Bliss*Priss

I-395 & Yosemite Road Trip

2010-04-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

April has been talking about an amazing roadway she wants to road trip, for a while now. Its I-395 and she says it looks like it would be an amazing experience. We decided to go on Wednesday and off we went on Friday. These are my notes from my I-phone along the way, where the scenery inspired writing - good for remembering.

395 & Yosemite Road Trip - Day 1 - Friday, April 16, 2010

Playa del Rey to Lancaster to Fossil Falls to Stove Pipe Wells in Death Valley National Park to Lone Pine to Bishop

Scratching the itch to honor our gypsy blood. Up I-395 ditching work, we leave Friday morning. We travel up through Lancaster on interstate 14. We backtrack a couple exits to make a Flip buy at a Walmart.

Back on the road we are surrounded by joshua trees lining the highway, one with a crow purveying from his perch. Past Lancaster is an old plane graveyard. I want to stop for pictures but we don't. Next time?

I catch a glimpse of the white desert sand of Red Rock State Park, and I'm desperate to get out there. We miss the turn off, the first of many for this trip, so we move on with the promise to return next week for the poppy festival. But I know we won't. We'll have to save it for another road trip, some other time.

Interstate 14 stretches straight, without topographic ripples, narrowing toward the vanishing point, disappearing, finally, at the horizon line. It cuts through the flat, muted, desert landscape that lives forever. Yellow flowers hug the desert floor, grouped like schools of tropical fish, while a spattering of orange flowers in spring bloom accessorize the muted color tones of the high desert.

On closer look, there are other man made developments marring the desert landscape. There are dirt road offshoots, one with the a sign that says "Dust control 15 mph". The road goes east forever dropping further into the flat valley bellow. I wonder where it goes.

Just past Pearsonville, at the entrance of I-395, we pull into a gas station and devour a home made fritata lunch. While April braves the truck stop bathroom, the dogs and I explore the desert and human debris littering the ground a few yards past the station boundaries. I take a couple of pictures. I wonder if there is any place on this earth that doesn't have a human hand print.

Our lunch stop is short. No use spending too much time in a gas station parking lot when we have so many more miles to go. The road starts to climb in elevation. The colors transition from muted tans to black volcano rock accented by dark green trees and shrubs. We've made it to the Sierra byway. We come across a beautiful scene sitting between a mountain hill and the highway. Water! Not a mirage! Actually, it is two small bodies of water, one small and saphire blue, one larger and emerald green, both sitting side by side, playing host to little ducks and ducklings swimming between the two, while the mountain plays background music and checks out his reflection in the undisturbed waters below. We have to stop and take in the unique beauty of the environment. We do our first FLIP spot.

We see a sign for Fossil Falls. What could this be? A Waterfall in the desert-mountain environ would surely be a treat! We turn off on a dirt road following signs to what we imagine to be a desert oasis. We take the dogs on the .2 mile easy hike, sure we'll find water at the end our our little soujourn. No water but cool volcanic rock formations carved by water that once lived there. A fall of rock fossils fall into the cavern below - hence the very literal name of the place. We didn't take water on our little hike - not great in April. Worse in summer I'm sure. The Bean was panting for a long while after wards the heat and walk took it out of her.

Back on the 395, running between two ecosystem environments. It's warm enough outside the surface of road ahead of us becomes a reflective surface and disapears into sky lines. April calls the environment schizophrenic. It's a good description. We stop for water and jerky before we turn off the 395 to the 190, and head east towards Death Valley. The white desert sands welcome us. There is water in capture basins, dark blue reflecting the sky, lined with a salty bright white crust.

On the road to Stove Pipe, the heart of Death Valley, we go from 4000 ft above sea level down to below sea level, traveling through all the mountain layers of time. Deep red rock is a punch of color among the pastel desert hues. Layers of time are etched on the mountainside. Each mountain we travel by or through has its own distinct personality, that only becomes noticeable as we travel through. One mountain, my favorite, changes from purple to red to orange to black.

There is a tall snow covered peak standing guard in the background with the intimidation factor varying in degrees, sometimes hovering like big brother and at other times standing back like a parent with a lot of kids to watch, depending on the curve side we happen to be traveling on.

From a distance the entire landscape appears to be one single unit - a desert. At closer look, everything is seperate, individual, acting in unison to create a picture of oneness. I notice this more and more on my road trip journeys through crazy landscapes. My brain process the environment as a single unit. It is only as we drive, with time on my side, am I able to pick out individual parts that make up the whole. A shrub, a mountain, a rock...all a single unit in their own right. Or are they? My mind ends up traveling through the parts of the single unit making up the whole of the landscape. The tree I notice gets disected like the environment it calls home. First the leaf among many leaves, the bark and knots making up the trunk, the root structure peaking above the blades of grass at her foot. All single, individual parts making up a whole. And further down the rabbit hole I go. But I digress.

We make it 61 miles to Stove Pipe Wells and the 95 degree searing temperatures great us weary travellers. Not surprisingly, we don't feel refreshed. Death Valley lives up to his name. We make our way to the sand dunes a couple of miles away, but it is too hot to stay for long. April and the dogs have no interest in getting out of the air conditioned car. I brave the heat, and get sand in my shoes to get a closer peak at the white dunes rippling below the sharp peaks of the surrounding mountains. The sun reflects off the sand. There is just no escaping it. We are in Stove Pipe Wells less than an hour and then it's the 61 miles back the way we came. Like most of our trips, it took us twice as long to get to our destination then spent there. For us, at least, we most often enjoy the journey just as much, if not more than, the final destination. We don't ordinarly believe in backtracking, turning around or getting lost. But we had no choice but to turn around in order to get out of the heat. We aren't often afforded the luxury of seeing all the things we missed on our way in. It was interesting to see what we missed on our first time through. We decided to highlight all the ways we can die in Death Valley. The BEST recent FLIP clip was shot on our way out, discussing just that topic.

Before meeting back up with I-395 we came back across the capture basins. Its actually a dry lake - Owens Lake, but not so dry. Yet. We stop to take a closer look. The salt sand crusts the ground in heavy layers, covering everything, from road, to unfortunate broken down fences, like coral taking over a shipwrek. The sun starts to dip behind the high Sierra mountains and the birds start hunting the shallows of the water.

Back on the 395, we stop in Lone Pine, a quaint, country town with picturesque scenery in every direction. We take the dogs on a walk through the chain store free town, experiencing pre-walmart main street charm. A town like this has become harder and harder to find in our travels. This town is thriving, even with the chain motels and inns. The Mountain town charm of Lone Pine, is shaped (favorably) by dog loving locals and the tourists coming down from Mammoth. We decide to dine at the premiere restaurant on the 395 - Seasons - promising some of the best steak in the state - a promise we can't pass up. We do have a fabulous, no frills, just great food, steak dinner.

The town is booked up for the night, so in darkness we continue up the 395 with a thunbnail moon and a sky filled with stars as company. The peaks of the Sierra mountains are only dark giant silouhettes, negative space against the starry night sky. So much missed. About 45 miles missed. Hoping to return soon to see exactly what was missed.

395 & Yosemite Road Trip - Day 2 - Saturday, April 17, 2010

Bishop to Manzanar National Historic Park to Mammoth Lakes to Mono Lake to Mariposa to Oakhurst

We spent the night in Bishop at the foothills of snow covered Sierra peaks. In the morning we take a run/walk through another chainstore free town. A lot of shops. At breakfast, at a greasy spoon cafe, we check maps and determine the days rough route. We decide to head back to Manzanar, which means I don't have to wait until our next trip to see that stretch we drove through at night. Again, we find ourselves backtracking. Last night we missed beautiful rural landscapes. The white mountains stand tall against the deep blue sky, outlining their sharp alligator teeth peaks. The valley our road travels is flat with a mix of grasses and brush and trees. The wild flowers are in full bloom. Yellow carpets the valleys and hills. Mt Whitney is sharp, standing proudly above her sisters, reaching past the sky and right into the heavens. The only thing that occasionally mars the perfect scenery are a mess of power lines.

Manzanar National Historic Park, once a Japanese Internment camp sits directly below Mt Whitney. Signs stand where buildings once stood to give the internment camp some context. Old watch towers stand empty. A roadrunner sits on a fallen tree stump, posing patiently for a picture, while her friend watches warily on the ground some feet away. Old junipers, weathered by the elements stand crooked and worn white, natural sculptures among the sage brush. And then there is the carpet of yellow wild flowers. Hearty and hugging the ground, in sporadic but close knit design. It's funny how quickly nature takes over where humans once stayed. Some old cement slabs with weeds growing in the cracks are all that remain.

The Manzanar Memorial Stone lines up with the peak of the tallest mountain in the lower 48. Flowers and plastc lays have been laid along the foundation. Coins have been dropped at the entrance. I wonder why. There are a few tombstones in a small cemetery by the side. I don't want to read those stones and see who lies beneath.

And then its back on the same stretch of road for a third time in less than 24 hours, along the flat valley floor with mountains lining both sides. Those yellow flowers are everywhere. At some point black lava rock appears for a short way, adding to the rugged landscape. But no volcano mount is visible.

Just past Bishop we see signs that show road closures that directly change our plans. We could turn back the way we just came but one of our rules, seldom broken, is no backtracking - even though we've already back tracked three times this trip - the most ever. I don't think we want to see the road we just traveled yet again. We decide to continue north, go further and go up and around Yosemite to get to the other side of the Sierras. There are at least three passes to get to the other side. Not all of them will be closed, will they? If not we are relegated to Reno and Tahoe routes. But we'll cross that bridge if we get there.

Its funny. When looking at a map everything is two dimensional. There is no topography, elevation and no scale. Its only once you get on the road do you understand distance, height of mountains, elevations, climbing, descending. We see 150 miles to final destination and think two hours, straight shot. We drive it and it takes 3 hours because we didn't account for elevation climbs, two lane highways, Scenery to beautiful to not stop for. This is the best part about a new road trip. We start out, looking at a map, doing a little bit of research online and we think we know. We have expectations based on that knowledge. It is only once we start traveling those roads to we understand space and time and the four dimensional world the map failed to capture.

The climb in elevation begins as we head into Mammoth Lakes. The mountains are craggy with exposed rocks from large rock slides, the fallen earth resting in mounds at the base. Snow lives in the cracks, impossible for the spring sun to dig out and melt. Maybe in a few weeks. The desert floor is behind us and pines and trees take up residence in the new high elevation landscape. Late spring snow cover large boulders on the west side, the Sierra side, but the east side is snow free. The schizophrenia continues. Back into a valley we find a deep blue lake with snow lining her shores.

We take the quick trip into Mammoth Lakes for lunch. We see signs that it is the last ski day of the season. But we still find big piles of dirty black crusted snow lining the streets and parking lots. Some brave sledders take an icy hill, the fools. We find a California restaurant and have an organic lunch and tea. And then we hit the road again with classic roadtrip music playing.

We come to the first pass to get through the Sierra Mountains - the120 which would have taken us directly through Yosemite. Its closed as promised by the sign in Bishop. We move on. And we're so glad it is. Five minutes north is Mono Lake. Its a bit surreal, like a lake on another planet. The water is smooth, reflecting the snow mountain peaks and clay formations. We take the dogs out for the path walk down to water. The lone cotton cloud is reflected in the blue lake surface. If we had more time it would be a perfect place to meditate. Like always, I find myself saying "Next time".

Heading north we find ourselves deep in canyon country with hills of sage surrounding grazing lands. Rural towns pop up every few miles with their trailer homes or pre-fab homes, and if they're lucky, a single gas station. But there are all sorts of lakes and little bodies of water and beautiful views.

We come to the Sonora Pass with fingers crossed. Again our journey west is thwarted. We must continue North. Shortly thereafter a little rocky river pops up beside our road, as we start into the sharp mountain curves. The little river appears to be our guide. Pines, orange branched bush, rock and old tree debris litters the ground. It is a truly scenic byway.

We finally come to the CA-89 running South of Tahoe and North of Yosemite. The trees have been decimated by fire and landslide. The trunks are bleached white stained at the edges with black burn marks. The mountain is barren until we reach the next mountain in the chain.

The CA-4 is closed so we have to continue north on the CA-89. We grab the CA-88 and start heading west straight through ski country. It is still winter here. Cold with the ground covered in snow. A lot of pines, heavy with cones, shade the roadway from any winter sun. Pine cones have spilled to the ground congregating down hill and by the side of the road, where water from snow melt runs. Small water falls run over boulders. A dried resevoir basin forms a snow white landscape scene. We cross into the next mountain range and bright green moss grace the north east sides of large pine trunks. The road winds, hugging close to either cliffside or mountainside. Exposed tree roots create caves and critter homes. By six the sun is low in the sky and the golden hour illuminates and makes color bright, so they can live up to their full color potential.

We start moving down in elevation on CA 49 which I ended up totally in love with. Say goodbye to winter wonderlands, evergreens and winding mountain roads, and hello to California rolling hills, green with new blooms. Rural and farm scenes grace the countryside everywhere. It's the California we recognize. Trees blossom above a tapestry of white wild flowers. It's rural California and I want to jump right in with an optomistic John Steinbeck style walk, but instead we continue moving further towards our destination.

Night falls and we're still on the road. We find ourselves frustrated from garbled directions. We're tired and hungry. The promise of a place to stop for dinner is just around every bend. But twisty mountain roads is what we get instead. They are fun to drive in the day but are scary in the dark. The thumbnail moon escorts our progress, bolder than last night. All road trip scenery is gobbled up in night blackness. Now we're driving instead of cruising. Slow progress and detours are no longer appreciated. Reaching our destination is the priority second only to finding a place to eat dinner before everything closes. The race is on.

We stop for dinner in Mariposa. It's late so the pizza joint has to suffice. The many stuffed dear heads and birds and bearskin rugs covering every possible space on the wall, make for a PETA nightmare. They also have an arcade game called extreme hunter inviting players to kill bears and elk and other various big game. We just want to shoot at cans but the game doesn't offer that option. The people working at the restaurant are friendly though. That helps. I decide to order a veggie pizza so as not to offend our decor companions.

With full bellies we hit the road again, traveling in the dark to Oakhurst, where we've already prepaid for our dog friendly room. So we have no choice but to press on through the night and the next 30 odd miles.

395 & Yosemite Road Trip - Day 3 - Sunday, April 18, 2010

Oakhurst to Yosemite National Park to Fresno to Playa del Rey

We stayed in an ok travelers inn in Oakhurst. We got all packed up and started back the way we came, for Yosemite. Or so we thought. We went in the exact opposite direction and 25 miles later, after moving from mountains to rolling hills, we realized our mistake and turned around heading back the way we came. This trip unlike so many others, has had a lot of turn arounds and detours. Oh well, that's what we get for being spontaneous. Most of the time it works out beautifully and other times we get a lot more than we bargained for.

We finally make it to Yosemite a day and hour later than planned. The drive on the 41 is a beautiful climb into the mountains. The further up in elevation we go, the more we find the spring snow clinging to nooks and northern grounds. But there are signs of spring. New grass shoots take up occupation in preparation for summer. The ground is wet from snow melt water traveling the route of least resistance, over boulders, down crevices, under tree roots, creating creeks and small water falls. Coming into Yosemite we are greeted by massive rocks surrounding a green valley with a river running through it. Tourists clammer to take pictures and jockey for parking spots. Two large majestic falls - Bridal Falls and Yosemite - demand and get all the immediate attention. The water mist rises creating clouds of spray. The lush valleys, waterscapes and trees make this park Ansell Adams worthy wherever you look.

