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Category Archives: pamily
Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World
I was going to crop this differently but check out my Mom’s boots! You can’t really tell from this photo but her vest has an awesome Indian design.
There’s a man in our neighborhood. Bob noticed him before I did. He walks up and down this steep hill, regularly, in every kind of weather. He wears a yellow jacket and hat when it rains so I think of him as the man with the yellow hat.
At one point I thought he might have a few screws loose because every time I drove home from the park-n-ride I’d see him walking. But then I realized that I drive home from the park-n-ride at the same time every day and that’s probably his workout time.
He’s doesn’t look lumpy but he doesn’t look super-fit either.
I haven’t seen him lately but maybe his schedule has changed.
Posted in doing it wrong, goofy face, pamily
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Burnt Orange
This is me and my sister at the Grand Canyon in 1972. Yes, we are in matching outfits. People would ask if we were twins. We are not.
That’s our burnt orange Chevy Malibu.
I’m making it sound like the two of us drove out there on our own. She might not look like much but my sister is hell out on the open highway.
I’m scanning and organizing old photos again. This never gets old. I love the old cars. I wish we had better pictures of the cars.
I always think old photos of other people look old but I think my pictures look more contemporary. Is this a common delusion? Is there some really boring explanation about how since I lived it, it’s still alive in my brain (kinda) so it doesn’t seem so remote and long ago?
Bob and I finally got new desktop computers and we were so busy we didn’t even take them out of the box for almost a week.
Now I have it out of the box but for reasons I won’t bore you with, I’m not quite done with my old computer. So it’s still set up. Which means that I am using my new computer in a situation that is so unergonomical it is almost comical. Which is why my posting continues to be wonky. I have notes and photos for posts stuck everywhere.
Meanwhile, I have another major milestone post for tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Posted in pamily
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Old Married People
Fifteen years ago I shacked up with this guy and I think it’s working out.
More Puzzles
Bob didn’t come to California with me due to another family obligation.
He mentioned on the phone that I’d gotten a box he thought was books. I’d ordered something else that was shaped nothing like a book but you never know how stuff is going to be shipped so I didn’t think too much about it.
When I got home there was a huge book-like box and opened it with great curiosity and this is what I found inside.
A ginormous stack of puzzle books.
I definitely didn’t buy these on purpose so I tried to come up with a logical explanation.
This is the same publisher that published my story so my first conclusion was that they were clearing out the warehouse and decided to send their authors puzzle books.
I know. There is nothing logical about that. I was tired yesterday when I got home.
This morning I realized that I just sent Asimov’s money to renew my subscription so now I’m thinking I have a stupid problem to unravel.
I got another puzzle book in the mail today!
Luckily, I come from a family of puzzle-fiends. (No, I’m not kidding.) Too bad these didn’t show up before I went to California.
Vacation Had to Get Away
I’m home.
I had a fabulous trip. Everything about it was perfect except for the last 25 miles of the drive home. There were two car accidents plus tons of road work and it took over an hour. Even the exit to my house was all orange cones for re-paving.
But before that there was awesome company, perfect weather, great swimming, tons of good food, delicious adult beverages, my favorite hike and probably lots I’m forgetting. I wished I had one more day but I was glad I was leaving while I was still having a great time.
I was so busy having fun I didn’t even finish one book.
Now I’m here. I harvested 5 tomatoes. I got green beans, cucumbers and squash from Mom. I’ve got the closest thing to suntan I’ve had in years. (The glare is off.)
And I’ve got a long weekend to enjoy before vacation is really over.
I have tons of email to go through. I probably owe you.
Also I have about 400 photos from this trip plus I’m way behind on Timbers photos. (I’m sure you’ve been concerned.)
Possibly more catch up later or I’ll sit on my butt tomorrow and enjoy goofing off. I’ll see how I feel when I wake up.
Hitting the Road
When we were in Grants Pass last month we went to this giant kitchen store. The kind of place you could wander around in for hours (if you’re a kitchen store type of person like me and a huge part of my extended family) and find tons of things you want. The kind of place you can’t leave unless you buy something.
I bought this strawberry corer because we didn’t have hours that day so I didn’t have enough time to do more damage.
It took these photos because of the instructions which if you can’t read say: Insert teeth of corer at stem and twist out.
Just in case you weren’t sure how it worked.
I am hitting the road tomorrow for California. The plan is to hang out with family, drink adult beverages, eat yummy food and do some swimming in the river.
I will offline until next week. Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.
