May 31, 2008
Visit with Ben
Here's photos from Ben's three-night stay with Uncle Steve and Aunt T.
Aunt T finds that getting photos is complicated when one is also actually doing childcare. I don't know how moms and dads do it.
We had a good time. File it under exhausting-but-worth-it. Ben is a very sweet boy, very considerate and concerned about others, and smart, too. Laika seemed to like to watch over him, and would spend some time in his bed every night.
Posted by terrie at 09:29 AM
May 18, 2008
Mother's Day In Ohio
Here's photos from my recent trip to Ohio!
Posted by terrie at 08:38 PM
April 18, 2008
Photos from Sunday
Inquiry Fair projects, cowboys and cowgirls, water guns in the back yard, and a "pointer" indicates that she's detected a bunny. Click for photos!
Posted by terrie at 05:40 AM
April 02, 2008
Easter Photos
Here's some photos from our Easter visit with the Schweitzer's of Redwood City. Also...the enormous egg, my new vintage mixer, the dual-pile compost bin I made from recycled lumber, and a dog who swears it wasn't her digging around in the garden:
Posted by terrie at 06:57 AM
March 02, 2008
Photos from Baja
Photos from Baja, at last. But stay tuned; we're also writing about the trip in detail!
Posted by terrie at 10:10 PM
December 31, 2007
Year End Odds'n Ends
First up, a little video of putting the chickens back in their coop...sorry for the shaky-cam!
And then let's see some of Ben goofing around at the holiday dinner table:
Finally, a couple of Ben and Maddie in front of their Christmas tree, holding objects they chose on impulse...Ben, a gift he received, and Maddie a toy chicken that they gave to Laika. They're funny kids and I love having the chance to be around them. I can only imagine what goofy things Lilly and Erica might do!
Happy New Year!
Posted by terrie at 05:42 PM
November 26, 2007
November Photos
I'm finally getting around to posting photos from November 11:
Uncle Steve's also got photos from that day. I'm going to hire Maddie as my stylist to make all of my fashion choices for me; she made me into a bride and made me carry a plaid pocketbook, she's obviously Project Runway contestant material!
Uncle Steve always posts his photos without fanfare, but you might also like the ones he took of our Thanksgiving Day excursion on the waters of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. That head you see popping out of the water is a river otter -- we saw a family of them, at least three! And they barked at us! I think the angry one may have been the mama to the others. It was so nice to get our kayaks out onto the Laguna, right near our home.
You've likely heard the story of the dreadful oil spill that fouled San Francisco Bay. I had the privilege of getting to help with some of the oil bird rescue, and you can read that over here on Critter geek.
We had a great time yesterday getting to visit with Uncle Andy...I didn't take many photos of that, and haven't even taken them off my camera yet, but if there were good ones, I'll post them later. I should have taken photos of the cute puppets that Ben and Maddie made, and of the fun puppet show!
Posted by terrie at 01:22 PM
October 28, 2007
Some October Photos
Here's some photos from late October, from around the house and at Maker Faire Austin. The chicks aren't chicks any more, that's for sure!
Posted by terrie at 09:23 AM
October 16, 2007
Roadtrip to Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada
We did a classic roadtrip vacation, this time in a northerly loop. Here's some photos:
Steve has lots of great photos here also. Some of my favorites are:
- Coyote at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
- Pair of Golden Eagles, also Malheur
- Badger at Malheur
- Great Horned Owl at Malheur
- Osprey on the Malheur River
And a little video of Laika being happy to get to stay in a hotel, where she's allowed to sleep with us. She's very funny about it, too...she has to get under the sheets and burrow down in. No sleeping on top at the foot of the bed for this puppy.
And here's Steve's video of Laika running in the snow:
Newer chicken photos to come, soon!
Posted by terrie at 08:14 PM
September 23, 2007
Mango and Blue
I traded a bunch of web work for a pair of kayaks and equipment for Steve and I. The colors as listed in the kayak catalog were "Mango" and "Blue", so that's their names, too. Very exiting!
