Day 211 - Lisa

We toured the Celebration Rum Distillery on Monday morning.  Very interesting.  When we drove up the fumes alone had our heads buzzing.  We had a wonderful tour guide of the plant, Bob, who explained the process for making rum from molasses to the bottling.  We got to taste test their "Cajun Tea" first off.  Holy Moly it was good and numbing.  Look at the size of the cup. After the tour we tasted the 4 current rums they produce in little shot glasses.  We all bought bottles. ;>  From there we headed back to the French Quarter for some lunch.  We spent a lot of time sitting at bars beating the heat by drinking and watching the Olympics.  We also did a trolley tour of the City that did not go very well.  Long story  - short the trolley had no AC, the driver was talking on his phone and texting while operating the trolley.  The heat index was still over 110 degrees so it was like sitting in a rolling oven.  Needless to say, I called and got us our $$ reimbursed.  The positive was our excellent tour guide.  She was a double major in Louisiana History and Museum History.  We could have spent all day with her!  That night we were all excited to eat and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse but left mostly disappointed.  Our food was underwhelming and our service was overwhelming, bordering on intrusive.  The best part of the meal was dessert.

Day 210 - Sis

Whew! The heat was waiting for us as soon as we stepped outside.  After going to breakfast, delicious, we headed out to other parts of the French Quarter.  Since the heat index was 115% with the humidity feeling like it was 300 we figured our best bet was a ride on the river via the Natchez, a steam paddle wheel boat. The ride took us by the sites and sounds on shore which were interesting but it sure wasn't any cooler. This is still a bustling area of commerce with many ships loading or unloading at the docks. The large warning sign on this ship seemed a bit redundant as it's an oil tanker!

Day 210 - Lisa

After wandering through the French Quarter in suffocating heat my sister made the call for us to get on the Natchez and take a cruise down the ole' Mississippi.  It helped to cold us, a little, very little.  ;>  It was very interesting seeing the ships from all over the world docked.  Also very eerie and fascinating to actually see the levees.  Later that night, we had a nice dinner in Jackson Square at Muriel's.  Our meal was excellent.  I about died when the shrimp came to me with their heads on them.  Almost hurled, the waiter was kind enough to take them back and give them the old Marie Antionette job!  Steve and I both had the BBQ Shrimp, Yolanda and my mom had the Double Pork chop!  At 10pm we headed for the Wolf Den down in the Arts District to hear the Hot 8 Brass Band.  They were so good and we got to talk to one of the band members during their break.  Harry was a really nice guy giving us some good tips about New Orleans and we taught him a bit about the band Tower of Power from Oakland, famous for their Brass Section.  It was just a room about 20"x 20" with some chairs lining the all brick walls.

Day 209 - Sis

A whole week in New Orleans, let's see what it will bring.  This time my daughter Lisa and I are the tour guides for my other daughter, Yolanda, and her hubby, Steve. Oh and for the next week he will be referred to as my son in my posting, so try not to get confused because once you see pictures you will wonder where he got the height!  I'm sure the first tour will be a night on Bourbon Street because our hotel is one block away from a Hurricane and dinner for them.

Day 209 - Lisa

My first picture in New Orleans!  So happy to be here with my family!  We landed right around 4:00pm, by the time we got to our hotel, settled in there wasn't much to do but head out onto Bourbon St, eat some dinner at Oceana, get some drinks and hear some music.  Oh darn!  We totally geeked out on the fact that we got to go out on one of the balconies of a bar and look down at the crowd.  No we didn't have any beads or taunt any ladies to show their tatas.  We didn't get to bed till around 3am Sunday morning.  We were off to a good start!

Day 208 - Lisa

Really?  You think you are going somewhere?  Go ahead; try and move me, let's see how far you get.  Aye yi yi, the guilt has already started.  I hate hate hate leaving the animals at their respective vacation homes for the week.  <sigh>

Day 208 - Sis

I love the Olympics and the excitement of the opening ceremonies!  Will be watching tonight.

Day 207 - Lisa

I cannot wait to eat here!  Just a little diner in the French Quarter but the food is oh so good!

Day 207 - Sis

It's the day for a haircut.  For me it causes some anxiety, especially a couple of days before vacation.  Think I better pack a lots of hair clips and hats.

Day 206 - Lisa

A week full of surprises.  Received this fruit arrangement @ work.  No idea who from - just said "thanks for everything you do."  That was nice wish I knew who it came from.  Being we are headed out on vacation I split the fruit between my staff.

Post 206 - Sis

It just screams California!  Abalone from the Monterey area and future Mutsun jewelry.  Looking forward to having time to start working on that.

Day 205 - Lisa

My mom stole my pic for the day so double shot of the china hutch.  Praying everything will fit inside.  I inherited all my paternal grandma and great grandma's china and glassware - it's a lot!  Look who already discovered the hutch.  We cannot keep Inspector sunii out of anything in the house!

Day 205 - Sis

This was a delivered about 10 minutes after the roofing company came out to give an estimate on the garage leak.  The good thing about it, besides being the future home for our china and glassware, it's already paid for. Looking forward to tomorrow, no deliveries or repair people scheduled.

