Saturday, June 30, 2007
Posted at 11:54:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
That was GREAT. The fireworks were eXcellent. I didn't remember that they are that good! We had a superb view. The people who bought the Gs' house tried to show up while we were playing Uno in the dark, but they retreated when they saw Lex and our campfire. Ha, ha, ha!
We got to the lake at around 6:00, and walked over to the cottage lot to say hi to Uncle Randy and Aunt Mary Ellen (yes, I actually did it! I'm quite proud of myself). They had a big gang there, but the only one I'd heard of was Wanda. A.M.E. seemed to really appreciate that we'd come over. Both of them gave me a hug! (Aunt Mary Ellen asked if we were coming back on the 4th, and indicated that there weren't even going to be any fireworks today... but there still were, and they were really good ones, even if there weren't quite as many as on the real 4th. There were plenty!)
Then, as per our fantastic plan, we went on a bike ride around the lake (not around the whole lake, since that's impossible). We scoped it out last weekend. We went on Lake Drive, Crystal Pond Road (by the Buell's farm), and Camp Yankee Road. We didn't steal any rhubarb from the Gs' former garden, even though I wanted to. (No rhubarb knife in my bike basket.) (The garden looked like a wreck, by the way, other than the blueberry bushes. I did spot some rhubarb, though... I think it comes up no matter what.)
Cat Stats:
Trip distance = 4.19 miles
Average speed = 8.9 mph
Max speed = 27.9 mph (The hills were super fun!! I had to walk my bike a few times going up, though.) (Oh, and I even almost went the speed limit, since it was 30 mph on that road. :-)
Trip time = 28'08
There were a million instances of the should-be-state flower. (S.B.S. Flower = according to Jan).
After our bike ride, we had a huge feast on the deck of the outdoorim (using a Vila cooler and folding chairs we brought) (even though our Vila cooler doesn't look like a real Vila cooler). The picnic included: ham sandwiches on croissants (with ham/fake ham, swiss cheese, tomato, lettuce, sprouts, Grey Poupon and capers) (they were ingeniously constructed by me and were not at all soggy!), deviled eggs (specially requested by Dean as a 4th of July must-have) that I made look patriotic (sort of) by dying the yolk mixture with beet powder (it was actually more deep pink than red, but close enough), and resplendent icy-cold watermelon! We also had sparkling apple-pear juice but I forgot the champagne glasses at home, so we had to drink out of the bottle. For dessert while watching the fireworks, we had Yeahs and Pop Rocks (fireworks for the tongue), although we didn't actually eat any of the Pop Rocks (I'll have to bring them to N.C.).
Once dusk started to fall, I was a little cold, so we built a fire in the campfire spot. (There was already a bunch of wood there, so all I had to do was gather kindling.) It was nice and warm and campfirey smelling. We also had a toad pal who was hanging around the whole time during the 'works, rustling in the leaves off the side of the deck.
It was very peaceful and still at the lake, the fire was great (I love how it looks pink and orange in my photos), the bug spray was great (it smelled good, unlike the usual G kind!), and the toad was great.
And, Jan, I attempted cheats many many times during Uno-in-the-dark, but Dean still won anyway. :-( Finally I did a really blatant cheat (dealt myself lots of mean cards) and I won, but even that wasn't a shutdown. I must be losing my grip. (Or maybe not, since Dean's the biggest cardshark ever.) We used our oil lanterns to check whether the other guy was trying to pull the blue/green Uno-in-the-dark cheat (I usually was, but Dean was paranoid, so he always caught me and made me undo it). I asked Dean who would win if Avon and Vila played Uno, and he thought for a minute and then said, "Vila... but Avon would shoot him."
Here's a large version of the outdoorium photo, and the one of me at the corner of Camp Yankee Road with my hound. My new bike basket bag does look rather nifty. I guess I like it after all. :-)
Oh, I remember the #3 thing now! We listened to part of my Top 25 Most Played iTunes songs on the flight back in Tango, and it was 1) really good, 2) surprisingly varied, artist-wise, and 3) amazingly cohesive! It was kind of bizarre how well the songs went together, as if was a real playlist that I made up, instead of just a ranked thing.
