THE BAR OF AMERICA

and other delights. This is our homage to Stephen Colbert, a picture that we took during our recent trip to Tahoe. So much has happened, Nation, that it would be impossible to list it all. Let's just say that we went to a lot of places, including Rochester, NY, and Mesquite NV, and you can see some great pix of Rochester if you check out Jennie and Zahra's blog right over there --->
We love you all, and we love Stephen Colbert.

Thanksgiving Oysters Mom and Mt Lemmon!

Over the last few weeks we have had a variety of adventures, including Thanksgiving which was a delicious and fun filled day, replete with food, fun, and friends (hey- we have to live up to our reputation as hedonists!) and Thanksgiving weekend, which was filled with bicycle rides and oysters on the half shell. Here are some pics of our gorgeous Thanksgiving sunset, our Thanksgiving table, some freshly shucked oysters, thanks PNut! as well as a couple from Mt Lemmon.
On Thanksgiving day, Pnut, Karen, Scott, Chris, their dad Tom, our new friend Karina, and Dina and I all ate together and watched football. Tom carved the turkey, and Karina made a special German dessert, called something upronounceable, or you could call it Cinnamon Parfait. Whatever- it was tasty!
Then the weekend after Thanksgiving my mom came to town, and we had a fun and also relaxing time with her, spending time watching movies, walking around on Mt Lemmon, going to the Desert Museum, and shopping on 4th Ave. I think Mt Lemmon, our local mountain getaway, only 30 miles from Tucson city limits, was her favorite. It was chilly, with even some snow on the ground and gorgeous crystalline formations in the creeks. This weekend is the 4th Ave fair, so we may go down and get a little shopping, and sight seeing in.

Halloween, PNut's visit, and Bella's Purple Heart

We've been a bit lax in our posting habits, so here is a quick synopsis of what we've been up to since we got back from Europe. Our friends all met up with us or stopped by at various stages after we returned home, and by Halloween weekend we were over our jet lag and ready to go out and have fun. We had a few friends over on the Saturday of Halloween weekend, and barbecued in the back yard. The weather has been delightfully warm during the days, and chilly at nights, but we all ate outside that evening, as it was comfortable, and the mosquitoes that plagued us during the monsoon season have died down.
We went out later that evening to a party at Lindy's house, of Lindy's on Fourth, our favorite burger and sandwich place. Karen dressed as Stephen Colbert, from the The Colbert Report, Dina was dressed as Dykewood (a play on Deadwood) and I was a forties glamor girl, and wore my great Aunt Ruth's vintage dress.
Last weekend we were surprised by a visit from our friend PNut, who decided the week before to come, and we had a fantastic time, mostly relaxing, pogo-ing, and hanging out. She was here from Thursday through Monday, and we celebrated her final night here by going to see Tucson's All Souls Procession, Tucson's Day of the Dead celebration. We had a great time excepting one incident. On her first day here we decided to go on a hike, and ended up in the veterinarian's office after Bella got a jumping cholla stuck on her hind leg and tried to take it out with her mouth. About forty extremely long, sharp cactus spines got lodged in the roof of her mouth and all over her tongue. We took her to the closest vet where they had to put her under anesthesia to pull them out. Because of her extreme bravery, she didn't even cry once, the veterinarian gave her the purple heart for bravery, and is pictured here the day AFTER the tragedy, wearing it. Pictures of the spines in her mouth are too disturbing to post, plus we haven't gotten them from PNut yet!
This weekend we went down to the 4th Ave Bike Swap and I bought Dina a mountain bike for her birthday. She works tonight, and I am going to do some computer stuff, so i thought it would be a good time to catch up! We hope everyone is well, and hope you enjoy reading a little about our adventures.

Hello all- we will be posting on our european blog from the 26th of Sept til Oct 20th. Find the link right next to this post. Here is a picture of the dogs as we ready ourselves for Europe- I think they may be feeling a bit nervous about our intentions, as we are packing wildly, and there is no dogfood, and no collars or leashes being packed. We will be posting photos and stories about our adventures every few days ( we hope!) while in Europe. We will miss you all, and send you postcards, and hope everyone has a great few weeks while we are gone!
love Justine and Dina

Camping at Lake Patagonia!

