Pike Place Market..real or Vegas?

This photo combo amused me...the top photo is the real deal, the bottom photo...not so much. Why spend a fortune on vacations in Seattle, Paris, Venice and New York when you can have them all in Vegas?

The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own.
Susan Sontag

Family Ties

There are few experiences, if any, that surpass the comfort of being with one's family. On the flip side, there are also few experiences that can be more taxing and stressful. It's really a mixed bag for all of us, don't you think? After spending a week in Chicago with my extended family, I'm happy to say that I'm feeling nicely nestled in the former state. I've shared much with my Aunt Fran and all my Riley cousins, and the loss of my parents causes me to hug them even tighter so we can enjoy whatever time we have together. Though there are memories too abundant to share, I must indulge in just one. In 1964 the entire Riley clan traveled west to visit us in the Bay Area. With 5 children in tow, it was important to limit the kids to one box each (not counting clothes) in order for everyone to have space in the old Ford wagon. Having the sound mind of a 14 year old girl (as did I), my cousin Mary Fran chose to fill her box with records...Chad and Jeremy, The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, etc. What better way to spend our time together than swooning over the music of the British Invasion!

I marvel at my Aunt Fran's life. She is 80.5 going on 60. I don't know anyone with a richer life than she. She teaches senior aerobics, attends Mass every morning at 6:30, reads, knits and bakes like crazy, and still finds time to be my Godmother Extraordinaire...WOW!

Heirlooms we don't have in our family. But stories we've got.
Rose Cherin

Garden Inspiration

I'm always a bit impatient when a house project goes on and on. More frustrating still is my inability to twitch my nose ala 'Bewitched' so we can at last enjoy the fruits of our labors. That said, we are all but finished with our side yard renovation. We are well on our way to having not only a better view, but also a functional space for relaxing. Soon the plants will heel in, leaving only the chairs to pull up and the firepit to be stoked. I can already feel my patience returning, thanks to thoughts of a crackling fire on a beautiful summer eve.

Oscar the Dog...

I've been somewhat amiss by not mentioning our new dog, Oscar. He's an 18 month old Australian Cattle dog and Black Lab who is quite sweet. He brings a great energy to our home, and after losing our girl Sadie in July, it was worth the wait it took for us to find each other.

On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
Peter Steiner, The New Yorker July 5, 1993

RSS, Meebo and Music...Oh No!

I am awash in ways to communicate electronically, but frankly I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices that are racing by me at warp speed. Email is my choice, and I must admit I like this blogging habit I've recently started. But IM/MEEBO/GoogleTalk and RSS have me nauseous from info overload. I prefer serendipitous web surfing instead of RSS. If I want to talk to someone NOW, I'll call them, and perhaps it will even be from a land line, not a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I think it's fine for some folks, but I prefer the sound of a voice over an instant message. I'm going to watch Dial M for Murder now on my other favorite electronic device, the revered TV.

Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad.
Diogenes the Cynic

Happy Belated Daylight Saving Time!

It's good that I'm somewhat observant, although in this case you may be thinking, 'wow, she really has a flare for the obvious'! You see, I noticed that one of our clocks had sprung forward this morning. Other household clocks did so weeks ago thanks to a 'new and improved' change to Daylight Saving Time. Coincidentally, by noticing said springing, I saved John from a mini crisis, since this is the alarm that he sets to wake up at 'o'dark-thirty' on Monday morning. Otherwise he would have slept right through to 'o'dark-tardy'.

I don't mind going back to daylight saving time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I've saved all year.
Victor Borge

Happy April S'loof Day...

I've never thought too much about April Fool's Day. When does a prank cross the line? If I think it's funny, will you? Besides, the only AFD prank I've played doesn't really work in 2008. I once left a message for a coworker to return a call from Mr. Lyon. No surprise when the local zoo was the 'caller'. The nice zoo humans still played along, despite taking oodles of calls for Mr. Lyon that day. Who can reach a real person on the first call anymore? It's just not fun if voicemail delivers the punch line. We can all relax tomorrow, hoping that a fool's opportunity/gullibility vanishes at midnight.

The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.
Will Rogers