Holiday Sounds in Washington

Cough, Cough. Hack, Hack. Sneeze. Ugh. Unmentional noise. Hack, Cough. Wheeze. I'm not hungry. Yawn, hack, cough, sneeze. Crash.

Translation: Kerry and I got this terrible flu and cold bug. I got it first the day after Christmas. He followed quickly. What followed all that are some lost days of sleeping and more sleeping. He developed a temperature of 102.8 so went to urgent care and is now on antibiotics. When we left yesterday his sister was making all the same noises. Her husband, Gary, is probably not far behind.

The crash was the sound of Mark's Amtrak train to Seattle hitting a car at a crossing grade. No one was hurt but he had to be resourceful to make sure he got to the airport in time for his flight back to Albuquerque. Being the resourceful sort, he made it.

Once again Kerry and I have slept most of the day. We just ate his homemade macaroni and cheese. There is nothing like comfort food when you are sick. "Sleepless in Seattle" is on. Sounds like a good movie to sleep through. Good night and Happy New Year to you all.

Almost forgot. The photo is the kitchen table at Susan and Gary's house in Washington. It's covered with all the Christmas sweets that have tempted me in the past. Susan replenishes it whenever dishes get low. When you are sick, even chocolate doesn't look good. The one dish I didn't photograph was the one holding her homemade carmels that are individually wrapped in waxed paper. We will save those for later.

Merry Christmas To All

 
We didn't get a big tree this year. Just decorated a small one and the fireplace mantel. Very nice at night with all the lights. I want to wish all who read this a very Merry Christmas. And for those who don't celebrate Christmas, may you have a wonderful holiday season. We are flying to Seattle around noon today and then drive north to Burlington, WA where Kerry's family lives. Mark joins us tomorrow for four days. This is his first time with Kerry's family in Washington. Everyone is very excited about his visit. I really appreciate the fact that he's coming there. Instead of bowling on New Year's Eve we will bowl on Wednesday night so Mark gets to experience the Hoop family bowling tournament. There will be 13 of us this year. That's a record number of bowlers. The only rule is that you can't practice between holiday games. We only know of two people who broke the rule. It didn't help their games. We are back late Friday night. 

More Refrigerator Magnets

 
I experimented a bit with a new idea for a refrigerator magnet. The results are in the photo. I glued a variety of beads to the rounded surface and glued colored paper to the back. It's fun. 

More Socks

 
These pink beauties are my latest creation. I'm wearing them right now. The best part about knitting your own socks is you can make them the exact size you need. I have big feet so that is wonderful. I've already started my next pair. The colors are lime green, purple and yellow. 

Here's How I Give My Platelets Away

 
I had the phlebotomist (they draw blood for a living) take this picture today when I was donating platelets. The needle in my left arm delivers blood to the machine on the left. It filters out the platelets and plasma which are in the plastic bags hanging about the machine. Then the machine sends the blood back to my arm. The blood feels cool when it returns because it's been out of my body for a while. It took 70 minutes to fill those three bags. I read. You can also watch movies. This would be a great gift to give to someone. And I think it's the kind of gift that will make you feel good. They feed you afterward and give you all kinds of gifts when you reach certain milestones. In the summer we get coupons for free Baskin Robins ice cream. Give it a try. Platelets are only good for five days. They are in such demand that none is ever thrown away. I'll get off my soapbox now. 

Some Christmas Humor

 
 

Spudding The New Well

 
The drilling rig pictured here arrived this afternoon. So far they are down 100 feet and have about 3-4 gallons of water per minute. They hit granite and will drill through it tomorrow to get a much better rate. The dowser was right. Amazing. Spudding does not refer to potatoes. It's a term used in the drilling business to denote the start of a new well. 

All Roads Point To Yum Yum In Calexico

 
The sign on the corner leads you to Yum Yum. Very unassuming looking, but don't let looks fool you. There's a lot going on inside besides just eating. The Thunderbird parked in front belongs to Hildy. 

Here's Hildy and Eddie at Yum Yum

 
Hildy Carrillo-Rivera, shown on the right, is the only reason I know about Yum Yum. She has been a wonderful friend and colleague. Eddie Rivera, her ex-husband who is pictured on the left, loves good red wine, especially La Creme. A trip to Imperial County means a trip to Yum Yum. Wonderful people. 

Yum Yum's Owners

Louie and Christina Wong are the owners of Yum Yum. Wonderful people who give back constantly to the community. Louis usually stays late at the restaurant and Christina heads home to watch her Chinese soap operas. Louie has even been known to open the restaurant for us after Calexico events. Great couple

The Road to Yum Yum

 
Here's the Yum Yum sign on Imperial Avenue. The contrast between the Spanish sign and Yum Yum is one part I really like. The restaurant itself is back and to the right. That will be the next picture. If you are confused by this just read my earlier blog entry. 

Yum Yum: An Institution Not Just A Restaurant

For the past few months I've been telling family and friends about a Chinese restaurant in Calexico, which is right on the Mexican border in Imperial County east of San Diego about two hours.

I finally decided that some pictures might best tell the story. The restaurant is Yum Yum. The owners are Louie and Christina Wong. If you sit in their restaurant almost any day of the week all the people you need to know in the area will wander through.

Yum Yum is more than a restaurant, it is an institution. I was introduced to Yum Yum by Hildy Carrillo-Rivera, executive director of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce. Dining there is wonderful for many reasons. First, the food and second the great red wines that diners bring to enjoy. Louie doesn't charge a corkage fee, which makes it even better. Hildy's ex-husband, Eddie Rivera (attorney and school board member) is a regular there too. He especially likes La Crema wines. I'm going to post a bunch of photos with captions so you can get to know Yum Yum and the people there too.

It's Official, We Are Going To China

On March 2nd we leave on China Air from San Francisco Airport for 8 days and 7 nights in China. We will see the tip of the iceberg, but you have to start somehwere. Our first stop is Beijing and our last stop is Shanghai. The two cities in between I can't pronounce or spell. The cost is $1299 per person double occupancy. It includes round trip air fare, all hotels, two meals a day, sightseeing in busses with guides all eight days, and an in-country flight from Beijing to Shanghai. We are going with two other couples. We all are part of a tour planned by the Roseville Chamber of Commerce. $25 per person handles all the tips for the trip. One funny note, the trip coordinators advertise that we will stay in five star hotels in all but one city. In that city we stay at a Howard Johnson. I can't remember the last time I stayed at a Hojos. Any tips on China travel will be appreciated.

I'm off to Southern California for business for the next four days. Not the good part of Southern California. I'll be in Imperial County right on the Mexican border.