Suz's Stories

American Cemetary

2011-09-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the American Cemetary, but it's supposed to be a stunning sight. They are just about 10,000 graves here; families who wanted could have their loved one's repatriated to the US. The graves at the American Cemetary are the men laid to rest with their soldier brothers. You can find the grave markers of the Niland brothers (on which Saving Private Ryan was based), and Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. When I return to Normandy, this will be on my to-see list.

D-Day Monument

2011-09-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's just one of the many monuments that you can see as you go along the beaches. This one is located just outside of the American Cemetary.

D-Day Beach

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Shot of the beach from the monument

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This is a shot taken from the monument looking down on to the beach. It was beautiful, and there were still people out walking in the sand.

Notre Dame Catheral

2011-09-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Mind you, there are many Notre Dame Cathedrals, but this one was on the way to the D-Day Beaches so I asked Bev to stop just so I could say I stopped at a Notre Dame Cathedral. It truly was an awesome structure - it was huge, and the design so intricate. I'm so glad we stopped here.

Back side of the cathedral

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Close up shot of the entrance

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Really, really close up

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Scary stuff...

2011-09-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's troubling for me that a scary creature like this is part of the decor of the Notre Dame Cathedral. I know, I know, it's goth...

Abbaye de Lonlay

2011-08-10T05:44:00.001-07:00

I forgot to add in these pics of the Abbey - L'Abbaye L'onlaye - which we passed on our way home from Tinchebray and the Royal Prison. This was just a beautiful village and the abbey was striking.

Something I've found charming in this area is how different towns will decorate bicycles near their town offices, or on roads leading into or out of their town. The bicycle in the above picture is at a big intersection of the town. Here are a few more:

Tinchebray also had one at the Royal Prison:

You'll notice the bicycle in Tinchebray weren't as colorful, maybe because it was adjacent to the Royal Prison. However, seeing decorated bicycles in different villages has been a charming touch.

Day 5 - Sunday (8.7) con't

2011-08-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

I have got to finish the posts from Tinchebray and the Royal Prison!

Here is a shot of the entrance to the cells.

Each cell also had a fireplace but prisoners had to rely on family and friends to bring them wood. Here's the fireplace:

Prisoners who condemned to die would often inscribe messages in the door. Some would pull a tooth and scrawl a note. One note was particularly clear, but must have been made with a sharp edge:

In the note the prisoner writes his name, the guard's name, and says that his good friend doesn't come to visit. You'll also see what looks like a tall wine glass, but is actually the platform and stand for the execution.

Adjoining the prison was a room for prisoners to meet with their attorneys:

Finally, there was a courtroom adjacent to the meeting room. By far, this was the creepiest room in the whole Prison Royale:

But wait...there's more:

And a close up of the lawyer:

That's it for the photos of the Prison Royale. It was a great tour with a very kind guide, who used all his English for my benefit. But there is one last note about Tinchebray. I thought it was smart to have these bag dispensers to clean up after your dog:

But judging by the sidewalks, I'd say only 50% of the population is taking advantage of this service.

Day 5 - Sunday (8.7)

2011-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today's post is for my brother, K, who works in corrections. You'll see why later.

The morning started late and with only wasp. Seriously, we will find out where these critters are coming from. Today's big trip was to Tinchebray, but first we spotted this on the way:

A boulangerie, or bakery. We stopped in and picked up a baguette and 2 smaller items to snack on for the way back. Here's a pic of the selections (of just pastries):

After our pit stop, we headed to Tinchebray and the Royal Prison. The Royal Prison was built in 1620 and is a small 2 story building. Bev and I waited until the appointed 2:30 time when everything reopens in France. No one was around so I feared the worst, but to our surprise a little old man was sitting behind the desk. We paid our 4 Euros each and headed to the prison, which housed 4 cells, and one solitary confinement cell. The cells were simple rooms with stone floors. Each room was about 15 ft by 10 ft and at most would house 15 prisoners each. During the French Revolution they housed up to 60 people at a time at this prison.

