For a limited time only...

Set: Big Bubba's BBQ, Visalia, CA
Purpose: My 28 birthday...
Main Characters: Me (the only person seen), Shaheen (camera woman), Lu and J (scared for life because they were forced to watch)
Background:
Shay: Oh, we are GETTING you on that bull!
I'm going to go with, "It was free because it was my birthday and I desperately needed redemption from the last bull ride back in LA at the SaddleRanch."
*This was the second ride, I just did so well the first time, the operator had me ride again... yeah, that's it, I rode sooooo well. As per usual as the night goes on I tend to get more animated and less inhibited. That is why this video will only be online for a limited time for a limited amount of people.
**Please note the ending....Shaheen zoomed in extra special just for a special effect. ... Yup.

For those of you brave souls that have actually ridden a bull, you'll believe me when I say, "Those seats are a trap! They are freakin' SLIP-ER-Y!" For those of you cowards that have yet to take a ride of the wild side, you're not allowed to judge me.

who do i chase?

Pets and Christmas shots.

Does she looked surprised? Horrified? Special? Haha, to be honest I told her to make a face... I can see a little Breckenridge in the look actually....
Here I believe Tucker was explaining to Travis in what order he was going to open his presents... so strategic.

This one is like puddy in my hands. You want him to smile you just have to know that the magic words, "Hey Tuck, don't smile. Don't you do it!! Don't smile!! Hey stop smiling!!" Works like a charm. He tries so hard not to smile, he can't resist my powers of persuasion.



The first signs of torture in my new home.... Doesn't she just look delighted to be my pet!?
When I'm working in the office, she works at chasing her tail that she catches glimpses of through the leaves of my plant. Oh yeah, and then she jumps out, either onto the back of chair or onto the floor and the dirt that she had been playing in goes either all over me or all over my floor. I've taken to putting a shirt as a skirt around the base of the plant, covering up the dirt, problem solver, thank you very much.
When the puppy is free, this is usually the look Annie has as the pup is toddling about. You can just the words anticipation and attack written in her eyes.
The manzanita bush under attack. I had to strategically tie it to the end table to prevent further damage to it's already delicate state. Now, since there is no hope of it toppling to the ground, Annie, the cat, is already bored with it.
Tucker waiting patiently by the tree. When asked what he was doing his response was simple.
"I'm not doing anything." OR "I'm not touching anything." He sat there for a good 15 minutes with his arms crossed, just waiting, much different from last year.


Mom's fantastic new archway that has been loitering in her garage since last Christmas Sale Holiday... it's actually working at this point, it was going off and on due to the rain we had. Such bad weather.... whatcha gonna do.....


Her name is Kiera, which is an irish name that means black or dark. Of course she will probably never know her real name because Darin calls her BlackE and dad calls her Katie. ??? I don't know either.


Temporary puppy sitter. This little tyke can sleep anywhere and in any position.... observe...







Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight...

Degrees of Boredom...

One could not possibly describe the severity of the boredom that is surrounding my fellow teachers and I at this very moment. I have, in the course of the last hour, imagined all the possible avenues of torture I would rather be pursuing. There's the happy go lucky "rack 'em" method (Braveheart style), the don't scream disembowel method, oooh, how about the Rambo method of leave a serrated knife in a pit of coals and then burn some of your skin off, piece by piece. Okay, so that was a bit of run-on sentence, and yes I am a teacher, but when you are forced into a computer lab and strapped to a chair with no offer of sustinance like chocolate, you don't care much about grammer. I was among two of the chosen to attempt a breach in the system and raid the office of the VP for chocolate, probabl for my stealthlike capabilities. They are well known in these parts.

One bit of exciting news for me is that I will be traveling to a home later this afternoon to look at some black lab puppies. Christmas time would be when I would bring one home. Plenty of time to get my yard puppy ready. Anywho, we're actually doing something now, so ... later!

PROPERTY UPDATES FOR CASA DE POWELL

Pick a vine...any vine.... "What is it?" You might ask.... "You're guess is as good as ours," we'd say. Among the twisty, grasshopper tempting vines, are raspberries, blackberries, grapes, (blueberries yet to be planted), and I'm sure there is something I left out...but you get the picture...

This the grandkids new fantasy tower where they like to engage in games that include Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and if Jenny is around she takes on the role of Nana. If I'm around, and I don't know how this worked out, but I'm Smee.... Don't know how I feel about that yet...

Dad's putting green. His daily goal is to sink 6 in a row before he allows himself to stop and go in... unless it's really hot, then it's the next one in...

METAL BUILDING, the shop, THE HANGER, the money pit.... All names for this building. It just recently acquired that last name of MP when they were putting the doors on and mom was yelling, "Doors!!! We have doors!! Look we have doors!" It reminded me of the scene in the Money Pit where their stairs were finally put in and Walter (Tom Hanks) was yelling, "Stairs!! We have stairs!! Honey! We have stairs...." Anyway... too much movie trivia?

