House Lights

Here's the finished product:

       

Friday Afternoon Lights

That afternoon Coach, Mike, Denise, and I, accompanied by Dale (friend/business partner of Bobbins' father) headed to Tempe for the ASU-UCLA game.  It was senior day for the Devils, and the only notable future Devil graduate was kicker Thomas Weber (who's had a terrible year).  Dale played for ASU in the early 1960s, under legendary coach Frank Kush, and had many stories of his college career to share.  Because of his access and knowledge of the team, he also has unique insights into what's happening on and off the field.  It's a down year for both teams, particularly UCLA.  Tempe-bred Rick Neuheisel has not done well coaching the Bruins.

The Devils came out sluggish and made several bad mistakes, giving UCLA a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.  ASU QB Steven Threet suffered his second concussion of the season toward the end of the quarter.  Second stringer Brock Osweiler quite ably stepped in, providing a much-needed spark, leading the team downfield and throwing 3 TD passes to go into halftime up 21-20.  UCLA kept it a little close after that, but a 99 yard Devil run-back after a UCLA touchdown put the game out of reach.  Osweiler was impressive, throwing 5 TD passes and rushing for one.  Vontaze Burfict was flagged for another 15 yard penalty, probably unfairly.  The officiating, on both sides, disappointed again.  It seems like the ref's have to be involved in every play.  I come to watch the players make plays, not the ref's intervene at every step.  At any rate, it was a nice way to end the season at home and send the seniors out.  To top it off, UofA got annihilated by Oregon Friday night.  I hope they lose their 4th straight this Thursday in the Territorial Cup.  Go Devils!

Dale makes his way up to our row and surveys the field pre-game.

              

Friday Morning Lights

Early Friday morning Coach and I put the lights on the house and yard.  Thanks to Grandpa for giving us some extra goods, especially a nice timer.

           

MM and her Nana T went shopping together in their boots.

T Day Bocce

After dinner some of us headed outside for some bocce.  It was Ernie and Bobbins (green) versus Paul and Mike (red).  It was Paul's first time playing, and he had some beginner's luck, winning two points on his last throw to win 11-9.

        

         

Olden is wise enough to know those heavy balls hurt, so he gnawed on his bone.  You can also see our garden is hanging in there.  We've actually gotten a number of peppers and that baisley is still going strong.

Ernie earned one point on this round.

        

T Day

Bobbins, assisted by Norma, Ernie, and Denise, prepared a wonderful meal for us.  The turkey was moist and the homemade stuffing (Bobbins' mom's special recipe) delicious.  I learned the professional chef's way of carving and slicing the meat.

            

L to R: Coach, Terri, Paul, MM, Bobbins, Bikes, Norma, Ernie, Denise, Mike









Post-dinner clean-up, Josie put-down, and stocking knitting

              

81 and kicking-the Ocod (original cool old dude)

The big Ern is, after my own grandparents, my favorite. He and his bride of 58 years bring so much joy to my life. They have stories, memories, and wisdom that is priceless. The importance of family and laughter are put first and foremost when in their company.

We celebrated his 81st birthday on the 24th.  

     

                                         

    

    

For Nana

"I only correct you because I love you"

Stop the TSA from Touching Our Junk

Charles Krauthammer's recent column, with customary incisive wit, echoes my feelings perfectly.  The charade the TSA is subjecting us to isn't about security but about political correctness.  I'm not flying around Thanksgiving but I hope the informal protest is a success.  Stop the TSA's unconstitutional searches!

An excerpt from the column:
Don't touch my junk is the anthem of the modern man, the Tea Party patriot, the late-life libertarian, the midterm election voter. Don't touch my junk, Obamacare - get out of my doctor's examining room, I'm wearing a paper-thin gown slit down the back. Don't touch my junk, Google - Street View is cool, but get off my street. Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon - my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut job preparing for my 72-virgin orgy by blowing my johnson to kingdom come?

SF Wkend 6: Reception

We hustled back to the hotel from the city, cleaned up, and made our way over to the Oceano for the reception.

       
Bobbins with Rajiv's father, KC.  She -loved- him.  He is a cool guy, and gave a great impromptu toast (especially given it was his late wife's/Rajiv's mother's birthday).

      

Someone drank a lot . . .

          

           

Overall, great food, good DJ, dancing, fabulous time.

The next day, Sunday, was a lovely brunch with the newlyweds, then a nice drive back to San Jose.  Our plane was delayed and we were dying to see the girls.  We finally made it home about 5:30pm.  The girls met us in the terminal which was a nice surprise (thanks Dad).

SF Wkend 5: San Fran

Fri. Night we had a nice evening with Rajiv, Jean, and the other guests.  They ordered pizza, beer, and soda and we all hung out in the main room of the Inn.

After a good run in the gym Sat. morning (rained out outside), Bobbins and I made our way into San Fran, without a plan but ready for adventure.

             

You can make out Alcatraz in the background

                       

From Hyde St. Pier, we rode the trolley to Union Square.

                   

We made our way back on foot, stopping at a cafe for a wonderful lunch.  As luck would have it, a gallery near Ghirardelli Square had a display of Dalí works, which was fitting after my recent lesson plan.

         

             

Yes, we drove down it.

Bobbins decided SF was her new favorite American city.  We both decided we'd love to return someday, again without the girls, for a long wkend.  It was a blast.