Posted by terrie at 09:13 PM | Comments (2)
September 13, 2007
Happy Birthdays!
Here's some photos from our visit to Max's Opera Cafe in Palo Alto to celebrate some birthdays:
We were happy to finally meet the rabbit, Shady Day. Laika really wanted to "play" with Shady Day. When we left, she stood in the back seat at attention, watching out the rear window for a couple of blocks..."Let's go back there, I really want to get closer to that bunny...."
Posted by terrie at 02:11 PM
August 27, 2007
Quite the weekend
I've been reading about chickens and half-way planning to get two or three laying hens for the yard...something I've always wanted to do, but always made up reasons for why I couldn't. On Saturday, I went to Western Farm in Santa Rosa to pick up some other pet supplies, and also see what they had in the way of backyard chicken equipment.
I found a whole little room full of racks of chicks and posters of what the various breeds would look like when they were full grown. More importantly, I found a man working in the room who was happy to tell me all about the different breeds and what I would need to take care of them. He also told me that the chick season was ending and they wouldn't have them much longer, which I conveniently decided was reason enough to get them now.
He agreed that the Barred Plymouth Rocks were good laying hens, but he recommended the Light Brahmas as extremely good "pet" chickens that would also produce eggs nicely. Since mortality is so high among baby chicks, he suggested getting five now...if all five live, he'll buy the extras back from me and pay a premium price for them (that includes any that turn out to be roosters...they're all supposed to be hens, and they're usually about 90% sure of that).
So we've got two Plymouth Rock and three Light Brahmas. Already I've decided that the Plymouth Rocks are smarter (they spend less time pecking the sides and floors of the box to see if that tastes good) and the Light Brahmas are sturdier. All of them survived lots of handling over the weekend and we hope they're on their way (three of them, anyhow) to a long happy life in our yard!
We also had lots of fun with Ben and Maddie over the weekend, including setting off Uncle Steve's rocket ship!
Posted by terrie at 10:43 AM
July 02, 2007
Birders Meet Birds Star
Yesterday we went to Bodega Bay for an appearance by Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, The Birds.
Hedren is the founder of ROAR Foundation and Shambala Preserve, a sanctuary for big cats and other exotic animals who are rescued from situations of mistreatment and neglect. We were happy to donate to the cause in exchange for a photo with her and an autograph. We had her autograph our birding scope! Click here for all the photos.
Posted by terrie at 06:34 AM
May 31, 2007
Rides of Maker Faire
The highlights of Maker Faire for me were (1) getting to ride in a 1967 Cadillac Hearse, powered by propane (James sez, "I get 20 mpg and propane costs $2/gallon. The speedometer read 105 mph on the Dumbarton Bridge on the way here!") and (2) getting to drive the MAKE Fire Truck home. Luckily, I got photos of both. Click on the fire truck photo for more of those (thanks Steve!)
Posted by terrie at 06:55 PM
May 17, 2007
MAKE Fire Truck
I finally got some good photos of the MAKE Fire Truck during setup for Maker Faire this weekend. Click on the photo below to see more!
It was purchased via ebay motors, so you can see all the detail about the truck here (the page takes a while to load).
Posted by terrie at 07:46 PM
April 10, 2007
Easter Photos
Click for more photos, and be sure to see Uncle Steve's photos also; what fun we had!
Posted by terrie at 06:22 AM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2007
Fun Visit
We had a really fun visit with Maddie and Ben (and Tony and Sheila!)...we got an extra special treat with the snakes. I had held off feeding them so I could do it when the kids were here. Just as I went to start feeding Ringo, I found him shedding his skin! This was very exciting, because it only takes them a few minutes to shed, and I've only caught them in the act once before. After he finished shedding his skin, we gave him his mouse and he obligingly ate it up. I fixed up the shed skin for Maddie to take for show and tell at her preschool. The shed skin is almost exactly as long as I am tall, so it's over five feet! There might be photos from Tony and Steve of that later.
