the stork has arrived

He's Here! Our little nephew is here!

Welcome Teekin Mahki, born 07-12-07, 6 lbs 10 oz

and lets also welcome, drumroll please.....

Joseph William Gaspari!

Little Joey, 7 lbs 2 oz, was born on 07-03-07 to my bestest friend The Aimer in NYC. (he is not pictured, I'm still having issues with publishing pictures, not all of them will work but for some reason baby t did )

Baby Teekin and Little Joey- welcome to this earth, may you know peace and love and happiness. Bless your little lives as you grow and learn and thrive. It will be such a pleasure to meet you and share in your sweetness and purity!

No pictures

For some reason the blogger site is not letting me load pictures and if it does then they are solid black or even a solid blue...I wrote a big story a week or so ago about my trip to Arizona but it is not as good without the pictures, I have been trying all week to get even one picture in there and still nothing so I am giving up.

In the meantime I hope everyone had a great 4th of July- Summer as they say is truly here now. Garden is looking great, I will try and get some pictures up but I don't know what is gonna happen. I also tried to blog and put up my Nephew keeps ringing in first place at his dirt bike races and I have some great pictures of him jumping I' d love to share. Funny, if it isn't the camera it is the computer.

Hope to see you with pictures soon!

108 in the Shade

I finally decdied to give in and post this posting anyway, it is from last month already but as you can see it is when I started having trouble posting pictures, they keep turning out solid colors....

I have tried and tried to get it to work to no avail. Then I thought maybe it had something to do with the source, all of these pictures were my work camera and emailed home. Baby Teekin's worked so that makes me happy but I have tried two other postings where I am not having any luck, one of them is not from my work camera so I am boggled, anyway, enjoy the story without pictures, I intended on having! a lot of them included so you will have to use your imagination!

108 degrees in the shade

Mind you this was certainly not the hottest temperature that my patio thermometer reached, tis only the hottest temp when I thought to capture the moment...I believe it reached 115 on a couple of days during my recent working vacation to a national Big Brothers Big Sisters of America conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. And boy, it sure was hot.

Thank goodness for the pool!

This is the South Pool, it was the main pool and one of five that our conference center/resort had to offer...by far the way I wish I could travel more often...the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess. There were five pools in all. Here is the one with two waterslides...it was so fun to get to go down them a bunch of times in a row like when we were kids.


My room was awesome- it was located in one of the Casitas, little cottage like villas that stood aside from the actual hotel part. It was a shame J couldn't share the beauty of it with me...although I know he wouldn't be down with the heat. Thank goodness for air conditioning. I needed a sweater in my conference rooms. Brrr. Go figure.


Rabbits everywhere, very cute, small with big ears. They were fun to watch.


But the best part about the whole trip was that I was able to reconnect with an old friend. It has been 10 years since I roomed with a girl named Angela. THis, when I decided to move across the country for a term, see another part of America and take classes at a different university. I ended up at Northern Arizona University (Go Lumberjacks! ) in Flagstaff, AZ.


This was an incredible adventure that I got to go on and Arizona will always have a place in my heart. Last time I saw Angela was 8 years ago when J & I moved from Rhode Island to Oregon and took a 2 month roadtrip to do it. We stopped in Flag, where Ang was finishing up school and visited for a while. Turns out we had some Exoploder, I mean Explorer repairs so this was one of the stops where we stayed the longest. We kept touch via mail for a couple years and eventually lost touch. When I found out I was going to Scottsdale I immediatly thought of Ang since that is her home of origin. I had her parents info but the phone number didn't work (little did I know that the greater Phoenix/Scottsdale area had changed their area code ). I did internet searches and discovered you can find out a lot of stuff about people if you are willing to pay for it...kinda scary. But to no avail, every number I found, even one for her brother turned up a dead end. So I gave up for a few days and then decided that I would make one last attempt and send a card to her parents address and see if it would work. Nothing. More than a week went by so I lost hope.


