Victoria Gardens

CIMG2781, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

Here is Ezra enjoying his first train ride with Mimi at Victoria Gardens on Friday, April 11, when we cared for Ezra while Bryce and Ashley attended a dinner gathering for Providence Christian College.

Easter

Easter Sunday was a glorious and quite warm day here in Southern California; John and Sally said the temperature guage on their car showed 90 degrees when they arrived with Margaret for Easter brunch. Joined by Lisa, Katie, Wanda, Ashley, Bryce, and Ezra we enjoyed appetizers and champagne, wine or beer before sitting down to a great mid-day brunch prepared by Carolyn (quiches of spinach/bacon and crab) and accompanied by Sally's salad.

Ezra enjoys his appetizer of avocado. All he needs are the chips!

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After brunch, an egg hunt was conducted where only John, Bryce and I searched after the ladies found the most obscure outdoor places to hide the eggs. Luckily we found them all. Then it was off to the grassy common area overlooking the lake for a rousing game of croquet. John took my title as the master of disaster when he became "poison" and knocked off most of us, practically putting me into the lake! Ashley had Ezra as her personal caddy.

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Ezra became the understandable center of attention a good deal of the time and willingly allowed everyone to get some time with him.

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The day ended with a birthday celebration for Ashley and Bryce whose birthdays were coming up in a week, but who will be in Portland on their actual anniversary. Sally made a dynamite chocolate cake that we all enjoyed. It was a great day with our extended family!

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R.I.P. Gracie

CIMG2449, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

This is how we'd like to remember Gracie, our cat of over four years. She enjoyed the sunlit spots in our master bedroom for her frequent cat naps.

Over the last few days, we'd notice that Gracie was not just taking naps, but was listless, lethargic, with raspy breathing and was seeking out dark, cold places to lie. She wasn't hopping onto our laps or onto our bed during the night. When she was petted, she didn't raise her head very high, nor was she purring. I took her over to the vets on Saturday and waited in line for about two hours to see the doctor. Gracie just lay on the laminate examining table and didn't react much to the palpitating and prodding.

The vet wasn't hopeful, but suggested a blood test and Xrays which I authorized. About an hour later, the vet called with bad results. Gracie's white blood count was quite high and red count was very low. She had severe abnormalities with her liver and kidney functions as well. With her prognosis so poor and intensive care costing over $2000 just for the weekend (with no likelihood of a better outcome), we chose to put Gracie to sleep.

Carolyn came back to the vet's with me and we said our goodbye's to Gracie who looked at us with vacant eyes. It was hard to see her in such a state. It will take some time for us not to round a corner in our home with the expectation that she'll be lying in that little bit of sunshine over there.

Next Time - Hand Wash

This last weekend seemed like it might provide the opportunity to finally wash my car, but late Sunday dark clouds rolled in along with booming thunder and a quick downpour which left my car even dirtier than before. I could barely see out of the rain and dirt spotted side windows.

So, Tuesday I thought "what the heck, I need gas anyway, so I'll take the Altima to the car wash." I filled up (after getting a new bank loan for the gas charge) and paid my money, and they even gave me a $2 discount. Then I waited for what seemed like a pretty long time for the car to come out of the wash area. It finally appeared and the guys began drying and washing windows. The horn beeped, I tipped the guy, got in and drove across the street.

Almost immediately, I heard something dragging and thought I'd caught a mat in the undercarriage. Another motorist honked to get my attention and I stopped in the center turning lane to check on the problem. MY BUMPER WAS HANGING BY A SINGLE BOLT!! I was mad! How could they have let me drive off after having the bumper ripped off in the car wash?

I jury rigged a way to support the bumper with bungee cords and drove slowly back to the car wash. The manager told me he had been looking for me! Right. The wheel faring had been slightly askew and unbolted which provided enough for those major brushes to just take the whole bumper off. I couldn't believe that there was so little holding it on. With a few zip ties and another bolt, we secured it a little bit further so I could make it to the Nissan dealer right after work.

The required fastners (plastic) only cost about $12 and there was enough light when I got home that I was able to re-affix the bumper securely, thankfully. The next time the car needs it, I'll do as I normally have by hand washing it, saving both some cash and some damage.