We are into drive through scenery because dogs are not allowed on paths in National Parks. State Parks have a more dog friendly policy. We miss a lot in Yosemite but we see enough from the car we rode in on. We decide to continue south towards Sequoia and Kings National Park. We head back on the road we came, 41, backtracking again (do you see a theme here) heading toward Fresno.

We move back to California rolling hills. Orange poppies and sprays of purple and yellow flowers cover the ground in thick layers. The ground is bright with nature's colors. Another wrong turn brings us to a crossroads. After much debate we decide to head home. We are just too far off track. Kings Canyon is closed anyway so we'll have to save Kings and Sequoia for next time.

Anytime I start heading for home I get sad and act out. Today was no exception. If I could I'd stay out here and explore this world. We get lost in Fresno - the scary part of Fresno. It is old and run down with that wrong side of the tracks feeling. We find an In and Out for a quick lunch. And then we head down route 99 for what promises to be a dull four hour drive.

But surprisingly Hwy 99 is way better than the I-5. More interesting visually by far, with turns and elevation changes amongst the flat farm lands. Cows graze and others are kept in large dairy farms. Grapes for raisins, hay, plum trees and other fruit trees, beehives and a lot of other unlabeled garden rows line the highway. I love passing those garden rows of trees or plant, while passing quickly by. It creates an optical illusion. Everything looks very geometric, managed and uniform. There is a comfort in that.

Traveling all these roads we've traveled over the last three days, it becomes clear how impressive the roadway infrastructure creation and maintenance actually is. If we lined up all the roads in California, end to end, I wonder how far we'd get driving toward the moon. Again, I digress.

We're in the last stretches. The CA-99 meets up with the I-5 at the base of the north side of rolling green mountains that border Los Angeles. Bob Ross tap tap tapped a bunch of flowers along the green hills. Layers of hills fade into the horizon, back lit by a setting sun. A lake sits between two canyons in peace. Not a watercraft or person in site.

And the road becomes more congested as we head into the San Fernando valley. Welcome back home to the urban congestion, smells, construction, manufactured environment of LA. Its nice to be back home. We drive straight to our little corner of the city, right to the beach and walk the break wall where the LA River meets the Pacific Ocean. Sun setting and I'm left wondering why I ever leave.

Jan 2010: Friends, Family & Beach Sweet Beach

2010-01-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

The first week of January was spent recouping from our awesome and amazing South West Road Trip. But the rest of the month was split between a lot of get-togethers with friends and family and time spent on the beach, enjoying Los Angeles in January.

Mason's Birthday
Mason turned two years old and I can't say enough about this kid. I just love him and think constantly that he is just perfect! He had a riot running around and dancing to his favorite video: Kid Rock's - All Summer Long. He got his fill of spins and tickles, and then he blew out his candles - mostly by spitting on the cake - like the perfect two year old he is!

Smoking Aces
Elida & Damon hosted a Smoking Aces Poker Party and we got to dress the part. I borrowed a fedora from Christian, wore dark sunglasses, brought good luck charms and a fake cigerette. Of course, in spite of the costume I still lost due to lack of patience (or maybe skill) and everyone who has patience did really well. Either way, the money ended up back with Lu and Damon - they were the last two in - the hustlers. Once Texas Hold 'em was done we launched into spoons - to warm up the group, and shortly after we headed straight for Nerts - the best game ever - a Lisonbee classic - and a game I CAN win - no patience required. Super fun - its been a long time since we played.

Zen on the Beach
January has to be the best month in LA. There is weather variation with wind, some rain, and still a lot of sun mixed in. The wind blows any smog out of the way and with the blue sky above, and the sun shining, writing prose about the lovely environment is impossible to avoid.

Twitter in Winter:

Is walking an empty beach enjoying wild waves crash before the rain starts again.
Is walking on the beach, with a thumbnail moon above, as the sun melts away along the horizon.
Is with wetland birds and wild parrots, celebrating loudly, the sunny morning after the rain.
Is watching white cranes peak out of wetland grasses while listening to sapos sing in the twilight hour.
Is sun kissed and wind blown on la Playa.
Is watching the sun set as dark clouds convene with ominous intent.
Is enveloped in a foggy wonderland, with crows on lines and palms in silouhette to play in macabre harmony.
Spotted a small pod of dolphins while watching waves roll over.

I went to the beach almost every day. April and I took the beach cruisers out for a seven mile ( bike ride on the bike path. And the day was just brilliant if not a exhausting. I was saddle sore the next day but all was worth it. Every day I am happy I live in the Playa. Because every day I get to be on the beach.

Downtown Girl
I met up with Z and Ray for drinks downtown. I haven't been downtown, or really east of the 405 in so long I can barely remember. But I'm super glad I went because I discovered a whole new, vibrant, changing world in my own back yard. Plus, I discovered a couple of new cocktails I fell in love with - Like The Bitter Bee at The Varnish.

Drive up the PCH
April & I took the dogs back up the PCH for our annual winter pilgrimage up the coast. We love this drive, and if we can't get out of LA but need to hit the road to satisfy our hungry gypsy spirit, we grab our i-pod, the dogs and head up the coast for a couple hours. That's all we need to hold us over until we can get out on the open road.

Travelling through 2009

2010-01-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

2009 was a great year filled with travel and changes impossible to foresee at the start. So here is my year in review.

January Highlight: This was definitely hosting our "Party Like a Barack Star" Inaugural Celebration.
It was just nice to let our hair down after a very difficult and bitter eight years and a bitter election cycle. Hope isn't a bad message to celebrate either. So even though I feel the potential has not been capitalized on, a year later, I'm still happier than before, and yes, still hopeful - in our own action.

February Highlight: Hopping a Plane to Uruguay & Argentina:
I can't say enough about our two weeks in the Southern Cone. A stay in Buenos Aires with the rest of the Touro-Trash was new and urbanly delicious. A little road trip up the coast of Uruguay was dreamy - the best meditation of my life - and all our own. Feeling like I'm home again, where I belong, where I have roots deeper than I'll ever know, reuniting with family after 6 long years to find changes in beautiful and sad ways - isn't that the way of life? - and picking up right where we left off, leaving even closer than before, with hopes I'll return before I miss too much, with hopes I'll return before I forget too much.

March Lowlight: Downsized from work:
Saying goodbye to work colleagues and friends I've worked with for 4 years - but not for long - in June we cross paths again.
March Highlight: Vegas with the Ladies
An unexpected and last minute opportunity to reunite with some of my friends from my NY/CT Nanny Days - because of aforementioned work downsizing! A phone call to Sheyla & Emily spiraled into a road trip for four and a quick plane ride for me to meet somewhere, almost in the middle. Being back with people who knew you before you became the person you are today is liberatingly honest. Picking up right where we left off makes everything so easy. Some of us decided to go play craps - and we won big, making me believe I didn't have to worry about money post layoff, and making for a pleasant, mostly stress-free fun-employment.

April Highlight: April's Blown Out Birthday Party - we're experts at it:
No matter how hard we try, April can't have a perfect birthday party. Maybe that's because she is the black hole of perfect, everything else gets sucked up by her perfection and all you really need is April's presence, for a perfect party. I'm most likely sucking up here - but seriously! Tina made a quick visit too. And despite the perfect weather the rest of April, April's birthday weekend was just too windy to have a bonfire party celebration. We really tried! Thankfully Myles rode to the rescue! A perfectly last minute birthday bar-b-q instead!

May Highlight: Sunrise at Joshua Tree:
May was a busy month. Dad visited, Jenny & Damon's birthday party, Ray & Zenida had a bar-b-q to kick off the summer. But the highlight was definitely a spur of the moment decision to go to Joshua Tree to watch the sun rise. April & I were on the sunset strip, watching a friend play solo at the Whiskey. While drinking a weak cocktail, we decided to go home, grab the dogs and drive the three hours east. We got to the park right before the sun rays started to penetrate the night sky. We watched the stars disappear while the sun rose over the desert, while listening to, what else? U2. Oh, and we discovered the back of my Prius can sleep two 5'7 girls and 2 dogs comfortably!

June Highlight: Back to work & Montreal again:
June started the momentum that would carry us through the events of the remaining year. The first week of June would prove to be my Sync "Manifestation" Week. Thoughts of moving and travel to Spain over drinks (seriously!) were conceived this week, after I got a new job working with my old boss and friend again. The opportunity to get a new place and go to Spain for practically free, arrived at our doorstep with barely a wishful thought, a week later.

Back to work for a new company, also based out of Montreal, meant a trip up north, traveling with Phil, just like old times, and reuniting with my previous colleagues and meeting new ones. Summer in Montreal is lovely! It included reunions, dinners, playing pool with new work friends, a return to Stogies, watching a protest in support of the Iranian protesters and buying a new bag.

July Highlight: A New Place - Oh What A World It Could Be!:
After moving once a year, every year for 5 years straight, we stayed in West LA for 5 years - probably a couple years too long...but with inexpensive rent and a great location, shifting momentum was difficult. But by June it was a sealed deal and we moved July 4th weekend into our new place a couple of blocks to the beach, in Playa del Rey. The Playa is an old beach town, an island paradise in the sea of Urban Los Angeles. Surrounded on all sides, by the marina, the wetlands, the ocean and LAX, the Playa is sheltered from other beach town woes of tourists and glitter! A little run down, yes, but its a dog town, and its my town now. I think I've found my LA Home - 9 years after moving here!

August Highlight: Definitely the Six Man Surf & Volleyball Tournament:
Brilliantly AWESOME. I finally get the South Bay thing. No, its not because I'm older - Six Man is like spring break threw up over Manhattan Beach! It was so much fun I can't even do it justice. But lets just say costumes, fine tequila shots, hot guys running around in wigs, a dj spinning in someones front yard, cheese-heads, cowboys, waves, sun and sand, were all involved.

September Highlight: Trip to Morro Bay:
For Labor Day we decided to take a road trip up to Morro Bay. We, being, April, Elida, Dogs and Me. Wine tasting, amazing lunch, elephant seals, back to Gorda for dog runs on black pebble beaches with dolphins frolicking in the surf, sunsets over water, sad little aquariums, luffa farms, cowgirl lunches, Solvang and country roads. What could be better?

October Lowlight: Miguel Passed Away:
My old, dear, friend, Miguel, passed away. We became friends the first month I worked at Ascent - early 2002. Miguel can be summed up in four words: A lust for life! He was A Friend Always! Genuinely Nice, Always Smiling, Never a bad thing said, Like Switzerland, Always up for a party, good cook, GREAT Bar-B-Q-er, Lunch Compenero, always busy, loved to travel and see the world and Loved People. And he was so much more than this. And I wish, wish, wish when I think of him. Wish for more time.

October Highlight: Trip to Spain:
Finally our trip to Spain arrived. A flight into Madrid and we were off and running with the rest of the tourists. Museums, tapas, sangria filled our days and nights. Then it was off to Figueres, to the Dali Museum (a highlight!) and a road trip up the Costa Brava and back down to Girona, and Barcelona for some AMAZING Tapas, too much wine and a brutal hang over the following day. But who cares - with one day in Barcelona, we saw a lot of architecture, art, museums, shops, the Mediterranean - the world was at our feet! And then it was back to Madrid for a lovely -tourist free stay, with wine, cava, food, parks and more museums. It was delicious!

November Lowlight: PT's stroke:
Phil had a stroke and it threw everyone for a loop, and we all ended upside down, still struggling to right ourselves.
November Highlight: Hosting Thanksgiving with friends and family:
We were so excited to have Thanksgiving at our place, now that we have a place that is big enough to have people over around a table! April did most of the cooking. Tina & Eric came into town - Yay! and Julia brought her friend over. Damon, Lu & Mason completed the family-friendly diners. Everything was delicious and we played card games into the night. The next day it was off for a long lunch - in Morro Bay, where the wind blew through.

December Highlight: Phil comes home well on the way to a full recovery! And a Roadtrip to end the decade and start a new one:
December was busy with holiday parties, trimming trees, and Mom came into town for Christmas, which was great. I had the last week of December off so we got in the car with our dogs, and took our last road trip of the decade, and the first one of the new one. What could be better? Well, it was the best way we could think of to welcome in 2010...with new, surprising, beautiful experiences, adventures, family, happiness & travel, just around every corner!

Labor Day Weekend Road Trip

2009-09-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

April, Elida and I decided to take the dogs and hit the road.

We started our trip at Lu & Damon's for some night time swimming under a fool moon to kick off the Labor Day Weekend - 3 day weekend: What a feeling!

Day Road Trip Day 1 - Saturday September 5, 2009
***
An early start with a 20 min coffee wait. We stopped outside of Los Alamos, CA for our first stop to enjoy the country side and say hello to cows. Stopped for wine tasting at Laetitia Vineyard and got some Sparkling, Got to Morro Bay for a fab lunch at the Galley;

The day got cold and windy once we reached the elephant seals refuge; Continued North to the bridge just north of Gorda, let the dogs run around like crazy, saw dolphins, and started back south with stops William Randolph Hearst State Memorial Beach, Shamel Park, Cayucos State Beach Park to watch the sunset and ended the evening back in Morro.

Labor Day Road Trip Day 1 - Sunday, September 6, 2009
***
Grabbed coffee at a cute shop, drove out to the Morro Bay Rock, looked at antique shops, found a small (and a little sad) aquarium, explored a really cool Luffa Farm (Who knew luffa was a plant?) had a cowgirl lunch, stepped out in Solvang for fudge, got out of town for a small country drive and then it was home. A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Morning walk on the beach, Beanie was sick, keeping us near the dogs. Went to Del Rey Cafe for a Happy Hour - Happy Couple Celebration

Lovin' Summer

2009-08-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

Loving Summer in the Playa, and August started with going to Six Man Surf & Volleyball - for one of the best times I've ever had in LA. It was so AWESOME! We Went to Ray & Z's for a BBQ Party, We went to Myle's for a birthday BBQ, We did Happy Hour with the Ladies at the Cafe del Rey, Lu & Mason came for dinner and walks to the ocean breaks, cooked dinner for Jenny & Christian at their place, went to Lu & Damon's for a pool party and reunited with old friends at our Wind Me Up, Wind Me Down Happy Hour. Project Runway restarted and I got inspired to sew my own toga for Adrienne's Toga Birthday party.

1. Six Man Crazy, 2. Below the Pier, 3. 365-2009 221: Happy Hour with the Girls, 4. Summer Mornings in Playa del Rey, 5. 228/365: Fly By, 6. Sunsets Beach Side, 7. Dog Walker Darling, 8. Adrienne's Toga Birthday Bash, 9. 240/365: Adrienne's Toga Birthday Bash

July On fire

2009-07-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

April & I packed up and moved ourselves, our stuff and our dogs and moved to our own little corner of paradise. Playa del Rey is a little beach town in Los Angeles, a little island oasis, surrounded by beautiful wetlands, the marina, the ocean and LAX, keeping it isolated from tourists and traffic.

