The Kids, The Dogs, and Other Things

3 Years Gone!

2010-05-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

Keeping up with Facebook, being unemployed, and the rest of life seems to have just been uninspiring. I want to do better. Can I have do-overs??

The Amigas Head Home

2007-08-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

It was a wonderful time, but we had to leave. Thanks to everyone who made our 10 days so great. One of the things I love about my family is that we welcome guests with open arms. I was so proud to be one of us as everyone opened hearts, homes, and wallets to make Sami feel at home and welcome Danae and me back into the fold. I wouldn't trade families with with anyone.

Mt. Shasta...the place where the soda springs flow!

Oceanside Pier Then and Now

2007-08-12T16:39:00.001-07:00

I got these at www.sandiegohistory.org a GREAT site for those native to SD to see the transformations the city has undergone since the invention of photography. Cool, huh?

"Oh, We Belong in the Zoo, The San Diego Zoo"

2007-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm showing my age with this slightly modified title, but it's so true. Doug and crew once again accompanied us to see the the animals. (The hatless ones are usually the zoo residents, in case we are hard to distinguish.) I'll bet you've all seen the cute'n cuddlies as well as the slippery slimies before, so you'll mostly see us humans here. To see more just go to http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

...another one rides the bus

No. We never made it to my favorite place on the planet, Balboa Park. but I couldn't leave it out entirely. Here's California tower as seen from the zoo.

Yes. Sami actually pushed Doug around the park!

Crazy Hats and Carousels at Seaport Village

2007-08-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Melissa, Sean, Layla, Doug, Pam, Beth and the 3 A's spent a very fun day at Seaport Village handling objects we didn't plan to buy, being very noisy and generally making a nuisance of ourselves in stores. it was great!!

Everyone wants a ride in Sean's new baby!

Two cuties with Coronado Bridge behind.

A Spam Hat! Danae's ultimate desire in headcoverings.

The Amigas Visit Family and Friends

2007-08-12T08:11:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful time seeing friends and family. In fact, we were having such a good time, we forgot to take pics of important people like the McClellans, Linda Miller, Cheri & Fred, and other folks! Sorry guys.
G'ma & G'pa pose with us.

We wouldn't miss a chance to visit Aunt Edith

Cathy taught Danae and Sami the fine art of nose-picking.

Sami made a new friend
Still cute after all these years.
Kellie, Kailey, Iain & D'lainey
Emmanuel, Pam, Christian & Providencia
Gerardo & Francisca (Francisca, the pic of you and me at the coffee shop didn't show up. We need to get together for coffee soon! Come to Bend :)

Doug Joins the 3A's for a "Wild" Time

2007-07-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

The 3 A's were lucky indeed to have the company of my brother Doug (who rivals the size of a silverback gorilla as shown below) at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Thanks to the generosity of Jane Baker (She donated her guest passes to our cause) we got in and on the tram for almost nothin'. We were looking forward to the big monorail ride and were disappointed to find it had been replaced with a crummy bus/tram kinda thing that uses gas or diesel and is really noisy and only shows you about 1/2 of the area that the monorail covered. Being lower, it also gives you a bird's eye view of feeding huts, block walls and chain link fences. They also seem to have dismanteled my favorite part--the "Where's Waldo" with mountain goats. Anyway, they have added cool new lion viewing areas and a balloon ride that soars 400 feet above the park . Only Sami and Doug were courageous enough for that. Danae and I sat in the shade and admired their bravery from the ground. We spent a long morning and afternoon there checking out the bird show, the open area enclosures, and enjoying the jungle ambience of the place.

Danae and Sami Fed nectar to lorikeets in an aviary filled with the colorful flutterers.
To find out more about the cool stuff at the SD Wild Animal Park click on this link http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html

Balloon Ride!!

Lions (Sami got the best lion pics) and tram with cool view of the balloon

The Amigas + G'ma Hit the Beach

2007-07-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

After getting a good night's sleep we all decided we needed a day at the beach and a shake from Ruby's at the Oceanside pier. Check out the videos of the girls at the beach on your right.