Day 204 - Lisa

My sister texted me about the rumor of Slingin' Johnathan Sanchez coming back to the SF Giants in a trade today.  Bummer it didn't happen.  All of women in my family were so excited.  We'd welcome back the Old Viejo as we call him just for the eye candy on the mound.  ;>

Day 204 - Sis

Today a lot of time was spent watching five trees removed.  Quite a show that was interesting and sad to see these trees come down.  These men barely stopped work, four hours on a hot day that involved some very heavy lifting, climbing, cutting and hauling away.  Now have stumps in the yard that resembles those round spots in fields some claim were left by aliens!

Day 203 - Lisa

It looked simple enough - Aye yi yi!  Finally finished the TV stand.

Day 203 - Sis

Had to shop for just enough to get us through the week. Don't want to have a lot of perishables sitting here while we're away.  Why?  Because the weather can turn real bad, real fast and power outages are not uncommon.  Also had to get oneeya's supplies for her week's vacation with her little fur and human buddies.  Hope she has as much fun as we're planning to have while away.

Day 202 - Sis

Whew, well the storm wasn't without some damage, we woke up to a small flood in the garage, now have to wait for someone to give us an estimate on what repairs will cost.  This was followed by an unexpected, costly, vet visit for my dog, (allergies). Yes siree bob, we are one week away from vacation, hope it's not going to be "New Orleans Survivor" type of get-away!

Day 202 - Lisa

Woke half thinking the all the trees would be blown over, instead we got the flooding my mom mentioned, a hole in the roof.  It looks like winter but open the door and it's like you stuck your head in an oven.

Day 201 - Sis

Holey Moley, this was a light version of the preview of things that came this evening.  Loudest, biggest number of lightning strikes I have seen in the three summers I've spent here!  The dog did not hesitate to come upstairs and get in my bed with me, although sleeping wasn't any easier, no matter what room you were in.  Power has to go sometime tonight.

Day 201 - Lisa

We've had thunderstorms all week.  Tonight was the biggest.  Started around 11pm.  It felt like our house was inside the thunderclouds.  Lighting up my bedroom with flashes so close together it looked like a strobe light.  I tried and tried to capture the lightning, best I could do.

Day 200 - Sis

After finding my old files it was time to go through the paperwork.  This means a full day of reading old contracts, tax returns, checks, letters, etc.  Then the next step is sorting what you want to shred.  This was a huge chunk of mine and my husband's lives together and those times come back to mind. When you see a loan you had that charged 17.95% annual interest, you have to shake your head, but those were also the days you could claim all the interest when you filed your taxes.  It was a struggle to make those payments and we probably could have been better at managing our finances but we were young and ignorant.  We weren't alone, most of our peers were in the same circumstances. There were also papers that showed progress in our money handling and the start of times when it brought a more comfortable lifestyle for us and our daughters.  It also made us appreciate what our parents had to go through to bring us the best that they could, which for some of us was very minimal.  Never, good or bad financially, did we struggle with enjoying and sharing life with family and friends. I hope that part endures for all, young and old.

Day 200 - Lisa

Thursday night we settle in to watch another Giants game.  Happy they are playing Braves cause it's in our time zone.  I can stay up for the whole game.  Well, not counting Wednesday night that ended at 12:45pm-ish.  Gosh it seems awfully light at Turner Field.  Nevermind, I'm going upstairs to take a quick shower.  I get a text from my mom later as I stayed upstairs.  "Why is the Giants mobile site saying the Braves 3, Giants 2 - Final Score if I'm still watching it?  LOL  Dawned on neither of us till her question to me that we were watching a tape delayed game.  Aye yi yi!  I think we need a vacation.

Day 199 - Lisa

Look Mom; the horses June 2010.  ;>

Day 199 - Sis

Hello Beautiful!  Wow I just love good-looking redheads.;0

Day 198 - Lisa

Now that the garage is cleared I guess I need to start on a couple projects:  sanding and repainting to favor items.  My little mirror with the orchid on it.  And my Nan's old hutch.  She gave it to my mom many years ago, I was a little girl and then it came with us to Livermore and now here.  It's been many colors over the years but it always makes me think of her.  She was a straight shooter, I miss her.

Day 198 - Sis

Okay the tree trimmer guy came out today to give an estimate for removal of two dead trees. Of course  it's not that simple!  There are actually five dead trees and I was just concerned about one sixty footer falling!  He explained pine trees don't fall they usually snap due to heavy winds or lightning, geeze that's such a relief!  A large beetle infestation has hit this year and they only destroy pine trees.  Thank you sir, that's good to know, because if they only prefer pines we should, over time, only lose approximately 28 of the 33 trees in the backyard.

Day 197 - Sis

Puzzling.  Why did the marinaded artichokes jar size shrink so much from the older one  and cost just about the same?  Because as  I've grown older and increased in size,  I cost less than before.

Day 197 - Lisa

My "first" meal on the gas stove.  Steak Picado - got some peppers for homemade mole simmering in the back, marinated strip steak with green and red bell peppers sauting with onion and garlic.  Mama whipped up the salsa earlier and got the beans and rice going.  Soul food night!

Day 196 - Lisa

I'm on day two of assembling this.  I'm not usually intimidated with assembling these pieces of furniture but this one had me frustrated.  It's not really that hard but however wrote the instructions was sadistic!

Day 196 - Sis

Well little squirrels sure hope on Tuesday, when the tree trimmer agent comes out to examine and tell us which trees are in danger of falling soon, this one won't be one of them.  Hate to have any tree taken down especially one your favorites.