Click on the photo for more:
Posted by terrie at 09:57 PM
February 07, 2007
Photos Catch-up
Realized that I never posted Christmas photos, so here they are, along with some other scenes around the house from December and January.
Posted by terrie at 06:31 AM
December 21, 2006
Grinch Dog
Laika reluctantly models the spiffy accessories sent by Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Bob:
Click the photo for more!
Posted by terrie at 01:34 PM
December 03, 2006
Thanksgiving, Gingerbread Houses and More
Here's a big batch of photos from November and December, including Thanksgiving on the beach, Laika and the president, hawk watch, and gingerbread houses with Aunt Connie!
Posted by terrie at 07:19 PM
November 13, 2006
Photos from November 11-12, 2006
Fun weekend! (Click on photo for more).
Here's Uncle Steve getting his super-secret birthday present from Ben. "It's a rocket ship!!!!" This is sure to provide a lot of fun for a future weekend! (Ben was supposed to help keep it a surprise, but every time Uncle Steve's birthday was mentioned, he couldn't help but burst out with something about "the rocket ship!"
We had a fun day with the kids on Sunday while Tony and Sheila hit wine country. One of the highlights, of course, was an afternoon jaunt to Screaming Mimi's for ice cream!
Uncle Steve also has some of Saturday's Hawkwatch, including an amazing panaorama.
Posted by terrie at 06:32 AM
October 31, 2006
Bat Dog
Everyone notes that she often has bat-ears, so what else could she possibly be for Halloween?!
Posted by terrie at 02:47 PM
October 22, 2006
Popping Balloons
The Sebastopol Center for the Arts had a special exhibit this month that culminated in "Art and Technology Day". MAKE Magazine participated and recruited Tom and Wendell Anderson to do their high-speed photography demonstration. Steve and I got the chance to pop balloons for it -- very fun!
The Andersons work with make to supply the kit that makes it easy to do these with your own digital camera.
I was surprised that they just used a pencil to pop the balloon!
Posted by terrie at 07:16 AM | Comments (1)
September 17, 2006
Vacation, September 2006
We really needed two weeks to do the vacation we had in one, but we had a great time anyhow. Steve will have a lot more photos, and there was much more scenery than these can hope to convey. But, anyhow, here's some photos!
Posted by terrie at 09:32 PM
August 21, 2006
Straight Shot
Click for more photos of Uncle Steve's latest gig!
Posted by terrie at 09:10 PM
August 05, 2006
Photos from Grandpa and Grandma's
Click to see photos from July 29 (and some of Shayna and Tristan from July 24!
I've also uploaded these to KodakGallery (formerly Ofoto), where you can also view and order prints. Click here -- you'll need to sign into your KodakGallery (or create a new account) to view this album.
Posted by terrie at 08:36 AM
July 28, 2006
Pony Swim and Auction
More photos from Chincoteague -- pony swim, dinner, auction, and lighthouse. -- here they are!
Posted by terrie at 04:08 AM
July 25, 2006
Chincoteague Island
I was one of those kids that was a nut for horses, and read any book I could find on the subject. When I was about nine years old, Aunt Connie gave me a beautifully illustrated book for Christmas -- King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry. After reading it, I eagery sought out any of the other books by Henry, including Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy, Misty's Foal.
And this is how Aunt Connie and I came to plan a vacation to Chincoteage to see the real setting for the books, and to see the annual swim of wild ponies from Assateague to Chincoteage Island.
We've been here most of today, and so far have seen:
- Assateague National Seashore (including getting my feet wet in the Atlantic for the first time!)
- The Chincoteague Pony Center
- A waterfront lunch with porpoises swimming by
- The Beebe Ranch, featuring descendents of the books' characters, Misty, Stormy, Grandpa and Grandma Beebe, and cousins of Paul and Maureen
- A visit to the pony pen on Assateugue Island, where the ponies have been rounded up and are waiting on the big swim tomorrow morning.
And we still maee it out for ice cream this evening! We also picked up our raffle tickets, so tomorrow it's off at 5:30am to get our spot to watch the swim and then to the carnival to win our horse!
