Life in Color Photo

These are just some totally random things from this past weekend, but I did have some non-yarn related moments so:

We went to Arnold Palmer’s restaurant in Palm Springs, it was really cool with a big putting green we sat next to outside, in the perfect weather. We got seated and our waiter brought us menus and handed them out. He handed Emilie and I these smaller menus. I looked at it and looked at Brent, and Brent was like, "what are the small menus for?" The guy goes, "In case the younger ones want to order something from the bar." He leaves and things start to click in my head, holy crap I was just given a child’s menu. Not only that but besides my dad and Kim I was the oldest person there! Both I have a year and a half on Bj and two on Brent. Everyone starts laughing hysterically and though I begged him not to Brent asked the waiter how old I was. "um, about 16?" OH. MY. GOD. Do they have a show called Ten Years Older, because ya, I need to be on that.

Later that night we went out to the courtyard and sat around this gas fire pit thing to play a game Brent had to go get because he said it was the best: Electronic Catchphrase. Okay so it took us a little while to get into the game but once we did. Oh man, there was yelling, shouting, it was classic Pence family fun. So the game works by flashing a word or phrase on the little screen. You are trying to get the people on your team to say the word by describing it or whatever. All the while there is a beeping and you have to pass the thing before it stops, otherwise the other team gets a point. The best of the night had to be my dad: "Okay, it’s a, it’s a ride at the fair, you go up and around." Kim: "superloop, um, merry go round, uh…" my dad just kept say, "around, around, around, like a car, it’s on a car." oh, the rest of us were laughing hysterically and when the time ran out he was screaming "WHEEL, A FERRIS WHEEL!!!" ah hahahaha, seriously though, try the game, it’s good stuff. No little pieces, works great.

The best was my dad’s driving. I don’t know why but California seems to bring out the worst in our family when it comes to driving. Many many years ago our whole family was piled in a station wagon with my grandparents, grandfather at the wheel. We were headed over to Disney World and traffic was thick. Soon it was nearly at a stand still, but my grandfather didn’t seem to be getting it. All at once we realized it, from the little kids to the parents and was shouted, "DALE!!!!" My grandfather slammed on the breaks inches from the car in front of us. It’s a joke now when ever anyone isn’t driving so well, they get a little mock yell "Dale". Well my dad got one this weekend. We had to drive Bj to the Palm Springs airport before we flew out of Ontario. He was changing lanes with out signaling, drifting, and getting really really close to the people in front of us. I think Kim said, "Curt watch out!" like fifty times (and for good reason). But the best was when a car past us, looked over and actually pointed at my dad then followed that with a crazy sign (you know, index finger circling the ear). Well we got a good laugh out of that one.

I’m home safe now, of course. Working on some new jars and fun things for June’s newsletter. I have to head over to Sciarrino’s so I don’t get distracted. I might have taken on more than I can chew for this E.B.K. project. EBK? Emergency Baby Knitting: when a baby comes to early, there is more than you expected, or you didn’t even know your friend was pregnant and the shower is next weekend. For me it’s the latter and I really want to finish the gift up so I can get the oohs and ahhs, and maybe if I’m lucky a little tear in the eye. 🙂

Oh ya, and Jamie got me addicted to Veronica Mars. Holy crap is that a good show, Emilie and I downed the first season and I can not wait until September 22nd to see who is at the door (watch it you’ll see!) Jamie I will now see anything you recommend, because dang this show is good.

O.M.G. I am so sore after nine holes it’s frickin’ ridiculous. But to start at the beginning:

Thursday we headed down to California, to my dad’s "winter house" in La Quinta. I was down here in October, remember? So of course I waited until the last minuet to pack because I like that whole fear-of-god type packing, where you panic and just stuff everything in your suitcase. If you’re like me then you must try this as a carry on:

I mean, I’ve said how in love with this basket from Garnet Hill before. I use it to carry packages to the post office, go to the beach, cram my scrapbooking stuff in, grocery shopping, etc. But this has to be one of the best uses ever. You just flip the handle down and it fits right under the seat. So easy to get stuff in and out of, and you can just keep jamming stuff in itl, yes! Plus anyone who has a bigger camera knows what a pain it is to try and fit that in a regular bag with you know, your knitting, magazines, and other gadgets.

