BETTY: FROM MEDIA TO SANTA CLARA TO WEST CHESTER AND FINALLY TO STOWE, VT

The Honda has exchanged hands......MofC is now the new owner!

The passing of the keys ceremony commenced today at 4:30pm.

Safe travels with Betty, Chuck!

Chuck & the vehicle (notice the new license plate is conveniently blurred out for future ops)

Happy Trails!

TREEHOUSE FIRE

Yes, there was a small pyrotechnic display in the kitchen at 11:30pm this evening, but all is okay, and Lt. Gold Dust is fine, recuperating with a bottle of Italian Sauvignon Blanc and Valium.

Here is what happened:
1. Ak left the treehouse at 10:30pm for PHL to pick up his mom, after her being delayed in ATL and extra 3 hours due to weather issues.

2. Jn takes shower, moisturizes, then proceeds to the kitchen to prepare a late dinner.

3. Dinner is progressing like clockwork. I was preparing Pad Thai, substituting thinly shaved beef for the ususal chicken. I was almost done, frying the noodles, when all of a sudden there was a POOF noise. I immediately looked at every wrong place in the kitchen-the fridge ice machine? the humidifier? outside the window? No....the flames were right in front of me, and I almost lost a $10 Old Navy fleece top. My adrenaline immediately went through the roof-I could actually feel it.

4. Calmly, I deduced that the flames were coming from under the pan, not in it. I removed the pan to the sink area, then used the lid to cover the flaming burner. My heart was racing, especially since the flames did not abate because the lid was not airtight. As the flames were about to reach the microwave above the stove, I calmly proceeded to the laundry room, grabbed the fire extinguisher, returned to the kitchen, put on my oven mitt, grabbed the lid, aimed the extinguisher, at the burning burner, depressed the lever, and with a clould of white dust, it seemed to be over...NOT!!

5. A large amount of black smoke congregated in the kitchen...not the usual smoke we promote over here at akjn. I immediately traveled back in time and became the 9th grade 100 yard dash sprinter that I had been and ran to open every window in the treehouse, and the front and back doors within 10 seconds.....my worst fear was that the smoke would activate the sprinklers for the entire building, and then I would be forever known as that tenant that ruined Christmas with Pad Thai.

Anyway...all's well that ends well. I managed to save dinner by putting the pan out of the way of the extinguisher dust, and if I do say so myself, it was ouststanding. Ak's mom finally got here safe and sound, with all luggage accounted for, and my wine/valium buzz is kicking in.

Is this a set up? Is some on trying to rub me out over the covert Saturday party debauchery mission? Check your phones, people, and stay in public places.

Lt. Gold Dust out, but eyes wide open :)




As the dust settles, Lt. Dust photographs the scene

Burnt burner

Crazy powder messed up the Salt/pepper utensil station.

A BIRTHDAY MONTAGE : CHUCK **THE DIRECTOR'S CUT** INCLUDING DELETED SCENES!

Poker Pro and CNN
Chuck, Blake & Pinf
Flash, Rob & Sophie
Flash, Noel, CNN & Jojo
Rob, Chuck & Pinf

Just a few more pics depicting the "party of the decade", quoting the birthday boy himself.

One thing is plaguing me, though. Where are the pictures of the Frenchman....I have none for some reason.....sacrebleu!

A BIRTHDAY MONTAGE : CHUCK

Word: party

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: gathering

Synonyms: affair, amusement, at-home, ball, banquet, barbecue, bash, bee, bender, binge, blowout, brannigan, bust, carousal, carousing, celebration, cheer, clambake, cocktails (MAN-POLITANS), coffee klatch (morning after), coming-out, crush (ours with a "K"), dinner, diversion, do, entertainment, feast, festive occasion, festivity, fete, fun, function, gala, get-together, hop, hullabaloo, jag, jig, jump, kegger, patio social, luncheon, mingle, moveable feast, orgy, prom, reception, riot, shag, shindig, social, soiree, splurge, spree, stag, tailgating, tea, tear, time



Chuck arrives! (finally, after
hanging outside for 5 minutes)


















Sophie, Chuck and cake


















Flash working his magic in
the Ponderosa kitchen

















Krush Groove and a
Birthday Rap (?)















