Sluglife

Heading into the Part of the Year That is Not Summer

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:47:18 -0800

Things seen around town-grape trucks, butternut squash and Gravenstien apples, yellow leaves floating in the River, kids with backpacks on...fall is here. Fall and I have a strange relationship-I hate it at first because it means summer is over, and then we settle into a grudging truce. We celebrated Dad's 60th this past weekend with a huge surprise birthday dinner at Negri's-we had the whole back room. I made him a big cake, and we had about 30 people. He was totally shocked. The next day Jordy and I threw a party at our house for about 25 people to celebrate the birthdays of Misha and Jeanny and Lisa. Jennifer came over and helped me cook-we had a ton of fun! Chickens are huge now, and all moved out into their coop. They're all pushing 2lbs now and fully feathered-we're at the start of week seven. They begin to lay at about 20 weeks, but we might get fall molt beating us to the punch before we can get any eggs. Jennifer and I have decided not to induce artificial laying with lamps, so we might be going until the first warm days of spring to see eggs. We're not really in a hurry and the girls are all so tame-they enjoy being held and sitting on laps, so we're content just to let them be. School has started. Jordy is taking programming and trig. I'm now rising at 5:30am five days a week to work out-I have body conditioning and tai chi. Jennifer and I started our sewing class and it's a ton of fun-it is really nice sewing only for myself for once. We are planning fabric shopping trips into the City since we are charged with making one, complex final project, and we want cool fabric. I am in the process of hiring a new assistant at work, and getting ready for the crazy part of Memory Walk season, which is September and October. Jordy is going to Toronto in September for work and I'll be home and in charge of the farm. We are off to Utah for Labor Day weekend and very much looking forward to seeing many old friends from school. Jennifer and I are getting ready to put up a ton of tomatoes and make pickles, as our gardens are overflowing. I might be able to hang onto to summer for a few weeks yet!

Three week old chicks and their painted new home

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:39:24 -0800

What have we been up to? Well, we've had a string of folks come through (our friend Josh, who you might remember from our Utah Days; Anna's friend Alan from high school) -- both were in the midst of road trips and we hope we were able to make their stop-overs enjoyable.
We've been sharing our office (and our laundry room when we had company) with ten chicks (birds, not babes), and we're anxious for them to go live in their real house. It's almost done, but today Anna put the first homey touch on the coop.
Here's a great view.

And from above you can see it hasn't visibly progressed much from where we left it before, but at this point it's something of a timing puzzle -- we need to move it into position to slide in and bolt down the floor of the run, but we can't do that until it's painted (see! It's painted now!), and we can't finish the run enclosure until the floor is in place...
So, like I said, it's one step at a time.

This will be the "Home Sweet Home" picture for the girls once their run is ready.

There's a lovely red trim coming -- let the white dry, first! :)

This view gives you a good look at another element as yet unfinished -- the roof. We're working on that, but rest assured, it'll be done. :)

And what do you get when you have a dog that wants to express more of his dalmation lineage? Well, when it's a black dog around white paint...

Oy.
Who, exactly, will be moving into the pretty painted coop? I'm glad you asked -- here's a video of the three-week-olds. They're in that not-so-cute transition between chicks and chickens. I swear I heard one of them cluck instead of cheep the other day:

Two Week Old Chicks

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:04:37 -0800

So tomorrow we're coming up on the chicks being THREE weeks old, so this video is up a little late. But better late than never!

Hot Chicks!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:31:21 -0800

	We've got chickens! It's been sometime coming, but they're here. Here's the lowdown.
	It started with the clearing of our chicken area. That meant clearing a lot of weeds, ivy, two juniper trees, and a ton of rosemary. It was a hell of a day, but I got it done.
	A month later on the morning of the build, you can see the result. The pots were employed to help me visualize where the coop would go.
	My Coworker, David, offered to help me with the build. He was absolutely instrumental with his know-how (he built two coops of his own, and innumerable other projects), his tools, and his truck which transported all the wood. Thanks Dave!!
	And we were off! I had drawn up plans as best I could, but after we got the basic structure together, we just sort of played it by ear.
	By lunch we had the front and back assembled and attached. But it wouldn't last; we ended up taking this apart and shortening its width by a good foot and a half. It was certainly the right decision, as with the dimensions we have here we're ready for factory farming!
	Our disaster area.
	Meanwhile, Anna, Jennifer, and David Erik headed to Western Feed Store. It was time for chicks.
	We were planning on six chicks. The man at the feed store said they should get eight to account for mortality. David Erik raised him two. Ten chicks, ready for transport. The good news is that the coop will easily accomodate ten birds. There are six seperate roosts, so they don't even have to be the best of friends to all fit comfortably. Speaking of which...
	It's just about quitting time at coop-central.We've just finished the laying box for the ladies.
	Here's looking at the coop from the side, showing off the removable roosts (for easy cleaning!). It was around 5pm and David and I were beat. We called it a day with the coop at about 80%. There's still plenty for me to finish up on my own -- I have to wire underneath the coop for an integrated run, I have to build an enclosure to surround their little walkway down into the run. Oh, and as you can see, I need to hang the side door and get and hang a door for the laying box (we ran out of wood). The roof is unfinished presently, and we're still talking about what to do with it. Most likely we're going to tarpaper it and set it up for a living roof later on. But I'm happy with the progress!
	Upstairs, the chicken habitat was being finished. Here Jennifer surveys the cuteness.
	And here they are! Too cute!!
	Anna and a chick.
	And a closer picture of the ladies. I'm told the tally is as follows: 2 Black Sex Links, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Gold Wyandotte, 2 Golden Sex Links and 2 Light Brahmas. Total: ten cute chicks. Don't believe me? Check the video below. We'll have more chicken pictures, no doubt!

