www.briefcase.com

I've thought many times of replacing Lee's briefcase with a newer and nicer model and went to www.briefcase.com to shop. It seems this is more of an attache than a briefcase and I couldn't decide. It does seem a shame to get rid of the archeological dig of stickers that make up the sides - stickers from places like Germany, Santa Cruz and NASA. How do you top that?

Race Season

It's horse racing season in San Diego and that means the blue and gold colors are flying everywhere. Interesting that this flag says Solana Beach - it should say Del Mar.

Hey! It's the Arnold Palmer game!

Really? The Arnold Palmer game?
Lee had it as a kid and now also as an adult. A consignment store discovery and he was practically jumping up and down to get home and unwrap it's original packaging. The Arnold Palmer game consists of a a tiny gray haired Arnold Palmer at the end of a pole with a trigger. Pull the trigger and Arnie swings. He comes with a few essential clubs, including a driver and a putter, but no caddy or cart. Lee batted a few balls under the sofa and a few more at Darby. Wait until Will comes home and sees the Arnold Palmer game! I see hours of golfing fun.

Here we are in Carlsbad!

Who knew there was a PF Chang in Carlsbad? Lee and I battled traffic to UTC, valet parked to save time, and proceded to search for Meryle-who was, in fact, at the Carlsbad restaurant. After a series of humorous emails and texts, we retrieved our car from it's 4 minute valet prison, and made our way to the correct restaurant - and only an hour late! Happy Birthday Meryle!

A Favorite Place

South Cardiff Beach is spacious, quiet, and relatively empty most of the time - just the way I like it! Too bad the water is 61 degrees!

New Year, New Class

It's day 3 and everything is clean and still in it's proper place - I wonder how long it will last?

Surfing Lesson

Malibu Barbie gives little sister, Skipper, a surf lesson. Late in the afternoon, the waves were small but very powerful and knocked Skipper around quite a bit. She was a trooper and got back up again and again. Do you think Moondoggie met them for shakes after?

Darby vs Miracle

Darby doesn't go outside (unless we are sitting on the front steps with him) and Miracle knows it. He comes right up to our back window and meows his disdain at the indoor cat. Our cats go beserk, but lately, they just sit and look each other in the eye. We still don't let them meet face to face - the two worlds must never meet.

Souvenir from Australia

Who knew a giant inflatable yellow and green kangaroo wearing boxing gloves would be the hit of the afternoon? Thanks, Auntie Kathi!

High Tide in OB

It's hard to sit on the beach to watch the sunset when there's no beach! The havurah gang headed out after dinner with towels and blankets in hand, but opted to watch the sunset from the top of the stairs instead.

The Perfect Prop

Yes, Michelle...it WAS perfect, and on so many levels. I thought the baby fire truck was a nice touch, too.

More Darby love

He's so cute when he flops over and "murps".

America's Finest City

Went to get my haircut and found this view as I was driving home through Point Loma. I've lived here for years and still am struck by how gorgeous the city can be. SD on the left, Coronado Bridge on the right, Liberty Station and naval housing in the front. Top it off with blue sky and rain clouds over the mountains and it's one beautiful place.

Taken Over

We always knew Darby totally ruled us, but now that we know his time is limited - we have completely caved into him. Want a treat? Sure. Want to be brushed? OK. Want a pony? What color? We've all become willing slaves to the beast.

New Toy

No, not the i-phone - we have Verizon and we're not willing to switch. But we did cave into the whole "app" idea and buy an i-touch. We sort of like the idea of having mobile internet to instantly answer such burning questions such as "where's the nearest shoe store?" or "what kind of plant is good in shade?" When you need to know, you need to know now.

2:16:32 Personal Best TIme!

I thought it was a dream, but no...there I was at the finish line with Jeanne and we were wearing our Triple Crown medals. We had made our way 13.1 miles down the hill from Cabrillo monument, through Point Loma and Harbor Island, back around the harbor and up a killer hill downtown to finish in Balboa Park. The best part was running across the bridge at the Prado, seeing all the American flags and hearing so many people cheer on the runners. Last year, I had decided running ONE half marathon would be an achievable goal, and now, I've run 3. Thanks, Jeanne, for being my partner in fitness and/or insanity. Bring on the ice packs!

Don't worry, Rance...

Went to a wonderful restaurant in Escondido called Hacienda de Vega with the Chickadees to celebrate Janet's birthday. Fancy Rancy made an appearance, but the real Rance need not worry - we love our real poodle!

