Home From a Great Weekend

We got home late Saturday night from a very full holiday weekend.Thanksgiving day, Lauree and Jim, Jimmy's sister and brother-in-law, hosted 38 of us! There's 37 in this photo and we are all somehow loosely related: brothers, sisters, inlaws, outlaws, steps, cousins, aunts, uncles, significant others, nieces, nephews, moms, dads...

the next day I went to visit bff Danielle. Her sister and friend were there too!

and later that evening, we went to San Diego to have dinner with niece Ashley, Mike, shy SIL, and the parentals.

The days passed much too quickly. Didn't get the chance to see everyone I would have liked to see or do as much as I wanted to, but very happy and grateful with what we were able to do.
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24Nov "Today I am Thankful For"

...a safe drive down to Southern California
...being able to drive down to S. California today instead of tomorrow (if we thought traffic was bad today, tomorrow will be 10x worse).

photo from a few years ago on the 405fwy near Long Beach and LAX. didn't get the chance to take photos on the drive down tonight because it was dark.
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Unexpected turn of events

We were in S. California for quick business meeting and to spend some time with family. But on the day we were leaving, I walked out to the car and saw this:
GASP. Am I really seeing what I'm seeing?
Um. Yea. In the middle of the night, some teenagers (according to a witness) decided to do a quick smash and grab.SIGH.
Well, it happens. Even in nice neighborhoods. Sure, it's a pain in the ass dealing with filing a criminal report, calling insurance, getting the window fixed, and replacing what was stolen. But honestly, we count our blessings whenever we don't meet our assailants. This was the 3rd time one of our cars had gotten broken into. Hopefully 3rd time is a charm and we've paid our dues.

On another note!
Enjoyed a relaxing walk with my SIL along the beach at Crystal Cove the day before the drama.

Now we're home, safe and sound. Spending the rest of the weekend as quietly and drama free as possible.
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I just can't help myself

I went to Disneyland again! Sure, I just went 6 weeks ago, but when Phin suggested going, I couldn't say no! How can you say no to the Happiest Place On Earth?

When I went in April, we missed the fireworks show and it's one of the best firework shows I've seen. It's 2nd only to the New York City 4th of July Firework Show that I saw in 1996. But the Disney fireworks show is a theatrical extravaganza. The fireworks and light show are synchronized to the music of the various themed lands, for instance Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and so forth, plus the most popular rides within that land like Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. And keep an eye out for Tinkerbell!! She actually flies in and sprinkles her pixie dust magic over the castle.

Click on pics to enlarge and see Tinkerbell in 2 of 'em.








technical details for those who want it:
Camera: Canon Rebel
Lens: Tamron 28-200 (handheld)
ISO: 1600
shutter speed: 1/15 sec
Aperture: auto but varied from f/4 to f/22
(I admit I'm very happy with how these came out. Probably the best fireworks shots I've taken. I'm most pleased because I used the big lens without a tripod. I think it's because I increased the ISO and found the magic shutter speed to work with where I was standing. None of the photos have been altered aside from straightening.)
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Graduation

The Claremont Colleges
Alma mater to 3 of our immediate family: Jimmy, Eretz and for the Class of 2008 our niece Bretz. Who happens to be Eretz's daughter.
And employer to 2 more: Sretz and Mretz.

I think they should dedicate a building after us. Or a sports facility.
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Far From Paradise

I'm the type of person who usually blogs about the warm fuzzies in life. I try focus on the affirmative. No need to dwell on the negative. Or at least publicize it. But sometimes, I come across something so distressing that it sticks with me for days, weeks, or a lifetime.

Right now, this something is the Salton Sea.

I can't explain the technical or environmental issues that have/are happened here, but I can tell you what I saw and what I felt when we went to the Salton Sea last Friday evening.
As we approached the Salton Sea, it looked like just about any other lake in the California desert.

In fact, there were glimpses of paradise.

