We went to the Santa Barbara zoo yesterday. The elephant gave quite a show, showering himself, taking a bath, and then a swim, complete with pooping in the water, which is of course one of the things Sofia keeps talking about from our visit.  

Mmmm, rrrrroar! says the lion. Tasty little girls. Katie and Sofia are on the far right. 

The little people. 

And they're off!

One of the bathing beauties. 

Cooling off. 

Guesses? Comments? 

New bird - well, new to you. I have been trying to get a picture of this bird since they showed up in the spring. It doesn't sit around much. 

Green Power

Oh, this is so much fun! Chris and I signed up to put in our solar power for the house. To optimize all the tax incentives and rebates, it won't be installed until after the first of the year, but it's in the works. We are so excited! Wait, you say, are these the same people who can't afford a new pair of Birkenstocks? Well, yes, but after a lot of research and some creative financing (don't worry, not *scary* creative financing) we can do it with almost no change to our overall cash flow. It's a grid tied system with net metering, which means we draw from the grid at peak usage times, and our meter spins backwards when we're producing more power than we use. We figure it's good for at least a little good karma.

Trying... to... get... that... stuff - If she could talk, she'd say, "Hey, could you put down that camera and help me out here?!!?!?!" 

Pull ups... 

Watching big sister play pretty piano. 

Tear Jerker

Remember the song from Chariots of Fire? Well, it's on the Madagascar soundtrack (kids animated film that Sofia saw with Chris) and we have it. Every time Chariots of Fire comes on, Sofia starts crying and needs a hug. And today, right before it came on (yes, she has memorized the order of songs) she said, "Oh, here comes the cryey song" and sure enough the tears and long face came too. What a little character we have.

10 years!

1 BS, 1 MS, 5 jobs, 1 green truck, 1 black GTI, 2 blue BMWs, 1 silver VW, 3 houses, 2 apartments, 1 trip to Switzerland, 1 trip to Sweden, 1 trip to Mexico, 1 trip to Mendocino, 1 trip to New Mexico, 2 trips to Cambria, many camping trips, countless trips up and down California's highways, favorite restaurants - Papalucci's, Shenendoah Cafe, Coffee Table, Mexico City, Chameau, Back Door Cafe, mountain hiking, urban hiking, Griffith Park hiking, Corona Del Mar, Belmont Shore, Silverlake, 3 major yard projects, 2 bathroom remodels, 2 beautiful little girls... And just one honey.

Can you believe all that has passed in Rocky's lifetime? That's right, Rocky's 10th birthday was July 30th - how could I have forgotten.

Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you.

Did you hear it?

It's a rhetorical question - don't answer. We sure did. Shortly after 5 this morning we were awakened by a huge bang-bam-kaboom. After a few seconds of "holy s--t what was that?!", we realized it must have been the Space Shuttle on its way to Edwards AFB. Phew! It wasn't a nuclear bomb. We flipped on the radio and listened until it had landed.

It was a hit. 

The ceremonial first banana. 

"Oh, goody! I get to try some bananas later today!" 

6 months today. 

How to blow $32

We went to the Ventura County Fair on Friday. We saw pigs, bunnies, goats, sheep, more goats, horses, and ponies. The girls (Sofia and Katie, that is) had a great time riding ponies and the merry-go-round. But holy cow, you could easily spend 100 or 200 bucks in about three hours and have nothing to show for it but some tired kids with ice cream stained shirts. Get used to it you say, my kids are still young enough to be admitted FREE. Yikes.

Sofia on the merry-go-round - again with Katie in the background (what a ham!) 

Sofia on a pony with Katie in the background. 

Meringue Head

Yesterday, Sofia comes stumbling into our bedroom at around 7ish, rubbing her eyes, her hair all in a froth and she says, "Those frickin' crows... those are some frickin' crows". At least it wasn't the other f-word.

Male Western Bluebird

I guess the color was not as clear as in person, but they were unmistakebly (is that a word?) blue. Very pretty. Haven't seen them since though. Until next time...

Maybe this clarifies the color a little - keep in mind it was dusk. Hey, no commentary on the picture quality is necessary.

This is another view - any guesses? 

New bird! This little cutie and some of its friends were hanging around the backyard last night while we were eating. I know, it's too easy for you professional birders, but it was just too pretty to pass up. I've even got Chris excited about the birds now, too. We're planning our birding trip to Vermont next spring (hee hee).