Useless Bay

Called Useless Bay because the water is very shallow and as the tide goes out, boats are left beached in the sand. It's also in a posted tsunami zone. We thought it deserved a nicer name - maybe Driftwood Bay or Wooded Bluff. Oh well, the sand was warm, the driftwood was interesting and I collected lots of shells. Not so useless after all.

Deception Pass

We wondered where the bridge could be. We were sure we were in the right place. The fog swirled around - and then all of the sudden, the bridge emerged from the fog. The sky never became perfectly clear during the time we were on the beach, but what a gorgeous surprise!

Forest Elephant

I was tired, hungry, been in the car for hours...and then the hallucinations began. I had already seen giant banana slugs, a troll under the bridge, a working phone booth, and now, a forest elephant. At least he wasn't pink.

Now I've seen everything!

Seattle is a gorgeous town - stellar views of the Puget Sound and islands beyond, striking skyline, excellent shopping, interesting museums and walking tours. We love the weird, off the beaten track stuff, so of course we went to see the troll under the Aurora Bridge, the giant statue of Lenin, the first Starbucks and Nordstrom, and...the gum wall. Fascinating and disgusting at the same time, it's well - a wall of gum. And yes, it's as gross as it sounds...

Watch out, Slugs!

We find banana slugs everywhere we go on our walks. They are at least as long as my hand, slimy, oozy, gross. Lee and his slug poking stick are on their way to making the world a safer place - one slug at a time.

Chicken Lickin' Good

Well, the chicken LOOKED like chocolate, and the store is called "Chocolate Farm" or something like that.
Lick the chicken...Lick the chicken...

Virtual Work

Found a cool application on the Sherwin Williams paint site. I can change the color of my living room simply by clicking on the paint palette. I really want to repaint the living room, but I hate the actual painting process. I forget about prep and trim and am disgusted with all the work after about 10 minutes. The paint app amused me for about half an hour. Perhaps one day I'll actually paint the room, but this will do for now.

Sunshine Kitty

Don't you just love a kitty napping in the sunshine? In a little while, this same kitty will be snoozing on the sofa, and later - under the bed. "How lovely it is to do nothing, and take a nap afterward". I'm not sure who gets the credit for the quote, but it sure is perfect for a cat's life.

More Darby

Prepare yourself for a multitude of pictures of Darby...

Extraordinary Desserts

The perfect lunch from Extraordinary Desserts on 5th Avenue - Lee had the chocolate lava bomb indulgence washed down with a frosty cold glass of milk. I chose a lovely creme brulee carrot cake that totally defied words. Rose petals, caramel creme and mango sauce...wow. Washed it down with a glass of sparkly rose lemonade - perfect. I wonder what's for lunch tomorrow?

Swami's Beach

Swami's is a tiny surfer's beach in Encinitas at the bottom of 140 + stairs. Surrounded by high bluffs and hindered by insufficient parking, it's still a great beach to bring a chair and sit for a while. Notice no one in the water today, Aug 3 - the air temp is 69 and the water is 63. The clouds took over after about 30 minutes - maybe the sun will come out tomorrow. It's only a day away.

Darby Cat

Our funny Darby is a character and full of personality. He's outgoing, sociable and friendly and he's definitely in charge of a party. He likes being with the crowd, often sitting on a little stool that we bring out just for him. He started losing weight a few months ago - down from 15 to 12 pounds, and was having trouble breathing. He's been to the vet a number of times and is officially a sick little kitty with fluid around his heart. We're focusing on making him as comfortable as possible so he can continue being his happy kitty self for a little longer.

Happy Birthday Jeanie!

Jeanie had a birthday celebration and her son, Ry, was in his element - chopping, dicing, cooking a delicious Brazilian chicken stew with rice. Will stands very nicely in the kitchen, drinking a beer and offering suggestions. I wonder if Ry is available for my birthday party?

Cicciotti Happy Hour

We're all home (for the moment) from our various trips and we celebrated with a quick happy hour at Cicciotti. First, we walked to the open house up the street - an enormous double gated compound of a mansion complete with waterfall pool, game room, cabana with outdoor kitchen, and according to Diane - lacking in closet space.

One Fat Cat

Madeline just gets more and more round as she gets older. Her belly sways back and forth as she walks and when she sits up, she resembles a triangle. She doesn't eat that much but her main source of exercise is being chased by Darby. Still, her life is very good these days.

So You Think You Can Dance

Michelle, Kris and I made the trip up to LA to see the results show for SYTYCD. The show is live and it's so great to be able to see such talented dancers up close. The show used us as seat fillers and we had to move a few times, but our seats were great and we didn't have to stand at all.