Saturday, October 31, 2009

What?

" You want to do WHAT to my pumpkin? You didn't tell me you were going to kill it?!?"

Friday, October 30, 2009

Don't Try This At Home: Stuff I Do When I Am Bored

I get bored sometimes. Sometimes I do productive things with that boredom, like learn another language. Sometimes I stick things in Microwaves that perhaps isn't food and don't belong there.

Did you know that if you stick Christmas Lights in a Microwave at Full Power for about 10 Seconds, that they light up in different colours, even if they are a sting of White Lights? Check it out....

This would be a fun science experiment for school credit if somehow I could figure out why they turn different colours.

Yet MORE Limits On Our Constitutional Rights

And the So-called U.N. does nothing....

Here is a sign that was posted at the Swank Farm Corn Maze (Maize?!?) in Hollister, CA.

And yet Corn was thrown at a Spouse. We won't say who, but her name sounds like Schmeather.

No Assault charges were filed, and no one was arraigned in Superior Court, County of Los Angeles.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Ulysses Sighting!

He's not even gone, and we are already sighting our favorite New Mexican!

Hey is that Ulysses up ahead in that red Toyota truck? We have been disappointed before, but this one was going around 70 mph, so there was a good chance. Let's try to catch up to him.





Could that be Ulysses? There are various sightings of big red Toyota Trucks, but we don't often have our camera out. Plus to spot a Ulysses in the wild is fairly rare. It took us from Blackie Road to Espinosa Road to catch up, but then we were able to see if we had our catch. Was it him?




BELIEVABILITY RATING: 100%. Not only was the driver Mexican-American, just like the perp we were looking for, but our boys INSIDE the Truck confirmed that indeed it was Ulysses, still talking about how Batman: The Dark Knight is not only the greatest movie ever, it is the single greatest THING ever. Also, this truck was going 73 mph towards Salinas, which also fits the profile. Lastly, we could hear 'Ave Maria" blasting even over the highway noise.

For our First Ulysses sighting, we had a good one. We did not bomb out like our Kramer sightings, but we are starting to believe that that Family did indeed move out of the area (Note to selves: We will need to do something about that).

If they did move out of the area, why are we seeing so many big white vans?

Point your browsers here again to Pizzashooters for more Ulysses and Kramer sightings!

Monday, October 26, 2009

You Want it When?

Father Milich had been working for a couple of months to bring a Solemn High Mass (a Mass with three priests) to Mission San Juan, but we didn't know for certain if it was really going to happen until last weekend. The three priests would need matching vestments. They had some gold vestments available at the mission, but the maniples were missing. The maniple is something like a sash which the priest wears over his left arm. It symbolizes how our Lord's hands were bound when he was arrested.


Since I have a sewing machine, and since the more qualified seamstress has recently moved out of state, I was given the honor of making them.






I traced around one of Father's other maniples to make a pattern, and then began cutting the interfacing.




Now for the part of sewing that always scares me the most: cutting into the fabric.





The color of the fabric was a good match for the vestments, but it was very thin and soft. To use the technical term: swishy. So I used the interfacing to help keep its shape, and give the Maniple more weight.

Three Maniples cut out, and two days before the Mass. Plenty of time, right?



A Maniple is supposed to have three crosses, one on each end, and one in the middle. Since I didn't have time to order cross shaped apliques, I used ribbon. Juan picked it out. Worked on this late Saturday night after an afternoon at the beach. There's still time!



Sunday morning and they were finished! Phew! Seen here against one of the vestments used at Mass.

Kramer sighting of the week! Oct19th 2009

We are beginning to suspect that some people we know are putting one over us.

They have told us and many other people that they have moved away, but we keep on seeing evidence that they in fact have not moved away. Case in point, we keep on seeing their Van. We have now taken to keep a camera close by just in case it is the Kramers.

