The Side of Elves I Never Wanted to See

So, David and I were at Pita Pit the other night and just as I was about to bite into my salad I saw a funny look sneak onto his face.

"The elves aren't wearing pants..."

Now, being the mature, composed person I am I spun around only to crack up laughing and make David take a picture to share with all my faithful readers.



=D Deanna

Gotta Love the Stache

Well, we managed to fit in the last outdoor movie (you may remember my description of these from last year's post). This weekend we got some action from Burt in "Smokey and the Bandit". As we set up our chairs we got to see some fun reminders of the movie.

Then we settled in for the ride. I have to admit I barely remembered the movie, but with movies like this it doesn't take long to grasp the deep characters and complex plot points. David put it something like this, "This is one of the most ridiculous movies, but it is just so fun to watch!" Well put! Of course by the end of the movie I think I had quoted every line of the song "Convoy" as well.

It brought back a bunch of memories from when we were kids and would go on road trips with our cousins with a CB radio in each car. I remember Dad's handle was Shutterbug and Mom's was "Livewire". I'm not sure I ever convinced anyone that mine was "Scooby Doo" but I was convinced in my head. Oh, but don't worry, we never were chased by a crazy Texas Sherrif, bootlegged, or drove a shiny black Trans Am... although we did have an awefully cool "heavy Chevy".

Hope you are still enjoying your summer too! There's still a little left!

We gonna back on outta here so keep the bugs off yer glass An' the bears off yer tail. We gonna catch ya on the flip-flop. This here's Scooby Doo on the side. We gone Bye, Bye...

*D*

Night Day at the Museum

Saturday was a day at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture... or "The MAC" as most people around Spokane call it. They have an exhibit there now with costumes from all sorts of different movies and TV shows I watched growing up. They had the actual costume Robin wore in the Batman and Robin TV series, the hat worn by The Wicked Witch of the West, Indiana Jones' leather jacket, a Ghostbuster's jumpsuit and proton pack, lots of Star Wars and Star Trek costumes, the list goes on and on. Oh, and we happened to be there the day some special guests showed up. Luckily I had a Star Wars expert with me to alleviate any cultural or translation issues.

Here we are with a Tusken Raider or a sand person. They're supposedly quite aggressive and vicious. I think it must be because the sand gets into everything and chafes which can make a being quite irritable. This one looks scary, but really has a great personality...

We ran into a couple that look oddly like some friends of ours, but our friend doesn't have red skin, so it couldn't be her.

We got to see Princess Leia, Darth Vader with a young Vader in training, and possibly the cutest storm trooper I've ever seen. The helmet that's almost the size of the rest of him, the armor that's rolled up at the ankles, oh, and whenever he lifted the helmet the huge eyes and excited grin... these kids... ahem... these highly trained warriors were too fun!

We also wanted to try to connect with Mr. Vader because we figure he's probably just really misunderstood. He still wants to take over the universe, but we made some progress. I think he's reaching out...

*D*

Greased Lightening

I know what I'm getting when my midlife crisis hits...

I went to this car show on Sunday. Totally l-o-v-e-d it. Now I'm in the mood to pop Grease in the DVD player & hang out with Sandy & Danny for a few hours. These cars transport me back in time a little bit when I look at them. I always have a clear vision of me driving & also......being a girl......which fashion accessories I'm wearing while driving.My favorite at the show. This beautiful blue '66 Chevy Chevelle Malibu. I see myself in something a little bit 80's rock & roll...& revving that engine.Under the hood.......fancy pancy!And, Hello. I can just see myself speeding down the highway in this '59 Chevy Corvette! Of course I'm wearing a long head scarf, Jackie-O sunglasses & a huge grin.This '55 Chevy Belair would be my cute family car. A pretty dress, heals & pearl earrings are the attire. Or capris with a crisp white blouse. My hair is pulled back chignon-style.I also really liked this two-tone color.And certainly our vacation rental would be this '56 VW Bug, complete with roof rack to carry our all-important parcels to the beach. :-) Um...hot pink gingham swimsuit? This is the first time I've heard of a Rambler Marlin ('65). I thought it was interesting & different & I could get used to driving one of these too! Love the HUGE side window...holy smokes! I think something simple like a wrap skirt & flats is in order here.Now if I were to drive a motorcycle or scooter.....this '81 Honda Passport would be the ticket. You have to have a basket on a bike. Where else are you gonna carry your six pack of root beer?! Also, when riding this bike, you must be accessorized with a cute helmet & goggles, I think.

The only thing missing from the car show was some old Ford pick-up trucks from the '70's era. And anything with wood-paneling. Rather disappointing.

