It's warm today. Libbie joined me at the greenhouse. I brought the miter saw out and used it to chop up the conduit into 6 foot lengths to be bundled and taken to the dump. This was successful. While I did that, Libbie emptied one table of potted orchids and also took down a heat tube and water line under the bench. There's still much to do. Came home and worked in the garden. I trimmed the rose bushes and the Lantana and hauled away the trimmings in the cart. We watched the Golden Globe red carpet and then the show tonight while we enjoyed Libbie's outstanding pizza. She made a very thin crust this time which was excellent.

Worked on relay stuff then went to the grocery store for dinner fixins before the 1 PM opera today. Il Trovotore is a favorite. Lib and I also took a quick walk around Seagroves. The sun is out and it's beautiful and warm today, over 70. While the opera was on I worked on the relay board for the garden irrigation. Dinner was salmon, broccoli and rice with Shiraz.

Today would have been Mom's 92nd birthday. Sad. It's warm out so I went under the house to trace the telephone wires. No luck. The next step will be to try another pair in the cable. It's real foggy this evening. We had a light dinner of Briyani then went to the NC Symphony. I really enjoyed the performance. Tchaikoovsky on both ends and guest violin soloist playing Piazzolo and Vivaldi 4 seasons in the middle. It was well matched, powerful and enjoyable.

I worked on the bluetooth version of an 8 relay box for the garden and also for use in the plant room. Dinner was Pork BBQ from Trader Joes.

Doing much better today!!!! Talked to Anne this morning and then Richard about the AVSA website. It's amazing how long this thing is dragging on. Received SSA #2 today which also included the $32 increase after Medicare deduction. Paid off the fence with the money I borrowed from Libbie before our trip. She said to apply it to the fence. It was $3,000 a year ago and paid off today. I also paid off this months credit card with current cashflow which felt pretty good. After lunch we went to the Post Office with Libbie's shipping, AC Moore for a picture frame for the Rose Parade poster, Lowes for dry worms and Target for a plastic box for the wrapping paper Libbie is organizing in the dining room. Dinner was Lobster pasta.

Libbie worked on cleaning the house and I worked on selecting slides for our "program" for TAVS today. I ran over to Kroger and got the fixins for the buffet lunch as well as the normal Tuesday groceries. The meeting went well. We had a new member, Gretchen, who seemed to be an over achiever. Later in the afternoon Libbie and I went to Trader Joes for the rest of our groceries. I enjoyed Donizetti Maria Stuarda live tonight. Received an interesting eMail about the AVSA website. Dinner was leftover chicken salad sandwiches on Hawaiian Rolls with macaroni salad. JoAnn Raymer brought a nice grilled vegetable dish for lunch which was yummy. It contained parsnips and turnips in a soy base. We had the leftover for dinner.

Wow, what misery. I stayed close to my tissue box all day. Went out in the PM and picked up 2 bags of trash at the greenhouse since this is garbage day. Received a call from Road Scholar that our LA Opera class was canceled. We'll do it on our own to take advantage of the air fare. Still don't have good trip plans yet other than we want to do 2 operas in LA on back to back nights. Dinner was curry chicken over spaghetti.

Miserable day. I have a cold and my nose was running all day. I finally got a good result on authenticating Win 7 on my server. MS thinks my Windows is a pirate version. I found a script to remove the authentication registration entries and a program called Windows Loader that registers Windows. It worked. Windows now reports that it is authentic. Yay! In between bouts of blowing my nose and taking pills to dry up my nose I finished the MyPublisher photo album and submitted it. Because Libbie wanted the Wisconsin band we went over by a few pages beyond 70. Total was 74 pages for about $44. Libbie made her fabulous pizza again for dinner.

I am sniffling pretty bad today. I have a cold and am miserable with a runny nose, etc. This is a catch up day but I'm not very motivated. Libbie went out and picked up the mail and we went through it this morning. Received an interesting scam letter requesting my tax money because they say Wells Fargo accidentally overpaid. This is a new type of scam. I listened to Les Troyans by Berlioz this afternoon. It's very beautiful but long. Dinner was ribs, Lima Beans and Barefoot Merlot. I spent most of my down time today working on a Photo Book using My Publisher. I have a coupon for a 70 page book for $30. which expires Monday. (today is Saturday) The hardest part is making selections from all the photos we took.

