Sorry sir, the picture on your ID does not match your money. This MD has more rules and signs than any other - 3 refills max, 1 sauce, no loitering, no outside food, no extra ice. Come to Castaic and enjoy the rules. If it were cleaner you might think you were in Singapore.
After dropping the boys at in Burbank. We went shopping and then decided to beat the heat and head to the sea. Our house is a little more that 40 miles from the sea, when we arrived it was 40 degrees cooler. From 108 to 68 - wonderful.
While shopping at the NFC I spotted these tables with ads in the center. The whole food court is full of them. Don't let the people at Town Center know or we'll have them too.
Seems like only yesterday that Jay and I were diving across the desert in 105+ heat (it was the cool time). When we left Lafayette we had AC and a dream of cool sailing. When we reached Houston, it started getting humid and warm in the car. At first I thought that the AC had iced over, so I turned it off to let it melt (keep telling yourself that Fickett). After about 20 min, I turned it back on and it felt cool -- well cooler than the oven we were in at the time. At the next rest stop we pulled over and gave the belts and such a look. All looked fine but we could not make it cool. After anointing it with machine oil, we gave in and knew that it would not be cool till we got to a hotel. For the rest of the trip we drank iced water and cola. After we arrived safely in Valencia I took Blue to get its AC repaired. It worked about 80% of the time, and then only made the car cool after about 10 min -- my ride home is about 7, so the AC was only semi-helpful.
After four years of faithful service our blue car has gone to its reward. Actually it went to Make-a-Wish, it needed to go somewhere and that is where we decided. It was too iffy to let a sem student get stuck on the side of the road when it wanted a rest.
For us it was fine - as I only took it to and from work, so our worst-case was less than 4 miles from a friendly place.
Now all we have is red and gold, I bet they will miss blue, but I'm sure our neighbors are glad to see it out of our driveway.
Ok so it's a cliche. Campbell got his bands and wires today. He was excited for about 2 mins then it became clear to him that he will have these for a year or more.
Kerry allowed him to pick whatever colors he wanted, so he picked red and yellow - McTeeth just what we need.
I don't think that anyone on his soccer team even noticed. The team name is 'Sharks', so he wants blue bands at his next appointment in 6 weeks.
I just hope he doesn't pick black - Oreo mouth. Yech!
We took John out for his 40th. He got chicken fingers - who would have guessed?
His lunch was 100 percent spider-free.
We are nearing the end of our road trip. Today we went to see the Grand Canyon. The weather was perfect, clear and not too hot. The views were amazing. The boys stayed back from the edge (that's for you Pop).
Our hotel for the final two nights is this caboose. The boys love it - they sleep up in the top.
We should be home Sunday - then I'll know how far we've traveled.
We ate at Rod's Steakhouse 11 years ago. We decided to eat here again with the boys. The food was great, but the service was, well bad does not come close. First everything was slow, then it got slower, then they took our dishes and it took them 15 min to bring the bill and another 5 before I went looking for it. When I found it the OWNER said our waitress it busy, no sorry for the wait nothing. Then when I went to put my card in my wallet she got all rude (more so) and grabbed it from me - she told me she had a problem with a stolen card, so I showed her my ID, she did not care, she wanted to compair my signature with the card. After I signed she grabbed the slip before I could add a tip.
Take care of your shop and it'll take care of you. Oh well the food was good.
On our way from Amarillo to Albuquerque we stopped to see the Cadillac Ranch. It is a collection of old cars planted into the ground. You may spray them with paint or just look. We did not have paint so we just looked. There were about 15 others there with us at 9am, a good crowd for a quirky attraction.
From the Ranch we are on our way to see another capital - Santa Fe.
We stopped to take a picture of a roadside sculpture, when I spotted this handy machine. You never know when you may have an out of hours bait emergency.
We did not purchase any bait, but the sign said that it was of the highest quality. The machine dispenses 5 kinds of bait.
We need some of these soon.
We left Effingham the same way we arrived: driving past a 190 foot tall cross. We had a great time meeting all the family. The boys enjoyed playing with their cousins.
We think we may return next year for the reunion.
