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Parrottrek Journal 2007
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October 12th -
A couple mornings this week I have woken up before Frank and have taken long
walks around the nature trail, which is behind our street and continues through
over half the resort. The first morning I walked I saw an enormous flock of wild
turkeys and 4 or 5 deer crossing the path. Of course I was unarmed and without
my camera so the next day I packed accordingly. The deer were fun to watch.
They would jump the fence that separates our resort from an enormous preserve
and walk to the river on our side for water. Today, instead of hitting the pool, we
headed to the beach. It was a perfect day. The weather was great and the wind
was just strong enough to fly Frank's kite. In the picture to the left you can see
Frank flying his kite in the background as he skips over the waves. We built a
sand castle, well actually it was more like a wall since we were sitting in the water
while we formed it, and every fourth wave or so would take out half the castle. It
was fun to see if we could rebuild it before the next tsunami hit. On our drive
home we stopped at a couple spots on the road where we could see Kennedy
Space Center and view the Space Shuttle ready on the pad for the launch
scheduled on the 23rd of this month. We will already be in Las Vegas then, but
we did watch a rocket launch last night from our backyard which was quite
impressive. Since the last time we were here Cody got to watch the rocket launch
with us, this time Abbey sat with us for the viewing. She was a little nervous when
the ground beneath us began to shake, but once she ran to the safety of her
box, and peeked out the side to watch the action, she was happy again.
A couple mornings this week I have woken up before Frank and have taken long
walks around the nature trail, which is behind our street and continues through
over half the resort. The first morning I walked I saw an enormous flock of wild
turkeys and 4 or 5 deer crossing the path. Of course I was unarmed and without
my camera so the next day I packed accordingly. The deer were fun to watch.
They would jump the fence that separates our resort from an enormous preserve
and walk to the river on our side for water. Today, instead of hitting the pool, we
headed to the beach. It was a perfect day. The weather was great and the wind
was just strong enough to fly Frank's kite. In the picture to the left you can see
Frank flying his kite in the background as he skips over the waves. We built a
sand castle, well actually it was more like a wall since we were sitting in the water
while we formed it, and every fourth wave or so would take out half the castle. It
was fun to see if we could rebuild it before the next tsunami hit. On our drive
home we stopped at a couple spots on the road where we could see Kennedy
Space Center and view the Space Shuttle ready on the pad for the launch
scheduled on the 23rd of this month. We will already be in Las Vegas then, but
we did watch a rocket launch last night from our backyard which was quite
impressive. Since the last time we were here Cody got to watch the rocket launch
with us, this time Abbey sat with us for the viewing. She was a little nervous when
the ground beneath us began to shake, but once she ran to the safety of her
box, and peeked out the side to watch the action, she was happy again.
October 10th - The Great Outdoors, Titusville, Florida -
Yaaahhooo! 10 glorious days here in beautiful Florida! Ahhhhhh feel that sunshine! I am already a very nice shade of brown, well at least as brown as I, the
fairest woman in America, can get. The nice shade of brown comes from long bike rides every morning with Frank, Cody on his handlebars, and Abbey safely
snuggled in her carrier on my handle bars purring as we drive around the resort. After our 5 - 8 mile morning rides we have breakfast outside by the lake in our
backyard. After breakfast we take another bike ride to the post office, and then to the newsstand where we pick up either the USA Today or Florida Today
depending on which title story grabs us. With newspaper in hand, we head back home. Frank reads the paper and I the book of the day sitting by the lake in
our lounge chairs. I have finished three books already, all murder mysteries which I love and have started on a fourth, something I picked up at the library just
up the street from us, a very sad yet witty and sweet story of a young widow titled 'Good Grief'. She makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The book
makes me very thankful for a living spouse. Once the day begins to warm up I again hop on the bike and head to the pool where most of my reading is done.
Frank stays by the lake with Cody on his knee playing the guitar or power washing the driveway. We never noticed just how dirty the cement was until I noticed
that Frank could leave notes in the dirt on the cement. After two or three hours at the pool and lots of floating time in the sun, I head back to our lot to meet up
with the boys, who by this time are done with their chores and back to playing the guitar. It now being around 4-5 o'clock in the evening we usually head to the
restaurant on premises via the bikes where they have the greatest snacks and Happy Hour from 4- 6pm. We have met lots of new neighbors, and have caught
up with a few familiar faces, including the owner of Cody's love Casey! It's amazing how many people remember us due to the birds. They all see us and our
multiple bike rides around the park. After a couple hours of socializing we head home, make dinner, sit outside again for awhile watching the lake and the
animals roaming around it including Blue Herons, Cranes, and a few alligators. Once the sunsets we soak for a little while in jacuzzi and relax from our hard day.
Yaaahhooo! 10 glorious days here in beautiful Florida! Ahhhhhh feel that sunshine! I am already a very nice shade of brown, well at least as brown as I, the
fairest woman in America, can get. The nice shade of brown comes from long bike rides every morning with Frank, Cody on his handlebars, and Abbey safely
snuggled in her carrier on my handle bars purring as we drive around the resort. After our 5 - 8 mile morning rides we have breakfast outside by the lake in our
backyard. After breakfast we take another bike ride to the post office, and then to the newsstand where we pick up either the USA Today or Florida Today
depending on which title story grabs us. With newspaper in hand, we head back home. Frank reads the paper and I the book of the day sitting by the lake in
our lounge chairs. I have finished three books already, all murder mysteries which I love and have started on a fourth, something I picked up at the library just
up the street from us, a very sad yet witty and sweet story of a young widow titled 'Good Grief'. She makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The book
makes me very thankful for a living spouse. Once the day begins to warm up I again hop on the bike and head to the pool where most of my reading is done.
Frank stays by the lake with Cody on his knee playing the guitar or power washing the driveway. We never noticed just how dirty the cement was until I noticed
that Frank could leave notes in the dirt on the cement. After two or three hours at the pool and lots of floating time in the sun, I head back to our lot to meet up
with the boys, who by this time are done with their chores and back to playing the guitar. It now being around 4-5 o'clock in the evening we usually head to the
restaurant on premises via the bikes where they have the greatest snacks and Happy Hour from 4- 6pm. We have met lots of new neighbors, and have caught
up with a few familiar faces, including the owner of Cody's love Casey! It's amazing how many people remember us due to the birds. They all see us and our
multiple bike rides around the park. After a couple hours of socializing we head home, make dinner, sit outside again for awhile watching the lake and the
animals roaming around it including Blue Herons, Cranes, and a few alligators. Once the sunsets we soak for a little while in jacuzzi and relax from our hard day.
Frank, such a romantic!
The view from the café where we had lunch
October 17th - Dinner and Game Night with Family - Ormond Beach, FL
Pilch - does in mean A) the initial cast one makes when fly fishing B) a baby's diaper or C) a deep muddy pit? How about Latitat? Is it an A) a lawyer B) a Latin
dance where the woman leads or C) an animal that is descended from the Llama family but more resembles a rat? And your final trivia question is... What is a
Camarilla? Is it A) a secret counsel B) a lacey woman's umbrella or C) a flavorful pepper? These, and many others, are the questions we had to decipher this
evening. It sounds a little like someone studying for their SAT's doesn't it? Actually it is the ever entertaining, laugh out loud until you are in tears, rack your
brain to sound like as much like Webster as possible, game of Balderdash. Frank and I took a very nice drive to Ormond Beach this evening to visit family. Also
included in the evening was some great Chinese food and a heart tugging one-act play, about the Potato Famine in Ireland back in the 1700's, written and
performed, including the music, lyrics and all the voices, by our 16 year old cousin Cassie. Cassie just entered her play into a county wide high school
competition. The evening was wonderful. Too bad Frank didn't bring his guitar because both girls, Megan and Cassie, sang the song "Country Roads"
beautifully. Next year he will have to bring his guitar to game night when we come back to Florida for another 2 glorious weeks.