OK...gotta go for a moment. Wasp alert.

(16 hours later)

I'm back. Phew. We caught 9 wasps, but still haven't located the bat. While I'm not fond of wasps, at least these all seem to be on their last leg, or wing, as it were. Bev has been catching the wasps by placing a glass bottle over them, and sliding a piece of cardboard underneath. She then escorts them outside. I was about to get back to the computer when I saw something flying toward me. I thought it was a REALLY big wasp, but it turns out, it was a small bat! A bat! Very cool. Anyway, we still haven't found the bat, although right before bed last night, I could hear it fluttering out in the hall and press up against the glass pane at the top of the door. I eventually did go to sleep.

Anyway, back to Tinchebray and the Royal Prison.

Here's a picture of the latrine, which was in the prison cell.

If you walk up closer to the nook in the wall, you'll see this:

All the cells had these heavy doors with a hole in the middle for guards to look in (or prisoners to look out):

There was a small chapel area set up on the second floor where prisoners could view mass. Her's a shot of the chapel area from the prison cell:

The prisoners could be let out into the hallway and watch mass. There were two double doors that contained them in this area. Here's a closer view:

OK...that's enough for the prison right now. Must get ready to head to Bayeux. I'm getting better with my French pronunciation. I'm getting by with everything I learned from Inspector Clouseau and Pepe LePew.

Day 4 - Saturday (8.6) Cheese, glorious cheese...

2011-08-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

This post dedicated to Susan Schandl, an unabashed cheese-lover.

Today's big adventure was to Camembert, the home of Camembert cheese. It took about 1.5 hours to get there, but it was well worth it. The town is very small with one small road which runs through it. In fact, as famous as the cheese is, the town is surprisingly small. Since there were only 3 buildings, we didn't get lost. We headed to the museum first which had several videos about the history of Camembert and cheese making. One of the more fascinating sections was the labels put on the Camembert containers. During World War II, cheese makers would use pro-French labels (i.e. artwork of soldiers, tanks) on their containers. Thousands of Camembert cheese packs were sent to the frontline troops, many of whom had never tasted Camembert. Nonetheless, this was their taste of home and Camembert grew to become a heartfelt symbol of France. Kinda like Hersheys and Coca-Cola (and Spam - don't judge) for the US.

Here is the entrance to the Museum:

They also had the famous labels near the entrance:

Did you notice the green umbrella? I picked that up at the umbrella factory in Creully (see post below).

Below is a plate of our cheese tasting. We had 3 different types of Camembert, and some cider to wash it all down. Unfortunately the cider was quite...earthy, in a barnyard sort of way. The cheese, though, was fabulous.

This is the view when you leave the gift shop and past city hall:

After our delightful tour of Camembert and its museum, we headed back to Mortain via Falaise, the birthplace of William the Conqueror. It's quite a big town, and I never did find the statue of William on his horse. :( Not to worry as we'll be heading to Bayeaux (home of the Bayeaux Tapestry and all things William) on Monday.

Oh, one other note. We have a wasp problem in the house. Bev and I have seen 3 wasps since Ryan left and we're trying to find out where they're entering the house. I'll keep you posted on this mystery.

Day 3 - Friday (8.5)

2011-08-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

Today Ryan had to go back to London for work related stuff. In the morning we puttered around the house, had some lunch and then headed toward Caen to take Ryan to the ferry. This is the cheapest way for Ryan to get home, but takes about 9 hours. He'll be back on Monday so it's a very short weekend trip for him.

After dropping Ryan off at the ferry, Bev and I drove along the coast past the D-Day landing beaches. Juno Beach, Sword Beach, Gold Beach, and Omaha Beach. Since we are planning to see the American Cemetary and come back down the coast on Monday (when we pick up Ryan), we didn't stop. Both Ryan and Bev have said that the American Cemetary is a sobering sight.