When ever Cooper sees somthing tall he always asks how many Mr. Jays is it? This statue of Robert Wadlow is life-size and stand 8 feet 11 inches tall. Standing next to it made me feel small.
The town of Alton has quaint and has an amazing bridge.
We arrived in IL today. We went through a town called Cairo, that looked like everyone packed up and left. The buildings were mostly standing, but there were few people -- like a ghost town.
On the farm we got a tour, the went to one of the fields to let the boys pick some sweet corn. After picking they shucked it and then dug some potatoes.
Dinner was all farm fresh. While we were eating the family began to call. There are 76 within 8 miles. Only a portion came by, more will be by to view us on Saturday for dinner.
After dinner the boys tried to put fireflys into a jar, not much luck, but a fun time.
Nashville TN has a full-size scale replica of the Parthenon. We stopped for a look, then went on to the state capitol. We went through security, then while we were looking around a man came up and offered the boys some state pins. Then began to tell us all about the building and state history. I asked him what he did for the state, he said that he was the Secretary of State. Wow. He then took us to his office where he signed some books for the boys, and let them sit in his chair. We took several pictures (with the real camera, so they will be posted later) with the boys in his chair and him standing next to them.
We spent more time with us telling us inside info on the state, and its favorite son: 'Without Tennessee there would be no Texas.'
We arrived in Paducah, to visit with Kerry's great aunt. We sat visiting for a bit, then she suggested that she take us on a tour of her town. She knows everyone and everything. It was a wonderful tour. She took us down to the riverfront to see the river and the paintings on the levys. When we arrived at the river front there was a festival celebrating the town.
One of the contests was for Oreo stacking. Campbell entered and won 1st place in his age group! Dispite the wind he managed to stack 20 high, even the 14+ group only got 26 (the oldest in that group was a man about my age).
You never know what you you'll find on a road trip.
We spent 2 days in Atlanta visiting friends. There are several families from GCC that have recently moved into the area. We visited the Aquarium with the Kahls, we also spent 2 nights at their house. We had a great visit, and were encouraged to see how their children have grown. We also got gas in the worst area in Atlanta - right next to the Projects, lots of fun.
We also visited with the Neals, they have returned home from GCC and seem to be well settled in Georgia.
Then off to the North side of Atlanta to see the Geoffs. The boys loved seeing them again.
Three families, each with their own take of Georgia living, each a blessing to be with.
At one of the houses (I won't say which) Kerry learned to make TP welcome roses - Southern Hospitality.
A very particular law - no TOBACCO smoking. I'd expect this kind of law in CA or WA, but not here in the South. Hip-Hop friendly. Who would have known?
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The boys take some time to play in the rain. They ran around, reclined in the puddles, and had a great time.
Earlier today Campbell caught several different kinds of lizards, and one wet toad.
Campbell even got one a dollar from Pop by catching a blue racer - a very fast variety.
On our way to visit Kerry's aunt we drove past the Jimmy Swaggart World Ministry facility. Kerry and I visited here about 16 years ago shortly after his fall. The facilities are now discolored and not in good repair. What was once a huge campus, is now a few dozen buildings. How he still gets people to send him money is beyond me. He recently purchased a radio station kicked off David Jeremiah and others and replaced it with himself, his son, and others of that ilk.
People in this area still call the campus 'Swaggartyville'.
We've been doing puzzles after dinner. This partial puzzle shows all the states we will visit on this trip. It's much bigger than the boys thought.
On our way out of Houston we stopped at Lakewood Community Church to see what it is they do. Everything is large, lots of free parking, shuttles, and enough bathrooms for a stadium - well it was a stadium in 2002.
Today was communion - Mrs Osteen led that portion of the service. Joel prayed that we all would become the champions that God wants us to be.
The music was so loud Campbell had to put his fingers in his ears. We stood for all the opening music (30 mins). They had a time where you could come forward for prayer - complete with Kleenex. Then then communion. The best part was that in this huge crowd not one person broke their cup! Also not one cell phone rang.
The message was 20 mins and vapid.
The bookstore was the best they had everything: holy hardware, trinkets, books,DVDs, and more. They had 5 titles of John MacArthur books, several copies of each. The most ironic was _Hard to Believe_ I found it hard to believe that they would have any MacArthur books, let alone that one. Maybe someone will read it.