Quotes

I read "The Patriot Post" three times a week and I particularly like the quotes they often publish. Some of my favorites from the February 13th edition:

"The government solution to any problem is usually at least as bad as the problem." Milton Friedman

"Vote for the man who promises least; he'll be the least disappointing." Bernard Baruch

"If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner." H. L. Mencken

"We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex - but Congress can." Cullen Hightower

Cruising Mexico Way

I'm delinquent in posting about our week long cruise from San Diego down Baja California aboard the Dawn Princess and our stops in Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Carolyn's art teacher and her husband organized a plein air art excursion which allowed a few of us spouses to tag along and enjoy a time away from rainy Southern California.

We were joined by Paul and Marcia Stevens who were kind enough to pick us up at our house for the drive to San Diego and we were barely able to cram all the suitcases and art supplies into the back of their SUV. The day (Sunday, January 27) was overcast and raining intermittently, but the boarding process was quick and easy and by 4 that afternoon we were casting off lines and heading out to sea. I was surprised that the Dawn Princess managed its departure without any assistance from tugs.

The first day/night was rainy, but about midway down Baja the weather turned sunny and began to warm to the low 70s.

CIMG2191, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

After a day and half sailing, we arrived and anchored off of Cabo San Lucas. The artists painted "Los Arcos" from the deck in the morning while I challenged Paul to a best of 3 shuffleboard contest (its a requirement on your first cruise!) and then we took a tender to the harbor in the early afternoon. The marina/port area has certainly been modernized since our last visit! We took a long walk all around the marina to the beach so Paul and I could take a quick dip into the rather cool ocean. We saved a few bucks by not taking a water taxi back to the tender dock but did work off a few calories by walking both ways; calories that would later be consumed in a great dinner.

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Late that afternoon, the ship departed for Mazatlan. Perhaps because I wasn't feeling up to par, or because we spent the entire afternoon at a hotel's pool area while most of the artists painted the off-shore islands and the wind blowing made lying in the sun less than pleasurable, but I wasn't overwhelmed with this day's visit. Carolyn broke off from the group and painted a market scene across the street. Typically, she made friends with one of the shop owners who looked after her during the afternoon and even bought her bottled water. When she tried to give him a small gratuity at day's end, he was more than gracious and would accept nothing.

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That evening, I chose to have dinner in my cabin hoping to feel better while the ship moved through the night towards Puerto Vallarta. Instead of taking any shore excursions, the Stevens and us took a cab downtown and then walked by the shops lining the waterfront. The promenade on the beach had some very strange and intriguing sculptures.

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The other painters hooked up with us early in the afternoon after we had enjoyed a few margaritas. Then the ladies found another interesting outdoor marketplace to paint while Paul and I headed to the beach just to enjoy the warm sun and the opportunity for a nap.

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We then spent two days at sea returning to San Diego and the weather slowly changed from moderate and sunny back to cooler and windy and eventually rain. We had come full circle, weather wise, but we had had a very nice time with good friends, great food, and a needed time of relaxation; and we hadn't even gained any weight!!

Ezra's First Christmas

A few pictures from Ezra's first Christmas.

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Christmas Day

Early Christmas morn around three
I awoke to the wind and a crash
Leaping from bed in the dark, just me
Wandered about as winds continued to lash

Windows rattled, and all seemed alright
But was concerned that the sound really mattered
The patio umbrella was no longer upright
The glass patio table had been shattered!

Then, it was hard to get back to sleep
I tossed and turned as I thought
About previous hours in dreams so deep
And gifts unopened and recently bought

Dawn came and the family slowly awoke
None had heard the nights tragic noise
But sorry that the table had broke
Now, open the gifts, for both girls and boys!

Christmas Chaos

The last two weekends have been full of parties and events while at home the construction (and destruction) continue to require that three downstairs rooms remain quarantined by plastic and blue tape and Ashley's old bedroom is in disarray as a new closet is constructed and leaking patio doors repaired. There are very few places not impacted as furniture and items from the now empty rooms fill the remaining rooms to overflowing.

