Huell At Crossroads Of The World

Anyone who watches my TV Station, probably has heard of Huell Howser. As a matter of fact, I spoke of him and his long time cameraman, HERE.

For the past 26 years, he has gone out shooting places around the state of California and Los Angeles in particular. His show is the highest rated show we air, day after day. To say he is a well loved icon, is an understatement. He is an institution.

One of the sad things about our move over to Burbank, is that Huell did not come with us. Before he heard our plans, he decided it was time to move on. He donated his tapes to Chapman University and found office space at a place called Crossroads of the World.

The other day my Husband and I decided to visit his new digs and drop off a tape with his assistant.

I had seen the show Huell did about Crossroads, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Well, here it is in all it's glory, Crossroads of the World.

We were allowed to park in the lot, and took a walk around the buildings with our host, Huell's assistant. Huell was not there at that time and that was no surprise. I have not seen him for almost a year, so I truly did not expect him to take us around.

The buildings are all different styles and it was explained to us that the center building in the front is modeled after a cruise ship. I was told that one tenant leases the entire cruise ship building, which is huge, by the way. I did not see any tenants at all and my friend explained that the place comes alive at night. During the day, he is basically alone, minus the tenant who has an editing business.

Different parts of the complex have different themes. There is Bavarian World and Swiss World. Way in the back on Selma Street, is a building with a lighthouse that actually lights at night. Which was a personal highlight for me.

Of course the reason I came to Crossroads, was to see Huell's new digs.

Well, here it is...Huell's office.

He still has some of the many things people gave to him, over the years. But much of what he had, probably went over to Chapman University with the tapes. He has the signs and the pillows and the California Flag so it immediately felt Huell like. :-)

The outer office, is where the tapes are kept and, of course, the desk for his assistant.

He never had a huge space, but now days, it is truly spartan.

May I state for the record, that I miss them both.

We're Gonna Rock!

It's summer time and that means, lots of movies coming out. The Editor's Guild offered us Rock of Ages and being a big fan of music, I was in.

I didn't quite know what to expect, but I was curious to see if Tom Cruise really could sing.

Let me put your fears to rest, yes, Tom can indeed sing and he can channel his inner Rock God.

I kept wondering why my eyes were tearing and I finally realized it was because I kept laughing so much.

I totally enjoyed the movie and I won't go into the plot, but will just touch on some things that I found off.

Here are a few.
The first one was the fact that the songs that were featured were from much earlier in the decade. The year the movie was set in, was 1987. As my Husband pointed out to me, the songs did not have to have been released the year the movie was set in, they could be from any time before. I guess he is right, but it still was a little unnerving.
Another was the fact that there was so many Journey songs used. I can take a Journey song or two, but it felt like it was way too many of them. I am sure Journey was thrilled.
One of the biggest things that bothered me was the fact that they recreated the feel of the Sunset Blvd area of Hollywood. It was nowhere near exact though. It was like they took blocks and moved the buildings around until they had them where they wanted, rather then where they really belong. Of course they have editorial license and in this case, the set was built in Miami. What do people in Miami know, anyway... ;-)
The final piece of business was the fact that they showed the 2 lead characters up at the Hollywood Sign. The second time, a taxi drove up there to drop off the girl. Say what? That sign is inaccessible to all. You just can't get there, period!
So now we will have thousands of young adults hitting the mean streets of Hollywood, thinking they can get up there to check out the view. Let me set the record straight, that is not happening folks!

Looking for a fun 2 hours, go see this movie.

A Visit To My Marine Son And His Family

We took a trip down to San Diego the other day. While we passed through Oceanside, we decided to check in with my Marine "son" and his wife. Their First Anniversary is coming up soon and so they have been living in this base housing for almost that amount of time. This is a photo of their attached house.

It is in the Stuart Mesa area of Camp Pendleton, which is right by the I-5 Freeway. We had to get through the Main Gate to get to it, but that was no problem at all.
Seriously, it is tougher to get into my TV Station. :-)

My Marine "son's" wife had been in the hospital the evening before, so on top of wanting to visit them, we really wanted to see that she was doing OK. As far as we could tell, she was.

We spent about an hour or so there and while we talked, I threw toys around the room, for their dog, Rex. He is already 9 months old and I couldn't believe that he is growing up fast. As puppies do, he has endless energy and he just never stopped. He was playing the entire time we visited.

We were both glad we stopped to see them.

The Warner Brother's Tour: Part 2

In honor of the fact that I finally remembered to take a photo of the other character outside the tour entrance, here is a Daffy Duck and a quote from Ali Baba Bunny.
"I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm independently wealthy! I'm Socially Secure."

On that note...Welcome to the Warner Brother's Tour, Part 2.

With our car checked into a free parking space, my Husband and I arrived at the entrance to the Tour Center. We were checked in and shown where our free breakfast was. As you can see, it was a nice spread.

