side are reached by long stairways. It is a most interesting way of getting around. We have taken a lot of pictures but I choose not to use our time to post them since we get charged for internet connection. I wasn't going to pay but I wanted to write something while on the ship. We have both taken a lot of pictures.

Here's to BUCKSNORT coffee.

Sue: I'd go again.

Alaska at last

2008-08-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today we have been sailing through the Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm on our way from Juneau to Sitka. The scenery has been gorgeous, fantastic, beautiful, awe-inspiring and any other adjective you can think of to describe scenery. We viewed the Sawyer Glacier and sailed among ice floes and icebergs from early morning until noon. Right now outside our window I see mountains that rival Colorado and Yosemite.

Cruising is fun. The food IS wonderful and always available.

More details of other days later.

2008-07-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

There are four of these fountains at the Bremerton Ferry terminal.

Pictures

2008-07-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

I told you there was MOOSESNORT COFFEE

Far left is Chris and Paulette doing Cha Cha.

More pre-cruise fun

2008-07-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

Paulette and I explore Port Orchard. The main street has a few businesses, and antique mall, a couple of antique stores and The Candy Shoppe (Yes, we bought candy. Salt Water taffy and peanut brittle.)

Lunch at the Corner Deli. Great sandwiches and MOOSESNORT COFFEE. Please don't leave out the R. On our way to meet Chris we stop at the ferry port to see the dancing water fountain. The wind adds some very splashy moves to the dance. Flowers and fountains shaped like ship smoke stacks that spout like Old Faithful but not on schedule.

Paulette has a Cha Cha lesson with Chris and we are off to Gig Harbor. Chris goes to Costco. At the YMCA (very posh and big) I walk a mile and a quarter on a treadmill while Paulette takes a Zumba class. Then we take a night club two step and a cha cha classes with Chris.

Monday

2008-07-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

The Columbia Hotel we had the first room to the left of the sign. That's me standing under the little blue awning. I took the bottom picture out of the window of our room.

Monday morning in Ashland we woke up in the hotel. I got a free cup of coffee and prepared for the day. No line at the shared shower so i shower. Paulette is awake when I get back. She showers and soon we are ready to check out. It is only 8:30am. Outside we take a couple of pictures. The Key of "C" coffee and bagels cafe provided our road breakfast.

ARCO for gas (higher than Sacramento) and on to I5 North to Seattle. We listen to Les Miserables from start to finish and leave I5 at Eugene, Oregon. To the University where we find the Duck Store and add significantly to the economy of Oregon.

Paulette drives and I ride, read, look out the window as the ever-changing landscape. Sometimes I read the road signs out loud.

Hours later we park in Chris and Mike's driveway. No body home. Paulette gets on the phone and learns; Mike is in Santa Barbara and Chris is teaching a dance class. He directs us to where Chris is teaching. We find her, Paulette joins the lesson. I read my book. Chris has two more classes to teach so we return to her house by way of Safeway where we buy two Chinese entrees for a late dinner.

I went to bed at 11;30PM. I don't know how long Paulette and Chris stayed up.

Vacation

2008-07-28T08:21:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Columbia Hotel in Ashland, Oregon. Yesterday we drove here from Sacramento. Last night we saw a wonderful, very funny production of The Comedy of Errors. We took some pictures I will post them later.

Today we go to Seattle.

2008-06-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

The video is coming. THE PROJECT

Face painting from the Rivercats

baseball game.

Shae and monkey with Monkey's new scarf knitted by Cynthia.

June 15

2008-06-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

Shae's back at her home in Reno. Yesterday Paulette and I watched Skyler and David's last T-ball game (David is a coach). Then we went to Shae's ballet recital. Both events were great fun. And I have the video to prove it. After the recital Paulette and I took off for Sacramento so we could watch the Monarchs beat the Sparks. Well, that was the plan and it worked up to the end of the game when LA Sparks had eight more points than the Sacramento Monarchs. Ticha's parents sit behind us and I'm not sure what names her mother called the officials (she's from Portugal) but I'm sure they weren't flattering.

Here's how it went on this solo morning. I slept late and took a walk without bicycle, helmet, elevator buttons to push or questions. I decided the questions had kept my mind working. This morning "I'm A Believer" from the Shrek sound track played in my head. I did not have to stop and look at the ants, bugs, or rest in the shade. There is an empty place beside my bicycle where Shae's was parked for two weeks. I bought my newspaper, left the (not digital) camera at Longs and returned home to have coffee and read the newspaper. I must keep up with the news so I can answer all the questions the next time Shae is around. I found myself asking Why? about many of the headlines.

I can't decide what to do now without all of the suggestions from Shae. Is it time to go swimming? Can we paint your crocs? When are we going to see Auntie P.? Can I call my mom? or Is my mom at work?

Now it's time to make a list of what needs to be done and what I want to do this week.

SHAE IS A GREAT COMPANION.

Thursday

2008-06-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Shae and I went to Davis this morning. First we went to the Laundry Lounge to use a big washer to wash David's new T-shirt quilt and my new sleeping bag. (I got the bag at the REI garage sale last week) Shae was helpful and patient. She wrote and drew pictures and then looked at a cars for sale publication trying to find my car in the pictures. Finally, we were finished with this errand and we were off to Cynthia's for our adventure of the day.

The plan had been to ride a double decker bus, have lunch and then play in the Central Park fountain. None of that happened. It's final's week and no double decker buses were running. Must remember that for the future. At the AMTRAK station we consulted with the agent and decided to go to Suisun on the train. We had one hour to eat and get more money from the ATM. Next to the station, the Village Bakery serves pizza by the slice. So pizza for lunch. The train ride to Suisun from Davis is twenty minutes. We had an hour in Suisun. We walked along the marina to an antique store. It was hot, hot in Suisun. On the trek back to the train station Shae's feet were tired. She walked anyhow (not like there was a choice.) We boarded the train and waited in air-conditioned comfort for the buses from Martinez to bring Bay Area passengers. Work on the tracks between Martinez and Suisun made the bus transfer necessary. We were glad we had not decided to go to Martinez.