1. 206/365: Walking Creek Side, 2. 191/365: Pre Party Prep, 3. 186/365: Porch Pooches, 4. 190/365: Porch view, 5. 198/365: Peaceful Friday Morning, 6. 199/365: Bump. Set. Spike!, 7. 201/365: Doggy Play Dates, 8. 365-2009 212: Cervezas at Panchos, 9. 202/365: Sunset Stroll

After moving, it was all about getting settled in - it didn't take long. We walk the two blocks to the beach or the lagoon or the break, every day. We had a happy hour house warming party with drinks on the patio and crazy karaoke all night long. We went to Manhattan Beach for the AVP tour - nice! and I met CoCo for Mexican and bar bands, followed by dancing. I am so happy to be living in the Playa.

June - The Cat's Meow

2009-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

June was a crazy month filled with all sorts of cycles starting or repeating. We booked flights to Spain, I started a new job, returned back to Montreal and started packing up for a brand new place.

New: Performance Art -
April and I went downtown to Moca to watch, and participate in OJO's Performance Art. They gave out these OJO eggs and an OJO t-shirt - different colors, we were blue, and we would chant different words at different times, based on the light color, or we would shake our OJO eggs. It was the first time I'd been to a performance art show and I really liked it. Who knew?

Repeater: Kitten Catch
April and I went to the Valley to help Damon and Elida catch some more kittens from an empty lot by the Van Nuys Airport. The feral cats were going to be taken away and Elida & Damon wanted to catch some kittens to give away.

The task was challenging...those kittens are smart and fast. Their parents are even faster and smarter. I got one. Elida & Damon decided to keep two...Jet and Lindy.

Repeater: Back to Montreal
Phil and I started our trip in Toronto but quickly jet off to Montreal. I spent the week with my new co-workers and reuniting with old ones. Early Summer in Montreal is a real treat. Bonding with new colleagues over putin talk, pool and cocktails.

I spent the weekend by myself, tracked down a Support Parade for the Iranians, bought a new bag and erroneously sent a snarky e-mail out. OOPS! Phil came back to Montreal and we spent the remainder of time planning.

New:
The remainder of the month was all about packing up. I had a little birthday celebration at the Spanish tapas bar, and Bruno left the apartment with one last cat fight with William. William had no scars, Bruno got scratched right in the eye.

***

May: Took a life today...the life of the party!!!

2009-05-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jenny Pallooza
Adrienne planned a full day of surprises for Jenny's Birthday, which started when I dropped Jenny off at a fully pimped out hotel suite fully stocked, spending time at the hotel pool with margaritas. After her massage, Amanda picked her up in a town car for a Jenny Palooza, where Margaritas, apps and karaoke kept the night buzzing.

Christian joined Jenny to celebrate her birthday, so I watched Finley for the day. We went to the park and hung out and unfortunately she fell right under my nose, and bruised her eye. It was Tragic! She recovered nicely and we spent the rest of the night reading books and building with blocks.

Elida had an interview so she dropped Mason by so I was watching both Finley & Mason at one time. Much harder than you'd think...the park meant holding hands even when they wanted to go in different directions. By the time I was done babysitting both, by early afternoon, I was EXHAUSTED and took a nap. Sometimes its nice to give baby back to Mommy!

***

Stupid Farm Town. Now I have to harvest on FB & on Animal Crossing. Totally Dorky!

BBQ in Sylmar
April & I went shopping with Lu - finally cashing in on her Feb Birthday gift! We had lunch in the Marina and followed our day of shopping with a Party at Ray & Zenida - Bar-B-Que (the best!) Sparklers, Cartman and of course a porn preview - Zenida was hilarious trying to protect our eyes from anything obsene!

Dad Visits:
Dad came into town early in the AM, so we hung out and then headed up to Lu's for our make your dinner party - Elida and I and dad made dinner...Elida had the big successes and I did not...salt crusted steak recipe was a huge failure...unless you like a meat salt lick.

April, Dad, the dogs and I headed south for a leisurely road trip. Usually we go North along the coast but today we went south. We discovered a fruit store in the OC and bought fruit, and had a late lunch looking over the ocean in Dana point. There was a rolly polly earthquake that scared dad just a little.

Dad, April & I went to brunch at the London Hotel where we had a delightful champagne brunch followed by a visit up to see Mason, Lu and Damon.

Mini Pool Party
Headed out to get my car serviced and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun and hanging by the pool with Lu and Mason.

Mini Road Trip:
Hung out all day, lazying the day away with shopping at Sur La Table and 3rd Street, had happy hour sushi at Monsoon and then we head out East of the 405 to the Whiskey to catch Justin do his thing.

After seeing Justin play at the Whiskey, we ran back home, grabbed the dogs and jumped in the car, heading out for Joshua Tree National Park, about 3 hours East of Santa Monica. We made it about an hour before sunrise, watched the sun peak over the desert mountains, took to driving tour of the park, slept in the back of my very roomy Prius (all of us in the back...wow!) and returned back home around noon! I love random surprise road trips.

Shifting Universe
April and I decided to head down to Bodega wine bar for some tapas and Argentine Malbec...my personal favorite and dream about our next trip abroad...Spain, maybe?

We went to Damon's 35th Birthday Party - a Luau.

Shifting Tide:
Met Phil, May & James at the Marina...It looks like I'm re-employed! Looking back, this is the day Serendipity started; The day the Universe decided to start smiling brightly! I mentioned April and I were going to start looking for a new place to May. She said she'd keep an eye out.

***

April Fools and the Foolish Month of April

2009-04-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

April was a little crazy since I haven't worked for a couple of weeks now. April Fools day I received a visit visit from missionaries - not a joke, I spent the first couple of weeks working on taxes, took a trip to the OC to pick up my camera, Yay!, we had weird weather from hot hot days to blustery days, Baby Play Dates filled the calendar, and an Animal Crossing Addiction blowing up. Plus:

Girls Night Out - Hollywood with the Dan band
Girls night in Hollywood included seeing The Dan Band at the Avalon, hanging out near a jukebox in a dive bar on Hollywood Blvd, followed up by a visit to my favorite WEHO greasy cafe, all with a sprinkling of sisterly drama, that didn't include April and I. Hmmm.

Easter & House Sitting:
I started house and pet sitting for the Tweedy's and their 2 darling dogs - Pepe & Tango, 2 turtles and 3 birds, including Ringo, a baby parrot - and my new bff! I fell in love with Playa del Rey while walking the beach path, breaks and park along the lagoon.

April's Beach Blow Out
Tina flew into town for April's Birthday. Elida & I planned a bonfire at Dockwieler Beach, but, in the day arrived and Mother Nature had other ideas. We got blow out - sand everywhere, so we moved April's Birthday BBQ to Myle's House. (Thanks Myles!)

While Tina was still in town, Elida and I drove with Tina up the PCH to the furthest point north of Malibu county. We talked on speaker with Rich and Collin while driving home, enjoying the sun bounce off the water of the Pacific.

Its All About March Madness

2009-04-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

March is supposed to arrive like a lion and leave like a lamb. I don't know about that. It feels like March has been a whirlwind all the way through, and may even continue into April. A lot of March was really great with a few expected and unexpected reunions with family and friends. And then there were some changes - expected but still disappointing.

Hanging out with Mason
I can never get enough of my Mason. He is changing so much in such short periods of time. We spent a Saturday day with Elida, Damon & Mason, first at the farmers market and then at the house, watching movies, trying to play guitar hero, and trying Elida's new corn chowder. And of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity to watch Mason after work too.

Stanger Reunion in Hollywood
Angie, Jason, Jayden & Carter were in town, on the Disneyland/Park Circuit. On their way back to Anaheim from Universal City, they were good enough to meet us at the Hollywood & Highland complex. Driving to Hollywood is always a bit of torture, because there is no quick way to get there from the west side - no highways, just side streets, for miles & miles. They didn't mind our tardiness, because the Return to Space Mountain Movie Premier was happening across the street at El Capitan Theater, and they ran right into Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and got autographs and pictures. We had dinner at Wink and then did a quick walk through the rest of the tourist sites by H&H, after which we returned to our respective part of town.

Spring Break - Rich and Co visit LA
Richard, Cynthia, Collin, Elise, Andrew & Marcus all came to LA for spring break! March weather is always unpredictable but they didn't care...it was still much warmer than the UT. Richard wanted to spend time on the beach, even though it was cold and windy. So we went to Playa del Rey - our favorite beach spot - and had lunch at The Shack, followed by fun, games and yerba on the beach. April, Lu and I, got cold far earlier than the rest and ended up cutting the beach trip a little short, to Rich's dismay.

The kids had blue lips but they were disappointed too :(. We ended up warming up at our place, playing the wii, taking naps, and watching kid shows before heading out to dinner at Gate of India in Santa Monica, where the clowning around really started. Elise and Andrew slept over, and after having breakfast and watching some Scooby Doo, we headed up to Lu's to reunite with the rest of the gang, for more chats and laughs. Only Tina & Eric were missing :( but maybe one day!

The AX Drops followed by Chasing Luck in Vegas
The ax dropped the third week of March, but I still feel lucky. I spent the day relaxing, meditating and packing for a Vegas weekend trip. I decided that if I won in Vegas, everything would work out fine, but if I lost, I better worry. May not be the best bargain to strike with yourself after losing your job, but going to Vegas right after you lose your job may not be the best idea either. Either way, it made me feel better and have a better attitude about being unemployed.
I took my flight out and got into Vegas around 9PM, where I reunited, last minute, with Liz, Ruthanne, Emily & Sheyla. We went to dinner at the Paris, tried to dance at a lame dance club, before heading back to the hotel. Ruth, Sheyla and I went to the casino to play my favorite game, Craps. They had never played before so it was ON! Sheyla caught on very quickly, having the best roll of the night - for over 1/2 an hour she was rolling money in for everyone at the table. High Fives and laughter and money - not a bad way to spend an evening. Sheyla is an aggressive gambler, and so won big. I'm a moderate gambler so won enough to feel like I didn't have to worry :) And Ruthie was a cautious gambler, so she won only a little bit - but didn't lose anything! We ended up staying at the craps table until 5AM. We were so tired after being up all night, we went to breakfast, relaxed in the room, went to the Venetian for Sephora shopping, went to Freemont Street to try our luck again - we weren't feeling it, went to Top of the World Restaurant at the Stratosphere for dinner and spent the rest of the night hanging out together. Sunday I had a flight to catch by noon, so it was a "quick" breakfast, hasty goodbyes and rush to the airport to find my flight delayed. I didn't get back to LA until after 9PM At least I didn't have to worry about getting up for work the next day :)

The rest of the days and nights were all about enjoying time with friends and family that reside nearby. We had a girls night happy hour at the World Cafe in Santa Monica, where we were treated to a night of comedy and magic , and chatting and heckling. One of the funniest days of the week was Forbes Treasure Hunt in Santa Monica with Elida, Damon, April & Mason, which we lost but had a great time accruing points at all the bars on third street. After wards we headed up to Lu's to watch a movie - but for the life of me, I can't remember which one. Hmm. Oh - and Ask Damon about some bite marks! LOL!

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

Following a 12.5 hour flight, plus customs and immigration time, Elida was kind enough to pick us up at the airport at 7AM. We were so happy to see her and reminisce about our trip. Its always a little strange coming home. Everything is so familiar and yet, my heart and mind are elsewhere. Its the only time I ever experience regret...Regret I'm at home and not where I just was.

We went to Swingers for a quick breakfast and were planning to hop in the car and head to Mesquite, an hour north of Vegas, so we could reunite with Dad & Tina to get our dogs back. However, my dear car had a battery issue, requiring Triple A - which rocks - to jump my car back to life. Finally, finally we were off, with Elida joining us so we could get caught up.

It took us 5 hours, but finally we made it, where we reunited with all, had a Mexican lunch, and of course lots of laughs, and then we had to turn around again...for the longest drive home EVER! EVER! EVER! All in all, we were traveling 22 hours. After all that time in planes and cars its easy to be happy we're home.

The remainder of the month of February was filled with work, family and friend time. I had lunch with Phil, tapas and wine with Jenny and babysat Finley. We took a trip to Gordon Ramsey's restaurant for a surprising and tasty brunch for Elida's birthday. And of course we hung out with the dogs as much as possible. But mostly we just tried to recover from our jet lag.

Back Home Southern Cone Style - Uruguay and Argentina

2009-02-25T00:31:00.000-08:00

FEB 6 - And so the Adventure Begins
The last time we were in the Southern Cone, it was 2002. Too many years have gone by, with wishes to return popping up almost every day. And still, only now, have we made it happen. We have two short weeks to breath in our second home, our family, our other country and maybe, hopefully, discover something new along the way.

FEB 7 -Buenos Aires, Buenos Vidas
After a long flight of 14+ hours we finally arrived in Buenos Aires at 8AM local time just to be exhausted. We fought through the pain, and although we were tired we walked down to Puerto Madero for some great Rodizio and wine. It was a struggle to make it back to our hotel, where we both longed for a bed and some rest. After a nap, it was back to Puerto Madero to walk around the port, take in the sites and smells of Buenos Aires and finish with a pizza dinner. The city was quiet with practically no locals. They were all out in the country or beach side to escape the city heat, while we tourists took over the city. One little find was political stencil graffit i all over the city. I couldn't get enough of it!

FEB 8 - Tourists in La Boca
We got up for breakfast, and decided to take a walk to Florida Street - a big tourist shopping area, and the Mall there. We walked through an Art Exhibit, had lunch in the famous Tortino's Cafe - which, of course, was filled with tourists, and then grabbed the bus to the tour - which took over 4 hours. The tour briefly mentioned the Disappeared and alluded to some spots where people were kept prisoner but it was a short mention. The tour focused on the soccer stadium and La Boca, the colorful poor section of town, once fulled with immigrants, now another tourist destination. Every corner of the city was filled with tourists from Australia or Europe. We went out at midnight to try to find some Portenos, and sure enough, there they were, drinking their mate and just hanging out enjoying the warm evening under the full moon light.

FEB 9 -Leaving B.A. for Montevideo
We got up early, grabbed the BuqueBus for a 3 hour ferry at dawn , across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Montevideo. Crashed out after time caught up with us, at our Pocitos hotel, a block from the beach, had our usual while in Uruguay lunch - milanesa al pan - as we took shelter from the heat, followed by a nap and a reunion dinner with Tia Pocha, Tania and Hector.

FEB 10 -Hopping in a Car for RoadTrip Our Way
We left Pocitos for the airport in Montevideo, got a car and drove up the Uruguay coast. We took a beach walk in Costa Azul, made a quick stop in Guazuvira to see if the black and white sand was still there, picked up two lady hitchhikers, lunched in our old stomping grounds in Piriapolis, made a quick stop in Punta Ballena, drove through Punta del Este, made another quick stop in La Barra and Jose Ignacio looking for a place to stay for the night, but found nothing. We continued our drive up Ruta 10, where the road stopped at a river. We took a free ferry across the water - the ferry being a small wood barge powered by a little fishing boat running along the side of it - continued on Ruta 10 which had turned into a dirt road - even though our car was not off road compatible - but who cares! Drove and drove and drove - the only car on the road, through Rocha, and started searching desperately for a place to stay as the sun was setting. Finally, success in La Paloma - further north than expected. We had a pretty bad dinner of gristle and bones, but wine and cookies on the balcony at the Inn while watching the rain storm made the evening a good one.