Summer Is Here!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:15:02 -0800

So much has happened this last month! Jordy has pictures coming soon, I promise! We are having a great summer. Just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it’s been that long. Jordy and Dave spent the day building my chicken coop! It’s gorgeous and HUGE…there is still a bit left to do on it but I am sure pictures will be coming soon as Jordy is rightfully totally proud of it. Jennifer and I have some time carved out next weekend to paint it, and we went together and bought our baby chicks this past Saturday. Originally we were going to start with 6 chickens but we ended up getting 10. They are in a brooder in my office right now, where they will stay until they get their feathers-about four weeks from now-and then they can move into the coop. We can’t wait to show the girls their new home! 4th of July was celebrated with a huge BBQ party at Jennifer and David Erik’s house. Misha, Evan and Cynthia spend the weekend with us and we had a great time taking the boat out and watching the fireworks. Later this month our friend Josh from Utah is spending a few days with us, and then a week later my dear friend Alan arrives from Ohio to spend 4 days with us during Bear Weekend. This weekend we are hanging out with our friends Bryan and Kathleen from the halibut at their pad in San Mateo. Jennifer and I have been busting out butts in a water cardio class at the JC, and so far I’ve lost 7lbs in the last 5 weeks. I’m on board to take two more classes at the JC starting in August-Tai Chi and Body Conditioning. I’ve been working with a clinical health educator at Kaiser this summer who has custom tailored a workout and eating regime for me to help me lose the last pounds to my goal, and with her help I’ve made great progress. Jennifer and I are also taking a flat pattern design class at the JC in fall to hone our sewing skillz. I am loving my weekly bass lessons, which are so much fun. Hard to believe I’ve been playing now for 7 months! Jordy and I saw Dirty Projectors last week in SF, and are going to Bedouin Soundclash and then Rock the Bells in the next few weeks. And then Memory Walk season will be here and I’ll have no time at all…☺ This year has totally flown. But I’m having a blast this summer and Jordy and I are chillin on the River, filling our house with friends and having a great time. Hope you are too!

Lightening Update

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:34:23 -0800

Seems almost everyone we know is on Facebook, or talks to us on the phone, or sees us regularly-however, for those of you in the old school mode of catching up with us via Sluglife, here’s a quick summary of the last few months. Biggest News this Year: Misha and Jeanny are set to welcome a baby boy the first week of November! Jordy and I are thrilled! We can’t wait to have a little nephew running around. The pregnancy has progressed well and Jeanny is healthy, and that’s all that we can ask for. So for now it’s the long wait until he makes his appearance in the world. Other News: Jordy has gone back to school full time for a CS degree from Sonoma State. This means we are back in “student” mode, but it will be well worth it. To occupy my time while he’s in school this summer, I’ve signed up for a water cardio class at the JC that meets four nights a week, 2 hours a night. I love water and love to swim, but this class also includes deep water running and calisthenics and such, and will be a huge amount of fun! Can’t wait. The chicken coop project is well under way, Jordy having cleared out the brush from the area that we want to build it in. We have our money ready and are finalizing plans, so construction will start as soon as we have a free weekend. Best friend Jennifer and I have started back up with our summer canning-both of us having put in our tomatoes and gardens for the year. Last weekend we put up a ton of strawberry syrup-we were able to find beautiful strawberries at a farm outside Sebastopol and promptly dispatched them. We also made rose petal jam for the first time this season. Jennifer was able to find a 5-gallon pickling crock and I’ll be putting in pickling cucumber seeds this weekend. This summer is packed-shows we have tickets too include Neko Case, Bedouin Soundclash and Rock the Bells at Shorline in August. In a weird twist, we ended up with the exact same seats we had for last year’s Rock the Bells. We’re going to Utah on vacation over Labor Day to spend some time with our good friends M.E. and Ellis. June is a crazy month! My boss will be leaving our office at the end of June as she has accepted a CEO position with another non-profit. Our office is busily trying to tie things up and prepare for her departure-we wish her the best of luck! This weekend is the Memory Walk kick-off party, and our friends Andrew and Jen will be with us. The next weekend is my birthday-we’re having a big lunch a Chevy’s with all my co-workers for that, then the weekend after we’re down in the South Bay for my brother-in-law’s 30th birthday party and I’m having a girl’s day with my friend Tata. Then the weekend after that our friend Kim and her dog are up. Summer is here and I’m sooooo happy! This has turned out to be a wonderful year full of great surprises, and I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner!