Melissa

Happy Heart File: Update on the Ducklings

Apparently the ducklings I wrote about have become an annual event! Here's another video to add to my happy heart file!

lDeannal

Valentine Fun

OK, we had some serious fun on Valentine's Day. Maybe this will give you some ideas for a future Day o' Love.

Friday, was for me (Deanna) to score some boy points. I think I did well. I got cupcakes from the best ice creamery, Maggie Moos. (Deanna Tip: If you have a Maggie Moos in your area I suggest going to the website and signing up for their email list. You will get free ice cream on your birthday and lots of other fun coupons. Baskin Robins does this too. ) I believe I scored additional points by watching sci-fi shows with David. Here is Worthington (Romeo) Whuppinstuffie. David made him for me. I'm not sure what tickles me more, the bear or David cracking himself up by picking out the name Whuppinstuffie.

OK, here's where David scored some girl points. Not only did he steal my heart with cheese and dark chocolate, he cut the cucumbers into little hearts. We had lunch with his fam. The stuff with the chips is what he calls "Cowboy Caviar". At some point I will definately have to get the recipe to post.

We then played my favorite game, Apples to Apples. Get some goofy people, adjectives and nouns and hilarity ensues. (Deanna Tip: At the end of the game go around the circle and have everybody read the adjectives they have collected as if it describes them, kind of like a fortune cookie or horoscope.)

OK, the finale was The Melting Pot. Here are the highlights:

Rose petals all the way across the skywalk down the hall to the restaurant.

Yummy food, food, and more food. Then they bring out some yummy food for dessert.

A bathroom door that you don't have to touch. Just wave your hand and it opens. (It's the little things, you know.)

Big Dump '08: A New Record

Well, I just thought I'd give you all an update. I read this on Yahoo News today:

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press Writer Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 30, 2:16 pm ET

SPOKANE, Wash. –

...The center of a snow-laden supermarket roof in north Spokane collapsed Monday evening, prompting the evacuation of that store and adjacent businesses. A fire official said only one minor injury was reported....
The collapses came as Spokane set a monthly record for snowfall, at 59.7 inches, after 8.3 inches were recorded in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ellie Kelch. That's more snow than the area receives in a typical winter.
The city's previous record of 56.9 inches was set in January 1950. Snowfall records in the area have been kept since 1893, Kelch said.

I would just like to remind you that 59.7 inches is actually 0.3 inches shy of 5 feet of snow! Oh, and the grocery store that collapsed, that's where I get my groceries and, if I would have returned my movie on time, I would have been at the time of the collapse. The roof over my gym's pool has also collapsed to add to the growing statistic. So far it sounds like nobody has been seriously hurt by the cave-ins. The city has actually called in the National Gaurd to help out a bit too.

There is supposed to be another storm coming in tonight.

Some Wintery Fun

Well, it snowed all day yesterday, but thank goodness it was a very light and beautiful snow. The kind of snow they have on TV when they want the scene to be romantic. There were just a handful of large fluffy snowflakes at a time and they fell slowly like feathers. I decided I must take a walk in this and I assure you I wasn't disappointed. It was absolutely beautiful out there even if I did just about freeze my legs off. ;)

In the evening David and I went to see Christmas lights and it was kind of cool to see so many shine from beneath a pile of snow. I think the icicles hanging off the roofs were just as fun to see too. Occasionally there would be some lights behind a wall of icicles and that was so crazy looking!

After the lights we headed to The Davenport Hotel to see the gingerbread houses. Every year chef and architect teams will team up to compete in the gingerbread house display to raise money for Christ's Kitchen.
I had to get a picture of the lobby itself because it is always so incredible at Christmas.

This year the theme seemed to be storybook characters. Here is one that I thought was cute because I've always been a fan of Madeline.

I also liked the detail on this one... and the roof was made of those yummy cheap cookies I like so much!

And here is the grand champion!

*Deanna*

Big Dump '08: The Escape

Well, as of right now, we are buried under about 8 more inches of snow since yesterday. I keep looking at the national news expecting some attention, but the Midwest and East are getting all the attention. This is a section from the AP this morning:

"...the National Weather Service said Bismarck was on track to break a 1916 record for snowfall in December. The city has had 19 inches of snow so far this month, and with 4 more expected Monday night, the record of 21.7 inches could be shattered."

What?! 19 inches for the month and they get all the attention? We had 19 in 24 hours! Oh, and they could shatter their record by 1.3 inches? What would you call the 6 inch obliteration of our 24 hour record? Finally, some good, clean, non-scandalous news for Spokane and the AP flies right by us like all the 4 wheel drives out there who don't realize there's anybody else on the road... but I digress...