Posted by terrie at 06:34 PM
July 06, 2006
Straight Shot Rocks July 3
Click for photos!
Posted by terrie at 09:00 PM
June 28, 2006
Blueberries and Cars
We had fun on Saturday, getting blueberries and going to see "Cars" (even doing a little racing before the movie started). Click for photos!
Posted by terrie at 06:34 AM
June 19, 2006
Camping Trip
We had our last "Basic Obedience" class with Laika on Saturday and celebrated by leaving right afterwards for a night of camping at Hendy Woods with John and Kirsten.
We're happy to report that Laika seems to love camping (especially since it's her chance to sleep with us)!
Uncle Steve has photos here, too!
Posted by terrie at 07:55 AM
April 03, 2006
Straight Shot Rocks Ace-in-the-Hole
Some photos from Uncle Steve's recent gig. Click for more!
Posted by terrie at 07:23 PM
March 19, 2006
North Beach, Point Reyes
My favorite photo so far in 2006.
Castles are built in the sand while a big monster chases around a mock-terrified boy on the beach. Much laughing ensues.
Posted by terrie at 06:55 PM
March 17, 2006
Shy Cat's Playground
Scout likes to play a game on the new tree that Maddie, Ben, Sheila and Tony got for Buddy and him. He gets up on the top and we coo and play with him, and he rolls around dangerously threatening to go over the edge. It's very cute!
Posted by terrie at 04:13 AM
March 09, 2006
Erica Jeban
She's way too far away, but through the wonders of the global interweb we present my newest niece:
Erica Jeban
Born March 9, 2006 at 7:22 AM; 7 lbs. 3 oz., 19.25 inches
Congratulations, Lilly! You're a big sister now! (We'll have some talks about that, you and me, yes we will!)
Posted by terrie at 09:37 PM
December 31, 2005
End of year storms
They've got the boats out on Morris Street this morning...one block over (and thankfully downhill!) from us.
Posted by terrie at 04:29 PM
December 29, 2005
Bikes on Nimitz Street
I saw a fun family on bikes as I pulled over on Nimitz, and this is where it led me.
Posted by terrie at 03:57 AM
December 22, 2005
Christmas Tree
It's a living tree which we hope to plant in the yard after the season. Our angel is a Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Posted by terrie at 10:02 PM
December 13, 2005
Boxes are more fun
Big boxes are a lot of fun! Click to view more photos.
Posted by terrie at 03:22 PM
September 26, 2005
Aunt Leigh Visits Aunt T
Leigh and I worked together at Larry's. Her bathroom is being remodeled and her toilet is sitting out in her front yard on Patterson Avenue while we blast around the Northern California Coast and she fvisits other friends in Seattle. Her clawfoot tub is something nobody wants but people in California would pay big money for. But you can't ship a cast-iron clawfoot tub from Ohio to California. Or so I hear. But I won't repeat the exact words with which I heard it.
We had a great day at McClure's beach on Saturday at Point Reyes. On Sunday, we were off the shore at Point Reyes fishing - click for photos of both days:
We had a great time thanks to Captain Les and crew of the Samanth Irene. I'm hoping to do their Rock Cod/Crab combo this winter!
Posted by terrie at 04:42 AM
September 05, 2005
The Pacific Coast Schweitzer Boys' Birthdays
Wherein we discover that root beer has magical wild monkey-making properties, that you can never read enough books, and we re-learn that we're the luckiest aunt and uncle, and sister, in the world.
Posted by terrie at 03:42 AM
August 31, 2005
Brutal Mauling of Uncle Steve
No mercy!
Posted by terrie at 08:01 PM
August 14, 2005
Yosemite Photos
Our Yosemite trip didn't go exactly as planned, but we still saw amazing things that defy photography. Of course, that didn't stop us from trying.
View Steve's photos here (the first batch is from his trip to Colorado last weekend).
Posted by terrie at 07:02 PM
August 09, 2005
Dad's Water is Best
Dad's water is Buddy's first choice.
