by laura beth

We hung out with the Odoms for a couple of days (Ashley, Scott, Laina, and Conan the Whippet). We had a wonderful time visiting, found a geocache nearby, and got to witness Scott successfully put in a sprinkler system for their future lawn. Not common in Tucson. Ashley and Scott live in the foothills area of Tucson, and it is really beautiful. The neighborhoods are rustic but quaint, houses are separated by washes and little patches of earth, cacti, creosote, and other desert life. The tiny, windy roads run willy-nilly through the hills and are full of potholes from the monsoon rains. There are lizards and rabbits scurrying here and there, and the coyotes howl at night. For some reason, it always reminds me of that scene from ¡Three Amigos!, when they're camped out in the desert with the tortoise, owl, coyote, and singing horses.


We spent the next few days with our friend Forrest Fallows. We always have fun with Forrest. We found another geocache in Forrest's neighborhood near downtown. Later that afternoon we went to a barbecue/pool party. The house belonged to Forrest's friend Mike. Neither Forrest nor us really knew the crowd (which was generally younger than us by several years), but we made a few new friends and had a really fun time. Kenny was definitely the favorite among a few of the guys, due to his impressive beard. After the party we had a late night meal at El Guero Canelo. The next morning we went to Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. Forrest introduced us to the Orthodox Church when we visited him last Spring (2008) in Tucson, so it was nice to visit again. This time we had a different frame of reference, after attending Saint Barnabas for almost 6 months. After the liturgy, we joined Forrest and a few friends at a French cafe for lunch. Two of the friends we met are Ashley and Adam, sister and brother, both musicians. Their father is the priest at Holy Resurrections. Check out Forrest's music here, Ashley's music here and Adam's music here. Anyhoo, the Tucson visit was as good as ever. Good friends and good fun. Tucson is one of my favorite cities thus far, and this visit reaffirmed that. We are in Naco, AZ. More about that later.

by laura beth

I love Nick Drake's music, and it's really hot, and tomorrow is Saturday. And there will be a big, hot sun. I thought this fitting.

by laura beth

We spent a week with Erica, Shawn, and the kids after leaving California. Phoenix is hot. I can't handle the hot. But we had a lot of fun. Elisa came down from Cottonwood for a few days, and it was nice to see her as well. We were able to go to Xander's Kindergarten graduation and pool party, ate a lot of watermelon, went on a hike with Erica, Xander, Ava, and a few of the kids Erica provides daycare for, watched some movies-including My Bloody Valentine 3D!, and spent two glorious days at Cibola Vista. Erica and Shawn are time share owners at Cibola Vista, which makes for awesome "staycations". It's amazing that even in the rough economy (both Erica and Shawn lost their jobs to cutbacks last year), we were able to stay at a pretty darn nice resort. We had visits from Kenny's cousin Leticia, her two girls Isabel and Sophia, and her mother-in-law, our friends Joe and Amber Mieras, our friend Jamie Meyer and his son Asher, and Todd Behlow. We spent most of the at the pool and waterslide. It was a perfect escape from the relentless Phoenix heat. It's always nice to spend time with Erica and Shawna and the kids, and Elisa. I wish we could see them more often. Unfortuneatly we were unable to make it up to Cottonwood to visit the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Maybe next time. On to Tucson!

by laura beth

I missed last Friday's post, so I'm playing catch up. Melissa is my older sister, and she has two girls, Melanie and Olivia. They're meeting us in Texas for a week in June and I can't wait to see them! These photos of Olivia were taken last Spring and Summer.

by laura beth

I'm not a huge fan of Orange County, but everywhere we go there are always things that make it hard to leave. Here are a few of the things we will miss after being in the OC for 6 months:

Heather Kelly, Matt and Chris Rice, Mike Merryman. We are blessed with such wonderful people for friends. I wish we could take them all with us.

The whole family: Grandma, Laurie, Brett & Cathi, Chase, Carrie, Caleb, Emma, Sarah, Aaron, Christine, Madisyn, MacKynzie, Caden, Nathan, Christina. We love you all!


Saint Barnabas Orthodox Church and all of our new friends there. All of them. Thank you all for your time, patience, conversation, and generosity. Jesus does shine through you all!

This pair of shoes on the wires on Primrose Drive. They've been there a long time. I saw them everyday and still wonder who they belonged to.


This stretch of the sidewalk on Primrose Drive. When I walked to and from work at Claire's, I would always make sure to walk by this flower bed. The photos don't do it justice-it's an amazing jungle of flowers and succulents and such a refreshing change from the surrounding neat and trim landscapes.



Fruits and veggies from the farmer's market. Fresh, inexpensive, good every time.

In-N-Out. Kenny loves him some burgers, I go for the fries well, occasionally animal style.

Star Pines (Norfolk Island Pines). Trees with branches that grow in a star shape. What could be better?


Jacaranda trees. What amazing color. They cover the streets and parked cars with beautiful purple snow. I wish I would have tried to get some better photos.