We did drive on, but got lost several times. We finally ended up in Creully, a small village which has an umbrella factory. Yes, an umbrella factory. Come on, I live in Seattle; I had to stop. It's a quaint two story building, but it looks as though most of the work is done on the first floor. There were only 5 or so employees, but lots of umbrellas.

Here's the welcome statue, and building in the background. (Note to Autumn: this is the closest I have found to lawn art. BTW, I can't find garden gnomes anywhere. Sure, they have Monet's home in Normandie, but can you find one garden gnome?)

When you step inside, it's a large room with work stations, displays, and inventory shelves.

So while the umbrella factory, H2O Parapluies, is small, it's very endearing. The staff were so helpful and didn't mind guests milling around as they assembled umbrellas.

By the time we left the umbrella factory, we had to head home. It was 6pm, and Bev wanted to get to the grocery store before it closed at 7pm. Before everything closed at 7pm. On a Friday night. But we got lost, again. :) We eventually made it to a grocery store and got home around 8:15, made a late dinner, and then talked about teaching until 2:30 am. I had a great day, not just because I was in France, but because I have a good friend. I am lucky.

I see London, I see France...

2011-08-05T01:56:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable but I am in France, and to be more specific, I'm in Mortain, Normandy. Bev, a good friend from grad school, invited me to visit her while she vacationed at her son's country home. I first met Bev in Brattleboro, VT, as students at the School for International Training. At the time, she was accompanied by two of her children, Steven and Paige. Bev hails from Pt. Elizabeth, South Africa, and while in school she had to go home to SA and I was called on to watch the kids. Me. Really. Mind you, Steven was in high school and Paige was in jr high so it's not like I would have seriously injured them. Ryan, the oldest, joined up in VT later in the year. Anyway, since our time in VT, we've developed a friendship that has continued on for 20 years. In 2000 (or thereabouts) I, along with Susan Schandl and John and Cindy Ridge, traveled to South Africa to visit Bev and company. An unforgettable trip.

Fastforward 11 years, and Bev is hanging out in France before returning to South Africa. Why France? Well, Ryan and Suzette (his wife) purchased an old mill property with a large home (5 bedroom, 2.5 bath, with a full basement), and 2 geets (smaller spaces - think of them as a home for one person). Bev is staying here, puttering around and soaking in all that is the French countryside. She (and Ryan/Suzette) extended an invitation to come, and I bought my ticket.

I got in on Wednesday, August 3rd after a direct flight from Seattle to Paris. I got excellent directions from the airport to Montparnasse train station in Paris. From there I took 2.5 hour train ride to Vire, the closest train station to Mortain. As soon as I got off the train, I saw a McDonalds. Really? Yes, really. And it's huge. Ignoring the sight of the McDonald's I headed to the exit of the train station and waited for Bev. They were coming, right? I'm at the right train station, correct? I'm not abandoned in France, am I? Bev did show up, and to my surprise, Ryan was there, too! It was so wonderful to see the both of them.

We hopped in the convertible VW and took off for Mortain, the long way. The countryside is stunning. It's rolling hills peppered with villages and hamlets. Oh, and cows everywhere! I am in cheese country. Literally. Camembert is in Normandy. Bev and Ryan pointed out all the fantastic things to see and I wanted to commit them to memory just in case I never came back this way. Along the way, we stopped at a local farm that was selling free range eggs. In this part of the country, it's all free range. We eventually pulled on to the property and to the house. While the rest of the area is hilly and farm like, Ryan's property is sheltered and very green with lots of trees. There's a stream that runs through the grounds with crayfish. There's a cascading waterfall near the house where the stream moves from the upper portion to the lower.

Above is taken from the property looking at the back of the house.

Ryan and Bev on a footbridge which Ryan made. The footbridge goes from the parking area down some rocks to the house.

The view from the kitchen window. Every once in a while, you'll catch a glimpse of Vicky the local water rat-like creature. Bev suspects Vicky of eating her lettuce from the garden.