Monday morning, day of trip, at the airport telling my colleague this very story and how I wished I had found my friend and then with15 minutes til boarding the plane, like it was meant to be, voilla, my phone rings , it is Angela!!!! Yay!

We made contact! And we got to see each other several times and hang out. She took me on a hike that embarrasingly kicked my ars!


Pinnacle Peak

What you can't see in this illusional picture is the second ascent/descent on the other side that is the contnuation of the trail to its endpoint where you turn around and do the double ascent/descents again. This was 6:30 in the morning, but let me tell you it pretty darn hot already and I would bet that by the time my sorry butt made it back to start it was 90 degrees already.


AZ Wildlife...Mr. Lizard, biggest one I have seen in the wild.

Gardens and Summer Music

Our front yard has begun its full transformation with the addition of some grass. Mind you this was a while ago. I will post a real time picture update next thing.

The little quail family and the glow ball...

Well this is the first real flower that began to bloom in our slow to grow garden, a pretty purple/dark blue delphinium, but I forgot to rotate the picture first and now can't delelte it to fix it, so you'll have to cock your head to the side...sorry

Well, Gregg might have started the summer music season off, but his musical magic was under a roof with walls. Leave it to one of my favorites, the Indigo Girls to begin the outdoor summer music jam!

20 years later and Emily and Amy are still rockin. They will always be not only some of my favorite singer/songwriters but also some of my favorite harmonizers!

I had this picture zoomed in better but for some reason I can't get it to save...ay yi yi.
Anyway this is one of the outdoor gigs here- get this, it is at a gym...some fancy pants athletic club that has an outdoor space perfect for small live shows and to my surprise there are a lot of shows I am signed up with tickets to see there...the other place we have is an ampitheatre, still smaller scale but obviously much bigger with perhaps bigger acts, it is ironic there aren't as many shows I will be attending there- although I am really hoping to catch the Gambler, Kenny Rogers there at the end of September! Although, has anyone seen him lately? I hope he has sued his plastic surgeon cuz he looks freaky, not like the Kenny I grew up with or saw in 99'. Yikes! Another reason I need to go- so I can see this for myself!

Saw an artist new to my friend and I, Jonatha Brook, the other night, it was good, she's an eastcoaster, nice voice, writing and playing talent, but we didn't know the music, it was getting cold and Bonnaroo was broadcasting live, and Widespread Panic was playing -so needless to say we retreated to the homefront to get warm and jam out. Two live shows in one night, not a bad deal.

Next up, The Neville Brothers July 6th, a first for J & I, so we are really looking forward to it.

May everyone enjoy the universal language of music and the way it can make you feel or make you move. There is really nothing quite like it! Rock on.

The Beach

Ahh, how I love the beach, the smell of that salt water, the feel of it in my hair. I had the pleasure of visiting mama ocean a few weekends ago with my girlfriend. Silly enough, though I walked the beach with my camera I fogot to take a picture of her, I guess the weather was blahzay so I was uninspired. However, we did encounter a gull who was good at catching starfish and was trying to make a meal out of some, although you could tell they were sort of heavy for him. One guy was missing an arm, lucky for him it will grow back. Of course, if I had a better camera I coulda zoomed in and got a great shot..ho hum. The money I had been saving for that new camera took me to the beach instead, a good compromise at least.

The weekend did not go unphotod however, thanks to my cell phone.

We spent the day exploring Yaquina Lighthouse and beach and then went in to downtown Newport and perused the shops and took in the bait and warf smells...and then we heard a comotion and low and behold- sea lions- napping and barking, at least 20 of them just below the street.



And of course the main reason that brought us to the beach in the first place...Gregg.

