Shallow Thoughts

Endorsement

2011-10-29T18:23:00.003-07:00

I'm not generally a fan of chains, and would rather patronize independent businesses. But those are becoming increasingly scarce, and there a few chains that I do like, for instance, Nordstrom and Ruth's Chris. It doesn't hurt that these were started in two of my favorite cities, Seattle and New Orleans, but I digress. A new (to me) chain has appeared in Tucson, and I love it. I'm talking about QuikTrip (QT) convenience stores. When I'm cruising around Tucson, as I often am, I like to pick up the occasional fountain diet Pepsi. My local QT is big, clean, and staffed by friendly employees, who are constantly straightening and cleaning things when they're not pleasantly assisting customers. They have every self-serve beverage imaginable, and you can choose between crushed & cubed ice (cubed for me, please). The restrooms are clean, and everything about shopping there is a good experience. These stores are not dim, dingy, and scary, like some other convenience stores have become. There you have it: a shout out to capitalism done right.

Tucson

2011-01-12T23:51:00.003-07:00

I have always been proud to be a native of Tucson, Arizona. I love the mountains, desert, sunshine, quail, saguaros, sunsets, monsoons, U of A basketball, Sabino Canyon, and all my family and friends here. All of us in Tucson have been experiencing indescribable pain since Saturday. We hate having Tucson in the news because of a devastating tragedy. But it is reaffirming that heroes and goodness shine through in dark times. The inspiring stories that we've heard in the last few days reflect well on Tucson, Arizona, the USA, and humanity.

Connectivity

2010-08-26T15:28:00.002-07:00

OK, I admit it. Mr. Beisbolfan & I are geeks. We really enjoy gadgets. Between us, we use, on a daily basis, 3 laptops, an iPad, a Blackberry, and an iPod touch. And two regular (non-smart) cellphones, numerous televisons, DVRs, XM radios, etc. We've come to rely on being connected to everything, any time, all the time. But now that I have multiple devices from which to access e-mail, social media, etc., each time I pick up one of them, it demands my attention for everything. You have a new facebook message! But I read that 6 hours ago on my computer. You have 43 new e-mails! But I deleted 41 of them already -- they're junk. Attention, all you hackers, identity thieves, and other cybercriminals who are trolling blogs, facebook, etc. trying to make a quick buck. Please develop an app / add-on / program / something that I can install to let all my electronic devices know that I've already checked my e-mail, facebook, etc. I'd probably pay money for it. C'mon, you computer geniuses!

It's me, it's me, it's Ernest T! (a shout-out to the Andy Griffith Show)

2010-08-26T15:19:00.003-07:00

I was recently reminded by my readership (Mr. Beisbolfan, to be exact) that it's been a while since I posted. I knew that, but didn't think anyone else noticed. He likes me, he really likes me!

Something I enjoy

2009-10-05T19:05:00.002-07:00

I love to explore cities. OK, I also like to explore towns, suburbs, rural areas, and places in general, but since I've lived my life and spent most of my time in cities, that's where I tend to ramble around. When I was in college, some of my favorite classes were in urban geography. Whenever I see a road, I want to know where it goes, and see what things look like along the way. Why do they put stores where they do? My urban geography professor was often hired as a consultant by companies trying to decide where to expand. I'm always interested to see what businesses end up where.

One of the things I do when I have time is drive around different parts of Tucson. It's certainly not the most interesting city I've visited, but I'm constantly amazed at the neighborhoods that I see in this town. The diversity can be quite striking. I find myself wondering how so many people can afford the really expensive houses, and then I'm sad about how many people live in depressing, dingy trailer parks & run-down neighborhoods. Inevitably after one of my drives around town I'm really glad to get home, and thankful for all that I have.

Preggers

2009-09-21T19:52:00.002-07:00

Almost as beautiful as my gorgeous niece Dani:

What a game!

2009-08-25T07:36:00.003-07:00

Mr. Beisbolfan and I watched part of the Rockies game last night, then went outside to enjoy a beautiful cloudy, breezy August evening. When we came back inside, the game was still going, tied 1-1 in the 9th. I can't resist an extra inning game, because you never know what you might see. This time we saw last year's Cy Young award winning pitcher, Tim Lincecum, used as a pinch runner. Then we saw the Giants (boo) go ahead 4-1 in the top of the 14th. Things didn't look so good for our Rockies, until Ryan Spillborghs came up with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th, and the bases loaded. I wouldn't be writing this post if he hadn't hit a walk-off grand slam home run. That's my boy!

Minor rant

2009-08-06T10:53:00.002-07:00

I try to be positive, but I have to get a couple of gripes off my chest.

I'm really tired of walking into a store, and having somebody yell "Hi! Howya doing today?" the second I set foot inside the door. Usually I'm fumbling to get my clip-on sunglasses off & safely into my purse without dropping or scratching them, and on more than one occasion I've jumped when I'm startled by overeager store clerks. They don't make me want to shop and spend in their stores -- in fact, quite the opposite. I feel like telling them what I tell our overenthusiastic puppy -- dial it down a notch.

And why is it when people give out a web address, they insist on pronouncing "/" as "backslash"? / is a regular slash, or forward slash. \ is a backslash, and is not used in web addresses. Get it straight, people!

Perfection

2009-07-28T20:21:00.003-07:00

Mr. Beisbolfan thought this box score was pretty cool -- a whole lotta 0 for 3s. We saw most of Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004 on TV. Actually, I missed the first part, but heard it on the radio driving home from chemotherapy with my mom. Then we stopped at Diana Madaras' gallery to get a wedding gift for Ann & Spike. I got home to see the end of Randy's perfecto, along with Mr. Beisbolfan. Conga-rats to Mark Buehrle. He's in an elite group of 18.