Playing Catch-up

Sun, 17 May 2009 22:25:33 -0800

So besides Anna's post below, we've been fairly out of the loop lately and haven't posted here for some time. Here's a collection of pictures that we've been meaning to put up just to catch you up to where we are! If you're a friend on facebook then you've likely seen a lot of these photos already, but otherwise, ENJOY!
	As Anna Mentioned in her last post, we've been trying to go to a lot of shows, which primarily take us to the City. For Los Lobos, however, we went back to our old haunt, Santa Cruz. And When in Santa Cruz, we'd be fools not to go to the greatest taqueria EVAH, Taqueria Vallarta.
	She mentioned her bass lessons, too. Here she is actually playing one of her basses!
	One of the big events of this year came last month when we drove down to the central coast for our friends Nick and Crystal's wedding.
	The wedding itself was on the beach with the sun at the perfect place to make pictures of the ceremony difficult. Instead, here's a picture of me with our self-named Krew of Deviancy.
	Here's the lucky couple (at the reception, of course)!!
	Anna and Kim during the reception. If you look at this picture and think, "What joke did they tell just as this picture was taken?" Just know it was likely deviant. And hilarious.
	Our friend Mark was the officiator and here Anna gets caught between a hug.
	Zoe, Mark and Cindy's daughter, became my BFF during the visit. Here I entertain her with bubbles.
	We stayed the night at Mark and Cindy's. Anna sat on the couch. I mean, Anna sat on SOCRATES' couch. He moved to take his seat back and made it clear that Anna would have to cuddle him as penance.
	Remember him? It's Winston! He's pushing a year and a half now, and just as cute as ever.
	Here he is with those patented Puppy Dog Eyes. Sorry, Winston, we're not going to the dog park right now. "But that's my favorite! Puhleaze?"
	And finally, today was the first swim in the river for the year. Lord knows it was hot enough! That should about catch you up on events so far in the Life Of The Slugs. Next big event will be our chickens! So stay tuned!!

A Warmth in the Heart

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:45:31 -0800

Mowing my lawn this morning made me realize that summer is almost here. Where has the year gone? The big barrels of pansies we planted for Rachel’s wedding, which bloomed furiously all winter, are now dying and in their place come the lilacs and geraniums and roses-my favorite flowers replacing the old. This year so far has been a year of reconnecting with old friends-Jordy and I have been having lunches and breakfasts, having folks over, and visiting almost every weekend. We’ve also been going to shows-about 2 a month, usually in the City, which is great-we really have a great time staying out late on “school nights.” I’ve been taking bass lessons weekly and Jordy and I often spend evenings playing songs together-we’ve been recording some of his old songs that he wrote back in high school and college, which is great fun! My best friend Jennifer and I are in the process of starting up our chicken coop! We attended an intensive seminar in Sonoma this past weekend where we learned to care for chicks, how to build and maintain a proper coop and run, how to troubleshoot, what too feed, and all about the different breeds available to us. We’ll be starting our chicks in May, and I am so excited. Jordy and his friend David from work, who owns chickens now, have said they will build me a coop, so just as soon as we pay our taxes, we’ll be starting that as our summer project. It is such a happy feeling to step out onto our warm deck in bare feet and know that in just about a month or so, our house will be filling up with friends for the summer! This year so far has been one of the best of my life, and I am looking forward to my favorite season after a long and rainy winter. I hope all of you reading this are well and at peace, and that we see you soon!