Mr. Allman and Friends were playing at Chinook Winds in Lincoln City and we had nearly front row seats!!! I took lots of pictures on my phone and only one really came out and the zoomed version is too blurry...bummer...imagine if I had that new camera!! We'd be able to count his wrinkles!! He looked great though, the skinniest I have ever seen him except for pictures from when he was young. His voice was amazing and melted me into my chair on several occasions including accoustic Melissa (with a sax player too! oh my!) and a beautiful stripped down version of Dylan's Just Like a Woman, with Gregg on vocals and his Hammond B. He is truly still rocking after all these years! (Although we won't mention that the show was only a mere hour and a half- as someone (JB) said "old man+ casino = short show". Oh well I still love ya Gregg and I hope to see you with the Brothers sooner than later, it has been too long!!




And the road goes on forever...

The Face of a Monkey

Today we got to go out and play at Smith Rock State Park-this place has over 1000 climibng routes and truly is a climbing mecca. We decided to take a hike around the place to scope out all the climbing and catch some great views. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, nice breeze...a waterfall along the way...

Monkeys face in the distance...

We saw otters! Our first ones in the wild! Three of them swimming and snacking in the Crooked River along the trail! If we had a better camera we would defintely have pictures! Oh well. We heard there were snakes on the trail but we never saw any... we walked around the south side of Smith Rock along the river instead of taking the shortcut over Asterisk Pass. Little did we know what lied on the other side...Misery Ridge. They call it this for a reason!

At least there are rewards for the journey... a great close up of Monkey's Face, it really is quite amazing, especially watching people climb it. The view was unbelievable, everything from Mt. Hood to Mt. Bachelor ...if we had a better camera we would surely have pictures of the snow capped beauties...oh well...we got Monkey's Face...

A good afternoon in the high desert!

Black Butte

Happy Easter everyone! We spent our day hitting a trail for the first time this year. We decided to do an old volcano called Black Butte which is just out past a town called Sisters like 30-40 minutes away. J has actually been working out at Black Butte Ranch now for months doing jobs at several "summer" homes. Anyway, we invited my friend Amy and her dog Jack to join us and off we went.
Now mind you this was only a two mile hike to the summit- but with a steep gain to just over 6300 feet.

Our timing was fabulous becasue the rain came in shortly after we finished and by the next day the whole Butte was covered with the white stuff!
The next day not only brought snow but also aching muscles- whoa, did we feel the burn! I think we are starting to realize what happens to your bodies as you get older!

Anyway the view from the top wasn't as fantabulous as it is supposed to be- 360 degrees of Cascade Mountain beauty and beyond...but instead it was kinda cloudy so only a handful of mountains and buttes were out. As a result we do not have the pictures that we hoped to have from the top...but here we are anyway...





Now we need to hit the trails hard so we can go back on a clear sunny day- conquer her- and also get some radical pictures! (I am saving for a new camera so we can actually take good pictures, finally!)

Anyway I can't reiterate how much we really love where we live, such a short drive in any direction to experience nature at its best!

Yeah Spring!

Well it looks like our perrenials made it through their first Central Oregon winter! Buds are popping everywhere...the bearded iris', the japanese iris'. the peonie, the daylily's and the stella doras! So exciting! and who knows how the rest will fair...the lady's mantle, the daisies, the lupine??? Only time will tell...yeah for spring! We can't wait to see where all those beautiful colors end up...



First signs of new life...

A neighborly gift brought the first punch of color to the front porch!

Starting to see the return of wildlife too...butterflies, birds...can't wait for the first sign of hummers! I think I will put a feeder up in another month or so. We put up a mixed seed feeder this past weekend, still need to restock the sunflower seeds and suet. Yeah Spring!

It's a Boy!

We're gonna have a nephew! Just got word that my brother and his wife are going to have a boy! ETA: July 30th

And what do you know my best friend is having a boy too! ETA: July 7th

Wow- it will be raining baby boys! How fun to shop for babies- it has been a while...

Congrats you guys - I can't wait to find out what you will name the little buggers!

