TIME WARP TUESDAY

It's Tuesday again - let's do the Time Warp!  Hosted by Jenn this is the chance to share our family photos and stories.  Check into see who else is playing along.

This is Ally on the occasion of her 9th birthday.  She and Hilda are sporting festive Cinderella birthday hats and not so thrilled expressions. This, in part, because we made the mistake of inviting my sister and her family to celebrate with us since her cousin Isabel shares her birthday.  Isabel is a few years younger and didn't mind sharing her party, but we never made that mistake again as Ally likes her birthday to herself.

Ally is 20 today - no longer a teenager, and, I suspect, not wearing a festive hat!

This photo is not a time warp but one taken a few weeks ago when we were in Idaho.  Isn't she a pretty birthday girl?

A SHORT RIDE AND WHY

We only rode for about 12 miles on Saturday - out along  a residential and vineyard lined road to Starbucks (where I purchased a gift card to put in Ally's birthday box) along with my iced tea enjoyed on the patio overlooking the vineyards and the hills.

It is a nice ride but there is a killer hill on the way back which I always have to get off my bike and walk up - until Saturday, that is! I finally rode the hill to the top.  Whoo hoo!

There was a reason we just went on a short ride - well, two reasons.  It was going to be over 100 degrees on Saturday and I didn't want to be riding in that heat.  Also, we went out on Friday night and wore ourselves out.  Tom got it in his head that we should take dance lessons (long story) and found a place that offered an hour long introduction to West Coast Swing for only $5.00.

Not our class but this is pretty much what it looked like!

After along day of work, a light dinner and a couple of drinks in us, we wet to the dance studio.  There were a dozen people there already dancing, others were arriving and changing into their dancing shoes.  It was intimidating.  Eventually they herded all the first timers into a room in the back and we had a whirlwind lesson
on the basic 6 moves.

The guy directs the type of pass the woman does while she is moving up and back in a "slot" of space.  There were steps to count, hand positions to learn and turns to be done in the proper way.  Oh.  And the "sugar push."  So we practiced the moves, and watched the professionals who looked nothing like the rest of us when they did the same thing!

Then they dimmed the lights and opened up all the spaces for dancing.  We gave it another half an hour when dizziness and sore feet took their toll.  We are going back, but maybe I need to get some of those special dancing shoes...

FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  My mother in law died in 1986.  She lived in New York but Tom handled the estate and so her mailing
address was attached to us.  For all these many years and 7 moves, her mail has continued to follow along.  Most of it has been from AARP and other "senior" related businesses but we get credit card applications and other stuff, too.  For 27 years!!

Today I received more mail for her - a postcard for college entrance exam tutoring.  So now that she would be 87 years old, she has landed on a list for college bound students.  I think my children will still be getting mail for the grandma they never met long after I am gone!

2.)  Tom and I braved the crowds and went to the outlet mall on Sunday with all the back to school shoppers.  We actually had fun in the crowds. I picked up more of the Tommy Hilfiger shirts I love (in a smaller size.)  For the first timer in my life I went into J Crew.  The saleswoman may have been trying to flatter me by bringing me a size 8 pair of pants (I bought them in a 12) I also got a cool denim shirt with pearl snaps - now I can't wait for Fall weather!  

3.)  We have been nervous about Zac's job search following the end of his AmeriCorps service.  He has occasional shifts at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a 4 week engagement with SeaLab which is an outdoor ed camp for students - but nothing steady was falling into place.  Then he got a call from REI (part time but they offer benefits!!) and then he got a call from a home brewing store in Marina looking for a part time worker.  They had heard about Zac in the home brew community and got his number from someone who went into the store to buy him a gift certificate!  He is thrilled that he gets to work in 2 stores which involve his hobbies - though we did discuss not spending all his money there...

We are much relieved that he is gainfully employed during this year off before he starts grad school and that he gets to do things he really enjoys on top of it.  (Plus REI discount.  Whoohoo.)