Last night as we sat in the jacuzzi we observed a little family of frogs perched above the laundry sign hunting for bugs that came to warm themselves near the
light above, without any idea they were about to become dinner. The frogs sat perfectly still and watched to see what fat bug would fly or hop by. Once the
chosen bug would come within reach, the frogs would leap in the air, grab the bug and then grab the wall. The literally stuck to the side of the wall or sign where
they landed due to their sticky toes. The baby frog was between against the wall and the sign and seemed a little more wobbly when leaping for his dinner.
Pilch - does in mean A) the initial cast one makes when fly fishing B) a baby's diaper or C) a deep muddy pit? How about Latitat? Is it an A) a lawyer B) a Latin
dance where the woman leads or C) an animal that is descended from the Llama family but more resembles a rat? And your final trivia question is... What is a
Camarilla? Is it A) a secret counsel B) a lacey woman's umbrella or C) a flavorful pepper? These, and many others, are the questions we had to decipher this
evening. It sounds a little like someone studying for their SAT's doesn't it? Actually it is the ever entertaining, laugh out loud until you are in tears, rack your
brain to sound like as much like Webster as possible, game of Balderdash. Frank and I took a very nice drive to Ormond Beach this evening to visit family. Also
included in the evening was some great Chinese food and a heart tugging one-act play, about the Potato Famine in Ireland back in the 1700's, written and
performed, including the music, lyrics and all the voices, by our 16 year old cousin Cassie. Cassie just entered her play into a county wide high school
competition. The evening was wonderful. Too bad Frank didn't bring his guitar because both girls, Megan and Cassie, sang the song "Country Roads"
beautifully. Next year he will have to bring his guitar to game night when we come back to Florida for another 2 glorious weeks.
Last night as we sat in the jacuzzi we observed a little family of frogs perched above the laundry sign hunting for bugs that came to warm themselves near the
light above, without any idea they were about to become dinner. The frogs sat perfectly still and watched to see what fat bug would fly or hop by. Once the
chosen bug would come within reach, the frogs would leap in the air, grab the bug and then grab the wall. The literally stuck to the side of the wall or sign where
they landed due to their sticky toes. The baby frog was between against the wall and the sign and seemed a little more wobbly when leaping for his dinner.
October 16th - Lazy Days RV World - Tampa Bay, Florida -
Today was such a gorgeous day and since the Jeep's top has been down all week, and we haven't left our surroundings here much, we decided to take a road
trip. We were originally going to try and make it to St. Petersburg which is a very nice beach of the Gulf of Mexico, the West Coast of Florida, but didn't make it
quite that far. We stopped in Tampa for lunch and then walked through Lazy Days, which is the worlds' largest RV dealership. No, we are not looking to change
ours, as is it absolutely perfect and we love love love it, but we did want to see what new things they put in this year's models. We looked at all sorts of sizes of
RV's from van conversions up to our current size, and few a little longer. It's crazy the things that they put in RV'S today. They had a chassis on display that a
majority of motorhomes today are built on. Wouldn't Frank look a bit funny driving this down the road without the rest of the house? Besides it might be a little
cold, and we would loose a few things along the way. Yesterday we spent most of the day relaxing by the pool where Frank made friends with a lizard.
Today was such a gorgeous day and since the Jeep's top has been down all week, and we haven't left our surroundings here much, we decided to take a road
trip. We were originally going to try and make it to St. Petersburg which is a very nice beach of the Gulf of Mexico, the West Coast of Florida, but didn't make it
quite that far. We stopped in Tampa for lunch and then walked through Lazy Days, which is the worlds' largest RV dealership. No, we are not looking to change
ours, as is it absolutely perfect and we love love love it, but we did want to see what new things they put in this year's models. We looked at all sorts of sizes of
RV's from van conversions up to our current size, and few a little longer. It's crazy the things that they put in RV'S today. They had a chassis on display that a
majority of motorhomes today are built on. Wouldn't Frank look a bit funny driving this down the road without the rest of the house? Besides it might be a little
cold, and we would loose a few things along the way. Yesterday we spent most of the day relaxing by the pool where Frank made friends with a lizard.
114 Windsong Way -
Just to give a bit of a visual we have included a couple pictures of what our lot looks like now, and what we will build on it someday when we decide to settle
down here. A 'Florida Room' is essentially an 800 sq ft house with a kitchen area, living room/spare bedroom and bathroom, but it also has a large screen room
built on the back so you can still enjoy the beautiful views of our backyard, the animals and surrounding trees along with the soaring rockets and Space Shuttle
launches from over the ocean, while keeping the area cool in summer and bug free in the early evenings when the bugs do come out.
Just to give a bit of a visual we have included a couple pictures of what our lot looks like now, and what we will build on it someday when we decide to settle
down here. A 'Florida Room' is essentially an 800 sq ft house with a kitchen area, living room/spare bedroom and bathroom, but it also has a large screen room
built on the back so you can still enjoy the beautiful views of our backyard, the animals and surrounding trees along with the soaring rockets and Space Shuttle
launches from over the ocean, while keeping the area cool in summer and bug free in the early evenings when the bugs do come out.
| Frank with Ron, Marie, Cassie, Megan and Preston our Balderdash opponents |
The birds listen to Frank play the guitar
October 20th - Sandia, New Mexico -
We met up with friends today, at the Sandia
Golf Resort and Casino, that we haven't seen in
months. I'm sure we have said it before, but I
can't get over how fun it is to be in a different
state, call up friends out of the blue to see
here they are in the country, and have them
only a few miles ahead of us on the road.
Granted most of them are beginning to head
West for warmer climates, but since we all start
out in different states to get there you never
know where they may be. None of us are big
golfers nor big gamblers, but the nice thing
about casinos is that most of them have huge
parking lots, and they don't mind if 5 RV's
come along and park for free in those lots
since they figure they will make some money
off of us in one way or another. We girls spent
a little time on the slots, I won about 6 dollars,
but then I'm a very frugal gambler, and take 5
dollars in with me and play whatever penny
machine has a parrot on the pay lines. The
guys spent their time trying to figure out how to
get a stripped bolt out of John and Maureen's
step that was causing it to collapse. Once they
We met up with friends today, at the Sandia
Golf Resort and Casino, that we haven't seen in
months. I'm sure we have said it before, but I
can't get over how fun it is to be in a different
state, call up friends out of the blue to see
here they are in the country, and have them
only a few miles ahead of us on the road.
Granted most of them are beginning to head
West for warmer climates, but since we all start
out in different states to get there you never
know where they may be. None of us are big
golfers nor big gamblers, but the nice thing
about casinos is that most of them have huge
parking lots, and they don't mind if 5 RV's
come along and park for free in those lots
since they figure they will make some money
off of us in one way or another. We girls spent
a little time on the slots, I won about 6 dollars,
but then I'm a very frugal gambler, and take 5
dollars in with me and play whatever penny
machine has a parrot on the pay lines. The
guys spent their time trying to figure out how to
get a stripped bolt out of John and Maureen's
step that was causing it to collapse. Once they
ruled it an impossible feat, they gave up and we all went to dinner inside the casino. The lay out of the restaurant was quite unique. We had our own room with a
TV so we could all watch the football game along with very comfy couches that were huge and circular that enabled us all to lounge and still see and talk to
everyone. Since they don't allow you to take any pictures inside a casino we have none to show you. I did however think you might appreciate seeing just where
this year's adventures have taken us, and what those routes look like on the map. If you follow the green lines and the numbers above, each number represents
either a race location or a fun detour that took us a little out of the way, you can see just how many times we crossed this great country. It's crazy to visualize.
We have literally been to all four corners of the country. Yes #6 is on the map, but for some reason it's tucked below #25. Before we left on our trek, the country
seemed so enormous. Now that we drive across it on quite a regular basis, it is all beginning to feel like home to us with many familiar areas. However we do
already miss Florida, since the days here in New Mexico are about 50 degrees and nights get down to somewhere between 28-35. No more sleeping with all the
windows open, unless of course you want to catch pneumonia. We have had to use our heater almost all night long these last couple nights. Even the birds start
to get the shivers when the sun goes down. Cody climbs under the covers of the bed at night and snuggles up against us to warm up even more. It's quite cute.