I would have loved the bagel with everything on it, but I settled for a croissant and a Starbucks. Any day that includes a free Mocha Frap Light Starbucks is a winner in my book. :-)

We were then led into a theater, which showed a 10 minute film about the many shows that Warner Brother's has made over a period of almost 100 years.

After the movie, they separated us into groups and led us to the trams. Our tour guide for today, was Matthew from Iowa. Truly a newcomer to the LA region. Yes, people still drive West to make their mark here. :-)

He drove us through the complex, with over 20 or so soundstages. We passed the stage where Ellen and Conan are shot and they mentioned that we could check online for tickets to both shows. Maybe someday, we will go to a taping over there.

We were off loaded and walked to the scene shop, where they build the sets that are used in movies and television programs. In a corner of the shop, they kept this set, from the show, "Friends". It is Central Perk (not like I know anything about the show, but hey, I have been educated and Central Perk, it is).

We spent about 5 to 10 minutes taking photos of us in the set and then were finally kicked out, by the next group.

We also, during this time, walked into another stage and we saw all these many cars from movies and tv shows.

There were about 30 or so cars running the gambit from the Batmobile, to Austin Powers car. One of them, was the 72 Torino from the Clint Eastwood movie, Grand Torino. If you remember, I blogged about the fact that my first car was a Torino. So I now have seen Clint's car and that made my day. :-)
By the way, I hear that he occasionally comes over to the museum and takes the car out for a drive. I heartily approve of this.

We then rode around through the back streets and we saw that there was a commercial shooting in NY Street. That was the only action going on today. Oh well, it was only a $15 tour, so what should I expect.

All in all, a fun tour, that ended at the Warner Brother's Museum and the Harry Potter display up on the second floor. Interesting stuff, all around. We were rushed through this area, so I did not get to spend enough time there, but what I saw was cool.

Back we went to the Tour Center and we got a free photo that they took in front of a green screen. So we are now immortalized in a photo of us with the Hogwart's Express.

A good end to a good day.

Any time the Burbank Chamber of Commerce decides to have an event for it's members, I would definitely think seriously about attending.

It All Started With This View...Warner Brother's Tour Part 1

This is basically the view we see from the 6th Floor Conference Room at our new home at The Pointe. 3 of us were waiting for the rest of the 10AM Meeting team to show up and so we were gazing out the window at this incredible view. As it happens, we were talking about that building directly center in this photo. It has lots of right angles in the building and it is just on the other side of the Ventura Freeway, from us. It is the one that has my local Starbucks in it and where the Warner Brother's Tours begin and end.
I mentioned that my Hubby and I fully intended to check out the tour sometime, though the price is very high...like somewhere in the neighborhood of 49 dollars.

Well, then the other participants arrived for the meeting. As we go around the room giving our reports, the person next to me mentions that the Burbank Chamber of Commerce has invited us to their next event...A tour of the Warner Brother's Lot. Free breakfast, free Starbucks and free Parking...all for 15 dollars a person.

Well, this definitely caught my attention and when he said he would send out an email to all staff, I knew I was going to pursue this (after a quick check in with my Hubby). With Hubby's permission, I called the number and it was as easy as that. They took my money and told me to show up at the Tour Center (a place that I know so well...Starbucks, yum) on Saturday between 8:30A and 11:30A.

We were jazzed and we were in...check out part 2 tomorrow.

MacArthur Park At Sunset

My Water Post For Today.

This was just before sunset, at MacArthur Park, in Los Angeles.

We had been to Langer's to celebrate their 65th Birthday, by eating a free #19 sandwich.
As we were leaving the restaurant, I looked across the street to the park and announced that I needed my 2 guys as protection, cause I was going to go shoot the sunset.
Well, as you can see, it wasn't quite sunset, but it was close. Look at those long shadows in the water and the reflections and the buildings surrounding the park. I think it looks perfect, just the way it is.

I hope you enjoy.

David Vanacore

It gets harder and harder to get him to play at our Mass, but when the stars align correctly, we get the best. He may look unimposing, sitting there at the Clavinova, but this man is the King of Reality Television. You have a show that needs a top of the line music score? The best in the business go to David Vanacore. (click the link and see some of the hundreds or maybe even a thousand shows he has worked on.)
As a matter of fact, even my own station used him for a show called Chasing The Sun.

In case his name sounds familiar, I have mentioned him before in a blog post HERE.

He was incredibly busy on a show called "Survivor", at the time we began doing audio for Mass, but if it is possible, he is even busier now days. According to our soloist, he has an assistant who books him for gigs. Seriously? :-)

Somehow, for the big events like Christmas Eve and Easter, we never have anyone else. The top of the line events are all his. When you want to be perfect, call Vanacore. :-)

Going To Warner Brothers

My new neighborhood at work is dominated by views of the vast complex that Warner Brothers owns in the Burbank area. Between NBC, Disney and Warner Brothers, these are the three biggest employers for the current Media District area. So it was a natural that I would want to take a tour of their complex.