We had a nice morning with Joe. Christa had a Dr appt so we walked Main St downtown and then down the pier. I found a green hoodie for $15 at a sidewalk sale on the corner of main and PAC Coast hwy. It's a beautiful and warm day for a walk. At 11 am we left for LAX and got there in plenty of time. On the plane we had wonderful seats on the exit row. Our seat mate was a very pretty blonde 16 year old. When we heard she was traveling alone to meet someone she met on the Internet our only thought was jailbait. We had to change planes in Las Vegas. In the airport we had a slice of Sbarros mushroom and spinach pizza as our dinner meal. The flight to RDU was ontime and very smooth. I discovered the free WiFi flight tracker provided by Southwest. Nice. We got in 10 minutes early. While Libbie waited for our bags I bailed our car out of the pay parking. Our bill was $72 for 12 days. We got home at 1 am which wasn't bad.

What a great sleep. Went to bed at 8:30 and didn't wake until 7 am. What a good night's sleep. I'm freezing cold today. Lots of shivering and numb finger tips. Wow, I don't understand it. I hope it isn't serious. Lunch was tacos by Christa. In the evening we went to Newport Beach where Joe and Christa rented an electric boat for a harbor tour. I wasn't well. They had crackers and cheese as well as wine onboard. We really enjoyed the harbor tour of Christmas lights. Wow. After the tour we went out to dinner at Mama Di's. I shared a spinach ravioli with Libbie. I was finally warmed up after dinner. The restaurant was incredibly good, especially the bread. Craig treated us to this meal.

We were at breakfast at 4:45 this morning. We had scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage and toast. Libbie and I packed our suitcases and brought them down for the bus. The driver for our bus was a little late but still before the 6:15 takeoff time. It's a bright sunny morning but definitely crisp and cold. At the post parade we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes until the gates opened at 7:30. Seeing the finished floats up close was a real treat. There is so much detail that is missed when they go by but you really do need both experiences to see. At about quarter to ten we heard from Joe and Christa. They met the bus and took our suitcases. Fortunately, Christa was able to find parking on the nearest side street, Riviera. We had to pay the $10 admission again to do the floats with Joe and Christa for a total of $40. After getting totally exhausted walking approx 7 miles we headed back. Stopped for sandwiches at Secret Spot in Sunset Beach. Libbie and I split a turkey, Swiss and avocado sandwich. Once back at Joe and Christa's I fell asleep for a one hour nap. In the evening we went out to dinner to La Capelia, the place we had the rehearsal dinner at 4 years ago. I ordered the #7 special which was a taco and a Chile Rejeno. I was shivering and freezing cold. Don't know what's wrong. My throat is also very dry and hoarse like.

We had an early breakfast at 4:45 then the bus left at 6:15. As we approached the parade area the freeway was jammed up. Our driver was good and threaded her way through Pasadena to the parking lot. Our seats were excellent. We had front row bleacher seats for the parade which were outstanding. After the parade we walked Colorado taking in the Jesus freaks, the Occupy movement and the parade of tow trucks which were not needed. Only one float was broken down and needed a tow. We patiently waited for our bus to get out of the lot since we had to wait for the buses behind us to leave. After an hour we too got going. The freeway of course was also very crowded. Once back at the hotel we were served soup and salad which was nice. I took an hour nap in the afternoon which was refreshing. Dinner on New Years day was salmon with veggies and a fruit cup desert.

This was a leisurely day. We had breakfast at 6:30 then went to the lecture about float judging at 8:30. Tommy Cairns was excellent. He had a good presentation and was a dynamic speaker. Amazingly there are only 3 judges and they judge a float in 5 minutes. Wow, too much to absorb at once. At 11 we went to the Getty Villa which was excellent. Well done collection of antiquities. There was a lot to see. Sculpture was the most prominent feature of the museum but it has similar architecture and landscaping that the Getty Center on the hill contains. We got back to the hotel around 4:30 and were very very tired. Dinner tonight is at 7.