The ice cream truck. It drives through Grandma's neighborhood every afternoon around 2:00, playing "Do Your Ears Hang Low?". On our last afternoon in California, after getting hot, sweaty, and dirty from packing up the moho, Kenny and I bought some icy treats from the truck-a first for me. I had Blue Bunny Double Lemon Chill Cup, Kenny had a Jolly Rancher Watermelon Cup. I kind of wish we would have taken advantage of this sooner. Yummy!



Goodbye California, see you soon?

by laura beth

Last night we biked from Brett and Cathi's house to Spark Woodfire Grill in Huntington Beach. Brett and Cathi treated us to an awesome dinner: wine, seared ahi tuna, skewered salmon, halibut, and swordfish, roasted corn chowder with applewood bacon, yummy salad with goat cheese, wine, lobster macaroni & cheese, steak, wine, creme brulee, bread pudding, wine, and cognac. Side note: I love good food. We closed the restaurant down, visiting long after our table was cleared. Approaching our bikes to head home, we noticed that someone left a present in my bike basket. 3 little stinky dead fish. We had a lot of fun with that.

Brett and Cathi might be our uncle and aunt, but even more than that, they are good friends. We love you guys very much and will miss you!!!

by laura beth

Last night we got together with the Rices, Mike, and Heather for a backyard cookout and to say farewell. We'll miss you, friends!!

by laura beth

Last night we went to a goodbye party for our friend Drew Harrah, who is leaving for Marine boot camp on Monday. We met at a Mexican restaurant for drinks and had a nice. It was also my last chance to say goodbye to my dear sweet Heather Kelly, who met us there. I love you Heathy!

by laura beth

If you really want to geek out and learn about this phenomenon, check this out.

by laura beth

Jack, the gentle yet not-too-smart semi-feral chow mix dog that has lived in Grandma's backyard for 10 years along with his brother Colby, killed this cockatiel today. Pigeons eat his food all day long and he doesn't bat an eye. Weird. Where did it come from?

by laura beth

Today was our last Sunday at Saint Barnabas. We love all of our new friends at St. B, and we got a chance to say goodbye to most of them today. We were a little sad that we missed a few of them, but hopefully we will be back in the Autumn. God Bless you, friends!

After church we celebrated Mother's Day at a park near Chase and Carrie's house with Grandma, Aunt Laurie, Aunt Debbie (she's visiting from Texas), Chase & Carrie & the kids, and Aaron & Christine & the kids. It was a great day and a nice way to say goodbye to the family. We love you all!

by laura beth

I had to say goodbye to my friends at Claire's today. I'll miss those girls. I love you Ann, Lauren, and Jeanette!

by laura beth

by laura beth

Last night Heather invited Kenny and I to go along with her and her roomie, Kele, to see Danielson play in LA. Although I had a terrible headache all day, I was able to power through and felt better just in time to make the show. Danielson is an old favorite of mine. The happiest happy-time music served up in a creative bowl of love. Snappy tunes, costumes, big smiles. The kind of stuff that inspires you to wear colorful skirts, as Kele and I did. We had a wonderful time, and Danielson is as great as ever. I especially enjoyed the larger-than-life grins from Danielson family member Evan. While there we happily ran into a friend we know through friends at Saint Barnabas Orthodox Church, Orlando Greenhill, with whom we had some nice Orthodox-based conversation. Apparently Daniel and Rachel of Danielson are old friends of Orlando's, so it was a lucky coincidence.

Another acquaintance, Tommy, and his wife Donna were there. Tommy is the brother to Sam, and Sam is Cat Foot Spirit, Cat Foot Spirit sometimes employs the vocal help of Jen Coulter. Jen is Kenny's uncle Brett's, wife Cathi's daughter (my step-cousin in-law). Brett recently played bass with Cat Foot Spirit on a Wednesday night, we went to the show, and I was pleasantly surprised (I had never heard them before). We very much enjoyed Sam's vocals (and Jen's). In researching my facts, I found Tommy's band, Tommy Santee Klaws, which I think is just fabulous. It appears that Sam and Tommy collaborate with each other on their respective musical endeavors. Nothing like a little musical family love-a common theme with all of these musicians. Please please check out the videos and links below, and don't forget to show love to your favorite indie musicians!

Breakfast at Sulimay's!


one of my favorite Danielson songs


Cat Foot Spirit with uncle Brett and Jen


Tommy Santee Klaws: Cracks and Chants


Tommy Santee Klaws: Dead Leaves and Bumblebees


Danielson

Danielson MySpace

Danielson: Family Movie This is a pretty darn great little film and you'd be doing yourself a favor to check it out. Here's a sneak peek:

Sounds Familyre

Cat Foot Spirit MySpace

Jen Coulter MySpace

Tommy Santee Klaws MySpace

by laura beth

Some of the great things about Pennsylvania and our trip in general:

Bill made a mountain of California rolls that we demolished in minutes, Julie and I spent a lot of time and money at the bead shop in town, Kenny enjoyed many a cheese steak and he ate scrapple, I got to hang out with Julie at her job at the Wayne Art Center, we watched a lot of Buffy and Kenny and I watched 30 Rock for the first time, James talked about WOW, we had homemade cocktails and great food every night, I enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful little creations tucked in every nook and cranny of their apartment, we drove by Valley Forge Park nearly every day...I can't wait until next time!!

by laura beth

Arriving home from the airport, we found our bull horns were stolen from the moho. Just ripped right off. Jerks.

by laura beth

Kenny and I are big fans of FOUND Magazine. Our first full day in Phoenixville, while perusing the local shops, we came across a flyer for the FOUND Tour. We walked across the street to Wolfgang Books, and realized that the tour stop was to be at that very bookstore May 4th (tonight)!

