Posts from — February 2006

Yellow Face: See behavior codes page for further explanation.

Pick a Winner!

Originally uploaded by daviderwin.

“Don’t ever get caught picking your nose in the company parking lot.”

Gourdon’s Garden - Provence - France

Originally uploaded by Feuillu.

Picture speaks for itself….

I received this from one of my co-workers and laughed out loud for days. When she tells you the story in-person it starts out like this, I went on an afternoon canoe trip with my husband and 36 hours later……I had some pictures, but can’t find them. If she reads this, hopefully she will be kind enough to send them so I can post them.

Upper Sabine River Day Trip
“The River of Sticks”

Hi. My name is Mary and I’m married to a card carrying member of the DDRC. This is my maiden voyage story and I’m sticking to it. Names are withheld to protect the guilty.

I survived the “day” trip of over 110 portages solely for the purpose of validating “ignorance is bliss”. Over the last 3 years my husband (aka Honey Bunny) has shared his experiences of trips and fellow paddlers with me. I attended this year’s Christmas party and thought I might enjoy going on a future club trip. He received an e-mail about a “day” trip for Monday, December 26, 2005, on the Sabine River. Honey Bunny said we could borrow a canoe for two and go together down the river so I decided to give it a try thinking the weather would be nice in the 70s, Honey Bunny paddling the gondola; I’d have my parasol to block the sun and could enjoy the scenery (a little Venetian experience).

My first clue the Venetian experience was not happening was when I was given a paddle. Oh well, a little aerobic exercise would be a new experience. Next I learned a blockage across the river meant getting out of the canoe (not gondola) getting to the other side of the tree (not blockade) getting back in the canoe without falling in the River (which was ice cold). Oh well, how hard could that be? After doing the disembarking & embarking every 5 minutes or less for 2 hours, I decided walking down the river without the boat would be much easier—–but this club requires a boat for down river transportation. When in Rome…….. Lunchtime brought comfort to learn no one had been down this stretch of river and the number of portages was not the norm and we had traveled 2 miles in two hours so by my calculation the total trip was to be 6 miles @ 1 mile an hour it’s 1 o’clock with 4 miles to go….out of the river by 5:00 and home by 7:00 pm. No problem…I can do this. Well…I lost count of the ins & outs, overs & unders, balance beam mounts & dismounts and time, but it’s dark and by my calculation we should be out of the river. Hello……..I now learn about this crow flying mile versus a river mile and the 6 mile calculation of mine was if I were a crow flying from point A to point B in a straight line and no stops and no TREES. The actual river miles were not known until we reach point B. Uh oh. Light bulb is on for a moment and I realize the Survivor film crew arriving by helicopter will not be happening. The 2 kayakers were ahead of the pack and must have reached the bridge (takeout) so we continued on slowly & cautiously in the dark with one light (head lamp) down the river.

HARK, a rumbling in the leaves ashore. The light flashed on the bank only to reveal a bear cub with a long flat tail entering the water with a splash. (I was told it was a beaver, but me thinks it was a cross between a bear cub and beaver making it a bearver.) Onward and down river we go until another noise is heard from the right bank. The light flashed toward the noise and a two legged object standing over 6 feet tall covered with leaves appears……..could it be we found the loch ness monster??? Then another object appeared over 6 feet tall covered in tin foil………could it be a giant Jiffy Popcorn or a radio antenna??? No it’s the 2 kayakers………..yippee……..we must be at the bridge. Wrong…..We disembarked and had a pow wow and decided to circle the wagons, build a fire, and become one with the leaf covered earth until day break. It’s 10:30 pm now and as I lay looking at the sky……there are actually stars up there. The stars were magnificent, Honey Bunny spotted 2 shooting stars, owls were hooting, coyotes having a hen party (glad I wasn’t invited), and dueling snoring (actually there were 3 not two). Life could not get any better UNTIL I smoked my last cigarette @ 3:30 am. I estimated my traveling companions had about 2 hours left before my split personality (Sybil) emerged, then I remembered seeing someone puffing on cigars and I could bum one @ day break. Didn’t happen…no more cigars.

Back to the river and more portaging. We took a break to soak up some rays on the bank and eat some cheetos. In the river and through the woods we paddled on and then we knew we were getting very close because we starting seeing remains left by humans…….trash…….THE BRIDGE and we were there. Our final disembark @ the boat ramp. I was relieved, but sad that my 36 hour day tripping maiden voyage was over.

I would not have changed a thing……….well maybe next time pack some toothpaste, hand lotion, and definitely extra smokes.

Thanks GUYS……and especially my Honey Bunny for keeping me safe, warm and dry….….y’all are the BESTEST and we have to calculate the TOTAL number of portages in case we ever have a challenger.

Of COURSE we won!

Originally uploaded by Koku.

Winning is a wonderful thing!!!!Thanks Koku.

Solar-Powered Outhouse II

Originally uploaded by Ed Bacchus.

Sometimes we forget how technology has changed our lives.

African American Lives | PBS

This is the best thing I have seen on TV since Alex Haley’s ROOTS !!!!!

Last week I heard on the radio about a PBS documentary concerning African American history and tracing our past lineages and hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Since I have been a fan of Dr Gates for years, I thought I would check it out. I didn’t get home in time to set up my DVR (Digital Video Recorder) to record it from the beginning so I did a search and found that it also re-played last night. Wow, WOW, WWWWOOOOOOW. This is a must see for every African American in this country. Not only did they trace the family histories of several celebrities, Dr. Gates also had genetic tests to identify what percentage of their ancestors were European, African, Asian or Indian. To top it off, they also conducted a second series of tests to narrow done to specific tribes and countries your DNA most likely came from. You have got to see the expressions and results they found for Oprah, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Tucker. You will be shocked and amazed at what this technology can identify.

I read about this genetic testing in Black Enterprise magazine and found that anyone can find out their own genetic results. Go to www.Africanancestry.com

Read More Here [Read more →]

Click here to find on Amazon

Bacchus Jr. loves this cartoon so we bought the movie. I love that it teaches an appreciation for classical music and introduces the concepts of musical reading. A must buyfor every parent……Below is a review of the movie from their website.

Get ready to blast off with the Little Einsteins! Created by Disney and the award-winning Baby Einstein Company, this all-new movie will take your child on a thrilling adventure in the real world in order to complete an important mission and learn along the way.

In Our Big Huge Adventure, Leo, June, Quincy, Annie, Rocket and your child will blast off on their first whirlwind adventure that will take the team over Niagara Falls, inside a spooky cave in Oklahoma and finally to the amazing butterfly forest in Mexico.

As a member of the team, your child will sing, clap, pat, dance and laugh right along with the four Little Einsteins and their musical ship, Rocket, to help complete the mission.

Featuring a revolutionary blend of animation, stunning live-action footage, famous works of art and exciting classical music, the Little Einsteins will have your child eager to solve the next mission!

Dallas Skyline

Originally uploaded by cyclochip.

My vote for photo of the week in the DFW Photo Group. Cyclochip does excellent work. Great picture.

Quote Details: Robert Anthony: Happiness

“Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable than risk being happy.”

Try working to be happy……