Constitution Gardens

My Water Post For Today.

Constitution Gardens is a part of the The National Mall.

There is a man made lake with a small island and lots of wildlife use it's peaceful water.
It seems so serene, yet it is within feet of Constitution Ave, The Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument and WWII Memorial...not to mention The Vietnam Memorial, which is actually within the it's boundaries.

I enjoyed watching people feed the birds on the shore. I hope you do, too.

Homeless Veterans...And Max Martini

Max Martini is turning 40 on December 11th.

As part of the celebration for our favorite red head, we his fans, will be donating money to an organization that helps homeless Veterans who live in Los Angeles.
While doing research, I found out that the Los Angeles area has the largest concentration of homeless Veterans in the entire United States. Max told us that this cause is very close to his heart and asked us to donate to an organization that helps these homeless Vets.

If you so desire to contribute, here is the information.

Below is the link to make an online donation and also the address to mail a check:

Address to mail a check:
New Directions
11303 Wilshire Blvd.
VA Bldg 116
Los Angeles, CA
90073-1003

In the check's memo space: In honor of Max Martini


Online:

How to Help (includes a "Donate Now" button)

http://www.newdirectionsinc.org/help.html

I intend to donate $40 in his honor. A dollar for each year he has lived. Several of us feel it is a fitting amount, but obviously, any amount is welcome and appreciated by Max.

Photo
=========
2 Service members
at the Vietnam
Memorial.

Pearls Before Swine And The USO?

A friend of mine posted this link on Max Martini's Board.

I happen to like Pearls Before Swine and found the fact that 10 Cartoonists went into harms way, amazing.

Way to go Stephan Pastis!

There are other posts on his blog about the actual experiences he had, so feel free to explore further.

Fall In Southern California 2009

I know, I know, I have been showing off my Washington, DC photos for the past few weeks and so on this blog at least, it's been fall.

Well, here in SoCal, we have finally gotten enough trees to start changing to give us our fall. We are late, but pretty. :-)

I showed off the neighborhood a few years ago, so this is just a look at my back yard last Sunday. Nothing too wonderful, but it does make me feel in the fall spirit, especially since it's Thanksgiving Weekend.




I heard that Libby's is having problems with their pumpkin harvest and there will probably be a pumpkin shortage, come later in the year.

As you can see, the pumpkins here in LA are definitely not in muddy fields...maybe Libby's should think of moving some of their crops over here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

This year we will be just 5 of us, with my Husband working until 5PM.
It's the first time that Walmart has stayed open on this Holiday.
The one good thing is that he will work a regular shift on Black Friday...8AM to 5PM. Normally he goes into work at 4:45AM.
I hate it, because it takes so much out of him.
By the time he gets in this year, things will have quieted down a bit...I hope.

Once again, they will be served breakfast burritos. Sometimes Walmart can be very kind.

===================================

So here's what's on the menu at the Angel House.

Turkey (fresh, not frozen)
Cornbread Stuffing (I cooked up my own cornbread, we will see how that goes)
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes (I have to use some, I have 20 lbs of Potatoes here)
Some sort of Sweet Potato almost dessert thing that my brother in law's girlfriend is bringing.
Cranberry Sauce made by my Husband
Corn
A Pumpkin Pie for dessert
Oh and wine for us and cider for my son.


Pretty traditional and not too complex.
I have the cranberries, gravy and pie done already. I just need to make the turkey, stuffing and potatoes. The corn is just a heat up type thing.


==============================
The photo is of Blessed Kateri.
This is how she looked in my
Church on Sunday. I thought
they did an excellent job arranging
the harvest things around her.

Getting Ready For Big Bear

It's get away day for those who are traveling this Thanksgiving.

I send my best to you all.

