On the road

Since I will be away from my computer for a couple weeks, I have temporarily changed my comment settings. Comments will appear after I approve them. Sorry for the inconvenience.

See you soon!

*update Tuesday 8/19*
We're having a great time. So far so good, just one more state until we hit MN.
We're taking a break and staying in an AWESOME RV park in the Black Hills for a couple day break before we hit the road again.
I've only felt like hitchhiking home a few times, but those feelings have passed.
I thought that we were crowded in here with 2 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs, until a neighboring pickup camper in Grand Teton's park emptied out 3 adults and 4 big dogs.
I will have MANY photos of our travels when I return home... or maybe before if I find the camera connector hidden somewhere in this overstuffed RV.
:)

I'll need a vacation

Posting has been light because my life is pretty boring.
I have been preparing for our trip. Gas prices continue to drop, yippie! ($3.99/gal yesterday) That brings down the cost of driving an RV over 4000 miles, which is good, since there are always other ways for us to spend our money.

I've done all of the shopping (I think), and washed all of the bedding. Today, I cooked spaghetti sauce and chili to put in the freezer for meals along the way.
I have activities for the kids, and I printed information and games for each state that we will be seeing.

I know that I will forget something, but that's why WalMart Supercenters were invented, and why they are marked on our map.

My neighbor will be keeping an eye on the place, feeding the fish, and watering the garden. It's great to have wonderful neighbors here. I would feel comfortable giving my key to any one of them.

OK... off to do cleaning and laundry, I want the house spotless when I leave. I can't stand returning to a messy house.

We don't even leave for a few days, which is necessary since I have a stack of work on my desk that needs to be complete before we go.

Lions, Tigers and Bears

It was hot; we had a short trip to the zoo and didn’t see all of the animals. Not a lot of photos today either… but it was fun, and E3 fell asleep on the way home.
The LA Zoo has really improved since my first visit. They recently opened a new gorilla exhibit that enables great views of the gorillas, unlike the previous exhibit that allowed the gorillas to throw poo if you watched too closely. Someone near us got hit once, but they deserved it; they were heckling the gorilla.

Another favorite is the orangutan exhibit, Red Ape Forest. I was able to snap one photo of a sleeping orangutan… funny, sleeps just like Emma.

The male lion was sleeping in the same position, airing out his nether region, but I didn’t snap a photo. No need for odd links here.
I think the E’s favorite animals today were the giraffes. They were more active, walking around and eating. A family of VIP’s was inside the exhibit feeding the giraffes, and of course my kids asked how to get in there. I told them it was a special pass, didn’t need to say what I wanted to… “we’re not rich, nor famous, so no special pass for us”.

I can’t wait for all of the construction to be complete at the zoo. A new elephant exhibit is in the works and looks like it is nearing completion. It’s a great zoo, close by, and is a terrific workout. I don’t think there is one area that is flat. Constant walking up and down hills. Not really a place for a leisurely stroll, but fun.

26 days

I’ve been hearing about this show for months now. Sons of Anarchy
premieres in less than a month. I’ve heard it described as “Sopranos on Harleys”. I hope so, Stuntman and I been looking for a good drama to watch together.
When we watched Sopranos, it was fun to see the New Jersey locations. We both spent a lot of time in NJ for work and would occasionally recognize places in the show.
I know that we will recognize locations while we watch SOA, because we have already witnessed filming of the show. I believe they say the show is located in a Northern California town that is run by a biker gang, but it looks like it is being filmed in SoCal.

Fingers Crossed

The story changes daily… and the suspense is killing me!

from the Mpls Star-Tribune :

The Green Bay Packers welcomed back quarterback Brett Favre from the reserve-retired list Sunday knowing full well that they've already taken the first step toward trading him to the Minnesota Vikings.

*update 8/6*
DAMN!

A dog's life

Emma must be the most tolerant dog on earth.
E2 placed a sleeping mask on Emma when she was napping.
The dog is still napping...
rough life.

and yes, she always sleeps belly-up like that.

a day at the Huntington

We went to one of my favorite places today. I'm glad that it's so close to home. (I wish that I lived within walking distance...but I'm not a bazillionaire)
The Huntington Library is a beautiful place. The art galleries are amazing, but we spend most of our time touring the 120 acres of botanical gardens. I have been there numerous times, and I don't think that I have seen everything.

A few photos from the recently-opened Chinese Garden:









Magnetic sand in the Children's Garden


the Fog Grotto... Children's Garden


A tunnel and a cave made with plants...Children's Garden again:



*update*
the rock formation (pic #3), is limestone from Lake Tai in China