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!

The List

Those of you who have learned to write our address book entries in pencil know how often we move. One of the best things about moving is the chance to explore new areas, whether in be the Fort Worth Stockyards or the sights of Southern California. When we moved to Long Beach, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while we are here. Over the course of the past year, the list has evolved, with lines being crossed off and other destinations being added. And, I seems to have developed a little obsession with The List--so much so that friends now ask "was that on The List?" when we do something interesting.

Here are some highlights from The List:

We crossed Sequoia National Park off the list last November on our annual Sufferfest...I mean annual Thanksgiving camping trip.

There is a tree that you can drive your car through!

General Grant, the world's largest tree, doesn't even fit into one picture.

In January, we went to Disneyland, and, yep, had our picture taken with Micky.

Ever since we went to the LBJ Library in Austin, I've been interested in presidential libraries. So, one rainy February day, we went to the Nixon Library in nearby Yorba Linda. Can you believe the word "Watergate" is not mentioned in the Nixon Library?

Even though we have been to Vegas a lot, it made the list. On President's Day weekend, we met my college roommate Jen and her husband for a weekend of gambling. Ouch: the house won every time.

Visitors are such a good excuse to go exploring. When Judith visited, we took the ferry over to Catalina Island and went hiking.

We also saw the very local sights like the Long Beach Aquarium--about 1/2 mile from where we live.

Pat and I occasionally take the free shuttle over to the Queen Mary and have coffee out on the deck. It is nice to watch the fog burn off the city from the deck.

Other Items We Have Crossed off The List:

• Joshua Tree
• Mount Whitney
• Big Bear
• Dodgers and Angels Games

Still on The List:

• Hollywood Stars/Sign/Citywalk
• Yosemite
• Rose Parade
• Los Angeles Galaxy game (to see my man Becks)
• Ronald Reagan Library
• Point Vicente lighthouse
• San Francisco
• And others TBA