by laura beth

Today we biked the beach again with Brett and Cathi. This time we went to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve wetlands. It was a beautiful day. We saw quite a few birds and there were several people with huge cameras taking photos of them. It seemed just a little odd to me because when I drive along PCH, I'm always looking for dolphins. They would be my first photographic choice. You don't see a lot of dolphins in Eastern Oregon, however herons, egrets and ducks are not altogether uncommon. Nor are cows. I really do love birds though, especially herons and egrets. I guess I'm just used to them more than dolphins. All in all, another great day of biking, beachy goodness, and nature.

by kenny

My cousin Nathan casually mentioned that Fullerton's Maverick Theatere was doing a performance of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". He thought that was strange. Laura and I looked at each other with jaws dropped. SCCM has been a bit of an obsession with me since college and this little bit of information was almost enough to make me cry. When I first called, they were sold out. I told them about my love for this film and they opened up some seats. Apparently there were quite a few people who expressed their love, because they added another date. our good and beautiful friend Heather Kelly came along. I loved most of the whole production, some of it got a little too slapstick and corny. I thought it might be something that only fans of the movie would like, but Heather said she wants to go again next year. It was quite simply a wonderful experience that most people would shy away from. I highly recommend watching the movie at least once. "S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S, Hooray for Santy Claus!!!"

by kenny

Since Ratface lives across the street from Knott's Berry Farm, she was given two free tickets to Knott's Merry Farm (Knott's at Christmas), not to be confused with Knott's Scary Farm (Knott's at Halloween). We were all too happy to take advantage of those tickets and had a great time. I think we only went on one ride, the rest of the time was enjoying the shows and the atmosphere. Dickens characters walking around singing carols, theatrical production of A Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi, Snoopy on Ice (which was surprisingly good), a huge Christmas tree lighting, and Linus quoting the true meaning of Christmas re-enacting the scene from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". They also let in about 100 artisans selling home made crafts for the Christmas season. If I lived in the Orange County area, I would make it annual tradition to get the Christmas spirit flowing.


For the first time ever, we bought a Christmas tree from a parking lot. Well, Grandma paid for it. We just helped her pick it out and get it home. Christmas day was wonderful, spent at Grandma's with lots of family over-Aunt Laurie, Chase, Chase, Caleb, Emma, & Sarah, Nathan and Christina, and Uncle Brett & Aunt Cathi.

by kenny

Uncle Brett and his wife Cathi gave us an early Christmas present-bikin' and boozin'. They live in Huntington Beach, and we spent the day riding beach cruisers down the beach, stopping here and there in bars for drinks, and into Newport Beach for the annual Christmas Boat Parade. For you Grant County folks, it's just like the Timber Trucker's Light Parade only it's on yachts (instead of logtrucks) in the Newport Beach harbor, and it's not as cold outside.

by kenny

As we crossed into California, the wind picked up, and we were unable to keep the motorhome in our lane. We stopped at the nearest rest stop and played Scrabble while waiting out the storm. 70 mph gusts. It should have only been about a 5 hour drive from Erica's to Ratface's, but because of the crazy wind, we ended up spending the night at a Love's truck stop in Coachella.

The next morning we stopped by the dinosaurs, Dinny and Mr. Rex, in Cabazon, Ca, which has always been a favorite stop of mine. These are the dinosaurs that are seen at the end of "The Wizard" with Fred Savage and that other kid, and "Pee Wee's Big Adventure". You can go in the apatosaurus (what used to be a brontosaurus) and the t-rex sometimes based on the season. FYI, inside the dinos are a gift shop and creation museum.



We arrived safely at Grandma Ratface's house. We came here to spend Christmas with my family in California and will be here for the next few months. Tonight I'm taking Laura to see David Bazan for a late birthday present. She loves him almost as much as she loves me.

by kenny

We prepared to leave Arizona a few days after Thanksgiving and stopped by Arcosanti on our way to California. Arcosanti was created to answer some of the problems that come with urban sprawl. That was the idea anyway. Arcosanti is always being built on, but is only about 10% finished. Started in 1970 by Paolo Soleri, it is doubtful the project will ever reach completion, but ceramic and bronze wind bells they make and sell are amazing.

After a few days with my family in Phoenix, we went to Tucson to visit friends Ashley & Scott Odom, baby Laina, and Ryan Harrington. On to California...