Vote for Mark!

2009-07-05T18:39:00.003-07:00

We have a chance to vote for the final baseball all-star in each league. Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks is deserving of your vote! His 24 home runs are 2nd in the National League, and his 61 RBI put him 3rd in the NL. Sounds like an all-star to me.

Vote early and often!

http://tinyurl.com/voteformarkreynolds

You can also vote for Tucson boy Ian Kinsler (CDO High School) to be an American League all-star.

Proud to be a Husky

2009-06-27T21:58:00.002-07:00

Familia

2009-05-29T16:06:00.006-07:00

The last few days we've had the opportunity to spend lots of time with my family. We've had several gatherings, since some cousins were in town for my Uncle Travis's memorial service. I'm very lucky to have such a neat family. I constantly marvel at how much fun we can have just hanging out together talking & enjoying food and / or music. I'm already looking forward to the next gathering, in a few months, when we remember "the four brothers", or "los hnos" -- my dad and his 3 brothers. It's hard to believe that they're all gone now.

We met for dinner at Midway Molina, one of my Aunt Patty's favorite Mexican restaurants. When we got there, Steven said "Patty's in the emergency room. She's not going to make it." Matt said "At all?? Or just for dinner?" Pretty funny. Not funny that she broke her ankle, though. At least Steven & Judy took some food home for her.

Neil & Debbie were so nice to offer their house for 2 impromptu gatherings. Muchas gracias to the hosts with the most!

Judy taking the picture instead of Matt this time. Bummer that Cody & Tori left before we got around to taking a group photo. And Happy 4th Anniversary to Dani & Josh! They were excused from the gathering to celebrate their day.

Unplugged

2009-05-20T15:35:00.002-07:00

We recently had a wonderful vacation in New Orleans. We got to spend lots of time with family, eat too much good food, listen to music, smell the flowers, and generally soak up all the good things about New Orleans. What we didn't do was watch TV, surf the web, blog, twitter, text, or any of those things that seem to consume so much time these days. It was great. I'm having a hard time getting back to those things, and I'm not sure that I even want to.

Customer service

2009-04-16T14:30:00.003-07:00

We've all had lots of recent experiences with declining customer "service". But every now and then, good service really does exist.

During my recent trip to Seattle, I realized that I needed a good waterproof jacket. After a bit of online shopping, I found just what I wanted at REI. I last visited REI (at its original and back then, possibly only store) in 1975 or 1976, and bought things I needed for my backpacking trip around Europe; specifically, a down jacket and a warm sleeping bag. Now I wanted to buy a new jacket. I went to the same Seattle "flagship" store, which is now much larger and glitzier than it was 3 decades ago. Since I have no idea where my old membership card is, I was resigned to paying $20 to sign up as a new member. After trying on my jacket, I took it to the cashier, and told her that I was a member in '75 or '76, but that was pre-computer, and I didn't have my card. She said that about that time they were starting into computers, and she'd see what she could find. I gave her my maiden name, and she asked what state I would have been living in. I told her that it was probably Washington at that time. She didn't find me, but then she removed the state, and found two N. Edmonsons, one at 1810 E. Silver St. Wow! That was me! I told her that was my Arizona address at that time. She oohed and aahed over my low membership number, had me fill out a change of address (and name) card, and gave me a temporary sticker with my membership number. I didn't have to pay $20 to sign up. Woo hoo! I was glad to get my new jacket (which was soon proven to be quite wind and waterproof), but having my old membership found in the REI database really made my day.

Where's Waldo?

2009-04-12T22:33:00.005-07:00

We sometimes have a nice view of the Space Needle from our hotel room. Can you find it?

almost...

There it is!

Oh yeah

2009-04-10T11:34:00.003-07:00

In case I'd forgotten, days like today are why I no longer live in Seattle. It is a beautiful city, though, and I've already seen lots of pink and white (dogwood?) trees in bloom. Nice view from our hotel room.

Four months until July 17!

2009-03-17T09:35:00.003-07:00

Door to nowhere

2009-03-09T17:25:00.002-07:00

A recent picture of a door in Mexico reminded me of this. Then I also realized that I never posted pictures of my trip to Greece last year. I ended up making an album on Shutterfly, and posting pictures seemed like a duplication of effort. If anyone is interested, I'll be glad to e-mail access to the Shutterfly album.

Anyway, this door is a good example of similarities between Greece and Mexico. See Slug Trails for the door that inspired this post.

Global Baseball

2009-03-05T11:04:00.006-07:00

Last night Mr. Beisbolfan and I went to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Mexican national team in a spring training game. The game was a warm-up for the World Baseball Classic, which the Mexican team will play in along with teams from 15 other countries, including the U.S. The WBC is a relatively new event, which has been embraced by baseball fans worldwide, but not so much in our country. I had recently heard some comments on the radio about how passionately worldwide fans root for their countries, especially Latin Americans. Last night we got to experience that passion firsthand. It struck me that most of us in the U.S. are typically rather quiet and reserved, while Mexicans, for example, wear their emotions on their sleeves, and aren't afraid to express themselves. Last night's crowd was split between Diamondbacks fans and fans of the Mexican team, many of whom had come from Sonora for the game. It's hard to say how many were rooting for each team, but the Mexican fans were definitely loudest and most enthusiastic. Lots of them were wearing green shirts & hats, to match the color of their team. There were also some people wearing Venezuelan hats and jerseys. They were among the 8 people sitting in the 4 seats in front of us. On one side of us were a man and his 6 or 7 year old son from Mexico. They sat quietly at first, then the son started yelling at the game in Spanish, only breaking into English once to shout "You suck!". The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, and felt more like a playoff game than just the first week of Spring Training. The Diamondbacks were just working on stretching and working out kinks & improving swings, but the game meant a lot more to the Mexican team and their fans. I'm sure there were lots of happy people when the Mexican team finally won, 19-4, but by then Mr. Beisbolfan and I were home with our hungry dogs.

former Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb heading to the mound

game action

2 flags over TEP

D'backs béisbol

Spring Training

2009-02-20T15:52:00.002-07:00

Today I took myself to watch my first spring training practice of the year. I've been slightly down on baseball lately, and my team in particular. The problem is the business (i.e. money) part of the game. Two of my favorite players from last year's Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson and Orlando Hudson, didn't re-sign with the team because of money. I do understand that, even though I don't like it. But what makes it extra hard to take is that both players signed with other teams in the same division as the D'backs. Talk about adding insult to injury! It's going to take me a while to get over it.

All that aside, today was an absolutely perfect day to be watching (or playing) baseball. The sun was shining, and while I was watching, the temperature was probably between 65 and 72. It was great to watch players working on fundamentals like fielding, baserunning, and bunting. Batting practice was the most boring part of the day, in my opinion. The D'backs have some great coaches and former players, and it was fun to watch people like Jay Bell, Matt Williams, Chip Hale, Brett Butler, and Kirk Gibson in action. There's definitely a different (nicer) feel to spring training as opposed to the regular season. Ahhh... baseball in Tucson... Life is good.

Newspapers

2009-02-07T14:09:00.002-07:00

We've been hearing for some time that print newspapers are becoming extinct. I grew up reading and enjoying the Seattle Times. When I moved to Tucson, I subscribed to the morning paper, the Arizona Daily Star, but soon became annoyed because it wasn't delivered to me by the time I left for work in the morning. So I switched to the evening Tucson Citizen, so that I could have "fresher" news when I got home from work. In recent years, especially when I was working, I never seemed to find time to read the paper, except on Sundays, but it's still nice to have a paper you can sit down & read when you want to. Mr. Beisbolfan is a great newspaper reader. On vacations, we enjoy the Rocky Mountain News while we're in Colorado, and the Times Picayune in New Orleans.

But now newspaper obsolescence has really hit home. The Tucson Citizen has announced that they will cease publication on March 21, unless they find a buyer (highly unlikely). In the same sad boat are the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the Rocky Mountain News. The fact that we'd been told this day was coming doesn't make it any easier to take. I know I'm part of the problem, because I'm more likely to get my news from the Internet than any other source, but still, I want to have it both ways.

Words

2009-01-22T17:05:00.002-07:00

The mister and I were settling in to watch a movie, and the dogs were running in and out through the doggie door, chewing on each other, making funny noises, and generally having a good old time. Mr. Beisbolfan suggested that we hold off on starting the movie, because it was a little too "hubbubish" in the house.

Sisters

2009-01-01T17:24:00.002-07:00

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T10:50:00.005-07:00

It's great to start a new year with family and friends. Happy New Year from Sand3aye and Lucy!

New family member

2008-12-27T14:52:00.002-07:00

Mr. Beisbolfan asked me what I wanted to do this weekend. I told him I'd like to go look at dogs and cars. We didn't get a new car.

Couldn't resist

2008-12-12T21:37:00.002-07:00

I really like snow globes, but we have too much "stuff", including Christmas things, and don't really need any more, but this reminded me too much of Sand3aye, so I had to buy it the other day. And I was in the holiday spirit, so what the heck.

Family

2008-11-11T08:54:00.004-07:00

We've been lucky enough to spend some time with my family recently. That's always fun, especially when my wonderful great-nephew is part of the gathering. (Not to mention my beautiful nieces!)

Gathered for Greek food

Look who loves Aunt Tori

Where's the food?

Gals who like their Toyota Camries (3 decades worth!)

It's great to have a baseball player in the family!

I've spent enough time with Colin recently that he got used to me enough to let me hold him. Also, his regular aunts weren't around, so he settled for a great aunt.

Cute just sitting there

Autumn Hibiscus

2008-11-11T08:50:00.003-07:00

Hibiscus blossoms are becoming fewer and farther between, but the great thing about this time of year is that the blooms last for longer than a day. In the summer when it's over 100, sometimes they don't make it through one whole day. But in the cooler temperatures now, they'll last up to 3 days. Woo hoo!

More Trip Photos

2008-11-08T10:40:00.012-07:00

It was a gorgeous, clear day, perfect for views of Astoria and the Columbia River from the hill where the Astoria Column is located

Looking toward Washington state

Traveling gals

Traveling gal + tour guide

Astoria column

Ft. Clatsop, replica of Lewis & Clark's 1805 - 1806 winter encampment

Fungus near the fort

Netul river at Ft. Clatsop

Downtown Astoria

Cute town

Love the planters

Dangerous area for witches

I thought of Mr. Beisbolfan here

Looking up at the Astoria Column

Friends in Astoria

I'm really glad I don't drink coffee, seeing where it comes from

Fall colors

Sea lions

Interesting creatures

Last picture of Astoria. We couldn't have asked for better weather on the day we visited this charming town

Vacation cottage in Gearhart

Elk Cove Vineyards

More of picturesque Elk Cove Winery

Wine tasters at WillaKenzie Estate

Outside the winery

Portland art

Column outside Powell's Books

An omen for our great trip: Beautiful rainbow over our hotel, The Inn at Northrup Station, after the only rainy day of the whole 2 weeks. Carla Camry is 4th from the left.