Anyway the flight was good and Buddy still managed to fit into his carrier:

This is the pre-zipping "I so so hate you look" He actually fits a bit better when he’s under the seat and lying down. So we got here on Thursday night and yesterday the four of us (Brent, Bj, my Dad and I) went golfing. In the middle of the day in the 95 degree heat. Despite my sunscreen application my "Oregonian White" skin couldn’t take the sun and I am horrible burnt in all the wrong (and weird places). Even Bj managed to burn his shoulders, and he was wearing a tee-shirt. I only lasted nine holes, it’s been since I was playing one season on the high school golf team since I really played. I have a huge blister on my thumb (no glove), and this morning I woke up to the sensation that someone took a sledge hammer to my back. My burn does feel better though.

I’m going to attempt to get some sock yarn dying done. I’m going to head to a thrift store nearby so I can get some cheap pots and old towels for the process. Granite doesn’t stain as bad as marble, right?

Yes I’m alive. My mom was actually not that upset. She doesn’t want to worry that much about it, and wants the counters to have "character" COOL! Of course she hasn’t seen it yet since it’s covered so… Bj like your bookmark?

Go ahead. I probably won’t be alive anyway when my mom sees this:

Remember how I said we were getting our kitchen redone a bit? New counter tops, stove, sinks, blah, blah. Well it’s mostly done (we still need new knobs and wallpaper), it was finished right before my mom and Bill left on a spring vacation. The night after they left I cooked dinner for my Dad, Emilie, and Sciarrino. I was being so, SO careful. My mom had only told me like FIVE HUNDRED TIMES that acid was bad for the marble, so bad. That I had to clean it up right away, if there was any juice, tomatoes, fruit, etc. So I cooked this yummy Moroccan chicken, squeezed the lemons on the other counter, no problems right? WRONG. I went to clean up, it had to have been a maximum of a half hour after the thing got set here. But it was too late.

    I had made a sauce and poured it into the stock from the cooking chicken to get a gravy. After I poured it in from the baby Pyrex the sauce must have dripped a little over the side. When I went to clean up there was a yellow ring. Heart attack? Ya, I came close. My mom had said "dish soap only!" on the counter tops so I got to scrubbing. My dad started rubbing it with his finger ("this is just going to fade right out"), meanwhile I found more and more spots. These were like water spots kinda and something I know I didn’t do (especially because some of them were on parts of the counter I didn’t use). I scoured the house to find the tile guys number. Eventually I got a hold of him and he came over the next day with his boss.

    I showed them the spots, and I told them that I made the one, but the other ones I don’t know how they happened. They looked at them all and were pretty confident they could get them out. So a week later (and a mere seven hours before I go to the airport) a guy comes over to fix it. He looks at the littler spots, the water spot type things and says that it must be from grape juice or something. I might add that the whole tile company seems to think I threw a huge party: direct quote "we wouldn’t be upset if you did and we wouldn’t tell your mom." Dude I DIDN’T HAVE A PARTY!!!! The one guy today acted like I took juice and loaded it up in squirt guns and went psycho killer on the counter tops. So he works for a while and then, "how’s it going?" I asked tentatively, "Well, I’m not going to be able to get this yellow out." Bells start ringing in my head. He says he can do one thing, this poultice, but it has to sit 24 to 48 hours. DO IT!

    So that’s where we are at now. I haven’t written about it all week on the off chance my mom got internet accesses (I feared the news would ruin her vaca). Now they are in an airport waiting for their flight and I have knots in my stomach. It was my one thing, not to ruin the counter tops. Ahhhhhh. So if I don’t post in a while it’s because I’m trying to find a new place to live with a pool, garage, studio, ribbon room, and private bath for the same $200 a month I pay now. Wish me luck.