Up for a 5 am breakfast and then to the Rose Bowl at 6:15. We worked all day float decorating. Libbie and I put white carnation blossoms on the words “Freedom is Not Free”. It takes 7,500 white carnations to cover the letters. The Kiwanis supplied a Kiwanis tee shirt and fed us lunch. We got back at 5:00. I ran across the street and got a mailing tube at Staples before dinner. Dinner was lasagna with veggies and bread pudding for desert. After dinner we listened to an equestrian unit talk about their culture and preserving the Western costumes. The costumes were quite nice, the talk was very interesting. They will be riding in position 70 in the parade. Can't wait to see them. I bought Internet access and posted a lot of decorating photos on Facebook. We got a lot of feedback.

It was cold outside. We heard Julie King, Rose Queen of 1988 speak about her experiences as queen and the selection process to be a queen. Some of the stories are amusing of her as a 17 year old going anywhere for the first time in her life sch as Miami and entertaining the football team at night since her chaperone was several floors below in the hotel. She was excited at meeting the team she called her Dad to tell him. Her Dad was upset and called the Rose tournament the next day. The chaperone got fired. After a coffee break we saw the DVD about how a band gets to the Rose Bowl, focusing on a small town band in Butler PA and their fund raising efforts. The trip was going to cost $1300 each which they had bake sales, raffles, etc. After a cold cut sandwich lunch we left for Bandfest. We stood in the very cold rain outside the stadium before getting in. There wasn't too much rain in the bleachers but it was very long and extremely cold. The last band from El Salvador was worth it. They had a Samba beat and their dance team really knew how to move their bodies. Quite nice. We had a nice easy bus ride back and had a buffet dinner of pork, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Desert was cherry crumb cake. After dinner we heard about the White Suits and how they get picked. They handed out posters after the talk.

After breakfast we left Huntington Beach around 8:30 and went to Pasadena with Libbie, myself, Joe and Christa. We found the Cal Poly tent and Christa's school group and joined them decorating the Cal Poly float. It was great. First task was to separate blue flower petals from seeds on dried flowers. My next task was to climb the float and glue Malakai bark on Penguin hands then paint elmers glue on the ice sections of a float and sprinkle rice powder on the glue. This simulated ice between the rocks of black onion seed. This was a fn morning. Libbie glued cinnamon on the back of letters whiles Joe painted Dill seed on the edges of the Cal Poly letters. After the float work we drove to Woodland Hills and had lunch at the Baja Fresh. I had chipotle mango salad on a tortilla. Lots of good food. We checked into the Hilton and got room 1237 on the concierge level. It was quite a nice room. We checked into Road Scholar. We are the Orange group of about 50. We are split into 7 groups since there are 300 participants which is quite a few but Road Scholar is able to handle it with their super organization. Dinner was a plated dinner of chicken with wine, broccoli and rice. Desert was a yogurt fruit cup. Nice kickoff to the week.

This morning we went to the HB Community gardens that Joe and Christa are members of. It's a beautiful day for being out and about. Later in the day we went to Target where I found a pair of Wrangler jeans in lack for $16. Excellent. I didn't bring enough pants for the trip.
For dinner we went to Gulf Thai for the Thai experience. I had chicken Pad Thai with egg rolls, dew drops, thai tea and fried bananas for desert. Bill for 4 was $45 including tip.

Spent some time this morning on the tablet reading and then added the Downloader to Libbie's laptop and a cable to the D7 camera and downloaded the camera to her laptop. Libbie and I walked the neighborhood in the morning. I tried many times to access Traviata but did not know the FTP password. I tried all the usual suspects with no luck. In the evening we went out to a Korean BBQ which was pretty unique. They brought various kinds of shaved meats sch as brisket, pork, chicken and shrimp where we cooked it ourself accompanied by veggies such as lettuce, rice paper, potato salad, etc. Very entertaining and unique. As we left there were long lines waiting to get in. On the way home we stopped at Home Depot for parts to repair the toilet.

We slept very well last night. Woke this morning at 6:30 . Joe was up and made coffee already. Christa came down later. We had a nice pancake breakfast then opened our presents with Joe & Christa. The Lapworths came over at 1 with the grandchildren. It's amazing to see how they've grown. Cailyn is 3 and the boy is 6 months. They got over the top grandparent gifts such as an electric car. Joe & Christa got them a bicycle and helmet. Joe made a fantastic pizza dinner with a salad and lots of hors d'ouvers. We hung around all day then at night went to Fountain Valley to see a house with 92000 Christmas lights. It was a lot of lights and very little choreography. The rest of the lights in the neighborhood were pretty spectacular.