Posted by terrie at 05:15 PM
July 05, 2005
July 3 Fireworks (and more)
Here's some photos from July 3 and the festivities at our house for the annual Sebastopol fireworks.
Also, Uncle Steve has some photos posted of July 3, our visit to the blueberry farm, and hike at Point Reyes. And he posted his whole series of Charlie Browns that have appeared around Santa Rosa. There are 55 Charlie Brown statues decorated in various ways throughout the city because this is the 55th anniversary of "Peanuts," the comic by Charles M. Schulz, who was a Santa Rosa resident for much of his life.
Posted by terrie at 06:38 AM
June 02, 2005
In Defiance
I went home for a short visit with family over the Memorial Day weekend.
When I book flights, I first narrow down my options based on what's the least expensive ticket with a maximum of one stop/transfers. After that, I look for the shortest total travel times and/or the most interesting cities to stop in. (After being stranded in cities a couple of times, I figure I may as well try for someplace I've never been before, so if I do get stranded, maybe I can spend some time exploring a new city.
When the dice rolled on this trip, I ended up on a flight from Oakland to Nashville, then to Detroit. (The trip back routed through Phoenix).
Oakland airport was packed on Friday. The security line went out the doors and out into the parking area. But they got us through quickly, and the airporter bus schedule had me there extra-early anyhow. The flight to Nashville was uneventful.
I had three hours to wait in Nashville. (I must have been going for "interesting city" rather than "least total travel time" on this part of the trip!) Throwing all my hard work dieting to the wind (I'm going home, anyhow!), I had a BBQ pork sandwich...it was delicious. During this time, a older drunken black guy sat down across from me and tried to engage me in conversation. With mustard and ketchup from his hotdog running out of the sides of his mouth, he asked where I was from, and I answered "California".
"Are you a movie star?" he needled.
"No. Are you?" I replied. He laughted but said that he wasn't. Luckily, I was almost done and the waitress, sympathetic to my plight, cashed me out right away.
I still had plenty of time to kill, and I noticed a nail salon in the terminal, so I treated myself to a manicure. I explained to the manicurist that my Mom really appreciated nice nails and she'd probably like it that her tomboy daughter had nice nail polish on her fingernails for once instead of just weird polish on her toenails. In any case, it was a really nice way to spend extra airport time. (Nashville also has a massage place in the terminal). I regret not buying the "Nashville Flyswatter" in the shape of a guitar for Steve.
While boarding in Nashville, I decided to go for a window seat on the right. I figured if we were going to Detroit, there might be a chance of passing over Defiance.
I didn't really believe that we'd actually pass over Defiance, but as we got closer to Detroit, I looked down and saw two sizable rivers meet. The pattern of bridges looked right, so I immediately dove into my backpack, spilling all sorts of stuff out, and grabbed my camera to start shooting photos. And it turns out that I actually managed to capture my parents house, my childhood home, from the plane. That photo, a labeled version of it, and others from my trip, can be seen here:
My time in Defiance was really good. In additon to my immediate family, I got to see lots of extended family. I was especially glad to see my Aunt Connie and my Grandpa and Grandma. And I was happy to visit Uncle Paul.
Visiting with immediate family was really fun, of course. My niece, Lilly, is quite a pistol. She's super smart, and sassy to boot. At three-and-a-half, she's already won a division in a tri-state skating championship! I had fun trying to help her fish in Grandpa and Grandma's pond. But she caught at least one bluegill and one bass without my help!
We had a good time on Sunday watching the Indy 500 at Jenni's house, but Defiance native (and neighbor!) Sam Hornish hasn't vanquished his Indy demons quite yet. Still, his unfortunate departure gave us a chance to root for underdog Danica Patrick. Steve pointed out SFGate.com's "Betting Fool" take on it:
She was polished, almost too slick at times. Her parents are disturbingly media savvy. She bounced out of her car on Sunday looking like the splashy back end of a Pantene commercial.
The IRL marketing chipmunks saw this as a chance to put NASCAR in its hillbilly place for a weekend and they did exactly that.