Jojo & party favor Sophie















Community card

CRUISIN'

The cruise was awesome, of course! Ak's mom and friends were like "Seniors Gone Wild". Ak and I often felt like the parents with this gang. We went to Grand Turk, Tortola, St. Barth, St. John, St. Maarten and St. Thomas....the weather was perfect the entire trip, and we both managed to gain a few pounds. Chuck-you'll be pleased to know that there were no Norwalk breakouts; however, the 2 other ships that were in port with us in St. Maaren both got quarantined in Miami a few days before we got back.

I can't believe Christmas is around the corner!!! Ak's mom is coming up here, and we're doing a nice Xmas Eve dinner together with my mama, then we are all jetting to New York on Christmas Day to go to radio City, and hopefully to see Wicked the following day. **If anyone has any NY theater connectins, please let me know!)

Here are a few pictures from our trip:


(left) St. John / Caneel Bay Resort, path to the beach!

(below) ak realxing on our veranda, catching some late afternoon rays













(left) Caneel Bay Resort Beach -we enjoyed a wondeful outdoor lunch here, including 4 bottles of wine and 4 pina coladas between 5 of us.






(below) Tortola BVI / Cane Garden Beach









Huge poinsetta tree on Tortola



St. Maarten /gorgeous beach view from the cafe



St. Barth / our personal favorite - check out the plane in the middle of the picture - their airport is in the middle of the mountains - watching the take offs and landings was very cool.






The ship in port in Tortola.

BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PINF!!

CELEBRATE IN GRAND STYLE!

Heading South for Turkey

We are furiously packing here in the treehouse. We leave on Monday for Melbourne Bch to spend Thanksgiving with ak's mom. Then, on the 25th, the three of us head to Miami and get on the Crystal Serenity for a cruise to the Caribbean. About 10 of Ak's mom's croney crowd is going as well, and as usual, we'll be the youngest by three decades. We have been looking forward to this for nine months - no cleaning or cooking for 10 days! The ship will be stopping at: Grand Turk, Anguilla, Tortola, St. Barts and St. Thomas.

Pinf-I am all set for my JGlow mist tan inFL, and I have 4 kinds of sunscreen at the ready.
I am trying to get ak to take a dancing class they offer on board ... so far it's a no go, but I am not giving up. I may try snorkeling or scuba, but considering that the excursion is called "Stingray Encounter", I think I will pass. I fear the stingrays and believe that they are rising up against humans.

Okay, break time is over. Back to laundry and outfit decisions. Don't even get me started on the product restrcitions on the plane!

Finally ... a BIG WELCOME for Sophie's World - the newest blog from our youngest posse member!! Chuck, did you send the Fresca?

I'll holla next from down south ....

DANISH TREAT

We received an excellent phone call on Monday - Ak's niece Rikke (Rick-ah) called to tell us that she was #1. in the states, and #2. in DC. She is currently working on her thesis - establishing legitimate businesses in 3rd world countries so they can stop exporting opium, guns, etc. Rikke spent most of last year in Laos working for the UN inspecting boats for the above mentioned items, and also teaching independent villages how to sell/market their handmade goods. She has been conducting interviews with various experts and former teachers in DC and NY, and is hoping to finish her thesis by Christmas.

Arrangements were made, and Rikke took the train from DC to Wilmington on Thursday afternoon. It was so good to see her! We saw her last in Denmark in July '05. It was great to catch up, enjoy a good meal together and a few bottles of bubbly :) Today was spent on tech support for her laptop, picture viewing/taking, and eating. Her laptop has been on the fritz the last few months, so ak gave it the TLC Deluxe- updated her Windows (72 updates), imported her old Outlook files, hooked her up with a wireless card, a new smaller brick, and topped it off with a complete clean. That's what uncles are for!

We dropped her back off in Wilmington at 5pm today, so she should be already in NYC at this time. It would have been nice to have more time to play, but this trip was about her gathering information to complete her work. After she turns in her paper, she is taking 9 weeks and going on a super trip: Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Laos again. After that, who knows....

So, we are all smiles in the treehouse tonight. Oh-we found a great new restaurant in Glenn Mills called the Big Fork. It is off of 202, across from the Glenn Eagle shopping center. Just to tempt you to go, my appetizer was a puff pastry stuffed with beef short ribs-holy magnolia!