I even mentioned it in a post.

Today I will be touring, courtesy of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce and of course, photos will follow.

To get you in the mood, HERE is the web page of what we will be dealing with.

More later, after the tour.

Oh yes, I fully intend to get myself a Starbucks, while there. :-)

The Iron Horse Trail

We had big news last Friday, here in Santa Clarita.

The latest trail was opened in our Valley. It is called the Iron Horse Trail. What makes it so unique, is that residents can now hike over a bridge on our Santa Clara "River". The bridge has been closed since they tore out the tracks in the late 80's, so when my husband heard about this opening, he decided to attend. The bridge dates back to the late 1800's and was originally built for a river in Colorado. After the St Francis Dam Disaster in 1928, this bridge was brought over, to replace the one we lost in the downstream flooding. If you never read about the second worst natural disaster, please click the link above.

This second photo is of a piece of unique artwork, highlighting the many local sites around the Santa Clarita Valley. Mentryville (first oil well), Melody Ranch Gene Autrey's Movie Ranch), Newhall Ranch (the Newhall Family Homestead), Oak of the Golden Dream (first gold found in California, predating the gold found up north), Tataviam (the Native Americans who lived here), Lyons Station (Butterfield Stage Coach Stop) and the Golden Spike (West Coast Version). It reminds my Husband and I of the pole in the old M*A*S*H* episodes, with the many cities on it.

It sits at the entrance to the bridge itself, by the new parking lot. This new section, is a short section that crosses the "river" and then connects into an existing trail area that winds through our Valencia Industrial Center. For trivia buffs, that section of trail shows up in a "Unit" episode called Hill 60.

My Husband can't wait to show it all to me. :-)

Fulton: City With A Future

I saw this sign a few months ago and it brought back so many memories, of a time in my life, so I decided to revisit a place I used to see quite often.

When I was going to college, there was a town just south of our border, called Fulton, New York. For we students, it was the place where the Interstate ended and a 2 lane road began. Only around 10 miles from campus, it was the final signal to us, that we really were almost "Home", after a drive of more then 6 hours. Please note that in the middle of winter, it could take 8 to 12 hours to get back to campus, from NY City or Long Island.

One of the things that always got us students, was the sign at the beginning of town, that said...Fulton: City With A Future. What future, we would ask ourselves? All that is there, is a small wide spot in the road. Now, there was the Nestle Chocolate Factory (yummy smells emanated from that plant, even at 6AM). That was when the bus I was traveling in, crossed through Fulton, on it's way to Syracuse and my Internship.

There was a Miller Brewing Plant that opened while I was there, but it is long gone. (I just read that they make biofuels there now) There also was an Alcoa Aluminum Plant, that closed. From what I hear, they made the aluminum cans for the Miller Plant and when that closed, they had no reason to exist.

The last time I drove through the town, it was looking a bit worse for wear, at least on its East Side, but onward it goes, toward its future...whatever that may be.

Welcome To Summer, But Hey, It's Still June Gloom Here In L.A.

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

As you can see, LA (or Burbank in this case) is not quite there yet.

We get many mornings with June Gloom and yesterday morning was one of them. I loved the way my new building, The Pointe, looked and so I took a photo to share with you all. I loved that the normally blue building was steel grey in the front. By the way, if you count up 4 floors, that is my 5th floor office area.

They say we are more prone to these gloomy days, during a spring that follows a La Niña year. Since we did have a La Niña year, that must be the reason. I have woken up to fog so thick, that I can't see the house across the street and other days with mist so strong, it becomes drizzle. They also say that this actually helps us, when summer really hits and is probably the reason why we are not a full desert, like Palm Springs or Phoenix. I am good with that.

Crank up the AC folks, summer arrives today.

Glacier Park Lodge In East Glacier

This photo took me forever to track down. I spent an hour combing the track between Belton, West Glacier and Cut Bank, Montana, trying to find it. Finally, there it was by the East Glacier station. I was so busy taking photos of this incredible structure and view, that I never did get a photo of the station itself. No great loss, in my book...because...LOOK AT THIS VIEW!

It took a bit more time, but I found the name of the building, too. It is the Glacier Park Lodge. (Please click the link, there is so much to find on their site.) Just a few fun facts that I found in my travels. It was built just about 100 years ago. It sits on Indian land and is managed by the a private company, for the National Park Service. It took 60 huge trees to make the immense building. I think it is gorgeous and so fits into the beauty of the Park itself.

The mountains that you see are where the Continental Divide occurs in Montana. Being we have just passed through the Glacier National Park, this photo is looking back, toward the mountains of the park. I didn't know it at the time, but know it now.

