Week 42 - Lisa

Loved New England!  Especially Maine and upstate New York.  My pictures do not do the colors justice.  Everything and more than I imagined it to be.  Love the sense of humor of New Englanders and of course the accents.  Only pictures link I do not have available yet is Cooperstown.  Still editing.  I took a mere 1522 pictures.  My mom shattered that with over 2600.  It's a wonder we can see straight.  Between our quest to "find an Indian, free a bear," running my mother over not once but three times while finding "the" perfect shot to laughing till we cried while practicing saying GORGE-JUS and Bee-U-Tah-Fah, it was a fantastic trip.  Meeting Massachusetts version of Clarence from "It's a Wonderful Life" to eating at a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dive restaurant were just a few highlights along the 1100 miles driven.  Shout out to the Sparhawk Oceanfront Resort, wonderful property to stay in Ogunguit.  I already want to go back.

Here's a few favorites and my links to 1500 more!

http://tiny.cc/NewEngSatSun2011

http://tiny.cc/NewEngMon2011

http://tiny.cc/NewEngTue2011

http://tiny.cc/NewEngWed2011

http://tiny.cc/NewEngThu2011

Week 42 - Sis

Yep, here comes some more vacation pictures. I did do a lot of clicking on the camera but I promise not to post the one hundred shots plus, of the sunrise! Now starting the travel log. Arrived in Ogunquit Maine late afternoon, we checked in and settled into our room and headed to the beach. Ahhh, sea air, blue Atlantic Ocean, almost felt like home but not much time before sunset started. The next day we took a ride up the Maine coastline, went over to Portland; highlight being a ride on the commuter car ferry line to Peak's Island. Not much time spent in Portland as we didn't want to get back too late for our first lobsta' dinner. Third day-We the "peepers", (what the locals call tourists who come to view the Fall colors) of Georgia and California, spent the day in the White Mountains forest of New Hampshire. Stupendous, spectacular, sensational display of the colors we saw in the trees/foliage of this area and to top it off, a covered bridge! Understand now what the great New England writers and poets were inspired by and loved. Really heard the "accent" at the ranger station where we stopped for information on the best road to take our peeper viewing pleasure. "Speck-tack-q-luh", "guh-jush" is what I heard while there. Wonderful day on the road and Lisa would include the young moose we were able to stand and watch as it lay in an area on the side of the road. Seemed very relaxed, even eating a little grass, no one knew why it was there, injured or not. Could have been it's day to peep at the peepers. When we returned to Ogunquit we spent time walking around and absorbing our last look of a great little vacation locale. Next morning off to driving through some more Maine small coastal towns. Saw a lighthouse I'm sure was used in the the tv series Providence and ate the best and last lobster dish, of the ones I had consumed. Pretty done with that shellfish.  Wednesday's our goal was to get to our motel outside of Sturbridge, eat dinner, get up Thursday morning and visit the Norman Rockwell Museum. Circumstances changed and we didn't eat until after 9 p.m., didn't sleep a lot of hours but did get to Sturbridge and the museum, another story there too. Loved the time there and after a few hours headed to Cooperstown, New York. Baseball town, Hall of Fame, beautiful rustic farm area with the fall colors in abundance. Loved the time we spent there and lots of baseball references in the restaurants and shops. Quaint is a good word for this place. Okay, taking th pencil out and marking two things off my bucket list. Saw the leaf changing of the New England area and visited the honored names I've read, saw movies about or seen play in person; the stars of my favorite sport, baseball.

Week 41 - Lisa

It's Sunday and I'm in Maine!  On vacation for the week going to visit Maine, New Hamspire, Massachusetts and New York.  ;>  First three are from my early morning walk along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit - a quaint little beach town in Maine.  Last pic is from the downtown Portland ha-bah.  ;>

Week 41 - Sis

The first day of one week traveling through four New England states started at the Atlanta airport. We met up with my cousin, (Lisa's Godmother) Trudy, at our gate. She flew from Salinas, California to join us and start our journey. Trudy traveled first class, me and Lisa had the escape door aisle seats, which gave us plenty of separation between the seats in front of us. Of course I was happy to comfortably stretch out my long legs. Guess you could think of it as an upgrade; first class for the low class. We landed in Portland, Maine; gathered up our luggage and Lisa went to pick up the rental vehicle. We didn't have to wait long for Lisa and the Ford SUV she was driving. Whoo hoo, we're on our way to Ogunquit. Hold up, we are approaching a turnpike toll booth, need to slow down to pay. Hey no one in the booth? Lisa begins to tell me as we approach the empty booth, I'm riding shotgun, that the box in the upper right corner of the window is a way to pay. "Mom, using her tutorial voice, just pull out on the box handle and the camera in the booth picks up the credit card for all the tolls and will bill me when I turn in the truck." Sounds great, however we're traveling faster than she's speaking and the time that it's taking the message from my brain to my hand to process. We blow through the toll! Oh God, we've already committed a crime in the first 15 minutes of our relaxing vacation. Three heads are swiveling trying to see what direction the cops are coming to arrest us. Nothing happens and we begin breathing again. We're not worried, well not until we have to go through multiple toll stops as we visit the other states. Somehow in the coming days and toll stops we were not captured and only handed and turned in tickets. Our one payment total was a whopping 65 cents. Huh, there wasn't anyone looking for the two senior and one pre-senior citizens barreling through tollbooth stops? Maybe we qualified for some AARP discount? You know I think it was in the cards or trucks since we were in a Ford Escape. So if we did our own version of Thelma and Louise it would have to be plus one,(me), (Trudy would be Thelma because she picked up a Brad Pitt type at one of our stops. Lisa would be Louise, because of the driving and it would be titled, "Thelma and (how they would say it in New England) the Two Geezas".