Anxiety and Relief

Just wanted to send out good thoughts and wishes for those Central Floridians who are suffering the devastating consequences of the early Friday morning tornado.

Friday was filled with lots of anxiety between J and I as we worried and wondered about our loved ones. We knew Mom and Dad were "OK", but what about their house, what about the aunts and uncles? What an awful feeling as we watched the news stories and pictures that littered the news and internet. Those houses were too familiar and we were scared. May we never have to fight with jammed phone lines again or have to listen to the frustrating emergency beep telling us there has been an emergency in the area and phone lines are down.

Turns out Tessie the Tornado (do they name tornados like they do hurricanes? Well, they should) touched down a mere mile and a half away from the B house of residence- too close for comfort!
Thank the good sprits and angels that all is well and the house & its inhabitants did not take a surprise detour to Kansas. Relief.

But not everyone was so lucky and I send my love, strength and positive energy out in hopes for a quick recovery and rebuilding. And I count my blessings for our families' safety.

Good ole' Rhody

The Atlantic Coastline is always a treat. Then again isn't every coastline!

What a trip to go back to Rhode Island. Last time John and I were there was summer 2002, things sure do change. A lot is different, a lot is the same. I really did love living there, but I also wanted to experience different places, so... It was definetly a walk down memory lane. We each got to share different college stories and instances because although we knew each other then, we still had our own things going on. J also got to represent as he gave me a tour of where he grew up, he couldn't believe how things had changed. We had a lot of fun!

The wedding was fabulous. Certainly a great party, good food, dancing and a happy bride and groom. Congratulations Eddie and Judy!

Old friends and old bars and restaurants are pretty hard to beat too. The Mews, I love ya but what happened?

Got to visit with my dear freinds Angie and Mike and meet their beautiful little children. I hate that we cant hang out more often.

Bummer about the Patriots, but it was good to be watching from home turf!

Yeah for Willow Tree Chicken Salad! Eddie, remember quarterly shipments!

The very north end of the beach pictured below, Narragansett Beach, is where it all began for J and I one gorgeous sunset evening walk on June 6th, 1998. We had hoped to get the chance to go for a walk on this visit, but 40 mile an hour winds kept us on the sidelines. Maybe next time.

And of course the famous towers and adjacent Coast Guard House (yummy shrimp cocktail and frozen cocktails on the ocean sum up many summer afternoons). The sea wall which can be seen in the first picture, runs by here and is a great spot for sunrises, bike rides and picnics.

Sweet memories.

Reflections

Happy New Year!

And wowzers what a year 2006 was. We made a major life change and made it through unscathed. We are both happier then ever with regards to where we are and what we are doing. Portland just never gave us that. So it was nice to have our first new year in our new home.

Of course along the way we have had some snow and a visiting buck grazing along as he passed through our back yard.

I hope for everyone to get to enjoy a bit of peaceful nature this year more often than not and may you all have a joyous, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year!

Sunny Florida

I can't believe we were just in Florida only days ago. Florida 80 Bend 30 - Wow!
It is good to be back though. We had a really good time and it was great to see family.
We ate lots of Moms good cooking, hung out, and relaxed.

Golfing was a highlight- a first for both J & I. We did pretty darn good too!
I have to admit I am bummed it is so expensive because I could be hooked! We don't need any other expensive hobbies.

Only got to swim once cuz the weather cooled and clouded over some the last few days of our stay. But of couse our one trip to the pool ended in me getting attacked by fire ants on my right foot. I still have one big bite that doesn't want to go away.

Christmas in Florida has a whole different feel to it but it was fun to watch people decorate their homes and yards and palm trees. And lets just say that The Villages is a pretty unique place in itself and all those retired folk have got it pretty good there ! Nightly concerts in the square, 27 executive golf courses (several more professional courses), a couple bowling alleys, umpteen pools and rec centers, clubs and sports leagues, any restuaurant or store you could need- all golf cart accessable! Pretty cool!