Love this lamp. The Inn at Northrup Station in Portland, Oregon is my favorite hotel ever

Neat family

Woodward Canyon Winery, just outside Walla Walla

L'Ecole No. 41, right next door

Walla Walla onion in cute downtown Walla Walla

Colorful trees

Patient dog

Gorgeous tree

Cute bus

Welcome to Whitman College!

Nice campus

Cute house where my folks lived when my dad taught at Whitman

My mom returned to Patit Creek Restaurant in Dayton, Washington, a favorite from 23 years ago

I enjoyed it, too!

Home, with wines and corks to show for our travels. We ran out of room in our cooler, and were concerned about the drive through the desert, so some Washington red wines are being shipped to us as the weather cools. We'll get to relive and share our trip as we enjoy our wines!

Road trip to the Pacific Northwest

2008-11-01T10:34:00.008-07:00

My mom & I got back a week ago from a 15-day road trip to Oregon and Washington. It was truly a fabulous trip. It started out as a visit to see family & friends, and to become acquainted with parts of Oregon. As the journey evolved, it also ended up featuring wine, beautiful scenery including some spectacular fall colors, and of course, great food. Pictures can't do justice to our experience, but here are a few anyway.

Once we saw Mt. Shasta in northern California, we felt like we were in the northwest

At the recommendation of my friend Anne, we spent a night in Bandon. They have a world-renowned course where my brother played golf with friends for his 50th birthday.

This seagull showed up on our balcony as if to welcome us to Bandon. Of course, it might have had something to do with the macadamia nuts that we had.

It was fun to do video and audio chats with Mr. Beisbolfan, so he could virtually experience our trip

After an evening of clouds and fog, the sun came out in the morning, and we had a great view of Face Rock

From Bandon it was up the coast to Florence. This is just part of the view from my cousin's beach house where we stayed.

Inside Sea Lion Caves. The sea lions weren't there.

View of Heceta Head Lighthouse from the caves

The sea lions were just down the road from their caves

Lunch at the Adobe in Yachats. Couldn't we have found someplace closer to the water?

Darlingtonia Californica: one of the strangest plants I've ever seen.

My cousins' beautiful lake house and garden

Road trips are always fun when there's a DeLorean involved!

Cousins

Historic bridge in Florence

Old Town Florence

Sign in the beach house, and appropriate for this trip

A deer welcomed us to Astoria

Jake's

2008-10-20T17:14:00.003-07:00

Today my good friend Anne took my mom & me to lunch at Jake's, a world famous Portland restaurant that I've always wanted to try. It was fabulous. Here's a look at the menu. (Look closely!)

Fun in Oregon

2008-10-15T20:53:00.003-07:00

My mom & I are on a fun road trip in Oregon, visiting family & friends. The weather has been perfect. The only thing that would make the trip better would be Mr. Beisbolfan.

Lunch on the ocean at Yachats

Darlingtonia Californica, cobra-like plants. These are really unusual, to say the least.

When I am queen

2008-10-07T18:10:00.003-07:00

I just added another item to my list of things that I will change when I rule the world. No more directions on the bottom of things that you have to cook! I'm trying to bake some fish tacos from Trader Joe's, and you bake them in the container they come in. But the directions are on the bottom of the container. Whose brilliant idea was that? Other things that will no longer be allowed are nylon threads, especially in underwear. Won't that be a better world? Vote for me.

Cool, colorful Colorado

2008-09-15T09:47:00.006-07:00

Mr. Beisbolfan and I just got back from a great vacation in Colorado, relaxing with family.

Can you find the deer?

Here he is!

Awww

Mia taking a picture of us in front of the National League championship trophy at Coors Field

This is what vacations are all about

Why I haven't been blogging

2008-09-09T19:05:00.001-07:00

Too funny

2008-07-29T17:07:00.003-07:00

I never thought I'd be reduced to stealing pictures from other blogs, but I couldn't resist this. Besides, it's from Alyssa Milano, who is a kindred spirit. We're both huge baseball fans, and hot babes.

Flagstaff

2008-07-22T14:04:00.006-07:00

Last weekend while Mr. Beisbolfan worked, I went to Flagstaff to visit friends. I hadn't been there in years, and had forgotten what a cute town it is.

The Burnett Family bluegrass band played a free concert in Heritage Square

It was cloudy, and about 25 degrees cooler than Tucson

Love the old signs

Photogenic Weatherford Hotel

I was really taken with this musical family

Back at Jac & Richard's place, my new baseball scoreboard shows the Diamondbacks ahead of the godless Dodgers

The pine trees smelled wonderful

Carla Camry enjoyed Flagstaff

Walking tour of historic downtown

I love the old motel sign in the background, statue of a gandy dancer (railroad worker) in the foreground, and sleeping Native American in between

Run, Forrest, run! I didn't realize that the race scene in Forrest Gump was filmed right on this street.

New Hibiscus

2008-06-15T10:14:00.003-07:00

The last couple of winters we've had some hard freezes, which were really rough on my favorite plant, a bright red hibiscus. We cut it back, and just in the last week or so, it's finally putting out a few leaves, but who knows if it will ever bloom again. So while it's recovering, I had to get a new hibiscus. Now how can I make it keep having lots of nice blossoms?

Family

2008-06-02T14:47:00.004-07:00

It was great to have visiting cousins in town yesterday as an excuse to get a bunch of family together. Let's do this again soon!