Oh wait. Funny story. As we left Erica and Shawn's in Phoenix to head to Tucson, just on the outskirts of town, in the pouring rain, we hear a loud pop in the floor near the engine. We pulled over (lucky for Laura next to a bead shop), looked around under the motorhome in the mud, and drove to a RV repair shop. It was a fancy schmancy place, and they almost wouldn't help us, but took pity on us and 3 hours later we found out that nothing was wrong. Probably just a big rock hitting the floorboards. Guess we were a little paranoid after the fiasco in southern Utah. They were gracious enough not to charge us for the diagnostics. We watched Live Free or Die Hard on the laptop in the lobby.

by kenny

We pulled into Cottonwood on Sunday and ate lunch at the Golden Dragon. I used to love this place in High School. Crab & cream cheese wontons were awesome and they still are, but that is about it. Ran into my soon-to-be boss there and we ended up staying in his driveway for the night which worked its way into the whole time we were in Cottonwood. I worked for Bart as a window cleaner for about 6 weeks. Laura spent time working on the website, taking walks around, and being crafty. She also had a great time with Aunt Terry, yardsaling and hanging out in Jerome when cousin Ernie was visiting.

Jerome is a pretty cool place. My grandparents ran the Jerome Market, living in the apartment above it. They took it over from grandma's uncle who owned it for years. It is now a jewelry store featuring the original walk-in freezer and deli case. The Red Rooster is a great place to eat.

We spent one October weekend at my 10 year high school reunion at the Cliff Castle Casino lodge in Camp Verde. And we surprisingly had a really great time. Ryan Harrington came back to the moho for beer and chips afterward. It was fantastic to see old friends. Overall, just great. A few weeks later, my friends Joe and Amber Mieras took us to dinner at Grapes in Jerome. Pretty good meal, great time with great friends. For our anniversary we went out to Nic's in old town Cottonwood where I ran into a friend from way back, Buzz. Our's is a small world. And it frequently revolves around food.

For Halloween, we hung out with my sisters in Phoenix, and came up with some quick costumes. We went as nerds. Which didn't require much costuming.


We also spent some time doing fun family things with Elisa, Erica, Shawn, Xander and Ava including a pumpkin patch, a Polar Express-themed train in Williams, and the Phoenix Zoo Lights.

For Laura's 29th birthday, Elisa cooked a huge breakfast for everyone and made an apple pie (Laura's favorite food) by herself for the first time. Possibly the best pie Laura's eaten.

Somewhere in between we spent some time with Jaime Meier at "The Chap", a local dive bar that I never had the pleasure of going to when I lived in Cottonwood, and it was fabulous. Cheap drinks, live music, outside fireplace, good conversation... perfect.

Part of the reason we went to Arizona was to work with Bart and spend Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. It was really great to see everyone. The only family member that I didn't get to see was Barney and I am really bummed about that, as I probably won't be able to see him again till this whole trip is over. However, we fully enjoyed spending time with Gramma Lily, Uncle Mike, Uncle Oscar & Aunt Debbie, Tyreen, Ray, & Elena, Leticia, David, & Isabel, Aunt Terry & Uncle David, Angela, Corey, Lindy, & Tucker.

Also, not to be forgotten was this great 2 screen movie theater in the Village of Oak Creek called the SuperVue Theatre. We saw "Lars and the Real Girl" and when we were leaving they asked if we wanted to stay for "Across the Universe" at no charge. What a wonderful time to be alive!

by kenny

After getting all fixed up, we headed to Kenny's hometown of Cottonwood, Arizona but stayed in a hotel in Page. It was the first of what will be many times when we noticed people taking pictures of us. People love the Airstream!

by kenny

Had a super quick but laugh-a-minute visit with cousins Cassie & Ken Beilor in Kamas, Utah. They are some of the best people we know. We spent the night laughing and talking.

We left their home only to break down on the side of a mountain on highway 20 in rural southern Utah. After smoke billowed from our dash (strike two), we were towed to Ruby's Inn, at the entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park. We would have taken photos, but we were too preoccupied with getting back on the road. I highly recommend visiting...only under better circumstances. By the way, you should always, always, always buy tow insurance. It's cheap, and you never know when you might break down hours from the nearest mechanic. Hours. From the nearest mechanic. Hours.

by kenny

8:30 am, October 10, 2007. After 4 years, 2 months, and 19 days, we left John Day, Oregon and the willow fence we built (James helped too).

6:00 pm, October 10, 2007. We found out our headlights don't work in Burley, Idaho (strike one). It's raining. We spent the night in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree. Hoorah for the first day!!!

It doesn't even feel strange that we will be living in the motorhome for 4 years. So far, so good. Well, except for that headlight thing. And the taillights. And the turn signals...