“Ragtag” Giants Win World Series

Fifty six years have gone by since I’ve celebrated a Giants World Series win. And now it has finally happened again. Above is games one and five winning pitcher Tim Lincecum celebrating the series victory.

In a post-season run that embraced the many clichés of baseball (great pitching will beat great hitting, for instance) the 2010 San Francisco Giants – called “makeshift and ragtag” by their own manager – are the best in the world right now.

A deserving Edgar Renteria won the MVP award, but a core of homegrown Giants pitchers was the primary reason they have become World Champions. Starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and rookie Madison Bumgarner proved too much for the best hitting team in baseball who also had one great pitcher, Cliff Lee.

The Giants were no respecter of pitchers all through the post-season. They beat the best arms that Atlanta, Philadelphia and Texas threw at them -- all while their own staff was virtually unhittable.

Congratulations, 2010 San Francisco Giants – World Series Champions of Major League Baseball.

Birthday People

In our family we have two instances of common birthdays. Our daughter-in-law Jamie and our grandson NJ share a birthday this month – coming up in a few days, as a matter of fact. And my granddaughter Aubrey and I share a birthday in July.

It’s nothing but fun when you share a birthday with a family member. This afternoon we celebrated NJ’s 2nd birthday along with his mom’s. Pic above shows the boy getting used to his new three-book pack – all about trucks – a gift from his aunt, uncle and cousins. NJ loves trucks – any and all kinds. That’s Aunt Elaine helping him get the books out of the pack.

Whenever it’s possible for both of our sons’ families to be all together, we like to get pics of them. Above are all four of our grandchildren. L to r, Hayley, Talli, NJ and Aubrey. Is there anything better than grandkids?

Buddy is in “Paradise” For Five Days

Our dog is in Paradise. No, he hasn’t left us.

Instead, he’s at the “Paradise Pet Lodge” while we travel for a short time. Note the appropriate yellow "convenience station" (above). The place bills itself as “An Exclusive Resort For Pets.” I sure hope it’s a kennel as well, ‘cause that’s really all we were looking for.

The good thing is that we know he’ll be well taken care of. That’s important to us, because Buddy suffers from “separation anxiety.” He won’t eat or drink water on his own when we’re gone. The folks at the “Resort” said they’d hand feed him if necessary, so OUR anxiety levels can remain normal.

Buddy is a great dog. He’ll enjoy the companion-ship of other dogs and the loving care of some good people. Which means we’ll enjoy OUR trip all the more.

Grandpa and Granddaughter Share the Same Birthday – 64 Years Apart

Grandma and I were in Oregon Friday and yesterday to celebrate granddaughter Aubrey’s eighth birthday. She and I were born on the same date, though more than six decades apart.

Among the nice presents Aubrey received was a beautiful new mountain bike (pic above). Now she’s ready to keep up with her sisters.

Grandpa got a beautiful picture frame with the word “grandkids” on it from Gregg and Elaine, and it now sits proudly on my desk displaying a gorgeous photo of all four grandchildren, which Gregg printed for me. My office has never looked so good.

Of course there’s always a “blowing-out-the-candles” ritual, and the photo above shows Aubs and I making the attempt. Yep, we had lots of fun this year celebrating our birthdays. The pics above were aptly taken by Grandma who is having fun with the camera of late.

Fun With Grandkids

This week we’ve been enjoying time with our granddaughter Aubrey who’s with us for the week from Oregon while mom and dad get some much needed “R&R” up in the San Juan Islands.

Yesterday we went to visit her cousin NJ who lives in a nearby burb. They hadn’t seen each other for several months, and we wondered how well the boy would remember his cousin. The pic above answered our question immediately.

Aubrey got a long hug right as she came in the door. From then on it was nothin’ but fun for the entire day! They have another outing together planned for tomorrow. Aubs can’t wait.

Unlikely Friends

Our grandson loves to watch this video of the most unlikely of friends. Click on the arrow and join in his fun.

It’s “Almost” Spring…

We got outside for a walk and then some play time on the patio today, as the days are getting longer and warmer, though it was hard to tell in the cool back yard shade this afternoon.

Our grandson NJ is simply happy anytime he can go outside, even if he has to bundle up. Today Kay Lynne caught this pic of him sitting in his own “big boy” patio chair.

Of course he’s not a charmer, or anything like that…

Figuring Things Out at Grandma's & Grandpa's

All three of our granddaughters and now our grandson have had fun with the “Push-Popper” that we’ve had for almost 15 years. It’s part of the toy menagerie we keep at hand for when our grandkids visit.