FEB 11 -Beachy King in La Paloma
After watching the sun rise over the countryside from our balcony, we had breakfast and reserved a cabana in Punta del Diablo while we were in La Paloma, a pretty populated little beach town. We tried to get money from the ATM but access to banks are very confusing for us 24X7 ATM users. We bypassed the cash and instead went exploring, where we found a white horse grazing in a field near the light house, as storm clouds filled the sky while the wind blew a summer storm our way.
We stopped along the beach, checking out the surf spots and then started north. We made our way up to Aguas Dulce, where we had camped out back in 2002 - and although it is still a dirt road beach town, there has been significant development. We ate lunch, watching the locals watch us, took a trip down memory lane before heading up to Punta del Diablo. We checked out our cabana in Punta del Diablo but had to go back to Rocha, about 24K each way, to find a bank that was open because, lesson learned, everyone renting rooms or cabanas only takes cash (no one takes credit cards in this country?). But it was worth it because by the time we returned everything was filled up, with no where left to stay. We explored the tiny beach town, filled with young, hippy style visitors from Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, drinking mate and smoking and enjoying the sun. The vibe was so chill and young.

FEB 12 -A Rising Summer Sun and Moon
I woke up early to catch the sun rise in the east. April joined me before the sun could peak over the horizon. The beach came alive with the garbage man and his horse and cart, beach bums waking up in the sand a few yards from me, all enjoying the peace of the morning as the sun's rays rose above the horizon. More than any other time in my life, this was the place that I found where living in the moment was the easiest, without worry or anticipation. I couldn't get enough of meditation - everything was all so easy.
I spent my morning reading on the beach, soaking up the sun and the spirit of freedom in youth that surrounded me. In the late afternoon we took a jaunt up to Santa Theresa. It was one of our favorite camping spots from our previous visit, and we discovered a few new places, including a beautiful old green house, that were there before, but we had missed because we didn't have a car. We took a walk through the petting farm and hung out with a large beaver like rodent, happened upon a large lizard, took in some monkeys, birds, goats and sheep. We went up to the Fort for lunch while soccer played in the background, and watched some surfers catch some waves. We had a lovely steak (of course) dinner, and I spent the rest of the evening on the patio taking pics of the rising moon in the east.

FEB 13 -Seeing the Light in Cabo Palonia
We started the day in Punta del Diablo, taking a jaunt out to the point to see another monument of Artigas, where we found fisherman and beach bums camped out, prolonging our departure as long as possible. But finally we were on our way, headed south, traveling down the coast, hoping to see every beach town possible.
We discovered tiny La Esmerelda, and took a walk on the super quiet beach. We picked up a hitch-hiker from Argentina on our way into Barra del Valizas - another tiny beach town with soccer games and red chairs and mate drinkers littering the beach sporadically. We took a jeep into Cabo Palonia because no outside cars are aloud in the sand dunes or beach town. We had lunch, took a walk to the lighthouse, and took in the seal colony before returning to the road. Back on Ruta 9 we drove through San Carlos, where we took a dip in the ocean. We were in San Carlos with Tia and Pablo during our 1998 visit, and the town was transformed from dirt roads to a fully developed beach town.
From there we headed straight into Punta del Este, where we had an early dinner, by local standards anyway - it was 10PM, followed by the Carnival parade and drums well into the early morning hours.

FEB 14 -Sunrises over the Hand in the Sand all the way to Suarez - Punta del Este - Suarez
We woke up early, thanks to April, and got to the Hand in the Sand in time to watch the sun rise. With the sun came the end of a trip of our own and marked the beginning of the family reunion tour. We got packed up and after breakfast, headed off toward Suarez, through the country side of rolling hills.
Heading to my cousin Sandra's house we only had a mile marker with the instructions to ask for the house of furniture. That didn't quite work out, but after a few phone calls and some luck we were happily reunited with Sandra, Juan, a very handsome Rodrigo & a beautify Sabrina. Sandra welcomed us into her home with big hugs and kisses, her amazing cooking, mate and of course cerveza. If only I spoke better Spanish!

FEB 15 -Asado in Suarez - Suarez
There is nothing better than asado at Santa and Toto's. We spent the late morning and afternoon reuniting with the rest of the Joffre family, eating meat, swatting flies, catching up. Alejandro, Daniella, Diana and Camila were all there as well. Everyone has grown up and in some cases grown old. Santa's health is failing and Toto seams lost without her.
Lunch at Santa & Toto's is all about catch up, love, news, mate, eating and happy to be back together again. In the evening we returned to Sandra's where Sabrina hosted the mate and we shared music with Rodrigo and Sabrina, while Sandra talked shop with Daniella.

FEB 16 -Last Day in Suarez - Suarez - Montevideo
Juan took us to the airport to buy our plane tickets to Rosario, dragging Rodrigo along because Sandra was worried we would get lost, even though we had driven all over the country without problems. We spent the afternoon playing Uno with Sabrina & Rodrigo. Leaving is so hard when we don't know when we'll be returning but finally we said our sad goodbyes. We stopped to say one last goodbye to Santa and Toto and then made our way into Montevideo.
Of course we got lost getting into the city due to insufficient maps and directions we barely understood. Looking back, we should have just stayed in Suarez for the night. Luckily we found our way to our crap hotel instead. I had a tantrum, but felt better after taking a trip downtown, site seeing, shopping, and finding our favorite restaurant, still open all these years later, where we had a fabulous dinner. We got reprimanded by our taxi driver for taking pictures of some kids hanging of lamp posts because he didn't want us to get beat up. :) Like that would happen. Everyone is always warning us to be careful while we are here, even strangers. Everything is always "Muy Peligrosa, chicas!"

FEB 17 -Lost in La Recoletta - Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Rosario
Not the best day of the trip, and probably the worst day. My camera broke - and this is about the time I discovered - everything comes out over exposed. Night shots were all I could take from this point on.
Also, we spent money on a flight to Rosario so we could get there quickly, only to be delayed, finding it would have taken us less time and less money if we had taken the 3 hour BuqueBus followed by a 4 hour bus trip to Rosario. We also discovered there is a direct flight from Punta del Este to Rosario on certain days of the week. Live and Learn!
We left Montevideo late, and our flight from BA to Rosario was canceled, negating the entire reason we flew. We decided to get out of the airport and take a trip to the Recoleta, to see where Eva Peron is buried. But it was too hot and I was too irritated to continue after discovering my broken camera. It was just too touristy to be worth it when my mood is so dark. At this point, I'm sure April would have thrown me in front of a cab, but it was just too hot to be worth the effort.
Finally we were on our way, in our little tin can plane, that had no air conditioner. We were laughing so hard with heat delirium while sitting in that plane roasting alive. If only we could have cracked the windows.
We finally made it into Rosario in the late afternoon, where Lorena picked us up and we all burst into tears we were so happy to see eachother. We met her Alejandro and her son Thiago, got changed and rested at their beautiful home. We headed to Marisabel & Pablo's house, the first we've seen them together, to find everyone there, with all their new kids and new boyfriends and new spouses. If only my Spanish was better! How do you catch up with 7 years of history and changes when you have to ask everyone "mas despacio, por favor"?

FEB 18 -All in the family - Rosario
We relaxed after a lovely breakfast at a restaurant off the river in Rosario. We spent time just catching up, finding our fathers have made similar decisions in their lives, and our feelings for them are the same. Our reunion is happy with a tinge of sadness. Our constant separation influences all of our conversations and I just want to put Lorena in my pocket and take her with me.
Alejandro is super sweet, taking us where ever we want to go. We meet up with the girls for "drinks" downtown, where April & I were the only ones to order cocktails. We walk the streets and find Rosario a prettier city than the last time we visited. We end the evening with a trip to the Italian Ice cream parlor.

Feb 19 -Joffre Family Time
We spent the day continuing our catch up, escaping the heat by taking a dip in the wading pool on the roof of Lorena's house. We went to the mall and let Alejandro pick out his soccer team shirt for Damon. He's very impressed with the car Damon drives. In fact, initially Alejandro expressed he had no interest in visiting us in the US. After discovering Damon drives his dream car, he's reconsidering that position.
We tried to get mani/pedi's but ended up with just manis. We make our way to Tia & Tio's house for dinner. We meet Iliana's too-cool-for-school boyfriend, catch up with Rocio and Debora and fall in love with Josephina and Joaquin all over again. Pablo and Marisabel are so in love and can't help but make goo goo eyes at eachother constantly.

Feb 20 - Loving La Familia
Our last day in Rosario was busy. We ran around getting our bus tickets, had a lovely lunch with Alejandro's Family - some of the best steak & chimi churi ever! Witness a crazy rain and hail storm.
We take a trip around Rosario to say goodbye to Rocio, Tio & Tia, followed by a quick trip to say goodbye to Pablo and Marisabel. My Macho Man is a family man now. At the end of the day we took photos of Lorena and Alejendro in their team shirts. Alejandro let Lorena dress him up in drag so we could take photos. He's a handsome man but not a pretty woman.
Finally we hop a bus back to Buenos Aires, where we found our hotel had canceled our room. We should have just stayed in Rosario!

Feb 21 - Flying Home

We spent the morning on Florida Street looking for little gifts, where, of course, at the end of the trip, I fall due to some loose cobble stone tiles (that's my story anyway). If my camera wasn't broken before, it certainly was then. We took a short plane to Santiago, with plans to dine in the city. Unfortunately the tax to leave the airport when you have a connecting flight to the US was just too steep - $300 for a couple hours - just to leave! We filled our six hours with beer and reading. Finally we got on the plane home wondering when we can return again.

25 Random Things...

2009-02-03T00:42:00.000-08:00

So, On Facebook there is this thing going around - 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Here's my list of 25.

1) I love road trips. I always feel like I'm me in an alternate universe, where my real life has melted away, and I have nothing to think about but what's around the next turn.

2) Really, I love any and all kinds of travel. I am currently planning to take a year off to go around the world. I'm not sure when that year will be, and I'm afraid if I don't do it in the next few years, I'll never do it.

3) I was in a small plane crash, my dad was piloting, with my parents, my twin sister, my brother and my aunt. We all survived. You have a greater chance of winning the lotto than surviving a small plane crash...so I guess I won't be winning the lotto.

4) I love animals but I'm in love with boxers. I hope to have boxers for the rest of my life.

5) I hardly ever cry. Except while watching sad movies, commercials and reading books. I couldn't stop crying while reading the Time Traveler's Wife. Right?

6) I've been a feminist my entire life. When I was little I thought it was unfair that only boys got to pass the sacrament. I thought it was unfair that all the pictures of missionaries, that were held up in primary while we sang "I hope they call me on a mission" were boys. I thought it was unfair my brother got to be outside to mow the lawn while I had to be inside to wash the dishes. That being said, I had a huge crush on a neighbor that was a polygamist, and thought that one day I would marry him.

7) I'm all about fairness. My mom used to tell me Life's not Fair. Hearing that still gets me irritated - I don't care if it's true.

8) My three favorite things to talk about are three things you never speak about in polite company: Religion, Politics and Sex. That is why I love Anthropology. Its a free pass.

9) I don't believe honesty is always the best policy. Sometimes honesty isn't necessary. I would never tell a friend that I dislike their +1/kids. This is just an example - I like everyone's +1 & kids.

10) The first time I truly understood I have brown skin was during my 15th Birthday Pool Party, when I wore a white swimsuit and discovered, even though the swimsuit had lining, once it was wet all my bits were going to show. All of my girlfriends wearing white swimsuits didn't have this problem. I learned this lesson the hard way.

11) Unfortunately, flashing the entire pool at my 15th Birthday Party, is no-where near my most embarrassing moment.

12) I LOVE Lake Powell. It is one of my favorite places in the world and most of the really great memories I have about my extended family, take place on a couple of houseboats on Lake Powell.

13) I hardly ever get mad enough to yell. I usually shut down or throw a little tantrum. When I do get mad enough to yell, watch out. When April and I, or Richard and I are fighting, run for cover!

14) When I have an argument, I never call names, as it undermines the entire argument, signals the fact that an argument could not be made on the merits, thus losing the argument. I find it really unappealing when other people resort to name calling - in any argument - not just those I'm involved in. Especially because "how low can you go" isn't an argument I care to win.

15) If I could have any job in the world it would be writing and shooting photos for National Geographic.

16) My parents didn't believe in TV when I was growing up. We didn't have a TV until I was 12. As a result I LOVE TV! I LOVE my DVR even more.

17) I love reading. I read every night. I will stay up all night reading a really good book. Because I'm such a fast reader, I do end up forgetting the finer details, and some major plot points a few weeks, and sometime a few days after reading a book. I have been half way through a book before I realized I've already read it.

18) In August 2007 I started taking a picture of myself everyday, thanks to Flickr's 365 Group. After a year and a 1/2, I took a bit of a break but I'm back on the photo a day wagon, and I think I'll do this for the rest of my life. (You should too! http://www.flickr.com/groups/365days/)

19) I moved to NY to be a nanny so I could get away from my family, when I was 19. It was that or teach English in China. It never occurred to me I'd be taking care of actual kids until I met them at Laguardia. It was one of the best decisions I ever made and one of the best experiences.

20) One time a group of friends and I went up to Palmyra in upstate New York. I went because I wanted to see Niagara Falls. They went because there is a Mormon Pageant there. We got a place right in the front row so we could lay down and watch the entire pageant comfortably. I ended up falling asleep and was shaken awake by a friend who said "Wake Up, Sandy! Jesus Is Here!" I thought she meant the real Jesus Christ not the actor PLAYING Jesus Christ. I freaked out and told her "But I'm NOT ready to meet Jesus!" I'm still not ready.

21) When I was younger, Tina and I celebrated two birthdays at girls camp. Both times my dad flew the plane over the camp and bombed us with bags of candy, keeping us flush for our candy gambling habit!

22) I am constantly being told that I have said something heavily laden with sexual innuendo - and I don't even know it. Sometimes I'll finish saying something and I'll look around and see everyone staring, eyes dilated, and I'll know I've said something wildly inappropriate - but even after review I rarely get it. I don't like to ask anyone to explain.

23) I totally speak with a Valley accent like All the time. I've tried to eliminate the word "Like" from my vocabulary and it's like, totally impossible. When I speak Spanish I also speak in a total valley accent.

24) I'm really close to all my siblings. We've been through a lot together. When we all get together it is pandemonium. Most of the time we are laughing so hard we are crying.

25) 2008 was the worst year of my life. Even though I knew everything is about the attitude you have, I couldn't help it. Knowing and Feeling aren't always in sync. Looking back, I think if 2008 was the worst, I've had a pretty great life. And 2009 is shaping up to be the best year yet. I just KNOW and FEEL it!

1000 Miles in a Day

2009-02-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the craziest day of 2009 so far. We are leaving next week for two weeks in the southern cone, and that means finding an appropriate and loving dog sitter for our precious Beanie and Bruno. We don't like to disrupt their lives too much - they are rescues and do have anxiety when we leave for days at a time. They LOVE UTAH and family there, so what better place than a winter wonderland vacation for them too? Mom was nice enough to say yes when we asked. And they will be there for three weeks!

