In 2005, Kevin and I heard a story about the Green Bay Packers. The story was about how loyal the fans are and that the team is community owned. Literally. The Green Bay, Wisconsin community owns their own team. Kinda cool! At some point during the story, they mentioned that season tickets are sold out for years and years, but you can put your name on a waiting list. Each year they'll send you a post card to update you with your priority number for being able to purchase season tickets.
Well, now ... that was just an opportunity that was too good to pass up!
We sent our names in - and then forgot about it. Late summer the following year, a post card found it's way into our mailbox: our 2006 waiting list priority number arrived safe and sound! At that time, we were number 67,856 on the waiting list. Whoa Nellie! That's a pretty high number! Guess we'll have to wait until next year.
By the next year, 2007, we'd moved up!! ...to 66,980. Wheeee! Now we're cookin'!
We've been receiving a post card each year, in spite of two moves, to update us on our 'low-on-the-totem-pole' priority number. A couple of weeks ago, our 2013 post card arrived: we are now in the 'almost-there-yeah-right' position of number 58,520 on the priority waiting list.
Gee. If I think about it reaallly hard, I can almost feel the snow falling now!
...well, maybe not.
Showing posts with label Fun Finds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun Finds. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Welcome to the Rose-atoe Patch
My dad used to be quite a gardner. While he had quite a green thumb and could make virtually anything grow (Including some dead plants I'd thrown out when I lived at home. Later when the plants were healthy and beautiful I asked where he'd gotten them - he took great joy in explaining that those were the plants I'd thrown out!), the two things he was most proud of were his rose garden and the tomatoes he planted in pots all over the deck in the backyard.
While the roses thrive and have lived on for years, the tomato plants kind of went by the wayside several years ago. They have to be planted every year and take a lot of management throughout the season and dad just wasn't really up to it any longer.
About a month ago, my mother in law, Vicky, noticed something growing in the rose garden. "There's a tomato plant growing in the roses!", she exclaimed. I'd seen it too, but thought it was a week and said as much. She reiterated that it was definitely a tomato plant. I went over and looked at it again and, sure enough! She was absolutely right - it was a tomato plant! At that point, it was pretty small and we didn't really think it would survive amongst the roses.
But. It's survived and thrived! Now, a month later, the tomato plant is absolutely huge. It's branched out and has little vines growing across several of the rose bushes. The other day when I looked at it and snapped some photos, it had a couple of small tomatoes - still green but they were definitely hanging in there. I just went out this evening and looked and those tomatoes from the other day have more than doubled in size - and there are many more, plus lots of yellow buds that, provided they don't get knocked off, will bear tomatoes! It looks like this one giant plant will produce a pretty healthy crop of juicy, delicious tomatoes. YAY! It's just this girls' humble opinion, but I think there is absolutely nothing better in this world than a home-grown tomato. Especially one that is still warm from the sun. Mmmmm...delish!
We definitely think that dad is looking down and having quite the chuckle that his two favorite things in the garden have combined themselves into one area. He would love it and marvel over it every day. Mom would just be glad that she's not on tomato picking duty ;o)
While the roses thrive and have lived on for years, the tomato plants kind of went by the wayside several years ago. They have to be planted every year and take a lot of management throughout the season and dad just wasn't really up to it any longer.
About a month ago, my mother in law, Vicky, noticed something growing in the rose garden. "There's a tomato plant growing in the roses!", she exclaimed. I'd seen it too, but thought it was a week and said as much. She reiterated that it was definitely a tomato plant. I went over and looked at it again and, sure enough! She was absolutely right - it was a tomato plant! At that point, it was pretty small and we didn't really think it would survive amongst the roses.
But. It's survived and thrived! Now, a month later, the tomato plant is absolutely huge. It's branched out and has little vines growing across several of the rose bushes. The other day when I looked at it and snapped some photos, it had a couple of small tomatoes - still green but they were definitely hanging in there. I just went out this evening and looked and those tomatoes from the other day have more than doubled in size - and there are many more, plus lots of yellow buds that, provided they don't get knocked off, will bear tomatoes! It looks like this one giant plant will produce a pretty healthy crop of juicy, delicious tomatoes. YAY! It's just this girls' humble opinion, but I think there is absolutely nothing better in this world than a home-grown tomato. Especially one that is still warm from the sun. Mmmmm...delish!
We definitely think that dad is looking down and having quite the chuckle that his two favorite things in the garden have combined themselves into one area. He would love it and marvel over it every day. Mom would just be glad that she's not on tomato picking duty ;o)
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Day Trip: Ojai, California
About an hour and a half away from us is a small artist's retreat called Ojai. Other than the pace of this laid back town, a bit of agriculture and some wonderful old architecture, there isn't an awful lot to draw folks here. But. When you're looking for a relaxing day trip that will transport you to another world, this little town is definitely what you're looking for.