In the spirit of getting away...my son and my "Magic" son are part of a group going up to Big Bear this December. Since they wanted to get their act together, the three of us went shopping on Saturday. We went to places that specialize in Ski Wear and the kids had a definite case of sticker shock. $219 for a pair of pants? $79 for a pair of gloves? NO WAY!
The kids then directed me to the Walmart Super Center and picked up these heavy coveralls for just $53. They won't pick up any hot chicks with them...but hey, they will be warm. :-)

The boots were at the Army Navy Surplus Store for all of $19. What a deal. If they fall apart after the trip, who cares.

So they are set to either ski...or act as villains in the next "winter" James Bond Movie.

More Magic For My Hubby's Birthday

The big guy in my house has a birthday today.

Happy Birthday to you. Thanks for sharing 30 of them with me. :-)


As part of a weekend of celebrating, we decided to see our "other" son at his job at TGI Fridays. He was working the 6P to 8P shift and since my Hubby was out of work at 4:30P, we set it up.
When we got there, my "son" the magician had some new tricks for us to see.

His featured trick was blowing up a balloon and when he lets the air out, he captures my cell phone inside the balloon. It was pretty impressive to see.





He didn't do anything with the banana, but I thought this was a funny shot to share. :-)

What always amazes us, is when others are entranced by his magic.

It's good to see.

So after his 2 hours of work he doubled his salary, with the tips he made.
Not bad at all for an 18 year old.

My Husband totally enjoyed his evening, so it was a win, win situation.

Korean War Memorial Fountain

My Water Post For Today.

The pond at the Korean War Memorial was the most beautiful body of water that I saw the entire time I was at our Nation's Capitol.
The fact that it was an infinity pond and surrounded by black granite, is part of it's attraction to me. The stunning beauty of the yellow trees, in contrast to the black, well, it took my breath away.

I hope you enjoy the serenity of the pond, which stands in contrast to the fighting men, on patrol right next to it.

What The Heck is Sacatela Creek?

I was looking for some information on the Buddha referenced in Fridays post and instead, found this blog from the Militant Angeleno. His post immediately caught my attention because he showed a creek running thorough the very area I call home, when I am at work in LA.
The Los Feliz, Silverlake, Hollywood, Koreatown, and Franklin Hills area of Los Angeles.

I talked about the Shakespeare Bridge in this post back a year or so ago. I have always wondered why there was a bridge built in that area, since there is no water or anything, but figured it was just to span a canyon. Now I find out that it was the head end of Sacatela Creek and that the creek wound its way from the Franklin Hills area of town, down through the old ABC Studios at Talmedge, through King Middle School and onto Myra Street, where a daycare facility that I sometimes used for my son was located...right by the place where Sunset Blvd goes way up in the air with another bridge that I always wondered about. It then crossed Santa Monica Blvd at Hoover, paralleled Virgil, is under the Hollywood Freeway, with no bridge involved (the freeway being built decades after the creek was filled in) and turned west just before Wilshire, ending at 6th and Mariposa in the Koreatown area of Eastern Los Angeles. Just before it turned to the west at 1st Street, there was a natural spring with hot thermal waters, called Bimini Baths. Movie stars and the wealthy would come to partake in the health benefits that came from soaking in such waters. The spring is now capped and filled in and so is the creek itself, though there is talk of bringing it back, or parts of it back.

Anyway, I found the information fascinating and part of the things I found so interesting, are old photos of Los Angeles from the 20's and such. Very cool info and I appreciate the Militant Angeleno spending 5 days of his life documenting his journey along the former creek.

If you ever lived in this area of Los Angeles, it's eye opening.

A Rarity In My Life - The Two Of Us At Church

It doesn't happen often, but for the first Sunday in the new Church, my husband came and sat with me. I noticed that there was a man with a camera taking some "official" photos, but I did not realize he got one with the two of us in it.
Photos were found here.

Count down 3 rows and look for a guy in a black jacket with red trim and then me in a blue patterned Hawaiian shirt (I don't remember wearing that). It's us, at Church together.

What a magical crazy day that was.

For any who want to see photos of the actual Dedication, the link to that, is here.

Buddha Of Four Faces

I was in Hollywood one Saturday and I had a craving for some decent Thai food.

