Friday cat

Aaargh!

source: MB (at the ballet)

Have yer ever felt like running away and becoming a pirate?

only in nice weather

Notice how my posts are somtimes later in the day?

Sarge posted.
I kinda have to disagree with him.
Not totally disagree, mind you, but somewhat.

It's blogging about what may interest others and fits within ones ideas of suitability that's hard.
If you're gonna throw any old thing out there, you might as well just have a koobecaf page.

The hardest thing about blogging, for me, is when, like yesterday, I don't have a post.
Wait, that's wrong, it's when I don't have an excuse for not posting.

Yesterday, I was up at 0515 [that's about 45 minutes past zero dark thirty] so I could get on the road for an eye exam that was scheduled over one year ago.
That's my excuse . . .   I was on the road . . .   350 miles, give or take, round trip.
(I did haul back some more stuff [probably junk])
Lame excuse.
I knew I had the appointment months ago and could have put a post in the queu [see, Juvat, I know English English, too].
Music videos are a good substitute for real blog posts.
Buck taught me that.

I miss seeing Buck correct the Sarge's grammar, particularly the placement of prepositions.

I case you're wondering . . .   Sunday was day that dredged up some memories of 2014.
It was a little dusty.
Everything's okay.

. . . and that's how I blog.

sometimes

Doh!

So I downloaded an image to the computer on Saturday.
I manipulated it in Photoshop to the point where I could use it today.

Then I totally forgot that I would be using the laptop, whilst the image would be residing 163 some odd miles north.
I would pack up the computer, but there's no desk yet, upon which to set it up.
So it remains at my former residence [that's how Sebastian knows he hasn't been entirely abandoned . . .    that, and Sally is still in the garage].

Reunion

There was a little reunion yesterday.
Someone seemed to be really pleased to see me.

Grrrr!

So my PCP* will only renew my medication Rx for thirty days because it's been six months since I visited.
They want want me to drive up there.
This is the fifth new PCP I have had since I started going to this clinic five years ago.
The longest I have had the same Dr., PA, or Nurse Practitioner is a year and a half.
They keep leaving.
Is it me [that's rhetorical].

I have been attempting to get a new PCP here but keep running into roadblocks [usually misinformed, uninformed, or underinformed minions].
That's why medicine is a practice.

Still, it could be worse.
We could elect our medical providers and . . .   Oh! Wait, let's not go there.

MB and I are in Anderson again, today, sorting and packing and figuring out what's for sale.
Will the road trips never end [that's rhetorical . . .   you shouldn't even try to answer]?

the cat's around somewhere

*Primary Care Provider

Friday cat

What newspaper are you reading?

Experts have found the following analysis to be near 100% accurate:

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country, and who are very good at crossword puzzles.
4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand the New York Times.
5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country, if they could find the time and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.
6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country.
7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the Train.
8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who is running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while Intoxicated.
9. The Chicago Tribune is read by people that are in prison that used to run the state, & would like to do so again, as would their constituents that are currently free on bail.
10. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country, but need the baseball scores.
11. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure if there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions. If the leaders are gay, handicapped, minority, feminist, atheists, and those who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided of course, that they are not Republicans.
12. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.
13. The Seattle Times is read by people who have recently caught a fish and need something to wrap it in.
14. The Arizona Daily Star is read by people who like sports and the comics.
15. The Economist is read by people who are tired of those who read the above listed newspapers.
16. The Boston Herald is read by folks who want to read original material by Suldog

did you really think this was serious

Last Day, plus

You know the saying, "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here?"
Well, we decided that we'd leave before wearing out the welcome.
There were things we wanted to do elsewhere.

Before leaving we made one more visit.

source: MB

It was at the end of the street where we were staying [walking distance . . .   if you're into that kind of thing].

I can take pictures of signs, too.

One of the hazards is visible in the tree.

Across the water you may be able to see the Santa Cruz Mountains on the horizon?

It was a little breezy.
But the sights were swell.

Then it was on the road.
This time the weather was more cooperative.
We followed California's Highway 1 up the coast through Castroville, and Watsonville to Santa Cruz, where we turned onto Highway 17 to San Jose.