In regard to the hotel. After reading Trip Advisor, I do want to mention that the bathrooms are tiny, because they came later, as an upgrade to the rooms. Originally, the building had communal bathrooms. If I were staying there, it would not bother me because you are not to expect perfection, when staying in a 100 year old building. :-)

Oh yeah, I am thinking, maybe someday, I would like to go back that way...

Portland's "Benson Bubblers"

My Water Post For Today.

This fountain was at the entrance to Portland's Union Station and when I passed it by, I couldn't resist a photo. Why does this fountain constantly flow, I asked myself. So I took a photo and figured I would do some research. HERE are my findings.

"Perhaps the best known fountains are the city's legendary "Benson Bubblers," the beloved and elegant bronze bowls that provide fresh drinking water throughout downtown. They became such a symbol of the town's openness and hospitality that they are now featured as the logo for the Bureau.

Lumber magnate and early Portland legend Simon Benson, eager to provide his employees something cold to drink along the then logging roads of Portland, paid for the original 20 fountains, which he decreed should flow uninterrupted 24 hours a day. A. E. Doyle, designer of the Central Library and Benson Hotel buildings, was the mastermind behind the equally graceful four-bowl drinking sources.
As a teetotaler himself, he proudly touted the fact that saloon sales dropped 40% soon after their installation. The upsurge in the temperance movement is a more likely cause, but that does not detract from the magnate's generosity or the beauty and function of its product.
By 1917, the city had doubled their number, and now the Bureau maintains over 120 public drinking fountains, including many with a single fountain head and bowl. The rare 3-bowl variation is named after Nellie Robinson, the benefactor who, like Benson, left her gift to the city.

The city's conservation efforts, however, have adapted and restricted the water flow while preserving the aesthetics of Benson and Robinson's gifts." (Bold lettering is mine.)
I was glad to hear this and as a matter of fact, I also read that they only run til 11pm, in another water saving action.

Pretty cool though and yes, the sound of the flowing water definitely was welcome...well, minus the fact that it was raining both times I saw it. :-)

I hope you enjoy.

Happy 65th Birthday To Langer's Deli

First off...Happy Father's Day, to any Fathers out there.

It has been all over the news for the past few weeks. Langer's Deli, a Los Angeles institution for the past 65 years, was going to throw a party and the entire city was invited. Now, realistically, not everyone was going to attend...but trust me, many did.

We were 3 who did.

We had plans for the day, that did not include Langer's and my son had plans for the day, that did not include Langer's. How we all managed to fit Langer's into our day, I haven't a clue...but fit it in, we did. There were drawings for anyone who took the Metro Red Line to get there and since we decided to drive to North Hollywood and park and ride, we got to put in our tickets for the grand prize drawing. Obviously, we hope for the best. :-)

The reason people lined up, was for a free Number 19 special. It is pastrami with cold slaw, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. It is good, but not my favorite sandwich. That honor goes to the pastrami and chopped liver. :-)

We ended up standing in a long Disney like line under a large tent. We truly appreciated the shade, since it took around an hour an 15 minutes to get in. We have been known to wait that long at some of our local restaurants, so we were surprised it went that fast. Inside, things were efficient and our drinks and sandwiches came in a hurry. We each ate half of it and then added an order of the home made cheesecake, to split 3 ways. It is a new item they just added to their menu and it was excellent! We then called my Hubby's brother and asked if they wanted a sandwich to go. They agreed and we ordered that, too. Total bill for 4 sandwiches, dessert and drinks, just under $30. I considered we did well. :-)

Happy Birthday Langer's and thanks so much for the free sandwiches.

I heard a report that stated 2,000 were sandwiches were served on Friday and I am sure that more were served today.

We all who ate there, appreciate the gesture.

What Happens To Fallen Trees?

We were walking around the MAX Station by the Portland Convention Center and out in front, was a very large redwood tree that has been cut into huge chunks. They just left it there and are allowing it to go back to nature.

As a matter of fact, it has gone back to nature so much, that you can hardly see the tree pieces for the new tree growth and ground cover. I don't know if they "artificially" made this happen, or if this is what really happens in nature, but it was an interesting thought and of course, an interesting sight.

With all the rain that Portland, Oregon has, I can almost believe it is happening all by itself. :-)

Voodoo Doughnuts, Take 2

I missed National Doughnut Day, which is the first Friday in June and this year fell on June 1st. In honor of the celebration of all things doughnut, I thought I would show off a little more from our early evening trek over to Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. Better late, then never.

You can see a reference to our stop, HERE. I would suggest going there, first.

I find that as the days pass, I start dreaming of going back, which is really funny, because I commented on the blog post that the doughnuts are just average.

As I was looking at the photos from the trip, I was definitely jonesing for one of the big (one of a kind) ones, which you can see described on their menu. :-)

The doughnut that always gets to me in this photo, is the guitar. How big is that doughnut, cause it looks like 3 or 4 doughnuts go into making just that one?