I had been reading a few reviews off of LAist and I had been getting dropped off at the Thai Town subway station, so I was becoming familiar with the area a little bit.
One place mentioned was Thailand Plaza.
They said that out front was a Four Face Buddha and when I parked the car and strolled around to the front of the building, there was the smell of incense and a man offering something to the Four Face Buddha.
I was enchanted by it and wished I knew what the four faces stood for and how one could pray to the Buddha.



I went looking online a bit, but was not really satisfied enough to connect any links about it, but what I did learn is that there was one in Bangkok, Thailand and that it was destroyed several years ago.

I also heard that you must return to the Buddha, if what you asked for, comes true. Dancing is involved.
Uh, maybe I don't want to ask for something there. Dancing is not my best skill...

Photos
============
Obviously, the first one
is of the Buddha itself.

The second photo contains
the offerings to the Buddha.

The Streets of Atlantic City

Probably the nicest thing about driving in Atlantic City, are the street names.

Everyone has heard of Monopoly and most people know that the street names are taken from Atlantic City, but you don't register it in your mind, until you start driving them. Atlantic, Pacific, Michigan, Park Place, Boardwalk!
Your mind makes the connection and you have your Eureka moment. OMG, it's Monopoly!
Just in case you are so dull that you don't, the City has their information signs around the town in the style of the Monopoly Cards.

My hubby and I found it kind of cool.

This Is War Is Coming

I fell into 30 Seconds To Mars fandom several years ago, at a NASCAR event. It's been love ever since. This is the first 30STM CD to come out since I became a fan and it is called "This is War". If you remember anything about the band, they were sued by their record company for 30 Million Dollars last year. To say the least, there was a bit of a war raging...though it's all over now.

December 8th is the streeting date.

I can't wait!

30 Seconds to Mars on You Tube.

Freedom Isn't Free

Laura and Euna were in New York last week, to take part in a candlelight vigil for 3 hikers who were captured on the border of Iraq and Iran a few months ago.

As we signed petitions and attended vigils for their release, Laura and Euna are trying to help the hikers, by giving back. I applaud their dedication to this cause, which has to be painful to them. I am sure they feel that by shining light on this, they have a chance to make the difference between freedom...and life imprisonment, or possibly death.

It was good to see Euna and her daughter Hana at the Statue of Liberty. I don't think Euna will EVER take the freedom we have, for granted again.

Lake Pohatcong, New Jersey

My Water Post For Today.

As we were driving down to Atlantic City, NJ, we took a lovely road that followed the Jersey Coast. I had taken a look at the map, before I began driving it and I knew we were going to pass a lake on the route. I decided that if I could, I would stop for a minute and shoot a few shots of it. I did manage to stop and I got this photo.

I hope you like it.

Women's Memorial

It's been a long, time coming...

As we walked around the National Mall, my Husband and I were not only seeing the large Memorials, but even the small ones. This one is a tribute to the 8 women who died during the Vietnam War, but more importantly, it is the first statue to acknowledge that there are females who serve and some who give their lives for this Country.

As a special nod, I mention that my good friend Cindy, served in the Army. This one is for you, sister. Thank you for your service.

In Julia's Kitchen

Probably my favorite moment while I was in the Museum of American History was when I got to spend a few minutes in Julia Child's kitchen.

It's her kitchen from her Boston home and it came over, lock, stock and 3 legged chair. Everything is as it was.

They even mention that it was used for several of her later shows, like Baking with Julia.




Camera angles are mentioned and how they made the shows is explained.


They even have her vast collection of cookbooks there.


It was truly a homey place.
You can just feel how her and her family lived and cooked in the room.







My favorite part was that they had a wonderful photo of Julia laughing.

I thought it was too wonderful and human.


She was a special person and she is greatly missed.