There are several ways to get there and we chose the more rural route. It may take a few minutes longer, but the scenery is absolutely worth it. Along the way we discovered things we hadn't even known existed. For instance, we had no idea this beautiful little college was tucked into the mountains. Just look at it - wouldn't you want to put this on your 'possibility' list just based on the view alone?
A little further up the road and you'll be driving right along this beautiful place:
What an absolutely gorgeous place! The bucolic scenery belies the fact that you're not far from the LA basin ... you'd just never know it.
In the town of Ojai, there are a few spas and bed and breakfast retreats, a couple of thrift shops, a few artsy boutiques, a fabulous ice cream place, and an outdoor bookstore - really!
If you're looking for much more than that, you'll be a bit disappointed, but if this is what you had in mind, you've found your Shang-ri-la.
Check out this beautiful fountain:
I was also intrigued by this somewhat hidden wine bistro...
Love the look of this little deli - it's so European!
It was a wonderful little getaway. Far enough out of town to know that we've been away, but no so far that we needed to book a hotel. C'est magnifique!
Monday, March 11, 2013
My own little frugal fest!
Last week I posted about the great deal I got on those cute lil boots - and they were a smokin' deal! But actually, I've been finding really wonderful deals all over the place.
With prices on just about everything going, up, up, up, I've really been looking through coupons and scouring to find the best deals, and I've had some great success. I want to keep myself motivated, so I thought I'd sharing some of my finds would keep bargain hunting forefront in my mind. (Yeah, like I'm not always looking for a bargain!)
Eggs
Last weekend while grocery shopping I found a great deal on eggs. They had several dozen cartons marked down to just .50 cents each! The sell-by date was coming up soon, but eggs are still good for 3-4 weeks after their sell-by date, so I decided to stock up a bit; I bought 4 dozen eggs. In my area, eggs normally run about $1.99 per dozen, so this deal resulted in just over a 74% savings.
Clothing
The same day I purchased my boots, I also purchased some clothing: four pairs of pants and a winter sweater. The total for all five items came to just $52.32, including tax. All of the items were between $8.00 and $10.00. When I was removing the tags, I calculated out what the price would have been if I'd paid full-price (which, of course I'd never do!). Full price on everything would have been $205.00, so again, I saved right around 74%.
Beauty Products
Okay, I'll admit it - I love ULTA! I'm a member of their rewards program so each time I buy something, points are credited to my account. When you have enough points, you can redeem them for a certain amount off your bill. I'd bought some things in the fall, and a gift over the holidays, so I had some points on my account, but not all that many. Last week they sent me an email stating that they'd added more points to my account as a 'bonus', but I had to use the points by Saturday. The points on my account totaled a $9.00 reward for me - yay! I also found a coupon for $3.50 off any purchase of $10.00 or more and I was able to combine both the $9.00 reward and the $3.50 off coupon. One of my favorite products is BioSilk. It's a wonderful moisturizer for both hair and skin, but it's a bit on the pricey side - $14.00 for a medium-sized bottle (It lasts a long time, though. I've had the current bottle for just over a year.) I am down to the last bit in the bottle I have, so I thought I'd go and pick some up. While I was there, I also found the mineral make-up I like in the clearance bin. The company is changing the packaging, so the current lot is clearanced out. The make-up normally sells for $12.99, but I paid just $6.49 for it. Without the sale price on the make-up, coupons or points, my purchase would have been $29.42. Instead, I paid just $8.71 total. That's a savings of $20.71, or savings of over 70%.
Produce
We have a nearby grocery that has phenomenal weekly deals on produce. I don't go often, but I'm going to put it on my weekly To-Do list for Wednesdays. Why Wednesdays? They have a double-ad special that day. That means that you get the sale prices for whatever was in the ad last Wednesday, and the sale prices for whatever is in their ad for this Wednesday. Because Kevin was running some errands close to this grocery yesterday, he stopped and picked up a couple of things I wanted from this store: bunch spinach - .48 cents per bunch; haas avocados - .48 cents each; red bell peppers - .88 cents each; Texas ruby red grapefruit - .48 cents each; ataulfo mangos - .48 cents each. Great deals! Kevin bought 3 bunches of spinach, 6 avocados, 2 red peppers, 4 grapefruit and 4 mangos. The total bill came to just $11.00. I can hardly wait to see what's in the ad for this week!
Monday, March 05, 2012
Tres bon!
With everything going on in our lives, we just hadn't had a chance to set a date. We kept thinking we'd get around to it eventually, but time has passed so quickly we just never got around to it. Until yesterday.
We talked with Bev and Ken on Saturday and set a time to meet at the restaurant yesterday around 6:00. We were surprised to find a darling little European-esque cafe just off the beaten path down a short alley. A couple of tables outside, a couple of tables and a bar inside, and that was about it. It had a certain charm, though, and Edith Piaf singing softly in the background - and really - who could ask for anything more than that?