Ryan bought a Land Rover, a real one, for the home. Since the property itself and the adjoining one is quite rugged, this vehicle is quite handy. And this is a real Land Rover used by the British Army. Ryan purchased it when the army discontinued this model. There were only pads for the seat so he put in proper seats in the driver and passenger slots, and then full padded benches in the back.

On my first day, we headed up to the next property to pick up Ryan's neighbor, Mark. While the properties are next to each other, they are so different. While Ryan's property has more trees and is quite cool, Mark's property is open and hilly with a lot of sunlight. Mark has a large main farmhouse, a barn with an apartment on it, and a geet (2 bedroom apartment), and a cabin on the lake. In addition, he has cricket field, recenty made, which hosted a game between two teams - one from England and one from France. Here's a shot of the cabin on the lake.

One more shot. Here's a pic of the kitchen, but notice the large beam and exposed woodwork. There's exposed woodwork throughout the house and while it may seem dark, there are a light of windows and skylights to brighten up the place.

One final note: I usually don't blog pics until after I get home and can do them in order but I decided to blog while I'm here. This means that the posts won't happen in chronological order from beginning to end. They'll be jumbled, but I hope that's okay.

Welcome to rain

2011-08-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

I woke up to rain pouring against the skylight window. Quite pretty, really. I meandered down to the kitchen where Bev and Ryan were already gathered. And just so you know, I was up at 9am (France time, not Seattle time). We had eggs (which Bev bought from a local farmer) and Ryan bought croissants and chocolate pain. The croissants were flaky and buttery, but that's ok because the extra butter really held everything together. :)

Today's big outing was to a bell foundry.

Oh, and here's a picture of breakfast:

The big field trip today: Villedieu les Poeles

2011-08-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

After the wonderfully laid back morning, Bev and I hopped in the VW and headed to Villedieu les Poeles, about a 35 minute drive from Mortain. It was all back country roads going through villages and hamlets. Once we got to the villedieu les Poeles we headed to the Cornille Harvard bell makers for a tour. It was a very interesting place and there were some bells to be rung. Here is the first bell that the tour guide started with.

Our tour guide

2011-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our tour guide was Christian and Bev, of course, was my interpreter. I have to say that Christian made bell making sound quite interesting, although I didn't understand a word of it. The bells made at this foundry were huge and they had a beautiful deep tone to them. I would guess that the larger bells were about 5-6 ft in diameter at the bottom. Of course if I could speak French I could've asked Christian, but alas I can't so I will make up stories.

Cute Little Piggy

2011-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

So this is the last little statue I saw on the way out of the bell foundry. I like this guy because he reminds me of the wild boars in Hawaii (although I don't particularly care for them.) I think I shall name him Jacque.

I'm baaack...again.

2011-07-19T15:00:00.001-07:00

I keep taking these long respites away from the blog only to have a backlog of pics that I need to upload. So, here I go again. I've uploaded some birthday pics, but the next set are pics from Japan.

To my 4 faithful readers, you know who you are, thanks for waiting. I'll put up more pics this week.

Heidi's Birthday

2011-07-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

In March we got to celebrate Heidi's milestone birthday. Friends headed down to B-Town to help her bring in the next decade. Here's the birthday girl with her special girl.

Is it my birthday?

2011-07-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

I think Van thinks that this is his cake, and I guess it sort of is. He'll certainly eat it. But look at the way he's eyeing it.

Big glasses for old people

2011-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sophia wanted to have her picture taken in Heidi's Birthday glasses. Love it.

Celebrating the Big Two

2011-07-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Eric and I went down to B-Town to help Van celebrate the big t-w-o. And let me tell you, no one was more excited about cake than Van. I had to take pics of him taking special delight in the cake his mom made for him. Happy Belated Birthday, Van.

Van spots his cake

2011-07-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Heidi made this great Cars cake with Lightning McQueen. Van just had to put his hand in it. Don't you wish you could do this, too?

"Happy Birthday to you...

2011-07-19T14:46:00.001-07:00

...Happy Birthday to you...