Shae spotted lots of jack rabbits on the journey back. She seemed disappointed when Cynthia missed seeing these wonders. There were cows and horses to get excited about and we soon arrived in Davis.

Ready for frozen yogurt we made our way to The Swirl yogurt shop and joined the line of high school and jr. high school students (fresh out of school for summer vacation) to order yogurt. Two blueberry yogurts, one with chocolate sprinkles and one green tea (I'm the one who likes green tea). As we enjoyed our yogurt, the line remained all the way to the door no matter how fast the two people dispensing the treat worked.

Back at Cynthia's house we talked with Terry. Shae and Cynthia went looking for Big, the cat. To Shae's delight they found Big under a bush in the yard. Shae changed into her swim suit and we drove to Central Park. Woe to us. A graduation event caused the fountain to be turned off. The thing I had forgotten was it is UCDavis graduation weekend and the population of Davis more than doubles--that includes the traffic getting out of town. By the time we got to the freeway, Shae was asleep for a thirty minute nap. At home it is dinner time and we agree to watch Shrek for the third time in two weeks. I think I've gotten most of the jokes now.

Now it's three hours until the Shae train leaves for Reno and at 8:00am she is still sleeping. I'd better get my shower and pack my stuff. Auntie Pea will be here between 11 and 11:30.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

2008-06-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Monday about ten, Paulette called to see what time kids can swim at the pool. 1-3pm is the answer. I'll be there about 1:30, she said. And sure enough she arrived and we put on our suits and joined, Josie and Mazie from Ohio who were swimming with their grandparents and great-grandmother. The kids were seven and nine. As kids will they became instant friends and made up games. The adults floated around and helped with the jumping in games. It was a wonderful afternoon. After Paulette left Shae and I went to Michael's because they had ten things for ten dollars. I got my ten things and was looking at some unfinished wood picture frames when Shae picked up a flat piece of wood and said, "I need this for my project." "What Project?" I asked. "My _____ project." she replied. Hands out in front of her making circular motions and measuring motions. (I never did understand what the name of the project was.) It was only one dollar and I was curious so I bought it. Back home I asked if she needed anything else for her project. I watched her think and think. She wasn't coming up with anything so I suggested she use some little foam pieces in a kit she had. "Yes, of course that's what I want." With a little glue her project was done.

Late afternoon I needed to run some errands and we were off to the Linen and things sale--nothing there. And then to the bank to deposit a check. I intended to stop and the store for dinner items but on the way home decided we would eat out. The first place we stopped at was closed. So we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Bella Bru. Shae had chosen lasagna when I realized there was a kids menu. I read the choices or options (her choice of language).

No she wanted the options. Hint for grandparents: Always check the coloring page they give the kids for the kid's menu. I knew that but forgot. Well the lasagna was great. No we didn't share. She ate half and we took home the rest for lunch later. I had a salmon burger. Then of course it is time for dessert. Across the parking lot is a Big Spoon Frozen Yogurt store. You serve yourself from the machines and then add all the toppings you think you can afford. Shae had Mango Tango with caramel, whipped cream and cherries. I had vanilla with caramel, whipped cream and cherries. IT was very good. Back home it was bedtime.

Tuesday, Paulette came about noon and Shae went with her to clean up her classroom. I met them at the dance studio and Shae and I went to Davis for dinner with my "dinner group". We had two "guests" Shae and the daughter of Elinore, Kara. Kara just completed had Phd and has a job in New Mexico. Elinore has RPA Rapid Progressing Aphasia. (one more thing we can worry about that takes our mind.) More about that later. We had a great dinner and I don't know who was most entertaining, Shae age 4 or Kara age 39. Kara is so excited about her job, her move. It was a fun evening.

Wednesday.

We were busy today. Shae decided on one more bike ride. She first said no. I reminded her it would be her last chance because we have plans tomorrow. Five minutes later she had changed her mind. We rode to the nearby playground and she had a good time playing alone and with me. I'm not much for climbing on play structures but I cheered every move she made. I pushed the swing and watched her "tricks" on the swing. It was very windy this morning and into the afternoon when we went to the swimming pool. It was fine as long as I stayed in the water. Today a grandma had her grandson Bodie. Again the kids played like best friends.

Less than five minutes after I read her story she is asleep.

And that's life on the Shae Train.

Saturday and Sunday

2008-06-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Monarchs lost on Friday--They were leading the first three quarters and then the Shock took over. We will get them next time.

Shae has a new jersey with number 4 on it because she is four and Hayne went to Atlanta and the jersey was cheap. She also got a big foam finger (like Skyler's). Auntie P bought dinner and at half time we had ice cream. We all had a good time.

On Saturday morning Paulette arrived at 9am to go to Home Depot. The project was building a catamaran. Shae knew exactly what to do and with Paulette's help the project was finished. for our next errand we were off to REI to get sunglasses for Paulette--really good ones that will protect her eyes since her lasix surgery. I bought myself some because I had broken my last pair from last summer. Shae really like one pair so I bought it for her. REI was having a "garage sale" so we joined the crowd in the parking lot. Paulette found a second pair of sunglasses--cheap and hiking sneakers. I found a down sleeping bag for $60. Shae said "I;m ready to go now." twice. She was very patient. Now it was lunch time and we went to the Elephant Bar. The kids meal (mac and cheese) included a strawberry sundae. Paulette and I were patient while she talked and ate her way through the sundae.

Paulette and Shae had a short swim and she didn't run this time so today there will be another swim time. Paulette went to see Sex in the City. I didn't think it was appropriate for Shae s0 we stayed home to rest. Shae took a really long nap and when I woke her up she said, "Auntie P didn't come back last night." She was happy when I told her it was still Saturday and Auntie P would be back to take her to her house at six o'clock.

When they left I went dancing. Paulette danced on Friday night.

Sunday morning I got ready to go to the Women's fitness run/walk in a very quiet apartment. They met me at the end of the race and we visited all of the booths and got some almonds, some magnets and Jamba Juice coupons. Paulette and Shae walked with me back to my car and set off walking to Old Sacramento and then a Rivercats game. I bought my Sunday papers, came home, made pesto with goat cheese and tossed it with roasted potatoes and green beans. It is really good. I had lunch and read my newspapers. I went to a West Coast Swing lesson and Paulette brought Shae to come home with me. I thought she would go to sleep easily after a shower and snack. Although very quiet she did not sleep until about 9:30.

