Jeff decided to surprise mom and come home to visit for the weekend. Thankfully he at least gave Frank and I the heads-up so that we could make sure we were around. We went out to Rustico on Saturday night so that Jeff could experience their gluten free pizza and beer. You have no idea what a treat it is to go into a restaurant and order pizza and beer, just like any regular person. If only more places would offer gluten free selections! Frank, who's on a gluten binge until diagnosed otherwise, found some Staropramen (Czech beer) that made him long for Prague. After dinner, we headed next door to Buzz Bakery (owned by the same company) for gluten free brownies. Yum yum yum. What a fun evening!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"All the babies are home..."
As mom likes to say "All my babies are home!" Thus we have a family picture to document the occasion...yet another one taken in a bar. Are you wondering about us yet?
Jeff decided to surprise mom and come home to visit for the weekend. Thankfully he at least gave Frank and I the heads-up so that we could make sure we were around. We went out to Rustico on Saturday night so that Jeff could experience their gluten free pizza and beer. You have no idea what a treat it is to go into a restaurant and order pizza and beer, just like any regular person. If only more places would offer gluten free selections! Frank, who's on a gluten binge until diagnosed otherwise, found some Staropramen (Czech beer) that made him long for Prague. After dinner, we headed next door to Buzz Bakery (owned by the same company) for gluten free brownies. Yum yum yum. What a fun evening!
Jeff decided to surprise mom and come home to visit for the weekend. Thankfully he at least gave Frank and I the heads-up so that we could make sure we were around. We went out to Rustico on Saturday night so that Jeff could experience their gluten free pizza and beer. You have no idea what a treat it is to go into a restaurant and order pizza and beer, just like any regular person. If only more places would offer gluten free selections! Frank, who's on a gluten binge until diagnosed otherwise, found some Staropramen (Czech beer) that made him long for Prague. After dinner, we headed next door to Buzz Bakery (owned by the same company) for gluten free brownies. Yum yum yum. What a fun evening!
Monday, March 24, 2008
A trip to Williamsburg for Easter
This Easter, mom and I decided to drive to Williamsburg to save grandmother the trip up 95 and so that we could also see Frank. Jeff stayed in Savannah and the Davis' were just returning from a trip to Paris, so it was pretty quiet with just the 4 of us. That was until we went to dinner anyway...
Grandmother made reservations for us at the country club within Ford's Colony. I asked her before we left the house what the dress code was and she said that the only thing she was told was "no sneakers." Deciding to error on the side of caution, I put on nice slacks and shirt and shoes. We were a little concerned about what Frank might be wearing since he was coming from CNU. As it turns out he was in jeans, but he managed to find some decent shoes in his car so we thought we were safe. Only when we walked into the country club we were informed that no denim was allowed in the dining room. Well that set grandmother off. Doesn't that man know you can't argue with her? Anway, we tried to calm her down and usher her out the door, content to go somewhere else for dinner, but as we passed an arriving bridal party on the way out she yelled "They can take their country club and shove it up their ass!" Plan B was a Japanese steakhouse down the street, that we all agreed was much better than the country club anyway!
The rest of the weekend was less eventful. Grandmother and I dyed easter eggs and we collectively decided to blow off church in favor of lounging around the house.
Grandmother made reservations for us at the country club within Ford's Colony. I asked her before we left the house what the dress code was and she said that the only thing she was told was "no sneakers." Deciding to error on the side of caution, I put on nice slacks and shirt and shoes. We were a little concerned about what Frank might be wearing since he was coming from CNU. As it turns out he was in jeans, but he managed to find some decent shoes in his car so we thought we were safe. Only when we walked into the country club we were informed that no denim was allowed in the dining room. Well that set grandmother off. Doesn't that man know you can't argue with her? Anway, we tried to calm her down and usher her out the door, content to go somewhere else for dinner, but as we passed an arriving bridal party on the way out she yelled "They can take their country club and shove it up their ass!" Plan B was a Japanese steakhouse down the street, that we all agreed was much better than the country club anyway!
The rest of the weekend was less eventful. Grandmother and I dyed easter eggs and we collectively decided to blow off church in favor of lounging around the house.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Mittens - Lost & Found
Last week was not fun - I'm sure Mittens would tell you if she could. One minute, she's safe in Lori's home, hanging out with her foster brother Sam, sleeping on the couch, etc. The next, she sneaks out the back door and embarks on an excellent adventure that all things considered, could have been worse but definitely could have been better!
