The Over-Under on Holiday Travel

"Keeping up with Katie" will be on temporary respite while Pat and I head to the East Coast to join our families for the holidays.

On December 23rd, we fly to Providence, RI by way of Cleveland, OH. Now, I've been keeping tabs on airport conditions around the US, and I must say that I don't think it looks good for us. First, we have the airplane that careened off the runway in Denver. Continental Airlines. Well, at least we aren't flying THEM. Oh, wait, we are! And last night, the news channels were over at LAX interviewing all the travelers going to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA who had been stuck in the airport for two days. At least we aren't flying out of THAT airport. Oh, wait, we are! Well, at least the weather is always perfect in Southern California. Oh, wait, it isn't! It has been raining at lower elevations and snowing relentlessly at higher elevations for days. So, amidst all this chaos, what are the chances that Pat and I will be snug at his parent's house tomorrow by 10 p.m. EST?

If somehow, we make it to Rhode Island, there is plenty of opportunity for travel disruptions on the return trip, from Harrisburg back to LAX with a stop in Newark on New Year's Day. I just hope our pilots don't celebrate too much the night before! And, of course, I think it is probably too much to ask that spring come sometime between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. So, there might still be some weather lurking...

I'm approaching this trip with my usual sense of adventure, and all the necessities of airline travel: lots of food, a 1,000 page book, Jelly Belly's, and, of course, my camera. If anything goes horribly awry, perhaps I can take consolation in the fact that my plight is Blog Worthy. And, of course, I'll have plenty of cash on hand, just in case we are forced to take refuge in an airport bar.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hopefully, I will have lots of posting to do after the New Year.

Belmont Shore Holiday Parade

It isn't officially the holiday season until one has gone to a parade--that is what I always say! So, last Saturday, Pat and I went to the Belmont Shore Holiday parade. Belmont Shore is one of the many cool little distinct neighbors in Long Beach. It is lined with independent shops and great restaurants, and we usually take the bus the two miles down the coast to hang out there.

I think anyone could be in the parade if they paid the $400 entry fee. The employees of our local newspaper did a little routine where they spelled out Press Telegram. Not bad.

We thought this girl who twirled a flaming baton was pretty cool.

And we liked her even more when we realized that she was sponsored by one of the Girl Scout troops I oversee!

Of course, there were marching bands. Here is Long Beach Poly--which always has one of the best high school sports programs in the nation. Is band a sport?

Speaking of Best in the Nation, here is the Long Beach Parks and Rec. float. When I worked for the City of Fort Worth Parks and Rec., the LBPR beat us out for this national honor.

The Long Beach State president was the Parade Marshal.

The students on the float behind him looked like they were having a very good time.

This float was decorated like the Queen Mary--smoke even poured from the stacks. Pretty cool.

I got a little bored and started taking silly pictures of us.

It wouldn't be a parade without fire trucks.


After the parade, we had to find the temporary bus stop to get back home. Here is Pat waiting for the bus.

Thanksgiving in Yosemite

This year, Pat and I went to Yosemite National Park for our annual Thanksgiving camping trip. For the first time, we didn't stay in our trusty snug backpacking tent: we rented what they term a "tent cabin." One might consider this an upgrade but, as we discovered, not really! Basically, it is a canvas tent with a wooden floor. They are unheated, with one lonely little light bulb hanging from the ceiling. In Curry Village, where we stayed, there are over 400 of these packed in right next to one another.

Here is the inside view. It reminded me of staying in an army barracks or a refuge camp. It got down into the low 30s at night, and we were pretty darn chilly.

Luckily, this bathroom was right across the path from our tent cabin, and it was well heated. Yes, I was the person sticking my whole body under the hand dryer!

Here is the historic Ahwahnee Inn where we could have stayed in luxury (for only $400 a night). Instead, we wandered through on Thanksgiving Day just to check it out.

After a cold night in our tent cabin, we went to the cafeteria for a warm breakfast and some hot coffee. It was packed--apparently we were not the only people to go to Yosemite for Thanksgiving.

After breakfast, we headed out to the Four Mile Trail to trek up to Glacial Point. The trail was a very steady uphill but the reward was stunning views of the valley.

The weather was variable, as the people on TV say, but we could still look the whole way down the valley.

Interestingly, as this photo demonstrates, it still looked like fall in many parts of the park.

We had originally planned to hike up Half Dome (seen in this picture) but we didn't have the mojo for a 17-mile day. Next time...

There were great views from Glacial Point but it was very cold.

If I couldn't hike up Half Dome, then getting my picture taken in front of it was second best.

We sat beside the little shelter and had our lunch.

Here is a view of the valley beside Half Dome.

Yosemite is full of boulders which look like they have just been dropped from the sky. Oh, the power of those crazy glaciers.

As we were hiking back down, some nasty weather rolled in.