The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum - Muster 2009

A few years ago, Suzanne Brockmann's website regulars decided to send a contribution to The Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.
I was one of the early ones who sent a few dollars to the kitty we got going. Eventually, Suz herself even donated and we ended up giving a large contribution of over $1000 dollars, which allowed us to have our board's name on a plaque at the museum. Well, it was renewal time and I debated, send money on my own, or just drop it. I decided to become a member on my own and to give back, just a little to men who give our Country so much.

These are a few stills from a video showing a SEAL demo at Muster 2009. One of the old Suz Board members went to Muster and gave us a hint of what went on. She relates that they had a tee shirt that she bought, with this on the front. SEALS 3 Pirates 0. I got a good laugh out of that.

Kidding aside, when those pirates took those hostages, I KNEW the SEALS were the ones who would be called on to make the hit.
I was so proud of them.







Professionalism is the hallmark of the SEALS. Hooyah!

White Chicken Enchiladas

I saw a recipe on The Pioneer Woman's Website recently for White Chicken Enchiladas. Unfortunately for me, she tends to deal in cream and butter and I was not into that. But the thought of enchiladas without that yucky red sauce intrigued me. I had 36 corn tortillas in the house and so my mind started to work on the problem.
I came up with using evaporated milk, instead of the cream. I don't know if I gained anything by doing it, but it felt better. :-)
Instead of the red sauce, I used green enchilada sauce, which I mixed into the condensed milk and when heated, I added a handful of grated cheese and stirred until it melted. It seemed to be the right consistency, so I think this will work out.



24 Corn Tortilla's
1 - 28 Oz Can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 - 7 oz Can Diced Green Chiles
1 Can Evaporated Milk
4 Chicken Breasts (or whatever)
1 Onion
Grated Cheese (my cheese was a Cheddar, Monterrey Jack blend

In frying pan, cook the chicken up in a little water. While it is cooking, add the diced onion and can of chiles Cook until the chicken is done and while cooking or after, shred it or cut it, so it is in small pieces.

Heat up the tortilla's in the microwave for maybe 1 minute. Just until they are warm and pliable. You might want to do them in small groups.
Place a scoop of the mixture onto the warm tortilla and roll it. Then place into your pan. Continue until you run out of the tortillas and mixture.
While you are doing this, you can add right into the same frying pan that you just used, the can of evaporated milk and the enchilada sauce. Mix and heat on medium. When it starts to get warm, add 2 handfuls of cheese. Maybe half a cup worth.
Melt it and let it continue to warm for a few more minutes. You do not have to bring it to a boil. When the enchiladas are ready to be put into the oven, pour the mixture onto them evenly and then put a little more cheese over the top, just for color. Place into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until they start to brown around the edges.

Serve immediately.


If you would like to see The Pioneer Woman's version of the same recipe, click this link...Chicken Enchiladas.

Veteran's Day 2009

It's been 2 years...

The following message is up on my bulletin board at work.


On the date of November 12th 2007 Veteran's Day I started it all. On Nov 14th 2007 I took an oath. "I Austin Taylor McCullough, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Happy Veteran's Day to all who served...and all who currently serve.

Pickles

The boardwalk at Atlantic City is full of stuff you see at every other mall in America. Johnny Rockets, Rainforest Cafe and the like. When I saw this one, harkening back to the past, I suggested we eat there.
It is on the Boardwalk at Bally's Casino, in case anyone is interested.

The first thing the waitress did was bring us a bowl filled with different pickles. Half Sour and Dill...they were excellent and I am so not a pickle person. Usually they are way too salty for me, but the Half Sour were not.





Hubby got the Corned Beef Sandwich with a side of Potato Salad.

I went for a chili dog and as usual, I did not eat much of the fries.

My Chili Dog lasted for 2 days. It was tremendous!

Just for the heck of it, I will finish this post and say I would go back. :-)

Meet Me Tonight In Atlantic City

My Water Post For Today.

The song by Bruce Springsteen just kept running through my mind, as I walked the Boardwalk and turned to the left. Seeing the Jersey Shore at Atlantic City, the way people have for Centuries, was humbling. The desolate beach, the waves crashing with a wildness I did not see earlier in the day by Barnegat Light. Of course the light house is protected and this seashore is definitely NOT.