It's 9:30 Monday now and we have been for a bike ride for her and walk for me to the pond where we saw a daddy duck and a baby duck and three jack rabbits. Shae is playing dominos and when I finish here I get to play with her.

Friday

2008-06-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

We are waiting for Paulette to come get us for the Monarchs game tonight. I have resorted to a timer and cartoons to avoid answering the "When is Auntie P coming?" question a thousand more times.

Yesterday on the way home I heard a mother of a young child describe her life as: "Molly gets up and gets on the Molly train and I get on the Molly train and away we go all day long." I can say I get on the talking Shae train every morning.

Thursday we had our final party at my school. Shae went with the kids to watch Cinderella until it was time to eat. Yes we had watched it two days ago. The party, a huge success, included the giving of certificates to students for their hours in class. AND of course a lot of homemade Mexican food. Shae tried nopales (cactus) salad. She liked it but didn't ask for seconds. One of my students pointed out there were some real hot peppers in it. She didn't get any of them in her mouth.

We came home and she played with the art supplies Maria Paz had given her. I finished David's T-shirt quilt. It is not fancy but it holds his sports, concert and other memories together in one place. And there are not five boxes of T-shirts in their garage. Shae helped me take out all of the safety pins I had used while tying and binding the quilt. An exciting game for about fifteen minutes.

We went to the swimming pool for a about thirty minutes. She broke the no running rule so no swimming today. When she was talking to her mother this afternoon she said "I didn't go swimming today." There was a pause and I said tell her why. Shae covered the mouthpiece of the phone and said, "She didn't ask." Daddy had already asked why so it was no secret.

We had a snack and it was time for a little bicycle ride to the duck pond. We had a nice walk and ride to the pond and she got to take a couple of pictures with her (not digital) camera. I am amazed at how much she can talk, how many questions she can ask and every answer requires a WHY. I am saying there is no why. I get a puzzled look and she says "OK" and goes on to the next question.

We had garlic, chicken and pasta for dinner along with some potato salad I had made. She likes my potato salad and said she had never had potato salad before.

Bedtime took a while because of phone calls to say goodnight. Here's how it went: She called David, not available, then Robin was unavailable. As we hung up Denise called from Florida. Of course she had to talk to her for a few minutes. While we were talking Robin called back. Then we called back to Robin. Then everyone had to say goodnight and she wanted to start over again. We read two short books and she went to sleep.

Today we went to Dixon to clear out some stuff and junk. That done we went to Davis for lunch and bought some post cards for her to send her family. We shopped at the coop and picked up the box of vegetables. A trip to midtown Sacramento for my race number for Sunday and we were home. It was rest time. Yes, for both of us. We had a snack, she wrote her postcards and we mailed them when I picked up my mail. She got a letter from home and was very excited. We played Animal Rummy for as long as I could. Now this darn waiting.

GO MONARCHS!

PS

2008-06-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

I forgot to tell you all about our two encounters with "wildlife": Monday morning a ladybug rode all the way to Dixon on the windshield. It crawled behind the windshield wiper for the freeway drive. I guess it didn't want a second ride--It was gone when we went home. Then when I was cutting some fresh apricots, there was a worm inside who seemed to be eating the pit. Shae corrected me when I said it was eating the seed. When she looked she said, "You mean the pit." My bad.

Tuesday

2008-06-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

We left home very early (6AM) to have coffee with my friend Adrienne. Shae, a real trooper, dressed, brushed teeth and hair and buckled into her car seat without protest. Perhaps she was just dazed at the early hour.

At Marketplace she pointed out "the three little pigs" dancing in front of Noah's bagels and Peet's coffee. I asked what kind of bagel she liked. "What are my options?" she asked. She chose sesame seed--not toasted, no cream cheese. From the juice options she chose Mango Tango over Monster C and orange.

Adrienne arrived, we ate, drank Mango Tango and lattes and talked. Shae asked to see Adrienne's bicycle after she found out she had ridden it. She told Adrienne I had bought her a camera and added "It's not digital." (It's single use)

In the computer lab she continued to click away on the English Rosetta Stone program. After our break and snack she stayed with Maria Paz (babysitter) and the Spanish speaking kids. It helped there was a girl in class who spoke English.

We visited the district office to pick up the student certificates. She explored Telly's desk while Telly answered questions about everything. She had half-and-hour nap on the drive home.

After lunch she rode her bicycle (She rides, I walk, jog and run) to the polling place so I could vote. The poll workers, all grandparent age, talked to Shae. One man asked if her bicycle was registered and did she have a license. She said, "No" with a very worried look on her face. I told him she was from Nevada. He said. "That explains it. You're OK" She gave him half a smile. Biking back to the apartment, we change to swim suits and have time for a half-hour swim.

We dry off, dress and have a snack. Then watch Cinderella (I admit I dozed from the losing of the glass slipper to the end of the wedding.)

Auntie P showed up just after Shae started asking "When will Auntie P be here?" Continuing our busy day, we stopped at Michael's to buy soap for Paulette's class to make father's day gifts. Then Paulette went into Home Depot to find out about the first Saturday craft hours. We ate Swedish meatballs, mac and cheese and frozen yogurt at IKEA for dinner. Shae went home with Paulette. I watched two episodes of Ballykissangel (I get this BBC comedy from Netflix.)

Wednesday she will come home with me after my Argentine Tango lesson.

Our first full day together

2008-06-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Shae is too tired to type her own entry. Since we read Animals live in Trees she has not asked for anything, no water, no I forgot to tell you something. I peeked in and she is sound asleep. WOW.

We went to work this morning. She followed me around as I opened the classrooms and got ready for class. I took her to the babysitter, Maria Paz. (Maria takes care of our students' children.) After about 45 minutes Maria came to get me. Shae was afraid and didn't want to stay because all of the kids were speaking Spanish. So she joined me with my students in the computer lab. I gave her the English Rosetta Stone disc and showed her how to listen and click and for the next 45 minutes she clicked away. "I really like that disc." she said as we made our way to break time. In the classroom she was a hit with the five ladies who were in class. (You can tell it is the end of school--attendance is very low. Until the party.) The ladies practiced their English by asking her questions.