Today our grandson discovered the popper and put things together real fast. By the time I snapped the bottom pic he was already right in the groove – navigating it around a strange house (and sometimes putting it on the floor :-).


"Hmmm… how does this thing work?"

"It’s a “Push-Popper!”

"Wow, I can do it!"

Getting the Hang of Texting…

Our grandson loves to play with cell phones. REAL cell phones, not the plastic imitation "play" ones. The other day he played with my phone for the longest time. Grandma snapped these shots as he sat on my lap...


“Gotta get this note to mom & dad just right…”

“Perfect! There it goes.”

He’s a pretty smart boy for 13 months old!

Where's the Cake?

We celebrated "NJ's" first birthday yesterday, and in the pic above, surrounded by cousins, he appears only interested in the cake. But appearances can be a bit deceiving.

Even though Aubrey, Talli and Hayley all eventually enjoyed a full share of delicious cake (along with the rest of us), "NJ" gave his first taste a "4 or 5" (right) on a 10-scale. Of course, that's to his credit. So far in his young life he's only eaten healthy, delicious fruits and vegetables, and he's apparently decided to go a little easy with the acceptance of cakes and like sweets. No problem there; he'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with sugar.

"NJ" received some really cool first birthday gifts. Among them (I shouldn't even attempt a list, 'cause for sure I forgot something:) were: a play work bench with all the bells & whistles (tools:), a "library" of extremely creative, incredulously interactive books, a puzzle where each piece has an appropriate "sound" (think fire engine siren and the like), a gorgeous, hand-made quilt-like blanket, a haberdashery of clothes (that included a really cute "Floyd R. Turbo"-type hat), and a talking, singing play truck with little characters.

Suffice it to say that "NJ" had a wonderful, fun party with family. He conked out really quickly at evening's end, and I haven't heard if he overslept this morning. "NJ" had a ball with his cousins and with his extended family, and last night seemed to pick out Aubrey on whom he practiced his "hair-analysis" antics (right).

Cousins

When our granddaughters from Oregon come to visit us, it is the perfect opportunity to take them to Seattle where they can have fun with their youngest cousin, "NJ", just a little more than two weeks from being a year old.

Talli, 15, Hayley, 12, and Aubrey, 7, are the daughters of Gregg and Elaine, while "NJ" is the son of Doug and Jamie. Above, the kids are pictured on what was a very hot afternoon Wednesday (Nathan was checking out birds). Jamie took the picture and gave me permission to use it here.

I’ve also added two other pics that Jamie snapped, one of Hayley and "NJ" (left) and the other of Talli and "NJ". As you can tell, the little guy was smothered in love for an entire day, and enjoyed every minute of it. A cool pic of Aubrey and "NJ" is on my July 15 post.

The day was also a special occasion on two other counts. First, it was our first visit to Doug and Jamie’s new home (it’s absolutely beautiful), and secondly, Doug and I took his new Smokercraft Alaskan fishing boat on its maiden voyage on Lake Sammamish.

It was the middle of the day when we went out, so there was little chance to catch any fish, but the boat, motor, electronics and electric downriggers performed flawlessly. Great choice, Doug! And perfect timing! Right after your pop sold his “last” boat. :-)

The fun day was capped with some incredibly good Chinese take out from Chan’s Place, a Seattle favorite.

It is a Hoax!

Turns out the spectacular accomplishment on video shown in my previous post is a HOAX. My cousin Joel Narva sent me the link today that confirmed it.

Click here to read it, if you like. Apparently, it’s an ad by Microsoft, of all people, that attempted to gain internet attention in Germany. For what, I have no idea.

I guess the old adage is true: if it looks like an impossibility, it likely is an impossibility. Where that adage came from is unknown.

Sure was fun to watch, though. And it’s still moving at warp speed through cyber space.

Is This For Real?

Click on arrow to play.

Obviously, this must be "edited." Right? If not, it's spectacular.

If you're a "techie," maybe don't tell me it's not an actual event!

Trouble in River City

Every once in a while there’s a guy at the boat launch who has to get his boat in the water for the very first time. Sometimes there are problems, as indicated above.

Supposedly, this is a quote from the guy who tried to launch: “I consulted my dealer for advice, but all they said was, ‘Don't let the trailer get too deep when you are trying to launch the boat’."