More important, don't you just want to sink your teeth into it? lol

As I mentioned in my post, we went for the 13 doughnuts for $7.99. The only problem with that method of selecting, is that they choose what doughnuts you get and the choice they make, is to give you the standard fare. They were just that, but over the course of several days, we did get through almost all of them. We threw out the last 1 (which was the worse for wear and crushed by our luggage), as we pulled into St. Paul.

We did eat them on our 2 day train journey and they did not go bad and we did not get sick from them, so I guess that is a win.

As I read the choices they have on their menu, I find that I would like another chance to choose things like the Mango Tango, the Miami Vice Berry or even the Memphis Mafia.

Of course, the Voodoo Doll is must have, what was I thinking, last time? lol

Now that I have totally driven you crazy, go out and buy a dozen doughnuts and blame me, for the weight gain on your hips.

Or travel to Portland and get the real thing.

Army Birthday 2012

It is the 237th Birthday of the Army today.

All 3 branches (Army, Navy and Marines) were born on the same year, but it was the Army who were the first.

They do the grunt work that no one else does. They are the cannon fodder for a nation and we owe them so much.

On a personal level, my Husband served and had "clearance", while stationed in Korea. Thankfully, nothing happened, while he was there. The Pueblo Incident had just occurred and that was why he was sent that way, rather then to Vietnam. It was an escalation of the never ended Korean War, when our ship got captured by the North Koreans. So things could have gone south in a hurry. Thankfully, they didn't and he came home safe. So many don't.

In honor of their birth, so many years ago, a little bit of The Army Song , to celebrate the day.

Then it’s hi! hi! hey!
The Army’s on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong;
For where’er we go,
You will always know
That The Army Goes Rolling Along.

That The Army Goes Rolling Along!

50 Years Of Service

It has been quite a week, religion wise, for me and my family.

First my long time pastor passes away and they have the service for him a week ago Sunday. Many, many priests attend, including my current Church's Monsignor, Associate and Deacon. Many tributes from people and photos made into a booklet.

This week we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of our Parish's Priest, Monsignor Mike. Again, lots of visiting priests from other places where he had worked over those years and a booklet with photos of him back as a child and growing up. The cover of the booklet has him on Ordination Day, with an Irish twinkle in his eyes. Very cool.

My son got assigned the audio board and so he and I worked it. I hear the following Mass was going to be the real celebration, but trust me, ours was a good one, too.

Congratulations to Father Mike on his many years of service to not only the Santa Clarita Valley, but Palmdale (in the Antelope Valley) and Granada Hills (in the San Fernando Valley), too. It must have been quite a culture shock for that young Irish lad. :-)

Playing Around In Chinatown

I was asked to attend a Dim Sum event in Chinatown...with me driving, of course. Personally, this is no problem to me. I know that area quite well.

After lunch, we took a walk around the immediate Chinatown area, stopping at Chinatown Central Plaza. As our guest commented, the Central Plaza area is nothing like San Francisco's Chinatown area. Yes, we know that we are quite lucky to have it.

While walking through the area, we spotted a piano, which I immediately knew about. It was one of the 30 pianos that were placed around LA, for people to play. The project is called, Play Me, I'm Yours. We did 3 videos about some of the different pianos, which you can see HERE. I told Tee to sit and play and being a good sport, sat and played with it, while I took photos. The top one is her, her boyfriend and my son. The second shot is just her and I love how it came out. Actually, I love how both photos came out.

After we took a few photos, we both walked around and shopped in the different gift stores. Tee was looking for a Buddha and finally found one to her liking. Not little, but not too huge. She is quite happy with it.

Glad I could spend a few hours with her. It is so rare.

A Fountain In Downtown Portland

My Water Post For Today.

We rode the MAX to the Downtown Porland area, just to see what we could see. At the end of the line, at PSU (Portland State University), they made us get off and walk a block, to the start of the return run. That was fine by us, it wasn't raining much anyway. :-)

We immediately saw this interesting fountain at an area where the two lines and a third line, come together. We looked into the third line and found out it was another light rail line that goes kind of diagonal through the MAX lines. It seemed to run much less frequently, so we skipped trying it out. So then we turned our attention to the water fountain.

The fountain itself goes between one street and the other. The elevation changes, too and that makes it an interesting thing to see. Not only on the main part, but on the lower pond area, that also has to decrease its elevation.

Not like it ever stops raining, but I am sure it is truly spectacular, on a sunny day.

I hope you enjoy.

Year 5 Has Left The Building

I have hit milestones, over the years, but somehow knowing that today I have posted for 5 straight years, with hardly a day off along the way, I feel the weight of Father Time. Seriously, I never had a clue, I would do this, or for that matter, could do this for such a long time.