We drove to St. George, UT from Santa Monica, to meet Tina & Dad. We got to St. George in 5 1/2 hours. We had a lovely lunch in town, and ran to the Costco for an all white shopping experience, for dog food, and left Bruno and Beanie in Tina's car, with the feeling of a job well done.

Until Dad called for a chat, oh, and to tell us he had my car keys. So we had to return to Utah, meeting back up in Toquerville, UT a couple hours after our initial departure, to get my keys that had left in the opposite direction.

And seriously - it was really funny once we got over the anger and accepted it - and on the hour drive back to reunite with my keys, we thought of all sorts of funny scenarios, so that by the time we rolled up on Dad & Tina, we were laughing hysterically!

Tina was pretty angry - she looked like a bear, an angry bear, a very angry bear, with her arms folded and a deep scowl on her face. And dad was standing in the clear, keeping clear of Tina for sure, with a look of worry and warning on his face! That image will be seared in my brain forever, and just made me laugh all the harder.

Our favorite scenario we thought up on our hour drive back, was a drive by key passing, where we just rolled by each other really slowly, gangsta rap on the radio, and the keys were tossed into my car and we speed away. So coming down off that exit ramp, we had rolled down all the windows and we were yelling "Throw the Keys! Drive By Key Passing!" Of course Tina is so smart and went from Angry Bear to joke participator in seconds, running to meet the car and throw the keys! I'm sure no one else gets it, but I'm writing it here so I won't forget.

Finally, we left Toquerville around 5PM, stopped at the outlets in Primm and made it to Ray & Zenida's - LOOK SO GOOD Party by 11PM. We had a lovely time feeling good, taking pics, drinking cocktails and being tired drunk - you know that kind of drunk from being tired, and finally made it back home by 2AM.

Traveling over 1OOO miles in a day, just to end up at the exact spot we started from - a testament to all you can do in 24 hours.

Party Like A Barack Star!

2009-01-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

Today is a historic occasion!

Jenny, April and I wanted to take some time to mark the occasion with a celebration. A celebration many, even in this day and age, didn't think was possible.

40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King and Malcom X, we stand here today, having elected the first African American man to the highest office in the land.

This election has also served to mark another shift in consciousness. It was a peaceful revolution - and it was a REVOLUTION and an INDICTMENT of the administration of the last 8 years

Today is the first day of Obama's presidency. But the work is not over it is just beginning - Yes, we have a new president but politics remain the same.

Unless we become actively involved , unless we hold our representatives accountable we will find ourselves in much the same place four years from now. Where governments act slowly individuals have the ability to bring about change quickly and the momentum and desire to do so are on our side.

This election shows one man can be the catalyst for a peaceful revolution, and the energy toward personal responsibility to make change happen - that comes from the energy President Obama created during this past election.

Best of luck to us all and to the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama. VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

1/2 way thru Jan

2009-01-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

1/2 way through January and I couldn't be happier. This year promises to be a big one. January has been a lovely, warm month so far, with visit is with old friends and family and celebrations.

Everything Changes on New Years Day - I went to lunch with Karen and Laura, where I met Karen's darling dog, duke on New Years day. It was great catching up with my pro-women!

Mason turned one years old. Mom came into town to visit and celebrate his birthday. Ray & Zenida were also there, rounding out the birthday celebration.

We escaped from West LA with a road trip up the cost with the dogs. There was such a beautiful, warm, January day in LA we had to take a drive up the coast. So we put the dogs in the car and drove up PCH through Malibu, to soak up the rays, the ocean, the freedom.

Mom & I went and got a mani-pedi during lunch, and then decided to make our way to Santa Monica Pier to soak up the warmer weather, watch the waves, take photos, while the sunset. Elida came over for dinner and to make empenadas for the party.

Julia, April & I went to the Viper room to watch her friend's band play. They were on stage for 1/2 an hour. We followed up with coffee patio side, at Mel's diner on Sunset for 2 hours.

Mom, Elida & Mason stopped by for a Thai lunch, and to say goodbye, since Mom departs tonight. So of course, out comes the camera.

We're in full party planning mode - with a few days until the big event. Lastly, I booked our trip to Uruguay & Argentina, and I'm so excited I feel high.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T23:39:00.001-08:00

Goodbye 2008
Honestly 2008 has been a crap year. There have been some big and happy changes - Mason was born in January, April Graduated in May, I went to Montreal a few times, random reunions, our annual road trip, the election to shape a century - and there were smaller fabulous things too.

But all of the good stuff was overshadowed by sadness and repair. I'm so happy to say goodbye to this depressing, sad, man hating, pessimistic, hermit, emotional year. So long 2008! Farewell 2008

April and I decided to say a proper goodbye to 2008 with the finger. And then we headed to a New Years Eve party at Chris's place in the Hills where we danced and hung out and toasted in 2009, and were home by 1:30! I am really getting old!

Hello 2009!!!

So 2009 is already off to a great start! And it can only get better, right? The Utes beat former #1 Alabama at the sugar bowl in an amazing, save on Tivo forever worthy, blowout and should be #1 as the only non-losing team in the country... Right? RIGHT! 2009 is already awesome!

So, after taking a couple months off, I've decided to return to my 365 Days of Sandy - because I'm that self absorbed! LOL! And I'll be doing a random picture a day as well - which should stretch my photog boundaries a bit more.

So I'm busy planning the next couple months of my life. January 20th we are hosting an inauguration party. We got an amazing space that used to be an old speakeasy during prohibition.And we're in the middle of planning our trip to Argentina and Uruguay in February for a couple of weeks, where we hope to see family, stay on an estancia, tango in Buenos Aires and hang out on the beach. I can hardly wait for that trip! Hola 2009!

Happy Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

April and I spent the last few days trying to perfect the French Macaroon. It's a very difficult cookie to master and mine turned out way too chewy. But still tasty. We ended up getting a few from the Little Next Door Cafe, which is where we had a French Christmas Eve dinner.
Christmas Day we made our way to the Tweedy's in Playa del Rey for a traditional English Christmas dinner, with crackers and pudding and trifle. May is a fantastic cook. We had a great time talking politics and presents and dogs.

Unfortunately we came home to disaster. Bruno found a way into the kitchen and ate all the Macaroons, bread and two bags of Chocolate Chips that were left out on the counter. You may recall that last Christmas Eve Bruno had to eat charcoal and get his stomach pumped for similar misdeeds. He pooped charcoal pallets for days.
We got him to throw up and he was sick all night, and we were up all night to supervise, clean up after him, take him out for walks. He is a very bad, bad, boy. But we can't help but love him!

We didn't send out Christmas Cards this year to reduce environmental impact but we did take Christmas photos.

Hope Everyone had a Very Happy Christmas!

Back to Montreal

2008-12-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't think about the implications of traveling the day after the Thanksgiving break, so there I was, during the craziest, busiest time of year to fly, on my way to Montreal. Long lines, waiting and of course, delayed flights, made the trip a 15 hour ordeal. And when I landed in Montreal it was cold, cold, cold...but no snow.
Working back in the office was nice. Being reunited with my department was also nice. Even if the week was hijacked by a new client. It could be worse.
I had drinks followed by dinner with Phil at the Place de Armes one evening. But the big event of the week was the company holiday party.
There was gift exchange, plenty of drinking, speeches, awards, dancing, drunkenness...everything you expect at a Christmas Party.

Before leaving on Saturday, I realized I had to get back to the office to retrieve my AC adapter for my laptop. Oops. On the walk over I came across this homeless man, with 4 dogs keeping him warm, as he slept at the foot of the church stairs, in the freezing cold. It broke my heart to see that this man who had nothing, was caring for these stray dogs, and they in turn, were taking care of him.
I left right before a snow storm hit. Flying back was a breeze and it was nice to be back in warm LA with my own spoiled dogs.

Climbing Clouds While Wine Tasting

2008-11-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

Jenny, Christian, Adrienne, her friend, April & I all woke up early and drove our hineys up the coast to Santa Barbara to spend the day wine tasting in the back countries of Santa Barbara County.

We got a Jeep and Driver from Cloud Climbers and headed out to the vineyards to taste the newest selections in wine. We hit five vineyards, with a break for lunch, which was provided, squeezed in between.

The best stop was at Artiste Impressionist Winery and Tasting Room, where you can play chess, paint, taste. I could hang out there all day.

Celebrating in November

2008-11-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

November is always a busy month and this November was no exception.

Election Day Celebration
Everyone who knows me knows I'm very political. Throughout the primary and general election process I haven't posted anything here, mostly because I haven't had time. But don't think the absent of content here is an indication of my un-involvement in the daily toos and fros of this very exciting, energizing, crazy campaign. Huff Post has been my constant companion for the last year.
We decided to make Obama Hope cupcakes to celebrate this historic election. I'm sure we have propped our president elect up on a pedestal unfairly, just to tear him down, also unfairly, and although Obama doesn't go far enough for me, there is so much ground to make up in the next couple years, I'm so excited the country has participated in this peaceful revolution and indicted the regime of the last eight years.
I went to Brian & Tracey's to celebrate and when the election was called at exactly 8PM PT I couldn't help but cry for joy - a stark difference from four years ago when I cried out of frustration! I couldn't contain my excitement and texts were sent en mass.
There wasn't all celebration. Proposition 8 passed and it is clear we still have work to do to ensure the rights of all Californians and Americans. Where one person's rights are not guaranteed, none of our rights can be guaranteed. This, along with the economy, war, social security, the shrinking middle class, health care means there is a lot on all our plates. Off my soap box now!

Finley's First Birthday
Finley had a first birthday party at the park with friends and family. I can't believe she's already a year old. I met a lady who is the wife of Christian's co-worker, who is from Paysandu, Uruguay, just a few kilometers from my mother's hometown of Salto. It's time to plan another trip down tho South America!

Chris & Laura Announce their Engagement
April called a happy hour. We haven't had one for a while and so we made our way back to the SF Saloon where Chris & Laura announced the good news! Tabitha had just returned from India and we got a wonderful update from her as well...can't wait to see the photos!

Bingo for Choice
April & I made our way to Hollywood to participate and play Bingo for Choice for Planned Parenthood. This was the first time I played Bingo and it was a riot! I can't wait to do it again! Of course we didn't win, but the evening was a big success. And we made our way to the Astro Burger, which I've missed oh so much.

Sarah Came to San Diego
Sarah had a Communications conference in San Diego, so I made the trip down in terrible Friday traffic and of course it was worth it. We went to a party where I met her colleagues, we spent time on the coast, in Old Town and at Balboa Park.

Thanksgiving 2008
It was Mason's first Thanksgiving! We had a lovely dinner prepared by everyone. We have a lot to be grateful for. Not even family drama can make us forget that.

Halloween Horror 2008

2008-10-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

It's another year ending and that is made clear with Halloween, marking the start of the season of celebrations.

Elida & Damon held their annual Halloween party and everyone dressed up to celebrate. And more kids are showing up year after year!

Mason Clapping in his darling lion cub costume! Darling!

What could be scarier? Miranda was freaked out by everyone's face paint and masks. She was NOT having it.

Its a Daddy Daughter costume. Ally took a bite out of the night!

My favorite mask of the night was Julia's newly acquired New Oreans Mask. It made the perfect finish to her mime costume!

Damon got tattooed out for his Slash costume and rocked it out!

Cats, Gypsies, a Jack the Ripper victim, Wizards and Witches rounded out the costumes. The lighting of spell candles for love and money rounded out the night.

Kiddie Reunion

2008-10-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the fates just work to bring people back together. Richard and Cynthia were on their way to Costa Rica for their 10 year anniversary (can you believe 10 years?) and they had a six hour layover. So a quick trip to the airport and we all went for sushi at Ninjin in Santa Monica - our favorite sushi place. Rich and Cynthia couldn't keep their hands off Mason - I think they were missing their kids - even though it had only been a couple of hours. I'm jealous they are getting their passport stamped.

Tina and Eric came into town a couple of days later to see the Patriots lose to the Chargers after injuries benched some of the Patriot starting lineup...but they had fun at the game anyway. Before their San Diego trip we took a trip to Dukes, in Malibu and up the coast to Matador Beach to see some tide pools. We ended missing those but walking on the beach is never a bad thing.

We ended up all back together again. Tina & Eric came back from San Diego and we once again had a sushi dinner with Lu, Mason, and April. Later that night we ended back at LAX to pick Rich & Cyn up and Wii ruled the day. Until we had to take Rich & Cyn to the airport, where Rich missed the flight, drop Tina & Eric's car off in LGB and later take everyone back to their respective airports. A lot of run around Sue but all worth it to squeeze just a little more time out together.

Another Road Trip: Souther Oregon & Northern California

2008-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

Our annual autumn road trip came a little earlier this year, but not soon enough. We couldn't wait to get the dogs in the car and hit the road again. Checking out of life to really live it...Its my favorite!

October 2 - Day 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Fort Klamath, OR - DRIVING ALL DAY LONG

We woke up happily at 3:45AM, and we were able to depart LA with full tank of gas by 5AM. A couple hours north of LA we hit farm country - or rather it hit us - with the worst smell I've ever smelled - for at least an hour. But even with that, we were happy to be on the road. We drove all day, enjoying the road, even if it was I-5 - some of the most boring stretch of highway, and got up into Oregon territory to find fall had started to take hold. It was like Bob Ross took a giant paint brush and tap-tap-tapped some bright yellows into the green landscape. It was rainy, windy and beautifully perfect. We hit Fort Klamath and stumbled across a beautiful old church before asking for directions.

We got to the cabin a couple miles from Fort Klamath, by 5PM where it was drizzling, but still light, which meant we had time to explore the scenery before it got dark. The dogs were in heaven.

April made an amazing dinner, we caught the end of the debate. Road, music, beauty, nature and politics...what could be better?

October 3 - Day 2 - Fort Klamath, OR - Klamath, OR - Crater Lake National Park, OR - Reedsport, OR - GOING COASTAL

It was another Car Day. We woke up early and I walked the dogs while April made a wonderful breakfast. I mistook a cow for a bear - oops...its not the first time. We had to regress to Klamath for some gas for the car, and gas for the body - coffee. Klamath is a depressed town with local beautification going on, and it had some real, sink your teeth into it, character.

We headed back up to Crater Lake where the weather was overcast and rainy. We ran across a trickling waterfall surrounded by fog and changing leaves. We saw an actual black bear on the road to the Pinnacles, about 5 feet from our car, which was a highlight.

Traveling around the Southern, Eastern and Northern part of the lake was a great drive with beautiful scenery, even if it was raining and overcast.

We then headed to the coast, which is a long scenic drive in itself. Looking for a bathroom we found a still lake reflecting everything. Just randomly on the side of the road...because that is just how it is up in Oregon...everything is so dang pretty.

On our way to the coast we stopped in Roseburg for a bagel sandwich lunch, which was a nice crossroads sort of town and made it to Coo's Bay, hunting for open yurts that were also dog friendly...not so easy - which is shocking since a yurt is basically a tent with a floor. A yurt just wasn't in the cards this time.

We ultimately landed in Bandon, Oregon, It was really windy in Bandon - at one point we had no choice but to get back in the car because we couldn't walk forward. While walking the dogs on the beach and looking at the lighthouse, a local woman came up and started talking to me about all those damn liberals. It was a good conversation and of course I ended up telling her I was one of those damn liberals and she just couldn't believe it!
We ended up having a gourmet dinner at Rose's Bistro - which was very nice - and stayed in an inexpensive, dog friendly, clean and quaint roadside inn for the night.