Until next time Florida...Hope to see Mom and Dad on our turf next!

Winter Wonderland

Wow- well it certainly has been a while since I could get to sit at the computer and check in with everyone, let me tell ya that things sure have been different in our household in the past month !

Since last we met we had a pumpkin carving party at our neighbors. Ours are on each end, the big ghostly one and the smallest feline one.

We had our first snow storm a couple weeks ago and for 24 hours it felt like New England- we bundled up and went for a walk, of course the only people out in the streets, came home and made hot cocoa and it felt like old times. Well, now it has snowed everyday for a week, I have been driving in 4 wheel drive now for a couple days and J had his first plow hell in a 14 hour shift just last night. Here is a picture of our first snow storm.



Our new addition, Minou aka Pricilla (we discovered she really does know her pound name), was certainly a lot of hard work at first and tiring- keeping seperate kittys in one house- and Minou who was very sick and was very contagious so we had to be careful, and of course there has been the medicine, lots of medicine- the poor thing. But she is a champ we love her to pieces but she is still little Miss Sneezy! Her and Mocha have finally clicked and we can rest easier about that too!
Oh and look- surprise- Mocha in a bag !




Well we are off to Florida for a week- the sun will be an intersting change particularly after what J just went through! It will definetly be nice to see family! Ho Ho Ho

Welcome Minou!

We are now a family of four with our new adoption of a beautiful Tabico- We call her Minou! She is in quanratine right now and it is a bit of a bummer but everyone is doing just fine and we are hoping to let the new sisters meet next weekend!





She doesn't stay very still right now and our camera has an awful delay so we are working on getting more pictures...

Mocha in a...

Mocha in a handbag...




Mocha in a cube...(this photo was about a month ago)

Mocha in a paper bag...

What will Mocha be in next?

Miss Mocha

Surprising as it is to everyone, including me, I have turned into a "cat lady" within the past year.

It began quite innocently with some neighbor cats...

Whitey and Sweet Pea


Then on a cold December day I came home from work and fell in love with a scrawny little Mocha and it has been an amazing relationship ever since...






These are some of the earliest photos we have of her, we lost a lot of the pictures from the first few months we had her (cheap camera). We think she was about 5 months when we rescued her. Her unofficial official birthday then is December 15, J's birthday! It was the perfect day to bring her into our home and hearts! We just recently celebrated her unofficial official birthday of One year on July 15th! She is awesome! Stay tuned for some fun and more current photos of Mocha soon!

Rufous Vs. Anna

Oh sweet hummingbirds! Once they finished painting our house a couple weeks ago I was able to put up my hummingbird feeders at our new home! We had seen a glimpse of one prior to getting the feeders up so I was really anxious to get them up to see if we did have some local resident hummers. Well let me tell you it took just one day, and they found both feeders! And they have been here everyday since! One feeder is outside our bedroom window and off the back porch, the other is off the dining room window. The first morning of feeding began right at 7:00, I thought "how sweet", the next morning they were here at 5:30 am- 15 minutes before J's alarm goes off- he was actaully cursing the little things, not so sweet anymore- they have been arriving every morning since at 5:30- I am used to it now and I think J is too. We have two pairs I believe and I think they are pretty young cause the males don't look fully colored yet. It was such a surprise that they could be so loud. We had daily hummers at our place in Portland too but they didn't make half as much noise as these guys. Once I started watching them I relaized they are a differeent species of hummingbird. In Portland we had Anna's visit us regularly, I even rescured one once! But here in Bend we have Rufous regulars- so I began to wonder the differences between the two- other than color and obviously sound and here is what I discovered...

Female Rufous...

Male Rufous...