4.)   I think I have complained about the house we are renting and have also complained about still being here long after we expected ( 7 years!!) and have mentioned one of the reasons why it doesn't work for us is the "open concept" floor plan which is inexplicably popular.

 Now I am reading opinions of others who share my distaste for this floor plan.  Having the kitchen open to the living rooms and dining room is noisy and messy and I cannot wait to start looking for new digs next Fall when I am promised by my husband that we will finally move.

5.)  We have had many occasions this summer to enjoy eating meals on the patios and sidewalk  areas of local restaurants.  We have been surprised to find that each restaurant we frequented was allowing people to have their dogs with them in these outdoor areas.

Most of the time it was okay but there were some annoying situations, too.  Has this become the norm across the country or it it just here in the Bay Area?  What do you think about sharing your meal with dogs?

TIME WARP TUESDAY

Time Warp Tuesday again - Hosted by Jenn this is an opportunity to share our family photos and stories behind them.  Check in to see who else is playing along this week.

Summer is winding down and I will finish my Time Warp Tuesday summer posts with a photo I captured at the beach in Santa Cruz about 13 years ago.  Tom and Zac were studying the waves and discussing how to use his new boogie board.   I love this father son moment.

FOR JENNY'S CURIOUS CAT

Because Jenny's cat wanted to see the pillow I finally made from the needlepoint I finished last fall:

I had some purple velvet left over from covering the seats of my dining chairs about 10 years ago which is the perfect color for the backing - though this photo doesn't really show the colors clearly.  It really looks nice on the yellow sofa!

Now I am working on this canvas:

Maybe I will be able to make another pillow next summer!

HOSTING BOOK CLUB

At about 7:15 I was thinking I would be writing a post called "I hosted book club but nobody came." I knew that attendance was going to be low, but since it was supposed to start at 7, I was getting worried that I would be the first hostess to have no club members turn up!

I ended up with 5 of the 18 members here.  We discussed the book "The Light Between Two Oceans" which was a tragic story but very worthy of discussion.  Beautifully written, too.

I tried to keep my food options light and easy - just

a veggie tray, some nuts and nibbles.  I made an ice cream and sorbet  bombe and some shortbread cookies for dessert. The bombe turned out beautifully and everyone really liked it.  It was perfect because I could make it a day ahead and just had to put out the food and drinks when I came home from work.

Tom and I cleaned the house on the weekend - he helped by waxing the laminate floors which turned out great.  I finally made my finished needlepoint into a pillow. That's the nice thing about entertaining - it stimulates housekeeping!

Book Club hosting done for the year, a clean house and  a long weekend coming up!  A nice end to the summer.

ON THE MUT

We ride our bikes on trails as often as we can, it is safer than the street and sometimes more scenic.  Most trails are MUTs (Multi-Use Trails) so there are people jogging, rollerblading, walking, being walked by dogs and biking all in some semblance of harmony.

Saturday morning there were a lot more people on the Iron Horse trail than there were last week.  We decided it is because school is starting on Monday so lot's of people were out and about.  This made our ride more challenging.  There are a lot of people who don't seem to know how to behave on a MUT.

Sometimes I think it is a cultural thing because it seems many of them may be immigrants and perhaps in other countries traffic doesn't keep right as it does here. It would seem obvious that they are coming face to face with disgruntled, curious and frustrated people approaching them as they walk on the left and we are all on the right and trying to get around them safely...

Other times it is a simple lack of concern for others - those off leash dog people allowing their pets to dash all over the road; others with dogs on the leash but allowing the dog to wander across the trail (I have seen other trail users tripped and nearly garroted.)  The chatting walkers, two and three abreast without moving in the face of oncoming traffic, the cross country team which seems to think they need to run in a pack, 4 and 5 abreast; the large family on a multitude of transportation forms

Why okay for pedestrians but not bikes?

wandering back and forth across the road. Don't get me started on people with strollers!