Friends

2008-05-31T13:54:00.004-07:00

Last week was an exceptional one for two of our oldest (in time known, not in age) friends. Mr. Beisbolfan's friend since grade school had a major health scare, and my friend since 4th grade was in town. What would we do without friends?

Mt. Lykaion, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece

2008-05-27T09:55:00.003-07:00

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Greece was our visit to Mt. Lykaion. It was the site of a Zeus sanctuary in the 5th century B.C., and Panhellenic games similar to the ancient Olympic games were held there. We were lucky to have two of the current excavators of Mt. Lykaion leading our group, one from the University of Arizona, and one from the University of Pennsylvania. Here's our group at Mt. Lykaion.

Preview of coming attractions

2008-05-13T20:00:00.004-07:00

My mom & I just got back from a fabulous trip to Greece; more specifically, a circumnavigation of the Peloponnese. I took over 900 pictures, and I'm trying to figure out how to deal with them. Here's a sample:

More to come when I figure out what to do, and how to describe this wonderful time.

Home decor

2008-04-06T13:00:00.003-07:00

My mom gave me a box of kleenex that matched a nice, big beach bag she gave me. I haven't been to the beach yet, but the kleenex box matches my bathroom towels perfectly.

Spring is in the air

2008-03-20T10:27:00.004-07:00

I was afraid that after the lush greenery of Florida, the desert would look brown and bleak. But springtime in the desert is one of the best times of the year. And nothing feels more like spring than daffodils from Trader Joe's. Happy spring to everyone!

Big day for the Rockies

2008-03-19T11:09:00.004-07:00

Sunday was photo day, which means that some of the National League Champion Colorado Rockies got to have their pictures taken with me. The game was rained out, but it was still a big day for the Rocks.

Garrett Atkins

Ian Stewart. No hard feelings for his foul ball that hit me.

Jason Hirsch, 6'8" pitcher

Matt Kata. I miss the Baby Backs.

Yorvit Torrealba. We have several of his t-shirts!

All-star Brian Fuentes

Family + friends + food = Fun!

2008-03-19T09:16:00.010-07:00

I couldn't resist that corny, alliterative title. A few days ago, my brother and sister-in-law invited us over for dinner, and for a visit with my brother's friend Rick, from junior high (that's right, no middle school back then) days. We also got to meet Rick's son Ryan. We had a great time. The Cobb salad was DELICIOUS (thanks, Debbie!), and we laughed a lot. Oh yes, and Colin was as cute as ever. Cody & Kelly, we missed you!

Best salad ever

Plenty o' salad

10 1/2 months old

Aunt Tori is silly

Colin says hey

Tres amigos

Thoughts on baseball

2008-03-14T16:06:00.003-07:00

I really like baseball. But sometimes I wonder if it likes me. Some people seem to easily get foul balls or home run balls and have nice baseball souvenirs. My only encounters with foul balls are when they hit me. Years ago we were at a Tucson Toros game, and a foul ball came right toward me. Mr. Beisbolfan said he had it, held out his hand to catch it, then pulled his hand away at the last minute, so the ball smacked me on the thigh, and I had a huge bruise for weeks. To add insult to injury, a bratty little kid got the ball, then proceeded to play with it for the rest of the game. Then yesterday, we went to see the Colorado Rockies & Texas Rangers play at Hi Corbett. The heat got to me, so we left our seats to sit at a table by left field, in the shade of an umbrella. Wouldn't you know it, a foul ball hit the post of the umbrella on our table, then smacked into my arm. Notice the imprint of the stitching on my arm. Ouch. At least this time I got the baseball, as well as a round of applause for "catching" it.

Florida #3

2008-03-14T15:53:00.004-07:00

Beach birds

Quail Valley Country Club, where we lunched

Dock at Cousin Jean's

Jean & Alex's house

Lizard & frog

Orchid at sunset

More Vero Beach

2008-03-14T15:27:00.005-07:00

Sunset over the Indian River

Seabirds on the Atlantic

Nice beach

Atlantic Ocean

Tourist on the beach

Vero Beach native

Florida

2008-03-14T15:04:00.004-07:00

We finally made it to Florida, but we missed our first spring training game. Our suitcases finally got there about 30 hours after we did. Important travel tip -- always take extra underwear, clothes, and sleepwear in your carry-on bag. My mom's relatives were glad to see us, and so were the Boston Red Sox & L.A. Dodgers.

Beautiful beaches

2 hall of famers at Dodgertown

ManRam taking batting practice

Cousins

More cousins on the pier

Airports

2008-03-14T14:56:00.002-07:00

My mom & I planned a fun trip to Vero Beach, Florida, to visit relatives and to see spring training at Dodgertown. Unfortunately we started by getting snowed into Dallas. Neither of us had ever spent the night in an airport before, so this was a new experience. It still seems hard to believe that one inch of snow would close one of the busiest airports in the U.S., but it did. My advice to anyone who finds themselves stuck at DFW -- stay in concourse D. It has lots of stores, like Brookstone, where you can get a nice pillow & blanket, and the restrooms are nice, new, and clean.

Separated at birth?

2008-02-27T16:27:00.002-07:00

I can't take credit for this, since somebody else pointed out the striking resemblance between these 2 baseball stars.

E x 4

2008-02-27T10:03:00.001-07:00

This was a couple of weeks ago when we had a fondue party. Here are 4 generations of Edmonsons & Eggmans.

The boys of summer

2008-02-24T18:02:00.004-07:00

Spring is in the air, and baseball players are in town. We watched the Diamondbacks practice today, and it was good to hear the crack of the bat and the smack of the ball into catchers' mitts.