TV so we could all watch the football game along with very comfy couches that were huge and circular that enabled us all to lounge and still see and talk to
everyone. Since they don't allow you to take any pictures inside a casino we have none to show you. I did however think you might appreciate seeing just where
this year's adventures have taken us, and what those routes look like on the map. If you follow the green lines and the numbers above, each number represents
either a race location or a fun detour that took us a little out of the way, you can see just how many times we crossed this great country. It's crazy to visualize.
We have literally been to all four corners of the country. Yes #6 is on the map, but for some reason it's tucked below #25. Before we left on our trek, the country
seemed so enormous. Now that we drive across it on quite a regular basis, it is all beginning to feel like home to us with many familiar areas. However we do
already miss Florida, since the days here in New Mexico are about 50 degrees and nights get down to somewhere between 28-35. No more sleeping with all the
windows open, unless of course you want to catch pneumonia. We have had to use our heater almost all night long these last couple nights. Even the birds start
to get the shivers when the sun goes down. Cody climbs under the covers of the bed at night and snuggles up against us to warm up even more. It's quite cute.
October 22nd - Flagstaff Arizona to Las Vegas -
Our 5 motorhome caravan left New Mexico and stopped last night at Black Bart's
Steakhouse and Musical Revue. Bart also had a campground out back for all of
us to spend the night. The waiters and waitresses would sing and dance while
they served us dinner, and the piano played all night either with a man sitting in
front of or on auto pilot. This morning we made the last leg of our trek into Las
Vegas via the Hoover Dam. While we there, they were filming a Marine commercial
so the entire roadway was lined with young Marines in their dress uniforms. Every
so often they would stop traffic, so we all at one point pulled off to the side of the
road to have lunch and watch for a clearing in the traffic. That's just one more
advantage to driving around in your house. You always have a stocked fridge and
most importantly, a potty just in case the line of traffic lasts longer than you do.
Our 5 motorhome caravan left New Mexico and stopped last night at Black Bart's
Steakhouse and Musical Revue. Bart also had a campground out back for all of
us to spend the night. The waiters and waitresses would sing and dance while
they served us dinner, and the piano played all night either with a man sitting in
front of or on auto pilot. This morning we made the last leg of our trek into Las
Vegas via the Hoover Dam. While we there, they were filming a Marine commercial
so the entire roadway was lined with young Marines in their dress uniforms. Every
so often they would stop traffic, so we all at one point pulled off to the side of the
road to have lunch and watch for a clearing in the traffic. That's just one more
advantage to driving around in your house. You always have a stocked fridge and
most importantly, a potty just in case the line of traffic lasts longer than you do.
The busboy and waiter break into a song
The caravan drives over Hoover Dam
October 28th - Las Vegas, Nevada -
22 races down and one to go. Wow! This exciting year has flown by so quickly we can hardly believe it. The Budweiser Team had a great weekend, and the
Championship is still within reach which will make Pomona very exciting. Along with the views of the drag races we also enjoyed watching all the jets fly over
head from Nellis Air Force Base just over the hill. Some would fly in formation, and others on their own. In order to get a picture you had to have the camera
already on and open and pretty much watch the sky through the lens since once the jet was in a picture perfect spot and you could see them, they were going
about 700 mph and would be out of sight by the time you blinked. Gary and Kathy came out to the race from New Hampshire to cheer us all on, and to get out
of the cold weather for a brief time. They even helped us tear down the Monster hospitality tent this evening. With the extra help we were done in record time
and we were able to have dinner and visited for a few hours after work, which is always nice. With them they brought some fun pictures of their property, which
if you remember we visited earlier this year. Included in their pictures are a few shots of The Sylvania 300, which is the NASCAR race at their local track where
Gary manages the concessions. In a few years New Hampshire may hold a Drag Race if rumors hold true.
22 races down and one to go. Wow! This exciting year has flown by so quickly we can hardly believe it. The Budweiser Team had a great weekend, and the
Championship is still within reach which will make Pomona very exciting. Along with the views of the drag races we also enjoyed watching all the jets fly over
head from Nellis Air Force Base just over the hill. Some would fly in formation, and others on their own. In order to get a picture you had to have the camera
already on and open and pretty much watch the sky through the lens since once the jet was in a picture perfect spot and you could see them, they were going
about 700 mph and would be out of sight by the time you blinked. Gary and Kathy came out to the race from New Hampshire to cheer us all on, and to get out
of the cold weather for a brief time. They even helped us tear down the Monster hospitality tent this evening. With the extra help we were done in record time
and we were able to have dinner and visited for a few hours after work, which is always nice. With them they brought some fun pictures of their property, which
if you remember we visited earlier this year. Included in their pictures are a few shots of The Sylvania 300, which is the NASCAR race at their local track where
Gary manages the concessions. In a few years New Hampshire may hold a Drag Race if rumors hold true.
Gary and Kathy help us tear down
A jet flies over our pit
| As the sun rose you could see all the smoke coming in from California |
The neighboring NASCAR track in Vegas
A sweet family of deer dining
A race team takes a break
The enormous NASCAR souvenir trailers
Gary and Kathy's backyard
A Bald Eagle looks for lunch
October 13th -
This afternoon as we sat outside with all three birds, Abbey hunted butterflies as they landed on the nearby flowers,
Cody talked to all the neighbors passing by and all of a sudden Bradley started making his "something in the sky is
going to eat me" noise as he nervously flapped his feathers. I looked up and only saw white fluffy clouds and a Turkey
Vulture soaring above, which won't eat anything unless it is already dead so I thought all was okay. Frank looked up and
saw the enormous Bald Eagle soaring right above us, which I apparently blinked and missed, even though he took up
half the sky. He moved around the air so quickly, and since Frank walking around convinced him not to dive for Bradley
and eat him in front of all of us, he flew on in hope of finding one of the chubby bunnies that hop around the lakes here.
This afternoon as we sat outside with all three birds, Abbey hunted butterflies as they landed on the nearby flowers,
Cody talked to all the neighbors passing by and all of a sudden Bradley started making his "something in the sky is
going to eat me" noise as he nervously flapped his feathers. I looked up and only saw white fluffy clouds and a Turkey
Vulture soaring above, which won't eat anything unless it is already dead so I thought all was okay. Frank looked up and
saw the enormous Bald Eagle soaring right above us, which I apparently blinked and missed, even though he took up
half the sky. He moved around the air so quickly, and since Frank walking around convinced him not to dive for Bradley
and eat him in front of all of us, he flew on in hope of finding one of the chubby bunnies that hop around the lakes here.
October 31st - Happy Halloween!! -
Fall is officially here, or at least in feels like it is being back in California. The
days are warm with a cool breeze, and the nights are chilly yet not cold. Since we
are all a bit too old to dress up, and the fact that we might scare people if we did,
I have put a picture of the cutest little Halloween costume ever. This is sweet
Marigold, who we visited earlier this year in Boise along with her parents Kari and
Toby. Unfortunately we didn't get to see this cute little chicken in person, but
thanks to modern technology I have swiped it from her mommy's blog and added
it to our web page. Halloween always makes me think of Kari, since the two of us
went trick-or-treating almost every year from kindergarten to about 8th grade. We
always came up with great costumes. One year we were mimes, which came in
quite handy when we didn't want to talk to anyone other than to say trick-or-treat.
Fall is officially here, or at least in feels like it is being back in California. The
days are warm with a cool breeze, and the nights are chilly yet not cold. Since we
are all a bit too old to dress up, and the fact that we might scare people if we did,
I have put a picture of the cutest little Halloween costume ever. This is sweet
Marigold, who we visited earlier this year in Boise along with her parents Kari and
Toby. Unfortunately we didn't get to see this cute little chicken in person, but
thanks to modern technology I have swiped it from her mommy's blog and added
it to our web page. Halloween always makes me think of Kari, since the two of us
went trick-or-treating almost every year from kindergarten to about 8th grade. We
always came up with great costumes. One year we were mimes, which came in
quite handy when we didn't want to talk to anyone other than to say trick-or-treat.