Posted in doing it wrong, Orleans, pamily
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Rogue River, Oregon
Here’s our cute boat driver joking with my family about how I’m sitting in the dunk seat and don’t even know it.
Osprey nest with baby osprey ready to fly away. Also there might have been a story about this bridge but I don’t remember.
Hellsgate Canyon.
Rogue River, Oregon.
Tower of power. That’s the water that comes over the side of the boat when it does a 360 or when it stops suddenly. I loved wringing out my clothes after the excursion to make sure I didn’t take home too much Rogue River.
Happy Birthday Soph!
Sophie is 19 today. This photo was when she visited my apartment in Lake Oswego shortly after I moved to Oregon.
Today she’s all grown up and traveling somewhere like Hungary or Turkey or Thailand and won’t even see this. Love you, Soph!
Posted in pamily
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Best Weekend Ever (So Far)
I got home from Wisconsin last night and I’ve been playing catch up today.
Among, the things I’ve been trying to accomplish today, there’s an item that concerns my webhosting. I’m not even going to try to explain it because it would bore your face off but the net result is this question: is there any webhost that can walk and chew gum at the same time?
The first problem was that no one informed me there was a problem. The thing I’m trying to do wouldn’t work but I didn’t know why, only that nothing was happening. So I did some investigating and fixed the thing that made it not work. Then I tried to do my thing again but I got a new problem message.
It was like no matter how specifically I tried to articulate my question, they managed to dumb it down and answer with something completely worthless. Then I’d refine my question, and, of course, there’s no continuity, each time I lobbed it back at them I’d get a new person, who mangled my question into some other direction.
It’s like if you took your car in and said, “I’m having trouble starting my car, what’s going on with it?” And the reply was, “You’re having trouble because you bought a car,” and then you said, “I understand that I bought a car, but sometimes, in the morning it won’t start. Why won’t it start?” and then the reply was, “Many people use their cars in the morning. Your car can be used in the morning.”
I think on this last round, we’re getting somewhere but now I’m half bald from pulling my hair out in aggravation.
Meanwhile, check out the photos from my visit to Forevertron this weekend. I have a lot more good ones and I’ll post on Flickr next weekend. (Hopefully.)
Posted in Clarion West, pamily
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GLUTTON-O-MANIA
It rained all day Christmas, but we went for a walk the next day. Eye-Ees Road.
We’re back.
It was a great holiday with lots of fun and laughs and great people and fabulous food. I give it 10 stars.
It took me only 5 days to train myself to think that five minutes after I got up in the morning, I needed to start eating cookies or candies and there was no reason to stop until going to bed at night.
Yesterday I got up and announced that I never wanted to eat or drink anything ever again. We were driving home and by 10am I had the bag of Christmas cookies open on my lap.
I’ve got the rest of my life to detox. No sense in rushing into anything.
Careful instructions for feeding your dog this type of treat.
Yesterday was the second time this year Bob and I drove home from California on a Tuesday. As soon as we’re close enough we tune into the local classic rock station to listen to two-fers.
We invented a game where we try to predict the next band. And once we know the band we try to guess the next song. Hey, on a nine hour car ride, this is a fun game.
During the summer they did a two-fer AC/DC. I can’t remember the songs but during the second one Bob said: Does AC/DC always sound like this? I said: You mean two loud chords and a guy screaming? Bob nodded. I said: YES. That’s why they’re awesome.
Yesterday we heard: The Cars, The Beatles, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zepplin, Guns N’ Roses, Joan Jett
Guesses that never materialized: Fleetwood Mac, Foghat, AC/DC, Tom Petty, Black Oak Arkansas, Journey
Auntie wrangling the crabs for the crabfeed. “Sorry,” she said as she shut the pot lid down on some flailing crab legs.
Last night I had miserable insomnia. I woke up at 1am and read Julia Child letters for two hours before trying to go back to sleep. After another hour I went downstairs to wake Bob up and ask him to come back upstairs. We talked for awhile and then he fell asleep. I guess I fell back to sleep around 5am.
The Julia book of letters is really good.
Bob holding a baby! (Jacob) Someone asked him if the baby looked tired. “How the hell do I know what a tired baby looks like?”
That’s the update. This afternoon Bob and I are going to look for a lamp. We never do anything for our house so I feel like a public announcement is warranted. It’s going to be a good reading lamp for by the couch. I’m sure if we find one I’ll take photos. Don’t want you to be left out.
Posted in doing it wrong, Orleans, pamily
3 Comments