White Christmas

While here in the Bay Area we don't have snow (we do have rain - lots and lots of rain, not that I'm complaining), one can still find winter white if one looks closely enough:

The latte I was served at Awakening Cafe in downtown Oakland (and kudos to them for being open on Saturday morning, when Starbucks and Tully's were both closed - downtown Oakland not a very happening place on Saturdays, apparently).










The Calla Lilies keep coming (we had seven blooms all together).












Cowboy the cat (who lives in Austin Texas with my sister Mary Cam and her kids).













Obama in the White House! (OK, he's actually ON it, not IN it - picky, picky!).












The cafe mocha I was served at Cafe Cacao, the restaurant run by Scharffenberger's Chocolate at their plant six blocks from our house).













That's right - there's a chocolate factory SIX BLOCKS from our house!













SIX BLOCKS!!!!!!!!! And, yes, they make a darned fine mocha with their own chocolate.












HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!

We Query the Community Hermeneutic (TM)*

We were looking through the photos from our glorious trip to Asia (taken by our minion, Stephanie, though she hates it when we call her that) when we came across this image, and have fallen into musing about the curious phrase in the bottom right quadrant of the frame.


We surmise that the word "Dunkin' " refers to Dunkin' Donuts, where the photo was taken, "White" refers to our own wonderously white, creamy complexion; clearly there is some sort of proposal being made to us - but what? What?

We implore our Legions of Fans to help us discern the exact meaning of this phrase. We are open to other interpretations than those along the lines of our own reasoning, we suppose.





Kisses to All!


P.



* - TM 2008, Brian C. Young

Little Monstrosities

Lest anyone think I'm getting soft in my middle age, I've come across a fair number of odd, hideous, or just plain scary things as well. Like...

The world's worst snack. Got these in the Star Alliance Lounge in the Shanghai Airport. They're dried plums, only they've been preserved using some sort of horrible salty process that makes them absolutely disgusting.










Purple broccoli. PURPLE BROCCOLI! It's just wrong, WRONG I TELL YOU! (Correction: Brian has reminded me that these vile veggies are actually cauliflower, not broccoli - which makes them far more evil, in his opinion.)










Come to think of it, the entire produce section in the San Ramon Safeway was pretty scary. Produce really shouldn't be so perfect and orderly.










Speaking of scary, Morty found it quite alarming when the guy from PG&E came to our house to light the pilot light in our heater and had to crawl under the house to do it. He was talking to us from underneath the grate, and the Mortster just about came unhinged.

Little Miracles

Maybe it's a hangover from the Thanksgiving spirit, but I keep seeing amazing things (and sometimes even managing to get pictures of them).



There are actual Calla Lillies growing in our backyard!












Violet and Morty peacefully co-exist! (Sunbeams have that effect on them sometimes.)

















Origami baboon and elephant! Only two of the amazing creations at the wonderful welcome party that the folks at Berkeley Friends Church had for us on Sunday.









Cats that can read - upside down, even! This is Baby, one of my sister Mary Cam's cats in Austin, Texas.










Great shots at Thanksgiving - good work, Bri! My dad is on the left, my sister on the right, Cam's dog Sophie in my lap, and her boys Burke and Ash behind the couch.