A new addition to our Automotive Family

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:51:12 -0800

	Remember this picture from the San Francisco Autoshow last year? And I quote: “no sooner did we enter the Moscone Center did Anna make a Beeline towards her future car -- the Honda Civic si. And it's even in the color she wants to get it in. Come February, this will be more than just a picture”
	Well, guess what?
	As with all things, however, there’s a story here. And a road trip – things are so much better with a story and a road trip! I won’t bore you with our scrimping and saving, but we finally reached our goal and started the process. First we were going to use the Costco Auto Service – the same thing we did for the Corolla. Filled out the info online and they said someone from the Honda dealership in Petaluma would be contacting us in 24 hours. Well, they didn’t. Meantime, our friend, David Eric, has connections with a group of dealerships – the closest one being down in LA. He called in a favor and the fine folks in Culver City made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. We just had to go get it.
	So, on a rainy Friday afternoon we headed out. The weather held until we got onto I-5, when some particularly evil-looking clouds opened up their wrath on us. Fortunately that didn't last, and a little later the clouds became a bit less menacing. And the weather held until the Grapevine. There was snow at the summit and the rain just sucked. But we pressed on, knowing there would be smiling faces at the end of the drive.
	Oh, wait. I almost forgot the obligatory driving shot. It's been a long time since we had one of these, but in case you forgot, this is the side of my head.
	THESE were the smiling faces I was referring to! On (extremely) short notice, our friends, Owen and Sce, said we could stay with them for the night in Irvine. It’s been a while since we have seen them, and we haven’t ever seen any of their So-Cal abodes. MANY thanks to them for opening their house to us at the last minute!
	We hadn’t seen their dogs, Annie (pictured) and Cutter (below), in an even longer time – geez, it’s been like six or seven years! Too long. They’re still adorable, though!
	Look, Winston, these dogs are resting. Being nice peaceful dogs. Learn! Speaking of which, the aforementioned David Eric and Jennifer were kind enough to let Winston hang out with their doggies while we traipsed down the state and back. THANKS AGAIN!!! :)
	We plowed through on the drive down, and by the time we got to Sce and Owen’s we were a bit hungry. Instantaneously they managed to whip together a bowl of polenta and marinara with beef for us. When I say “instantaneously” I’m talking Jetson-quick. They’re that good.
	And it was nom nom nom nom. We are eternally grateful for their hospitality.
	The next morning they made us a lovely breakfast before we headed out. As I said, it was a last minute thing, and they already had plans. We certainly didn’t want to impose any more than we already had, and we were incredibly grateful. Besides, we had someplace to be, too.
	Before we leave, though, a candid shot of a Sce and Owen and their doggies!
	When we arrived at the dealership, there it was front and center. Anna, understandably, went all Beatlemania. Inside we went for a flurry of paperwork.
	Soon enough, we were done and the proud owners of a 2009 Honda Civic SI!
	With the formalities behind us, it was time to get on the road and get acquainted with our new car. Anna wanted me to drive out of LA and she managed this picture as we navigated north on the 405 towards 101. Why 101 and not back to the 5?
	Well, besides being more fun than the arrow-straight I5, 101 also happens to pass through Arroyo Grande, home to our friends Cindy and Mark and their daughter Zoe!
	In addition to Zoe, Mark and Cindy have a menagerie of animals. Here’s Luna, a black Lab.
	And here's Kira, a yellow Lab. One of the things that struck me as funny was seeing these dogs and Owen and Sce's dogs again after spending a year (yes it's been a year on Valentine's day) with Winston. Next to our Creepy Pony, they seem so small, yet I remember them -- all four of them -- as ginormous! Weird.
	And Socrates, who refused a frontal picture until it was cleared by his agent – who was conveniently unavailable – Socrates still looks great even after so many years. He’s a cat in command.

	Then we were back on the road. In LA the clouds were scattered, and, despite a brief downpour coming into Arroyo Grande, that held for the rest of the drive. The clouds lent themselves to some beautiful scenes.
	Not a bad over the shoulder shot!
	Same picture cropped.
	Day turned into darkness as we continued north. Finally we made it to our stop for the evening -- Lana and Gary's house in Sunnyvale. It was a very necessary stop, as we were beat and just tired of being in cars. A good night's sleep left us refreshed and with renewed spirits for the final push home. The weather, too, held for the final leg of the drive.
	Finally, we were home!
	It's been a long time coming, and we have worked very hard, but at long last, we've got our new car. Even after 500 miles, Anna still stood up in the office and stared at the car for a long time muttering, "I can't believe we finally have the car." We do. It's gorgeous and fantastic to drive. So far, February, you've been a good month.

A Wonderful Mid-Winter Day

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:01:51 -0800

I said in a different post, it’s been a hell of a January. To many big things to mention, and half of them made the month feel like a year long. Today we closed out January with a fantastic day in West Sonoma County. We’ve made a resolution to try to go to a new place we haven’t been before once a week. Between New Orleans and Anna’s gallbladder, we haven’t had much of a chance to keep up with that resolution. Today, however, we got in three new places.
	First stop, the Grove of the Old Trees. Haven’t heard of it? Neither had we until we spotted it in a recent newspaper article. Despite the recent press, on this gorgeous Saturday the place was deserted – and it’s pretty obvious why. It’s in the middle of nowhere, which is part of the reason it’s such an amazingly peaceful place.
	Once inside the park, the grandeur of the place takes over. Having grown up visiting redwood forests my whole life, this place surprisingly was able to take my breath away.
	Proof we were there.
	Just off one of the trails we came across a burned-out tree. Redwood bark is remarkably fireproof, however any chink in the bark allows the fire inside to smolder, which is exactly what happened here. However, despite the fire damage this giant still looks to be in great shape. That’s me, for a little scale.
	The moss inside the burn made for a pretty shot.
	Speaking of pretty shots, who’s that cutie in the tree?
	Looking at the pictures again, one thing difficult to convey is the incredible peacefulness of the place. Among these massive trees, all you hear is the wind and birds. Quite a fantastic place to let go of the month.

	As you can see by the little compass thingie in the upper left, this isn’t our photo – no, because I left the camera in the car I resorted to ganking a rather good shot from Google Street View. Not bad! This is Village Bakery in Sebastopol where we stopped in to share a grilled turkey and pepper jack sandwich for lunch. Wonderful. We will be going back (with the camera, I promise).
	Our final stop for the day took us down to Cotati to a local cupcakery called Sift. Anna had been craving a cupcake all week, and I’d heard of the place, so… It’s the cutest little place. If you have a sweet tooth and you find yourself on 101 near the Cotati grade, make the stop. It’s worth it.
	Same picture as above, just cropped differently to show the unfortunate coincidence of sitting behind the logo in the window.
	Our two tastes of Sift were, on the left, Peanut Butter Ripple (chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting) and an Irish Car Bomb (Guinness chocolate cake with Irish cream frosting) on the right. Divine! We will be visiting again!