One year my dad made me this amazing turtle costume out of an enormous piece of cardboard. The shell went from my neck to my knees. It was by far my
favorite costume of all time. Another year I went as a ballerina which wasn't quite as warm, or comfortable and considering I am not the most graceful of people I
did end up on the other side of a small picket fence with my hoop skirt around my neck, talk about embarrassing when you're 10 years old. So deciding against
costumes, last night we had a cook out with everyone that we work and camp with since it might be a few weeks or months before we see them all again. While
we were hanging out, Tony Schumacher, a Top Fuel Dragster driver, came over to jam on the guitar with Frank. He gave Frank a few lessons on strumming,
and Frank introduced him to the world of picking. It's amazing all the different styles different people have when playing the guitar. He stayed for about an hour
and even sang along to a few songs that Frank played as we all enjoyed the entertainment. If he ever gives up racing he could always take on a singing career.
favorite costume of all time. Another year I went as a ballerina which wasn't quite as warm, or comfortable and considering I am not the most graceful of people I
did end up on the other side of a small picket fence with my hoop skirt around my neck, talk about embarrassing when you're 10 years old. So deciding against
costumes, last night we had a cook out with everyone that we work and camp with since it might be a few weeks or months before we see them all again. While
we were hanging out, Tony Schumacher, a Top Fuel Dragster driver, came over to jam on the guitar with Frank. He gave Frank a few lessons on strumming,
and Frank introduced him to the world of picking. It's amazing all the different styles different people have when playing the guitar. He stayed for about an hour
and even sang along to a few songs that Frank played as we all enjoyed the entertainment. If he ever gives up racing he could always take on a singing career.
November 3rd - Potential Poison Pepperoni -
Warning!! Millions of boxes of Totino's pizza may be contaminated with e-coli, so check your freezer and the stock numbers. Cody was very helpful with this. He
looked at the number, tasted the pepperoni on the outside of the box and said sure enough it was contaminated. Bradley took over from there. He verified the
stock number and threw it in the trash so we are all safe from the potential poison pepperoni. The funny part of this story is, back when we were pizzeria owners
we would always sort of joke around that all is great until you get that poison batch of pepperoni and people take you for everything you have. That obviously
never happened to us, but you can see where the reality of poisoned pepperoni would hit close to home.
Warning!! Millions of boxes of Totino's pizza may be contaminated with e-coli, so check your freezer and the stock numbers. Cody was very helpful with this. He
looked at the number, tasted the pepperoni on the outside of the box and said sure enough it was contaminated. Bradley took over from there. He verified the
stock number and threw it in the trash so we are all safe from the potential poison pepperoni. The funny part of this story is, back when we were pizzeria owners
we would always sort of joke around that all is great until you get that poison batch of pepperoni and people take you for everything you have. That obviously
never happened to us, but you can see where the reality of poisoned pepperoni would hit close to home.
November 4th - National Finals - Pomona, California -
The Budweiser Team could taste the championship. All they had to do was beat the U.S. Army. It doesn't sound too tricky, but the U.S. Army, not that the name
isn't intimidating enough, has won the last three consecutive World Championships, and the last one they won, they won by breaking every record every made in
the sport. So beating them at the National Finals is never an easy task. As the anticipation grew we all made our way to the starting line to watch it live. Luckily for
us, the Clydesdales were there for added support, and a definite happy sight to take everyone's mind off of the race before them. Unfortunately the U.S. Army
was victorious, mind you this is the only time those words will ever be uttered in an acceptable manner where I won't be arrested for treason, and Budweiser took
third place in the standings. Not too shabby out of all the other great teams out here, but of course the Budweiser Team was a bit disheartened to walk away
from today without the Championship Trophy. Earlier in the week Brandon, the driver of the Budweiser Top Fuel car, finally received his personalized motorcycle
given to him by Dale Earnhardt Jr, who also drives a Budweiser car in some other circuit that a few people watch (ha ha ha). The motorcycle was presented to
Brandon back in June, but it took a national tour to be photographed by all. It is probably the most beautiful bike I have ever seen, and the detail is amazing. It
resembles a Top Fuel Dragster as much as a motorcycle can. Well as you know our season is now officially over at the commencement of this race, and we will
heading to the Santa Barbara area to visit and catch up with all our friends and family that we haven't seen since we left earlier this year. It's amazing how fast
this year went, and all the things we did. We certainly hope you all enjoyed reading along as much as we did experiencing it. We of course will keep you up to
date on all our California adventures, but just wanted to say thanks for being loyal followers of The Whitmore Adventures '07.
The Budweiser Team could taste the championship. All they had to do was beat the U.S. Army. It doesn't sound too tricky, but the U.S. Army, not that the name
isn't intimidating enough, has won the last three consecutive World Championships, and the last one they won, they won by breaking every record every made in
the sport. So beating them at the National Finals is never an easy task. As the anticipation grew we all made our way to the starting line to watch it live. Luckily for
us, the Clydesdales were there for added support, and a definite happy sight to take everyone's mind off of the race before them. Unfortunately the U.S. Army
was victorious, mind you this is the only time those words will ever be uttered in an acceptable manner where I won't be arrested for treason, and Budweiser took
third place in the standings. Not too shabby out of all the other great teams out here, but of course the Budweiser Team was a bit disheartened to walk away
from today without the Championship Trophy. Earlier in the week Brandon, the driver of the Budweiser Top Fuel car, finally received his personalized motorcycle
given to him by Dale Earnhardt Jr, who also drives a Budweiser car in some other circuit that a few people watch (ha ha ha). The motorcycle was presented to
Brandon back in June, but it took a national tour to be photographed by all. It is probably the most beautiful bike I have ever seen, and the detail is amazing. It
resembles a Top Fuel Dragster as much as a motorcycle can. Well as you know our season is now officially over at the commencement of this race, and we will
heading to the Santa Barbara area to visit and catch up with all our friends and family that we haven't seen since we left earlier this year. It's amazing how fast
this year went, and all the things we did. We certainly hope you all enjoyed reading along as much as we did experiencing it. We of course will keep you up to
date on all our California adventures, but just wanted to say thanks for being loyal followers of The Whitmore Adventures '07.
Michelle, Suzy and Julie pose with the beauties
It all comes down to the next 4.5 seconds
Bradley votes to throw it in the trash
... ... and away it goes!
Cody says it tastes funny to him
November 12th - Pismo Beach -
One of our favorite locations to camp when we lived here was this beautiful beach just a few miles away from our old stomping ground. The RV Park is literally on
the beach, and the darling city of Pismo Beach is the perfect biking distance away so we rode around for a couple hours visiting the old shops that we used to
frequent like Poncho's Surf Shop and the Kite Store. Along with gorgeous sunrises, walks along the romantic ocean front and the best clam chowder anywhere
on the West Coast, is the greatest little theatre we have ever been to. The Great American Melodrama is where we spent many evenings over the years and
laughed, booed and cheered with the best of them. To relive some old memories we once again visited the little Oceano theatre and watched 'The Bride of
Frankenstein'. It of course was a spoof on the horror movies of old, and kept us laughing and cheering the entire night. After the main performance they have a
Vaudeville Revue. Tonight's was a spoof on all the reality TV shows and it was great. We will have to hit the Melodrama again in a couple weeks when they have
their annual Christmas performance of Scrooge. We will be here all week so the birds will get lots of sunshine a bike rides by the ocean.
One of our favorite locations to camp when we lived here was this beautiful beach just a few miles away from our old stomping ground. The RV Park is literally on
the beach, and the darling city of Pismo Beach is the perfect biking distance away so we rode around for a couple hours visiting the old shops that we used to
frequent like Poncho's Surf Shop and the Kite Store. Along with gorgeous sunrises, walks along the romantic ocean front and the best clam chowder anywhere
on the West Coast, is the greatest little theatre we have ever been to. The Great American Melodrama is where we spent many evenings over the years and
laughed, booed and cheered with the best of them. To relive some old memories we once again visited the little Oceano theatre and watched 'The Bride of
Frankenstein'. It of course was a spoof on the horror movies of old, and kept us laughing and cheering the entire night. After the main performance they have a
Vaudeville Revue. Tonight's was a spoof on all the reality TV shows and it was great. We will have to hit the Melodrama again in a couple weeks when they have
their annual Christmas performance of Scrooge. We will be here all week so the birds will get lots of sunshine a bike rides by the ocean.