3 A's Appetizer

2007-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Our first day of driving lasted 17 hours! As the only driver in the car mis amigas had to tolerate my griping and moaning about my sore butt and back. They were indulgent and as our reward we got to see the Las Vegas strip at night. (Yes, I drove from Bend all the way to Las Vegas the first day!) A new sight for Sami Who's really never seen the Southwest (She's a Bendite from birth). It was exciting, but crankiness ensued all around as we had to drag bags around Circus, Circus looking for rooms, then drag ourselves around looking for food at midnight. Sami was able to find her way around the hotel better than Danae and I. So, from that point on she became my trusted navigator in strange neighborhoods and out on the highway. She never failed me! As a reward, we ate Krispie Kremes for breakfast. We hit the road again caffeinated and sugared-up, to find our way to Glendale AZ, and The AZ Caviness Clan. They were waiting with open arms, great food, and music. We met up with Doug, Pam, Beth, Becky and Otra (Becky's boyfriend) at the party and shared the blues with the whole gang. Kudos to Mark and Neva Caviness who never fail to put on a fine party. We are looking forward to the Fifth Annual Blues Review. Besure to check my You Tube Video section for a taste of The Caviness Brothers Roadhouse Blues Band.

Along the way we managed to see Hoover Dam, the biggest Joshua trees I've ever seen, and bunches of saguaro cacti. The desert picture here pretty much sums up the view our first couple of days from inside the car. (You all know why dessert has 'ss' and desert has just one 's?' That's how it is with desert pics too. One goes a long way.) Party over---next stop Vista!

Las Tres Amigas Big Adventure

2007-07-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Whew! It was quite a trip! We loaded up My cute new little red Element and headed into (really alongside) the sunrise at 4:00 am on June 14th. The Amigas included me (Ginger), Danae, and our friend Sami (pictured on the left, all of us looking less than our best). Our goal was to do the entire Southwest in two weeks for under $100. Lofty, you say? Right you are. We fell short of our goal, but thanks to my new 4 cylinder car and lots of lovely people who gave us their freebie passes to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park, and those who graciously fed us, we managed to do it for less than you might think. Special thanks go out to Jane Baker, Melissa and Sean, Cathy and Richard, Doug and Pam, and the Arizona Cavinesses for guest pass tix, souvenir purchases, warm welcomes, great food, fun and fine music. My next few posts will be a multi-course banquet of our vacation cut into bite size chunks...eat up!

Stuff We've Done in Portland

2007-06-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Portland skyline with the Willamette River in view. (That's Will-lamb-et for all you south-westerners.)

The water fountains run continuously in Portland. Seeing that made me feel like I'd lived in the book Dune my first 46 years, seemed almost vulgar to me. I guess rivers are pretty decadent too - sending all that perfectly good fresh water to the ocean, unused.

Danae enjoyed doing a "weather report" at OMSI, The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. There was also a pretty cool Cold War era sub docked there in the river as a floating museum.

Mark seems unconcerned about the high voltage as Danae, oblivious to the danger, happily drives the sub.

This is the Rose Garden sports arena. We are standing at the cooling-off area out front. Water jets up out of the ground here and you can run around barefooted if you feel so inclined. It kinda freaked Danae out. But, I loved it!

This is our really cool suite where we had an awesome view of the Lipizzaner Stallions. Thanks to Mark's company and free tix.

Check them out at http://www.lipizzaner.com/

Master Bedroom Accomplished!

2007-06-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of sweating, swearing, and singing along to the oldies I now have a newly remodeled master bedroom and a new image of hell which involves an eternity of alternatively stripping wallpaper that has been put up with Tacky glue and pulling thousands of staples from subflooring. Truly a terrifying image! Equally terrifying was the bright baby-blue, shiny paint; shiny ceiling; and wallpaper strip featuring happy rubber duckies and flowers. Remember, this is the MASTER bedroom. I should've saved a piece to show you, but I actually ripped the picture portion from the backing before my furniture arrived last summer to avoid night terrors involving duckies (it's complicated).

Most of you are familiar with my penchant for Muchas. Well, this room is built around and color coordinated to go with my gal Morningstar pictured above. (No, not the aging hottie in the pink tank top, the -gasp and cover mouth with hand- nude! This last bit was specifically for Mark Caviness. He'll know why.)

Scooter enjoyed hanging out during the process, though he was virtually no help. He seems to be enjoying his new digs, even with out a bed. Mark and I will like it better when the furniture and clothes are back in the room. By the way, the flooring is a peel and stick vinyl that looks amazingly great, has a lifetime warranty, won't freeze our feet, and is pet-friendly. Who could ask for anything more?

My Sister, Cathy

2007-05-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

When I was young my sister, Cathy, held an almost demi-goddess-like place in my life. After all, who else could magically turn liquid detergent and a little water into bubbles? Who else knew how to make cardboard boxes into stoves, and salt and flour into Christmas ornaments? She lived in Far, Far Away Long Beach where I spent summers playing in the yard in wading pools, eating delicious (yet, frighteningly red) peaches, playing with Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys with David, and watching LA television. (I think they had 4 or 5 channels up there! Howdy Doody and Felix the Cat were on every day.) Post Toasties were on the approved list of foods at her house. When I was home, I'd pine for visits from her. On days when she was supposed to arrive I'd be up with the sun waiting on the front porch. Once, when I was about 6 years old and waiting endlessly for her, I remember figuring out how to call her long distance. "Where are you?" I asked. It was probably 7:00 am.