After class we went to COSTCO. "Are we in Reno?" She asked as we walked toward the doors. "No this is Woodland." It struck me that children are growing up without being able to tell they have crossed a state line. And they are seldom more than twenty from a favorite, or at least familiar, fast food store. We had COSTCO Pizza for lunch.

After a twenty minute rest for both of us we hit the swimming pool for an hour. Washed the pool water out of our hair and set off for Longs Drugs. I walked and Shae rode her bicycle. For me. alone, it is a ten minute walk each way; including our ten minutes inside we were gone about an hour.

After dinner we started watching ANNIE--too many things to explain so we watched Shrek one. She is not old enough for ANNIE. I found I didn't like it very much anyhow.

Shae's visit

2008-06-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Here's Shae with Daddy and Skyler at 5pm on Sunday when Daddy and Skyler left to go back to Reno.

After church in Reno, Daddy and Skyler and Shae drove for three hours to Sacramento.

We all went swimming and Auntie P came to Grandma's and swam with us. We had a lot of fun in the water. Shae's life jacket works very well and she is learning too move herself around in the water. Skyler brought his water rockets to throw in the pool and dive to get them.

Grandma cooked chicken and rice and made a salad and we had dinner. We had vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Shae will type her own message:

to mom dad skyler sterling I love you and miss you. shae

kykh0jkjkikk8ku9uui,mihnmnmn vv ,,,kjllfkykn,kty;[]o7oypy-6-6-=--pokpllopk[[;[']'g]'\\

Shae tried her touch typing here and we don't know what it say.

May

2008-05-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been taking up my time since the great weekend at Bodega Bay.

I take lessons and dance at Spotlight Dance Studio. Twice a year the studio puts on a showcase and the students and teachers dance choreographed pieces. One is in December and low key-- some people say it is a practice for the one in May. Last fall, Paulette asked me if I wanted to dance with The Girlfriends; a group of eight women from thirties to sixties. I said OK. One of the teachers choreographed a routine and we set out to learn it and get the moves in our muscle memory. We danced in two shows in December.

After the December shows, I thought but, didn't say aloud, "I'm not going to do that again." I felt clumsy. Then in March someone said, "We have to start practicing for the May Showcase." I didn't say anything, I showed up for practice. Our music was "Get on Your Feet" by Gloria Estafan and it was a FAST cha cha. Paulette agreed to some extra coaching and practice time with me. Inspired by the lyrics, "Get on your feet...Get up and make it happen, and ...deep in your heart is the answer that will pull you through" I did get up and make it happen.

The entire week May 4-9 was taken up with tech and dress rehearsals and the performances. It was a great week. We performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and a Saturday matinee. A group of my friends came to see the shows. I am so glad I did it.

NOW the WNBA season has started. We, the Sacramento Monarchs, won both the pre-season and opening games. And last night the Seattle Storm blew us away. We will get them next time.

Bodega Bay Weekend

2008-04-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

We walked on the beach and some got into the cold, cold water up to their waists. Not me!

There was kite flying and it is hard to get the kite and the flier in a little digital camera. Then we went to the tide pools in search of sea anemones and starfish. Few sea anemones but starfish seem to be out of season.

We had a great time and the weather was great. Our new rental was fantastic. There is a lot more room than the little cottage we had rented the previous two years. This one had a dishwasher, a working coffee pot, with a complimentary bag of beans form the management company. We didn't bring too much food and had great meals thanks to Robin's cooking.

That's us on the spiral staircase.

WARNING do not read the next lines if your weather is still bad.

When we returned to the valley it was 92 degrees.

I'm not going to say it was cold Monday and this morning if it is still winter in Nebraska. It is just perfect this afternoon and I can hear the birds singing outside my window.

This and that.

2008-04-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

To Shirley: Yes, we do want to be healthy and able to get around on our own. Probably a good thing I didn't come to visit. Doesn't sound like you guys would have been much fun. Also, the airlines are not very dependable these days. Shoddy maintenance, cancelled flights, bankruptcy and so on. Not a good time for me to travel. Thanks for the cranes with moon picture on you blog.

Shae came and stayed with me for three days. We had fun. She is full of questions. And knows a lot of answers. She states them with a lot of authority.

I just had a health scare. They called me back for an additional mammogram. The good news is they had to take about 8 pictures with a different machine to even find what had shown up on the original. And then didn't find anything. The doctor wants to check again in six months. The bad news is I had to be squeezed eight times. And it hurt. Finally I relaxed enough not to hurt so much.

BIG NEWS. Paulette and I are booked on an Alaskan Cruise starting in Seattle August 1. It is seven days with stops in Ketchikan, Juno, Sitka and Victoria Island, Canada and back to Seattle.

I'm excited.

Paulette can see without glasses or contacts and even looks different. She is still very excited about her surgery and it is, apparently, a total success.

Sutter Buttes

2008-03-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Sutter Buttes, sometimes referred to as the smallest mountain range in the country rise out of the flat Sacramento valley about sixty miles north of Sacramento. These mountains are privately owned. They are visible from Sacramento on clear days and from I5 as you travel along with caravans of big trucks to Oregon. The third time I planned a hike to the buttes it did not storm. Twice before last weekend I had arranged to hike the buttes with friends. Those weekends produced some of the strongest storms of the year on those dates. This time the weather turned out perfect. We hiked for six hours up to the top of one peak. Had lunch and hiked back down. It is a steep hike and when we returned to the cars I was sure I would not be able to walk on Sunday. However I took Aleve and my legs were fine the next day.

The snow-covered mountain in the photo on the right is Mt. Lassen, another mountain I want to hike to the top. The first time I went to hike it the wind blew so hard the rain was almost horizontal. Well not quite but it rained a lot. The next time it was June and the temperature

was about 85f.

Spring

2008-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

We have been doing spring for a while and I was waiting until the midwest temp moved above zero to post these photos.

