New photos

We upgraded Jim's flickr account, so he can do all the work, and I can just point:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeemshome

He may be uploading older pictures gradually.


Also, a friend from a gardening chat room has some really cool stuff here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coloredglass


Today, I'm getting reacquainted with my electric bass guitar.

Best wishes to all

This Christmas, Jim and I went to Phoenix to spend time with his father, who lives in Tyler, Tx, as well as his brother, John, John's wife, Shamali, and their 15 month old daughter, Elyssa, who live in Dallas. Shamali's family lives in Phoenix. Every Christmas they have a huge party attended by everyone in the area who came from Sri Lanka, along with a lot of other neighbors, friends, and family. The food was fantastic and took several days for Pat and Dudley to prepare. They were busy the whole time we visited, and so we have no pictures of them. They are both doctors, I believe.

Jim took most of these pictures. He took a whole lot more pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeemshome/sets/72157594447610726/

Jim is on the left, John is in the middle with Elyssa, and Grandpa Stan is on the right:


I found a new friend:



John watches as Grandpa Stan turns over a new leaf:





On Christmas Eve, everyone went to Midnight Mass except Elyssa and her Aunt Lilith (Shamali's sister), who for some reason we don't have a picture of.

On Christmas day, we went for a really nice brunch at a Hilton. Elyssa was a very good baby. She makes this little squeak sometimes when she's frustrated. I mentioned to her dad that the cute thing about it was that I knew it could be So much louder. He agreed. Of course, five minutes later she proved that it Could be louder. But as soon as she was carried around to investigate all those interesting strangers she quieted down. So her father won't be feeding her to the dogs. This time.

On Christmas night, the party really got going. With hundreds of people wandering through the house, bringing gifts for Elyssa, posing in front of the tree, kids running every which way, well, right about then I decided, finally, to ask a personal question. We were immediately interrupted and I let it go. About 20 minutes later Shamali answered as if no time had passed, and the gossip session began. Tanya occasionally leaned in, and added to the conversation. Especially if it was about her.

Shamali is on the right, and I am in the middle. At the left is Tanya, who is carrying Pat and Dudley's second grandchild. (Elyssa is the first on both sides of her family!)


Tanya seems pretty cool. Later on, I was able to bond with her, over things like my barely managing not to stand up and shout in protest at various points during the Mass the night before.

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The next morning we said goodbye and got in the car to drive home to San Diego. Jim said "let's go to Tucson" and I said "sure!" so we did. We got there in time to buy an annual National Parks pass, wander a nature trail, and join about 100 people taking sunset shots at one turnout over the desert.


The next day we went to a very cool place, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. They have kitties:


Kitties sleep in the strangest positions:


I guess I won't go shuffling through the sand dunes unless I'm wearing very good boots:



We tell people we are going to the desert, and they ask why. Well:

That's why.

But at last we did head home:


Time for a rest after a good vacation.

They really ARE hiring them younger!