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-24T17:55:00.004-07:00

On Wednesday February 20, we braved the cool evening by our outdoor fireplace and enjoyed the total lunar eclipse. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in before totality, but it was still a beautiful sight.

Florence

2008-02-24T17:51:00.005-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we took a Sunday drive and went through Florence, Arizona. We had to stop at the photogenic courthouse.

Sandhill Cranes

2008-02-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

My mom suggested that we go see the Sandhill Cranes that winter in southeastern Arizona. So yesterday we drove to 2 wildlife preserves, and sure enough, there were lots o' cranes there. It was quite a sight.

A dusting of snow in Texas Canyon

The cranes think this is warm weather

Nice century plant

Just some of the cranes

There they go

Sandhill cranes in flight

In case the cranes weren't enough, we saw a great horned owl

This could take a while

2008-01-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Words

2008-01-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Why is it that some words sound so funny? We're having a nice fire in the fireplace, and there are some nice coals, and I was wishing we had some marshmallows. I had gone to the store today, but only to Trader Joe's, and I don't think they have them, even if I'd thought to look. I mentioned this to Mr. Beisbolfan, and he said that if they did have them, they'd probably be made of tofu. I said "tofarshmallows?" For some reason that word struck us as extremely funny. I'm reminded of Dave Barry's example: Newt Gingrich wearing a necktie: not funny. Newt Gingrich wearing a neck weasel: funny.

Fun with furniture

2008-01-22T16:57:00.001-07:00

We must be getting really old and boring, because we're very excited about our new buffet.

It's really nice to be able to use things that have been put away in boxes because we didn't have room for them. We're rediscovering things like some wine glasses that we got at fun places like Caymus and Clos Pegase wineries. And possibly the most exciting thing about the buffet is that it isn't filled up yet!

This Christmas

2007-12-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Before Christmas, our friends Jac & Richard came over for dinner.

Christmas Eve at my mom's was as wonderful as usual. Maybe even better, since Colin was with us!

Matt bonded with his favorite great-nephew

We all wore our paper crowns, just like the Queen of England

Leo was very interested in the picture taking

Three of our favorite nieces

Colin liked the pin that I got in my Christmas popper

Christmas was beyond a baby's wildest dreams

Quite the D'backs fan!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Once again Christmas has snuck up on us. But snow on the Catalinas and the San Xavier Christmas concert have set the mood, so bring it on!

Possibly the funniest television show ever

2007-11-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Anybody who likes to laugh should definitely check out the DVDs of the 1999 television series Action. We just finished watching, and even though we'd previously seen all the episodes on TV, this show is still hilarious. It really was funnier on TV when they bleeped out the bad words, but NOT when they pixillated them. I still believe that the show was canceled because it was too true about Hollywood.

Some things that make me happy

2007-11-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

Palm trees
Dogs wagging their tails
Flip-flops, and being able to wear them 6+ months a year
Spring Training
My great-nephew
Maui
Christmas Eve
New Orleans French bread
Driving with the sunroof open and the stereo on
Hummingbirds
The Santa Catalina mountains
Saturday night dinners with my sweetie

Dogs

2007-11-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite recent pictures of some of my favorite dogs.

This month's puppy on our puppy calendar is a really cute little beagle on its back. Apparently Sand3aye thought she could be just as cute.

Cruising Arizona

2007-10-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

My mom & I have recently taken some day trips around southern Arizona. It probably doesn't sound exciting to most people, but we love to see where roads go, and what various parts of the state look like. Last week we did the mining town tour -- San Manuel, Mammoth, Winkleman, Hayden, and Kearny. We liked Kearny the best. Yesterday we started out in the same direction, going through Mammoth and Winkleman, then up toward Globe before turning east toward Safford. We detoured through the town of San Carlos on the Apache reservation, then went to Coolidge Dam and along the south side of San Carlos Lake, then on to Pima, Bryce, Thatcher, Safford, then home through Willcox and Benson. A long day, but great weather, and beautiful and interesting scenery. Oh yes, and I learned that Pima cotton is not named for Pima County, but for the town of Pima, Arizona.

beisbolfan at Coolidge Dam

actual Pima cotton in Pima, Arizona

22 years!

2007-10-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mr. Beisbolfan & I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. We had a great dinner at Vivace, and reminisced about our fun wedding all those years ago. If we had been the beisbolfans that we are today, we might not have gotten married during the World Series.

While the cat's away

2007-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

We always wonder what the dogs are doing while we're gone. I got a partial answer last night. Matt was gone, but I was home. Apparently Sand3aye missed Matt. Since she couldn't be with him, she did the next best thing, and snuggled up to his pants and sock.

Autumn in the desert

2007-10-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of the times of the year when we're really glad we live in Tucson. I recently looked at the 3 day forecast, and every day was the same -- high of 85, and low of 58. Perfect, sunny days, and great sleeping weather at night.

Yesterday the Mr. and I went to the West University Neighborhood home tour. What a perfect day to be out and about! It was really interesting to see what people had done to preserve and rennovate their 100 year old houses. It made me wonder whether 80 years from now my 80s tract home will be considered a retro classic. You never know!

Unfortunately my Diamondbacks have not shown up for the National League Championship Series. Their lack of consistent hitting has really caught up with them. It's been a good ride, and even though they're not officially done, we'll be cheering hard for the Rockies in the World Series.

Take me out to the ballgame

2007-10-10T18:08:00.001-07:00

It's all baseball, all the time now that the playoffs are here. Tomorrow I'm going back to Phoenix to see game 1 of the NLCS. Mr. Beisbolfan has agreed to go to the game, and I've finally realized that I can wholeheartedly root for the Diamondbacks. I've actually followed both teams since spring training in March, but as I've watched the hype the last couple of days, I realize that I'm really much more familiar and comfortable with our Arizona D'backs. So now that I know who to cheer for, PLAY BALL!

