Disaster strikes!

As we sat down to dinner at Thais & Lenin’s, I got a phone call. A storm had blown through Kauai and our catamaran had broken loose from its mooring in the harbor. The wind pushed it up the Huleia Stream. It scraped the inner rock jetty creating 3 small holes in the port hull and  came to rest on a sandbar and filled up with water  waist- to chest-deep.

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A Good Samaritan, Jude and his wife, stepped in to try to save the boat.  These are the pictures he took.

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He put a temporary patch on but it still leaked.

 

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And rented a big pump from Home Depot.  His actions were heroic to me and I was very grateful, but eventually he had to step back and out of the picture. It was important to keep the local government officials happy and they didn’t know him.

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As many of you have already realized, I’m way behind when writing this blog.(Maybe a good new year’s resolution for 2014 to post in a more timely fashion?) So, I’m actually composing this on Dec 17. Let me tell you! The last 19 days have been a nightmarish stressful roller coaster ride. And there’s no clear resolution yet. There will be a final report … soon I hope … please.

Thanksgiving #4

This time, we gathered at Thais and Lenin’s house. Mom was also invited, but when I went to pick her up, she wasn’t there. She’d gone on a bus trip to see Christmas lights. Mom likes to be the first in line so she can sit in the front seat of the bus – a better view she says.

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Sophia was very excited to show Uncle Justin her soccer trophy.

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Odin took a liking to Sophia’s peacock wings.

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Kellen found some workbooks and practiced math equations

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and also managed to enjoy the iPad.

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What a fun family evening. The kids got along great. We all had a great time. Thanks to Thais and Lenin for having us over.

Thanksgiving #3

This year, cousin Phyllis’ family gathered at Karen’s house. L-R: Josh and wife Courtney, Karen, Corey. Courtney and Corey are Karen’s daughters.image

Jerry and Carol came from Bakersfield.

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Rosie, Jake, Matthew, Chuck, Greg:

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Johnny, Alexa, Beth, Dave:

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Jerry, Justin, Greg:

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Good food and family equaled another wonderful Thanksgiving.

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Tour de IBEWs

Time to get Doug on the Bay Area books. We dropped off Dick at Greg and Nicole’s – he was overdue for a grandson fix – then we went the San Francisco Hall, Local #6.

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San Mateo.

 

 

 

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San Jose.

 

 

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Dublin.

 

 

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And finally Martinez and home.  Signing up only took 5 minutes and in between, Doug and I had a great time talking.  Now, let’s all cross our fingers that Doug gets a job very soon!

Pomegranate jelly 101

Once again, our instructor was Dick’s cousin Merrilyn.  She and husband Bob had already squeezed the juice – a big messy outside job. The juice must sit still for at least 24 hours to allow the sediment to settle.image

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice waiting on the windowsill.

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Phyl measured sugar.

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I measured juice.

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All ingredients combined and boiled, time to fill jars.

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I tried to capture the beautiful garnet color in finished jars. This picture is not enough.

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To celebrate our success, Merrilyn brought out a brownie torte. Yum!

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What a great way to spend a Sunday morning! A new skill, good friends, 6 jars of pomegranate jelly, and a great dessert. Merrilyn, thank you once again.

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Dinner in Dixon

 

 

 

 

We all met at Ann’s house. We kept it simple. Tom got pizza, we brought salad, ice cream for dessert.

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Poor Julie. She has two herniated disks and is staying at her mother’s  as she slowly gets better.  Dick’s cousin, Bobbie, came with us. More people, more fun.

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Thanksgiving #1

Atria El Camino Gardens with Mom.

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Uncle Justin is learning not to mess around with Kellen. “That kid can pack a punch. I’m going to have to stop messing with him pretty soon.”

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Odin found a comfy spot.

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The cooks joked about how many of them it took to put whipped cream on the pumpkin pie. I’d caught five of them watching one person with the squirt can.

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Mom really enjoyed herself.

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Hello

A new blog. Why? If you know me well, you already understand why it was time for a change.  This blog will be much like the last one, but with a different name and hosted by a different provider. And so, we begin.