It has taken a huge chunk of time from my life, but I truly enjoy it. I like to think that people who take the time to read it, know me a bit better. For better or for worse, this is the person I am.

Yes, I admit that I try to show the good side of life and see the positive. So sue me, if this is not what I should be doing. Life is not perfect, but I like to have a reason to get up each and every morning and being positive is my way to get through life. I hope you leave this blog with a good feeling and not a bad one. There is just too much depressing stuff around and I just don't want it here...for the most part.

I usually go over what I have been speaking of on my blog in the just finished year and what you have to look forward to in the next year.

Last year dealt with the cat, my son, my other sons, me and the Hubby going on trips and my TV Station and it's new life as an Independent Public TV Station. All of these will still turn up, as will gardening, water posts and things that strike my fancy, at any particular time.

If there is something that you would like to see, or have me post, feel free to put the request in the comment section at the bottom.

I have enjoyed interacting with you all.

Year 6 is now beginning. Enjoy the ride.

Here is my first post, if you have never seen it, or want to revisit it again. Welcome to the Jungle.

Also, HERE is last years post, which links to all the other Anniversary posts. :-)

A Marine Scientist Starts Her Career

She completed a 5 year program in 4 years. Quite a feat in itself, in this world of cutbacks and recession.
She had to present a Capstone Project, before they would allow her to graduate. Thankfully, she passed it, as everything else, with flying colors.

Her sea lions love her and she intends to spend the summer taking some of them to state fairs around the midwest. After that, I have no idea what she plans to do, but today, we will celebrate. My Husband and I have been invited to her house, for a party and we will be there with bells on...well, maybe not my Husband, but definitely me. :-)

Congratulations, Tee! Your drive to succeed, will serve you well in this life. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

Godspeed and good luck, in all you do.

On The AMTRAK Again

So, what was life on this AMTRAK trip?

First off, each train trip is different. You have the day trips, where you get a chair and watch the scenery. You pay for your food and a some of the time, you try to get into the lounge car, for the views.

Our second trip from St. Paul to Chicago, was like this.

Our first trip was a 2 day journey in the Family Room. We had a window on each side of the train and couches throughout the entire room. My side was actually 2 chairs for kids and what I ended up doing, as you can see in the second photo, is that I had my feet up on the opposite chair. My daytime viewing was excellent. It was the night, that was a problem for me.

I didn't realize when I booked the family car, that the side bed is substantially smaller then the adult bed. As in, a person needs to be 4' 9" or less, to be comfortable. I am nowhere near that height, so most of the time, I ended up curling my feet onto my husband's bed. To say the least, I slept a lot during the daytime part of the journey. Well, it was only Montana and North Dakota's flat dry prairie anyway. :-)

When you book a room, you get all your meals (for free) in the dining car. You are treated like royalty and they even have coffee and cold drinks available in the sleeper car, at all times. I just had the water, but Hubby did partake of a cold drink, as you can see in the first photo.

I was having a problem with my eye, that started when we were in Portland, so I did not do much reading and ended up sleeping quite a bit, to help it heal. I had brought some cross stitch with me and totally gave up on that within a few seconds. My eyes could not take the close up work, on a moving train. No biggie, I am of the opinion that it will never get done.

I will recommend a few things.

The Roomette: It looked much more comfy, if it was occupied by just a single person, instead of a couple of adults. I saw one of them set up with the bed down all the time and the person seemed to be sleeping, most of the time we were moving. I saw a 94 year old lady who had the roomette to herself and spent her time making little crosses for presents, or maybe for selling. The conductor in our car was always worried when she wanted to walk the 6 cars to the dining car, but she seemed to make it just fine.
The Roomette is very crowded with 2 people and you spend all your time, rearranging things, as you move from day to night or just from viewing to wanting to read or watch a movie. I enjoyed it, but it was tight quarters.

The Bedroom: It has a larger bottom bed (probably a little tight for 2, but you might be able to swing it) It also has an overhead bed and a chair. It also has a restroom and shower of your own, which is kind of nice. Though I would definitely bring air freshener along. :-)

All in all, a fun way to travel and explore this land of ours.

Paul Bunyan

He's a lumberjack and he's OK...he sleeps all night and he works all day...

Well, not quite. I am sure Paul wasn't into cross dressing, as was the one in the famous Monty Python routine, but he is BIG! As in, he makes his presence felt.

There we were, taking a trip on the MAX in Portland, when suddenly appeared, Paul Bunyan. No Babe, just Paul. We stayed on the train, but we also saw there was a street fair going on, so when we got to the end of the line, we made a decision. We have time, lets stop at that station with Paul Bunyan and take a look around.

It ended up being one of the best spontaneous things we did in Portland.

As my research confirmed, Paul Bunyan was not from the Pacific Northwest. His tale, points to the Quebec area of the East Coast, but Portland did not let that deter them in the least. In honor of the logging industry, which is so much a part of the Pacific Northwest, they erected this statue of Paul in a town called Kenton.