This weekend did give us a respite. Saturday was a clear blue sky and people were out in droves. I'm not exactly sure what a drove is, but if it means every main arterial was bumper to bumper and each mall parkade was completely full, then there were definately droves on Saturday. Enter David on his white steed (steed in this case meaning Pontiac). He came over with the most special gift; a snow shovel! Then, he whisked me away (whisked in this case meaning inched through traffic) to dinner. We went to Bangcok Thai which is off the beaten track, but right along the river.

It was warm and quiet and best of all, it was not my apartment! Thai iced tea is one of my new favorite discoveries. It is a smoky flavored tea with sweet coconut milk in it. Yummy yum...

A Delightful Day

Saturday was one of those days that I would describe as delightful. I met David downtown just to walk around. We wandered around Riverfront Park and walked over the waterfalls. There is a sort of pier built out over the water with a memorial to the early missionaries that moved into this area. I like to try to picture places the way they would have looked back then. All the sudden life is a lot more challenging when there are no bridges or smooth travel… and all without my favorite modern convenience, indoor plumbing!

So then, I found out that half of our party (a.k.a David) had not been to the Davenport Hotel. “That’s it. That will be our next stop!” I proclaimed as I scanned the skyline for the prettiest roof. I may go there all the time, however, it doesn’t help my sense of direction one single bit. The previously mentioned part of our party was able to direct us to our destination.


Again, we traveled back in time, but this time to the turn of the century. To me, the Davenport is spectacular. I will often park on the opposite side of my destination so I have to walk through the hotel on the way. The developer had it remodeled back to its original design knowing he would be doing it more for its historical beauty than a profit. Now, I just can’t wait for their Christmas Tree Ceremony and Gingerbread House display!

After wandering around outside awhile longer we decided to head over to the Steam Plant Grill for a snack. The Steam Plant is the actual old steam plant that has been converted into a microbrewery and restaurant. It has been remodeled to allow the building to tell its own history. You can still see different parts of the plant and how they would have worked. You must try to get in before the holidays are over for the eggnog cheesecake with the nutmeg brandy glaze. Wow! Yep, that’s about it… wow! (Please excuse the picture… all I had was my phone.)

That was a great way to wrap things up before we headed back through the park. Now that I’m writing about it, I’m realizing what an historical little jaunt we took. I love that kind of stuff. I love finding the local areas that give you a sense of what the place is all about. Well, if you’re ever goofing around Spokane… there are some delightful ideas for you.

Catching Up on my Goofy Life

Oh readers, you have no idea how often I (Deanna) think, "I must blog about this!" I truly write blogs in my head all the time, but am loathe to sit in front of the computer after eight hours of it at work. Oh, to blog in a notebook with crinkly lined sheets and spaces to doodle to my hearts content. I guess that would be more like a klog (we-blog, noteboo-klog). Well, since my klog is mostly private, I will blog some things I've been meaning to for some time.

I was taking a walk this evening and I felt like I wanted to capture every second of summer like Cindarella before midnight. I know, this sounds very dramatic, but I do get rather dramatic when summer is coming to an end. I want to fully experience it until it is completely gone. Then I have to have some grieving time. Finally, I'm ready to jump into fall with all the gusto of one of those gorilla suited guys jumping out at small children in the corn maze. One of the activities I will most miss from summer are the outdoor movies in the quaint little Perry District. You show up at dusk to sit outside of an old car shop converted into a coffee shop.

On this particular night they were showing "Galaxy Quest", so the Jewish pre-movie band was all dressed up in DIY space outfits while they played their accordians and clarinets and danced with crowd members. My particular favorite was the medly of Star Wars/Trek/Quest/Jones songs they had composed in Jewish style, because, like the band leader said, "there are Jews everywhere".

I also have been wanting to give you an update on my container garden. I would have to say that for the most part I was fairly successful. Here's kind of a side shot of it:

Here's a close up of my tomatoes, peppers and basil. I thought they looked really pretty.
Oh, and here's my one yellow squash that grew... I guess I won't be leaving any on my neighbor's porch this year...

For people who used to read my previous blog you may remember my post on the 10,000 Silver Dollar Bar and what a colorful tourist trap it is. Well, I just want to give you a surprising update. It is no longer the 10,000 Silver Dollar Bar. That's right, there are now 50,000 silver dollars! I give to you the new (well, just the "fives", as you can see from the photo) and improved (well, if getting more varieties of toothpick holders is an improvement) 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar!

I do have some other posts logged away in my head, but they will have to wait for another day. I do, however, want to leave you with one quick update from a previous post. If you remember my Independence Day blog, I wrote about The Keeper of the Tambourine. Well, he is still going strong as I saw a photo of him dancing away at a community fair my church helps with. The moment they showed the slide show I knew it was him... too funny.

Deanna