Posted at 3:14:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
Current Top 25 Most Played songs (only on my iPod and computer--not in the car--so it's not a representive sampling of what I really listen to most. [I play CDs in my car, so iTunes doesn't know about them]):
1. Engadine's Dreamy Party - Albert Elms (Instrumental from The Prisoner soundtrack.) (It's so bizarre that this is #1. I really like that it is, though.)
2. (I am too embarrassed to reveal #2, aka my guilty pleasure)
3. Stars on the Water - Rodney Crowell (I discovered this song because Hunter S. Thompson loved it.)
4. Waltz of the Wind - Alison Krauss & Ledward Kaapana
5. Tell Ol' Bill - Bob Dylan (Tell Ol' Bill is my highest ranked Bob song?! That's so weird! Not that I don't love it.)
6. A Good Man - King Straggler (John Hawkes' band) (So high!? Wow.)
7. All La Glory (Early Version) - The Band (Surprising choice for highest Band song! Again, not that I don't love it.)
8. Will the Circle Be Unbroken - The Band (Really nice grouping, there.)
9. Oh Sister - Andrew Bird & Nora O'Connor (a Dylan cover) (I am a sicko and LOVE this song obsessively.)
10. Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni (MUD song!)
11. Everybody's Talking - Harry Nilsson (Theme from Midnight Cowboy, and on my Tango playlist.)
12. Christmas in Prison - John Prine (From Themetime Jail, and also on the Tango playlist. Love.)
13. Jokerman, alternative take - Bob Dylan (Haven't played it since January 2006, though.)
14. If I Had A Boat - Lyle Lovett (Another HST song.)
15. House of the Rising Sun ("electric") - Bob Dylan (I still don't understand how this got so highly ranked.)
16. Breathless - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (Another MUD song!)
17. High Water - Bob Dylan (Oooh. Good taste. This one surprises me.)
18. Born in Time - Bob Dylan (Newark, New Jersey, February 1, 1998 version. Transcendent.)
19. Girl From The North Country - M. Ward, Conor Oberst & Jim James (GREAT Dylan cover.)
20. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel ’Iz’ Kamakawiwo‘ole (Wow, I wouldn't have expected this one either...)
21. The Lonesome River - Bob Dylan & Ralph Stanley (?!)
22. End Of The Line (extended version) - Traveling Wilburys
23. Soul Deep - The Band (Should be higher!!)
24. Hog of the Forsaken - Michael Hurley (From the Deadwood soundtrack) (Ha!!)
25. 3rd Base, Dodger Stadium - Ry Cooder (From Themetime, and is on my Tango playlist. Excellent song for #25!)
"Orbit" is so great great GREAT great great!! Even Dean loved it. (He keeps evilly calling, "Oh Vila..." in Avonesque tones from the next room.) What I wouldn't give to see the deleted bits of hiding Vila sobbing while Avon stalks him!! I love LOVE "Orbit" from start to finish!
Posted at 2:36:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
P.S. Got a new coin for my Canadian collection today, as change from Stew's! It's a 1942 penny, with George VI on it. I had one from 1934 already, but it has a completely different maple leaf design on the tail, and a different head dude (George V)!
Friday, June 29, 2007
1) On the way back from Nancy's (in Stow, MA) we heard a dude getting yelled at by the Airforce for violating the Temporary Flight Restriction that's in effect because the President is visiting Kennebunkport!
Posted at 11:31:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
2) We saw a great fireworks show over the Stafford Motor Speedway! Flew over and circled around for a better view. It was fantastic! Lots of variety, including tons of big gorgeous showers/balls, plus those little fly guys that buzz off in different directions and whistle. (Not that we could hear the whistles from Tango...) I really like those. And it was such a beautiful, clear night... all the haze is gone. (For now, at least.) The full moon was amazing. I could even see the Man in the Moon's face!