Being Sunday, there weren't throngs of customers, but with just one waitress working, there was quite a wait. It took over half an hour just to get two glasses of wine. I will say that the wine was excellent, as were the appetizers, dinner and dessert. We left full of good food and good conversation which made for a very satisfying evening for all.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend Creme de la Crepe; just make sure you have plenty of time on your hands when you go!
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Ahoy Mateys!
So ... remember the ship? Well take a look at the final product: 
Isnt' it the coolest?!
Sunday morning we were going to breakfast with my mom-in-law, Vicky, and her brother, Bob who was visiting from El Paso. I asked Kev to drive us by the 'ship house' so we could see the progress. As you can see, they added a TON of stuff since the last set of pictures! First of all, they stained the natural wood to a darker finish. But the biggest additions are INside the ship. We parked the car and got out to take a closer look and, when we did, we happened to see the homeowners outside getting ready to begin work on their project for the day. We struck up a conversation about the ship and asked a lot of questions. For instance, there is a door in the side of the ship...
and I asked the homeowner if that's where the Trick-or-Treaters would come in to walk up to the door. She said that it actually led to the 'Treasure Chest'. She invited us in to take a look. DARN IT! I didn't have the camera with me - of course! But it was SO COOL! They had it all set up ala Pirates of the Caribbean. with lots of glistening treasures and skeletons of the unlucky souls who tried to hoist the sunken treasure. It was so much fun! We were all so impressed with the Treasure Chest that she invited us over to the other side of the ship's interior where the 'Voodoo Hut' was located. Amazing! It contained all sorts of bones and bats and shrunken heads - and a stone fireplace that looked pretty darn close to the real thing. We asked what it was made of and she said styrofoam! They have a styrofoam cutter that sort of melts the edges of the styrofoam to make whatever you're creating look more like 'the real thing'. Here's an example of the cut styrofoam (the ship's railing, not the skull): 
After our tour, I asked her about how many Trick-or-Treaters they were expecting. She said that they've been doing this for 23 years and they're now up to about 1,000 Trick-or-Treaters! They have goodie bags for the smaller children, mardi gras beads for the teenagers, and candy for everyone. They will have family and friends dressed up as pirates on the ship handing out the loot. How fun is that?
You just gotta love the kids that never grow up ;o)
Sunday morning we were going to breakfast with my mom-in-law, Vicky, and her brother, Bob who was visiting from El Paso. I asked Kev to drive us by the 'ship house' so we could see the progress. As you can see, they added a TON of stuff since the last set of pictures! First of all, they stained the natural wood to a darker finish. But the biggest additions are INside the ship. We parked the car and got out to take a closer look and, when we did, we happened to see the homeowners outside getting ready to begin work on their project for the day. We struck up a conversation about the ship and asked a lot of questions. For instance, there is a door in the side of the ship...
You just gotta love the kids that never grow up ;o)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Smithsonian Free Museum Day 2011
The event will take place this upcoming Saturday, September 24th. Click here to find out all of the information and find a venue near you. Just a head's up: this year you are required to have a ticket. No worries. If you follow the link and read all of the information, it will lead you to a registration page. All you need to do is complete the required information and a ticket good for two people will be sent to your email address.
This year we'll be going to the Grammy Museum. Sounds like fun, right?! Happy Free Museum Day - enjoy!!
Friday, August 05, 2011
We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Deb called us Wednesday night to see if we wanted to meet them at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain for ice cream. Ice cream? Us? ABSOLUTLEY!
If you've never been to the fabulous vintage soda fountain, you must put it on your to-do list. It's such an old fashioned, charming step back in time. The pharmacy has been there since 1915 - and it's still an active pharmacy, but the big draw is the soda fountain. A number of years ago, the man who bought the pharmacy somewhere along the way, decided to incorporate a soda fountain into the pharmacy. Lo and behold, he found an in-tact vintage soda fountain in Joplin, Missouri, and had it shipped out here. And here it has remained - and thrived, I might add! When we went on Wednesday, the place was packed! And, if you're an ice cream lover, you'll not be disappointed in the selection of flavors, or the myriad choices of concoctions on the menu.
Deb and Drew had the classic hot fudge sundae; I enjoyed a rootbeer float; Kevin and Pat were a little more adventurous in their selection with a Banana Blitz and a Banana Royal. The soda 'jerk' (and I use that affectionately - he was great!) was kind enough to suggest making a smaller-sized version of each of these behemoth delights. Great suggestion! By the time we left, we were all absolutely stuffed - with ice cream, nostalgia, and fun =)
Thanks for treating, Deb!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Living Pictures
Once again this year we were absolutely blown away by Pageant of the Masters. Honestly, this show defies explanation - it's truly something you absolutely must see in person.
