November 2009

After dinner and a few hot games of Polish Poker, Mary Jo had to take this picture, Chuck, Marie, Roger, Peggy & Floyd.


We hosted a pre-Thanksgiving party today, We cooked our famous smoked spare ribs on the grill, Chuck, Marie & Roger were here, as well as Cash & Marily, Peggy & Floyd and us. We love to have dinner parties.


Mini Orleans reunion picture 2.


Mary Jo is practicing with our new camera so she snapped this portrait of her Mom & Dad.


Carrie sent us this photo from her cell phone of Alice Mae helping raking leaves, it was so cute, I had to post this.


Uncle Chuck & Marie picked up Roger at the Airport and are in town for a few days so we had to get together to play some Polish Poker.


More Polish Poker Players.


Mary Jo's parents came out for Thanksgiving, of course we had to take them to breakfast at Aliante Station's Original Pancake House, our favorite place for breakfast in our neighborhood.


First Snow Fall on Mt. Charleston, November 10, 2009, this is taken from our back yard.


2nd shot


November brings some beautiful sunsets, with the high clouds reflecting the sun.


2nd shot


Another view

October 2009

Alice Mae our Granddaughter sent us 3 of her art projects for Halloween, we absolutely love them. Her dad sent a picture of them in their costumes as well.

UND played a football game in Cedar City, UT (2 1/2 hours north of here) Southern Utah University in Oct, so we went, UND got clobbered, but it was a good change of pace to get a day out of town.



The first cool weekend in North Las Vegas, Mary Jo has to make a pot roast in the oven, we don't use our oven all summer, April-October, boy it was delicious.


Our 5th Annual Fall Willow Wren Drive Block Party, we were part of the original instigators and it has kept going, nice way to meet the neighbors.


Potluck anyone?


Lots of neighborhood catching up to do.

CA Vacation, Day 5

We spent the night in Cottage Grove, OR. There is a forest fire about 60 NW of there and we had lots of smoke and ashes. Our rental car is covered in ashes from the fire. We were never in danger, just close enough to get some ashes.


Sun is trying to come through the clouds and smoke, there is a forest fire, about 65 miles from Cottage Grove where we stayed. Tried to get photo of sun but the clouds had something else to say about this.


Mt. Shasta through the windshield at 70MPH, we missed the scenic viewing point so this is the best we could do with the photo


Mt. Shasta through the windshield at 70MPH


I-5 in Northern CA, very scenic drive.


I-5 in Southern OR and N. CA. Very beautiful drive.

Day 4 was rather uneventful, we saw some neat stuff, and the Casino I consulted at, Lucky 7, that is why we came up here, I wanted MJ to see the area. Compared to Las Vegas, this is really green and lush. The area is beautiful between the Redwoods and the pine forests. Nothing like Las Vegas, really a good change of pace for us.


Me in front of a Giant Redwood.


The reason we came up here, I did some consulting in 2002 and loved the area and all the neat scenery and I wanted MJ to see it, this was the company we consulted for.


Salmon carving, outside the Lucky 7 Casino, in Smith River, CA


U. S. Coast Guard heading out on patrol from Brookings, OR harbor


Rocks in Pacific north of Gold Beach, OR, we thought it was really cool


Arch Rock, north of Gold Beach, OR


Bandon, OR, we should have had lunch here but we were still full from Breakfast.

CA Vacation, Day 3, North CA Coast

We left San Francisco at 8:30AM, it was very cool, 56 degrees and very foggy, but we had planned to drive up the coast today to see how far we would get. It was very tough driving, the roads are curvy and extremely foggy. But since our time is limited, we decided to just keep going hoping the fog would lift. It didn't lift until after 11AM, so a bad 3 hours this morning, but when the sun came out, it made up for the misery this morning.

I had Mary Jo take a picture of the the surf in the fog, just to show what it looked like.

The fog finally lifted and we saw our first of many rocks jutting out into the Pacific, here is one with the surf splashing up on it

Beef cattle grazing along the Pacific Coast

Self portrait, MJ hates these.

Some passers by took a picture of us

Don't get too close or you will get wet

She didn't listen, again!

Geez, that surf is very deceiving, I almost got wet too.

Doesn't this rock look like a cartoon whale?

Cool rock with bird, this beach is about 5 miles north of Ft. Bragg, CA

Cool rock with driftwood in front of it

MJ standing by the cool rock

Yes, we drove through this Redwood tree

Day 2, California Vacation 2009, San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge


MJ in front of steamed Dungeness Crab


Alcatraz Island


WWII Liberty Ship, these ships brought supplies to our Troops during the war, 2,700 built in 4 years time to support the war effort

WWII Submarine

MJ watching the Sea Lions at the end of Pier 39

Dungeness Crab Sculpture at the street end of Pier 39

View from our hotel room