October 4 - Day 3 - Bandon, OR to Sunset Beach Park, OR, to Cape Blanco, OR TO Gold's Beach OR - COASTAL COASTING

We woke up late, walked the dogs, found a dog shop where we got doggy cookies. We found a lovely cafe, had dang good coffee as it drizzled outside, and set off the car alarm to everyone's annoyance, got some fudge and a sweater to protect me from the cold, all to start the day. We decided to regress, and made our way back up the coast to Sunset Beach Park for some stormy touring.

We found one spot where the water and waves were so big and violent that the waves licked the tops of the cliffs. We only had a little way to go to get to Gold Beach but it was slow moving with a lot of stops while we continued down the coast. We ran into another lighthouse at Cape Blanco, where the modern was starting to encroach on the old light house. We ended up in Gold's Beach - a fishing town. Had lunner (lunch & dinner) at a greasy spoon, followed by site seeing, and a walk on the beach with the dogs as it started to rain. There was a fish cleaning station at our Inn and there were fishermen cleaning their fish - which the local seagulls flocked to in flocks. Watching the exchange of discarded fish parts between the fishermen and the birds and then the exchange by the birds, literally entertained the dogs and I for an hour. What else is there to do in Gold's Beach in the autumn if you don't fish? That was it!

October 5 - Day 4 - Gold's Beach, OR to Redwood National Park, CA, to Russian Gulch State Park, CA to Manchester State Park, CA - WALKING AMONG GIANTS

We woke up early to the sun rising over the Gold's Beach Bridge. We left Gold Beach in search of coffee...which took a while. This would be a running theme the entire trip...Hunting for coffee. Southern Oregon & Northern California...its not so easy...which is surprising! Time to invest in a plastic coffee press for the auto.

We stopped to take in the redwood giants, which are still utterly amazing. The peace you find in the redwood forest, where all you hear is the slow drip and movement of water while the wind flutters through the leaves of the trees at all levels - its like Eden must have been. I could have stood right in the center of those trees for hours. Next time maybe I'll dedicate an hour to meditating right in the center.

We took the scenic route out of the Redwood forest, because we were trying to soak as much of it up, to take it with us. We made our way to Fort Bragg, CA down curvy, mountainous, coastal roads, where we returned to Russian Gulch State Park, where vultures were feeding on a dear carcass (nice, I know) and a couple was making out...all creepy like, while the kid sat in the car. I would hide in utter embarrassment and shame , too.

We ended up camping under the stars at Manchester State Park - a very minimalistic camp ground with only the most basic amenities - ie - fire pit and out house. The beach was actually very difficult to reach because of the small cliffs blocking the way, but there were dear running all over the place. April made an amazing dinner - she really can cook - even over a crapy camping stove. It rained lightly throughout the night but we were nice and warm in our tent.

October 6 - Day 5 - Manchester State Park, CA to West Los Angeles, CA - HOME BUT WISHING

We woke up from a mostly comfortable sleep, although the tent was soaked because a cloud had settled right on top of us during the early night. The sun was rising when we got up and left, once again in search of coffee and water (yes - drinking water!). Very difficult! We tried for some site seeing early on - drove out to a light house that was fully covered in tarp because of renevations - saw some more dear instead, but then just got on the road, taking twisty Highway 1 all the way down to San Francisco. Not a good idea for April - who gets car sick even when she's driving. The rest was an easy straight shot home on the five - by 6PM we were unpacking the car. So we're now home but, like always - it just wasn't long enough, and I'm still wishing I still had miles and miles of road ahead to go.

Avoiding September Mourning

2008-09-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

So September was a tough month...still in mourning and its officially the end of a very difficult year. My only option was to keep myself occupied with random events, friends and family. It wasn't as sad or depressing as it could have been because of all the stuff that kept me too busy to mope around.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS
A long needed girls night out with Julia, Ane, April & Charlene was girly-fabulous! We started the night in Santa Monica looking for red heads for one, but mostly just catching up. Ane came across a psychic that predicted good luck would strike in a few days for me. Ultimately we ended the night crashing a party in Venice Beach.

April is working for a new consulting firm and one of the things she works on is reinforcing and expanding your personal and professional network. We did a little ladies dinner for networking, in the Valley. I can't wait for the next one.

April and I decided to get out of LA and drive up the coast with the dogs. PCH was practically empty because of the overcast weather, which was great. That didn't stop the surfers or the exotic car drivers though. We saw a string of ferarris driving up the coast, followed closely by a cop that stopped the drivers from really opening up... :)

NIGHT TIME NEON

Business brought my boss and colleague to Orange County for business meetings. Of course, every business meeting ends at a bar.

Ever since our favorite Mexican restaurant closed (so a Trader Joes could move into the neighborhood), we've been searching. Unfortunately, finding a good, inexpensive Mexican place with good margaritas AND good salsa, is made more difficult by LA traffic and parking. We found a place on Pico (***) but had to hike to it after we found a parking spot blocks away. On the way back to the car this old cafe lit up.

REUNITED AGAIN

Mom came to visit Mason, mostly...but it was great hanging out with her, going for mani-pedi's, bar-b-quing, breakfast on the beach and taking a drive out to Temecula for some wine tasting and cheese mongering.

Mason LOVED mom, of course, and mom couldn't stop laughing with delight.

TOUCHING BASE WITH NATURE

I rarely get out of the house in the day, because working from home can be a little too consuming. But every year in Los Angeles there is Park(ing) Day, LA, where businesses take a parking spot and make it park like. I took the dogs for a drive to take a look at the four I could find in a 3 mile radius. This was the best I found, in front of the Google building in Santa Monica. They had the wireless hooked up so people were working while swinging in hammocks. Makes me think I need to start working on my patio on good weather days...I'm sure my wireless network will reach.

Weather is changing from summer heat to cool autumn winds, best found down by the beach. The beach just south of the Marina, in Playa del Rey, down to LAX, are some of my favorites because they are more desolate. And you can have bonfires on a couple of the state beaches through here, which makes them local favorites. We took the dogs down (unfortunately they aren't dog friendly) just so I could take some pics, enjoy the ocean and the beach. I love living so near the ocean.

Labor Day - Family Day

2008-09-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Damon's Parents came to town which meant extended family time. Bar-B-Que at Lu's and Damon's. Pool time, Bar-B-Q and cocktails. It's my favorite part of summer in Los Angeles.

We went up to Simi Valley to go bowling...which meant a long drive to the hot hot valley. Damon's mom beat everyone...which was nice to see. Now I know where Damon gets his competitive streak.

And then it was back to enjoy the pool for one more weekend before fall settles in.

Out and About

2008-08-24T23:38:00.001-07:00

We're planning to depart LA eventually...hopefully to go around the world. But there is so much of LA I haven't seen and I've been here eight years...it's time to explore my town.

This weekend we decided to go take pictures out and about. Friday we started in downtown LA for some city night shots. We took the dogs with us because after dark, and on the weekends, Downtown gets deserted. Not perfect but we'll be back.

Saturday we headed down to Long Beach to the aquarium. It was a bit of a mistake...Kids. I like kids but the amount of kids and strollers scrunched into a relatively tiny space made taking long exposure photos impossible.

While walking to coffee we found this lawn "art" in Santa Monica. No need to go anywhere out of our way...we just happened upon it practically in our back yard.

Back in SLC

2008-08-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

I went back to SLC for a long weekend. It wasn't all fun and games (see the Dante post below) but it was nice to be home with the family. And Tina, Eric, Elida, Mom & I went out a lot to take photos

The Hummingbird in Mom's Garden

Spider Terror at the Great Salt Lake Marina

Trash & Ruins on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake

Sunsets over the desert

How do you say goodbye?

2008-08-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

The only bad things about having a dog is they live seven years for every one of ours...and we have to say goodbye long before we are ever ready. But even with having to cope with the great sadness of losing a loved family member far too often, it's worth it! The best part about having a dog in your life...is you always get more than you give.

Dante was our saving grace after Samson died. He brought us back from the constant sorrow inferno of losing our first dog.

We got Dante when he was six weeks old and he was so small he had enough room to slide around in a shoe box. There were two puppies we liked but Dante licked our faces, and was a little more lively, so he won! That first night we slept on the floor in the dining room with him, so he wouldn't be scared.

He grew into a gentle giant. A bit of a scardy cat, but he had no problem raising the alarm even if he was afraid!

He had the patience of a saint - He would put up with the most irritating kids / dogs (Bruno and Cash) and was so great, he even won over our dog aggressive Beanie, who loved Dante too! He was the deer to Samson's lion. He was family.

Dante Loved:
Kids, Popsicles, Chocolate (He was very good at sneaking chocolate), Rides, His family, Talking, Walks, Walks, Walks!, Lake Powell, Going down the houseboat slide, snow, playing rough with dad / Eric, chasing the kids around the table, talking to us;

366 Days! I Made it!

2008-08-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I totally love Flickr! I'm on there everyday. There are all sorts of communities of common interest formed via the Flickr Groups. When I needed a photo of me about a year ago, I discovered I had 6000 photos and you couldn't find me in most of them (which I was fine with, up until then, because I, like so many, prefer being behind the camera) . I decided to participate in a the 365 Days group. That's a picture of you every single day for a year.

I thought this would help with my overall dislike of having my picture taken, which it has, while providing me with some pictures of myself I actually liked, which it has.

So I did it! Yesterday was day 366 (that's 365 days + 1 for leap year). A lot of days this felt like a chore...and that chore mentality is reflected in some of my pictures, that frankly look the same except for a hair style or clothing difference.

But some days they were just fun. You can see all 366 pictures in my Flickr photostream. (I recommend getting PicLens (www.piclens.com) for easy viewing (really of any image search).

Here is my Day 1 photo:

Here is my 366th Day photo which was inspired by an Andy Warhol:

Even with the "work" involved, I liked it so much, I've decided to continue...Why not?

Trip 8's - Good Luck & Good Fortune

2008-08-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

So here it is and we're already 1/3 of the way through August - I know...a repeated theme regarding the movement of time.

After getting home from Salt Lake, I had to catch up on home business...the business of life...which is frankly, my least favorite thing to do...things like pay bills, clean, run errands, food shopping. Really I need a housekeeper and a personal assistant to come in once a week to take care of all that. Something to work towards anyway.

So August has been pretty quiet so far. I've visited the angel a few times - you know who I mean...And boy did I miss him! He's changed so much in a short couple of weeks.

Other than visits to the Valley for some quality time with Elida and co. most of my time has been spent at home, working and avoiding that home business I spoke of before.

Oh...and I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook. Not that I plan it like that...just on long conference calls, whenever boredom, or avoidance, or the opportunity to procrastinate strikes I hop on there and I get to interact with all my Facebook friends...some more than others. And now more and more friends and family are making an appearance, which just facilitates keeping up with everyone and the small changes that make big differences in their lives.

But I've become addicted...some may suggest compulsive...with the Lil Garden Patch application. I'll sit for an hour, without even realizing, arranging and re-arranging my damn 'Lil Garden Patch. I must be compulsive about it...it's even popped up her in my blog.

This past week we reached a milestone we'll never see again in my life time, and really not for another thousand years... Trip 8's - 08/08/08! We HAD to mark this day with by some means. So we headed up to see Elida, and unfortunately decided to get in the Olympic and trip 8 spirit and get some Chinese takeout. We're not Chinese food fans already, and unfortunately we selected a Chinese restaurant from the car GPS - and paid too much for crap Chinese food. Damon laughed at us - until he caught a wiff of the food and he almost threw up. Hilarious for us all! But the Chinese feel the number eight is very lucky for good fortune...I mean the money kind of fortune...so respect had to be paid...just in case!

We did play taboo and that was a fun board game...never played it before...but good! And then back home. So that's how we celebrated.

Yesterday we watched the Olympics. I really love the Olympics. My national pride comes out...a pride normally reserved for anytime I've been out of the country. I love to travel...but my travels make the greatness of this country all the more acute. And I feel that watching the Olympics too. And with our DVR we won't have to miss any of it...which is even better.

Go USA! Go USA!

My Working Vacation

2008-07-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

So I packed myself and my two dogs into my great new car and took a road trip back home to SLC to reunite with family and friends. Since I work from home, I can work from anyone's home. And I did spend my days at work...which wasn't so great...time went by too fast, and two weeks was just enough to see everyone once.

So I've added a quick daily run down below (with pictures) because otherwise I tend to forget after a few short weeks:

Sunday July 13, 2008
I left LA at around 4:30 AM after an hour of sleep, and drove all day long. My car got great mileage - averaging 44 mpg...not bad for freeway speeds in the high 80's. This American Life podcasts, Tom Petty and my dogs were my constant companions.

By 3:00 MT I was home...and shortly thereafter, Richard, Cynthia and their four darling kids walked through the door. Dancing and dinner followed. I tried for an early bed time but had a freak out instead...and spent half an hour on the line with tech support in India because the router wasn't connected correctly...oooops, my bad.

Monday, July 14, 2008
So of course I worked...and I worked every day following as well...and I didn't have to start until 9AM, which was nice...It gave me extra sleep in time and extra time to walk the dogs. Let me say, it takes a lot of time to walk three dogs, 2 of which are old and need some extra walking and outdoor time.

Mom and I went to dinner at a Persian restaurant on 1500 East, which was lovely, and then went to the Whole Foods to pick up supplements for Ebony and Dante - both are suffering from old age ailments...tumors in various stages, arthritis, etc. I decided to take a homeopathic path with Beanie after a sad conversation with her vet a few days before. Crossing my fingers.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Work, Vietnamese lunch with Rich and co, Dante to the vet where we got bad news, Dinner at Training Table with Everyone.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
I went to lunch with Tina at the Arctic Circle, Dinner with Adrienne and her boy at the Tin Angel followed my work day...where I think I totally freaked out her boy...not on purpose, I promise. Followed by a late night visit with Christina and Darren.

Thursday, July 17, 2008
I went shopping with Tina, where we got some great deals, and I walked out with 2 new fabulous purses. Also went out to dinner again, to Su Casa with Eric, Tina & Mom. Followed by an emotionally exhausting, but liberating heart to heart with mom.

Friday, July 18, 2008
I ran some errands back at the Mall with mom, packed up for a long weekend and finally up to the lake to start the 3rd annual family reunion. Dad agreed to watch the dogs over the weekend so I wouldn't have to run back and forth.

Saturday, July 19, 2008
Spent all day on the lake, watching Rich ski, going swimming, watching the crazy folks cliff jump. Up early to start breakfast, Lori & Chris joined us for the day out on Rich's new boat, I made dinner - Hawaiian haystacks, and went back out on the water until the ranger made us stop.

Sunday, July 20, 2008
More time on the water, with more cliff jumping and boating. Eric jumped the big one.

And then it was time to go home. And say goodbye for another year.

After clean up we went to Rich and Cyn's to see the dogs and visit for a while. On the way we ran into some scenic byways and photo ops.