We brought the boat, and dogs up to Lake Patagonia this past weekend, and then were joined by first Hugh and Patrick on Friday night, then by the rest of the gang, Scott, Keree, Karen, Curtis, and Matthieu on Sat at noon- it was insanely gorgeous, with breathtaking sunsets due to general cloudiness throughout the weekend, but it was sunny at times, and always warm enough to swim, even at midnight. Scott, Keree, Matthieu and Karen all gave wakeboarding a try, and JJ and DD both got to get up and wakeboard around a bit.

Everyone loved the lake, and can't wait to go back- native Tucsonan Scott, and longtime residents Curtis and Matthieu couldn't believe they'd never been before.
What else can we say? Oh, Matthieu jumped off a really tall rock, and Rizzo is a fantastic boat dog! Bella and Brazzie, old pros at boats and water didn't have to teach her a thing!

So much to report.....

Last week JJ and DD both went to the Bay Area, JJ first went to several training days in various parts of Texas and then flew in to San Francisco late Friday night- Dina arrived on Wednesday in Sacramento and helped PNut put up a fence in her front yard before driving down to pick up JJ.

Saturday we got to see family, including Justine's dad, Aunt Mart, and Aunt Maria Elena, and then DD's sister Gina and family. DD took the kids, Jonelle and Mikey to the Metreon and then to Golden Gate park. JJ met them at the Metreon, and then we all went for a walk in the park by Gina's house. The kids rode their bikes.

Sunday was the BBQ in Rebecca's backyard, celebrating Kate and Zahra, and also functioning as a sort of reunion, with tons of friends and family showing up, including JJ's mom, sister, step dad, and Kevin, and Zahra's mom and dad too! There was lots of baby ogling going on, as the inimitable Rocket, his beautiful new sister Marina, and the brand new and amazing Sophie Rey, Margo and Lynne's baby all showed up.



Gina's new baby, Johnny, must have felt the baby wavelengths in the air because he went ahead and came into the world at about 6 o'clock that night. We had a chance to go by the hospital the following morning on our start down to Los Angeles. Here he is with his family.

After checking into the hotel in Los Angeles (well, South El Monte) and surreptitiously sneaking in the dogs, JJ and DD had an extremely quiet evening. We woke up the next morning, DD started the drive back to Tucson, and JJ went to a training, afterwards meeting up with Kevary. For those of you who don't know who Kevary is, suffice it to say that they were able to dodge the paparazzi, and there are no pictures of the further adventures of these three. Did they have lunch in Santa Monica? Did they try on outfits at the third street promenade? Only they know, and they aren't telling...
See you next week!

Mesquite, JJ's Travels and Julia!!

This past weekend we visited Dina's parents in Mequite, NV. We drove up with the three dogs on Friday, and then JJ took a shuttle down to Vegas on Sunday to fly out for the week's travels. The weekend was a lot of fun, Gary and Arlene loved Rizzo, and Brazzie followed her "papa" everywhere. Bella loves the Mesquite house, and spends hours staring out at the scenery from the edge of the yard. We think she might be watching the golfers, who from far away look like little animals.
The humans spent some time at the casinos, ate some delicious dinners, one buffet breakfast, and spent a great deal of time just lounging around the patio by the pool, and Gary and JJ went for a massage at the spa on Saturday.
JJ flew into Amarillo, and after her training there was able to fly down to Austin, TX and visit with Allisa, Chris and Julia. Julia is at an amazing age, talking, and running about 100 miles an hour. She is pictured here with JJ and her ducks. The ducks are a big deal. There are about 10 of them and she never seems quite happy unless at least four of them are with her. JJ went with Allisa into Austin, dropping Julia off at her daycare, and then worked from an internet cafe on Tuesday, and had another training on Wednesday in San Antonio, TX, about an hours drive from Austin. The airlines were not as bad as we had anticipated, even with the recent security heightening, the summer vacationers have pretty much all gone home now, and so the lines, and security was not too bad.
Wednesday there was a Leo party at Curtis' house. His home is an amazing art gallery, with paintings, and mixed media art covering the walls and floors. I will post a picture or two if I can get them from Karen, because it has to be seen to be believed. Fern, Jana, JJ, and other Leos all converged at this party, and JJ was happy that she was able to get home in time for it! This weekend is liable to be fairly quiet, as we were away last weekend, and going away again next. Dina has to work on Saturday, but we'll have time to hang out with some friends, hopefully Hugh and Patrick, who both started their teaching jobs and got their classes this week.

