Sunday, December 06, 2015
Yesterday Mario helped me get a tree for the presidio park. We went to Home Depot and found a nice one for $46.
I'm in charge of the annual Luminaria Night at the park next Saturday, so I am busy doing what I can to get things set up for the event. Mario helped me put the lights on, I'm using the big bulbs that I usually put on my front porch. This year I am being cheap with electricity.
I'm in charge of the annual Luminaria Night at the park next Saturday, so I am busy doing what I can to get things set up for the event. Mario helped me put the lights on, I'm using the big bulbs that I usually put on my front porch. This year I am being cheap with electricity.
Mario and the tree.
For decorations I went to Ebay and searched for vintage Christmas postcards. It is easy to save the scanned images and put them in a Word document and then send them to the color printer. I cut each out, punched a hole, and tied on a loop of ribbon. I am so Martha Stewart.
Card!
Another card!
I've been doing Holiday cards this afternoon. That is about all I will be doing this year. Short on funds and not really feeling any seasonal spirit.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
I've been busy. Spent a day out on an archaeology dig. I worked in a 1920s-1940s trash dump from a dairy, collecting samples of bottles. I had gone on a site tour the previous week and saw this polychrome pot on a pit structure floor.
Cards.
Winter is here. When it gets below 40 Buddy goes and sleeps in the guest house with Doug. He is a happy dog.
Polychrome.
I had a game night and invited Paul, Jon, Chuck, and Billy. We played Pit, Sorry, and Monopoly. I lost but didn't care because we were having a good time. I ate a lot of pizza.
Paul, Jon, Chuck, Billy, and Puff.
After work on Wednesday I drove north to Phoenix to spend the festive holiday with Craig and Jesse. They were busy playing the latest video game, whose name I cannot remember.
The next morning we went on a hike.
Jesse, Craig, and Taco.
It was over 3.5 miles. I had to run twice to keep up with them.
My cell phone camera blurs things.
When we got back, it was time to prepare a festive meal. I made orange-walnut-cranberry stuff. And mashed potatoes. Craig made vegetarian stuffing. We also had tofurky (never again), rolls, and a squash pie that I made. I showed Craig how easy it was to make ice cream in the Cuisinart ice cream maker I got myself for my birthday.
Foodz.
Afterward we made Holiday cards. I was able to think up a couple of new varieties- little scenes with houses and Holiday trees decorated with punched out dots.
Winter is here. When it gets below 40 Buddy goes and sleeps in the guest house with Doug. He is a happy dog.
Buddy and buddy.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
For two widely different reasons I was pissed off on Thursday, so I decided to put up Holiday decorations. There won't be much to celebrate this year, no one to buy presents for. No spare cash to do so.
White and red trees, red and white decorations.
Monday, November 09, 2015
So busy. It seems like I never sit still (although I do).
Couple weekends ago we had a wedding reception at the park and I did an initial set up, the final set up, acted as host and busboy, and put away tables, chairs, and lights. It was a lovely event and now I know how to do it so it will take much less time in the future.
Then Seumas came to visit from Australia. I took him to see the park, the gardens, the Mission, and Mount Lemmon. Also Mexican food at La Indita. He had a good time.
Craig and Jesse came down to help do things. I showed them how to make soap.
The El Nino event is bringing lots of rain. The wildflowers will be crazy in the spring.
He did a great job.
Makeup completed. So itchy.
I just managed to get dressed before guests arrived.
Couple weekends ago we had a wedding reception at the park and I did an initial set up, the final set up, acted as host and busboy, and put away tables, chairs, and lights. It was a lovely event and now I know how to do it so it will take much less time in the future.
Then Seumas came to visit from Australia. I took him to see the park, the gardens, the Mission, and Mount Lemmon. Also Mexican food at La Indita. He had a good time.
Homer and Seumas on Mount Lemmon.
I set up my All Soul's Altar. It is a time for me to think about the people I have known who have left us.
Altar.
Jesse melting the soap and Craig getting ready to add rosemary and lemon.
This was in between rolling out cookie dough and baking them, and before we started decorating them.
I am rolling gingerbread.
Despite problems with the white icing, the cookies came out nice.
Cookies.
We went to Saguaro Park West and walked the Discovery Trail. Lots of different kinds of cacti.
Fat saguaro.
Skinny saguaro.
I made stuffed grape leaves and a yellow cake with chocolate frosting Saturday morning. Sunday morning Craig helped me make hummous, spanikopita, and pico de gallo salsa. The one problem, I didn't have a lot of drinks on hand. Having a cocktail party with few drinks is problematic.
I showed Craig a video of the Day of the Dead makeup and he did most of the makeup application.
Makeup application.
I just managed to get dressed before guests arrived.
The end result.
For some reason, most of my pictures of the party did not turn out. I ended up applying makeup to five people (Helen, Chris, Matt, Julia, and Jeff), and I did an alright job. Having the correct makeup really helps, although the black face paint really wanted to run.
Jeff and Olivia came down from Flagstaff.
Surprisingly little mess after the party.
I shaved off my beard for the makeup application, and I think I look goofy. The extra weight I am carrying makes my face and neck look puffy. The Doctor today told me I need to lose weight and restrict sugar and carb intake. I will starve, but if I get my regular chin line back, that would be a bonus.
Dorky.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
I haven't been back to Michigan in the fall since 1987. I went back to see the family. Mother wants to live in her own house, but can't because she is too frail and other problems. She has a nice woman come 10 hours a week to do things with her. She is living with my older sister and brother-in-law. Eventually she will have to go into an assisted living place.
The trees were gorgeous.
My other sister's front yard.