Aunt and Uncle and their darling kitties who were extremely curious about Frank's guitar and it's case. We met up with good friends in Santa Barbara over coffee
and others at good old Antonio's Pizza where we had lunch almost everyday since we have been having withdrawals from it since we left town in January. It's still
without a doubt our most favorite pizza in the country, and that still holds true since we are now on the having to pay for it side of the fence. As beautiful as
California is with it's beaches and hillsides and views, even though it is in dire need of about 27 inches of rain, the fuel prices here are higher than anywhere in
the entire country, and considering that we have been to almost every state and have bought fuel in each and every one of those states we have been to, we can
say this whole-heartedly without any exaggeration. Thank God we only have to refuel the Jeep since the bus will only move two or three times in the next month.
and others at good old Antonio's Pizza where we had lunch almost everyday since we have been having withdrawals from it since we left town in January. It's still
without a doubt our most favorite pizza in the country, and that still holds true since we are now on the having to pay for it side of the fence. As beautiful as
California is with it's beaches and hillsides and views, even though it is in dire need of about 27 inches of rain, the fuel prices here are higher than anywhere in
the entire country, and considering that we have been to almost every state and have bought fuel in each and every one of those states we have been to, we can
say this whole-heartedly without any exaggeration. Thank God we only have to refuel the Jeep since the bus will only move two or three times in the next month.
November 5th - 11th - Santa Ynez, California -
Catching up and visiting everyone this past week has made us busier than we
have been in months. Don't get us wrong it has been great, but crazy at the same
time. We have been camped out at Frank's grandparents where after climbing
over the roof, and down the side of the house we found power and have made it
home. We set up our inflatable jacuzzi under the enormous oak tree out back and
have enjoyed many cool mornings and chilly evenings warming up in it. As you
look up into the sprawling tree above you can see the American Flag wave through
the leaves, and as you look out into the field, there are dozens and dozens of birds
feeding in the bird feeder and bath. Bradley was even brave enough to float in his
pirate ship on the waves of the warm water. We spent a day in Lompoc with Frank's
Catching up and visiting everyone this past week has made us busier than we
have been in months. Don't get us wrong it has been great, but crazy at the same
time. We have been camped out at Frank's grandparents where after climbing
over the roof, and down the side of the house we found power and have made it
home. We set up our inflatable jacuzzi under the enormous oak tree out back and
have enjoyed many cool mornings and chilly evenings warming up in it. As you
look up into the sprawling tree above you can see the American Flag wave through
the leaves, and as you look out into the field, there are dozens and dozens of birds
feeding in the bird feeder and bath. Bradley was even brave enough to float in his
pirate ship on the waves of the warm water. We spent a day in Lompoc with Frank's
The wild birds all around the yard
Sissy guards Frank's guitar
Holy @$&*! What a rip-off!
November 14th - Butterfly Beach -
There is an area here in Pismo Beach where Monarch Butterflies from all over
North America come to nest. They fill the eucalyptus trees that line the coast
and are amazing to watch. When you first look at the branches of the trees
you think they have the oddest color of leaves, but then you realize that they
aren't leaves at all they are literally hundreds and hundreds of butterflies all
closed up and sleeping in groups. When the wind begins to blow, all the
butterflies flutter and their wings open a bit, which makes for some beautiful
pictures. After we walked all through the fields of butterflies we finished off our
bike ride at a nearby park, where we packed the new removable basket on my
new fun cruiser bike and took the birds on a picnic. Our old bikes were
absolutely demolished by all the miles of riding and most of all being carried
on the back of the Jeep across America and back again and again and again.
Having Cody ride on Frank's handlebars and chewing up his brake lines and
gears made Frank's bike even worse off. Frank's cruiser has only one gear
and the brakes are on the pedals so there are no worries about loosing them
on steep down sloping hills. This leaves nothing on the handlebars except soft
padding for Cody to hold onto so hopefully this bike will last many years. As
the sun began to set we headed home as watched it disappear behind the
ocean as a flock of Pelican's bathed in the pond near our campsite. We have
once again set up our inflatable jacuzzi outside the house and have it warm
and ready to climb into once the sunset is complete and the cool evenings hit.
There is an area here in Pismo Beach where Monarch Butterflies from all over
North America come to nest. They fill the eucalyptus trees that line the coast
and are amazing to watch. When you first look at the branches of the trees
you think they have the oddest color of leaves, but then you realize that they
aren't leaves at all they are literally hundreds and hundreds of butterflies all
closed up and sleeping in groups. When the wind begins to blow, all the
butterflies flutter and their wings open a bit, which makes for some beautiful
pictures. After we walked all through the fields of butterflies we finished off our
bike ride at a nearby park, where we packed the new removable basket on my
new fun cruiser bike and took the birds on a picnic. Our old bikes were
absolutely demolished by all the miles of riding and most of all being carried
on the back of the Jeep across America and back again and again and again.
Having Cody ride on Frank's handlebars and chewing up his brake lines and
gears made Frank's bike even worse off. Frank's cruiser has only one gear
and the brakes are on the pedals so there are no worries about loosing them
on steep down sloping hills. This leaves nothing on the handlebars except soft
padding for Cody to hold onto so hopefully this bike will last many years. As
the sun began to set we headed home as watched it disappear behind the
ocean as a flock of Pelican's bathed in the pond near our campsite. We have
once again set up our inflatable jacuzzi outside the house and have it warm
and ready to climb into once the sunset is complete and the cool evenings hit.
November 16th - 19th - Emma Wood State Beach, Ventura, California -
As we slowly make our way South to Tustin, where we will spend Thanksgiving
with family, we have stopped to camp with friends here on the banks of the Pacific
Ocean. The camping is what's called 'dry' since you are on your own for water
and electric, but you can't beat the rates or the views. Since our little home on
wheels can hold it's own for almost 3 weeks in regards to water and electric we
are set. We have seen dolphins play every morning in the surf, and again in the
early evenings when we would sit outside on the logs and listen to Frank play the
guitar. I tried to have breakfast out here a few mornings with Cody and Frank, but
Cody would eat my breakfast faster than I could get to it, so it turned out to just
be coffee for me in the mornings and toast for Cody. There are seals all around
us as well. Our good friend Todd celebrated his 40th Birthday Saturday night,
and the guys bar-b-qued the best carne asada tacos you have ever had.
Everyone brought truckloads of wood so the bonfires have been great each
night. One day as we all watched the trains go by, we decided to see if they really
do flatten coins. We loaded up about 14 coins all along the track and waited for
the next train to come by. As soon as it hit the coins they made a loud CLANG as
we watched the coins go flying. After the train was safely passed, we all raced up
the hill to see what we could find and found out that yes indeed, the weight of a
passenger train really does flatten out coins. The dimes were of course the
thinnest as the nickels were the best survivors. The one warm day of the
weekend we hit the sand for some Boccie Ball and catch with Malibu the ever
faithful Chocolate Lab that has camped with us and his parents his entire 9 years
As we slowly make our way South to Tustin, where we will spend Thanksgiving
with family, we have stopped to camp with friends here on the banks of the Pacific
Ocean. The camping is what's called 'dry' since you are on your own for water
and electric, but you can't beat the rates or the views. Since our little home on
wheels can hold it's own for almost 3 weeks in regards to water and electric we
are set. We have seen dolphins play every morning in the surf, and again in the
early evenings when we would sit outside on the logs and listen to Frank play the
guitar. I tried to have breakfast out here a few mornings with Cody and Frank, but
Cody would eat my breakfast faster than I could get to it, so it turned out to just
be coffee for me in the mornings and toast for Cody. There are seals all around
us as well. Our good friend Todd celebrated his 40th Birthday Saturday night,
and the guys bar-b-qued the best carne asada tacos you have ever had.