NINETY-SEVEN!

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:00:57 -0800

Last week I drove down to celebrate my grandmother's 97th birthday. NINETY-SEVEN. These are a couple of pictures my Mom took.
	Here's the fam at dinner. It's always wonderful to get together with my family.
	The birthday girl! Ninety-Seven. 97!!
	Okay, so here's the deal: Jack had just gotten a new iphone and he left it on the table while he went to watch the NHL Allstar game in the other room. Nefariously, I figured I'd do an embarrassing lookup in Youtube so when he goes to show his friends, "Hey look, I can watch videos on this -- check it out!" and he hits the Youtube button it'd show his last lookup -- say something like, I don't know, "gay porn"? For the record, it was Jill, my sister, who suggested taking a screenshot and setting it as his wallpaper. Great idea!
	You know, it's funny -- Jack didn't think it was nearly as funny. I told him I'd change it to something like, say, his 97 year old grandmother, but he left without having me change the wallpaper. As far as I know, he's still got that beefcake wallpaper. Must be a hit at the office.

OMG We Went To New Orleans!!! Days 3 and 4: Anna and Jordy Out and About

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:44:37 -0800

These pictures are late in going up, I know. It’s crazy to think how much has happened between touching down back in San Francisco on January 11th and now – things like Anna losing a gallbladder, and the country getting a new president…. It’s been a hell of a January. So enjoy our last batch of pictures, late though they are!
	Saturday dawned with Anna going to her final half-day of the conference; for the morning, I would again be on my own. I had the perfect place picked out for breakfast, too – this little hole-in-the-wall place on Bourbon. Unfortunately, everyone else in New Orleans found it before I did. Not wanting to wait for a table to open (or a seat at the bar for that matter), I walked around the Quarter until I found someplace that appealed – The Market Café seemed quite inviting. I settled on their “Eggs Creole” – two pocket eggs with New Orleans shrimp Creole sauce and a biscuit. It was exactly what I wanted for breakfast. Serendipity.
	Anna was done a little after 2, and so we headed out to find something. Truth be told, we knew exactly where we were headed – back to Johnny’s PoBoys.
	And we knew exactly where we wanted to eat them – down by the Mississippi river. Sound familiar?
	Look! A River Slug! Free from the conference, Anna was now ready to nom!
	And nom we did. I don’t honestly remember if this was Anna’s (fried shrimp) or mine (fried catfish), and I apologize for the poor picture. Whoever’s it was, it wasn’t long for this world.
	We ate our Po Boys and watched the big ships running up river towards wherever. Can’t beat the view.
	After that, it was my turn to give Anna the abbreviated tour of the Quarter. We started in Jackson Square, with St. Louis cathedral in the background. It was a stunning day, by the way – warm (high 70s) with 80% humidity. Perfect day to stroll around.
	On our way back to the hotel, we stopped off at the New Orleans Cigar Factory – the site of my cigar acquisition the night before – where I procured a few souvenirs, which are patiently waiting in my humidor. After the day, we weren’t hungry until almost 10, so I ran across the street and got a PoBoy from Mother’s which we split in the hotel room. A lovely end to the day.
	Remember how I mentioned the day before was gorgeous and hot? Sunday dawned with steely skies and an icy wind. The temperature hovered in the high 40s with a biting wind. So when you look at the crowd at Café Du Monde, you understand why they’re bundled up. Really, though, I can’t think of a better place to duck in from the cold then Café Du Monde. And unlike my Friday night back-alley beignet binge, we did this one proper.
	Proper stack of beignets. Proper coffee and chicory café au lait in a proper receptacle… And my wonderful wife along for the experience. Forget the weather, this was right.
	After check-out, we decided to give ourselves a driving tour of the Garden District. The houses were amazing, but the streets were terrifyingly narrow – not unlike the French Quarter. We finally pulled over. This is the “Corn Fence,” a wrought-iron fence with, well, corn in it. Quite cool, and the only other one like it is in the French Quarter.
	Sunday in New Orleans is not a good day to do just about anything, as everything is closed. Including this cemetery – Lafayette Cemetery Number One – as well as just about everyplace we wanted to eat. We managed to get into the cemetery because they were doing some sort of beautification. Don’t mind us, we’re appreciating your beautification!
	The Garden District was the American’s answer to the French Quarter, and Lafayette Cemetery Number One was the counterpart to the French St. Louis Cemetery Number One – where my tour took place on Friday. You can see this tomb’s first resident took occupancy in 1861.
	One of the fascinating things is that these tombs are still in rotation – you can still buy a plot in one of these cemeteries. Obviously, as you can see here, the previous tenants are relocated prior to you taking ownership, but you get an idea of the inside. This is a two slot model – so that if during the year-and-a-day period where your family member is, well, baking, should someone else in the family die, they’ve got another slot for them.
	Just outside and across the street is the renowned Commander’s Palace – where both Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse both made their marks. Naturally it wasn’t exactly, shall we say, in our trip budget. Next time, right?
	On the way out of town, we passed what we’d not seen all trip – Home Depot. No, just kidding. The Superdome. We passed it on the way in, and seeing it at the beginning and end of our trip served as apt bookends. None of the areas we stayed were affected by Katrina, but here is one of the most visible symbols of the days that followed the hurricane itself. By looking at our pictures, you’d never know the city outside the narrow areas we visited were devastated, but they were, and many areas still haven’t come back. We deliberately didn’t go to those areas, but the Superdome stood as a reminder that they were still there, and still struggling to come back.
	This, most certainly, isn’t New Orleans. Our flight out had a stopover in Chicago and the same storm which halved the temperatures in New Orleans on our final day in town shut down Chicago’s O’Hare airport the day before. Still grappling with the crush that accompanies mass-canceled flights, we were glad to be flying into Midway instead. But as you can see, there was still plenty of snow on the ground. Following a thorough de-icing, we were in the air and headed for home. A fantastic trip, an uneventful flight home…. Who could ask for more?! The only remaining question is “When do we go back?” because it’s a “When” and not an “If” – we’re smitten by New Orleans.