Two weeks ago, it was a friend's Christmas gathering where a twenty foot juniper had been chopped down and all of its 700 pounds somehow wedged through the single entry door and propped and braced in the two story living room. During halftime of the USC-UCLA game, the men mounted 12 and 16 foot ladders to hang the lights while the wives steadied the lower rungs. We all brought a few ornaments to help decorate the "larger than normal" Christmas evergreen. Then it was off to a get together of those going on the artist's cruise to Mexico in later January. While the artists got their itineraries and supply lists, the non-artistic spouses plotted excursions to be taken such as an ATV tour or zip line over the jungle.

This weekend, I spent my Saturday continuing to work on the guest bathroom stripping the remnants of the wallpaper (I have a little more to go) with a deadline to get it completed before our family comes to spend Christmas Eve. Then it was off to the company Holiday party again held at the Fairplex in Pomona. We had a good time, but the dinner serving was somewhat indicitive of the problems within the real estate industry. The salad literally had three leaves and the vegetables consisted of three string beans and one baby carrot. Good thing I like steak!

Sunday, after church, we drove up to Pasadena to visit Ashley, Bryce and Ezra. Bryce was kind enough to take us over the classic city hall where we five took a family Christmas picture although I'm not sure Ezra looked at the camera very often. Then we went to Pei Wei for an early dinner before dessert at the Hales and then home.

I Should be a Consultant

Scotland has spent over $250,000 to come up with a new slogan. Can you guess what the saying is?

Turkey, Demo and Paint

Thanksgiving weekend was stretched out an additional day as Carolyn and I took two days and a night off from eating too much, enduring enough and sanding too often to escape to a B&B in Lake Arrowhead where we did a little shopping for necessities and Christmas while enjoying walking in the cooler air, new restaurants and conversations with our ex-Mormon, now Catholic, B&B hosts.

Thanksgiving day found me surrounded by Carolyn, Wanda, Lisa and Katie and all of us overwhelmed with the amount of food available for consumption - turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn casserole, yam casserole, a cranberry molded salad, biscuits, plus pumpkin and Jack Daniel chocolate, pecan pie (and I'm sure I missed a few dishes)! I ate enough but not so much that I fell asleep watching USC play late in the afternoon.

A few days before, work began on tearing off and replacing the leaking deck above the garden room and with each layer of deck removed, new surprises were unveiled. Like decks built over old roofs and a swarm of live termites in the corner of the deck even though we'd just had our home tented two or three months ago! Terminix will be re-tenting us in the near future although we have yet to discuss the second required bagging of all food and the boarding of our cat or where we might stay. I'd hope that the first time it was on us and this time those costs should be on them. We'll see. So as part of our Thanksgiving entertainment, all but Wanda laid on the floor and identified dogs and fish and other items in the dark spots (mold?) that speckled the garden room's ceiling.

On returning home late Monday afternoon, we found our contractor had removed all the carpet downstairs except the living room, the ceiling drywall in the garden room and the fireplace which will be replaced by a newer version. Our downstairs is now bisected by a firm plastic barrier that only allows the wind to pass through. A new closet will be built in Ashley's old room and stucco is being broken back to allow proper flashing and paper to be installed. Each conversation with our contractor seems to be "we found this new problem", but it will be good to have all the work done correctly.

While work started on the home, Friday began the process of painting our sailboat in earnest. The previous weekends we had taken off almost all of the topside hardware including railings, cleats, pulleys, etc., so Dennis, Steve and I began the process of sanding with finish sanders and by hand all of the deck and then taping off the areas that weren't going to be painted. A primer coat was in place by Friday late afternoon, and the first coat for the smoother surfaces done by Saturday mid-day. Sunday morning (thank goodness for Saturday night church) we were able to put on the second coat before I headed home and to Arrowhead and the Hughes hustled off to the Charger game.

This coming weekend, Carolyn again will be a boat widow as we tape of the non-skid areas and begin painting them. Then, if there is any money in the kitty, we'll have new windows fashioned and we'll begin re-installing all the hardware and railings that we took off. We should be sailing again by January!