Week 40 - Lisa

Scary kitty!  Do not have a lot this week, work CRAZY!

Week 40 - Sis

Okay let's see where was I? I mean that literally, because the last blog was posted 10/2 and on 10/7 we flew to Maine. I know I was helping with whatever I could do for Lisa, who was working in the evenings on a large project which involved producing a lot of language classroom materials for our tribe, the Amah Mutsun. These materials were needed on 10/8, for the first language class at the Univerity of Santa Cruz California. She worked on many folders, lessons, flashcards, etc. and I did some grunt work. See this plastic folder? This looks so unlike something that can do any damage, but let me tell you they are dangerous and caused a lot of pain. Simple task for someone like me with no talents in the creating of the materials, just put the papers in between the clasps, line up the holes of the paper, straighten the arms upward, push arms through the holes, then press to spread arms out and they secure the papers inside. Fifty folders later my finger tips were burning because they were sliced from the sharp edges on those arms. I know, I should have used a knife to lift those buggers but then I would probably be writing about my sight loss in one of my eyes when the knife slipped from my grasp! Now singing, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen", oops can't do that song with one eye. How about, "I've lost that loving feeling",(in my fingers)?

Week 39 - Lisa

After much debate with myself I decided against a SLR camera and went with a higher end point and shoot.  So here's a few warm-up shots to familiarize myself with my new toy before vacation comes around.  LOVE IT!  So crisp and clear.  Oh yeah, the corn on the cob shots is another example of my condition.  You know, that problem with "order."  As my abuela Emily used to say, "it's alright, I'm all wrong."

Week 39 - Sis

Not much to report but was happy to receive my team gear and now it officially feels like football season. Leading in one pool and second in the other. This might really fry some football fanatics who are playing in the pools since I don't pay much attention to it, compared to baseball I mean. Naturally had to contact one my sisters to buy and export the stuff to me as the 49ers just don't have a big following in Georgia! Pays to know someone who works at Target and can get things at reasonable prices. Also this sister, Judy to some, Chickie to family, is a rabid Raider fan so you know she has to love me. :-) Having alterations done on the shirts since my horizontal number is proportionally higher than my vertical. A mere 4 inches must be discarded before they stop looking like nightshirts. I'm sure while wearing them in the Northeast I will impress the Bills, Patriot, Giants and Jets fans this coming week. Oh the little Giant helmet and baseball erasers? Just a bonus from my sister, as she's a Giant fan too.;-

Week 38 - Lisa

As my mom stated the best part of this week was Sunday's event @ Centennial Park in downtown ATL.  Like a dork I forgot I had my camera in the "fish bowl" mode so my pictures were all warped.  Here's a few of the funnier ones.   I think Pussy n Boots was a tad confused showing up at this event, do not think it was meant for all "Paws."

Week 38 - Sis

This week we were looking forward to a fundraising event in Atlanta that was held by the Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption, where I adopted oneeya. It was held at Centennial Park and was a huge success, raising $145,000 that all goes back to APRA! It was a warm day, 85 degrees but there were water bowls and multiple cooling stations for the dogs. Events for the day included:a walk around the park, dog races, raffles and more. We checked in and we're both given a sway bag for oneeya. Now I think it was because she is such a sweet, well behaved dog that she received the double bonus, sigh, Lisa says no it came about from our separate registration fees. No matter, oneeya was excellent as were all the dogs I encountered. When the day ended and my very tired girl got home we investigated the swag bags and found some really nice doggy gifts and treats, including a toy for sunii. The cat's enthusiasm was an amazing display!

Week 37 - Lisa

Most exciting thing I took a picture of this week was when I turned on E! and saw my friends from BakeTown on TV.  They are the little Celebrity Faires over in the right-hand corner.  Sitting on each interviewed celebs shoulder.  As you can see I'm easily entertained.

Darla in Greg's ear.

Nessa & Darla got Kate Winslet's back.

oneeya waiting for me to get her carne asada tacos!

Week 37 - Sis

Found these little beauties on the ground while walking the dog this week. Fall is definitely here and plenty of shedding trees to prove it. This is not a bad thing since daughter #1 and I have planned a trip to the Northeast where we will hopefully see color changing trees that will out color the fall seasons we have ever known. The trees and foliage are not the only or even the main reason for making this journey. Since we don't know when, or if, we will be heading back home to California, we both have always wanted to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, so the choice was made. A side trip to Norman Rockwell's hometown and museum is also included. We are making this taste trip of a few states we may never get another chance to experience because of time or life in general. Lobster eating is on the agenda and taking in the atmosphere, accents and the Atlantic are the extras that come with it. Just crossing our fingers we don't encounter a Nor'easter while there!