Jojo & Rikke

Bar Standoff In Aston

Total craziness today in Aston, especially since my two cousins, Alexis (12) and Andrew (17), were caught up in this, and were "locked down" in their two schools until 6pm. I talked with Alexis after she got home, and she said that the "lock down" = classroom doors automatically lock from the outside so no one can get in, the blinds are drawn, and the kids and teachers all go to the back of the room so that if a crazed gunperson looks in the classroom window, he/she will not see any students.

According to the 4pm news, all parents had been notified via phone and email, and were asked NOT to come and get their kids. This was total BS!!! I talked to their mom (my 1st cousin Maria) many times today, and not once did she receive a phone call to the situation from either school. The only reason she knew what was going on is because her husband is a fireman in Aston, and he got the news over his pager at 1pm today. Both kids were able to use their cell phones to call Maria and let her know they were okay. JGlow might be placing some calls tomorrow.

This upset me greatly - I was so worried that someting would happen to my precious cousins before they even grew up; I love them so much. How dare! I recall the biggest worry I had in highschool was if my bloomers were on straight under my cheerleading skirt. It really sucks to be a kid these days.

Here is the report form the NBC 10 site:

A gunman has surrendered after a standoff at an Aston, Pa., bar near two schools. Nearly 2,000 students were stuck at school during the afternoon.
The gunman surrendered peacefully at 6:30 p.m. after a standoff that lasted 4 1/2 hours. He had been talking with police for several hours.
Gunshots were reported inside a bar just before 2 p.m. The bar, Harrykat's Pub & Grille, was then surrounded by police.
Northly Junior High School and Sun Valley High School were under a lockdown. The schools have 1,800 combined students and they were evacuated safely.
A source told NBC 10 that a bar patron was in the bar and was refused service by a bartender. The man then pulled out a gun and shot several times in the air.

Per Maria, the bar patron recently lost his business that was right next door to the bar, as well as his home. However, this is NO excuse to put my cousins in danger.

JGlow out.

TRICK OR TREAT

What an evening! We are exhausted, and all set with birth control for the next 5 years. Observing 6 children on sugar was quite something - the highs and lows, tantrums, candy swapping, etc.
It was a beautiful night for the kids to go out, and we saw some great costumes: a boy with a milk carton on his head as the "have you seen me" kid, Carmen Miranda complete with fruit headgear, Napolean Dynamite, and lots of princesses.
We noticed that all kids were accompanied by an adult or two....long gone are the days when we would be out for hours on our own, making multiple candy drops at home base, and racing out for more.
I was in charge of the door/candy - it almost felt like Sligos, meeting and greeting! I was impressed that all the Halloweeners said thank you after getting their candy. Good manners go far!
Enjoy the pictures!



NICKY GETTING READY TO GO!


















QUEEN BEE ARIANNA



















NICKY MORE INTERESTED IN THE COMPUTER THAN CANDY












YO HO HO - ALEXANDER THE PIRATE


















MOM AND THEA ANNA-FRIENDS SINCE '67

HALLOWEEN POETRY

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD
by Edgar Allan Poe
(1827)

Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.

The night, though clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.

The breeze, the breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

MY SISTERS

CNN & Kelly










I was just going through all of my pictures, trying to come up with a blog this week. I hate forcing a blog - I like the subject to just flow, or hit me like a lightning bolt. Just as I was going to throw in the towel today, I came across this picture of my two best buddies, Chrissy and Kelly, and decided to dedicate a post to my girls.

I have known both for over half my life now, and they have been through it all with me, and I with them. I cannot imagine a life without these two....I can literally sit here all day and laugh at our adventures/misadventures that started when we were still in our teens. We are still as spontaneous/crazy as we were when we were 17, even though our lives have all gone in different directions.

It is amazing to have people in your life that you can really talk to about your hope and dreams, without being judged, ridiculed, or told that you are flat out nuts. These days, friends like this are as important as the air we breathe.

Along my journey of jobs, living in CA, and travelling, I have made many new acquaintances, but the older I get, the more I am disappointed. Most stay in the "acquaintance" category. However, there are some clear exceptions, like the Pinfers, Chuck, and the Ponderosa crowd, that have made homes in my heart.

Back to my gals...we've lasted longer than most marriages! The move back to PA, my dad's death, and currently dealing with my momma often take me to the edge of a scary precipice, but Chrissy and Kelly have always been there to bring me back.
You can pick your friends, not your family; however, these two are truly my sisters!

Love you guys, and hope you have a great day! :)

Editors note-I added some new links today

PUMPKINS OR BUST

I recently spent an afternoon at Linvilla Orchards with the meatball en familia. Here are some highlight pictures from our adventure in Pumpkinland.