Everyone brought truckloads of wood so the bonfires have been great each
night. One day as we all watched the trains go by, we decided to see if they really
do flatten coins. We loaded up about 14 coins all along the track and waited for
the next train to come by. As soon as it hit the coins they made a loud CLANG as
we watched the coins go flying. After the train was safely passed, we all raced up
the hill to see what we could find and found out that yes indeed, the weight of a
passenger train really does flatten out coins. The dimes were of course the
thinnest as the nickels were the best survivors. The one warm day of the
weekend we hit the sand for some Boccie Ball and catch with Malibu the ever
faithful Chocolate Lab that has camped with us and his parents his entire 9 years
November 17th - Madison's 2nd Birthday at The Santa Barbara Zoo -
It was a great day with precious little Madison, or as she is known to some of us
'The Million Dollar Miracle'. Her 2nd birthday was celebrated next to the Lion's
Den at the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens that overlook East Beach and the
Bird Refuge. We had a soft little bunny rabbit come and visit for all the little ones
to pet and a train ride around the Zoo to see a few of the animals a little closer.
Madison's favorite time was eating the cake. Yesterday, Madison and I were
able to hang out most of the afternoon while Madison's mommy, Sharon ran
errands. We raced her very noisy but fun crocodile clapper all around the
house, and took a few self portraits as Madison was quite intrigued with how the
camera worked. We played helicopter on the top of Auntie Suzy's knees and
then took a nap in Auntie Suzy's arms while reading a book. It was quite the full
day. Once Mommy came home we all went shopping for a few last minute things
It was a great day with precious little Madison, or as she is known to some of us
'The Million Dollar Miracle'. Her 2nd birthday was celebrated next to the Lion's
Den at the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens that overlook East Beach and the
Bird Refuge. We had a soft little bunny rabbit come and visit for all the little ones
to pet and a train ride around the Zoo to see a few of the animals a little closer.
Madison's favorite time was eating the cake. Yesterday, Madison and I were
able to hang out most of the afternoon while Madison's mommy, Sharon ran
errands. We raced her very noisy but fun crocodile clapper all around the
house, and took a few self portraits as Madison was quite intrigued with how the
camera worked. We played helicopter on the top of Auntie Suzy's knees and
then took a nap in Auntie Suzy's arms while reading a book. It was quite the full
day. Once Mommy came home we all went shopping for a few last minute things
and then stuffed the goody bags for all the guests of the party including fun zoo masks for the little kids and animal shaped bookmarks for the bigger ones. I'm
not sure who had more fun on the train, or exploring the entire zoo for that matter, all the little kids or their parents. When we passed the lion he was regally
sitting atop a rock peering at us through a tree. Unfortunatley he was behind a chain link fence and my camera would only focus on that and not him.
not sure who had more fun on the train, or exploring the entire zoo for that matter, all the little kids or their parents. When we passed the lion he was regally
sitting atop a rock peering at us through a tree. Unfortunatley he was behind a chain link fence and my camera would only focus on that and not him.
Dolphins playing in the waves
On the bike trail with the house behind us
Vanessa and Olivia collect shells
Flattened change, is it still worth money?
Pretty little change all in a row
All aboard!
I'm ready for another helicopter ride
November 19th - Indoor Go-Kart Racing - Mira Loma, California -
Just down the street from our home at Prevost is a fun-filled indoor go kart racing track. We raced at one like this in Las Vegas, and once the boys heard there
was one nearby, we had to check this one out as well. Sean came down for the night and Kurt and Philly are also camping here with us, so we all packed into
Sean's car, went to dinner and then racing. The go-karts are quite low to the ground so you feel pretty safe, but a couple of the corners are very sharp, and the
flooring is painted concrete which makes for some slick roads when you take a hairpin turn a little too quick. No worries we all had one lots of safety gear,
including a Haans Device so when we hit the walls you could hardly feel it. In the first race the guys were all pretty much head to head. As they came by me, not
wanting to be in the middle of the pile up, I pulled off to the side of the road and them go by. Boys will be boys. Kurt ended up winning the race, but Sean had the
fastest lap. During the second race, which Kurt sat out, Sean and Frank were a bit ahead of me the whole time, but neck and neck to each other. On the second
to the last lap Sean came around the sharpest corner a bit too fast and ended up sideways facing the on-coming traffic. Frank, being so close behind him, had
to slow down as well in order not to hit him head on, while I sailed right on by and managed to keep enough speed for the very last lap to stay just enough ahead
of them to get the checkered flag. Since Sean still had the fastest lap, and I the slowest at least it gave me a little bit of bragging rights.
Just down the street from our home at Prevost is a fun-filled indoor go kart racing track. We raced at one like this in Las Vegas, and once the boys heard there
was one nearby, we had to check this one out as well. Sean came down for the night and Kurt and Philly are also camping here with us, so we all packed into
Sean's car, went to dinner and then racing. The go-karts are quite low to the ground so you feel pretty safe, but a couple of the corners are very sharp, and the
flooring is painted concrete which makes for some slick roads when you take a hairpin turn a little too quick. No worries we all had one lots of safety gear,
including a Haans Device so when we hit the walls you could hardly feel it. In the first race the guys were all pretty much head to head. As they came by me, not
wanting to be in the middle of the pile up, I pulled off to the side of the road and them go by. Boys will be boys. Kurt ended up winning the race, but Sean had the
fastest lap. During the second race, which Kurt sat out, Sean and Frank were a bit ahead of me the whole time, but neck and neck to each other. On the second
to the last lap Sean came around the sharpest corner a bit too fast and ended up sideways facing the on-coming traffic. Frank, being so close behind him, had
to slow down as well in order not to hit him head on, while I sailed right on by and managed to keep enough speed for the very last lap to stay just enough ahead
of them to get the checkered flag. Since Sean still had the fastest lap, and I the slowest at least it gave me a little bit of bragging rights.
November 22nd - Happy Thanksgiving!
We had a wonderful day with family here in Tustin. Aunt Janet and Uncle Curt recently installed a pool table in their living room, so after turkey dinner we all
played 9 ball. It's quite fun. In order to score you must hit the balls in numerical order from 1 to 9. You don't have to necessarily hit them in a pocket each time,
you just have to have the cue ball touch it. If you miss the numbered ball you are aiming at or scratch, you receive negative 3 points. If you knock in the ball you
are aiming at you get said points on that ball. Also you can get points by knocking in other numbered balls on your turn, just as long as you first hit the
numbered ball you are aiming at. For example if you are on 3, you have to have the cue ball hit the 3 ball, but you can have the 3 ball then hit the 9 ball into a
pocket and you receive 9 points. Did I completely confuse you? It's actually very easy to learn and even more fun to attempt to master, since there is quite a bit
of strategy because most of the time the ball you are aiming for is hiding behind two or three other balls. When this occurs you must then figure out how to
bounce the cue ball off different sides of the pool table in order to get your ball where you want it to go. This is where your math teacher's infamous words of
"You really will use geometry in the real world" ring true. That's when Uncle Curt and his infinite pool knowledge came in handy. He would instruct each of us on
where to aim the ball, and most of the time it worked. The main reason it wouldn't work is because of 'miss cues' which is the term used when the darn cue ball
goes in the opposite direction of where you attempted to tell it. I can think of a few more appropriate terms to call out, but 'miss cue' is much more family friendly.
We played for quite a long time, as Scott and Frank serenaded us. By the end of the night we each had won at least one game. After our marathon game of 9
ball we all munched on the leftovers of turkey dinner and had another round of pie! Yum! Of course wonderful Aunt Janet saved all of the turkey bones for our
feathered babies back at home, so when we did get back to the motorhome they were a little less upset with us for leaving them all day. Happy Birthday Mops!
We had a wonderful day with family here in Tustin. Aunt Janet and Uncle Curt recently installed a pool table in their living room, so after turkey dinner we all
played 9 ball. It's quite fun. In order to score you must hit the balls in numerical order from 1 to 9. You don't have to necessarily hit them in a pocket each time,
you just have to have the cue ball touch it. If you miss the numbered ball you are aiming at or scratch, you receive negative 3 points. If you knock in the ball you
are aiming at you get said points on that ball. Also you can get points by knocking in other numbered balls on your turn, just as long as you first hit the
numbered ball you are aiming at. For example if you are on 3, you have to have the cue ball hit the 3 ball, but you can have the 3 ball then hit the 9 ball into a
pocket and you receive 9 points. Did I completely confuse you? It's actually very easy to learn and even more fun to attempt to master, since there is quite a bit
of strategy because most of the time the ball you are aiming for is hiding behind two or three other balls. When this occurs you must then figure out how to
bounce the cue ball off different sides of the pool table in order to get your ball where you want it to go. This is where your math teacher's infamous words of
"You really will use geometry in the real world" ring true. That's when Uncle Curt and his infinite pool knowledge came in handy. He would instruct each of us on
where to aim the ball, and most of the time it worked. The main reason it wouldn't work is because of 'miss cues' which is the term used when the darn cue ball
goes in the opposite direction of where you attempted to tell it. I can think of a few more appropriate terms to call out, but 'miss cue' is much more family friendly.