We met some friends . . .   the same ones who were at Vacaville when our adventure started   . . . and a lady we've known for some time.
Since it was Thursday, it was mandatory to have Mexican food.

Then we went to finish off the last of the wedding cake PHG had made.

The next morning we went to Fremont to visit MB's uncle at the hospital* on our way to Anderson to gather a few more belongings and pack up some more stuff to be moved.

it wasn't all fun and games

*Uncle Vern died this past weekend at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto.
Fair winds and following seas to another tin can sailor and member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.
He was surrounded by family members who loved him.

Cont'd from yesterday

Point Pinos, the lighthouse was on the way to our destination, which was nearby.

source: MB

Lest you think we were able to get close to the lighthouse.

Our destination was, again, the beach.
This time it was Asilomar.

The waves were still pounding away.
The wind was blowing enough for most of the gulls to be hunkering down.

Except maybe for this guy.

But  bird watching was not our purpose.

source:MB

Sunsets were the order of the day.

. . . after someone got his camera sorted out.

Some clouds prevented, yet enhanced, the view of the sunset.

Thare are some, however, who have a daily opportunity to see a sunset.
They don't even have to empty the sand from their shoes.

didn't label my shots
or mention food

Equinox

Yeah . . .   I googled it.
No . . .  I don't wanna buy a Chevy.

So here are some more honeymoon pics.
(I know. It's about time I got back on it again, huh?)

source: MB

source: MB

Yeah . . . finishing the walk on the beach

On to Pt Lobos.

source: screen capture

Well . . .   They might have mad that information available so folks who had no access to the website could find it before driving all the way there.

So we went to Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo.

source: me

Before entering the courtyard, of course it is necessary to enter the gift shop.
The self-guided tour isn't exactly free.

The above metalwork really caught our eye and now resides on the wall of the family room.

Eventually we actually mad our way into the sanctuary.

After the mission we remembered that Pacific Grove is one of the places Monarch butterflies spend the winter,
so . . .

Yeah . . .  it was closed, too   . . . storm related.

We went somewhere for dinner.
There was one more stop on Wednesday [yep, I've really milked this trip for a lot of posts and blog time].
Tomorrow's another day for more about Wednesday.
There  may eventually be a post about Thursday.

what rope?

Yeah, why?

Apologies for not finding this sooner.
Glad I found it at all.

let's fix this

Our First MONTHiversary

A guest post from MB.

Skip: Wow! One month! It doesn't seem like that long.
Me: That makes me think two things - 1) time flies, and 2) really, it seems like much longer because it started before February 18th.
Skip: Yeah, it started in June 2006.

Ok. Don't take that the wrong way. In 2006 we were both happily married to the loves of our lives - Skip to Sharon and me to Gary. In fact, Gary and I celebrated 31 years in June of 2006. But the four of us met in 2006 and that's when our friendship began.
Gary ran twice for Vice District Governor in our Lions district. Had he won the first time we would have been a part of a different council and would never have gotten to know this group that came to be such dear friends. Did God have a plan way back then?
Well, God knew that Gary and Sharon would get sick. Even then, He knew what the outcome of each illness would be. He knew what Skip's needs would be and he knew what my needs would be before we ever had an inkling that there would be needs. Is it a coincidence that we ended up on the same council? We don't think so. We think it was a God-incidence.
So, that's what Skip meant when he said it started in June 2006. What I meant when I said it started before February 18th is a little different even though I agree with Skip's timetable. June 2006 is when a friendship began. But sometime last fall, sometime between our friendship developing into something more but before he asked me to marry him, this man I married one month ago today had my whole heart.
Maybe I'm just an all or nothing kinda gal. I can't imagine just dating someone - maybe spending time with a man who is just my friend but not just dating. I had a couple of teen crushes when I was a kid but I really only had two or three dates before I met Gary at the ripe old age of 16. Two months of dating, a few weeks shy of my 17th birthday, I knew I would marry him. He had my whole heart.
So it shouldn't surprise anyone that the second time around was similar. The difference is that I wasn't 16 this time, I was 60. And I had 40 years of experience with a wonderful marriage. I had a better understanding of what my heart wanted and needed - it was this man who had been my friend for over 10 years who I had grown to love so deeply.
So, I can say unequivocally that we have been married for one month today. That's the day Skip received "my hand in marriage" and our living arrangement changed. But I can tell you that he had my heart long before that and that will never change.
Happy First Monthiversary, Skip. I love you with my whole heart.