At this rate, I may become as much of an IRL fan as an IHRA fan. Which, given my attendance, probably isn't saying much.
I had a nice walk around the farm with my brother, Andy, too. He showed me a place where he and Tony caught crawdads, and once found a leech before they figured out what leeches were. The boys have all the fun, I tell ya!
Oh yes, I got to see eagles, too. Two Bald Eagle nests, one glorious adult Bald Eagle, and two "branchers" -- dark eaglets just old enough to start hopping around in the tree around their nest. Also, hummingbirds showed up at my parents house, and Dad got feeder around in time to get them hooked. What kind? Dunno! I do think I saw a Rufous-crowned sparrow in their yard, which is something we worked very hard to see during Christmas Bird Count here on the west coast.
I ate too much. My mom and grandma are wonderful cooks, and I was sent back to California with a huge sack of food that I ate far too much of. But one picks one's battles, and Mom's Ranger Cookies and Grandma's cherry pie are exactly the right battles to happily lose!
There's more, but I'm written out for the moment. I didn't take very many photos on this trip. I was too busy having fun!
Posted by terrie at 04:22 AM
April 04, 2005
More cruise photos.
We'll have more writing/journal of our cruise at some point, but I put up some more photos at these links:
- Puerto Vallarta, March 29, 2005
- Mazatlan, March 30, 2005
- Cabo San Lucas (3/31) and Friday (4/1) at Sea
We're back, safe and sound, and our kitties are in great shape but happy to see us. We had an amazingly great time. Thanks Lynda and John for a once-in-a-lifetime luxury vacation!
Posted by terrie at 02:38 AM
March 08, 2005
Painting Plates
Here's some photos from a fun time we had painting on Sunday!
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Posted by terrie at 03:42 PM
February 21, 2005
Photos from Feb. 19
Uncle Steve has posted photos here, and Aunt T has some here.
Posted by terrie at 05:33 PM
January 20, 2005
South Beach
Some photos from a fun day at the beach!
Posted by terrie at 03:18 AM
December 31, 2004
Silent Movies
Here's a little collection of quick time movies from 2004. Each of these is about a meg in size, so you'll probably want a fast connection to view them.
Posted by terrie at 06:37 PM
December 25, 2004
Christmas Photos
Here's photos from our Christmas travels -- more to come over the coming days (I'll add them below):
- Redwood City, 12/22-23/2004
- Huntington Beach, 12/24-25/2004
- Huntington Beach, 12/25/2004 - skateboarding and surfing on Christmas Day!
Posted by terrie at 06:34 PM
December 14, 2004
Photos from Uncle Steve
Uncle Steve has been posting some great photos; click on the photo below to see more!
Posted by terrie at 03:09 PM
November 30, 2004
More Photos from Uncle Steve
Uncle Steve has more Thanksgiving photos here, and also some photos from our team's last day of hawk watch (the hawk in the photos is a female Northern Harrier, or "marsh hawk", that an intern brought up from one the banding blinds to show us.
Posted by terrie at 04:11 AM
November 07, 2004
Maddie Turns 3, Nov. 6, 2004
Posted by terrie at 04:04 PM
October 31, 2004
Hawk Watch
Here's some photos from hawk watch today (click to see more):
Steve also has some photos here.
Posted by terrie at 03:38 AM
October 29, 2004
Some Ben and Maddie Photos
Some photos from a fun evening with Sheila, Tony, Maddie, and Ben. Click on either photo to see the rest.
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Posted by terrie at 02:58 PM
Eclipse Photos
Uncle Steve took some cool photos of the eclipse. Here's one:
Posted by terrie at 02:18 PM
October 20, 2004
Fall Fun
Looks like it's fall in the midwest! Uncle Andy sent these great photos (and many more are available on Ofoto). Click on a photo to see a larger version.
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Posted by terrie at 04:11 PM
October 10, 2004
Photos from Summer
Here's a bunch of photos from this summer -- you've already seen them on the old Mac site I used, but I re-posted them here.
Posted by terrie at 04:37 PM