Each year they have a new theme - this year's is "Only Make Believe"
The living pictures focused on things like Alice in Wonderland, dragons and fairies, spacemen .... things from the imagination. Except, we didn't just imagine them - we witnessed them in all their incredulity.
They don't allow photos to be taken during the show, so I borrowed these photos from the Laguna Pilot newspaper:
Uh-huh. See, I told ya. Incredible, right?
It's not too late! If you want to attend this year's show, you can still buy tickets. The show runs through August 31st. If you do go, why not stay over night? We decided that, because the show is over fairly late, we didn't want to drive the hour home afterwards, so we stayed at the Ayres in Laguna Woods. We can't recommend it highly enough! Wonderful hotel - great room, delicious breakfast in the morning.
Yeah, we know ... pretty 'touristy' taking photos of our hotel room. What can we say? We're just kids at heart ;o)
Don't you just love vacations?!
Each year they have a new theme - this year's is "Only Make Believe"
The living pictures focused on things like Alice in Wonderland, dragons and fairies, spacemen .... things from the imagination. Except, we didn't just imagine them - we witnessed them in all their incredulity. They don't allow photos to be taken during the show, so I borrowed these photos from the Laguna Pilot newspaper:
Uh-huh. See, I told ya. Incredible, right?It's not too late! If you want to attend this year's show, you can still buy tickets. The show runs through August 31st. If you do go, why not stay over night? We decided that, because the show is over fairly late, we didn't want to drive the hour home afterwards, so we stayed at the Ayres in Laguna Woods. We can't recommend it highly enough! Wonderful hotel - great room, delicious breakfast in the morning.
Yeah, we know ... pretty 'touristy' taking photos of our hotel room. What can we say? We're just kids at heart ;o)Don't you just love vacations?!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Working on the Wardrobe
I love clothes, I admit it. I love the huge variety of colors and textures - silks and cottons; crunchy knits and soft rayons; denims and velvets....you name it, I love it. I always have. I love looking through magazines to get ideas, and then shopping for things I like, usually spending a fraction of what I saw in the magazines. And I have proof. A packed closet filled with amazing (or at least what I think is amazing) clothes for any occasion.
Each season I go through my closet and evaluate what's in there. I re-organize things and purge items when necessary. This past month while I've been off, I've purged quite a few items from my closet. It's amazing, really. Considering how packed it still is and how many things I donated...where did all of those things fit into that crammed-full closet?? I've also washed, ironed and repaired any items that were in need of it. So now, having done the prep work, I've been thinking about what I might want to look for while shopping for fall clothes.
Before shopping, I thought I'd look through and put some outfits together with the things I already own. You know, come up with some different pairings - things I haven't tried together before, including jewelry and scarves - and make notes and take photos so I'd remember them later. I kept thinking about it last night and was excited to get an early start on it this morning.
Oh.My.GOSH. I'd only been working on it for a little over an hour when I realized that, this one task could - and probably would - take me several days to complete, and by the end, I'd be totally exhausted. Literally. How do I know this? In just a little over an hour's time, I came up with 44 different outfits ... and I hadn't even gone through one quarter of the possibilities that were in that closet.
Needless to say, I decided that several days of doing just this one thing was completely out of the question. I did, however, put together some really nice outfits that I really like! I thought that maybe once a month I'd go through and put together five or six outfits so that I'm not overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. One benefit from working on this task is that I realized I don't really *need* any new fall clothes. That said, I know that I'll probably pick up an item or two, but going through my wardrobe now certainly helped me realize that I already have hundreds upon hundreds of choices. I think I'll mostly look at buying a few accessories and, later when it gets a bit cooler, probably some heavier sweaters since I don't really have many of those. In the meantime, here are just a couple of things I came up with:(It's kind of hard to tell, but the pants are dark brown)
I've had this leopard print scarf forever. I bought it at a vintage clothing store about 25 years ago.)
I just love these colors together! It just looks like fall!
I love these soft grays and lavender together... 
That's it for now. My mind is still reeling with the myriad possibilities!
Each season I go through my closet and evaluate what's in there. I re-organize things and purge items when necessary. This past month while I've been off, I've purged quite a few items from my closet. It's amazing, really. Considering how packed it still is and how many things I donated...where did all of those things fit into that crammed-full closet?? I've also washed, ironed and repaired any items that were in need of it. So now, having done the prep work, I've been thinking about what I might want to look for while shopping for fall clothes.
Before shopping, I thought I'd look through and put some outfits together with the things I already own. You know, come up with some different pairings - things I haven't tried together before, including jewelry and scarves - and make notes and take photos so I'd remember them later. I kept thinking about it last night and was excited to get an early start on it this morning.