Thanks to my bud, Bob Rodde, in California, for emailing this unusual shot.

I’m kinda wondering where this might have happened? Wups, probably shouldn’t go there.

Lindsey’s Birthday at Ajax Café

Our niece Lindsey Narva just had her 25th birthday, and her mom and dad, Sandra and Joel, invited us to join them last Thursday to celebrate at the Ajax Café (left) in Port Hadlock. If you live on the west side of the water (and even if you don’t) you’ve likely heard of this great eatery.









At right Linz is blowing out her candle on the special dessert (how does she get off so easy?). Her mom brought a (literal) shopping bag full of gifts; took Linz an hour to get them all opened. We all enjoyed the dinner and party immensely. Pic below is of the bunch of us, Linzz, Sandra, moi, Kay Lynne and Joel.






As an interesting sidelight, we learned that the building shown above, which houses the Ajax Café, is a true historical landmark in Port Hadlock. When it was built just before the turn of the 20th century, it served as the residence for the town’s namesake, Samuel Hadlock. Amazing what you can learn on this blog.

Aubrey Visits Her Cousin "NJ"

Today Kay Lynne and I took our granddaughter Aubrey (7) to Seattle to visit her cousin "NJ". They had a blast. I caught the two of them (above) having fun with Grandma who was standing behind me.

"NJ" loved Aubrey’s longer hair and wanted very much to get a hold of it.

In the afternoon Aubrey entertained her cousin by creating some bubbles for "NJ" to watch.

Grandma and grandpa sure enjoyed the day, and the kids seemed to have a lot of fun as well.

More Fun With Aubrey

Today Grandma and I had fun at a local park with our granddaughter Aubrey who is visiting us for a few days. Aubrey is pictured above getting the swing going pretty good. Click on the photo to see her smile.

Grandma and Aubrey stopped for a photo at the base of the enclosed tube slide. We were careful to see that no one was coming down before we shot.

Following the park stop, we headed down to the marina and walked around the boardwalk. There were lots of boats in their slips and exposed seaweed on the beach, as it was low tide, just like yesterday. Not a whole lot of days left before we’ll have to take Aubrey home. Buddy is going to be sad, as she has been his special pal while here.

Fun With Grandkids

Our seven-year-old granddaughter Aubrey is visiting us for a few days, and today we went to Illahee State Park just north of Bremerton. I think her dad had told her we were not allowed to have any fun, but we did so anyway. :-)

Aubrey is pictured above holding an interesting shell she discovered on the beach at a low, but starting-to-rise tide. That’s Bainbridge Island in the distance behind her. Below I caught another phone pic of her after she had scribed her name in the sandy beach. Of course, it’ll only last until the tide fully comes in later this evening. Tomorrow we may visit yet another of the numerous Washington recreational parks that are nearby and on the water.




And on Wednesday Aubrey gets to go with us to Seattle to spend most of the day with her cousin "NJ" (pictured below with his bib on at dinnertime earlier tonight and after his first haircut yesterday). Nothin’ but fun!

Plus, last Friday we were in Oregon and we got to watch Hayley work on some increasingly difficult ice skating moves at a rink in an adjacent town. I forgot my new camera, but at least I was able to snap her lacing up her skates (below) on my phone cam. Hayley loves to ice skate and seems to be a natural on figure skates. We shall see….

If you can tell me what's more fun than grandkids, I probably would not believe you.

Sharing and Celebrating Birthdays

My granddaughter Aubrey and I share a birthday, and yesterday it was time to party. Above Aubrey is contemplating the delicious, home-made birthday cake.

For our annual party, Aubrey always gets to pick the décor and type of cake. Grandpa is just happy to be there. Both of our birthdays this year contain a 7, and I’m a hair more than ten times older.

That’s the riddle for the day (shoulda made it harder).

Pic above shows Aubs and me blowing out our birthday cake candles. A fun day!

U.N. Translator? Or Soccer Fan?

Our son Doug and his wife Jamie and our grandson Nathan went to the Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer game today at Qwest Field.

Little Nathan had his own ear phones (actually sound repressors) because the noise at Qwest can be deafening at times and also can be a bit intimidating to a little guy. Jamie phone texted above photo of Nathan from the game. Notice his Sounders jersey. Too cool.

Kay Lynne thought his intent expression made him look like a United Nations translator. Sure could be. In reality, he was just one of the younger soccer fans in attendance.

Sounders won, 3-nil.