I set the alarm for 5:15 but it didn't go off. The battery quit at 4. Good thing Libbie set hers as a backup. Left the house at 5:54 for our 8:05 flight. The parking lot was pretty full but we had no problem. Security and check in lines were long. Our flight left on time and was pretty pleasant. We were 30 minutes late due to a late departure from Phoenix.
Our seatmate was a pleasant Indian guy who just graduated wiith his Masters degree and was going to a new job for Intel in Oregon. Christa and Joe met us at John Wayne. After we got our luggage we went to Rubys in Newport.nIt's a little hamburger shack on the beach. The food is good and the view is spectacular. I had a cashew chicken salad sandwich which has cashews, cranberries, raisins and chicn on whole wheat. Very good. Came back to decompress hwile Joe and Christa went to Target for a helmet. TSA unwrapped the presents Libbie had in her suitcase. They also dented one of the cookie tins. Dinner was by Christa. We had ham with green bean casserole, and cranberry salad.

Libbie reminded me this morning that we have to check in to Southwest at 8:05. I did it exactly at 8:05 and got a B06 ticket. Libbie booked a free flight to Providence in January using Southwest points. I found that American has $99 flights from LAX for Mary Elaines wedding. What a deal. We paid $121 for tickets to go out. I went to the greenhouse and stripped a few more benches and moved some bench top scraps to the shed to get them out of the way. After lunch we went to the Post Office, Credit Union and Target. The iron quit so we did a Target trip to replace it. Used my $10 gift card from BAC which was good. Picked up ingredients for ting a lings but had to return because one of the packages didn't make it home. They had a shopping basket of packages that people had bought and left behind. This must happen hourly! Libbie made her wonderful pizza again for dinner.

At the greenhouse today I Carried some of the 4 foot benching into the shed and stripped a few more benches. Came home and listened to the Sat broadcast of Barber in Seville from the Met. After that we went back to the greenhouse and picked up the 4 bundles of pipes and 2 garbage bags and took them to the dump. It was a good night for this - nobody else was there. I'm happy we got rid of all those pipes. Hooray. At dark we went over to Crimmons Circle to see a synchronized light display in the Woods of Kildaire. The guy has speakers outside so we were able to see the lights and hear the music outside the car standing in front of his house. Very nice. We got back around 6:30 pm. Dinner was Lobster tails once again with rice, broccoli and Shiraz.

Libbie got good news on her blood work from her Dr. Liver and Kidney function are back to normal. I went to the greenhouse and took down the rest of the conduit on the cool cell wall. I also carried a few rolls of 4 foot benching out to the shed. This is good storage for it. I wanted to strip a table but ran out of time and energy. Spent 2 hours there. Helped Libbie this afternoon at the Post Office then went to Kroger and found lobster tail on sale, 2/$10. We had them for dinner with broccoli, rice and Shiraz. Quite nice. After dinner we went back to Kroger and bought 3 lobster tails for tomorrow night.

Went to the greenhouse and took down more of the cool cell wall conduit and collected the copper wire. When I was ready to come home I decided to strip another bench top. Walked outside and looked in the shed. I found a nice spot in there for the benchtops and it will look like it belongs there without messing up the property too much. When I came home I started playing with the Nexus tablet. I bought an app for $4, EZpdf for reading PDFs. I really like it and the price is right. The tablet is turning into a nice toy. Earlier today I installed Google Voice on the thing and made a phone call to our home phone. Now with the PDF reader I can read the family address list. I also installed the Next Issue app which gives me access to the free subscription we have to Southern Living. Joy came over and she and Libbie worked on the binding for her quilt. After lunch I went to Kroger for lettuce then tried out the roof rake on the front porch when I returned. Next was a walk to my solar site again, picking up various twigs and sticks which had fallen on my defined pathway. The site still looks great although I have doubts about the amount of cable it will take to do the job. It may be cost prohibitive. I wonder what my threshold of pain is? $1,000, $2,000, $3,000? This is in addition to the cost of panels and inverters.
Dinner was BBQ sandwiches again with a salad. Nice.