People here remember the Alamo, the guard when you enter whacked a man and made him remove his hat - no pictures, no cell phones, only quiet, as you remember the sacrifice for freedom that was made here.
Ironically most of the guards are of Mexican descent; what would Crockett, Bowie, Travis, and Bonham think?
They loved the games you can play while you wait for your food. A great breakfast after the luxury of last night.
This is just what you should expect if you travel with the Ficketts - the odd roadside attraction. This version of Stonehenge is ar 2/3 scale and is in a field in Hunt TX. Besides the Stonehenge, there are also 2 Easter Island statues.
We walked around them like Druids, while avoiding the Texas-sized fire ants.
Tomorrow - the Alamo.
We found a park in Kerrville for the boys to play at. Like many parks in California this one has 2 play areas - one for younger children, the other for older. This one has suggested ages for each area. The play equipment in this picture says it is designed for children ages 5 to 12. In California no child over 8 would play on this baby equipment. Perhaps in Texas the children grow slow, or they are slow.
After checking into our luxury motel we went down to the river. Nice cool breeze. The boys tossed sticks into the river and watched them float away. Today's car time was long with few breaks - & west Texas does not have the best views for most of the way. I set a new speed record for the Odyssey today in the downhill I-10: 101 MPH. I did not think I was going that fast when I glanced down and was shocked. I slowed down. BTW on this road the limit is 80.
The motto for tonight's motel is 'Luxury for Less'. This must be some aspect of luxury that I'm not familiar with. All the m/hotels we've stayed at (till tonight) have been very nice and clean. This one is clean, but nothing more. The included breakfast will be served in a room with 1 table 4 chairs, a broken toaster, and zero charm. For what we are paying I was not expecting charm, but since it was billed as luxury I was expecting something. I think what they wanted as a motto the printers all got wrong 'Less Luxury' or 'Less Than Luxury'. With this hotel, we could not even say, "But the view... look at the view."
Today we spent 5 hours underground in a cave. No we did not get stuck, we just had a great time. We hike, ate, and enjoyed. After our underground time we had a picnic with a great view, then went to watch the bats leave the cave. Wow. The boys both loved this part.
Campbell also found a huge (by California standards) millipede, about 5 inches long. The treo camera could not take decent pix in the caves, so I'll post those later.
Slightly out of order - last night we had dinner at Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa AZ. Where else can you sit inside the world'd largest Wurlitzer organ and eat pizza? It was great - the boys loved the Star Wars theme with trumpets. All the music was fun and enjoyable, except for 'Titanic' it's always bad. Thanks to Sean for pointing us there.
We drove 45 miles out of our way to visit Saguaro National Park - only to find that it's main loop was closed. They directed us to a trail head for a hike 2 miles further away. We had a nice short hike in the blazing 94f sun. BTW it's only 10am, can't wait till the heat of the day.
It's 3pm and we are at our hotel. C1 looked out the window and informed us 'we have a pool view'. Note that there is no one in the pool - at 110 it is too hot to be outside.
We stopped at the Capitol building and had a nice walk around the building and gardens. The gardens had a nice rock and dirt motif, which was enjoyable in the dry heat of AZ. The van got 23.5 MPG on this uphill leg.
Well we are off. We got up early, beat the traffic and made it to Banning for breakfast. At Cabazon it was hot and windy, with rampaging lizards stomping about. In AZ at the border rest stop it was 100 at 10:20. Should be a cool day.
We are staying Mesa tonight - we wanted our first day to be small so the boys could get used to the car trip. We will see how they do in 5000 miles.
We had the children assemble themselves into the outline and furniture of the Tabernacle. This was part of our review day for the end of Exodus. What a joy to be with them every week.
I stopped for gas this morning and was treated to yet another downgrade in service and convenience. First you could pay at the pump and it was good. Then you could pay at the pump IF you entered your ZIP code, it was less good. Now for even more fun, you may pay at the pump with you credit card IF you enter your ZIP code, and IF you want less than 35 dollars worth of gas.
With gas at $3.40 a gallon and most cars holding at least 11 gallons, this will force most people inside to make their purchase, or put in less than 35 dollars, put the hose back, and make a second purchase.