The reason I say demi-goddess rather than super hero with Cathy is that she wielded a power that was much more parent-like than my other siblings. She could and would make me do things like take a bath, go to bed, and give me painfully tight last-an-entire-week-but-do-them-daily-anyway pigtails (an attribute I hear from others that I also posess. They say abuse is generational. Et tu Deby?) She was talented (you should've seen how GREAT my mission looked), beautiful, and could read (a skill I simply had to posess!). I had to obey her, whereas, with Doug it was more of a series of negotiatiations.

As an adult Cathy has been my companion and the best neighbor I ever had. How many years did we exercise together every morning? We've shared the creation of an award winning gingerbread house (which almost, but not quite made up for the Mission), a love of baking (she, Deby, and Diana are the few, the proud, that I'd do a cookie swap with), and many a bottle of wine. I miss her company terribly. She knows and understands me in the most important ways. I'm her "Ginny Baby" and she'd jump in front of a moving train to save me. If I had a problem and she could help, she'd be there. If I killed someone she'd be the first person I'd call to help me dump the body. What more can I say?

Danae in the Horse Show

2007-05-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a big one for Danae. She rode in her second horse show with Healing Reins. (Healing Reins specializes in theraputic riding for disabled folks.) She had a great time despite having a nasty cold and managed to walk away with second place in her category (beginning riders). Check out the You Tube videos of her I've linked to my video collection (on your right).
Here's a link for Healing Reins for those interested in learning about this great organization. http://www.healingreins.org/ Danae has gained a lot of strength, endurance, and bodily control since beginning to ride horses. She's also developed that obsession with horses that only young girls seem to be able to feel.

"Chef Boy," Sharing & Ice Cream Sandwiches

2007-05-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

Carole King

Only Love Is Real

...I think it's true that nothing is really new under the sun. Watching a new love grow from old love's embers. Yesterday's gone but today remembers. Doesn't it seem to come down the same for everyone? Only love is real. Everything else illusion.

Adding to the confusion of the way we connive at being alive.

Tracing a line till we can define the thing that allows us to feel.

Only love is real

Childhood dreams like muddy waters flowing through me... Everything I ever thought is confirmed as truth to me.

Even as I see the way that I want to go now, still I wish I had known what I know now...
Only love is real

Everything else illusion. Adding to the confusion of the way we contrive to just stay alive. Tracing a line till we can define the thing that allows us to feel. Only love is real.

Doug's Visit May 2007

2007-05-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing that not all superheroes wear spandex. Mine would all look pretty silly in it! In fact, that's a thought that I'm just going to need to block from my imagination right now - I suggest you do the same!

Ever since I was a little girl Doug has been tops on my superhero list. He can fix anything from bad moods to broken stuff. When I was a kid he'd carry me to bed after Wonderful World of Disney was over, even though I suspect he knew I was only faking being asleep. He was patient with me through bad dreams, barf clean ups, and my incesant talking and singing in the car (though he did attempt to bribe me to shut up). No girl ever had a better little (big) brother.

Even though I'm all grown up now (and then some) I still think of Doug as one of the few somebodies in this world who would love me and believe in me no matter what. So, I was very excited to have him visit us. We hung out, had some family dinners, he did puzzles with Danae, Ooo'ed and Ahh'ed over Deby's cutie brood, and looked around town and on into the "nothing" that surrounds Bend. Mark was lucky to have someone to show his woodshop off to who would

really appreciate its wonderful coolness and obsession potential.

We all got our "Doug fix" and then, off he flew, out of our presence and into the smoggy "something" that surrounds the ant hill (literally and figuratively) that is Vista. We miss him! In fact, when Danae was in trouble a couple of days ago she started whining, "I want Doug." I find myself whining the same thing on the inside.

A Few Fab Family Fotos

2007-05-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Scooter and Buddy

The girls at Mt. Shasta
Mark and me at home in San Diego Christmas 2006

Jumping on the Blogging Bandwagon

2007-05-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone by Laura and Deby, I too now have a blog. I will endeavor to keep you all informed of the goings-on here in Rischville. (But, we all know about good intentions gone bad.) Check in often and leave me comments. Here we are at the top of Pilot Butte looking toward the Cascades.