Nicky and the chickens....it was very smelly there, but it doesn't seem to bother him.



Close encounter at the deer pen-at one point the deer licked his face...his mama wiped him down with several anti-bacterial cloths.



Arianna got her head stuck in the cow's head (could its ass, though), and had a classic meltdown/freakout. We had to take out her ponytail to remove her....it's really kind of funny.






Nicky and Jojo














Despite the head trauma, the kids really enjoyed the day, and we all came home with our pumpkins, and other treats from their Farmer's Market. Very over-priced, but they get away with it.
Last night, I opened the $7.50 tomato sauce I had purchased there, and growing inside the lid was the most disgusting patch of mold....I came THIS CLOSE to ruining the bolognese!!! Anyway, today I took back all the merchandise I purchased and the moldy jar, and at first, the clerk didn't want to take the things back. I reasoned with her, and got my refund. She should consider herself very lucky, because she came THIS CLOSE to getting her gourd kicked.

Anyway, all's well in the treehouse. We're enjoying the color change of leaves out back, and busting out the fall/winter fashions from the depths of the closets.

Arbonne by Day; Sligo by Night

Even though the game is on and it's a nail biter, I had to post these pictures from last night! After an all girls Arbonne Skin Care party, hosted by Meesh, we headed up to Media for some Stellas. As always, looking good!
Come on EAGLES!
Yippeee...we just scored!!! 24-21

UPDATE: E A G L E S WIN!!!! 38-24!!!

It's going to be a great week, peeps!!




Chrissy, Dave and Ray


Me, Ray, Ted & Chrissy


Matt, Chrissy, Dave & Ray


Chrissy & Ray's 2006 Xmas card :)

BARBARA'S BIRTHDAY BONANZA

Daily highlights from our recent journey:

MONDAY: Arrive in Greenville, SC @ 11:30am, rent the hot red Mustang and drive east & up towards Mt. Toxaway to Pinky and John's house. We arrive at 1:30, hang out until 6pm when ak's mom is to arrive for birthday cocktails. We hid in the bedroom until Pinky announced that someone special should give his mom her 70th birthday toast. Axel and I came out of the bedroom, and she was absolutely floored! She COULD NOT believe that we were there! Many bottles of bubbly were consumed, and the group went to our fave Italian restaurant and really whooped it up. A very special, fun and emotional evening :)

TUESDAY: Rainy day, hung around the house and viewed ak's mom's new paintings, and picked 4 of her pieces for an upcoming show at the country club. Grocery shopped, gabbed, and she taught us to do Suduko...I got a migraine doing my first puzzle and had to medicate myself.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny day, walked around the golf course. Her house sits above the 2nd tee, and the flora/fauna array is amazing, especially with all the rain they've had. Ak's mom played in the regular Wed Nite Twilight golf game, and then we met the whole crony crown up at the club for dinner. What a riot! As usual, akjn fit right in with this crowd, and were the last table to leave. The wrinkle ranch crowd can down vast quantities of alcohol, and akjn kept up, mainly because they can't last past 10:30 (especially when thier cocktail hour starts at 3:30pm) The best couple of the night were Dave and Carmen-Dave is full USA grade(corn fed and 6'5"), and Carmen is from Mexico City, is 5 ft tall, and talks a mile a minute with her hands...we found out we both were obsessed with Project Runway, and were just overjoyed with each other, yelling "auf Wiedersehen" & "Make it work" across the table. Back home we hung out in front of the fire, and laughed about the evening.

THURSDAY: Dinner party at Pinky and John's. The gentleman who ended up across from me grew up on Ardmore, PA, and we remarked on how small of a world it really is. He went on to tell me that his wife Mimi was the founder and editor of Gourmet magazine....I then hoped that I would not say anything stupid, but was pleasantly surprised at his interest and questions as to the technologies akjn use, how blogging works, what kind of TV we have and what should he get, and our opinions of the future....sometimes I have weird flashes when I realize that I am a grown-up, not 17, and have opinions and viewpoints that are valid...this was one of those times. Great conversation is so satisfying.