And lest I come off as some sort of trail ogre, I generally remain friendly and just deal with stuff as it comes.  I thanked a family last week for verbally reminding their kids to stay to the right when there were other trail users coming.  I call out "on your left" and use my little bell to warn others I am behind them. I had one older woman grab her meandering husband and pull him out of the middle of the trail.  She said "he can't hear"  I suggested she walk on the inside and keep him on the far right of the trail and she kind of had that "light bulb moment."

That said, I do ride in fear when we are around others on the trail -  that someone will knock me off my bike or run me off the trail  - or worse, hurt someone else.  When we rode in Monterey last month the trail was clearly marked with lines and directions and reminders to keep to the right and leave the center of the trail for passing but people just don't pay attention or care or What?  I don't get it.

Anyway, we had another good day on the bikes.  I can feel  Fall coming.  Soccer teams have replaced the baseball and softball teams out on the fields.  Acorns are starting to drop and the leaves are losing their greenness.  The first apples arrived at the Farmer's Market and a big garden we pass all the time has some whopping big pumpkins on the vines.

FRIDAY FAST ONES

1.)  What is your Food Spirit Animal?  Mine is Sriracha:

Just like Sriracha, you are spicy, exotic, and sassy. You likely have a sarcastic sense of humor, and are well-cultured. The only think you like better than traveling the world is going on crazy adventures along the way.

Check out the quiz for yours here.

2.)  According to a Public Policy Polling survey, 29 percent of Louisiana Republicans say President Obama is more to blame for the botched executive branch response to Hurricane Katrina while just 28 percent blamed George W. Bush. A plurality of 44 percent said they were unsure who was more responsible, even though Hurricane Katrina occurred over three years before Obama entered the presidency when he was still a freshman Senator.

Sigh.

3.)  New research finds that copper in amounts readily found in our drinking water, the foods we eat and the vitamin supplements we take likely plays a key role in initiating and fueling the abnormal protein build-up and brain inflammation that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

The LA times article  outlines the study and findings.  I can't help but recall that in the late 1990's everyone was getting rid of their aluminum pots and pans, not buying deodorant,  baking soda and other products which had aluminum in them because the scientist thought aluminum was the culprit behind Alzheimer's.

Another article I read today said poor food choices caused the disease.  

Sometimes I think these studies should not be reported while still in progress.

TIME WARP TUESDAY

Time Warp Tuesday - the summer edition...Hosted by Jenn, we share our family photos and tell the stories behind them every Tuesday!

This week I am going back to 2003 - the last year Maggie played on the traveling softball team.  The girls made it to 3rd place in the Western Nationals and we went to New Mexico for the tournament.

The U-16 team.

A couple of these girls went on to play softball in college and one - the girl on the lower left plays on the US National Team!

We spent not only the regular season with most of these girls and their families and 4 long hot summers going from tournament to tournament.  We got very organized and pretty close.

The moms.

We supplied about a ton of sunflower seeds, tootsie pops and red vines.  Gallons of sunscreen, hand sanitizer and a fleet of coolers full of snacks and water.  I always had Advil to spare and we were lucky that there were some other little sister for Ally to pal around with.  They were memorable summers and everytime I pass the sports park it gets me to reminiscing.

THE LONGEST RIDE EVER

Tom decided I needed to expand my biking horizons so last week we went on some unpaved trails, but didn't get too far because of this:

Construction on the bridge closed the trail.  Riding on gravel is really nerve wracking, so I am not eager to do that again!

Today he decided I was ready for more miles so we went from Pleasanton to Walnut Creek on the Iron Horse trail. The weather was odd - thankfully we had some low clouds most of the day, with little direct sun. It was humid but not terribly hot.  Six miles or so of the return trip was up a 2-3% grade which really took a toll on my knees. Then at about the 28 mile point the wind started up so I was pretty miserable.

After about 5 hours of riding (a stop at the Farmer's Market and another one for a snack) and a documented 42 miles,  we made it home.  I went straight for the Advil...

Then we grabbed our  swim suits and headed for the Jacuzzi at the gym.  The hot, bubbly water and the Advil did their work and I was no longer feeling so sore,  After a shower we went out for a Margarita  and I felt much better!