We played for quite a long time, as Scott and Frank serenaded us. By the end of the night we each had won at least one game. After our marathon game of 9
ball we all munched on the leftovers of turkey dinner and had another round of pie! Yum! Of course wonderful Aunt Janet saved all of the turkey bones for our
feathered babies back at home, so when we did get back to the motorhome they were a little less upset with us for leaving them all day. Happy Birthday Mops!
Juliet goes for #1 as Grandma Deckert looks on
Uncle Curt coaches Frank
Jordan on another winning streak
How the balls line up before the break
| Cody's feathers get a little ruffled as Bradley tries to steal the turkey bone |
| Scott, who usually plays an electric guitar, tries out Frank's acoustical |
| Aunt Janet packed more than one |
Lucky for all of us.... .... ...
Here comes Suzy down the winning stretch
| All four of us huddled together |
December 16th - Santa Barbara - Christmas Party with Friends -
Tonight was full of holiday festivities. We spent the evening with a group of
friends from Santa Barbara. Frank and I arrived early to visit with Tony and
Allison and spend a little time with the kids before the rest of the guests arrived.
Tony just recently received a guitar for his birthday so he and Frank spent a
little time learning Christmas carols as Kylie and Nathaniel sang along best they
could with the songbook. We tried to convince the guys to go caroling later this
evening but that was quickly vetoed, which was okay with me since in was a bit
cold outside, well at least for California which we know isn't real cold, for all you
North Easterners. We took a few pictures around the Christmas tree, and then
ordered pizza for dinner. Once the party was in full swing we had all sorts of
games and activities going on including pin the nose on Rudolf and craft time
where all the kids made Christmas trees with sugar cones, green frosting and
Skittles. However, I think most of the skittles were eaten before they went on
the little trees. The evening was topped off with a visit from Santa Claus
himself. All the kids went crazy when Santa came in knowing all of their names.
They all took turns climbing on his lap and telling him what they wanted. Not
even Kylie or Nathaniel noticed that their daddy wasn't there when Santa
arrived, so there was no reason to be suspicious of Santa's true identity.
Actually, it took Nathaniel a few minutes to warm up to Santa. This is one the
greatest perks of our career. The fact that we have over a month off around
Christmas and are able to attend all the parties of the season. Back when we
had the restaurant Frank was rarely ever able to attend any of them,
Tonight was full of holiday festivities. We spent the evening with a group of
friends from Santa Barbara. Frank and I arrived early to visit with Tony and
Allison and spend a little time with the kids before the rest of the guests arrived.
Tony just recently received a guitar for his birthday so he and Frank spent a
little time learning Christmas carols as Kylie and Nathaniel sang along best they
could with the songbook. We tried to convince the guys to go caroling later this
evening but that was quickly vetoed, which was okay with me since in was a bit
cold outside, well at least for California which we know isn't real cold, for all you
North Easterners. We took a few pictures around the Christmas tree, and then
ordered pizza for dinner. Once the party was in full swing we had all sorts of
games and activities going on including pin the nose on Rudolf and craft time
where all the kids made Christmas trees with sugar cones, green frosting and
Skittles. However, I think most of the skittles were eaten before they went on
the little trees. The evening was topped off with a visit from Santa Claus
himself. All the kids went crazy when Santa came in knowing all of their names.
They all took turns climbing on his lap and telling him what they wanted. Not
even Kylie or Nathaniel noticed that their daddy wasn't there when Santa
arrived, so there was no reason to be suspicious of Santa's true identity.
Actually, it took Nathaniel a few minutes to warm up to Santa. This is one the
greatest perks of our career. The fact that we have over a month off around
Christmas and are able to attend all the parties of the season. Back when we
had the restaurant Frank was rarely ever able to attend any of them,
December 5th - Sawyer Brown - Fremont Street -
The National Finals Rodeo officially starts tomorrow, so tonight we thought we would spend our last non working evening at a fun music filled evening with a free
concert. Sawyer Brown is a some what country band that has a great sound. Not to date myself here, but I remember these guys from Star Search. You
remember Star Search right? It was the American Idol of the 80's, except that it had new winners each week which kept things exciting versus having to watch 9
months straight to find out who wins. Yes, each week the previous winner was the opponent for the new competition so you could win multiple weeks on end. I
don't quite remember how many weeks Sawyer Brown won, but the fact that they won at all was huge for a new band starting out. After the Sawyer Brown concert
we had our annual Christmas Party with everyone we work with all year long. We had our usual very fun and entertaining gift exchange with the 'Poopin' Moose'
that has been around the Christmas tree for the past three years.
The National Finals Rodeo officially starts tomorrow, so tonight we thought we would spend our last non working evening at a fun music filled evening with a free
concert. Sawyer Brown is a some what country band that has a great sound. Not to date myself here, but I remember these guys from Star Search. You
remember Star Search right? It was the American Idol of the 80's, except that it had new winners each week which kept things exciting versus having to watch 9
months straight to find out who wins. Yes, each week the previous winner was the opponent for the new competition so you could win multiple weeks on end. I
don't quite remember how many weeks Sawyer Brown won, but the fact that they won at all was huge for a new band starting out. After the Sawyer Brown concert
we had our annual Christmas Party with everyone we work with all year long. We had our usual very fun and entertaining gift exchange with the 'Poopin' Moose'
that has been around the Christmas tree for the past three years.
December 1st - Bradley gets on Santa's naughty list -
As Christmas approaches and the presents under the tree begin to pile up, Bradley's obsession of tearing paper apart could be halted no longer. One of the
presents was of course for Bradley, and since he figured this out, he thought he could reward himself by opening it early. Since his love affair of pirate ships lives
on as well, and the last two have been demolished, Santa was bringing him a new one. The first thing he found, as he unwrapped his gift, was one of the cannon
balls, and next a sword to fight the other pirates on the ship. Once the present was opened, set up and in working order, with sword in hand he attacked the
pirates, threw them all off the ship and took all the peanuts that were in the treasure chest for himself. I sure hope Santa doesn't get wind of this.
As Christmas approaches and the presents under the tree begin to pile up, Bradley's obsession of tearing paper apart could be halted no longer. One of the
presents was of course for Bradley, and since he figured this out, he thought he could reward himself by opening it early. Since his love affair of pirate ships lives
on as well, and the last two have been demolished, Santa was bringing him a new one. The first thing he found, as he unwrapped his gift, was one of the cannon
balls, and next a sword to fight the other pirates on the ship. Once the present was opened, set up and in working order, with sword in hand he attacked the
pirates, threw them all off the ship and took all the peanuts that were in the treasure chest for himself. I sure hope Santa doesn't get wind of this.
Bradley discovers the treasure chest is full
| We are so thankful for our enormous family of friends to work and travel with |
Bradley fights off the enemy with his sword
The crime scene of the early gift opening
Oh no!!! I've been caught!!
December 21st - Christmas Musical - Presbyterian Preschool -
Too cute! We went and watched the darling preschool version of the Christmas Story. Our dear friends little girl Shelby was one of the cute little wise men along
with family friend's little boy Conner. Another class was dressed up as the sheep, one as the angels and another as the shepherds. After the musical we all took a
tour of Shelby and Conner's classroom which included three sweet little parakeets. Each child made their moms and dads a reindeer with their handprint cutouts.
Too cute! We went and watched the darling preschool version of the Christmas Story. Our dear friends little girl Shelby was one of the cute little wise men along
with family friend's little boy Conner. Another class was dressed up as the sheep, one as the angels and another as the shepherds. After the musical we all took a
tour of Shelby and Conner's classroom which included three sweet little parakeets. Each child made their moms and dads a reindeer with their handprint cutouts.