Oh.My.GOSH. I'd only been working on it for a little over an hour when I realized that, this one task could - and probably would - take me several days to complete, and by the end, I'd be totally exhausted. Literally. How do I know this? In just a little over an hour's time, I came up with 44 different outfits ... and I hadn't even gone through one quarter of the possibilities that were in that closet.
Needless to say, I decided that several days of doing just this one thing was completely out of the question. I did, however, put together some really nice outfits that I really like! I thought that maybe once a month I'd go through and put together five or six outfits so that I'm not overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. One benefit from working on this task is that I realized I don't really *need* any new fall clothes. That said, I know that I'll probably pick up an item or two, but going through my wardrobe now certainly helped me realize that I already have hundreds upon hundreds of choices. I think I'll mostly look at buying a few accessories and, later when it gets a bit cooler, probably some heavier sweaters since I don't really have many of those. In the meantime, here are just a couple of things I came up with:(It's kind of hard to tell, but the pants are dark brown)
I've had this leopard print scarf forever. I bought it at a vintage clothing store about 25 years ago.)
I just love these colors together! It just looks like fall!
I love these soft grays and lavender together... 
That's it for now. My mind is still reeling with the myriad possibilities!
The Happiest Place on Earth
Monday we took the boys to Disneyland. Kevin and I haven't been to Disneyland in about 8 years or so. We went to California Adventure about 5 years ago and we were supposed to go to Disneyland, too, but ...uhh... that didn't work out so well. But that's another story.Annnnnyway....
Monday morning we got up early, got ourselves ready and the car packed and off we went. Boy. Disneyland has definitely changed since the last time we were there! It's funny - it's not like I go there a lot, but when I was a child, we went there quite a bit, so that's really the Disneyland I remember. It's strange to see how it's changed. One big difference is that you park off-site and they bus you to the entrance of the park. That's not bad in and of itself, but it certainly curtailed our plan to go out to the car for lunch. Oh well, you know what they say about those best laid plans.
We had a GREAT time! We go there early enough to get a few fast passes and to go on several rides before it a) got really hot, and b) got really crowded. For instance, when we went to Pirates of the Caribbean, we stood in line maybe 15-20 minutes. When we passed by the same spot later in the day, the line was nearly 2 hours long! When we first went in, we picked up fast passes to Star Tours. We figured since they've just renovated and updated this ride, it would be pretty popular so we figured rather than standing in line, we'd get a fast pass and come back later. So glad we did! Our return time was 1:30; at that time they were no longer giving fast passes - they were all out for the day - which meant you'd just have to take your chances and stand in line. A two-hour long line. We used our fast passes and waited, again, no more than 15-20 minutes max. And it was totally worth it!
Over in California Adventure, Pat really wanted to go on the Tower of Terror ride. Ugh. That's the ONE ride I would never go on again. When Kevin and I went last time, I was SO excited to go on this ride! It's the first place we headed. Big mistake. I hated every.single.second of that horrible experience. Needless to say that I wouldn't go on it, Kevin passed, and there was no way Drew was going on it either, but Pat rreeeeaaaalllllly wanted to go, so he got a fast pass for it and we came back. The three of us waited for him at the exit of the ride. You've never seen such a huge grin. He absolutely loved it! More power to ya, kid!
We stayed until after the fireworks show was over and then we headed home. We were all completely exhausted. While we were waiting in line for the bus, Pat said he couldn't wait to sit down on the bus. He said it would be the first time he'd sat down since the last ride we'd been on ... about 2 hours before! It was a crazy fun, long, hot day - and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
Baseball Reliquary
Never heard of it? Neither had we until Kevin read an article about their upcoming Shrine of the Eternals Induction Ceremony in the newspaper. It was to be held at the Pasadena Central Library this past Sunday afternoon. This year's inductees were Maury Wills, Pete Gray, and the San Diego Chicken. Cool! Apparently they conduct this event every year, but Kevin and I didn't know that.(Huh - how did we miss that one?)
As it turns out, Sunday was the day we were picking up the boys to visit with us for a few days, so the Induction Ceremony was the perfect activity for us! The event started at 2:00 p.m., and the library opened at 1:00 p.m. We were there when the doors opened so that we could check out the baseball exhibit also on display within the library. About 1:30 we meandered over to the auditorium where the ceremony was going to be held - good thing we did! It's a small auditorium so seats were in short supply. We managed to find four seats in the back of the auditorium and sat down to people watch. Before long, Maury Wills appeared in the crowd. What a genuinely nice man. He had his entire family with him and they were all seated in the front of the auditorium. Shortly there was a small crowd of people around him asking for autographs. We weren't certain if he would stay after the even to sign autographs, so we decided that Kevin and the boys should get in line now. I'm so glad they did! Mr. Wills was very personable and happily signed autographs for everyone who asked. He asked both of the boys if they played ball and commented on how tall they were. He gave Drew a 'what-for' for wearing a Marlins cap instead of a Dodger cap =) When Kevin approached, he asked if he'd sign a baseball for an umpire; Maury gave him the once over and said 'Yeah, what the heck.' ;o)
The ceremony itself was very nice. Over and above the Inductees and their awards, there were two other awards presents; one named the "Hilda" award and one the "Tony Salin Memorial" award. The "Hilda" award is named in honor of Hilda Chester; a lifelong Brooklyn Dodger fan. The award this year was presented to Chris Erskine - a columnist for the LA Times. The "Tony Salin Memorial" award is given in honor of Tony Salin, an author, humorist and Reliquarian who passed away several years ago at just 49 years of age. This year's award was presented to Paul Dickson - a prolific author of all things baseball. Both recipients were honored by their awards and very humorous in their acceptance speeches.