But here are a few things about this body of water that's not typical:
-The surface of the sea is over 200 feet below sea level.
-Currently, agricultural runoff via nearby rivers, is largely responsible for sustaining it.
-There's no outlet, so evaporation is the only way the water is lost, leaving more salt than water.
-Because of the evaporation, the concentration of pesticides and pollutants left in the sea increases.
-Approximately 400 species of birds have been documented at the Salton Sea and it's a major resting stop for migratory birds.
-Thousands of birds have mysteriously died since 1996 at the Salton Sea and is still a significant issue today.

Here's another almost picturesque photo.

But are you ready for a closer look?
It's not sand that lines the sea shore...
it's salt...barnacles...

fish bones and carcasses.

Millions of fish carcasses left because of massive die-offs.

And there are more dead fish floating in the sea.

I don't think I need to go into detail about the stench.

Some of the die-offs are unexplainable, others occur every year during the hot summer months when the water evaporates and oxygen levels decrease dramatically.

While a few people claim the water is safe, my eyes tell me differently.

Of course, my observations totally oversimplify the actual issues. Jimmy and I talked it for hours, he's spent countless more researching it. And I've scratched the surface reading about it online. I'm a visual learner, just reading about something doesn't have nearly the impact as actually seeing it in person or being able to touch or smell it. And even though my tendencies are to gloss over the icky stuff, I know when I've been slapped in the face of reality.
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Legoland highlights - Day 4

On our last day we went to Legoland in Carlsbad, near San Diego. I've never been so it was nice exploring new territory. Although I admit that it was most fun for me to see the kids enjoying themselves so much.This Lego tourist dude was right at the entrance. If it had been a little more feminine, it could have been me with all those cameras!

Photo opportunities galore! This lego great white enjoys his Alaskan meal.

Lifesize Cross Country Volvo XC90 made out of legos. Very cool, especially since my better half drives a Volvo. And likes Legos.

Early the next morning I dropped my friends off at the airport and as they flew back to the Great White North, I drove home. I was tired and eager to see Jimmy, but spending those days with my friends will be cherished forever.
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Hollywood Highlights - Day 3

After 2 days at Disneyland, the adults needed a little break from, as Sandy said "The Mouse". Since Sandy, "J" and "S" had never explored Los Angeles before, we decided to do the quick Los-Angeles-in-6-hours tour.

Our first stop was Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Boulevard. This was the 1st time I'd been here even though I worked less than 2 miles from here when Jimmy and I lived in Southern California. It's just one of those places that you never visit if you live there.

So, here's a little tip if you happen to visit: If you plan on taking photos with any characters in front of the theater, be prepared to hand over your cash. It's not like Disneyland where you can take a photo with them and move along...these characters expect the cashola. The funny thing was that I thought they were a team, right? So I gave "them" a dollar, but by "them" I mean Supergirl, because Yoda said to me "But what about Yoda? Yoda needs something too."

Yep, that's Keanu Reeve's star. 'Nuf said.

Cuba Gooding was one of our classmates. So we had to take a photo w/ his star as a sort of class reunion, seeing as that was sort of a theme for the week. Too bad Loretta wasn't with us. Or Jimmy.

We also went to Rodeo Drive to do a bit of window shopping.

So I have a paparazzi story for you: We were driving down Rodeo Drive trying to find parking. Next to us was a Land Rover with the back hatch open and a couple of guys with big cameras hanging out. Traffic moved forward and so did I. But the Land Rover stayed put, and so did the Bentley behind me. Neither one would budge till eventually the Land Rover had to move because of all the honking cars behind it. Minutes earlier we were just joking about paparazzi and there they were. But we have no idea who was in that Bentley behind us. We did, however, see Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister on Melrose Ave.


A visit to California wouldn't be complete without a trip to the beach, especially for Alaskans who still had snow on the ground. So we went to Santa Monica Pier to dip toes into the water and have dinner on the pier.

The kids even got to ride on a few rides before the end the day.