I hope you enjoy a walk with me along the Jersy Shore...



Well now, evrything dies, baby, that's a fact
But maybe evrything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in atlantic city

Fall In Washington, DC

We were two Southern Californian's on a mission to see some fall.

You can tell, we succeeded. :-)


Out first day in town we took a walk around our immediate area.

Crystal City is a small part of the Washington, DC area. Directly south of the Pentagon and north of old town Alexandria. Only a few blocks long.

We were hungry and yet the leaves kept drawing me in.


PBS has a prominent location right on the main street in Crystal City.

There is a rainbow in the middle of the street, which I thought was just too cute and I had to show off both things at once.

As one can see the fall foliage was present, too.



After we got some lunch, we decided to hop onto the metro and we quickly were over in the area of the Smithsonian.

Unfortunately, the nice day we had turned quickly into a raging rain storm. So there we were, ready to take a walk around the Tidal Basin and realized that a change of plan was in order.

We moved over to the Museum of American History and got this lovely shot of the Washington Monument in the midst of the rain.



After we finished with the museum, we walked to the exit just as the sun was beginning to set. Once more the skies opened up and then just as fast, the rain stopped and we were left with the best of Washington, bathed with the rosy glow of sunset and covered with water.

It was awesome to see.

These two visitors were amazed at all that Washington could throw at them, all in a matter of a few hours.

Little did we know, it would get even better.



=======================
A link for my sister.

My post about the Justin Hayward song Forever Autumn. Click the link to read and listen to it.

Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial is one of the most stunning monuments on the National Mall. Instead of being large and tall...it is...large and tall, but hidden from all but the people who know where it is and want to see it.
You may ask how do you hide a Memorial that is over 12 feet tall? What they did was make the top at ground level and then excavate the land, until the entire Memorial fits into it. You begin your journey at ground level and a gentle slope downward begins. There are your first names, just a few and then they grow and grow and grow, until they are towering high above you. Names and more names. Sons, brothers and fathers, many who were drafted against their will. It is bad enough that your soldiers are in harms way, but at least they choose to be there. In many cases, these men did not. I remember growing up during this war and fearing that everyone I went to school with would end up in the service. Luckily for my class, Nixon began withdrawing troops when we were in High School, so our class was spared. My husband was not so lucky, he ended up in the Army and thankfully came back OK.

This is our second time visiting the Vietnam Memorial and we enjoyed seeing this wonderful monument, that acknowledges the ultimate sacrifice that each one of these people made.

Hollywood And Western Subway Station

Another in my ongoing series on the subway stations in Los Angeles.

Hollywood and Western is in the heart of what has become Thai Town.

A big boon to the area is the fact that after the subway was built, the developers put up some new buildings and mini malls around the area, so it made the surroundings by the station entrance, much more pedestrian friendly.

As a result, there are many Thai noodle shops and grocery stores around for those who long for Bangkok.




I have not been to this station since the opening day weekend, but this past week my boss has had 2 occasions to drop me off there, since it is truly on the way to the freeway.

As I entered the station I realized that I had forgotten how incredibly cheerful the station is, with all the colorful square tiles and light colored flooring. It is a treat to enter.

There is alot going on in this station and not many clues as to the why.



Lots of fossils pictures and references to old bones on the walls. I read here that these were photos of things found at the the time of the digging of the subway, but I wasn't getting that from the walls themselves.

One of the things that interested me were photos of what I must assume is the digging of the subway tunnel and station itself.
There is no plaque or panel explaining any of this, just my feeling that the big round hole is a subway tunnel. :-)


Over on the mezzinine level are a front and back of a Pacific Electric Car. They were the major transportation system that predates the subway line by decades. It was torn out back in the 40's and 50's. Some of our mass transit system of today, uses that same Right Of Way from those lines.