Here is the latest sighting:

We suspected it was the Kramers. It looked like their Van, and it was near a church. We figured that they were just trying to avoid us so that we would not eat more of their food. We moved in for a closer look.

Sure looked like them!



Then on closer inspection, the driver was Mexican, or at least looked like it, and convincingly. Second of all, why would they be in Watsonville? And why would they have a sign on their van offering to take people to flu clinics?

BELIEVABILITY RATING: 72%. This actually is rather low. What brings this rating down a lot is that the Driver was Mexican. He probably still is, for all we know. Only God in his infinite Wisdom and Knowledge would know for sure.

So this sighting was a bust, but we are sure there will be ample more opportunities to go Kramer Sighting!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Attention, Single Ladies!

He's available, and he'll make a great Dad! For more information, click here.

Dawn Over Big Sur: 2 September 2009

Here are some images of Big Sur on the California Coast at Dawn.

Dawn breaking out, with the Star Sirius in the middle of the clouds.



Bixby Bridge, looking towards the West.





Renaissance Faire 2009

For her Birthday, Monica wanted to go to the Renaissance Faire just north of Hollister.

Let us come up with some better names for this Faire. Here are a few:

1. Come as your Favourite Dungeons and Dragons Character
2. Boobs Are Us
3. Where's Dumbledore?
4. PaganFest 2009
5. Burning Pagan (Just like Burning Man, only less Pot and Chronic, and even less Mexicans)
6. Boobstock
7. Men In Tights

We're sure there are a few others.

Right off the bat at the Entrance, Birthday Girl decides to embarass us. She goes right up to the Lady taking our tickets, and the following takes place:

Birthday Girl: "Say, is this Renaissance Faire Byzantine or Carolingian?"

Lady with Fake Tushery Accent: "My Lady, I am sure that I do not know!"

Monica was going to come back if the Lady was still there and yellout, "Carolingian!"

Let's go to the pictures!

Here is a group of wierdos...uh, I mean historical re-enactors



A.J. the iced-fruit vendor. He was almost as amusing as the show.




Apparently this guy's job was to lie passed out in the street. Sweet.



Wooden swords! Seven bucks a pop! Huzzah!


The jousting tournament. This guy was representing Scotland, but we weren't allowed to cheer for him as our section was assigned the German knight.



Our beloved A.J. frightening the non-costumed attendees. (Maybe if I just pretend to laugh he'll leave me alone!)

The French knight gets a hit on the German knight.

The mystery challenger arrives.

Celebrity Wizard, Albus Dumbledore enjoys the jousting!

Someone decides to deliver a message to Juan and frighten him by leaving a Lemon near his feet.

The Jousting champion poses with his fans.


Monica looks for ways to spend her birthday money.


After the jousting tournament, and some time spent wandering around in search of cheap souvenirs, we sat down to watch the live chess match.

Say, didn't this guy come to schola practice once?


All in all, a great time.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Happy Birthday, Monica! And thanks for the French lessons!

Happy Birthday, Monica!
One more year, and you'll be a teenager!






Who the heck gave you permission to grow up so fast? It was only a short time ago that you were putting Butter in your hair to our amusement.



Yeah, we're saving that for future dates that come to the door.

Today, some Jehovah's Witnesses came aound. They come up to Monica. Here is the conversation:

JW: Hi, do you speak Spanish?

Birthday Girl: Non, je ne parle l'Espangnol.

JW: Oh. Would you like a pamphlet?

BG: Non, je suis Catholique. Avoir!

That's our little girl!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Have Another One, Eddie!

Finally, I was able to upload this picture.

Have a Big Red from California!

Have a drink on us, Eddie!
Hey, did you know Big Red Soda has Red Dye #40, and High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Monterey at Night

A view of Monterey from the Recreational Trail at Sand City.

The Birthday Gift That Keeps on Giving


Ulysses, what have you done?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! ( a few days late)

Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving. The Lawrences very kindly invited us over for an early Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Our roving photographer was there!