Downsizing

Not that we're actually downsizing, but it seemed that way late Saturday after spending the better part of the day moving furniture from the garden room into the living room and emptying the back room of all its assorted paraphenalia. This was all done in preparation for a soon to appear construction crew who will be demolishing our deck and rebuilding it once again so it might become watertight.

As water has intruded into the garden room, the ceiling and some drywall will also have to be replaced, so moving the furniture seemed to be the logical thing to do. Our living room now has an eclectic, crowded look with two main seating areas, two couches, eight chairs (?), two ottomons, two coffee tables, a piano, and a multitude of paintings, vases and other decorative items. Only the dining room, of the three back rooms, has any furniture, and that too will have to be moved, sometime, somewhere, when the contractor is ready to install the stone flooring.

All that heavy lifting, coupled with multiple trips upstairs carrying boxes, and then gardening and washing both cars, had the expected effect of creating one seriously sore old guy. I need to exercise more!

Now all we have to do is to bring order to the semi-chaos of the game room as it acquired a few of the leftovers from downstairs. I also need to extract the Christmas decorations from the attic in case they become inaccessible during the construction. However, we have managed to eliminate or give away a number of items which prompted a trip to the Salvation Army.

I expect that my evenings this week will be full getting the remaining rooms in order while we await the start of remodel number 2!

Fires Nearby

It's been burning for four days now in Southern California and most everything smells like the sweatshirt you wear around the mountain campfire. The car washed on Saturday greets me each morning and evening with a new light blanket of soot.

The Santiago fire has crept to the borders of Lake Forest as of yesterday and threatens Foothill Ranch and has burned homes within the canyon roads that meander off El Toro/Santiago. As I came home from church last night, I could see the fires burning just beyond the 241 toll road. They weren't moving fast but I was glad our home is more than a few miles away. I took Carolyn out for a fire-sighting drive along Portola Parkway and the toll road and it was pretty eerie.

Our prayers go out to those who have had homes lost and/or have had to evacuate.

ARRRGGHH!

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Avast and Land Ho!

Dolphins! and Tall Ships

Dolphins!, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

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CIMG1604, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

On Sunday, after Carolyn returned from her first day of a "paint out" on the Balboa Peninsula, we met Dennis and Gloria at the boat for a late afternoon sail. We were greeted with a great wind, hundreds of dolphins, and the Tall Ships Festival that concluded with a sea battle while we sailed by.

I Hate it When

the electricity goes out for hours! Mid-afternoon on Monday, Labor Day, all grew quiet in our home, the constant hum of the A/C and all else electrical went silent. Soon neighbors checked with each other to see if it was more than our own circuit breakers.

Cell phone calls to Edison (you can't call on a cordless) resulted in twenty minutes on hold before my patience and my cell phone's battery dwindled. Evening came and I headed to Chipotle for dinner and cooler climes as the temperature downstairs steadily rose to the low to mid-80s. I resisted any exploration into the higher temps of our second floor.

The night faded and without TV, internet, lights, cooking facilities, etc., I grabbed a sheet and pillow and bunked down on the living room floor with a flashlight perched on my shoulder so I could read a book that has lingered at my bedside for the entire summer. It would have been really convenient to have one of those exploration lights that strap to your forehead.

Even though we have a reasonably plush and comfortable carpet, it's not as wonderful as our king-sized bed, so at 3:30 I thought it might have cooled enough upstairs to venture into our bedroom where I was able to sleep even though it was probably 80+ degrees. This morning I awoke to the alarm on my cell phone, and showered by flashlight before heading to work and grabbing an Egg McMuffin and coffee along the way.

I finally got ahold of Edison and I'm not sure if we'll have electricity back on until sometime tomorrow. Fun!

The Happy Hales

 

The Happy Hales

All is going well as everyone adapts to a new member in the family. From what I've observed, Ezra has been behaving pretty well and Ashley is mending from her surgery. Bryce is quickly learning the joys of being a true servant!

Bath is finished

Bath is finished, originally uploaded by torhutchins.

Bryce performed Ezra's first bath under the heat lamp while Ezra stretched. Check out his long fingers!

Bryce and Ezra get acquainted

Bryce and Ezra get acquainted, originally uploaded by torhutchins.