On the way back to the hotel, I accidentally drove through South Central LA. It literally looked like a scene from Boyz in the Hood. Which by the way, starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. So I gave my visiting friends both sides of Extreme Los Angeles. Rodeo Drive vs. South Central.
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Graduation and gluttony

We're home from our quick trip to San Diego for our nephew's graduation from UCSD. When we weren't in the car, we were always busy with family and friends. Which always leads to lots of opportunities to eat good food in gargantuan portions.

On our way down to San Diego, we stopped for lunch in Santa Barbara at a little taqueria joint that was supposedly boasted by Julia Childs. I ordered a pork taco and a tortilla stuffed with spicy beans. When I placed the order, the gentleman reiterated that it was Spicy. I thought about it and decided to go ahead and get it. Well, here's a word for the wise: when the Mexican order taker looks you in the eye and tells you "it's spicy" that means that he can tell by looking at you that you won't be able to handle it. We also ordered a dozen fresh homemade corn tortillas for the road, and they were gone before we got to Long Beach.
Before heading down to San Diego, we stopped in Laguna Beach at the graduates parents house (Jimmy's brother) for a few minutes to stretch and enjoy the sea breeze. We arrived in San Diego around 6:30 at Gil's, Jimmy's long time friend and our best man at our wedding. Two of Jimmy's other buddies from high school were there, too. Of course, we headed out for dinner, a delicious Japanese seafood buffet and aside from the sushi, I couldn't resist the tempura - which is oh so tasty but oh so caloric. I definitely had that "I'm on vacation" mentality happening.
Saturday morning, woke up at 5:30 so we could meet the rest of the family to carpool to the graduation. Graduation started at 8:30, but we got there early enough to get seats in the 3rd row.
Nan had commented in my previous post that she wished us a great speaker, good air conditioning, comfortable seats and less people than a large city. I have to laugh because as you can see from the next 2 photos, none of those came to fruition.

Here are the graduates getting their diplomas, outside in the sun. San Diego has temperate weather and it was probably only in the 70s, but when you're sitting in the direct sun for 2 1/2 hours, even 70s is hot. Despite having to wake up so early, we were thankful graduation was early because it was only going to get hotter. Those poor graduates in their black robes! We couldn't imagine what it would be like if it were in the 80s or hotter.

And as far as we could see were friends and family members there to support the graduates. There was an estimated 10,000 people there. And this was just one college's graduation from the university system. But the great thing was there were no tickets or limitations on how many guests the graduate could invite. There were 13 of us at graduation, then we headed to a celebration lunch at PF Chang's where the graduate works and 24 of us gathered in his honor.

After the celebrations, we headed back to Gil's house and chilled for a couple of hours. Our niece joined us for the evening. Before heading out to dinner, we stopped at the Campland RV Resort so she could visit with the Machado family (Jimmy's sister) for a little bit. So fun hanging out with the family. Love 'em all!
After our quick visit, we went to Pacific Beach for a tasty Mexican dinner. The best part though was the companionship and laughs. Gil drove his BIG Toyota Land Cruiser, which was perfect since there were 6 of us. Ashley and I squeezed in the 3rd row bench seat, while the boys all sat up front. They're all bigger than us, so it was the logical thing to do. When Gil parked the car, the boys hopped out of the car, shut the doors and TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT US!! We couldn't get out of that back seat without one of them moving the seat up for us to crawl out. No, they didn't do it on purpose, they just shut the doors and went on their way. 2 of them paid for the parking, the other 2 headed into the restaurant to get a table. Ashley and I were CRACKING up. We could.not.believe that they just left us in there. But it was so freaking funny, too. When Jimmy and Sly walked by the truck after paying for parking, I pounded on the glass so they heard us in there. The windows were tinted, so they couldn't see us. Jimmy called Gil to bring the keys to unlock the doors. Ashley and I laughed even harder because we heard the phone ringing in the car - Gil left it behind. Anyhoo, they finally let us out, they were very embarrassed and we laughed about it over drinks.