We had planned to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the Lodge's restaurant but I had mistakenly read on the Internet that the restaurant didn't take reservations. It turns out they don't, unless it happens to be Thanksgiving. So, we were told that we couldn't eat there, and our only option was to eat in the lounge off the very limited bar menu. We went and had a beer and thought about all this. Pat then decided to go back to the restaurant and make a plea on our behalf. He must have pulled some "former restaurant worker" karma out of his hat because they agreed to give us a table right then and there. So, here we are, enjoying a great meal!

After dinner, we walked around the newly lit Christmas display.

The next day, as we were driving out, we saw some real deer!

Now...Seven Things

Stacy tagged me for this, so, in the spirit of reciprocity, I will do this one.

Here are the rules:


1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.

3 Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Seven Random, Weird or Random & Weird Facts about Me:

(I know there must be a hundred random or weird things about me, but presented with the opportunity to share these factoids, my mind goes blank)

1) I've been a vegetarian for 17 years! Vegetarianism has been the one constant in an evolving life. Sometimes I've been strict, sometimes lax but the basic rules have been the same: no chicken, pork or beef. Eggs and dairy have always been okay and fish depends on what phase I am going through.

2) I really only have one phobia but it can make life difficult: I hate having strangers touch me! For example, I hate having my hair cut--I cringe when they touch my scalp. This one definitely qualifies as a weird fact.

3) I have a really bad tendency to say totally inappropriate things. As I've aged, I have gotten much better; however, I never quite eliminate it. Last year, Pat almost died when I told his friend who works for Anheiser-Bush and worships the company: "The problem with all their beers is that THEY SUCK!" I also recently told friends with a newborn that "you have the pastiest, whitest baby I've ever seen!" Sigh...

4) One of my goals is to hike to the highest point in 48 states (minus Washington and Alaska-I see no need to die). So far, I've got three: Texas, Tennessee and California.

5) Since I left home 19 years ago, I've never lived in the same house/apartment for more than 2 years.

6) I'm addicted to sports radio.

7) Although I go running nearly every day, I only enjoy it about 10% of the time. I get really annoyed by those peppy jogger types who gush about endorphin rushes and runners' highs. I don't think I've experienced either!

I am not going to tag anyone specifically since I just tagged everyone last week but if anyone feels inspired to do this one, I encourage it.

8 Things

Note: This isn't the first time Audra has tagged me but, since, according to her own blog, she will only be in Long Beach for another 10 days, 19 hours and 44 minutes (and counting), I though I would indulge her!

8 TV Shows I watch: (without cable or dish, it is impossible for me to get to eight on this one):

College Football
Pro Football (Go, Steelers)
Grey's Anatomy
The Amazing Race
48 Hours Mystery (secret embarrassing indulgence)
The Office (how could I forget this one?)

Sorry, that is all I got on that question!

8 Favorite Restaurants: (whew, an easy one)

River's End
Shorehouse Cafe
Rock Bottom
Schooner or Later
The bagelry
Belmont Brewery
Harbour House
Ocean Rock (Fort Worth)

8 Favorite Singers/Bands:

Eddie Vedder
Counting Crows
Mark Knoffler & Emmylou Harris (together)
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Tony Furtado
Nanci Griffith
Robert Earle Keen
Guy Clarke

8 Books I have read recently:

The brief, wondrous life of Oscar Wao
Beautiful Children
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
The Zookeeper's Wife
Harvest for Hope, a Guide to Mindful Eating
Coming into the Country
Blackwater: the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Oh, the Glory of It All


8 Things that happened yesterday:

I woke up with a cold.
I got a raise.
I took a day off from running.
I went to a party.
I drank a fair amount of red wine.
I talked to Pat on the phone.
I watched An Inconvenient Truth.
New Tenants moved into our house in Bozeman.

8 Things I am looking forward to:

The turmoil at work abating.
The weather cooling down a bit.
Seeing my kitties when I get home.
Going home for Christmas.
Going camping over Thanksgiving.
Going out to breakfast tomorrow morning.
Being in better shape.
My next blog entry.

8 Things I wish for:

Good health for myself, family and friends.
Happy endings for my friends at work.
Pat to get home safely from Stanford.
To keep in touch better with my friends.
A cleaner house.
For Obama to stay safe.
More trails to run on.
A quiet life.

8 People I am tagging (and by eight, I mean five--I don't even know eight bloggers!)

Carolyn (you need something to write about)
Jen (ditto)
Stacy (you oughta be able to work it in sometime this month)
The Mize Family (you have tons of blogger friends to send this to)
Claire and Jim (just for fun)

Y'all better do it!

Proposition H8 (California Fails the Nation)

Disclaimer: Those of you who read this blog are an eclectic group with a wide range of views and opinions. I'm proud to call you all my friends which is one reason that I generally shy away from politics and religion, the two big issues that tend to polarize people. However, my heart is broken over this issue, and it has really been on my mind. So, forgive me...

Last Friday night when I arrived home, our street was barricaded off, news helicopters were hovering and motorcycled police officers were standing guard. I had no idea what was going on, and I called Pat to see if he had been taken hostage. Inside our apartment, he had no idea what I was talking about. We soon learned that protesters of Proposition 8 had filled the streets. We immediately decided to join them.