OMG We're In New Orleans!!! Day 2: Jordy and the French Quarter.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:10:19 -0800

Friday presented itself as a study in contrasts -- Anna was stuck inside the hotel at various conferences and break-out sessions, where all she wanted to do was, well, break-out, way out. Meanwhile, I was determined to see, do, and eat as much as I could do in the French Quarter in one day. How'd I do? Let's see.
	While Anna was stuck with stale pastries at their continental breakfast, I made my way into the French Quarter to Johnny's Po'Boys for breakfast (we're planning on going back today for their namesake).
	I asked the lady at the counter what she recommended, and this is it. The eggs are eggs, same with the bacon. The biscuit was a spectacular representation of the breed. And those represent the first grits I've ever had. I like.
	I had some time before my cemetery tour started, so I wandered the quarter. This is Jackson Square with St. Louis Cathedral in the background.
	Even though Mardi Gras isn't for another month, Mardi Gras season officially got underway on January 6th. I stumbled on one of the floats being prepared early.
	First, I've learned that North, South, East, and West really don't apply here. North is Lake (Pontchartrain) side, South is River-side, East is up-river, and West is down-river. So this is Bourbon Street and Toulouse looking up-river at around 9:30. The Quarter is funny this early. It reminded me of the Las Vegas strip in the morning -- there's a sense that you're seeing the rigging and cables of the thing that you're not supposed to see. Twelve hours later when the place is humming, that's what you're supposed to see. Nonetheless, I loved it.
	And this is the same corner looking up-river.
	At 10 I had lined up a cemetery tour through Haunted History Tours which was fantastic and I can't recommend enough. The tour started at "Reverend Zombie's Voodoo Shop" which, as it happens, is right across the street from the pictured and legendary Preservation Hall.
	After I got over my awe of being in front of a Jazz landmark, Ernie, our tour guide got things started. He was incredibly informative, funny, just great. Did I mention I'd recommend the tour? Oh, right I did. So what did I learn?
	After some background history about the original location of the first New Orleans cemetery, we went to where they moved the cemetery to, St. Louis Cemetery Number One. This is SO very much worth going to. Here I am in front of the reputed tomb of Marie Laveau, the "Voodoo Queen". What's with all the "X"s? Voodoo. Apparently it's considered good luck to leave three x's on the tomb. However since it's against the law and desecration, I'd just as soon settle for a picture. Besides, there's a good chance she's not even in there but in any number of locations.
	Okay, check this: this is on a larger, but not terribly large tomb. And this is the second plaque on the tomb -- the most recent is on another face. This one starts in 1738 with the first entry and fills up with 1898; The more recent plaque's most name died in the mid-eighties. How do you get that many people in the tomb when, keep in mind, this is Catholic cemetary and they do not allow cremation?
	The term is "inlimited interment". The body is interred for the year and a day mourning period. During that period, well, Ernie put it best, "The temerature in these tombs can get up to 120 degrees. Go home, put a turkey in the oven at 120 degrees and leave it for a year and a day, then see what's left." What is left fits in a bag and is re-interred and the tomb is resealed. One of the reasons some families have two- or three-tiered tombs is because during that year and day, should another member of the family die you've got another spot. Yeah, it's a bit morbid to think about it maybe, but it's really a brilliant use of land.
	What if your family can't afford a tomb? Here's one alternative -- this wall now serves as one border of the cemetery, but once was in the middle of the place. It's about 8 feet thick. These are referred to as "oven" vaults because, well they look like them and they also serve that purpose. Oh, did I mention the city of New Orleans is slowly sinking? The oven vaults were originally three-high.
	Her's another option -- and a poor use of land: the step-tomb. Pretty straight forward -- if you dig more than about three feed down you're going to hit the water table of this below-sea level town. So you lay bricks, place the casket, and then lay bricks around and over it. One body per. Yeah, that's not unlike many cemeteries the country over, but after all the other tombs this just seems silly.