I went over and hung out with mother and her helper, Desiree. We went on walks and I collected leaves.
Winter is coming.
We went to visit my namesake's grave. He has been dead for 62 years.
Homer
One night a beautiful rainbow lit up the sky. I had been cooking supper for Susan and called her to look at it.
\Gaybow.
Traverse City has changed. They tore down my great great grandfather's house to put up an ugly building. The downtown is losing its historic character, replaced by tall modern brick things.
Trees.
New apartment buildings across from Grandma's old house. The McGill house torn down. The trees taller than I remember. Grandma's house painted bright red (it was always a pale green or white). I guess I am getting older.
I left on Saturday morning to head south to go see Brodie.
It was snowy at times.
At the Canadian border, the hot border agent grilled me on why I was going, whether I owned a gun, how I knew Brodie. It was ridiculous. I got there and we hung out.
Breakfast at Cora's.
We made the unfortunate mistake of going to Toronto, not realizing that there was a marathon being run by enthusiastic runners. We were trapped in traffic for hours, with the gas running out of the rental jeep. Somehow we survived.
Homer and Brodie.
It was nice having a few days of actual vacation while on vacation. I drove and flew back Monday and now I am sooooo tired. I need a post-vacation, vacation!
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Last three weekends have seen busy times. My buddy Dave arrived for a visit from Austin, Texas. He was here to visit galleries to sell them his beautiful ceramics.
I took him out into the desert so he could see cacti.
Rob really liked the views.
I saw a pretty poppy. At the top of the mountain the wind blew really hard as we had a picnic lunch.
I took him out into the desert so he could see cacti.
Homer and Dave.
Of course he had to do the saguaro pose.
Dave!
We went up to the top of Mount Lemmon and I forgot to take pictures except for this one of a pretty flower.
Flower.
The lunar eclipse happened, my cell phone camera takes pretty ugly photos at night.
Lunar eclipse.
I woke up one morning with a perfect handlebar mustache.
The Scientist in his native habitat.
Last weekend was Rob's turn to visit from San Francisco. We ate Mexican food. On Saturday we went up to Mount Lemmon.
I saw a pretty poppy. At the top of the mountain the wind blew really hard as we had a picnic lunch.
Poppy.
That night I invited Patrick and Kamron over to play Risk.
Kamron.
I don't think Rob and Kamron had ever played Risk before.
Risk.
Patrick and I battled each other over Australia and Asia.
Rob.
I was defeated after about three hours.
Patrick.
We eventually gave up, after probably three hours and many drinks. It was a fun night.
Rob had a nice visit, taking lots of naps. I even made him watch Lawrence Welk.
Thursday, October 01, 2015
I've been an archaeologist since 1986. For most of this time I have specialized in historical archaeology- excavating sites dating from about 1700 to the 1930s. I've worked for my company since 1992, and have excavated many historic period sites
in southern Arizona. Occasionally we recover artifacts that can be linked to a
specific person. Our recent work on Block 92, at the northwest corner of E.
Broadway Blvd and S. 5th Avenue, is one such case.
The first individual to live on Lot 8 of the block was David
John Boleyn, known in Tucson as Jack Boleyn. He was born in New York state in
the 1840s and arrived in Tucson with the railroad in 1880. He set up a transfer
business, hauling freight around Tucson and surrounding areas. In 1881, he was
one of the founding members of the Tucson volunteer fire department. By 1883,
he was the Chief of the department, a position to held for most of the years
until 1898. Ironically, in that year his buildings on Lot 8 burned and the
charred debris was thrown down a well shaft, which Desert Archaeology excavated
in June 2015.
Among the artifacts found in the well were metal buttons
marked FD for Fire Department. A photograph of Jack Boleyn shows him wearing
his uniform with its shiny buttons. He is also wearing an identification badge.
An identical badge was found in a planting hole during the excavations.
Jack continued to help out on fires after he retired as Fire
Chief in 1898. In 1910 he was helping out on a fire at the Goldring Store when
the roof collapsed. A beam fell on his stomach, perhaps causing internal
injuries. Water had accumulated on the tin roof, boiling from the intense heat,
and this also fell on Boleyn, scalding him from the waist down. He was able to
walk home, but died the next day. His funeral was attended by the mayor, city
council, and the volunteer fireman. His grave in Evergreen Cemetery was
unmarked until 2008, when a modern tombstone was installed.
One of the reasons I like doing historical archaeology is being able to learn details about the people whose homes I dig up. In Jack's case he was known for being a strong man, a hard drinker. He was also a bigamist, at one time married to three different women at the same time. I think I would probably have liked this man in person.
Friday, September 18, 2015
So it was my 52nd birthday and I decided to do something fun. So I invited Kamron and Mark to come over and decorate sugar cookies.
I made the cookies the night before, picked out a dozen favorite cutters, used the Better Homes and Garden recipe.
Kamron showed up first and helped me color the powdered sugar and lemon juice frosting.
Kamron mixing frosting.
We spooned the frosting into plastic baggies and nipped one corner. Mark showed up and the cookie decorating commenced.
Cookies.
The frosting was a little too runny, unfortunately, but we did out best.
We spooned the frosting into plastic baggies and nipped one corner. Mark showed up and the cookie decorating commenced.
Mark, the artiste.
We talked about Burning Man (Kamron went) and life in general.
The frosting was a little too runny, unfortunately, but we did out best.
I made the frowny bear.
It was a fun get-together. Everyone should have a good time on their 52nd birthday!
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Version 52.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Today I got in my car and drove toward work, listening to NPR. About half way there I realized that it was Sunday instead of Monday.
Oh lord. I'm turning into an old person.
Oh lord. I'm turning into an old person.
