Out with the old, in with the new (chair)

It always amazes me what can fit in my new beetle. I mentioned this morning that it would be nice to get an accent chair that can form a conversation nook with the futon. Larry agreed! and thought it would be nice to have it portable enough to place in front of the TV. Good-bye butterfly chairs!

We checked out Consignment Classics in the Mission Hills/Middletown area. It’s a huge space with some nice quality furniture. Many larger sofas where as we were looking for a smaller chair. We broke up our search with lunch at Cafe India. It was a wonderful vegetarian (mostly vegan) buffet which reminded me why we don’t go to buffets (if the food’s too good, you eat toooo much!)


We then went to Karen’s Consignment Gallery in Point Loma which my friend Norm! recommended as better. It had a nice eclectic selection at our Ikea budget price. We chose an ultra-suede piece that holds up nice against anything the cats may send it’s way (claw marks don’t show). The gentlemen at the store carried it out and set it perfectly into the new beetle hatchback. In the condo, Percy and Wooster give it a big paw’s up!

Nikon CoolPix S6

Larry wanted a small camera to take with him and it was time to upgrade our 3-year-old (ancient in the digital camera world) Canon PowerShot S200 with 2.0 MP. Larry graciously let me make the final decision on the new one since it would primarily be my camera. We went to our local experts at George’s Camera to compare the features of cameras and get a feel for their ergonomics. I checked out the Canon models. Besides the larger display screens, it was basically the same camera, same features, same old interface. It just didn’t feel like a new camera, but it was weird switching to Nikon. It’s not like I’m a registered Canon user and am switching parties like I’m changing my fundamental beliefs; it’s just a camera.

I chose the Nikon CoolPix S6 primarily because it has no external lens! It feels more responsive when just a little shutter flies open versus a lens having to extend (the most vulnerable component, most likely to need repair). There’s virtually no sound when the camera zooms in and out.

At first I was gobsmacked when I saw the clunky docking station and cables to upload pictures and recharge the camera. Gadzooks, all the cables versus a small wall plug-in to charge the battery. But then, I realized that this is another feature to reduce wear and tear as I do not need to open the camera to remove the battery for recharging. I could buy a third-party product to charge the battery externally and a USB card reader. More clutter! I’ll just build a sweet docking area to hide all the cables for our mobile world (cell phones, cameras). It’s the camera that one uses all the time whose functionality should be most important. After a month, I’m still very happy with my purchase. Here’s my last picture with the old Canon. Notice this quality of the pictures on this site from this point forward!

Trip back East: Peeps

We had a wonderful visit with Larry’s parents in New Hampshire. We visited in the complex. We went out for lunch at two or three, no two, of the vegan-friendly establishments in the area. Thank goodness for the new franchise, Panera Bread, with their salads and veggie sandwiches. Heart patients take note: their French Onion soup and Chicken Caesar salad is very high in sodium.

Having gone out to eat at nearly every meal with Larry’s parents, we were willing to pay my parents NOT to go out to eat. We had wonderful salads and fruits on the porch, supplemented by artisan breads. We were able to keep some semblance of a routine with walks to the public boat launch and back (about 2 miles, or is it one mile round trip?) One day, my Mom brought the family slides over for me to sort and take back with me to scan. That was sweet to see family and holidays celebrated. Gotta love the 60’s and 70’s!

Trip back East: Scenery

Larry’s parents live in a small apartment in a retirement community, so we stayed at a nearby hotel. Our room overlooked a small seating area and a view of the Connecticut river in New Hampshire. The trees were lush and green from all the rains they’ve had this spring and early summer. Ironically and/or fortunately, there was absolutely no rain during the week of our visit.

There was plenty of room to stay at my parent’s cottage. Birch Lodge as it is called has been in my Dad’s family for over 100 years. His grandfather bought it in the 1880’s. I haven’t done the research to learn when it was actually built. The cedar clapboard siding and roofing was done in the 1990’s. It can get very hot upstairs since it is very rustic and not finished or insulated. Again for the week we were visiting, humidity was low and the evenings cooled off nicely.

Trip back East: Getting Ready

We had been talking about it in the spring time. Then around June we decided it was time to take a trip back to the east coast to visit family. I found what I thought was a reasonable air fare for the high gasoline prices we are experiencing. We checked with family to see if the first and second week in July was good for them too. All that was left was to pull down the suitcases and access what we had to pack. Always curious about new surroundings, Wooster and Cappuccino took their turns sleeping in my suitcase.

Puffin goes cherry picking

It must be cherry season because Henry’s has them on sale for $1.77/pound. Larry lives on the freshest fruit in season, so this week he’s turning into a cherry. Puffin showed an interest last year, so he gave him one this year. Puffin focused on the stem, swatting it, picking it up in his mouth, swinging it and dropping it. Kept himself (and us) entertained for about 5 minutes.

Akiko's 50th Anniversary

Many students from our Ikebana flower arranging class were invited to celebrate our Sensei’s 50th wedding anniversary and their 77th birthdays. Akiko and her husband Walt Bourland both celebrate their 77th birthdays this year as well as being married for 50 years. It was held at the Bahia Resort Hotel in the Mission Bay area. It was a very nice traditional american anniversary celebration with many friends and family present. Akiko wanted to arrange the centerpieces, but her daughters objected to that and assembled these clever floral displays with their youthful pictures at the center.

It was nice to see many students from our class at the celebration. In total, we sat at more than two tables. Pictured here are Trudi, Margie, Gail, and Kim. It was wonderful to see each one of us dressed up and we got to know each other a little better. Trudi also celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary this year!

Ccino gets an up-do

Let me start out by saying that Cappuccino loves to be groomed. He demands to be groomed. He hops up on the futon and starts howling. That’s our cue to pick up a brush and get started. Larry uses a plastic comb, the type that used to cost a nickle in the 5-and-dime store. He holds it at a slight angle and it gently pulls out the loose fur. He loves to be groomed, but he squirms a little bit. Okay, a lot. So Ccino is getting an up-do in this picture. Grooming session must be almost over.

Rainbow Canyon

We headed out to the desert with the intention of visiting the Salton Sea, but halfway into the trip we decided that the inner desert was quite hot and chose to find a hike in the Anza Borrego area. We had stumbled on Box canyon last time and decided to take more time exploring Rainbow canyon. This picture shows how the canyon got its name with the swirled sediments, pegmatite and granite veins.

Many cactus are flowering in early May after the modest winter rain showers. Shown here in the foreground is a flowering nipple cactus. Additionally, many barrel cactus were shining their halo of yellow bloom. Hedgehog cactus with its lower profile was making itself obvious with its bright magenta flowers.

I’m not sure where aspargus is grown in California, but it’s not in this desert. This is the beginning of the agave’s flower stalk. Already, this flower’s stalk was twelve feet tall. On this day, we saw stalks with white flowers and for the first time, yellow flowers.

Mirror, mirror

Mirror, mirror on the floor, who’s the cat we all adore? So all the pictures are down off the wall. The scuff marks have been painted. Where shall I hang the mirror again? I’ve been reading about Feng Shui and mirror placement is really scary. Don’t want to magnify a negative. In the meantime, the mirror is propped against the wall on the floor. The cats are happy to have access to the mirror. Cappuccino is happy to have his little friend back. He sits in front of the mirror, never quite looking directly at his reflection. He sings or howls or yowls his greetings or musings. That’s a positive I like doubling.