At the end of the ceremony, we stood in line to get the Chicken's autograph. Kevin has such fond memories of the Chicken from when he was growing up in El Paso. Apparently the Chicken traveled to different minor league ballparks as well, and Kevin remembered him from spending so much time at the El Paso Diablos stadium. In fact, a couple of weeks ago when we were straightening the shelves in the mancave, we ran across an El Paso Diablos baseball. It was just sitting on the shelf and we moved it to it's new home - a plastic baseball case. When Kevin found out the Chicken would be at the Induction Ceremony, he decided to bring the Diablos ball and have the Chicken autograph that instead of just a regular baseball. When it was finally our turn to meet the Chicken, Kevin pulled out the Diablos baseball and asked him to sign it, the Chicken was thrilled! He asked Kevin about the baseball and Kevin explained that he grew up in El Paso and had attended many of the Diablos games. His dad worked as a statistician and he knew the former owner of the team. Both Kevin and the Chicken chatted about those days and the Chicken happily signed the Diablos baseball. FUN!
The four of us had a great afternoon. What a fun - FREE - event! You can bet that we'll be looking forward to attending next year's Shrine of the Eternals Induction Ceremony next year!
As it turns out, Sunday was the day we were picking up the boys to visit with us for a few days, so the Induction Ceremony was the perfect activity for us! The event started at 2:00 p.m., and the library opened at 1:00 p.m. We were there when the doors opened so that we could check out the baseball exhibit also on display within the library. About 1:30 we meandered over to the auditorium where the ceremony was going to be held - good thing we did! It's a small auditorium so seats were in short supply. We managed to find four seats in the back of the auditorium and sat down to people watch. Before long, Maury Wills appeared in the crowd. What a genuinely nice man. He had his entire family with him and they were all seated in the front of the auditorium. Shortly there was a small crowd of people around him asking for autographs. We weren't certain if he would stay after the even to sign autographs, so we decided that Kevin and the boys should get in line now. I'm so glad they did! Mr. Wills was very personable and happily signed autographs for everyone who asked. He asked both of the boys if they played ball and commented on how tall they were. He gave Drew a 'what-for' for wearing a Marlins cap instead of a Dodger cap =) When Kevin approached, he asked if he'd sign a baseball for an umpire; Maury gave him the once over and said 'Yeah, what the heck.' ;o)
The ceremony itself was very nice. Over and above the Inductees and their awards, there were two other awards presents; one named the "Hilda" award and one the "Tony Salin Memorial" award. The "Hilda" award is named in honor of Hilda Chester; a lifelong Brooklyn Dodger fan. The award this year was presented to Chris Erskine - a columnist for the LA Times. The "Tony Salin Memorial" award is given in honor of Tony Salin, an author, humorist and Reliquarian who passed away several years ago at just 49 years of age. This year's award was presented to Paul Dickson - a prolific author of all things baseball. Both recipients were honored by their awards and very humorous in their acceptance speeches. At the end of the ceremony, we stood in line to get the Chicken's autograph. Kevin has such fond memories of the Chicken from when he was growing up in El Paso. Apparently the Chicken traveled to different minor league ballparks as well, and Kevin remembered him from spending so much time at the El Paso Diablos stadium. In fact, a couple of weeks ago when we were straightening the shelves in the mancave, we ran across an El Paso Diablos baseball. It was just sitting on the shelf and we moved it to it's new home - a plastic baseball case. When Kevin found out the Chicken would be at the Induction Ceremony, he decided to bring the Diablos ball and have the Chicken autograph that instead of just a regular baseball. When it was finally our turn to meet the Chicken, Kevin pulled out the Diablos baseball and asked him to sign it, the Chicken was thrilled! He asked Kevin about the baseball and Kevin explained that he grew up in El Paso and had attended many of the Diablos games. His dad worked as a statistician and he knew the former owner of the team. Both Kevin and the Chicken chatted about those days and the Chicken happily signed the Diablos baseball. FUN!
The four of us had a great afternoon. What a fun - FREE - event! You can bet that we'll be looking forward to attending next year's Shrine of the Eternals Induction Ceremony next year!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Ain't the Canyon Just Grand?!