2011-07-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

...Happy Birthday dear Van...

2011-07-19T14:45:00.001-07:00

...Happy Birthday to you!"

2011-07-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Never come between Van and his cake. Never.

2011-07-19T14:43:00.001-07:00

This boy loves his sweets, and he really loves chocolate.

2011-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

2011-07-19T14:42:00.003-07:00

2011-07-19T14:42:00.002-07:00

2011-07-19T14:42:00.001-07:00

Somebody take my keys...

2011-07-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

I'm cake drunk.

2011-07-19T14:41:00.001-07:00

And Sophia with her chocolate face!

2011-07-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Guess who else turned 2?

2011-07-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

OK, yes, another belated birthday party post. Sigh. Anyway Elliot also turned 2! He and Van have birthdays in the same month. Here was the birthday cake.

Singing the Happy Birthday song

2011-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Here are Elliot and Caroline as we sing to E.

And the blowing will commence.

2011-07-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

You looking at me?

2011-07-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

2011-07-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Looking up (and away) from the goodies. :)

Highlight (one of them anyway) of the trip

2011-01-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Dean wanted to go up the mountains to either ski or snowboard, so my friend Eric said that he'd go. Turned out to be a great day. Eric, Dean, Sheri, and I headed out for a day in the snow. While the guys were skiing, we hung out in the lodge. I previously had thought that it'd fun to stay in the lodge and get some work done. You know, it'd be warm and cozy, with a fireplace and large viewing windows. Well, it wasn't quite like that. It was built more like a cafeteria with carpeting, some windows, and I couldn't find the fireplace. And it was smelly. I guess that's the part you don't imagine when you're watching some movie and they show a ski lodge filled with fit and beautiful people but...there's no smell-a-vision. Well, this lodge was filled with young people (16 - 25 years old) who had all been skiing the slopes. And they were hot and stinky when they came in. Ugh. Yeah...next time I'm taking Lysol with me.

Eric & Dean

2011-01-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Eric is my colleague at the university. He's an environmental scientist, but he also moonlights as a ski instructor. Lucky for Dean. Here's the pic of the them before they left for the lift. Dean didn't look so happy at the end of the ski run.

Looking like a skiier

2011-01-13T12:41:00.001-08:00

Getting outfitted

2011-01-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Here's Dean getting ready to go skiing. Don't mind the extra arm in the pic. That's Eric. Sometimes he has bad timing.

On the drive up

2011-01-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

The drive to the ski resort was about 2 - 2.5 hours. We started in Seattle and it was wet, but no snow. By the time we were about 45 minutes out from the ski area, it was snowing buckets. Lots. Here's a blurry pic as we're riding up.

Also in October...

2011-01-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Carolyn, came to visit from Portland. Here she is with my nephew Conner. Carolyn is adjusting to life in the Pacific Northwest (having grown up a southern belle). It's different here in granola country, isn't it, Carolyn?

Also, this is the evil that Carolyn brought with her:

We didn't know how evil they were until we ate half of them. These were compliments of Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland.

Trick-or-Treating with Van & Sophia

2011-01-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

OK...I realize this is from October, but at least there are pictures. I went trick-or-treating with Van & Sophia and look at how cute they were! Sophia was Woody and Van was none other than Buzz Lightyear. They were absolutely adorable. The benefits to going trick-or-treating with youngters is that you get to pilfer their candy. Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Mmmmm.

To Infinity, and Beyond!

2011-01-06T13:03:00.001-08:00

This is the best shot of Van I got all evening. Sigh.

Woody

2011-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Sophia made a fantastic Woody. She was all decked out in her costume and was very polite as we went door-to-door on our hunt for candy.

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolly Lollipop!

2011-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here are Van and Sophie smiling for the camera. Notice the lollipop in Van's hand? Yeah, that's after Heidi got rid of the other 3 he was holding simultaneously. This child has a major sweet tooth.

The Akamines come to Seattle!