3) I forget what the other thing was. Oh, maybe it was that Don at Nancy's acted super-happy to see us, and told us that he "brags" about us all the time to other customers! (Not sure why, exactly. We certainly seem to be popular with Don and Nancy, though!) There were multiple instances of families with little kids watching our plane through the fence (both when we landed and when we took off). They love it when you wave at them. :-)
4) Oh, yeah! Also: on my way to the airport, this dude in the next lane honked at me (in a friendly way) and waved excitedly like he knew me. I couldn't really see into the other car at first, because it was slightly behind me, but I hung back a bit so he could pull along side and I could try to figure out who it was, but that didn't help at all, because I'd never seen him before! I smiled and waved back, kind of confusedly, but I had no idea who it was. (Maybe someone who recognized me from ALB? Karl from West Berlin??) I felt like such a celebrity. :-) The guy's wife (I assume) was in the passenger seat, and she sort of looked like she thought he was nuts. :-) If it was an ALB reader, fess up!!
Posted at 2:23:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
I finished my basket bag but I'm not sure if I like it. The one I made for Dean is better. I do love LOVE all the material I used (I kept thinking things like "This is the BEST color combination ever!" while sewing it), including the strapping, the outer fabric and the striped lining (I used some of my Jan fabric for the lining!). Just looking at it feels like a treat for my eyes. But I don't know. I'm probably too perfectionistic because it's my bag. I just don't feel like it physically works as well as Dean's does. And, all the stuff Dean puts in his basket is very bag carry-able, but the stuff I put in mine isn't at all! His, with all the ingredients in it, transforms into a tote bag with ease, but mine feels all lumpy and awkward. I don't think I even need a bag in my basket. Dean says I need it just because it looks cool. And to keep small things from falling through. I guess he has a point there. I suppose I'll see how I like it when I actually use it. (The whole time I was working on it--over about three days--I kept wanting to make an everyday non-bike bag out of the same materials. Maybe I will... I do have just enough left, I think.)
On the other hand, "Gold" = best background music of all time. The Space Princess theme!
Posted at 12:08:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ooh, I liked "Sand" rather a lot, too. (Despite.) We're in the home stretch now.
Posted at 12:41:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dean says I should put a picture of my new basket bag on ALB and quote him as saying, "It looks like YOU!"
Posted at 10:27:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
[Edit: Here are the materials. It does kind of look like my brain.]
"Games" (last night) was quite enjoyable; much better than I expected/remembered. (Except that it should be called "Gambit." Except that "Gambit" was already called "Gambit" first.) Excellent Vila episode!
Posted at 2:59:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
I'm breaking in a new pair of huarache sandals, starting now! My originals (which I got in February, 2002, according to ALB!) are getting too painful to wear because the bottoms of the padded foot bed under the toes are all cracked and worn through, on both feet now. They still look pretty good on the outside, especially considering that I've accidentally stepped into tidepools, the flooded road, and our pond with them on. Sliding into my brand new kanban pair feels so warm and smooth... it's like a hug for my feet.
I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't bought an extra pair. (Or 2.)
Monday, June 25, 2007
Posted at 10:22:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
1) I wouldn't be surprised if I start going to Shrunkin' more often solely because I love their new straws so much. (Orange with bright pink stripes!)
2) I realised that I unconsciously/instinctively follow the two-second rule while driving. Yeah, when travelling at fast speeds (like on the highway), it's far enough back so that another car can sneak in between you and the car in front of you--but, unless you're trying to follow the guy in front of you and not get separated, so what?
3) I just found this on Zi. It's a head shot from Thursday when I was all brittle over losing the Land of Lincoln.
4) I liked "Assassin"! (Even though I remembered who the assassin secretly was.) Attractive (if wildly mercurial; it is the fourth season, after all) Avon episode, and we're getting fewer and fewer of those. (Messed up hair, and some nice, subtle expressions.) I also really liked Soolin! And, although Servalan annoys me more and more (too much of her, and it's crazy that no one has killed her yet), she looked great in that plain black dress. The transitions and background music in the fourth season are ridiculous.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
38th Voyage of the BWP Dragonfly
Posted at 10:37:00 PM by Laura W. Petix.
Taken at 4:56 pm. Conditions: Mid 70s, light breeze, mostly sunny. Very green, lush and overgrown.
Frog Tallywag: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII I = 21 frogs (including one leopard frog). Also, one BIG BLACK SNAKE!! and at least three large painted turtles. One of the painted turtles was pals with a frog, and they were hanging out together on some lily pads, having a big long conversation.