I was surprised that Babe, his faithful OX was not by his side. Sad to see, cause he looks like he would appreciate something a little bigger then we humans. :-)

Kenton and their street fair was another fun experience. There were bands playing along the two block fair and food, which we did partake of.
The place that got our business was a small pizza place that had decent NY Style Pizza and local beers.

Hubby and I truly enjoyed our little detour, just a few miles outside Portland...and of course, Paul too.

Public Transportation Rocks!

You have seen some of the places we visited these past 2 weeks and what amazed me, was that in every city we were in, we used the established public transportation system.

In several cities we had the option to rent a car for 1 or more days, but thankfully for our budget, we managed to make our destinations happen with either public transportation, or the help of the hotel shuttle (for our off the lot laundry) and relatives of my Husband (for a get together in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.)

I did research in each stop on our trip, booking hotels that were mass transportation friendly enough for us. St. Paul was the most challenging, though it worked out to be the easiest to execute. Here's how it all went.

Portland has The MAX. A light rail system that picks you up at the airport (you listening to me, LA!). We decided to buy a day pass and that ended up working out well for us. For $5, we had unlimited on and off privideges around the Portland area. We were so happy with it, that we did it again on Sunday. Monday's trip to the AMTRAK Station, was in the Downtown "Free" zone, so we did not have to do anything at all, for that.

Minneapolis/St. Paul has a light rail called the Hiawatha line. At this time, it goes from Mall of America to Downtown Minneapolis. We were walking past a transit booth, on the Skyway in St. Paul and found out that we could purchase a Day Pass for a 24 hour period from your first time using it. It was $6 and by the time we used it for the first time, it was 1:30PM. So on that one pass, we not only visited Mall of America, via a bus that picked us up right at the hotel, but the next day, used it again. We took the bus again to Mall of America and then transferred to the Hiawatha line, to get us into Downtown Minneapolis. After doing this run, I found out that there were more places to see on that line, but oh well, I didn't know at the time. We were back at the hotel by 1PM. Success!

Chicago has the "L" of course and being that our hotel is a block away from the Loop, we used it all the time. We bought the 3 day pass and though we did not end up using all the money we spent for it, the convenience factor of not having to deal with the money, made it well worth the $14 we paid.

Los Angeles, as usual, we used the Flyaway bus from LAX to Union Station. Normally at this point we take the subway to my workplace and pick up our car. Instead, we took a quick trip on the Metrolink train to our son's car in the parking lot of the train station. We were finally home, all by public transportation.

Before you book your hotel, investigate your options. You can save a bundle of money.

HERE is another view on our recent trip, from my Hubby. There are some differences, but he basically agreed with me.

Chicago Theater

This is another location where I have a thousand photos and they can't even begin to do justice to the building. So you get one shot of me and the Hubby and two shots of the graffiti back stage. :-)

The Chicago Theater conducts tours of the historic structure, every day at Noon. It was $12 each and I did not consider this excessive, in this day and age of gouging the tourist. We took the tour on Memorial Day and with us, were 11 other people.

The tour guide had bright pink hair, but thankfully for me, I did not let her looks turn me off, because she was incredibly knowledgeable and much in love with the history of the building.

We did the lobby of the building first, then the halls, the upper balcony and then she took up into the main theater area. To say the least, I was not prepared for the intricate work that was all around me. As you can see in the first photo, it is indeed majestic. She then walked us onto the stage and over to stage left, where all this graffiti was located. It was on the walls, the stairs and doors. She explained that since its last restoration opening concert (Frank Sinatra, if you are interested) on 9/15/86, the artists have been signing something on the walls.

She showed off the one with Frank's signature, the David Copperfield and then later, Penn and Teller, doing what Penn and Teller do best...making us laugh.

I was behind my Husband, taking photos and he is the one who spotted the Los Cholos de Steely Dan under the stair case. I remember them playing the Chicago Theater and me wanting to attend, just to see something at the theater. Unfortunately for both my Husband and myself, we were not able to make it happen that year. IMHO, a great loss for us.

If you find yourself in the Chicago loop area, it is well worth the 1 hour 15 minutes it took.

Sunset On The Columbia River

Two photos for the price of one!

My Water Post For Today.

I mentioned the other day that we were chasing a rainbow sunset, as we traveled up the Columbia River. We were on an AMTRAK train, called the Empire Builder.

The first photo was taken out my window sometime around Wishram, Washington. It is not the absolute best shot of the Columbia, but it does have the rainbow.

The second photo was taken from the back of the train. Our car was the absolute last car, the entire trip. It made for long trips to the dining car, but it also made for incredible shots out the back.

This one has the track, the sunset and the Columbia River.

A major win, in my book.