2010-11-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

In October (I think it was October...it was so long ago), Pua and Kalama came to town to watch their daughter play volleyball. Jim and Cherie hosted a dinner at their home and we converge there for an evening of food and fun. We talked about Hawaii, ate great food, and sang songs. Unbelievable, but we did end up singing theme songs from TV shows. I think that's what happens when you don't drink. Thanks Jim & Cherie (for the food and warm hospitality - not the other part about not drinking)!

Kevin, Mary and Eric

2010-11-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

See the plate of appetizers??? I made those. Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with gorgonzola cheese. They took hours to make. Literally. I won't make them again.

Predinner conversation

2010-11-29T17:12:00.001-08:00

The Host and Hostess

2010-11-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

Jim and Cherie were the hosts of this evening dinner. Altogether there were 9 of us...3 Akamines, 2 Heugels, Mary, Kevin, Eric and me.

Cool Centerpiece

2010-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Cherie made these interesting centerpieces by placing black stones and peppers into a glass vase. Nice, hey? Sorry that we cut off your face, Mary.

The spread

2010-11-29T17:08:00.002-08:00

The Entree - Grilled Salmon

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This was so ono!

Green Apple with Wild Greens

2010-11-29T17:07:00.001-08:00

Mmmm...tortellini

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Apologies, Day Trips, and Pictures

2010-11-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. Ugh. I blame it on losing my card reader (to download pics) and certainly not on being lazy. Maybe a little lazy. But I have found said card reader and have downloaded a bunch of pics, so I'll be posting them...slowly.

Here are some pics from a daytrip that I took with Susan and Nic. We headed to Whidbey Island by ferry and then drove north eventually connecting with I-5. "Connecting" makes it sound so direct...but it really wasn't a direct drive to I-5, but that's neither here nor there. It was a great sunny day - unlike today which was dreary and gray. And it's 5pm and pitch black.

Admiring the trees

2010-11-29T16:56:00.001-08:00

While I don't have an artistic eye, I liked this photo.

Signage at Deception Pass

2010-11-29T16:56:00.000-08:00

I had to remind myself about the seriousness of Sign #2. It would be me to take a slip and fall. All the way down. To the bottom.

We saw one of these...

2010-11-29T16:54:00.000-08:00

After getting off the ferry, we headed to Langley where they were having a festival (Labor Day?). There was a Soap Box Derby race and tons of shopping. Anyway, I saw one of these there. I don't know what it is, but it was pretty cool.

Poor Nic

2010-11-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

Nick (aka Unemployed Nic...but we had to change his name when he got a job) was part of the trio to Whidbey Island. He took a lot of pics with his fancy-shmancy camera. Still waiting on those pics, Nic.

Adventures in Babysitting

2010-08-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was a very happy day for some of my friends and their family. Rose and John welcomed twin boys, Eljin and Regan, and Autumn and Jacob welcomed Caroline. While Autumn and Jacob were at the hospital I got to watch Elliot - not for the whole day - good heavens, I can't be trusted. But from 4 - 6pm, and then at night while Elliot slept, it was an easy gig. Elliot is a very happy guy so he keeps himself entertained, but when he did need some attention, I pulled out the camera. Everyone loves to have their picture taken. Well, maybe just me and babies.

Shot number 2

2010-08-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

And more pictures to pass the time away. Elliot was really good about keeping himself busy. Very little management on my part. Perfect. Later, we left for the hospital so that Elliot could meet his little sis.

The whole family...

2010-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I don't think that Elliott realized that he was meeting his little sister yet, but he noted quickly that there was a new baby with mom. I like this shot of the whole family.

And here's the little bundle...

2010-08-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is Caroline Florence. This is a pretty new shot of her...she was working on getting her color, but she is an absolute doll.

More pics of the Rob Thomas night

2010-08-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

There really aren't that many more pics, it's that I forgot to post them with the first pic. I still love him.

Terrible pic, I know

2010-08-24T13:45:00.001-07:00

But this is the stage - for 2 musicians plus Rob Thomas. There was a piano, and 3 stools.