Trees all over look like cotton candy, pink or white. There were no pink ones on my walk. I have several different routes to walk now that I'm a little more acquainted with my neighborhood. I can walk around two drainage ponds that serve as stops along the migration routes for ducks and geese. At the small one there are a number of very brown jack rabbits. I was afraid they had been displaced by the high water but if they were they are back. Several kinds of ducks are swimming around each time I pass.

Not everyone likes these trees due to allergies. I like them even though they dry out my contacts. I've had my windows open all day for the last two weekends and after the next rain I'm going to put my outdoor table and chairs on the balcony. The tree and fountain are in front of a Bel Air supermarket in Yuba City, CA.

flowers and sunrise

2008-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

Sunrise yesterday morning from my balcony.

My African Violet showing off.

Last week, in my Davis class the student from France left to return home.

She brought me this Freesia plant. I don't know how long it will last under my care but it was beautiful with the morning sun shining on it while I drank my coffee.

See a little corner of my place.

2008-02-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Now you can see where the pieces are displayed.

This is my dining area. I'm standing behind the table. The kitchen is to the left. See the sunrise? About one minute after I took this picture that sunrise was covered by clouds.

In the lower right is an Ikea door for a little cabinet I bought. Paulette and I couldn't get it on. Photo when it is finished. Then I can show you my front door.

See what I made.

2008-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

I had to do something with a quilt Grandma Anderson made for me when I got married. I had used it a lot and it was worn. SO...I cut some of the blocks out and framed them. The top shoe, Mother once told me it was mine. I suppose the other one was Aunt Julia's and maybe Mother's.

These two projects are part of my attempt to have everything in my home have a place instead of stuck in a box for sorting. Paraphrasing Shirley: All this stuff takes up time and energy as well as space.

I'm glad I don't have enough to rent a space at the Brass armadillo.

Here's a piece of Grandma Anderson's wedding china. I used a piece of a quilt she had made me and put it in a barnboard shadowbox frame. Paulette and a couple of friends said it looks good. I'll take a photo of the place where it is hanging later. Both pieces are in the kitchen and the counter is messy.

Pretend Spring

2008-02-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

Pretend Spring is what I call the week in mid February. Around President's day, fog decorates the fields in puffy patches. It also hovers above the water of the river. Sixty degree days bring out the shorts. Flowering trees are tricked into blooming. They pop up between the naked ones. During this week I enjoy as much outdoor activity as possible because I've been here long enough to know winter is hiding in the near future.

For everyone east of Nevada I apologize. I just HAD to write about this winter break.

update

2008-02-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

I-80 was closed overnight from Colfax to the state line. Chain controls are usual but closing is not. It was a wet and windy storm that passed through here last night. Today it is bright blue and sunny. With just a hint of clouds around the edges. I walked outside for over 40 minutes and I can't remember the last time I walked outdoors from home for that long.

The trip to the beach is not on my birthday but the last weekend of April.

I resumed the "company's coming" cleaning that I halted when Sue and Cindy had to cancel their visit. This time I hope to get it finished without a pending visit. Here's something new; the papers on the kitchen table are all from today and yesterday--no pending, what shall I do with this papers. And they papers aren't all on my desk either. I feel like I'm making progress in the paper area.

Wishing you all warmer weather with sunshine.

UPcoming event

2008-01-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

Before I left for the ST. George hotel last Friday, I made a reservation for a beach house at Bodega Bay. This is our/my alternative to a Christmas mess. It is MY birthday celebration. It took a couple of years of suggesting, but now it is a tradition. This is the third annual. We have outgrown the cute little two bedroom place across the street from my good friends Terry and Cynthia. This year we will be down the street a bit in a place with two bedrooms and a loft, all with queen sized beds. There is an iron spiral staircase and from the web photos the view is great.

We arrive for dinner on Friday evening and take a walk on the beach before dark. In the morning there is breakfast and the opening of presents. Last year I used up the last of the Christmas wrap. I get to be creative about wrapping this year. Now I get to go shopping. Last year I had lots of ideas; this year I think I may have to ask for ideas.

Last year Skyler and Paulette took an early morning walk on the beach. After breakfast we all go to the beach. We wear shorts, swim suits and rolled up pants to walk along the edge of the water. There hasn't been much interest in digging in the sand. At low tide we go looking for sea anemones and starfish on the rocks. One year there were a lot; last year not so many.

January

2008-01-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

Is it Monday again, already? I see I didn't do what I thought I would last week--add something during the week. You, in the midwest, are cold. Here in California we are getting webbed feet. And the little boxes on the seven day forecast all have rain in them. And there are chain controls over all the mountain passes. I'm grateful it is still well above zero during all of this.

Here goes a story about the weekend. On Friday, before the next storm rolled in I filled my car with gas and drove to Volcano, California. Volcano has half a main street and on that street is the St. George Hotel. First built during the Gold Rush, it burned down twice and is now made of brick. I have, over the years I've lived in California, driven past the St. George and wanted to stay there. Now I have. There are rumors that ghosts inhabit the place. I didn't see one. There had been a ghost hunter group in the hotel the week-end before and I think they scared them away.

A group of women I gather with several times a year went on a week-end trip. There were six of us in the hotel and on Saturday we met the other two at the home of one who lives nearby for food and talking. We do have a wonderful time.

Back to the hotel. I stayed in the Rough and Ready room. It is about the size of a walk-in closet, very cozy. We had (Friday) dinner reservations and had all arrived so we went into the saloon. I walked in ahead of my friend Maggie and a man (who had probably been there all afternoon) turned on his barstool, looked at me and said, "Are you alone?" I replied, No, I'm with her." pointing to Maggie. He muttered as he turned back to his beer, "Don't say that around here." This misconception did not stop him from trying to pick up all six of us when the rest of our group arrived. WE forty, fifty and sixty somethings had a good laugh at his expense and I doubt he even knew it.

Dinner was very good and somewhat expensive since we had wine and dessert and worth every dollar.

On Saturday the sun came out in the foothills and it didn't rain until the middle of the night. Sunday morning started with clouds and by the time I finished the brunch the rain had started again. Sigh. I had planned to take photos of the wet barns along the road. I did get some coffee and the best oatmeal raisin cookie I've had in a while in Amador City on the way home.

catching up

2008-01-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

On a holiday to honor the man with the dream. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Paso Doble classes were a lot of fun. Correction: The leader is the matador and the follower is the cape. I think the music must be the bull. I won't be performing the dance in public but sure do love the music and knowing how to do three or four moves.