We've obviously put it to good use though. Every child has their own personal square for their storage. I might have two....
GRASS!!!! WE HAVE GRASS!!!!! Just on one side though (for now) Check out that Royal Empress Tree on the right.... it used to look like a little bamboo stick... my, my, how they grow.

They grow up so fast....

I've never seen a leaf this big before...so I need to put up a comparison...

The old gazebo that was next to our pool at our old house is now in the field at the new house... with a little update.... like stones, ground cover, soon to be jasmine covered corners....

This next section is part of Fantasy/Fairy Land...


Fancy bird houses....

Reading Fairies.... she looks pretty comfortable to me...
The family orchard. I told mom and dad that I would not quit my job to work the fruit stand they were going to have to set up on the side of the road to get rid of all this fruit they would be produing within the next few years. Crazy!!! We all need to research how well fruit ships to Oregon.....

All fruit EXCEPT the fruit produced by this tree. This tree is all mine...hands off Bub!

HHhmmmmm Pomegranite......My mouth is watering and my clothes are staining just thinking about it. Reminds me of the times we lived in Woodlake and I would venture out to the pomegranite tree and throw a nice big one against the pump house fence to break it open so I go eat it like a greedy little pig in the bushes. I would walk as innocently as I could back to the house and mom would tell me NOT to be eating the pomegranates like that. "Like what? I wasn't eating pomegranites..." I said with my red stained face and hands..... Thank goodness I've grown smarter over the years. I finally started washing my face off in the pool before I went inside.....

BUILD YOUR OWN PUMPKINS!!!!!
Presenting our model... Jennifer Powell

and her assistant.... Abigail Powell! Wow! That girl can sure work a hoe....

Mom throws the seeds .... Abby pushes them into the ground...Tucker is no doubt doing manly t.v. watching...

Here we are a good month in.... still no blossoms.... still two months to go though.
THE ASSIGNMENT.... Load up as many red tomatoes as you can in this red bucket...

With no more left to pick they headed out into the fields to show grandma city what they had accomplished...

Typical male....making it harder than it needs to be...

To his credit, the bucket was quite full and they were very proud of their accomplishment

So proud in fact, that Tucker had to show off his muscles.... as Miss Abby took the load off by herself. Must have been really heavy.........

They all have the same look on their faces.....hhhhmmmm tomatoes.... I can hear it now.

GRADUATION AT GRIZZLY

Give me my stuff and get me out of here!!!

Kayla's graduation/family reunion from Grizzly in June, 2008

Costas n'Armenalegus

I had to put three pictures together to get this picture, so if it looks a little distorted, that's why. I haven't taken any new pictures of the house house since we moved in and the only ones I have show the other people's furniture and stuff in it, so I'll wait to take more pictures to give you the inside tour. For now, you'll have to settle for pool pics.

This is the smaller pool...snug as a bug in a rug, or a water strider in an insect infested swamp? Not sure which image goes best here. Feel free to offer you word choice.

Travis was the first to dive into the depths (all nine feet of 'em). You may not be able to see it from this picture, but fear has gripped him, and he's as still as a statue watching his life flash before him.

...which he managed to recover from.

"SCREWDRIVER!"

Even the "mature adults" were enticed by the crystal blue water, aching to drench even the orneriest of sibilings.....

Is that Darin pointing his toes in anticipation for impact? Hehe...

Bruce and Becky flew their avion down around central and southern California a few weeks ago and decided to stop in for some show boatin', high-flying, don't try this at home, air twistin' stunts, in the pool of course. I only with I had the Flop heard round the world, by Bruce Breck on a still image. But the video is much more IMPACTFUL. I'll attempt to get that on later.

I, of course, look like an idiot.....WHO TOOK THIS PICTURE?!
AAAHHHHHHH! ADORABLE! (you shoulda seen after she got her hair wet...yikes!) ;P

On a side note, Zorro's new favorite sleeping spot. Mom was putting the kitchen supplies away and had this cupboard open, but when she went back to fill the shelf, it was already filled.

I'm not sure what I like more about this picture. That it's a picture of my dad and Bobo, or if it's that they both have this far off look in their eyes, remembering the good ol' days of motorcycle ridin', poppin' wheelies, peeing on tires....wait...anyway, LOVE IT!

NOW, for the moment you've all been waiting for! Enough of the old, cripple, four legged freaks! Gimme some little ones to smile at! FYI, Tucker is now to be referred to as Red Power Ranger and nothing else. He can keep himself quite entertained in the pool, if you hear someone talking to himself, it's more than likely him. He puffs himself up, as shown below, threatens the ever iminate dangerous animals in the water and then pounces. For the sake of my hand and sanity I haven't included the series of pictures that would best ownt up to this description, but like always, it's coming.

Then we have Miss Abigail. She's just figured out that she can swim better under the water with this mask on than above it and has proved to be quite a little tadpole in the water. Always smiling, as soon as she gets "out for good" she wants to rinse her feet off real quick and gets right back in the water. Kids.