A little about FOUND: After finding a misplaced note on his car, Davy Rothbart started collecting all sorts of FOUND items. Davy and friends eventually collected enough material to put together a magazine, the first issue appearing in 2001. There have been 5 issues since then, and they are sooooo addictive. Davy has gained a crack team of helpers and is now collaborating with other artists, writers, musicians, and whatnot. He's contributed to my favorite radio program, This American Life and Steve Buscemi has even optioned a movie based on his book, The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. FOUND also has had several other books published, including hardcover collections of finds, FOUND Polaroids, and Dirty FOUND. I'm especially interested in LaPorte, Indiana and Requiem For A Paper Bag. Hopefully we can pick them up soon!

Anyhoo, the show. So fun. We showed up around 8; people mingled, drank complimentary wine and beer, and looked at books. The bookstore is super cozy, and there was a big turnout, so we were surprised to get front row seats. The show began with Davy introducing himself, then he proceeded to read through a stack of finds, each photocopied and slightly rumpled. I really liked that he just had a rough stack of paper there, worn from being read over and over. He knew each piece of paper so intimately, and as he picked them up, before he even had a chance to really look at them, he announced who found them and in what city, with barely a glance.

After a while, Davy's brother Peter shared some songs he has written, based on finds sent in to the magazine. For most of the songs, he creates an imaginary back story. Most were hilarious, and some sweet, one was really, really heart wrenching. I was alternately sobbing and laughing my bum off throughout the night. At the end of the night, Kenny and I visited with Davy for a while, and he made us promise to send in photocopies of our Butt Rockers Scrapbook. In fact, we have a whole stack of finds to send to the magazine, and had we known about the show before leaving California, we would have brought them. Davy seems like a real stand up guy. He's very genuine and takes interest in each person he meets.

I think that FOUND has really got something good going here. I have always been a bit of a pack rat/collector, and throughout my life have picked up scraps of paper and oddities that have caught my eye. There's always a sense of wonder: Who wrote this note? Did it reach it's intended recipient? What kind of interesting person belongs to this shopping list or grocery store receipt? what the heck is this little plastic thing and what does it do? Davy and FOUND have taken it to a whole new level, and thanks to them we all get a peek into the lives of strangers.

Here's a nice interview article with Davy.

Be sure to check out the events page to see if FOUND is coming to a city near you.

Peter has a few albums outs: The Sight of Any Bird and Songs For the Long Lonely Drive, and if you check out the music link on his web page, you can listen to some of the songs.

Do yourself a favor and buy all 6 issues of FOUND either online or at an independent bookseller near you!

by laura beth

For those that may not know, Kenny and I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We don't love television in general, but there are little gems out there. BTVS is one of them. We helped convert Julie, Bill, and James a while back.

We originally planned to attend James' going away party (he's going away to Marine boot camp), but the party date changed. Buffyfest was Plan B. We dressed as various characters: James was Rupert "Ripper" Giles, his girlfriend Libby was Buffy Summers, Bill was one of the Gentlemen (from "Hush", one of my favorite episodes-see photo at top), Julie was Xander Harris in "Halloween", the episode in which everyone literally became their Halloween costume (Xander was a soldier), Kenny was the Cheese Man from "Restless" and "Storyteller", and I was Willow, or rather a willow. Bill and Julie have a nearly dead hairless rat named Donna. Donna came to the party as Amy.

Bill really topped the cake with his costume. He spent a lot of time with the makeup, but the kicker is that he shaved his eyebrows to look more like his character. So he's almost as creepy now as he was in costume. And he matches Donna.















Julie and I made theme food: deviled eggs (from "Bad Eggs"), Sunnydale Fruit Salad, Zombean Dip, Hellmouth Farmer's Market veggies, Sunnydale High Hummus, Stake-Through-the-Heart chocolate covered strawberries, and Sunnydale Cemetery Dirt Cake. And the ice cubes for our drinks had worms in them. Delicious!

We also decorated the apartment a little with cobwebs and various props from the television series. Kenny spent $5.20 and a whole lot of time and effort on creating The Scythe. We were all pretty proud of him. We ended up pretty much watching all 7 seasons of BTVS during our 2 week visit. Granted we only watched a few episodes of each season, but it was great to re-watch an old favorite, even though it was abbreviated. We cheered when Tara died and even managed to skip almost all of Faith's epsiodes! Hoorah!

by laura beth