Last week was my first week of teaching two classes instead of one so my work day started at 8:00AM and ended at 2:15PM with an hour break and 20 minutes travel time between jobs. The new class has twenty-five people and we represent seventeen countries. These students are so excited about learning to speak English although they have studied in books in their countries. Some have also had teachers who spoke British English (as we call it here). That adds to the difficulty of learning and adds to the fun.

Survey: What do you call an object given to you to remember someone or some event?

It was also a week of extra things to do. A friend was visiting from Seattle--so we had dinner. Another friend had her 90th birthday so there was a little tea party with her. And I attended a school board meeting, fortunately I did not have to stay for the entire meeting. Then Friday there were errands to do before the dance class and after that we drove to Reno.

Saturday, Paulette and I went to Reno and watched the kids while their parents went to a wedding. It was great fun. Paulette is so good at keeping order. Sterling walks all over now, Shae tries to boss everyone around and is ALWAYS right, Skyler is the school boy (Kindergarten) and big brother. He takes care of his sisters and fights with the oldest one.

Today is a holiday and I have been to the Apple store to learn to turn my video tapes into movies. I went to COSTCO and spent money. Now I'm home until school starts again tomorrow. I have to decide what to teach.

I finished The Virgin Blue, by Tracy Chevalier and I'm now reading The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich.

Something to think about: "Our minds are like crows. They pick up everything that glitters, no matter how uncomfortable our nests get with all that metal in them." --Thomas Merton

follow up to comments, etc.

2008-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Changing Shirley's resolution, Here's mine:

Keep the vices simple and acceptable, like chocolate.

Keep peace with world wide neighbors.

And may each new year find you a better person.

Be positive. It's all good.

Dance: Paso Doble is so much fun--did I already say that? This Friday we are going to do the matador and bull steps.

Thanks LaDawn. And aren't you a little curious about the gifts?

January 9

2008-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

It is good to be back to work. My new class--the one I'm subbing for ten weeks--is great. It is Adult ESL and there are twenty-two students are from 8 or 9 different countries.

I have a group of people who will talk (not always true in a new class) and answer any question I propose. So far they have been game for my daily questions: What did you see on the way to school? Trees, wet streets, people running and kids in the park. What time do you wake up? What time do you go to sleep? Everyone gets up between 5am and 9am. They go to sleep between 9pm and 2am. It is fun to be back to work four days a week for two hours a day. I think this is what I will do next fall.

On Monday I will add my five day a week, three hours a day class. I do have a computer lab to assist me with this class. And I know most of the students and do not have to learn names.

Must plan the fun for tomorrow and practice my Paso Doble.

January 5

2008-01-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Next to last day of vacation and I am picking things up and finishing them. I'm at the computer because I had a printer cord to attach and decided to check email and see what everyone is blogging. Looks like LaDawn is on her computer.

Weather update: It rained for about two hours and the possible thunderstorm was one very wimpy thunder--I didn't see the lightening. There was a warning about snow on the radio; it might get down to 2500 feet because cold weather is moving in. That's low enough for the hills around Vacaville and San Francisco.

Last night I took a Paso Doble lesson. There is one song for the dance and it is not usually a social dance. It was so much fun. My first new adventure of 2008.

Jury duty etc.

2008-01-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Here's how it went. On Dec. 31 I decided to call the information number and find out what was happening at the courthouse. My number was not mentioned. Like a blinding flash it hit me that Dec. 31 was my first day--the day I had to report. YIKES!! I brushed my teeth, finished dressing and was on my way by 8:30am I arrived at the courthouse about 9:00am At the security check-in I said I thought I was late. Don't worry, they'll wait. said the uniformed guard.

Upstairs in the jury room I stopped at the window and said I'm sorry I'm late. The woman handed me eight typed pages. You missed orientation. Read this and come back. I obeyed. Back at the window after reading the pages the woman said, Your group was cancelled. Do you want to stay anyhow?. Sure, why not, I nodded. She scanned my card and said Have a seat. So I did.

I read for a while, looked around for coffee and found the machine. I heard other latecomers try to tell their long stories and be accepted.

I drank coffee and kept reading. At 11:30am they announced there would be no cases tried today and everyone was dismissed. We were instructed to make lines to get our proof of jury duty and we could go home. We were thanked for fulfilling our obligation for a year. Maybe next time I'll get into a courtroom.

TODAY, Jan. 3 I had lunch with a friend I hadn't talked to in about two years. We are all caught up and promised each other to not wait so long. I got home before the first of three winter storms arrived. There was a lot of rain and some wind. The second storm sounds worse. There are blizzard warnings in the mountains, not just snow warnings. The winds might get to tropical storm or hurricane winds in the valley. Sacramento is in the valley. I can't remember what the third storm is suppose to do and there is rain on the next seven squares of the weather forecast.

About the photo on my previous post. Who made this sculpture? That's a better question.

California artist. Taught at UC Davis. Lived in Davis. Did some controversial art. His work is one of two or three California artists that I can recognize. Enough info Shirley?

One more day

2007-12-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone know who this artist's name?

2007 is closing out. The newspapers and TV are picking the ten best or worst or whatever. It is hardly worth buying the Sunday papers.

Yesterday I saw a movie that I think I will buy when it comes out on DVD. I have only purchased three DVDs. JUNO is the movie and the philosophy that comes out in the teen language brought me to laughter and tears. Familiar faces playing new characters and doing an excellent job.

New Year's resolutions anyone????

Today I put up shelves in my storage area. It looks very tidy now. It will be even better when I sort out the last two boxes of stuff.

Dec. 25, 26, 27

2007-12-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day: Here's how it went. My friend Jeannette came from Davis and we walked to Subway for lunch. And for exercise. Then we went to see Atonement. Intense movie.

Wednesday, I drove to Davis and Jeannette and I had soup at her house and then walked downtown to see Margo at the Wedding. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Oh, on the 24th, while most of Sacramento was shopping, I saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I do like Nicolas Cage.