Customers first at Texaco. I'll go somewhere else for gas.
The Pie N Burger also folds the lettuce so it fits cleanly under the bun. A lost art to be sure. They take extra care in putting the food together.
Today we broke with tradition and got pie too!
The greater Los Angeles area has many great places to get a burger. The Pie N Burger in Pasadena is one of the best (the other is Apple Pan on the West Side). Both have burgers and pie. The Pie N Burger has a bit more space, and the counter help give you more time to order. Just remember, dispite the name you must choose: pie or burger. The burgers are too big to also have pie. If you are in Pasadena and you're hungry stop in, near the corner of Lake and California.
California has these great eLaws - you cannot toss old computers into the trash. You must arrange for special pick up. We had 40 monitors, 2 pallets. California has an eTax that you pay on computer you purchase, but you still must pay to recycle.
Another beautiful day. Clear sunny, light winds, and 90 f. Fire season will start soon bringing smoke to otherwise beautiful skies.
For dinner tonight Kerry made the boys octodogs with mac'n'cheese. They had fun eating. This may be the only octo-anything Coop may ever eat. For dessert we had some apple sauce (made from Granny Smith apples) the Star Wars junkies asked if we could call it 'Granny Sith'.
All the department stores in CA are all owned by Federated. They are beginning to consolidate their operations, so many stores are closing down. At the Northridge mall the Robinson's-May (which resulted from a previous colsolidation) is closing down.
They were selling the fixtures, so we bought some - for GTY.
It was odd to be in such a large store with nothing, and no one in it.
Metella and Grandpa were on vacation this week, so we got to take care of the General. Coop loves to sit with him and pet him. I think Cooper will miss him more than Campbell when he goes home.
The General can be annoying at times, so much so that we call him 'General Nuisance'. This week he has been good and fun. He has us thinking about getting a dog.
This man came into the place we were having lunch today. When he entered most people stopped talking and dropped their lunch and jaws.
Besides his shorts being too short and too tight, his hair was wild like a lion's mane, but too many colors. He also had a way of moving that was almost unnatural, which might have been caused by his hideous Ugg boots. He was not dressed for success - or eating out.
While wandering around after dinner we found this dessert shop with tons of snacks - including this eye catching chocolate-fall that has 3 kinds of chocolate, 24 feet of vertical movement, 2 tons of chocolate and 157 billion Weight Watcher points.
I'm used to seeing and using TLAs; but this conference has more of the alphabet in use than any I've seen. At one booth a presenter was spewing what seemed like random letters for more than 5 min. There would be the odd connecting word or adjective, but it was mostly letters, "Our HDTV has HDMI with H.234 and IPTV. You'll love the 1080p and 2k in full HD .... " Or something like that.
Here are the ones I've spotted in the past few days - how many do you know:
HD, HDV, HDMI, 2k, 4K, SAIT-2, HD-SDI, HDD VD, NLE, 180i, 180p, SD-SDI, NTSC, PAL, VBS, RGB 4:4:4, XLR-BMP, 10 bit 4:2:2, 24F, 24p, VTR, RS422, BD-ROM, DVB-S/2, IP QoS, PVR, DVR, VOD, STB, IPTV, DRM, OMA, VOD, DVB-2, DVB-H, S-DBM, T-DBM, 1080p, 2540p, 1020p, 720p, 1080i, ASI, SDTV, JPEG2000, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, MPEG-4 AVC, PIP, DVB-S2, MPTS, QPSK, SATA II, RAID, J2EE, DTV, EIA-608B, NTSC, PAL, 292M, VANC, ISAN, VC-1, Ad-ID, VoD, DLP, SXGA+.
TTFN
Here is a job that everyone would miss if the non-native community did not do this job that Americans will not do - smut vendor. In this convention city every corner has people who slap, snap, and wave smut related papers at all who pass by them. All the SVs I've seen have been possible non-docs of Latin American extraction. Where are the Americans for these jobs? What will happen on May 1st? Will no one slap the papers at tourists?
I sure hope it pays well. This is a job that could go either way - you may or may not be able to find an American willing to do it.
I think he could be a legal/illegal Russian documented/undocumented worker, what with the red suit and all.