It seems after Mittens left Lori's house (in Falls Church) she headed for Fairlington (where I live - a good 6 miles away from Lori's and across many busy roads including I-395). We had multiple sitings of her over a few days, but were never able to catch her. After a week of searching by many GoodDog Rescue volunteers and Fairlington neighbors (my legs are still trying to recover from all the walking!) and setting up a trap in my back yard (thank goodness I didn't catch any other critters) we got word that someone had found her. A nice person one neighborhood over from me found her and took her in. It was about 2 days before they put the pieces of the puzzle together and we were reunited with her, much to everyone's relief. And not only would these nice people not accept any reward for taking such good care of her, they made a $100 donation to GoodDog Rescue.
Somewhere along the way however, Mittens had a run in with a car. One of her hind legs was injured and the hip joint was pushed forward out of its socket. So as soon as Theresa from GoodDog picked her up, she took her to the vet where she had surgery to fix her broken hip. She is now recovering for a couple days with Julie and me and I really think might just be the perfect dog. She is so quiet and calm, all she does is sleep all day, which is exactly what she needs to be doing right now so that she heals. We've got her on pain medication and are doing our best to fatten her up some (she doesn't hold a candle to Sam - aka "the fat one").
Thankfully its not too cold out because as you can see, the vet had to shave her rear end for the surgery. Fortunately they expect her to make a full recovery and be running on all 4 legs in no time. Now we just need to find her a forever home where she can go back to sleeping on couches and be loved for the amazing dog she is!
It seems after Mittens left Lori's house (in Falls Church) she headed for Fairlington (where I live - a good 6 miles away from Lori's and across many busy roads including I-395). We had multiple sitings of her over a few days, but were never able to catch her. After a week of searching by many GoodDog Rescue volunteers and Fairlington neighbors (my legs are still trying to recover from all the walking!) and setting up a trap in my back yard (thank goodness I didn't catch any other critters) we got word that someone had found her. A nice person one neighborhood over from me found her and took her in. It was about 2 days before they put the pieces of the puzzle together and we were reunited with her, much to everyone's relief. And not only would these nice people not accept any reward for taking such good care of her, they made a $100 donation to GoodDog Rescue.
Somewhere along the way however, Mittens had a run in with a car. One of her hind legs was injured and the hip joint was pushed forward out of its socket. So as soon as Theresa from GoodDog picked her up, she took her to the vet where she had surgery to fix her broken hip. She is now recovering for a couple days with Julie and me and I really think might just be the perfect dog. She is so quiet and calm, all she does is sleep all day, which is exactly what she needs to be doing right now so that she heals. We've got her on pain medication and are doing our best to fatten her up some (she doesn't hold a candle to Sam - aka "the fat one").
Thankfully its not too cold out because as you can see, the vet had to shave her rear end for the surgery. Fortunately they expect her to make a full recovery and be running on all 4 legs in no time. Now we just need to find her a forever home where she can go back to sleeping on couches and be loved for the amazing dog she is!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Solvang Century - March 8, 2008
At the invitation of our friend Clare, who we met on our cycling trip to Norway last summer, Theresa and I visited her in Santa Barbara and participated in the Solvang Century. It was a great weekend with spectacular weather, amazing food, awesome cycling, and great wine. What more could you ask for?
Theresa and I jumped at the opportunity to escape the cold, gray DC winter for some fun in the sun. (Yes, we continue to have a slightly warped sense of fun, but everyone knows that by now...) Aside from a few miles of the ride that took us onto a highway, the majority of the route was on beautiful rural roads. Due to our late start we missed the finish line party, but Clare assures us she had a good time while waiting for us to finish.
Theresa and I jumped at the opportunity to escape the cold, gray DC winter for some fun in the sun. (Yes, we continue to have a slightly warped sense of fun, but everyone knows that by now...) Aside from a few miles of the ride that took us onto a highway, the majority of the route was on beautiful rural roads. Due to our late start we missed the finish line party, but Clare assures us she had a good time while waiting for us to finish.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Field Trip!