On the way to our land, we stopped at Kathy John's for lunch and a dish of peppermint stick ice cream with coffee mallow on top. NO rhubarb! :-( But the coffee mallow was good as a substitute. (Dean insisted on calling it "maple mallow" because he doesn't believe anything coffee flavored can be good.) Visiting Kathy John's felt very traditional summer-ish. I kept thinking of JMT.
After our land, we went on a reconnaissance mission re: our pre-4th of July weekend plan.
We think Kream 'N' Kone should be called Fish 'n' Fried. They barely even sell any cream or cones! (Not sure about "kream" or "kones," but I doubt they sell many of those either.) Not that we actually went to Kream 'N' Kone or anything. (But we did go near it.)
Posted at 12:44:00 AM by Laura W. Petix.
Full Rundown: 1) Flew to Chatham; 2) biked to town (= banks, real estate offices, fish joints, and antique stores) but first screeched to a stop at Chatham Bakery (motto: "Good Food Served Here!"); ate great sandwiches on oatmeal bread (which was the only choice because they were all out of every other bread, since it was almost 3:00 and the place was about to close, but that didn't matter because oatmeal bread was very soft and yummy) (Dean had the Veggie Sandwich, and I had a weird Cape Cod-lian chicken salad sandwich that had cranberries and walnuts in it); 3) biked to the Chatham-Harwich Municipal Trail (saw a million lobster traps), then to the Rotary (it was like a roundabout for bikes), where we took the turnoff for the Cape Cod Rail Trail ("CCRT") and biked until we reached a lake ("Pleasant Lake"); 4) biked back to the airport (did not stop at Kream 'N' Kone or Fish 'N' Fried); 5) scrammed from Cape Cod and took a slight detour to Block Island; landed and took a taxi to Bweel's; 6) ate stuff at Bweel's (it was grand! and we were the only dudes there), and walked around town; 7) flew home with a slight diversion to get a closer view of the fireworks show we were watching for nearly the entire flight home (we think it might have been in Branford or somewhere like that). It was a great show, and tonight was so clear! Lots of big red and white balls of 'works. The finale was insanely bright; 8) thought (quite gleefully) of an Evil Plan for the pre-4th of July weekend.
Other notes: 1) I was inexplicably tired/sleepy today (okay, maybe it's sort of plicable, since I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, but I don't know), but I finally woke up fully around 9 PM. I'm such a night owl. 2) I LOVE my new bike jacket/vest! It's perfect, and super-flexible; I kept switching it around, and was always a good temperature! 3) Dean's new bike bag is very, very cool, and also perfect. It functions beautifully, and is so DWP-esque looking. Mine will never match his in coolness! 4) We got more stares and comments about the hounds. The most common word employed by rubbernecking strangers to describe the hounds is "cool." 5) My eyes have felt H2SO4-esque all day.
Here's a photo of Dean's hound with accessories made by me: bagsket and new bag that fits in his bike basket. It can also come out and be carried by the straps like a tote bag, so you can go in a store or restaurant or to a beach or something and not leave your stuff out in your bike basket for someone to steal. Dean likes to carry it in his hand by the straps; I like to carry it on my shoulder; it works well either way. The foldy-over edge folds over the basket and keeps it in place, so it never slips down; it unfolds and refolds for easy removal. The corner seams have black bias binding for support on the inside, and the straps run all the way down the sides of the bag and underneath it, for extra strength/support, and also because it looks good. Here's Dean looking very spiffy with his hound, wearing his new screaming yellow vest (that's the real color name!).
Almost forgot. Cat Stats:
Trip distance = 20.85 miles (I sort of wimped out because I was tired, but that's actually not too shabby at all! I guess I wasn't as wimpy as I thought)
Average speed = 9.5 mph (this might be artifically high since I did some fun sprints where I zoomed super-fast; but, there were also a bunch of stop signs at road crossings, etc., so I guess it averages out pretty well this time)
Max speed = 36.8 mph (what???! no way! that can't be right. I'd believe 26, but 36 is impossible.)
Trip time = 2:11'10