California's Proposition 8 approved an constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage as between a man and a woman only, dashing the hopes of gay and lesbians who wish to marry. The 52% of Californians who voted for Proposition 8 hold that "gay marriage" will somehow undermine traditional marriage and traditional family values. I don't understand this--legalizing gay marriage is certainly not going to cause us straight folks to change teams! By the same token, a constitutional ban on gay marriage sure isn't going to cause gay families to suddenly decide to straighten up and fly right!

Proposition 8 supporters have a tendency to view gays as depraved individuals who made a "choice" to be gay. My many gay friends tell me that isn't so: they knew from an early age that they were somehow "different." Just like those of us who are straight--we never made a "decision." Plus, why would anyone really make the decision to be gay? It is no easy life. Even with the most supportive families, the "coming out" process is long, elaborate and no picnic. In worst case scenarios, teens are shunned by the families and forced onto the streets. From strangers, gays face a lifetime of stereotypes, discrimination, abuse and judgement.

End of soapbox lecture. Thanks for reading.

Humiloween

I've never been a great fan of Halloween. So, yesterday, when everyone decided to dress up at work for the holiday, I said I had to work late and didn't have time to get a costume together. It was an excuse but a true one. Then I said "if someone brings me a costume, I will wear it." Immediately, I regretted those words because a gal I work with said that she had the perfect costume for me. The next day, the costume was waiting for me in my office when I arrived. Little Bo Peep! Being a woman of my word, I was forced to wear it all day. Everyone who saw me burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter. To show that I don't take myself that seriously, I thought I would share this picture with you. Enjoy!

Apple Pickin' in Oak Glen

California constantly surprises me. Who would have thought that the state has an apple producing region just 70 miles east of Long Beach? A co-worker told me about the area and suggested I go check it out. So, Jenn and I got up one Saturday morning and headed out in hopes of picking some apples. The area was quite bucolic; however, most of Southern California had also descended upon a Oak Glen--a sprawling mess of buildings along one tiny winding road.

The area was very much a tourist trap--you could even pan for gold!

This guy playing his three octave chimes from the 1800s was a highlight. We each gave him a little tip, and he asked what we wanted to hear. We looked blankly at each other--having no idea what one would play on such a contraption. Zepplin, maybe? Finally, he suggested the Tennesee Waltz, a song I did know.

We found the place to pick apples but first spent a little time visiting the farm's animals. Jenn got to feed the horse a carrot--he eats 20 pounds a day.

And we checked out the baby bacon.

Wow! It almost looks like a change of seasons here.

We finally did pick some apples, and, boy, are they delicious.

The day came to a somewhat disapointing conclusion when I accidently bumped into this car parked behind us. It was totally my own fault--just not paying attention. I left a note for the driver and went on my way. Almost immediately, I got a call back from the guy, saying there was "quite a bit of damage" to the car. From what we could tell, only the license plate was bent (check it out and decide yourself). This annoying experience has put me into a bit of a funk. Frankly, I think he is being petty--I never file a claim (I've had the opportunity to do so three times in the last two years) if the damage is very minor. But, maybe I am a hopeless idealist. I'd be interested to hear what everyone else thinks on this one.

A busy Sunday

Sunday, October 12 was a big day: Marathon Day! Neither Pat nor I had aspirations to run the Long Beach Marathon but Pat was in charge of the water stop at mile 17. His runners do it as part of their community service. So, that is how we found ourselves unloading two pallets of water from a very large truck (which we had to drive from near our house to the university) at 4:30 in the morning.

There was a lot of standing around and wishing it were warmer but finally at about 6:30 a.m. the bike tour came by. The lead pack seemed serious but after that it was just lots of people out for a Sunday ride.

We filled four tables with water which we thought would be plenty but we ended up filling up about eight tables worth of cups during the race. I don't know many but it seemed like a lot!

Here are the first two runners: the guy in the blue ended up winning the marathon in 2:21.

Here is the woman who won--she just looked like she was out for a jog. She finished in 3:04.

There were tons of runners from the track team who came out to pass out the water. They were energetic and did a nice job of supporting the runners.

After the race, we headed down to Newport Beach to meet up with our friends Deb and Bill. Deb is a long-time friend who I met my first year working in Yellowstone. Interestingly, we have managed to keep in touch even though she was in graduate school in Colorado by the time I returned to YNP for my second summer. Deb says we have stayed in touch because "we see eye to eye." I would agree.

Deb and Bill now live in Fort Collins, CO with their daughter, Amanda, who is now 6 years old (I gasped when Deb informed me of that--in my mind she was 4 or 5). Anyway, Amanda is quite precocious and is very charming. While we drove beside the ocean, she gave me a whole lecture about the Pacific and how it stretched the whole way to Asia. While the adults chatted on the balcony with a bottle of wine, she stole away into the bedroom for a little TV action. When we checked on her, she was totally zombified by the TV!