So I had to go see if there was another term besides monthiversary.
The best I could come up with is unciaversary, which kinda refers to a month.
Uncia being latin for one twelfth.
Yeah . . . it's a stretch.

who'd a thunk

Friday cat

think we know him

Just pictures

Some from me.
Some from MB.
. . . and maybe a caption.

Giant Sea Bass

Brittle Stars

Reef fishes

Eel

Fish eaters

cuttlefish

Anenome

Moray eel

Really Skinny fish

Octopus

Octopus and admirer

Okay . . .  so those are all by MB at the aquarium.
Sue me.

there'll be more

How did I get so far behind?

This isn't an excuse.
It's an explanation.

I'm not writing a history here.
I do, occasionally, post about current activities and events.
Sometimes I prioritize recent events over other recent activities.
Then honeymoon stories find themselves being written almost a month late.

Such is the case this week.
Over last weekend MB and I drove to almost LA (Camarillo is a lot prettier) for the funeral of a good friend.
Then yesterday, The MoB (mother of the bride), MB, and I drove to the VA Hospital in Palo Alto to visit The MoB's brother, who's being treated there.
(Prayers will be much appreciated)
It's not too far, but involves driving in an area where everyone has to get to their destination first on roads designed by sadistic engineers.

So . . .   that's my explanation why you don't have any honeymoon pictures today.

maybe tomorrow

And then . . .

It stopped raining entirely.
We went looking for something to eat and found Sly McFly's

the sign says welcome to the world famous Sly McFly's

voted best jazz & blues dinnerhouse in Monterey!

We had clam chowder (New England, of course), then wandered and window shopped.
I forget what else we did on Tuesday . . .  maybe a movie on the TV and popcorn?

Wednesday, we covered a lot of ground, starting in Carmel.
We found a parking space on Ocean Avenue (the main street) and walked past all the shops down to the beach.

Looking north toward Pebble Beach, on the Monterey Peninsula

We walked some distance south to the end of the beach, then clambered up to where we could reach the bottom of the steps leading back up to the path along the top of the bluffs overlooking the beach.

We even rested by an interesting cypress tree.

Then we decided to drive south to Point Lobos.
We were disappointed to find the park closed.

the cat seems to be doing fine

Note: I did bring home a refrigerator magnet with an otter on it.
It was really difficult to resist buying a t-shirt or a ball cap.

Maybe there aren't enough?

What's that, you ask?
Hours in the day, I answer, particularly when the clowns, who are supposed to be seeing to it that things like infrastructure are maintained, continue to support the theft of time, among other things.

Enough of that.
This is a happy blog.

So today [if you continue from the last honeymoon post, whenever that was] finds MB and me in Pacific Grove, which sits on the point of land at the very end of the Monterey Peninsula.
We had experienced some tickle your ass with a feather particularly nasty weather that managed to deteriorate to another full blown storm.
That was Monday.

We survived quite well, thank you.

Tuesday, we saw the weather improve some, but it was still unsettled.
Fortunately, the Monterey Bay Area provides venues for indoor activity.
There's a ginormous aquarium.
Once we found a parking spot we headed inside, occasionally looking outside because it kept changing from passive (just sunshine) to aggressive (full gale and sideways gully washer) every few minutes or so. 
I took pictures.
Some even turned out.
The otters wouldn't stop long enough in the low light [and the flash was useless] . . .   so not otter pics.

There were cormorants and other birds sunning themselves after going fishing.

Inside there were some nice big Steelhead.

They didn't stay real still either, but at least the otters couldn't get to them.

. . . and there were Sea Bats!!!

Once upon a time* I only heard rumors of these creatures [usually kept in a secret spot on Naval vessels].
MB took other pictures that I may be able to post another day.

. . . so maybe it's pictures (referring back to the title).

friday the 13th is on
monday this month