Danish Danish Danish, Hurrah Hurrah Hurrah!


For anyone who has celebrated birthday's over the years with DD and JJ the title of this blog will ring a bell. For those of you who have not, suffice it to say that the traditional Danish birthday tradition was carried out, as it was JJ's birthday this past weekend. The whole weekend we had anticipated rain, but we got none. Saturday was mild and beautiful, Sunday a bit hotter, and not until late Sunday night did we even get any clouds or wind. We celebrated first by going to the drive in with JJ, Dina, Karen Peter, Bella, Brazzie and Rizzo on Saturday night, and then on Sunday, her actual birthday, a delicious breakfast of waffles and bacon was prepared for her by Karen Peter and Dina. We all had a pleasant day spent hanging out at the house, Dina shopping for, and then preparing the food for the dinner, and in the evening several friends came over for an amazing meal of curried shrimp and rice, and a goat cheese salad. Hugh and Patrick suprised JJ by coming home just in time for the dinner after their road trip to South Dakota. Barbara came to the dinner and brought Zoey, her tiny chihuahua, and Rizzo and she hit it off fairly well. The dinner was finished off with tasty cheesecake, upon which Patrick, artist extraordinaire, drew a rendition of JJ in marionberry sauce, and then JJ taught everyone the Danish song, and tradition of chopping off your own head (on the cake) to signify the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Our new friends, including Scott, Chris, Jill, Felipe, T.J., and of course, Karen, Hugh, and Patrick, loved the tradition, and are now expecting "Danish" birthday cakes for their own celebrations!

OH NO RISOTTO!

Ok, so call us crazy. But then look at this face, and ask "how can it be crazy to love that face?"
So we went to Berryessa. We dealt with the feral kittens that moved in to the boat when it was parked overnight outside PNut's old house. We dealt with the boat breaking down, the guys pulling out the water pump to see what was wrong, and then finding out it was the thermostat instead. We fixed it, the boat ran, it was fine. The tires on both the trailer and the truck needed replacing as did the brakes on the truck. We dealt with it. But then, while visiting PNut's new house, we heard from her neighbors that the abandoned apartments next door were home to a little abandoned terrier/chihuahua who was trying to make it on her own- checking out the street to see if the family that moved out over a week ago was coming back for her. It was so sad. She was so cute. So when DD said to JJ "if we catch that little dog, can we keep it?" what could JJ say but "of course." She did not want to be caught. But after she ran around the building, got trapped in the alleyway, then squeezed her little body into PNut's yard, what could she do but submit and realize that it was fate and that she had to come back to Tucson with us? So we are now the proud owners of two and one quarter dogs. Here she is, alone, and with the others. Loving life in the town that has come to be called home to us, and now to one little California dog, named Risotto, nickname Rizzo.

Berryessa July 2006!

Last weekend we drove the boat and truck, ourselves, and Bella all the way to Lake Berryessa for the annual camping trip with Dina's High School friends and their families. Although the drive there and back was long and somewhat fraught with peril (bald tires that we replaced, bad brakes that we replaced, feral kittens moved into the boat, and had to be extricated rather delicately) we had a fabulous time, and loved spending time with all the friends, kids, and boating on the lake. Lots of water this winter made for lots of water, and although it cooled considerably over the weekend, there had been a heat wave the week before so the water was perfect for swimming and water fun! Bella was a huge hit, she's pictured here with her new best friend Gracie, Natalie and Gary's younger daughter. After the camping trip, we had a chance to visit PNut's new house in West Sacramento- it is cute and perfect for her, with a big backyard and beautiful, redone insides, including a sweet kitchen with granite countertops, and the best shower I've been in for a long time!