Here's the motley crew after dinner during a walk along Pacific Beach. Ashley's such the good sport hanging out with all the "old" folks. She's so cool. Totally comfortable with everyone, no matter who or how old they are.

Sunday, before heading out of town, we had breakfast with Gil in Encinitas. Their claim to fame is "Manhole Sized" pancakes. They are. Yes, I had one but I could only eat about 1/4 of it along with the bacon and 2 eggs that were served with it.

We parked next to this cool workshop. Loved the colors, so had Jimmy take a photo.
Before heading up the coast towards home, we stopped for a Father's Day lunch in Claremont at Jimmy's brother's house. More food, YAY. But they bbq'd pizza and I've been craving pizza for months. I'm so glad I held out, because this was the best pizza I've had in years. I ate 6 slices! Which probably worked out to about one CPK sized pizza. I visited my dearest friend Danielle for about an hour, also. She just moved and now lives 7 minutes from my brother in law's house.
On the way home, we opted to eat in the car. Snacks included a Krispy Kreme donut, which nearly made me barf and a Subway sandwich.

Graduation and gluttony fulfilled.
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A Graduation

Early tomorrow morning we're off to San Diego for our nephew's graduation! Yay!! We're so excited for him. This graduation is the start of our very busy summer.

The older nephew in the photo is the one graduating from the University of California, San Diego this weekend. He was our Jr. groomsman at 7 years old. It's amazing that he's now older than when Jimmy and I got married.

Hockey inCalifornia?!?

The Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup tonight! Go West Coast hockey! The Ducks are bringing the Cup to California!

Ok, truth is, I'm not a sports fan. But Jimmy plays the game so by marriage osmosis:
Hockey is my favorite sport!!
This photo is a flashback to 1996. The Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto and we went that summer. Jimmy's standing next to the Stanley Cup for a photo op.

In 8 hours

Jimmy and I will be leaving for Washington for a much anticipated weekend with my dearest cousin. I haven't seen her in 8 months and it's going to be so much fun!

I should start packing. Laundry still needs to be done. Gifts still need to be wrapped. Cards need to be made. Emails need to be sent. Dishes need to be done and miscellaneous putting stuff away must happen. But instead I'm playing around in photoshop with some new brushes I downloaded from Designfruit and blogging. Have I mentioned already that I'm the queen of procrastination?

mmm...tasty

All About Bob

Ya gotta love this guy, dontcha?

On our way home from Vegas on Monday evening, we stopped in beautiful Baker, California for dinner. Usually, we stop at Del Taco (it's history is in Barstow afterall), but we noticed a billboard on the freeway advertising Bob's Big Boy. We haven't been there in years. 5? 10? Something like that. So we had to stop. Our lives depended on it. We were about to wither away because hadn't eaten enough food at the Vegas buffet the day before.

Bob's Big Boy restaurants have just about disappeared in California, or at least it seems like it. Maybe they're having a resurgence. That'd be a good thing as long as they stay in Southern California. I don't need them up here to tempt me. And I'm in S. California enough that I won't be deprived. Like how I'm deprived from Cracker Barrel because they're a Southern/Eastern/Midwestern thing.

In the high desert where I grew up, there was one Bob's Big Boy restaurant. My family only went out to eat once a week, on Sunday after church. Most of the time we'd go to McDonalds or Burger King. On special occasions, we'd go to the sit-down restaurants in town - Bob's Big Boy or Sambos. Admittedly, Sambos was our family's first choice until they went out of business in 1982 but Bob's was a very close 2nd.

When Jimmy grew up, his family went to Bob's often. He remembers going with his family at the crack of dawn, usually before a motorcycle event or space shuttle landing at nearby Edwards Air Force Base. After long work days or long car trips, Bob's was his family's restaurant of choice.

Then when Jimmy and I started dating, it was the restaurant we ate at after senior prom in the wee-early morning. Yes, Bob's Big Boy is a part of our history. It's a little bit pathetic, but it's ours.

Minimal

Kelso-Cima Road. Mojave Desert.
submitted to Lensday: theme - minimal