	Did I mention the city's sinking? As Ernie said, "If you're in one of our cemeteries and you're standing on bricks, you're standing on a sunken step-tomb".
	Seen "Easy Rider"? This might look familier. That was the last non-documentary to be filmed in the cemetery. Thanks, Peter Fonda!
	These sky-scrapers aren't family tombs, but rather "Society tombs" -- kind of like a union. This is the French Society tomb. Now that's a benefits plan!
	Ah, another thing I learned on the tour that had nothing to do with cemeteries -- the difference between a gallery and a balcony. This, with its supports and it stretching all the way over the sidewalk, this is a gallery.
	Supported only by the building? Only halfway across the sidewalk? Balcony. Now you, too, know.
	The tour ended at around 1pm, and I wasn't really hungry. Thirsty, tired? Yes. So I grabbed a Diet Coke and sat on the bank of the Mississippi river and just chilled for a little while.
	A path runs along the edge of the river for some time. As our hotel is three blocks from the river, I followed this path back to touch bases with Anna (between sessions) and chill for a few minutes before heading back out again.
	About 3pm I left the hotel on a mission. I'd read about a fantastic place for a fried shrimp po'boy -- Rampart Grocery. It's on the far edge of the Quarter and not in the best area. But I was on a mission. So I headed out across the Quarter in search of the po'boy. On the way I stopped and picked up a cigar from the Cigar Factory New Orleans which are rolled on the premises. Finally I made it to the Rampart Grocery which is, well, a small grocery store run by an Asian family. I waited in line behind some high school basketball players who ordered fried chicken and burgers. As per my mission orders, I ordered the shimp po'boy on French bread and grabbed a diet coke. As there's no seating there at all, I headed for the best place I could think of to enjoy it -- yup, the river walk. Unlike when I was there earlier, there was a free bench.
	Here it is. The woman asked how I wanted it dressed? "Everything" I said. "Hot sauce?" Yes, ma'am. In this fantastic city there are incredible places to eat -- Brennan's, Commander's Palace among them -- we're not eating at those places. But I dare you to find a meal so comprehensively enjoyable as my po'boy on a bench on a gorgeous afternoon in front of the lazy Mississippi river.
	After I finished off the po'boy, what better to than to have that cigar and watch the ships go by? As far as cigars go, the wrapper burn was crap, and the draw was very tight -- probably owing something to the way the cashier more scalped than clipped it -- but the filler had that great deep chocholate taste that comes with a nice maduro, and the roll was great... and the scenery! Despite attempts to objectively judge a cigar, I always fall back on the subjectives -- even a lousy cigar under great circumstances can be great; I would argue the same cannot be said of a great cigar in lousy circumstances, but that's just me. Good cigar, great circumstances -- definately in my top 10.
	And as I finished, the moon was just coming up up-river. Perfect!
	On my way back, I had to take a picture of the clouds behind the Jackson Brewery -- which is all shop now. Still a nice building! Back to the hotel where I met up with Anna. They were to head out to dinner soon, but not in an ordinary fashion, mind you...
	No, they would have a New Orleans jazz band. It was fantastic, except that's not all...
	Because after playing a few numbers they would take up the rear of the processional. Leading us? How about the Edna Karr high school marching band leading the whole Alzheimer's group on a parade? Sure, it was a parade basically around the block, but if you ever find yourself in a parade behind a marching band with the power of the brass and the impact of the percussion report, I don't care if you're marching through an old folks home, that is an experience to remember! And it surely was an awesome way to walk to dinner!
	Even though I'd had dinner, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to walk with Anna in the parade. It was a parade after all! And it was very cool!
	I bugged out as the marching band split and the Alz folks shuffled into the Hilton, Jazz band still taking up the back. Talk about a way to make an entrance! I walked back to Bourbon street, which doesn't really start to hum until after dark. I went back to the voodoo shop, I even got take our at Cafe Du Monde! I took my cafe au lait and bag of beignets over to a bench bordering Jackson Square where I ate them like a diabetic hobo on a sugar bender. nom nom nom nom. Tonight I go back with Anna! And we'll take pictures!!

OMG We're In New Orleans!!! Day 1: getting there.

