Greetings from Irvine, California, USA!
Photo was taken on Saturday, October 20, 2007.
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Judy Garland’s character says this to her pet dog as they set foot in the titular land of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. We’re not in Kansas, nor Oz, but the city of Irvine at a Halloween-themed housewarming party. The “Dorothy” in this photo of the week is the daughter of two good friends. Their son was also dressed as an Oz character, the Cowardly Lion, but had taken off his headwear earlier in the evening, never to be worn again.
The party itself was very entertaining, especially as it went late into the night. “En vino, veritas” is Latin for “In wine, truth”. The things said in front of friends and strangers alike flowed as freely as the wine and beer AKA the truth serum. One woman dressed as a bee and wanted her husband to dress as a flower but he refused and came as a chicken instead. Anyway among the things I learned were that Chicken and Bee tried to join the mile high club but the airplane’s coach section lavatory was too small. Another couple – a disco Ken and Barbie - said the ones in business and first class are definitely roomier.
The evening was far more entertaining than my afternoon earlier that same day. I participated in an aquatic scavenger hunt. In an electric-powered boat called a Duffy, each team cruises to checkpoints in Newport Harbor as part of the competition. On my team I was the only guy and also chosen to “man” the steering wheel despite my limited experience. The result was 2-1/2 hours with 5 female back seat drivers and no way out. I spent all my time steering and couldn’t take pictures. My team members took some photos and I’m sure the look on my face would say it all. We didn’t win but all in all I had fun.
As if I hadn’t done enough, on Sunday I went to a welcome home party in a park for the adopted son of a family friend. The afternoon was enjoyable despite the fierce Santa Ana winds. The news is full of reports of the many wildfires ravaging Southern California. I’m nowhere near any of the fires but still get fallout as the winds carry the smoke well beyond the hot zones. A rainstorm would be nice right now but the burned out areas would probably be prone to mudslides if they got too wet. You just can’t win.
The current temperature in Kansas is a bit too cold for me – a high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a low of 40. This week I am dog sitting for a friend who went to Hawaii on business. The temperature there is a high of 86, a low of 75. Hmmm... What would happen if I clicked my heels three times and said, “There’s no place like Hawaii”?
Angelo
Photo was taken on Saturday, October 20, 2007.
“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Judy Garland’s character says this to her pet dog as they set foot in the titular land of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. We’re not in Kansas, nor Oz, but the city of Irvine at a Halloween-themed housewarming party. The “Dorothy” in this photo of the week is the daughter of two good friends. Their son was also dressed as an Oz character, the Cowardly Lion, but had taken off his headwear earlier in the evening, never to be worn again.
The party itself was very entertaining, especially as it went late into the night. “En vino, veritas” is Latin for “In wine, truth”. The things said in front of friends and strangers alike flowed as freely as the wine and beer AKA the truth serum. One woman dressed as a bee and wanted her husband to dress as a flower but he refused and came as a chicken instead. Anyway among the things I learned were that Chicken and Bee tried to join the mile high club but the airplane’s coach section lavatory was too small. Another couple – a disco Ken and Barbie - said the ones in business and first class are definitely roomier.
The evening was far more entertaining than my afternoon earlier that same day. I participated in an aquatic scavenger hunt. In an electric-powered boat called a Duffy, each team cruises to checkpoints in Newport Harbor as part of the competition. On my team I was the only guy and also chosen to “man” the steering wheel despite my limited experience. The result was 2-1/2 hours with 5 female back seat drivers and no way out. I spent all my time steering and couldn’t take pictures. My team members took some photos and I’m sure the look on my face would say it all. We didn’t win but all in all I had fun.
As if I hadn’t done enough, on Sunday I went to a welcome home party in a park for the adopted son of a family friend. The afternoon was enjoyable despite the fierce Santa Ana winds. The news is full of reports of the many wildfires ravaging Southern California. I’m nowhere near any of the fires but still get fallout as the winds carry the smoke well beyond the hot zones. A rainstorm would be nice right now but the burned out areas would probably be prone to mudslides if they got too wet. You just can’t win.
The current temperature in Kansas is a bit too cold for me – a high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a low of 40. This week I am dog sitting for a friend who went to Hawaii on business. The temperature there is a high of 86, a low of 75. Hmmm... What would happen if I clicked my heels three times and said, “There’s no place like Hawaii”?
Angelo