World Series, Baby!

2007-10-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Diamondbacks and Rockies will play each other for the chance to go to the World Series! I'll be rooting for the AZ team, but I can't say that I'll be sad if the Rockies win. I saw my first MLB regular season game at Coors Field, and fell in love with baseball all over again (after watching the AAA Seattle Rainiers in my childhood), so I have a HUGE soft spot in my heart for the Rockies. I really feel like the Rockies and Diamondbacks have a lot of similarities right now. They have a lot of young, talented, energetic players, and also loose clubhouses and good team chemistry. Obviously spring training in Tucson brought them major good kharma. Not so for the White Sox, who have officially dissed Tucson and are moving to Glendale.

War NL West!

2007-10-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Diamondbacks and Rockies each have a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. Woo hoo! The atmosphere at Chase Field for the 2 Diamondbacks games was great. We were afraid that there would be more Cubs fans than Diamondbacks fans at the games, but we were wrong. Last night we were sandwiched between Cubs fans, but they were pretty nice. All around us were vocal Diamondbacks fans. It felt bad when the D'backs went behind, 2-0, but that only lasted a short time until Chris Young's 3-run homer. That felt great! We had plenty of chances to cheer & jump up & down for our team, along with most of the other 48,000+ people there. The Cubs fans got quiet in a hurry. So now what happens if my 2 favorite teams end up playing each other for the National League championship? I can't imagine a better scenario. I honestly think I would be happy no matter which of those teams won. The Cubs and Phillies are LOSERS!

Too much excitement

2007-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's almost too much to handle. Both of my favorite baseball teams are in the playoffs! Last night's Colorado Rockies' win was incredible. 13 innings of back and forth lead changes, errors, and heroics. My stomach was a mess. After close to 5 hours of play, the good guys won. It was a controversial play at the plate. Did Matt Holliday touch the plate? The umpire said yes, so he did. I can't help but point out that 25% of the 8 teams in the MLB playoffs do spring training in Tucson.

Ganga of the week

2007-10-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of the things that make me happy. A couple of weeks ago I saw a microfiber cloth that I thought would be perfect for drying and cleaning my glasses. But I just couldn't bring myself to pay $17 for a little piece of cloth. Then a few days ago at Target I found (in the cleaning supply section) a package of 2 microfiber cloths for cleaning glass. Two for $5.99. These things are amazing. I've been using an old dishcloth, that I thought did a pretty decent job on my glasses. Well, this new cloth dries the lenses like magic, and doesn't leave any little pieces of lint. I swear I can actually see better. See how easy to please I am?

Pretty Girls

2007-09-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

Aren't these just the prettiest dogs? They smell as good as they look, thanks to PetsMart. I'm not sure what they did while they were there being washed & clipped, but PetsMart called twice to tell us to come pick them up.

Playoffs!

2007-09-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Diamondbacks are going to the playoffs! And so am I! I can admit it now. I bought tickets a few days ago, before anybody even knew that the D'backs would be playing next week. Woo hoo! I have to give props to the entire team. They have really had some amazing plays and efforts all season. I do recall saying as early as Spring Training that the Diamondbacks and Rockies would be fun to watch, and they certainly have been. It's amazing to invest 162 games -- 6 months -- in a team, and then have it pay off, and the season continue. There is nothing like being at a game and cheering for your team. The first time I really felt that was way back when my Seattle Supersonics basketball team clinched their first playoff birth. Don't ask me the year, but it was a LONG time ago, and I was at the game with my brother, and the Sonics beat their rivals, the Portland Trailblazers, to make the playoffs for the first time. What a rush to be with 14,000+ people all cheering for their team. It's really a catharsis -- a release for all the emotions from daily life. The funnest baseball game I've ever attended was Game 1 of the 2001 playoffs in Phoenix. My sweetie & I sat in the Infiniti Level at "BOB" (as it was known then) and watched Curt Schilling of the D'backs outpitch Matt Morris of the Cardinals in a gem of a game. Who knew then that the Diamondbacks would go on to win the World Series over the New York Yankees, after the events of 9/11. Who says sports aren't important?

Nordie Day

2007-09-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove to Phoenix for a visit to my favorite store, Nordstrom. I've almost given up on Tucson ever getting one. Although they say now that Pima County has hit the magic 1 million mark in population, it may be more likely. At one time, there was speculation that Nordstrom could move into the Tucson Mall, since there's now an empty department store there. I don't know. I went to the Tucson Mall today for the first time in a long time, and it seemed kind of empty. Most of the stores were occupied, but there weren't a whole lot of shoppers. Of course, it's Thursday, but still. Whenever I've got to Scottsdale Fashion Square, it's always hopping.

Be that as it may, it was nice to shop at Nordstrom. I had to return a skirt that I didn't use on the Alaska cruise, and I ended up getting some nice, comfy jeans. Had a nice chat with the salesgirl who was from Tucson, Sahuaro High. Then I went to check out Whole Foods in Tempe. I was somewhat disappointed. It didn't have as much neat stuff as Whole Foods I've been to in New Orleans, Seattle, and Boulder. It was more like a Wild Oats (boo). But there was still enough good prepared food that I got things for a couple of meals. I'm still glad that the Tucson Wild Oats stores will become Whole Foods, but I'm not as excited as I was before.