WOW
Just wow. Kevin and I just returned from the Grand Canyon - neither of us had ever been. In planning for our trip, we talked to many people who had been there and all of them said that the moment you first see the Canyon is indescribable. No kidding. It's THE most amazing thing I've ever seen. Awe inspiring, really.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon by train. It was an amazing journey from the small town of Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The train ride was beautiful. And peaceful. And very relaxing. (An aside: Why did society choose to fore go train travel? I realize that it's a slower method of travel, and a bit less convenient, but what it lacks in convenience, it more than makes up for in soul-soothing charm. You still get to where you need to go and the bonus is that you're much more relaxed and at peace when you arrive. How is that bad?) Arizona is funny; in my mind, I've always pictured desert - lots of cactus and dry desert landscape. And that's true - in Southern Arizona. However, not so in Northern Arizona. In fact, having left 100 degree temperatures and a great deal of humidity in our area, we arrived in Williams to high 70-low 80 degree temperatures and thunder storms. You know that old saying "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes (and it will change)"? That's what we found in AZ.
The morning started out gorgeous - beautiful sunny skies with nary a cloud in sight. We had breakfast, watched a wild west show and then boarded the train.
By the time our train hostess finished her talk about train rules and regulations, complimentary snacks, and what we might see along the trip, the skies were filled with high, puffy clouds. Within another 20 minutes or so, the high, puffy, white clouds had turned a dark, stormy gray. The hostess predicted that, between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., we would have some pretty generous thundershowers. She's in the wrong business; she's far more accurate than most weather forecasters you see on TV. At 1:00 p.m., it began to shower. A few drops first, then, a bit heavier just as we were heading out to sight see at the Canyon.
It was amazing. Our first real close-up included the Canyon in sun, clouds, thunderstorms (complete with lightening strikes!), and fog. It was absolutely breathtaking.
Isn't it incredible?! We kept trying to capture a lightening strike in progress, but they proved to be elusive. We'd hear a clap of thunder and then try an anticipate where the lightening would strike - inevitably, we chose the wrong place!
While the top of the Canyon tangoed with the clouds, the view of the Colorado River down below was so clear you could see the rapids.
Is this Heaven? No - the Grand Canyon! 
We had such a wonderful trip. Everything about it from start to finish went perfect. We packed up early Thursday morning to hit the road driving to Williams, Arizona.
(Ummm...yeah, that book we're holding? It's an atlas. Guess it kinda loses something since you can't see what we're pointing to, eh?) Mom and dad watched our baby Slippers for us (thanks, Mom & Dad!), and while she was a bit mopey, she was just fine. The drive to Williams
is about 7 hours from our home (far from the 3 and a half to 4 hours the hotel's website indicated!) but the drive went by really quickly. Really! I'd gone to the library a day or two before we left and picked up a book on CD. Not just any book, but Wally Lamb's 'The Hour I First Believed'. Not familiar with it? It's one of those huge tomes that scares you away from selecting it because of the enormous number of pages within it's covers. Read (or listen to) it. REALLY. You will not be disappointed. The volume contains 20 CDs. TWENTY. It's such a compelling story that we were both completely engrossed - on the way up as well as on the way back. In fact, we only finished half of the CDs, so last night we sat in the living room and listened to two more. Only 8 more to go!
The small town of Williams is directly on Route 66. It's one of the many don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it places on the map. Kevin said, and he's probably right, that it's one of the places Disney/Pixar used to model the town of Radiator Springs in the movie Cars. The town is a bit hokey, but charming in it's own way. It's an interesting mix of western heritage and Route 66 tchotchkes - but it works.
(I just love this little guy peering over the top of the stagecoach!)
Honestly, if the town didn't have the railroad, I think it probably would have perished by now. But, luckily, the Grand Canyon Railway lives here, and so the town of Williams, while not thriving, continues to hold it's place. The Railway is THE main attraction here. Okay, probably the ONLY attraction here!, but it's quite the attraction indeed.
This (and the other) hard working cowboy works the town. Literally. They hold two Wild West shows a day - one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 7:00 p.m. During the day they act as entertainment...errr...train robbers on the Railway, and then walk the town talking up the shows and inviting folks to watch.
All in all, it was just magnificent. The trip, the scenery, the experience. All of it. Grand Canyon National Park. Grand indeed. A true national treasure. If you've not been to the Grand Canyon, I urge you to go. Okay, not necessarily this very moment, but soon. Why? Obviously the Canyon isn't going anywhere - it's been there for, well, millions of years. However, at the rate things are changing in our nation, and the rate at which national historic landmarks are closing (if you live in the state of California, you know exactly what I'm talking about), who knows if you'll be able to see the Grand Canyon in years to come. Or how much you'll be charged to see it. Take the time. Make the time. You'll be grateful for the lifetime of rich, wonderful memories.