Snoqualmie Casino View

2010-08-24T13:43:00.001-07:00

Here's the view if you look away from the stage. You can't lose either way.

The venue from the back

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The view before everyone got there.

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This is what Row 8 looks like. Pretty nifty, huh? Funny how it looks closer when no one is there.

August Highlight: Rob Thomas

2010-08-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

I love him. I never used to love him, but after seeing him in concert, I've decided that I love him. Rob Thomas was entertaining and very funny. He mocked his own songwriting skills which had the audience rolling.

So the build up to this concert: Susan bought the tickets in April or May, and she got Row 8 seats! So cool. The venue was the outdoor concert theater of the Snoqualmie Casino. We headed out early to grab dinner and make a donation to the tribe (aka we played the slots - of course Susan came out ahead $180...I just made the donation). The venue was cozy and the weather perfect.

My day on the lake

2010-08-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

A friend invited me to go boating on Friday to catch the Seafair Festivities which included the Blue Angels and a bit of the hydroplane test runs. Why not? I love the water, although I'm a terrible swimmer. Anyway, I packed a lunch and off I went. I thought it'd end up being a 3 hour cruise (a 3 hour cruise...the weather started getting rough...) Back to my story. We left Lake Union and headed over to the Montlake Cut with all the other boaters and then on to Lake Washington. By the time we got to the I-90 end of the bridge, the show was about to get under way. It was great to see the Blue Angels on the water. I loved it. After the show, we headed over to the east side of the lake to just float. Too bad it wasn't warm enough to swim, but it was still a ton of fun. The water was rough...lots of rocking and rolling, and I did hold it together fairly well. No tossing-of-my-cookies overboard so that was good. After an hour or so, we headed back to the south end of the lake to take a look at the hydroplanes. Dang...they go fast. I was convinced at this point that I am no daredevil. Just a nice steady pace for me and I'm fine. But there's more to the story. Read on.

Hydroplane test runs

2010-08-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't get an up close view, but this was close enough. The hydroplanes go scary-fast. It was fun to watch as we drifted on the lake.

Sunset at the Ballard Locks

2010-08-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

After all the giddiness of the Blue Angels show, and the hydroplane test runs, we headed back to Lake Union. However, before we hit the Montlake Cut, we ran out of gas. :( Not good. I know I shouldn't stress about these things, but I do. Anyway, my friend switched engines and we used engine #2 to get us within 50 ft of the fueling dock! 50 ft!!!! Then we ran out of gas again! Anyway, we got a tow from a nice couple in a sail boat. Once we filled up, we headed to the Locks...why not? We had a fresh tank of gas. It was a great night for this. I got to catch a sunset at the Ballard Locks and I got to see salmon jumping out of the water! Uber kewl.

Look what we stumbled upon...

2010-08-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

So coming back from a looksey at the Locks, we stumbled upon this. (Autumn W: Are you reading this??????? These pics are for you!). My friend pointed out this boat - The Wizard. For any of you Deadliest Catch fans, this is one of the boats featured on the reality show. I gotta say, it's a lot bigger than I expected.

2010-08-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's huge

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I mean...it's a huge boat

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A shot of the Capt's office

2010-08-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

What 7-11 wants to be when it grows up

2010-07-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today Carolyn introduced me to Buc-ees. It's hard to describe, but it's a rest-stop, convenience store, tourist trap, gas station all rolled into one. It was amazing how big the store was - about the size of ten 7-11s (I'm estimating, and please note that I'm a bad estimator). HUGE. They even had an Outdoor section with deer feeders. How cool is that??? Well, I thought it was cool until I found out it wasn't to be kind and feed the cute deer. Let's just say that the people who were buying the deer feeders were wearing camo and had gun racks. You learn something new every day. See more pics below.

Buc-ee the Beaver

2010-07-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here's an up-close shot of Buc-ee the Beaver - the mascot of this wonderful rest-stop/convenience store.