Monday, July 21, 2008
Back to the work grind - followed by dinner with Troy at a Thai place.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Cyn came over with the kids because rich was at the doctor. Hung out with the kids, Emily stopped by with Darien for a quick catch up - that just wasn't enough time, followed by dinner with Dad, Tina and Eric. Stopped by to see Christina and Darren but I felt sick after about an hour and went home to sleep it off.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Had a lovely dinner of homemade tacos smothered with enchilada sauce, at Christina & Darrens, admiring the koi pond and playing a game of choice, Christina gave me for my birthday...The question providing the most discussion: What is more important: Justice or Mercy?

Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Pioneer Day
Mom and I went up to the Kamas Valley Fiesta Days Rodeo, and saw Elise - a Kamas Fiesta Days Princess. The rodeo and fireworks were followed by a visit to see the dogs and watch some home videos of the kids..

Friday, July 25, 2008
The nanny reunion started at a Japanese restaurant, followed by a trip up the canyon to a condo in Park City. Once the whole gang was there, night swimming and catch up time kept us up late into the night.

Saturday, July 26, 2008
Late morning wake up followed by a trip down to Kimball junction for lunch, where I ran out of gas - after going 471 miles on a 10 gallon tank of gas.

After the reunion wrapped up, I went to dinner with Sarah, Nicola and Andy followed by a trip back to Sarah's parents house where I met darling Benjamin, and Andy's darling dog, a malamute.

Sunday, July 27, 2008
It was time to pack up and get back to LA, since I was scheduled to have a client meeting in Temecula on Wednesday.

So I took some picture time with Dante and the dogs:

and it was back on the road - where we hit a high of 108 degrees in Death Valley at 6PM at night. Oh and some crap traffic for an hour before the fruit check.
By 9PM I was home, and the dogs were so happy to see April again. I think she was happier to see them.

Reunited Again

2008-07-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

The 3rd Annual Mini Lisonbee Reunion took place this weekend at Echo lake. Camping, talking, cooking, boating, cliff jumping, skiing, wakeboarding, hanging out, eating - that's what we did.

The Middle of Summer

2008-07-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

So we're now into the middle of July and summer is in full swing. We spent July 4th with Phil & May at the Marina where we had BBQ, probably drank too much wine, and watched fireworks. It was a lovely evening on the water. and it was nice to have a day off.

Saturday we went to Damon and Elida's for a pool party - which I got no pictures of because I was just having too much fun. Everyone was there and it was great to catchup with everyone again.

April Got a REAL Job in practically no time at all, now that she's a graduate, so she had her going away from GZ celebration at the Whaler!

And I've spent a fair amount of time with Mason - although it really is never enough.

In a couple of days I'll be leaving for SLC, driving my awesome car - just me and my dogs, and I'll be working from there for at least a couple of weeks. The rest of July should be all sorts of crazy busy.

How old?

2008-06-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

So I'm now 35 years old. And I don't even mind. Which is funny because when I turned 25, I was upset and sad and felt like I was on the downslope to 30, and inevitably careening toward middle age. And each subsequent year past I would get sadder and sadder while feeling older and older. And I'd refuse to give my age. Which is sooo lame. Because 25-29 is soo young!

I had a low key birthday, working during the day, followed by a lovely dinner at Zu Rata with my favorite people - April, Jenny, Elida & Mason. April got me tickets to see David Sedaris, which was fantastic, Elida & Damon got me a gift card and Jenny got me the Seven Up! series on DVD...which I'm so excited to watch. My birthday weekend was spent at the hair salon for a much needed haircut followed by an evening with David - which I know I said before - but He was great!, followed by a day spent poolside.

So funny enough my first 4 years in my 30's have been very nice - I really am liking my 30's. So I didn't feel any sadness when I turned 35. Hopefully I will feel the same when I turn 40.

Back to Montreal

2008-06-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

So following our camp weekend in Catalina Island, I hopped a plane back to Montreal for work and play fun early Monday morning. Montreal holds the Grand Prix (I didn't even know what this was before someone from Montreal explained the importance) every year in June. The week's craziness and fun heralds in the summer and its just an excuse to get out and party and give thanks to all in the heavens, winter is finally over for a few months.

So I had a layover in Calgary where I was sent to immigration because I was suspect, since I've been to Montreal just way too many times. Luckily I had a business card with a Montreal address and viola! I was able to barely catch my connection flight.

Monday night I had dinner with Franco and Jimmy and met a new California based colleague, Tyler, at a steak place. Food in Montreal is different. Its good old fashion "American" food - Italian, seafood or bistro - but all carb and protein heavy. There is not much in the way of seasonal or light food. If you order a salad - if you can find one - expect a loaded salad with a heavy dressing. I think this every time I visit. That being said - if you like bistro food, this is the place for you...they do it well. Actually the best fries I've ever had are in the restaurant at the Embassy Suites - just an FYI. I mention the food because, other than working and drinking, its what we always end up doing in Montreal - eating out - as you will see further down.

Tuesday it was back into the office for work. Its nice being in an office sometimes. I do less work because I'm more distracted by conversation or trips to the kitchen for coffee or long lunch breaks - so its nice. Working from home you have to be disciplined and I work non-stop - and sometimes feel like I have to be on the clock all the time to prove I'm worth employing, even if I have to work from home 3000 miles away.

Tuesday night, April landed in Montreal but she got in late. She thinks the people are very friendly here - or at least the cab drivers are. I think the people are friendly in Montreal, although I have to admit I've gotten into a verbal confrontation with two cab drivers on two separate occasions because they didn't like the fact I was paying with a credit card (This was after the concierge asked for a taxi that accepts credit cards!).

For dinner I went with Jimmy, Franco and co to the "SMOKED MEAT" place across from the office. Montreal is famous for their smoked meat. Its THEIR dish...that and some fries with brown gravy and cheese curds. I must admit I don't really care for either.

The rest of the week was a bit of a blur. A lot of working. And a lot of progress was made on the work front. April actually spent more time alone then I had planned. Her days were spent relaxing and touring the city at her convenience - which must have been a nice reward after 4 years of work and school. I still felt bad.

Even with a lot of time spent at work, we went out each night. Wednesday we met up for quick cocktails at the Place de Armes Hotel with Phil, who was in town on business as well. And then we walked around for dinner, only to stumble upon a line of restaurants - that were all bistro style geared toward tourists. Which was followed by drinks and cigars at Stogies Cafe and Cigares on Crescent Street - a place to go for food, clubs and bars - where we met up with almost everyone from the company. I work with people that really know how to drink!

Thursday we went to an Irish Pub for some fabulous hamburgers and with, once again, Jimmy, Sarah, Tyler and Mark, plus guests. April ended up going out with Sarah after dinner and I headed back to the room for some much needed rest.

Friday was an exhausting day. And we ended up having dinner at the hotel with Tyler, resting in the room until Franco picked us up to go check out all the Grand Prix activities. We walked along Crescent street, which had been closed to traffic, and as filled with all sorts of people drinking and acting crazy. People watching was just brilliant! A Technicolor fishnet stocking dress and 6 inch heels should draw a complete picture. We ended up on the roof in a bar on top of a hotel, with a few hundred other people - where everyone was just as drunk as those down below - but at least it was an older crowd. No 18-21 year old kids here. And we spent the rest of the evening chatting, people watching and appreciating the scenery *wink - wink*.

Saturday was our day to explore Montreal together. I decided to check into our flights in the morning, for the following day, so I could guarantee myself a window seat, and found that I had booked April's flight for Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning. And of course she had missed her flight. I've used to arrange travel for top executives that traveled every week of the year - you would have thought I could get my own travel right. It was a tough lesson to learn - l'm not as perfect as I though I was. So a few hundred dollars and a new return flight home for April later, we were finally able to get hang out in Montreal. Which we did. A lot of walking. I found Macaroons. I looked for something to buy but couldn't find anything that wow'd me.

Sunday morning April left in the wee hours of the morning to catch her flight. I left a few hours later and we landed in LA almost at the same time. We were so excited to see our dogs - and of course they were so excited to see us. Beanie was so excited, in fact, she ended up scratching my eye, and I had to go see my eye doctor that night, for a remedy. It was a crazy little week in June 2008!

April Graduates!

2008-06-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

So its been a long four years for April. The first two years she was working full time and going to school. But finally she decided she must concentrate fully on her studies and decided to work "part time". Actually, she worked part-time at her job and part time at internships so I don't think she was really part time.

Anyway, April finally graduated from California State University Long Beach, in Business Economics! And the celebration started with friends at the GoKart World racing around the track. Everyone claimed they won the race. But I think it was wide open. We have a bunch of aggressive friends - that I can tell you!

Mom flew in the day before the graduation ceremony and brought Collin and Elise with her! April and Dad flew in the next day and Thursday was spent in the Long Beach Heat, watching over 1200 graduates from the Liberal Arts College, walk in sans diploma and then finally walk out with a diploma. Actually, most of us bailed after April's name was called because it was just too hot...and we had kids! What good are kids if you can't use them to get out of boring, long graduation ceremonies? The Ceremony was followed by a late lunch in LB and then it was up to Elida & Damon's for a swim and dinner.

Friday morning, after a night of swimming and WII play, we got up early to make our way to Catalina Island on the ferry. We stopped for a fast food breakfast - which, if I was a mother I would have known should NOT include syrup. But the French toast strips were ordered and my brand new car got the MOM MY RIDE Treatmen t. Luckily these kids are just so amazing.

There is a lot of waiting between transportation when you go to Catalina Island. Waiting for a Ferry. Sitting on the Ferry waiting to arrive in Catalina - this can seam like a longer wait if you get motion sickness - which half the group gets. Waiting for the bus to take you from Two Harbors to the campgrounds of Little Harbor. But it was all relaxing. No need to rush. A different pace from our usual crazyiness. And it beats sitting, waiting in traffic.

In Two Harbors we enjoyed a laid back lunch and then went looking for treasure on the beach. The bus trip was filled with a girl scout troop and some others and was a long slow ride to the other side of the island. Catalina is so much bigger than I thought! So once we arrived in Little Harbor and we had set up camp, it was late afternoon. We made a gourmet camp dinner of taco salad - a camping favorite - and roasted marshmallows.

After a rough night of sleep for some of us - who knew the back ache was so painful? - April made some Trader-Joes-just-add-water-German pancakes over a warm fire. It took a few practices but finally, by the last pancake, it was almost perfect! The morning was spent down at the beach but soon we had to get on another bus and make our way to the tourist side of Catalina - to the town of Avalon. On our bus trip, we saw a herd of about 30 buffalo.

Dad, Elida, Damon and Mason were all staying in Avalon. And once we met up we went out for lunch. I watched Mason while the rest went paddle boating in the harbor. And once that fun was had, we all go ready for dinner at the Catalina Island Country Club for Damon's Birthday. A long, expensive taxi ride back to camp followed a lovely dinner.

Early Sunday Morning, Tina and I were up for a bathroom run and we decided to take our cameras to the beach. It was littered with canoes and a sailboat sat in the harbor. Breakfast was what we could find - left over granola bars, trail mix etc. And there was more waiting for a bus back to Two Harbors.

In Two Harbors we had a relaxing brunch. And then it was back on the boat to Long Beach Harbor.

Landing back in Long Beach, we made a stop at a "Fancy restaurant" for some Chili's over sweet desert, took Tina to the airport, walked the dogs, went shopping for a bbq dinner and headed back to Elida and Damon's for swimming and dinner. There was no more waiting or relaxing or taking our time.

Starting Summer

2008-05-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

This summer promises to be a busy one. And it has officially started. It was so hot this weekend that we just had to get into the pool! Oh lovely pool! Our place is pretty close to the beach - close enough to get beach weather, which is mostly a 75 degree average through-out the year. But there can be some hot days. Those are the days we seek out air conditioned spaces. Shopping, the car etc.

We started the weekend at the Santa Monica farmers market and got some lovely raspberries in gold, blue and red. We also got some QUARK - described to us as a German cream cheese - which is just fabulous

Luckily Elida and Damon always air condition their home. Spending the day in the heat of the valley, with a pool and the cutest baby ever, is how I spent the rest of Saturday - which was just lovely. Mason is so incredibly darling and he's a bit ahead in motor skills for his age.

Sunday was spent shopping for a "Nascar/Speed Racer" costume for April's Graduation party at the go cart world, followed by dinner with Elida & Damon. Elida goes back to work this week and hopefully that goes smoothly for everyone.

The moon was so bright and full we decided to grab the dogs and go down to Santa Monica Beach and take some photos. Unfortunately the air is so humid it's impossible to catch the moon without it coming out like a blob of light. Luckily there is plenty to photograph at night on Santa Monica Beach.

I can't wait to see what else is coming for the summer!

Going Green

2008-05-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not really a car connoisseur. I don't get especially excited when I see a top sports car. I saw a rolls royce phantom the other day and couldn't understand the excitement it generated amongst my work colleagues. I think the porsche is an ugly car. Blaspheme! I don't really care how fast a car can go - as long as it can go up a mountain at 75 I'm fine. I don't really care how they look - I've been driving the most generic looking car around forever. I just want them to work. Without any problems.

So, in spite of the jeering from the peanut gallery (ie Richard and Damon) I got my "dream car". I traded in my little Honda Civic that could - it was a great car for me - for a brand new Toyota Prius. And I really love this car. Of course I won't enjoy it in daily traffic since I work from home. But I have a feeling we'll be spending a big chunk of summer in that car just driving around the countryside. At least that's my hope.

Oh, and I saw gas (regular unleaded) at $4.09 today.

Happy Birthday to April!

2008-04-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday was April's 28th Birthday. We had wanted to throw her a party - something along the lines of Toy Story or Finding Nemo, but she vetoed the idea immediately - and the birthday girl gets whatever she wants on her birthday. Her idea was much better.

We, April, Elida & I, started the day by having a lovely breakfast at Swingers in Santa Monica - an organic and tasty breakfast. Breakfast was followed by a trip to our favorite spa - Burke Williams. If you've never been, I recommend the deluxe relaxation massage. The entire experience is excellent. The sauna, the hot tub, the aromatherapy cold wash clothes. Everything. I feel great weeks after I go. We followed our hours at the spa with a trip up to the valley to spend the afternoon with Damon & Mason, making grilled pita pizza, eating cake and watching old, but never seen, episodes of Entourage.

Monday we went and saw MudCrutch, featuring Tom Petty at the Troubadour, a tiny dive bar in West Hollywood. The music was great. The club was tiny, packed and hot. I never thought I'd ever be able to see Tom Petty in such a small venue. Another point for LA!

It was a great Birthday weekend for everyone.

April Showers

2008-04-22T01:42:00.000-07:00

So far April has been a busy month of work work work. And weekends at Elida and Damon's enjoying their company and spending time with Darling Mason. My new job has been great so far. I really like working from home. I love being around the dogs all day...they are great company.

Seriously, the "excitement" can barely be contained for all that is going on this month. I think the highlight so far is the return of Deadliest Catch. And The Office. I know. Pretty bad! Oh - and I got the Wii last week. I'm not a video game girl, but since we'll be hosting more happy hour Friday's this summer, I thought the Wii would be fun for all...not just the guys. I'm going to enjoy the calm before the proverbial storm...cuz it's coming with the warm days of summer. Happy Earth Day!