Father Ed, I Will Miss You

I wrote a post back in June of 2009. It recounts a conversation my Husband and I had with the man who married us in the Catholic Church, Father Ed. Please go and read THIS, first.

(Welcome Back) I hope you enjoyed the post as much as I enjoyed experiencing the conversation with Father Ed. It gives you a taste of our relationship with the man and it also documents the absolute last time we talked to him.

Last Sunday, May 27th, 2012, Father Ed, passed away. You can read the official obit, HERE.

It was not unexpected. He sent a message to my current parish bulletin about a month or so ago, telling everyone that he was having some serious health problems and was getting the best care at that time. He did not know what the future held for him, but that he was not able to have visitors and wanted to let people know that prayers were always welcome. That was the man he was. Letting us know how proud he was of our flourishing parish, which at the time he headed it, was in its infancy.

Some of the most powerfully spiritual moments in my life, moments when I was sure there was a God, were in the presence of the man. The one I remember most, was when he was leaving our new Parish, Blessed Kateri, which he had built for us and headed for a year. I forget who did it, but I think it was someone who was a recently ordained priest. He was a local resident who had a long history with Father Ed, going back to another parish he served at, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Back in those days, Father must have been calling in all personal markers, to cover all the masses we had going, between St. Clare Church and Blessed Kateri Church.

The priest asked us all to hold up our hands to bless Father and I swear you could feel the blessing of God himself in the room. Truly impressive power.

My personal relationship with him began back in 1986, when my brother asked me to be Godmother to my nephew. I needed paperwork to prove that I was a practicing Catholic and since I lived in Saugus, I went to OLPH, which was considered my "Home" parish. I had never been there and the priest refused to sign the form. I can't blame him, he was hard line.

Not wanting to fail this mission, I then went to St. Clare Parish. It was near my old mobile home park and the church I saw every day for 5 years. Wanting to go join it, but never actually walking in the door to begin the process. I made an appointment and I met with Father Ed. He took one look at me and said, "Yes, I will sign your form." Just as easy as that. I then had to take a class and I was fine with that, but it was the fact that the man KNEW from just one look, that I was worth bringing back to the fold. I like to think I have never let him down, in that regard. I volunteered at countless events for St. Clare, over the years. Helping support the parish, that didn't let me down.

As my Husband recounted on Facebook, when the two of us would approach Father Ed, my Husband was always the one who Father addressed first. My Husband always felt that he was trying to convert him, but I never got that vibe from him. I think that he just truly cared about the two of us as a couple. Especially since he did marry us back in 1990.

Safe journey my friend, you have reached your final reward.

You were always there, when I needed you the most.
Father Ed, I will miss you.

Sunset At Wishram, Washington

These photos were taken about 3 or so hours out of Portland, Oregon.

It was a little "smoke" stop at a station in Wishram, Washington.

We had been following the Columbia River for the entire time and finally, the sun was setting.

With the setting sun come rainbows, if there have been storms in the area.

In our case, yes, there had been storms earlier.

I had been shooting the rainbows from the train, but when we stopped, I could not resist getting off of the train to try to get a photo or two of the rainbow.

As you can see, it was no real trouble at all.

The rainbow hovered just over the train and I got several nice photos, that show off the station and how remote it is.

At the time I took this photo, I knew no one but the conductor. By the end of the journey, I knew most everyone, at least to nod to.

That is the power of a trip on the AMTRAK.

They fill each dining table with strangers and by the end of the journey, you know who they are and where they are from and where they are going.

It is an interesting experience.

As if you had any doubt, more on the Columbia River, on Monday. :-)

Charlie Andiamo Americano

If it isn't obvious, this is another Peanuts post from St. Paul.

This was the second Peanuts character we found in our travels around the City of St. Paul. It stands in a small Park in the neighborhood of Low Town, a few feet from the Mississippi River levee.

My Husband and I were confused about the statue, because yes, we can see it is Charlie Brown and Woodstock, but they are dressed funny.

The plaque gives hints as to what the statue symbolizes.

Charlie Andiamo Americano

A symbol of the memory Dal 1820-1965

For all our Italian ancestors who left their homes in heartache, in the hopes of living the American Dream. Armed with courage, strength, and blind faith, these immigrants came to homestead on what became known as St. Paul’s Little Italy, “The Levee,” around 1900. In appreciation of their spirit and desire to provide loved ones with a better life, we honor them as the first Italian American homestead with this tribute.

DEDICATED IN PRIDE WITH A DEEP LOVE OF BEING ITALIAN AMERICAN

The Cossetta Famiglia - The Mancini Famiglia

As with so many things, the worst land goes to the immigrant new. I was worried that something terrible had happened, a flood or something, but it just seems to be a tribute to courageous immigrants of Italian ancestry.

Well done and as I mentioned a few days ago, The Cossetta Family is obviously flourishing in St. Paul. If their cannoli's are any indication. :-)