Today, Paulette and I went to the Folsom Premium Outlets and shopped for four or five hours. We didn't get to see everything but saw enough and bought enough.

I must enjoy the weekend and New Year's Eve because I am on call for Jury Duty. I have to call in on Dec. 31. Guess I won't be going out of town for a while.

Holidays

2007-12-24T12:14:00.001-08:00

Solstice Sunrise service. Saturday morning 7:00am, 31 degrees.

Thirty people gathered at the edge of the river to welcome the return of the light. We shared coffee from Peets in cardboard to-go boxes. As the coffee cooled we shared warm hugs. Mist rose off the river as we created a sharing circle. Our song "Morning Has Broken" hailed the sunrise. A silent fly-by of geese completed the scene. We filled a small cafe almost to capacity for breakfast.

9:15am

As I left the cafe I called Paulette. Where are you she asked. I'm on my way to your house. I said. She said: I was on my way to your house after a stop at the bank, I'll see you at my house. I stopped at Starbucks for a Grande cup of tea and we arrived at her house within minutes of each other. Paulette's stuff transfered to my car because I have chains and her spider spikes haven't been installed. There is a 10% chance of snow over the mountain pass to Reno.

The Johnston home in Reno is active to chaotic. The Grinch is on TV. Sterling, doesn't feel well and sleeps in my arms while the dancer, Shae, gets her makeup applied by Robin. Parents shower, Skyler gets dressed as his pants come from the dryer. Paulette sneaks her gifts under their tree. My heart is as full as the new Grinch heart as I observe all of this.

By 3:30pm we arrive at the Del Monte High school parking lot and wait for Robin's parents to join us. We find our seats. The recital begins. The line of twenty to twenty five reindeer skips onto the stage. In a whisper, Skyler asks where's my sister? He sees her. Each reindeer does the step she knows best and some of the others. They all skip off the stage. All siblings, parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles are proud.

We drive, in three separate vehicles to the Nuggett Casino and find Rosie's cafe for dinner. It is about 7:00pm when we return to The Johnston's house. Shae is excited about her two roses. She and Skyler are told to get into pajamas. This accomplished Paulette and I say goodbye and good night.

We drive home through the magical mountain landscape. There is enough snow on the mountain to reflect the light of the almost full moon. Traffic is light and we have an uneventful trip home. We are at Paulette's house just before eleven. I am home and getting into bed at 11:30.

Wishing you all the best Holidays of the season.

School's out

2007-12-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone from Sterling and me.

My last post was rather dreary so here's something different. Thanks LaDawn for the invitation to visit. I checked airfare and it would use up too much of my Alaska money for next summer. I baked some cookies for a group meeting, they didn't eat all of them. I gave some away and am wearing the last dozen on my hips.

I'm traveling to Volcano, Ca for a weekend at a gold rush era hotel the end of January.

I mailed gift cards to Denise and her family in Florida. Since Denise let me know how much her sons look forward to taking their cards to the mall and shopping together I have a different outlook.

We had some rain and some cold (to us) weather so it seems like winter. There have been thousands of geese and one foggy morning a cloud of smaller migrating birds. flying over my car in the morning.

I'm no longer cranky. There is a sunrise solstice service tomorrow and a Christmas Eve service on Monday. And I'm looking forward to the New Year's Eve Dance.

I mailed a short story to a contest.

per LaDawn's request.

2007-12-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Attention to my blog.

I did answer the list of questions. Whose psychology/sociology paper am I now a part of?

The first of December I thought I might write a poem a day during December for this blog. I'm already seven days behind.

For my friend Joan: Today is your birthday. Your are my role model. You are amazing. Fifteen years my senior, when you started sprinting to the finish in the Davis Turkey Trot, I could not catch you. Keep pulling me along. You do set the bar high. Your parties are the best and I wish you many, many more birthdays.

I am spending a lot of time practicing for the Winter Showcase at the dance studio. I am part of The Girlfriends. We are dancing a cha cha show piece.

Although I'm about 1500 miles away from Omaha, the shooting has made me sad. I'm grateful that none of my family was shopping that day. I have been wondering if they knew any of the victims.

Why is this country fighting terrorists in foreign lands when we continue to have plenty of home-grown ones?

The HOLIDAY season makes me cranky and I don't even shop or bake or travel.

2007-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

1. Were you named after anyone? I don't know. Maybe Myrna Loy because people of a certain age ask if I was.

2. When was the last time you cried? This morning watching the photos of the Omaha victims. I also cry when I'm proud of someone, sad, happy or touching TV commercials.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Real turkey

5. Do you have kids? 1 son 2 daughters

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Maybe.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I'm trying to quit.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

9. Would you bungee jump? No.

10. What is your favorite cereal? Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins and Honey Nut Cheerios

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes, How else can you get them off?

12. Do you think you're strong? Yes.

13 What is your favorite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Eyes.

15. Red or pink? Pink.

16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My weight, but only the part that won't go away.

17. Who do you miss the most? I really can't say.

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Black.

19. What was the last thing you ate? A phony Oreo.

20. What are you listening to right now? The hum of my external hard drive.

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Magenta

22. Favorite smells? Mountains, oceans and newborn babies.

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Denise.

24. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I think so.

25. Favorite sports to watch? WNBA Basketball.

26. Hair color? Brown with gray.

27. Eye color? Hazel

28. Do you wear contacts? Yes.

29. Favorite food? A real hamburger.

30. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings

31. Last movie you watched? Lover Come Back, Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

32. What color shirt are you wearing? Black

33. Summer or winter? Winter

34. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs

35. Favorite dessert? Blueberry pie al a mode.

36. What book are you reading now? The Four Gated City by Doris Lessing.

37. What is on your mouse pad? Puffins photographed by Tom Mangelsen.

38. What did you watch on TV late last night? Nothing.

39. Favorite sound? The migrating geese that just flew by.

40. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles

41. What is the farthest you have been from home? Barcelona Spain

42. Do you have a special talent? I don't really know.

43. Where were you born? Oakland, NE

(Some answers subject to change without notice)

Thanksgiving tradition

2007-11-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

If you want to join us next Thanksgiving, meet at Paulette's house at 8:00am Thanksgiving day.