FRIDAY: We went for a shopping trip into Highlands, NC, another 20 or so miles down the road due east. They have a walking street, reminiscent of Media's State Steet, minus the Esacada, Gucci and Rosenthal Furrier stores. It was a perfect end of summer-beginning of fall crisp day as we toured shops and many galleries showing exciting art exposing new techniques, materials and concepts. I was so inspired that actually did some sketchng later in the day, surprising myself as I have not done so since high school.

SATURDAY: Akjn was supposed to return to PHL this day, but decided to extend our trip until Tuesday-just having to much fun, as well as trying to get our schedules coordinated for the holidays coming up. Ak's mom and I decided to take a short "walk" down to the waterfalls of Horse Pasture River. On the way, we cut into a small path that opened up to a clearing that was a small family cemetery..the dates on the stones went back to he 1600's. It wasn't creepy, but amazing that this family has left their mark on that land forever. We then continued down to a set of falls, and met with some fishermen and kids skipping stones...very Norman Rockwell. Every 2 minutes or so, a trout would try to jump up the falls. Then she decided we should trek to the other side of the falls to see them from the other perspective-this is when the walk turned into the hike. At first, I was only on the look out for snakes and ticks, until ak's mom says "oops, I should have brought the bear whistle with us". YIKES! It was all I could do not to freak out, so I plodded on over roots, spongy ground, ancient creaky wood bridges, avoiding suspicious sand, and trying not to fall on my azz into wet, moldy, 'don't know what's under there' leaves. We finally made it to the other side, stayed about one minute, then we both practically ran back they way we came...of couse we laughed about it as we walked back to the house, but I needed and took a Valium once we got there.
Later, we went to a dinner party at Bunny's, met the artist Bette Conningsby, and a woman named Dotsie that lived in Swarthmore and attended Media High School...again with the small world. Akjn had to back everyone's car out of Bunny's driveway for them at the end of the evening-again with the drinks :)

SUNDAY: A rainy day...did some home repair and cleaning, ak hooked his mom up with wireless for the house, and we made a tree inspection around the property-we found 1 dead pine that should come down. We then went and visited with Wanda and Pete, friends from FL, and checked out their new gazeebo on the Horse Pasture River. Outside party palace is more like it-the 'gazeebo' is fully equipped with kitchen, bar, working tap, and three sitting areas. The only thing missing is a loo for the ladies. Had a casual dinner out with them, then came home and watched a movie in front of the fire.

MONDAY: We were up at 8:45am to watch the Ladies Summer Final golf tournament. Ak's mom and foursome showed up at the 2nd tee at about 9:30am...we waved and gave encouragement. They had a big luncheon at the club afterwards, so ak and I had lunch in the "grille" downstairs, which was full of the grumpy husbands of the wives upstairs-pretty funny.
Once the luncheon was done, the three of us hit the driving range. It was hilarious and fun, and making me think a bit about the golf-another fun thing to do with ak's mom. I can't do the tennis with her-too sweaty, and you have to show some thigh in those short skirts.
We ate a great dinner at a new sushi place. They had a crispy crab salad that we are attempting to recreate in our kitchen. We'll share it once perfected. Again we enjoyed sitting in front of the fire, and I can do the Soduku now, but only when I feel like it, not daily. I come home to find out that my mom totally rocks at it!

TUESDAY: We had a wonderful brunch, then packed the car and headed south back to Greenvile in the 'Stang to catch our flight home. The Greenville airport is regional and small, but also clean and chill. There was a bar next to our gate that allowed you to walk around with your drinks. Our flight was delayed an hour, which usually causes ak to get peeved actually became delightful- ak got a bit bombed and was singing out loud to his ipod, walking around with his vodka-tonics. Good times, good times! We were sad to leave, but are looking forward to our adventures with ak's mom in November.

Editor's note: During the trip, ak pointed out to his mom that many of her friends have working girl names: Pinky, Bunny, Mimi, Dotsie....she found it pretty funny!

Also, don't forget to check out the pics from the trip below in my pevious post!

SCENES FROM SAPPHIRE, NC

Signs of fall on a hike with ak's mom




One of the many waterfalls of Horse Pasture River





More beautiful moving water




Wonderful nature





8th hole water hazzard; reflected trees





Butterflies alight on the flowers of our bedroom porch




View from our porch; Mt. Toxaway in background




Our totally SWEET rental-we ripped it up on the mountain roads





JGlow totally lacking in form & finesse at the driving range, as well as having some serious hair issues. I do like my outfit, though.


Prose to follow later-funny stories :)
Til then, peeps...