Just wow. Kevin and I just returned from the Grand Canyon - neither of us had ever been. In planning for our trip, we talked to many people who had been there and all of them said that the moment you first see the Canyon is indescribable. No kidding. It's THE most amazing thing I've ever seen. Awe inspiring, really.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon by train. It was an amazing journey from the small town of Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The train ride was beautiful. And peaceful. And very relaxing. (An aside: Why did society choose to fore go train travel? I realize that it's a slower method of travel, and a bit less convenient, but what it lacks in convenience, it more than makes up for in soul-soothing charm. You still get to where you need to go and the bonus is that you're much more relaxed and at peace when you arrive. How is that bad?) Arizona is funny; in my mind, I've always pictured desert - lots of cactus and dry desert landscape. And that's true - in Southern Arizona. However, not so in Northern Arizona. In fact, having left 100 degree temperatures and a great deal of humidity in our area, we arrived in Williams to high 70-low 80 degree temperatures and thunder storms. You know that old saying "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes (and it will change)"? That's what we found in AZ.
The morning started out gorgeous - beautiful sunny skies with nary a cloud in sight. We had breakfast, watched a wild west show and then boarded the train.
By the time our train hostess finished her talk about train rules and regulations, complimentary snacks, and what we might see along the trip, the skies were filled with high, puffy clouds. Within another 20 minutes or so, the high, puffy, white clouds had turned a dark, stormy gray. The hostess predicted that, between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., we would have some pretty generous thundershowers. She's in the wrong business; she's far more accurate than most weather forecasters you see on TV. At 1:00 p.m., it began to shower. A few drops first, then, a bit heavier just as we were heading out to sight see at the Canyon. It was amazing. Our first real close-up included the Canyon in sun, clouds, thunderstorms (complete with lightening strikes!), and fog. It was absolutely breathtaking.
Isn't it incredible?! We kept trying to capture a lightening strike in progress, but they proved to be elusive. We'd hear a clap of thunder and then try an anticipate where the lightening would strike - inevitably, we chose the wrong place! While the top of the Canyon tangoed with the clouds, the view of the Colorado River down below was so clear you could see the rapids.
Is this Heaven? No - the Grand Canyon! 
We had such a wonderful trip. Everything about it from start to finish went perfect. We packed up early Thursday morning to hit the road driving to Williams, Arizona.
(Ummm...yeah, that book we're holding? It's an atlas. Guess it kinda loses something since you can't see what we're pointing to, eh?) Mom and dad watched our baby Slippers for us (thanks, Mom & Dad!), and while she was a bit mopey, she was just fine. The drive to Williams
is about 7 hours from our home (far from the 3 and a half to 4 hours the hotel's website indicated!) but the drive went by really quickly. Really! I'd gone to the library a day or two before we left and picked up a book on CD. Not just any book, but Wally Lamb's 'The Hour I First Believed'. Not familiar with it? It's one of those huge tomes that scares you away from selecting it because of the enormous number of pages within it's covers. Read (or listen to) it. REALLY. You will not be disappointed. The volume contains 20 CDs. TWENTY. It's such a compelling story that we were both completely engrossed - on the way up as well as on the way back. In fact, we only finished half of the CDs, so last night we sat in the living room and listened to two more. Only 8 more to go! The small town of Williams is directly on Route 66. It's one of the many don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it places on the map. Kevin said, and he's probably right, that it's one of the places Disney/Pixar used to model the town of Radiator Springs in the movie Cars. The town is a bit hokey, but charming in it's own way. It's an interesting mix of western heritage and Route 66 tchotchkes - but it works.
(I just love this little guy peering over the top of the stagecoach!)
Honestly, if the town didn't have the railroad, I think it probably would have perished by now. But, luckily, the Grand Canyon Railway lives here, and so the town of Williams, while not thriving, continues to hold it's place. The Railway is THE main attraction here. Okay, probably the ONLY attraction here!, but it's quite the attraction indeed.
This (and the other) hard working cowboy works the town. Literally. They hold two Wild West shows a day - one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 7:00 p.m. During the day they act as entertainment...errr...train robbers on the Railway, and then walk the town talking up the shows and inviting folks to watch.
All in all, it was just magnificent. The trip, the scenery, the experience. All of it. Grand Canyon National Park. Grand indeed. A true national treasure. If you've not been to the Grand Canyon, I urge you to go. Okay, not necessarily this very moment, but soon. Why? Obviously the Canyon isn't going anywhere - it's been there for, well, millions of years. However, at the rate things are changing in our nation, and the rate at which national historic landmarks are closing (if you live in the state of California, you know exactly what I'm talking about), who knows if you'll be able to see the Grand Canyon in years to come. Or how much you'll be charged to see it. Take the time. Make the time. You'll be grateful for the lifetime of rich, wonderful memories.
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