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:47:04 -0800

For this year's Alzheimer's Walk Manager's conference they're doing a national get-together in New Orleans. So I tagged along! I'm writing this from our hotel room. It's our first day and we've been up since 4am (PST) and are exhausted. Tomorrow Anna has to work, but I'll be exploring the city. Here's our first day of traveling and eating.
	It's hard to look excited when you're boarding a plane at 5am, so cut me a little slack. On the inside, however, I was... okay, tired. And still in a bit of shock that we're actually GOING. We actually drove down Wednesday evening and stayed at Misha's and Jeanny's in San Carlos. Misha generously drove us to the airport at an ungodly hour. THANK YOU.
	Here we are on the tarmac in SFO, waiting push-back for our adventure to really begin
	And then we were off, climbing above the fog blanketing SFO. Next stop, DENVER!
	Yup, we're in Denver. Grabbing a snack and biding our time during our two and a half hour stop over.
	We're off again. Next stop, New Orleans!!
	In no time we were flying next to the Mississippi on approach to Louis Armstrong International Airport. Yes, we're really here!
	It's a little dark, but here's the view from our room.
	A little better view of the big buildings outside our window -- we're on the 12th floor just outside the French Quarter.
	So it's dinner time, and your options are room service, the restaurant in the hotel or a New Orleans landmark, Mother's, which is conveniently located right across the street. You decide. Well, here's what we decided: Anna had their famous roast beef po'boy, in the background we split a cup of red beans and rice, and...
	I had the "debris" po'boy. These were awesome. Seriously, with the choices listed above, and in accordance to our "No Meal Left Behind (In The Big Easy)" we really had no other option.
	Standing outside the door at Mother's this is looking up at our hotel. If you follow up the right edge of the hotel, about half-way up the picture there's a really bright window on the corner. That's us.
	As I mentioned above, we're just outside the French Quarter. After dinner we walked around the block just barely skirting the Quarter. This is (obviously) not the Quarter, but it's still a cute street that leads back to our hotel. Tomorrow Anna's got work all day. I, however, will be out and about town. You can bet I'll make sure I photograph everything! More soon!

Before the New Year, a recap

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:05:02 -0800

It's time to put up a new calender, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to look back at our Year In Pictures. The dates here, for the most part, may not be spot on, as I took the dates from my filenames which are likely close to (but not necessarily the day of) the actual picture-taking. A lot of these you've already seen, but together they all make a nice retrospective.
	January 4, 2008 -- The Year started off with a bang with a high-wind storm that brought down the arch of the property next door.
	January 13th, 2008 -- We catch up with our friend, Amey, at her apartment and have a wonderful lunch with her and her dad, Harold.
	January 13th -- having recently come into this century, we purchased a new digital camera and promptly discovered the awesome "Aquarium" setting.
	January 24th -- After years of yearning, we finally start Anna's knife collection beginning with this Global sword. Since this picture was taken I've actually become quite comfortable with the knife -- I'll actually wash it. Use it? Oh no. Knife too big.
	February 15th -- If we were to call 2008 "The Year of..." whatever, this year, for us, would have to be "The Year of Winston," who came into our lives on Valentine's Day.
	February 14th -- He's so small! And he's playing with regular toys! (These days we have to shop for chew toys in the "Extreme Chewer" section of Petsmart).
	May 1st -- I know a lot must have happened that we didn't take pictures of between February and May. Or, it may have been "New Parent Syndrome" and that time passed in a haze. Not sure. Either way, Winston started growing.
	May 1st -- same time frame. This picture is at Anna's folk's house at Russian Easter.
	June 12 -- And then the preperations for the other dominant theme of 2008 -- Rachel and Shawn's wedding! This is the finished mock up to check for the fit of the pattern.
	June 29th -- The problem with calling it "The Year of Winston", however, is that there were other dominant themes. How about "Year of the Jam"? This is from our guerilla plum pillage of the over-hanging tree next door, but it was fruit-gathering for just one of many jamming sessions for Anna and Jennifer.
	June 29th -- There is the bubbling goodness! In addition to jam, they also made pickles, tomato sauce, and mustard. Next year? They're looking to branch out into cheese and soap -- not at the same time, mind you. That'd be gross.
	July 4th -- "Year of Travel"? We had a couple significant trips -- In February, Anna had her first business trip to Portland. Here, in July, we're in Buffalo, NY for my friend Venus's wedding.
	July 5th -- I was a bridesmaid! I was glad I didn't have to wear a dress :).
	July 20th -- Anna looking stylish in a new dress and her hair all did. This is one of the pictures I have on my desk at work. She's so cute!
	July 20th -- Dillon Beach became one of our favorite get-aways, because the dogs can run off-leash. Note the fantastic Northern California summer beach weather. We put the camera away and didn't manage better shots because a) sand, b) it was fog-wet.
	August 24th -- Oh yeah, I went to Switzerland! Crazy! Looking back I can't believe it myself. While I was in Switzerland, Anna was back here having her own set of adventures holding down the menagerie by herself.
	September 13th -- Our friend, Kim, came up to visit in September. It was a nice break between me getting back from Switzerland and the next big thing....
	September 24th -- Rachel's dress is done! Let the wedding come!
	October 11th -- And it came! The weather couldn't have been better, and everything went fabulously!
	October 18th --Just a week later, however, came the culmination of Anna's work-year: the 2008 Memory Walk. It, too, went off without a hitch. Shortly thereafter we slipped into a coma for the rest of the year.
	November 7th -- Just kidding! Here's Anna and Winston, an ever growing Winston. I think it was about this time he went into the vet and weighed in at about 85 lbs.
	November 28th -- We took Anna's dad to the car show in San Francisco for a little post-turkey recovery, and Anna had the chance to sit in her future car -- seriously, if all goes well this will be her ride by the end of February!
	And Jordy's future car after his mid-life crisis. No, not really. But I can dream, right?
	December 6th -- And we leave you with our tree. Presently it's a lot more decorated and a bit more desicated, but it's still a great tree! All in all, 2008 had a lot of adventures with a minimum of major injuries -- I'll take that as a good year! Hopefully 2009 will be even better! Happy New Year!!