Easter Bunny's and Brunch or Time is on my side

2008-03-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

Easter was early this year. I'm no longer a religious person so the meaning of Easter has changed for me over the past few years. And, as a side note, I don't even get a day off work for Easter. And for a Judeo-Christian country, this seams odd. Anyway, since moving to LA seven - yes seven, can you believe it?- years ago, the practice of any Easter tradition has been minimal. But this year we got back into the spirit (secular spirit - that is) of things.

April decided to do an Easter brunch on the patio, with Damon, Elida and Mason. My mom and dad sent Easter packages that helped get us in the spirit of the season, and I colored eggs. I haven't colored eggs since I was small. And it was all fun and enjoyable, and a great way to live in the moment while laying down a marker of time.

I don't know if that makes sense, but it does to me. When I was little I used to hear adults say that time moves so much faster as you get older. I never got that then. It felt like I had all the time in the world. It felt like the winter lasted forever. It felt like summer vacation lasted forever. It felt like it was a full year between birthdays. That's not the case now. It feels like the year between birthdays has definitely sped up! Where did that time go? I'm now one of those adults that say that time moves faster as you get older. Weird!

Time does feel like it moves from day to day, week to week, without any real feeling of that time having passed at all. Every weekday is the same with some small variation that barely stands out as you're living that moment, hour, day, and fades within the week, making the days all burr together. So than I'm just living for and through weekends. That sucks! I'm only experiencing 2/7th's of my life. No wonder everything is moving so quickly.

And that feeling of the blurr of time is even worse in LA (another side effect of sunshine 11 months out of the year). There is no feeling of time passing in part because there is only one season with very little variation throughout the year. Just like my weekdays. There is nothing that stands out to make the month pass more noticeably. There are no leaves changing colors en mass to mark September. There is no snow melting to mark April. There are holidays. Practicing some holiday tradition each month - even commercially made up holidays like Valentines Day, helps me with the marking of time as it passes.

So celebrating Easter, jumping into some Easter Traditions - helps mark the passage of time for me. And this time Easter IS actually early. But can you believe its already the middle of March in the year 2008? People born in 1990 graduate from high school this year. That was 17 years ago for me - and it almost feels like yesterday.

I love LA

2008-03-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. After 10 days in freezing, snowy, icy Montreal, coming back to Los Angeles, really makes me appreciate all I have. I remember why I moved here....the weather. Yes there's traffic and over-population, but after 6-7 month winters in SLC, traffic and overpopulation are very minor side effects to the sun shining 11 and 1/2 months out of the year drawing a crowd. And now that I'll be working from home, there's practically no downside.

In stark contrast to the white over dingy old snow and ice of Montreal - and probably most other parts of North America in March - spring is in full bloom in Los Angeles. And my love for LA has been re-affirmed!

Montreal was, as always, lovely. To visit. But it is great to be back home, reunited with my lovely dogs. And my nephew - and sisters. I was so excited to take the dogs on a walk on Saturday morning. The park is filled with the remnants of a cherry blossom explosion. There are pink flowers everywhere.

Its just nice to be home. I don't mean to rub it in for all those still suffering through winter- seriously. Its just that I have a friend, Liz, that ends each of her blog postings with a list of five things she is grateful for in her life and I've been inspired to dedicate at least one post of my last 229 posts to something I'm extremely grateful for in my life.

Oh Canada! Oh Montreal!

2008-03-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

So its completely official - I am now officially re-employed, requiring a cross country, inter-national (barely) flight to Montreal for a couple of weeks of training. The people are great, the job is rewarding...And full of potential. I can't wait to see what happens.

While spring was in full gear in Los Angeles, Montreal is still in the thick of winter, with ice-snow on my first night and light snow everyday since.

But I really love Montreal - even though I had to spend a small fortune on winter clothing (you know - coats, boots, sweaters etc) and I'm on the edge of the Old Town Near the port. I've been walking to the office every day soaking up the French-Canadian atmosphere.
Tonight I decided to go out and just walk around and see what I could find. Really I was looking for a grocery or convenience store, which is nowhere to be found.

This weekend its supposed to snow 20 centimeters (I know - whatever that means!) so I'll probably be inside somewhere.

That didn't take long...

2008-02-19T00:33:00.000-08:00

My first day off the job I received an e-mail from a former partner company wondering if I was interested in working for them. Their operations are based out of Montreal - a city I love - but a city that is cold 6 months out of the year.

Two weeks later its official...without sending out a single resume, I have a new job, working from my "home office" - ie bedroom. That means no LA traffic! Although I will be traveling - I won't be stuck in my car 2 hours a day! I'm going to have two extra hours a day! And I can do what I love and still hang out with my dogs! I couldn't ask for better.

I start the first week of March with a trip to Montreal- so I have a couple of weeks to get an office space set up and organized in my bedroom and do all the other things I was planning on doing in the next couple of months!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

2008-02-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day at work. I've known since November, so I've known the day would come and finally its arrived! I'm so excited! I feel like its a brand new day. I've been with my company for six years. Now I have an opportunity to take a new road.

Usually I dislike times of transition, being in flux. I prefer to be on a set path. But not this time. I'm excited about the unknown. I want to enjoy the freedom that comes with the feeling that all is possible.

I've decided to take a couple weeks, decompress, enjoy the time, meditate, and figure out what I want to do next. Who knows what opportunities will come up!

Teaching an old dog new tricks

2008-01-28T01:36:00.000-08:00

So Christmas Eve, my darling dog, Bruno, found Ebony's pills in their doggy luggage and ate through the child proof bottle. April spent most of Christmas Eve Day at the vet, where Bruno had his stomach pumped and charcoal administered, which was very distressful for Bruno, and my credit card. He was pooping lumps of coal for a couple of days.

So, to save my dog's life, we decided to crate train our ~7 yr old and ~ 8 yr old dogs. Finally, most would say! Especially since Bruno has been acting out lately (for a while now), when we leave the apartment. Our parenting has slipped the last year or so, into over-indulgence. We have been bad doggy parents.
Tina and Eric have five dogs, and all of them are crate trained. I used to think that was s little mean...but when your dog almost dies - you stop looking at it that way. Now I feel completely different about it.
When we got back to LA, I bought a crate for each of the dogs. I got canvas, portable crates, partly because Bruno had a chipped tooth we had to remove, when we first got him, because he'd been trying to chew threw the bars of his kennel. He's chewed through our bathroom door, when he got trapped. So I wanted something a little less jail like. Something softer.
We started slowly, leaving treats in there for them to find, feeding them in there, etc. and both of them got used to it pretty quick. We also stopped letting them own the couch. They have to wait for an invite, that sometimes doesn't come. Both have found the crate comfortable, taking long naps in there throughout the day.
So this weekend we went to Whole Foods for less than an hour, and decided to leave them in the crate. With it zipped up. As a test. And I'm just so proud of them! They were so good! Now we just have to work up the time they are in their crate with it closed.
Tina and Eric will be so proud when they visit in a couple of weeks.

My last week in Tampa, FL

2008-01-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

This is my last week in Tampa on Business - at least for now.

I'm finishing the transition to the Tampa Office, and then I only have 2 weeks left at AMG. I've been there since April 2002! I can't believe it!

I think I'm going to take two weeks off and get centered and focused and get my shit together before starting the job search. Sort of take a personal retreat for a couple of weeks. Granted, Tina and Eric are coming to visit, but that will be a welcome relief, I'm sure, from my inner dialog of new ageisms. I hope to meditate twice a day in a dedicated purposeful way. It may sound risky but I'm not worried about getting a job. I just need to figure out what direction I'm going to take with my career. I really want the right job. I'm at a definite crossroads.

I was considering taking a job offer in New York but April, sometimes the voice of reason, spoke up. It comes down to a choice between moving to New York or going on our Around The World Trip for 9-12 months. There is no way I can do both. I'm so sad...I was mentally moving back to NYC already! But there really is now contest here.

Mason Flynn Kaydo made an early arrival

2008-01-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Mason Flynn Kaydo made an early appearance, by a week.

He was born 1/13/08 at around 10PM.
6 pounds 7 ounces
20 inches long

Luckily the Golden Globes were canceled because otherwise he would have been born in the car. I was so excited I got to see him before I left for a week long business trip.

Here's the official time line

~12:30PM Elida's water breaks
~6:30PM: Elida calls April
7:30PM: Arrive, order dinner, pack bags
8:33PM living room photo of Damon
8:50PM depart residence in Van Nuys, and travel via the worst/windiest, longest, filled with stop signs and speed bumps canyon road in history
9:22PM pull up to emergency room
9:46PM waiting in waiting room - not realizing they are actually having the baby.
10:20PM Damon comes out to tell us they had Mason
10:35PM first photo of Baby & Mommy Elida
11:50PM first bath

Showers for Baby Kaydo

2008-01-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

Elida is nearing her due date. We had a last baby shower for her on Sunday. The theme was frogs so everything was green and froggy. We decorated onesies for Baby Kaydo. Now the bets are being placed...when and how big. I just home he waits until I come back from business travel. I'm going to say Sunday the 2oth (her due date) at 11:20 AM | 7 pounds 9 oz | 20.5 inches

The Holidays at Home

2008-01-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

The holidays were a whirl wind...always going too fast. This year was no exception:

DECEMBER 24th: Christmas Eve
I went to a 50th Birthday Party for May on the 23rd so I ended up flying home the morning of Christmas Eve while April & Elida drove with the dogs a day earlier.

In spite of hopes and some (admittedly minor) effort to finish shopping before Christmas Eve, it just wasn't to be this year (again). So I went shopping with Rich & Elida while Tina and April rushed Bruno to the vet because he ate 800mg of Beanie's anti-inflammatory medicine. He was pooping coal for a couple of days (I know - TMI).
Afterwards Cyn and the kids joined us at the house to hang out. The kids have grown up. Andrew has an amazing personality I was previously un-acquainted with. We had a quiet New Years evening with Dad and therefore without Richard and his family.

DECEMBER 25th: Christmas Day
We had a white Christmas this year. Everything was beautifully white and cold. Fortunately/un-fortunately (double edge sword here) I got to experience this every day, two times a day, because we have to walk the dogs two times a day, much like the mailman - come rain, snow or shine.

Dad, Tina and Eric came to the house in the late morning and we opened gifts. I was the big winner this year...I got a lot from my list, including a new webcam, and a portable speaker for my i-pod. Rich and Co came by in mid afternoon for more presents and dinner. Marcus is just a little calm angel, Elise is like a chipmunk mother hen and Andrew is all boy! Collin is half man half boy, both serious and silly. They are all great kids!

DECEMBER 26th: Boxing Day
The day after Christmas it was back to the vet, and lunch with Dad, Tina and Eric at a Thai place
December 27th: Does it Count?
Out with Tina, Eric and the Kids. Collin & Elise Sleep Over

December 28th:
After the Collin & Elise Sleep Over, we spent the morning making German Pancakes followed by lounging around. We went to the best restaurant in SLC - Yes, I said best, The Tin Angel and then I went to a Nanny Reunion where I reunited with the Originals: Emily, Liz, Sheyla, Robyn, Ruthanne. We were missing Heather...but she's in Indiana :(.

December 29th: Elida's Baby Shower &
We had Elida's Baby Shower where Elida took an unexpected stand. We went for mediteranean food with Tina, Eric, Mom & Dad, there was more snow, and Dante helped dad shovel.

Decmeber 30th, A lot of Snow
A lot of snow and night shots with Tina

Decmeber 31st - New Years Eve
We spent the day preparing for the New Years Eve Party - Cooking and Decorating. New Years Eve was a blast!

January 1, 2008 - Happy New Year
2008 is already better than 2007.
We went and spent an hour or so cleaning up the party local. And then it was up to Kamas where Elida & I babysat the kiddies. The Sunset played like the fire on a burning bush.

January 2, 2008 - Time to go Home.
We left Kamas, had lunch and said goodbye to SLC and the freezing 11 degreed at 3PM and arrived in Los Angeles at 12AM - greeted by a lovely 60 degree night.

My U2

2008-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

New Blogs

2007-12-21T00:07:00.000-08:00

I've started two new blogs this last week :

Bliss on the WWW- My Favorite Web Discoveries

I'm not really a techie person. But I do love the internet and I've found and used a lot of freeware/website services etc. I've been getting asked a lot for this list. I know there are lists all over the place but this list is really for basic users. No Linux/coding or HTML required. So its a place to catalogue my favorite websites/freeware etc for all my not so technical friends and family.

Bliss and Food - Recipes

I don't "Cook" a lot. But I do love a good cocktail party and once in a while I really do enjoy cooking. I modify existing recipes and sometimes I'll create something. It's all stored here. Oh, and of course there are photos too.

Happy HoliDaze - First Day of December!

2007-12-01T10:11:00.001-08:00

So, Today is the first day of December. :) Really I can't believe the year is almost over. Wow! Time does fly when you get older. Remember when you were younger and you'd hear an adult say that. I never got it. I do now.
So even though today is the first day of December, I've spent the last week decorating, putting up the Charlie Brown "Christmas Tree", Taking photos for our Greeting Cards, which, the dogs have been surprisingly cooperative. All of my 365 Day photos for the last week have also been Holiday centric. I even made some cookies!

1. Bruno's Not So Happy Holiday Cheer, 2. Beanie's Happy Holiday Cheer, 3. Greating Card Reject, 4. Finally! Happy Holiday Cheer from Bruno, 5. April is Excited about the Holiday Goodies!, 6. Sandy: 365 - Day 108 - Ornamental Madness!

Christmas is my favorite time of year...the five weeks - from Thanksgiving to New Years. I love it. And in LA there isn't any snow - but when I go home, I'll get my fill for the year. Hopefully this Christmas will be a White Christmas.

Happy Holidaze!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-25T21:31:00.000-08:00

Mom flew into Los Angeles for the Thanksgiving Weekend on Tuesday night. Wednesday we went shopping for the feast, made a modified JELL-O no bake cheesecake to a pumpkin cheesecake. I also made Grandma's green jello desert. So good.

Thanksgiving Dinner was held at Elida & Damon's house. April made sweet potato fries, Mom made a squash and lentil soup that was very good, I made a cranberry, orrange and apple sauce that was the best ever, and then we had the usual fare: turkey, two types of stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, asparagus.

Oceanside, CA - Friday afternoon we headed to our timeshare in Oceanside, CA. We got there after the sun set and before heading to dinner we decided to visit the mission there: The San Luis Rey Mission, and took some photos of the mission and the full moon that was out. We decided to be a little adventurous and went for the worst seafood dinner. But April & I did do oyster shooters.

From Sun Up to Sun Down - Saturday April and I woke up before dawn and went to photograph the moon set as the sun was rising. We went to a Trendwest review, where they wanted us to purchase more shares. We headed to San Diego afterwards, to Balboa Park, followed by a late lunch in Old Town, and then to Del Mar for the sun set.

So Jenny Had A Baby

2007-11-11T23:43:00.001-08:00

So Jenny's Having A Baby
Originally uploaded by Bliss_Priss.

She's finally arrived! After months of waiting, planning, taking photos of a growing belly, She's arrived. And although they waited a couple of days before finalizing the name, Christian & Jenny named their new baby girl Finnley Isabella (w/one "N" or two has not been decided yet).

DOB - 11/07
WT - 6 pounds 2 oz
Legnth - 19.5 inches