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

Often described as "feisty," the Rufous may have the ideal size-to-weight ratio among North American hummingbirds. This bird outflies all other species, and usually gets its way at feeders at the expense of slower, less-maneuverable hummers. The Rufous has the longest migration route of all US hummingbirds.
Physical DescriptionAverage weight: male 3.22 g, female 3.41 g. Females are larger than males.
PlumageAdult male: Non-iridescent rufous crown, tail, and sides; back may be rufous, green , or some of each; bright orange-red gorget, white breast. Green-backed Rufous cannot be reliably separated from Allen's in the field without extensive experience and a good view of the spread tailfeathers through a scope.Adult female: Green back and crown, white breast, streaked throat, rufous sides and base of tail feathers, white tips on outer tail feathers. Very similar to female Allen's and Broad-tailed.
DistributionObserved in every state and province except Hawaii, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. There was even one very unusual report from extreme eastern Siberia! The Rufous is the most widely-distributed hummingbird in North America. Winters in Mexico and possibly Panama.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Anna's is the most common hummingbird in southern California, and one of only three species that are permanent residents of the US or Canada (Allen's and Costa's are the others). Unlike most other hummers, Anna's has a (minimal) song.
Physical DescriptionAverage weight: male 4.31 g, female 4.07 g. The Anna's is the largest hummingbird seen on the west coast.
PlumageAdult male: Metallic green back, dark rose-red crown and gorget, grayish breast.Adult female: Green back, grayish-white breast, white throat with some red spots, white tips on outer tail feathers.Juveniles: Young of both sexes look like the adult female, but may have unmarked throats.
DistributionObserved in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and British Columbia (resident on Vancouver Island).

I was unsuccessful at my uploads of male and female anna's pictures...but if you are interested please visit www.hummingbirds.net and you can learn more just like I did!

Now I understand what all the noise is about- feisty critters! Well I love having regular humming visitors, they are such a joy to watch! I encourage all of you to take the time to feed some hummingbirds!

My two favorite kids in the whole world!

I am so excited that now my two favorite kids in the whole world now have their own blog too! We dont get to see each other much so this brings us a little bit closer. I did have the pleasure of spending a few glorious days with them this spring and here a some pictures from my trip... I was also lucky enough to see my best friend too...here we all are..




and with Mom...





I love you guys!! and I miss you!!

The Gerrard AT6 Mark II and the Masterwork M-1716

We have just rediscovered music and it is rocking!

It has been a long time since I played a 33, at least15 years but I am thinking maybe even 17 or 18.

We are having so much fun with our new, old phonograph and its mint condition speakers and wooden case. I scored at the thrift store! We had been looking for a piece of furniture for this one wall, and we have always had it in our minds to find an old record player somewhere ( cant believe we got rid of the ones we had as teenagers!) so anyway this became a two for one- it serves as functional and fun!

Now we have a reason to sort through the used record bins at the Goodwill and I can help my mom get the hundereds of albums I inheritied from my late great Uncle Winnie out of her spare room and onto our turntable!! You see the catch, as most of you know, is that those albums are in Maine so the transporting part is not as easy as I would like it to be. Not easy, nor cheap but I will hopefully start getting regular shipments.
Furhter, I need to find one of those middle pieces that you use to convert the player to play 45's, because I have a 45 collection that was my dads from like the 50's and 60's that I listened to all the time as a child and sprouting adolescent .

A few notes about old records- they sometimes have posters and stickers inside- I am on the hunt for something way cool! Also as I learned last week - double check the record inside the sleeve before purchasing- not only can it be scratched beyond belief and likely unplayable, but upon further examination, not even the album or the band that I thought I was getting ready to play! Fleetwood Mac Rumours does not equal Glen and Bruce's Christmas Jamboree!

My most favorite score as of yet is one that is tantalizing my ears right now- Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits- for a buck!
What an awesome record- I know and love every word! I will never forget the night I got to hear all those tunes live from the man himself in Memphis TN- Sept 99- It was phenomenal and I'm not ashamed to say that I cried...love you Mr. Gambler!

Vinyl will forever live on in the B household!