December 24th - Christmas Eve -
As we find ourselves back around the Christmas tree singing carols and visiting with family, we are grateful for all we have and enjoy sharing everybody's
memories of 2007. Frank and I sat at the kid's table for Christmas dinner which was really fun since we got to catch up with our nieces Hayley and Torrie and the
many adventures of elementary school. They are now 10 and 12 and growing like weeds. I remember when they were both itty bitty babies. It's great to have
everyone in one room for an entire evening. Frank's hard work of learning Christmas carols for tonight's festivities truly paid off. I again can't believe how fast this
year went. It feels like just a couple months ago Frank had just started to learn the guitar and couldn't play much more than a few chords. Now his library of songs
and notes is immense and wonderful to listen to. Even though we do see everyone every year, for some reason I don't have a picture of the three Franks, II III
and IV, since our wedding, so now the scrapbook is up to date. I should dig the old picture out and compare them, since Frank IV now has a few grey hairs.
As we find ourselves back around the Christmas tree singing carols and visiting with family, we are grateful for all we have and enjoy sharing everybody's
memories of 2007. Frank and I sat at the kid's table for Christmas dinner which was really fun since we got to catch up with our nieces Hayley and Torrie and the
many adventures of elementary school. They are now 10 and 12 and growing like weeds. I remember when they were both itty bitty babies. It's great to have
everyone in one room for an entire evening. Frank's hard work of learning Christmas carols for tonight's festivities truly paid off. I again can't believe how fast this
year went. It feels like just a couple months ago Frank had just started to learn the guitar and couldn't play much more than a few chords. Now his library of songs
and notes is immense and wonderful to listen to. Even though we do see everyone every year, for some reason I don't have a picture of the three Franks, II III
and IV, since our wedding, so now the scrapbook is up to date. I should dig the old picture out and compare them, since Frank IV now has a few grey hairs.
Frank IV, Frank II and Frank III
December 25th - Merry Christmas to all -
One of God's greatest gifts is family. A family that loves you because you are just that... ... ...family, whether it be through blood or marriage. Since it is Christmas
Day and we shouldn't need any other gift than the gift of love, one might wonder what is a greater gift than love of a family? Well the answer is - the gift of those
he surrounds us with, that love us just as much, if not more than our genetic family because of no other reason then the fact that we are who we are. I've heard
so many people say that the bond of a great friendship is hard to find, and yet Frank and I have been blessed enough to find it in so many different groups of
people literally all over the country. So because of this we feel beyond blessed. Some of our dearest friends that are as close to our hearts as our own family are
right here on the Central Coast of California. The six of us got together today to celebrate this great holiday. We started a tradition last year where we each bring
a gift to exchange. The way you are chosen to pick a gift is done through elimination in Texas Hold'em. No it isn't sacrilegious since in the end we were are
winner's, so there! :-) Joe, who is always the most eager to open a gift, was the first one out. Of course he is the first then to open the gift, and the winner of the
game is allowed to steal whatever gift they want since now all the presents are open. Frank was the runner up, and since there are never any bad gifts under our
Christmas tree, we all ended up with a nice gift. Frank's was Die Hard 4, which ironically completes the series of his most favorite movies. I received some very fun
photo coasters and a nice BBQ set, which goes perfectly with my new Cuisinart Griddler that I received last night. It's the perfect motorhome kitchen accessory. It
is an indoor grill that transforms into a panini maker and a griddle and an open grill to make everything you need from a breakfast of pancakes and eggs to lunch
where you can make quesadillas or paninis or grilled cheese sandwiches, to dinner where you can make anything imaginable from chicken to salmon to grilled
veggies all on the same item, and it's perfectly compact enough to fit in almost any drawer. After dinner we took a few group shots, and since our camera takes
up to four pictures at a time in one shot the guys thought they would pose differently in each of those shots. Who knew we had such comedians in our presence.
One of God's greatest gifts is family. A family that loves you because you are just that... ... ...family, whether it be through blood or marriage. Since it is Christmas
Day and we shouldn't need any other gift than the gift of love, one might wonder what is a greater gift than love of a family? Well the answer is - the gift of those
he surrounds us with, that love us just as much, if not more than our genetic family because of no other reason then the fact that we are who we are. I've heard
so many people say that the bond of a great friendship is hard to find, and yet Frank and I have been blessed enough to find it in so many different groups of
people literally all over the country. So because of this we feel beyond blessed. Some of our dearest friends that are as close to our hearts as our own family are
right here on the Central Coast of California. The six of us got together today to celebrate this great holiday. We started a tradition last year where we each bring
a gift to exchange. The way you are chosen to pick a gift is done through elimination in Texas Hold'em. No it isn't sacrilegious since in the end we were are
winner's, so there! :-) Joe, who is always the most eager to open a gift, was the first one out. Of course he is the first then to open the gift, and the winner of the
game is allowed to steal whatever gift they want since now all the presents are open. Frank was the runner up, and since there are never any bad gifts under our
Christmas tree, we all ended up with a nice gift. Frank's was Die Hard 4, which ironically completes the series of his most favorite movies. I received some very fun
photo coasters and a nice BBQ set, which goes perfectly with my new Cuisinart Griddler that I received last night. It's the perfect motorhome kitchen accessory. It
is an indoor grill that transforms into a panini maker and a griddle and an open grill to make everything you need from a breakfast of pancakes and eggs to lunch
where you can make quesadillas or paninis or grilled cheese sandwiches, to dinner where you can make anything imaginable from chicken to salmon to grilled
veggies all on the same item, and it's perfectly compact enough to fit in almost any drawer. After dinner we took a few group shots, and since our camera takes
up to four pictures at a time in one shot the guys thought they would pose differently in each of those shots. Who knew we had such comedians in our presence.
December 27th - Another Christmas filled evening -
Tonight's Christmas dinner was at Grandma and Grandpa Saulsbury's house with Frank's aunt and uncle and cousins from up north. Uncle Steve bar-b-qued
some great steaks, chicken and salmon, and after dinner Frank and Sean played a few duet Christmas carols with Sean on the piano and Frank on the guitar.
After everyone opened presents we had a joke-a-thon with Spencer's new corny joke book, and all the corny jokes the adults could think of and then we played a
game that the family received from Aunt Linda called Apples to Apples. It brought many good laughs, and a lot of creativity. The object is to compare one of the
seven description cards you have in your hand to the one that the dealer/judge chooses from the deck. The dealer/judge then reads each of the words the other
players have submitted and chooses his/her favorite or best suited description or the one that gets the greatest laugh. For example one of the words was
melodramatic. The options the other players submitted were Daytime TV, Whoopi Goldberg, Canadians, the 1970's and Darth Vader. No, a few of these don't
make much sense, but keep in mind you can always plead your case to the judge and try and explain exactly why your word should be chosen over the
competition. Of course in this instance Daytime TV did win, but the judge was almost convinced to pick Darth Vader do to the deep breathing and all.
Tonight's Christmas dinner was at Grandma and Grandpa Saulsbury's house with Frank's aunt and uncle and cousins from up north. Uncle Steve bar-b-qued
some great steaks, chicken and salmon, and after dinner Frank and Sean played a few duet Christmas carols with Sean on the piano and Frank on the guitar.
After everyone opened presents we had a joke-a-thon with Spencer's new corny joke book, and all the corny jokes the adults could think of and then we played a
game that the family received from Aunt Linda called Apples to Apples. It brought many good laughs, and a lot of creativity. The object is to compare one of the
seven description cards you have in your hand to the one that the dealer/judge chooses from the deck. The dealer/judge then reads each of the words the other
players have submitted and chooses his/her favorite or best suited description or the one that gets the greatest laugh. For example one of the words was
melodramatic. The options the other players submitted were Daytime TV, Whoopi Goldberg, Canadians, the 1970's and Darth Vader. No, a few of these don't
make much sense, but keep in mind you can always plead your case to the judge and try and explain exactly why your word should be chosen over the
competition. Of course in this instance Daytime TV did win, but the judge was almost convinced to pick Darth Vader do to the deep breathing and all.