Tracey cooked us a fantastic dinner.
We had turkey, stuffing, and all the usual goodies.




Kranberries Kourtesy of the Kramers. We still have enough left for U.S. Thanksgiving and German re-unification day. What were you going to do with them all, Teresa?
And best of all was having a Thanksgiving completely free of parades and Christmas sales!
Thank you Lawrences, for a terrific evening!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, Dan from the Mendoza Family! Enjoy your cake.

The Mendozas go on vacation!

Let us go back in time just a bit, to the beginning of this year, when we went on vacation.

Where to go on vacation? We figured we had about a week or maybe a bit less. I figured that would be maximum we would last with each other before felony charges would be filed. Probably against Nicholas. Oh man, if only we knew what was coming in June!

Well we chose to go to the Grand Canyon. Not the new one, but Grand Canyon Classic, the original one in Arizona.

So the day is coming when we were to leave, and we find out that there is a Snow Storm just behind us, and will hit Williams, AZ right as we are getting there. We had chains, and practiced putting them on, but if things got really hairy, our alternate plan was to head south once the snow stopped us, and to go to San Diego.

So off we go!

Just outside of Bakersfield, up in the hills, we already encountered snow. A foreshadow of all the snowballs thrown. Usually by Monica at Nicholas.

See what I mean.

So there is gambling in this town? Why don't they advertise this? There might be money to be made in this....


Many a time we wish they had this here in Monterey County to handle those nights with Eddie and Ulysses.

So apparently there is a Dam right outside of Las Vegas. Dam!





Dam! That's a big Dam!


Route 66 used to run form Chicago to Los Angeles. Seligman, AZ used to be on this route, and just like in Cars, it got bypassed by the Interstate system. It has managed to live on, and there a cafe called the RoadKill Cafe. We had just eaten in Kingman, AZ otherwise we should have eaten here. Maybe next time. Been a while since my last Fried Squirrel.


The snow not too bad, even though we had severe doubts. However, it seems like it all would have worth it even if we just stayed at the Hotel playing in the snow in the parking lot. I think we might have been one family of ten guests they had. Manager says that it would have been impossible to get the room we had at even triple the price in Spring and Summer.


Playing with the snow late into the night. GO TO BED! We need to leave early tomorrow and scrape the snow off the car!


Thank God we at least had Internet Access!


Starting to snow some more.

And in the morning, this is what it looked like. Or what they call in Nebraska in winter, Tuesday.


Route 66 in the middle of Williams, AZ.

One hour later, the Grand Canyon! From Mather Point.











The Family at Mather Point, close up.


From aways now.


Just absolutely spectacular.


More snow to play havoc with the lighting!


We could just play in the parking lot snow!


On our way to Desert View.


The Mendozas at Grapevine Canyon, I think.




Can I take this home?

Desert View.


Colorado River at Desert View.


Looking East from Desert View.


Looking West down river.

The family at Moran Point.


We had all bought boots to keep warm, and to trudge around in the snow. We went down one of the trails, Bright Angel Trail, although it was listed as being slippery with all the ice. Two in our party slipped and fell. A couple of people helped them up, and looked at them. They were Japanese tourists, but one of them was dressed as a Japanese Superhero from a current Manga, and this character apparently is a guy who gets his powers from snow. I guess he decided to fly to Arizona, and dress up as this superhero, and get pictures of himself in the snow.


At one of the gift shops at the Village.


A bit of a weather system about 20 miles away.





A California Condor, seemingly just posing there for everybody. There were about half a dozen around Mather Point our last day there.

California Condor.


Bright Angel Canyon. This would have been a nice hike, even just a bit.

Arizona still calls one road Route 66.

The Fountains at Bellagio. Probably the only thing for us worth seeing in Las Vegas.



Lots of Neon.

A great time was had by all. Ready to do it again, and would like to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, too.