JJ Goes to Bay Area, DD Hangs out with the Usual Suspects, JJ Comes Back and Rebecca Visits on her way Back Home


This past week Justine went to Oakland to get some training, instead of the usual training others. She then stayed on to visit with Mom, Grandpa, Dad, and Aunt Mart, and got to spend time with Gillian, Joanne, Jenessa, Erica, Ben, Cye, Kate, Kelley, and Eden. She also got to see Kate Kelley and Eden in their new home! It's beautiful and suits them perfectly- the evening was quite exciting as they were introducing their cats and dog to the new home and trying to refrain from introducing them to each other just yet! It was a fun weekend although Justine's mom's car, which she was borrowing, got broken into and her luggage taken. Friends rallied and brought her lots of clothes, so she returned with a whole new wardrobe. Thanks Cye and Erica especially for a newly outfitted JJ, and thanks State Farm, as all of her stuff will be replaced, including the window of the car. Dina stayed behind and worked and went out Friday night with friends, then worked on the rental house, and hung out. JJ came home late Sunday, and Tuesday we had Rebecca and her mom over to eat dinner with us in the backyard. The weather was fantastic due to another good rainfall, and we ate delicious chicken, and shrimp which we grilled, and beans and carne asada from Francisco's right down the street. Rebecca stayed to hang out on Wednesday, and helped JJ finish up final touches on the 6th st property (which is shown here in it's new red trimmed glory) then went out to sushi dinner with DD, JJ and Karen and then back to her mom's. She'll be driving back to the Bay Area, where we'll see her at the end of August.

Rainstorm, The Year, and The World Cup Final

We had an extra large rainstorm during the summer monsoons this weekend, and it caused huge areas of flooding in Tucson though it didn't affect us beyond the fact that I couldn't make it across town to go meet Dina for lunch as she was working at the rental house we recently bought, and I was home. Our cacti and other non-irrigated plants breathed a sigh of thanks though, and the weather has been cooler since the big downpour.

Our weekend was spent mostly in doing the small fix-up projects needed at the rental house, and dreaming about big projects that could result in that property becoming our full time residence in a few years, due to its ideal location, near downtown, the university, and historic district. The picture shown here is before the recent improvement of painting the door green, accent work around the windows and other doors is also planned.

Friday night we went to the Congress Hotel to see our favorite Tucson band, The Year of Acceleration who play regularly in venues about town. The show was fantastic, and we went out with brothers, Chris and Scott, the lead singer and bassist, as well as friends TJ and Jessica on Saturday night to the Elbow Room, a great bar with steak specials on Saturday nights, to toast the show and hang out. Dina and I called it quits early that night, preferring to be rested for the World Cup Final on Sunday Fifa World Cup and Italy, who we of course were rooting for, won! As you can see from the pic, Dina, Scotty, and Fern were pretty happy! Several friends, including Chris, Scott, TJ, Fern, Allison, Jessica, Candice, and of course Karen came to our house to watch, and we ate delicious fried chicken from Church's. (Sorry to Dina's dad!, no KFC nearby) This week I will be traveling to Oakland to participate in a training at the home office of Scientific Learning, and visit with my Grandpa Vidal, who is in Oakland for a few weeks visiting from Mexico. See you all soon!

Monsoons! The monsoon season, our summer rainy season, has arrived early this year, and we spend a lot of time talking about it, as well as experiencing it. Here is a picture of a storm from our front yard. We watch our local news channel, KOLD for their sky tracker weather and we have learned a lot of monsoon facts and figures from our favorite weatherman, Chuck George. None of us can remember the exact statistic as to why, but our monsoon season officially began last Wednesday, and it has rained every day except one since then, although not as much as we would like. Still everyone says this is a good sign, and it is beautiful to watch the storms roll in and the lightning storms. Brazzie hates the thunder, Bella really couldn't care less! We'll keep you posted on the monsoons, as well as whether we get up the nerve to invite Chuck George (who Karen met in our favorite local bar the other night) over for a bbq to further explain the monsoons and other weather wonders to us!

Everybody is doing it so why shouldn't we? Now that all the major events of our life over the past several months are over, I should theoretically be able to post them, blogstyle, right? I figure this will be an easy way to keep up with the events of our adventures here in Tucson and share fun things we are doing, like getting married

having a minimoon at the lake

or just hanging out with Matthieu (aka Frenchy) on our couch at home

here's a picture of when we went to Sonora Bay, Mexico

We can even write about silly things, like when Rocky, the monster pomeranian stayed with us-



The main reason for the blog of course, is because we miss all of YOU, and we want you to see pictures and read postings about our life here in Tucson. And also of course, so that we can be a link off of your blogpages, see you all soon! love Dina and Justine