All in all, a definite place I intend to come back to more often. Maybe some Thai Noodles for dinner some evening...

A Cat In The White House

We saw this painting in the First Ladies exhibit in the National Museum of American History.

I was immediately drawn to the fact that Amy Carter has a beautiful Siamese cat in her arms. I looked it up when I got home and found out the cat's name is Misty Malarky Ying Yang and was the last cat in the White House, until Socks took up residence during the Clinton Administration.

I was enchanted with the painting and glad I waited on the line to get into this exhibit.

Loved the first ladies ball gowns, too. :-)

Thoughts Of A Po8

My husband blogs.

He doesn't do it often, maybe once or twice a month, but this vacation of ours gave him quite a bit that he wanted to discuss and so the first of those are showing up on his site. It's funny how two different people see things in different ways and since I know readers are enjoying some of the posts on Washington, DC and New Jersey, I wanted to suggest that you check them out if you have time. He's looking for comments, so if the spirit moves you, please do so. (we know what a chatty bunch we all are) lol

Thoughts of a Po8.

You can always find his link on the left side of my blog, under the category of Blogs I read.

Thanks.

My Magic Son Gets A Real Job

Yes, he is still serving Panda Bowls at Panda Express, but in addition to that, my Magic "Son" has gotten himself a job as a magician.

This is our local TGI Fridays.

A few weeks ago he auditioned for a job as a house magician. I figured it would take a while as they checked out other candidates, but amazingly he got the job the same day. The company has decided to have a roving magician to keep the customers happy, as they wait for their food. My "Other" son has the Saturday night gig.
2 1/2 hours of magic earns him $50. That's $20 an hour and any tips he might earn in addition. Not bad for an 18 year old.



I had to pay my Discover bill at the local Sears the other day and when I got there, it was after 5PM Halloween evening. When I saw that the little kids were Trick or Treating around the Mall, it reminded me that there are other stores here and that one of them is TGI Fridays. So on the off chance that my "Magic" son was working, I drove to the other side of the complex and walked into the restaurant. There he was, making red balls appear and disappear for a table of customers. I took a photo or two and figured I would then leave. He said it was his quitting time and so I waited a few minutes and we walked out to our cars together. He was dressed like this, due to it being Halloween, fake mustache and all. I laughed and took a photo outside the restaurant, cause he looked so funny.

It makes me so proud that I have a little bit of help in this, since I still am his driver to The Magic Castle each month.

May this job be the first of many for him.

Crystal Art

These were taken under a highway overpass in the middle of Crystal City, VA.

How cool is that?

Crystal City has Crystal Art.

Obviously they were made in the mosaic style, with shiny pieces to give them their look of crystal.

A very creative public art display.

Old Barney - A Visit

My Water Post For Today.


For those who are observant, you know it graces the top of my blog.

My friend who lives in New Jersey has made several visits over the years to a light house on the central coast of New Jersey. Between Asbury Park to the north and Atlantic City to the south, it sits on Long Beach Island. Recently relit, it is well preserved and oh so beautiful.

We met up and caravaned to the light house. It was a perfect day to spend talking, eating, walking, exploring and enjoying the Jersey Coast.

I hope you enjoy my visit to Barnegat Light, as much as I enjoyed going.

If you would like to see my post about the relighting, it is here.

Behind The Altar

I thought I would post a few more images of the new Church. We have the main area and then behind the main altar is another small area, which you can hardly see from the large Church area.

This is the back area of the Church. We can pray silently before or after the Mass and during the weekdays, they do the daily Mass here in this room.

It has the BEST view out the back windows (which are actually the front windows to the main Church).






San Francisquito Canyon and it's mountains, are right out there in the distance. Kind of fitting name for the area a Church is built on. It translates from Spanish to little St. Francis. :-)

I have no idea what that silver plate is, but I really like the look of it, up against the stone wall.

Also note that Jesus on the cross points into the main area of the worship space and not toward this area.

I like the continued use of wood and rock in this space. It's very welcoming.