Now I have to get a baseball thought off my chest. A lot has been said about players who do and don't "play through pain". Roger Clemens has been made out to be Superman because at age 63 or however old he is, he gets cortisone shots and still pitches. Nothing is ever said about Randy Johnson. He's had 2 back surgeries in the last year, and I have to think that's pretty unpleasant. He has pitched with back pain for who knows how much of his career (including last year in NY when he still won 16 games, but the fans didn't appreciate him), and is one of the best left-handed pitchers of all time, if not one of the best pitchers, period. I really hope he comes back and pitches next year, whether he gets the appreciation he deserves or not. I feel fortunate that I've gotten to see him pitch quite a few times.

Baseball

2007-09-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Diamondbacks' last home game of the season. It was fun, although the good guys lost. And once again, I didn't win a "shirt off their D-backs". I bought plenty of scratch tickets for the annual season-end promotion, and this year I didn't even win a consolation prize. Oh well. At least our donations are tax deductible. And my second favorite team, the Colorado Rockies, helped the Diamondbacks' cause as well as their own by beating the Padres again. It was a truly bizarre game with Milton Bradley (snicker) self-destructing, being wrestled to the ground by his own manager, and sustaining a season-ending knee injury. All you can really ask for after a long baseball season is to have your team still in the race in the last week of play. And to have the Diamondbacks and Rockies both still contending is fantastic.

Speaking of baseball, I have a great marketing idea. MLB doesn't seem to have realized that many women are baseball fans, and are willing to spend money on team merchandise. (Note to MLB: this just in: women like to shop.) So I would like MLB to partner with some good nail polish company, like OPI, to sell team color nail polish. Can't you see the market for Sedona Red, Dodger Blue, etc.? Unfortunately with all the licensing requirements, etc. this would take a herd of high-priced lawyers to pull off. I've considered contacting Alyssa Milano, who has an excellent baseball blog on mlb.com and has started a line of womens' MLB clothing, to give her the idea. When will corporate America wake up to the idea that there's an untapped market for women's items in traditionally male markets? For years I searched for feminine business items, like briefcases in colors other than black or brown, but nothing seems to exist, at least in Tucson.

Happy birthday, little bro!

2007-09-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today is my little brother's birthday. He's spending it with friends in our childhood state of Washington. It made me very happy to hear that he's spending the evening with good friends Dick and Ann, and they were about to tap the pony keg of Coors Light and watch the Washington Huskies play UCLA. Go Dawgs, and happy birthday to Neil & Lute!

Impoliteness

2007-09-20T14:14:00.001-07:00

Before I started this blog, my sweetie had suggested that I should start one, mainly as a vehicle for getting some of the more negative thoughts out of my system. Apparently he doesn't want to be the only audience for my rants. I think I'm a generally positive person, and my intent is not to subject any readers to negativity. But I just have to get this off my chest. It has recently been noted that the world has become less polite than it used to be. Here's an example. Some people seem to think that it has become acceptable to use shopping carts as trash cans. What are people thinking when they throw their garbage into a cart? It used to be that selecting a shopping cart at the grocery store or Target just meant finding one without wobbles and squeaks. Now I also reject the ones that have other peoples' trash in them. I guess I could help by cleaning them out, but eeew. So the poor store employees have to pick up after all the thoughtless slobs. That probably isn't even specified in their job descriptions. Of course, plenty of the store employees don't want to deal with icky garbage any more than I do, and they just bring in the carts from wherever they've been left all over the parking lot, and leave the trash where it is. I can't really blame them.

Our other summer vacation

2007-09-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

We hadn't even recovered from Alaska and Seattle when it was time to go to Colorado. What a rough life! Once again, we had wonderful weather (for the most part). It was great going to Crystal Lakes up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, even though the Labor Day crowds scared the fish into not biting. And of course, we had to go to a game at Coors Field, which was lots of fun (the Rockies beat the Padres -- woo hoo!), and once again, it was a beautiful evening for baseball. It was nice being in Greeley, too, and eating at JB's -- yum! Dogs make vacations even better, and they help keep us from missing our own two goofdogs.

What a difference a day makes

2007-09-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last night the Diamondbacks played a wonderful game, and beat the Giants 5-0. Micah Owings pitched a 2-hit complete game shutout. And with her usual luck, my mom was at the game. She saw a good one! They opened the roof at Chase Field and it was a beautiful evening in Phoenix. That's what makes baseball great. Good weather, a hot dog, a cold beverage, and even better, your team winning. The world looks much brighter after my team wins. And Kirk Herbstreit is predicting that my alma mater, Washington, will upset UCLA in football. Sometimes the anticipation is better than the event. Let's savor the moment.

How I spent my summer vacation

2007-09-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

What could be more perfect -- an Alaska cruise, beginning and ending with time in my old hometown, Seattle. The weather was wonderful (most of the time), and even the few times when it was cool and rainy, it was OK with us desert rats. Pictures hardly do justice to the beauty and majesty of Alaska. And to think that we only saw bits of the very southern tail of the enormous state. Being back in Seattle was much better than I thought it would be. I love everything about it, except the weather. Vacations are great, but there's no place like home!

Too many toys

2007-09-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

Fandom

2007-09-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

The problem with putting your heart and soul into a sports team is that while the highs are high, the lows are really low. I need to work on putting the D'backs' losses behind me, but last night's was really hard to take. The game was in hand, then Tony Pena gave up "5 of the fastest runs I've ever seen" (broadcaster Mark Grace) to the hated S.F. Giants. Sigh. The good guys have only a one game lead over the Padres in the NL West. On the brighter side, it's September 18, and my team is still very much in the hunt for the post-season. And yes, I know the picture isn't of "my" team, but of one of my favorite players on one of my other favorite teams.