8:30am Here we are waiting for the 9:00am start. many people have their cameras out and are taking pictures. Paulette took some with her phone and I had my camera strapped to my side this time.

This was the 14th annual Run to Feed the Hungry, we have only missed one of them. The first one had about 800 runners, yesterday there were more than 22,000. All of the money goes to the Sacramento food bank so at $30 per person it is a substantial amount. As we waited I asked Paulette how much money did she think had been spent for all of the running shoes. Even more substantial number since there were some serious runners who probably paid $200+ for their shoes. Well you have to do something while you wait for the start of the race.

The people behind me. The people in front of me.

I passed a lot of them before the end.

It took me 50 minutes to walk the 5K.

Owl visitor

2007-11-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

something special today

2007-11-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

When I came up to my door this afternoon, something flew between me and the door. I was startled but looked at the ledge to my left and there was a little owl. Yes a little owl. I think it is a burrowing owl. I took a couple of pictures and it posed very nicely for me. It stayed for a long time.

Monday, 11/12/07

2007-11-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

My computer is home again. The 'little' tune-up turned into a hard drive crash and now I have a new operating system and I-Life 08. And I am starting from scratch with a lot of things that didn't get recovered. I also have an external hard drive for back up on a regular basis. They saved my address book and I had backed up my photos before I took it in and everything else is either on line or I think I have a hard copy. I got rid of some junk. I do have to redo most of my bookmarks.

Shirley: Happy Birthday again.

We had a great celebration for Shae and Sterling. They came to California. We had lunch at Olive Garden because Shae got to choose. We went to the Make-a-Bear store and had a blast making a purple hippo, a pink cat and Cody from Surf's UP. Then we went to Paulette's house.

On the way to Paulette's house Shae asked if I would sleep with her. I told her I was going to my house to sleep. After we had been lounging around for a while (as much as you can with three little kids and four adults) Shae announced "I'm going home with Grandma to sleep." I said it was fine if it was ok with mom and dad. She turned to her parents and almost dared them to disagree with her pronouncement.

A few days away

2007-11-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

My computer will be getting an annual service or whatever. I will be reading blogs from another computer that doesn't want to let me comment.

Something that made my world a little nicer:

I was taking my daily, well almost daily, walk a few days ago. I walk through a nice neighborhood. A young mother and her baby--he is about 8-10 months old--were sitting in the open garage door. As I passed the baby was talking. I looked over and he was throwing me kisses--lots of kisses. I thanked him, threw a kiss back and smiled at his proud mother. My walk was no longer boring exercise.

week in review

2007-10-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon and I thought of taking a nap but there is too much to do. So...I guess I'll sit here at the computer for a while.

Wednesday a dance friend planned a surprise dinner for Paulette. She was surprised when we started arriving at the restaurant. She thought she was having dinner with one person. We had a very good time and as you might expect the conversation was mostly about dancing. I took two pictures of her and her eyes were closed on both of them. At least she had clothes on; at her third birthday party she wore only her underpants.

I bought tires on line. That was Tuesday and they are at the COSTCO warehouse ready to be put on. Must call for an appointment. That was easy and I got a good discount.

Smoke from Southern California is drifting up here and making the air kind of icky; but we do not have fires.

Not a very exciting week. Must make some phone calls before everyone leaves their offices for the weekend.

October

2007-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

October arrives in the middle of my annual sad time. It starts about September 20th and continues until today, October 16. Yes on The anniversary of Bob's birthday my sadness begins to lift. Tomorrow Skyler will be six. I remember being in the birthing room and as the clock ticked past midnight and thought, He didn't make Bob's birthday. The deaths: Mom 9/20, Dad 9/24, Tony 9/25 and Bob 10/9. I'm not saying I curl up in bed during this time but I am aware of an undercurrent of sadness. And I can be extra cranky. Life goes on, and I'm glad.

My favorite month is October. Besides Skyler's birthday, The fall color in the mountains was so magnificant that year. A week later is Paulette's birthday; It was such a beautiful fall day when she was born in Mississippi.
The autumn trees are about to go into "full bloom", the rains have come, the temps are down and I have traded my sandals for shoes. Today the red trees on Highway 13 added a little cheer to the rainy landscape and the Ginko trees are turning lime green before they become giant golden bubbles or triangles.

Birds decorated the partly cloudy sky this morning and the western sky glowed orange and pink and gray from the rising sun. The waterways around Sacramento provide rest stops for the migrating birds and there are different ones every day. When I open a window in the morning the geese fly over with loud honks.

Sweaters and jackets litter the chairs in my living room and office. I don't know why I don't hang them back in the closet.

The first weekend of October Paulette and I went to the Ashland, OR Shakespeare festival. We watched Romeo and Juliet outdoors and it was a way cool play and the temperature was way, way cool. The next afternoon we saw On The Razzle, inside. I thought we were going to be inside on Saturday night but Paulette went to the theater box office and sent me a text message, Bundle up. She had traded As You Like it for The Tempest. Good trade and it was way, way, way cool at the end of the Tempest.

Last weekend we met David and his family in Placerville and went to Apple Hill. All of the orchards, wineries and the Jack Russell brewing company have open house from the end of September until November sometime. They bought pumpkins, apples, Indian corn and squash. I bought everyone a pint at Jack Russell. Paulette bought Apple Carmel Sundaes at High Hill Farms. Yes they are as good as they sound. Skyler and Shae rode the ponies that walk in a circle. A California substtitute for Bubba.

I had yesterday off and finally took my car in to have the driver's side window motor fixed. It cost a lot. I didn't work because it was Columbus Day. Yes I know that holiday was last Monday for most of the country but the Dixon School district decided on the 15th.

Hawaii pictures

2007-09-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

OK so I haven't been to Hawaii for about thirty years. My MAC teacher David was amused when I said I think I'll mess with my family's mind. Grammatically that sentence is a loser.

Anyhow I was practicing how to get my photos into this blog form I-Photo. Those photos are random ones from the computer at the Apple store. Now I know. I'll be working on something this weekend.

2007-09-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

I went skiing on the big island Then to maui and the beach.