Ok, so now for the real reason I came to Phoenix. The Electric Systems Short Course. Sponsored in part by EEI, the objective of the course is to educate the federal land management agencies on the ins and outs of siting utility infrastructure. I was lucky enough to get to come and learn all kinds of stuff about how to build and maintain transmission lines.
The course included a field trip today to the Santan Generating Station - a combined cycle natural gas plant owned by Salt River Project as well as their transmission and distribution operations centers. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take too many pictures (go figure, they don't want pictures of their critical infrastructure posted on the web), but it was a very cool day. I got to see the turbines up close, learn about the water issues facing Arizona (power plants require water to run), learn how people monitor the power grid 24/7 to ensure reliable service, and see up close some of the birds that often have run ins (literally) with power lines. The day also included a safety demonstration by a couple of linemen of what happens to you if you touch a live electric wire. They used grapefruits, bananas, and hot dogs to simulate a peson's heart and fingers and applied voltage.
Scary stuff!! At the end of the trip, we also stopped by a small hydro plant located along a canal in Phoenix.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sometimes you have to get off the bike...
And ride a horse instead! And after today, I think my horse to bike balance needs to be restored. I'm in Phoenix, AZ for the week attending a conference for work, but I arrived at 10am this morning (Sunday) and was determined to make the most of the afternoon. At the suggestion of my friend Marj, I booked a private horseback riding tour of the Arizona backcountry with Scott from Equinature Tours.
I was a little nervous at first, meeting some stranger at an Express Fuels gas station off the interstate, seemingly in the middle of nowhere Arizona, but I trust Marj and when she said it was one of her favorite lifetime experiences I decided I wanted to go. I was most relieved when Scott turned out to be a super nice gray haired older gentleman. And I was even more relieved when he made me sign all these waivers and I knew he ran a legit organization!
Now just because I've switched from a bike to a horse for the day, doesn't mean I can't still wear biking gear! I'm cycling on this trip too - and though I desperately failed to pack as light as I wanted, I figured the biking/horseback riding clothes could be one in the same. And is there really much difference between a bike helmet and horseback riding helmet? I don't think so.
For 3 or so hours, Scott led me on a tour of the Coconino Forest. Though not what you would consider a forest on the east coast, it was beautiful in that dry desert sort of way. I saw my first cacti, prickly pears, and a number of other plants and creatures you just don't see back east.
In addition, I got to see a new colt at the ranch that was just born this morning and some baby goats born last week. They were all so precious!
It was definitely a day well spent.
I was a little nervous at first, meeting some stranger at an Express Fuels gas station off the interstate, seemingly in the middle of nowhere Arizona, but I trust Marj and when she said it was one of her favorite lifetime experiences I decided I wanted to go. I was most relieved when Scott turned out to be a super nice gray haired older gentleman. And I was even more relieved when he made me sign all these waivers and I knew he ran a legit organization!
Now just because I've switched from a bike to a horse for the day, doesn't mean I can't still wear biking gear! I'm cycling on this trip too - and though I desperately failed to pack as light as I wanted, I figured the biking/horseback riding clothes could be one in the same. And is there really much difference between a bike helmet and horseback riding helmet? I don't think so.
Anyway, I rode Pisco, a very calm gentle buckskin quarterhorse that liked to snack on the plants every chance she got. Though she initially was quite spooked when I was walking her around the ring, she settled in and found her rythm out on the trail. This Western riding took some getting used to. I haven't been on a horse in years, and haven't ridden Western since I was 10. Scott gave me a crash course in the ring before heading out on the trail so I could get used to not using my legs to steer the horse (my inner thighs will thank me tomorrow!) and only holding the reigns with one hand. He was quick to pick up on my habit of letting the horse take me wherever it wants to go, and was shouting at me to take charge. (It was starting to remind me of a conversation I had with Lou at work, and I'm thinking I need to convince EEI to pay for some horseback riding lessons as "professional development.")
For 3 or so hours, Scott led me on a tour of the Coconino Forest. Though not what you would consider a forest on the east coast, it was beautiful in that dry desert sort of way. I saw my first cacti, prickly pears, and a number of other plants and creatures you just don't see back east.In addition, I got to see a new colt at the ranch that was just born this morning and some baby goats born last week. They were all so precious! It was definitely a day well spent.
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