Back on track....

So, our adventures have taken us to some wild places. We have had some REALLY odd things happen along the way.

Another storm came and went in Huntington Beach while we were in New York (I will write more on that in a minute), and as I write this we are weathering yet ANOTHER storm.

What happened to "It never rains in Southern California"?

Well, I guess one major thing has happened that everyone can rejoice about - Me and Amy are officially engaged to be wed. I am positive that we will be wed in the next few months. :-) I asked her mother for her approval, and was almost instantly questioned about grandchildren. I did not have the heart to remind her that the minute we were married she would be the grandmother of 3 - the oldest being 13...lol

Life is good, we have a fairly decent routine going that has us up all day and sleeping during the night. We shall see how long that delicate balance lasts.

Back to the NY side of things. We were invited to NY to see some friends from the UK. The friends are a pair that happened to have lived there before, and know some of the city's top chefs personally. I must say, I still think caviar just tastes a little salty, but, I am beginning to understand these "foodies" a little bit more.

Here at home things have been interesting as well. We have managed to pick up a sport that is designed for little rubber people that don't shave yet. It is called surfing. I swear I thought I used to be fairly athletic, I almost remember being athletic. This "sport" seems to be easy for some. Trust me, it is not. I have gained a serious respect for any and all of them. My first attempt to catch a wave introduced me and the board - and something that may have been the ocean bottom - numerous times. I can only say it scared me that first time, after that a wipe-out just seemed to be business as usual. The song never entered my mind while out there (too busy staying alive) but I am positive had there been an audience, they would have had one hell of a show.

I will not be giving up on catching a wave. I will get it and when I do hopefully we can capture it on film and I will look upon that picture as evidence that you can, indeed, teach an old dog new tricks.

Birding at Talbert Marsh

Yesterday we decided to get on the bikes and head to Newport Beach. Yes, we turned left on PCH instead of right...

It was a ride of a few miles along the pedestrian/bicycle path on the beach (where the surf was horrible, btw) to the Big Belly Deli for a late lunch first. Their sandwiches are awesome, but avoid the iced tea and the Pepsi! I stuck to pink lemonade and was satisfied with that drink, but the rest...trust us. Go for the food, and stick to water or lemonade to drink! I haven't dared try any beer there, on the basis of this: if their soft drinks are strange tasting...what are their taps like on the beer??

Anyway, after lunch we rode to where a trail goes along the Santa Ana River in order to check out the birds there. We saw quite a few killer sights - not least of which was the swan pictured next to this entry. Talk about unexpected! In addition, we saw several blue herons, one of which we watched fly into a nearby palm tree with a beak full of what I assume was stuff to make a nest. Or maybe food? Not sure - we'll have to look in Z's bird book this afternoon to see what it says about these herons and their habits. It was a sight to behold!

The bike ride wound up being quite a bit longer than we intended, since we rode all the way to Costa Mesa and back along the river, then back onto the beach path to head home. The trip still only took 2.5 hours, though.

Today we head over to my parents' house for Superbowl...in the POURING rain. Yikes. Not looking forward to being out in this weather. But at least we aren't expected to be running a half marathon like those guys down near the HB pier...Geez, with the rain and the wind, they are brave!!  X

P.S. -

Our new routine lasted two days. LOL  ;-)

February Is Here!

OK, so let's try to get this blog back on track. So much has happened since January 10th. We've been to New York, we've bought surf boards, been locked inside a surf shop (yes, you read that correctly), become officially engaged (Fred spoke to my mom, requested and received her blessing!), had our butts kicked by the Pacific Ocean and weathered several storms. WHEW!

So, school started this week and I've submitted my first assignment. There is a mix-up with one of my classes, so it looks like I am going to start out a week behind in that class (Photography). Therefore, I'm going to try and work ahead on the other one so that I can hopefully catch up more easily. I have enjoyed the first week, though, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester.

Watch for surfing photos to start coming out! Or at least of the killer setup we have with our bikes and boards.