The inside of convenience store heaven...

2010-07-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

So I walk in and this is what I see. It's absolutely unbelievable. I'm a fan of the Kwik-e-Mart, so imagine how giddy I got when I saw this. They had EVERYTHING. There are fountain drinks, hot coffee, Icees, bottled drinks, snacks galore, their own snack mixes, a bakery, a fudge section, a deli, and tons of souvenirs. You could spend an hour there just going through the stuff. (Well, I imagine that I may be the only one wanting to spend an hour going through the stuff, but you get the picture - there's a lot of stuff to go through).

The store just goes on and on and on

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

What I've been doing in Houston

2010-07-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Interestingly enough, I've actually been doing a fair amount of work. I had a number of papers that still needed to be graded so I've worked on that. But beyond that, Carolyn and I have been gallavanting around Katy and Houston. A couple of days ago, we went and got mani/pedis. It's been awhile since I had a mani/pedi. How long? Do you remember the scene from Dumb and Dumber where the guys are getting their toenails (read: talons) sawed off? It's kinda what I felt like. Kinda.

Carolyn at the next chair

2010-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

All is well...in Houston!

2010-07-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Checking in here at 12:40 am...Houston time. I arrived on Saturday, August 24th for a short vacation to be with my cousin Carolyn who will soon be moving to the Pacific Northwest. She's going to be in for a treat! She won't have to deal with the heat and humidity (we have rain - but that's different!). It'll be some adjustment for the southern belle that she is.

OK...the big news on the way to Houston. I got my aisle seat, and was hoping for the seat next to me to be empty, but no such luck. And when I say no such luck, I mean for the person who eventually claimed said window seat. As it turns out, I had the chance to sit next to Bonnie Dunbar!!!! Ok, you don't know who Bonnie Dunbar is. Here's the one sentence summary: Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D. is the current President and CEO of The Museum of Flight and a former NASA Astronaut! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG...I sat next to a rocket scientist (well, technically a Ph.D. in Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering but I'm not going to split hairs now). She was a part of 5 different flights to space. You can check out her bio here.

You can imagine that after my flight, it's all downhill from here. I'll hang out with Carolyn, have some fun, and then hele on home.

Update

2010-07-22T17:48:00.001-07:00

OK...I have severely neglected this blog. Now that summer is halfway over, I've decided to get some stuff on here. So sorry to my (one) loyal reader (you know who you are).

Hopefully this will appease you as I work on getting more posts together.

Guess who I met this month?????

2010-07-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Laird Hamilton!!! Yes, the surfing gawd...the one who rides big waves. The one who popularized stand-up paddleboarding. Him. He and Dave Kalama were in Seattle for a lecture and then paddleboard demo. I went to the lecture. I skipped the paddleboarding for the obvious reason that I have no sense of balance. Anyway, I was riveted as he and Dave Kalama talked about surfing and paddleboarding. Then I stood in line for an hour to get his autograph. This is what single, middle-aged women do on Friday nights. Well, maybe just me and the girl in front of me. But she probably wasn't in her 40s.

Eating Cupcakes

2010-07-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish you could eat a cupcake like this? Just take it out of it's paper cup, and go nuts with the frosting. Don't forget to leave frosting on your mouth, too. That's good.

2010-07-22T17:39:00.002-07:00

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2010-07-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

Ruth-chan's Wedding

2010-07-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

In May I was so happy to attend a wedding of a former student. Ruth was a student in the late 90s and has stayed in the Seattle area. After getting her degree, she landed a job at Nintendo, and then moved on to Microsoft. She's a successful woman in every way. Her wedding in May was such a happy occasion. Also in this pic is Ai, another former student, who also work in the area - also doing very well!

Eric turns 50!

2010-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

The major happening in April was that Eric turned 50! 50. Really. 50. Weird, huh? Anyway, we celebrated by having a small get together at school, and then dinner with friends at a local restaurant. I think Eric really enjoyed it all - the friends, the food. Except turning 50.