Yes, today is the day we go shopping for a car we can’t afford! A new Cadillac or a new Lexus? Perhaps a Mercedes? Nope, we are looking for a 1955 Packhard Caribbean!
1955 rag top! It’s on my bucket list!
The 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible was one of Packard’s top luxury performance cars and is now a highly collectible American classic.
Overview: The 1955 Caribbean was Packard’s flagship convertible, aimed at buyers who wanted a stylish, powerful, limited-production luxury car. It competed with high-end Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Chrysler Imperials of the era.
Engine and performance: The 1955 Caribbean used Packard’s new V8 engine. For 1955, this was a strong performer, especially for a large luxury convertible:
We can sit together instead of today’s pesky bucket seats!
Styling: It was meant to look special and exclusive, not like a regular Packard convertible. The Caribbean had flashy 1950s styling, including:
• distinctive two-tone or three-tone paint schemes
• chrome side trim
• full leather interior
• power-operated convertible top
• wire wheels or wheel covers depending on equipment
• a very upscale dashboard and trim
Suspension: One of its most notable features was Packard’s Torsion-Level suspension, an advanced system for the time. It used long torsion bars and an electric leveling system to keep the car riding smoothly and sitting level.
Production: The 1955 Caribbean Convertible was rare, with only about 500 produced. That low production number makes it desirable today.
Collectibility: Today, a 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible is considered one of the most important late Packards. Value depends heavily on originality, condition, color combination, and whether it has its correct engine and trim. Restored examples can bring strong prices at classic car auctions.
In short, the 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible was Packard’s glamorous, limited-production luxury convertible with big V8 power, advanced suspension, and dramatic 1950s styling.
We had our coffee, listened to the news, and planned the day! The day turned out to be a nada!
In other words, the day was going to be a little thing, a nothing, blank clean slate, dud, space, goose egg, mere nothing, minor matter, naught, nebbish, nil, nonentity, nothing at all, nothing in particular, nothingness, naught, scarcely anything, vacuum, void, zero, and zilch.
I didn’t even take a picture today except for the pre-dunk in the pool sky shots!
We worked around the house; Mary continued painting the outdoor figurines while I pounded the keys, attempting to make sense of my newly built JavaScript code!
We did, however, have a nice lunch and then later in the day jump into the hot water of our pool-sized sauna!
Venus and the Moon were vying for attention this evening.
All the pool lights were burning bright. The LED lights run all night long and are still bright at 5:00 am!
We got out of the pool and headed to the TV room to watch another episode of “Extinct”.
The series “Extinct” is a science-fiction drama about the last remnants of humanity being brought back to life 400 years after humans were wiped out.
The story follows a small group of people who are resurrected by mysterious alien beings called the Drones. They wake up in a future Earth where humanity is gone, and they have to figure out:
Why they were revived,
What happened to the human race,
whether the aliens helping them can be trusted,
And how to survive against another hostile alien force called the Skin Riders.
The show mixes post-apocalyptic survival, alien mystery, and human drama. It originally aired in 2017 and was created by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston.
We rose before the sun, heroic and slightly confused. We marched to the office, where we gulped the coffee with a dramatic wheeze. “Perfect,” Mary said, sipping bravery.
Paul opened the email inbox and discovered 147 emails, each apparently urgent since yesterday. We began replying, deleting, and pretending to understand spreadsheets.
Then Grace, the cat, arrived for quality control. She sat on Paul’s keyboard, sent “mmmmmmmm” to Bob Z, and approved three bills with her tail.
Mary offered her a treat, and with great aplomb, Grace gobbled it down!
Mary laughed so hard she snorted coffee. I declared Grace promoted to Chief Meowperations Officer.
We finished our coffee, then got dressed and headed to the doctor’s office, where I had ultrasounds of both the left and right carotid arteries. Right to make sure the operation is still good and the left to see more about the inner carotid blockage. We will know more next week when we return for the reading!
When we got home, Joe was already on his way over to relocate our flagpole from outside the wall—where it had been living its best life in the bushes and mud—to inside the wall on the concrete patio. Brilliant idea!
Now I can raise and lower the flags without wrestling shrubbery, sinking into the garden, or looking like I lost a fight with Mother Nature. Progress!
So the work commenced with Charlie providing assistance. I moved the patio chair into the shade and supervised!
We (Joe) drilled through about four inches of concrete.
While Joe worked, I sang to him from the musical Show Boat. With the drill running, I sang at the top of my lungs, “Tote that barge, lift that bale, drill me a hole, or land in jail!” I am sure Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II were rolling over in their graves.
Hearing protection was required, not because of the sound, but because of the choice of words about the hardness of the concrete AND my singing.
All was going smoothly until we tried to put the plastic sleeve on the flagpole and discovered it was 1.5 inches too small. Apparently, our flagpole sleeve has been hitting the gym. Dang!
Joe called the flagpole people and arranged for a properly sized sleeve to be sent ASAP. Until then, the pole will be resting dramatically on the front patio, contemplating its future.
Joe and Charlie went home disgusted, Mary continued her nap, and I cleaned the workbench and worked on the Daily Diary!! BTW, we did get several calls from neighbors asking me to stop singing!
Later, I was in the garage and attempted to rename the Amazon device called Flagpole. To my amazement, I discovered the electronic plug was malfunctioning, and the flagpole light had been stuck on for a long time. I ordered replacement parts that will be installed in the system tomorrow. Now I can have the flagpole light come on at sunset and off at sunrise.
Four for $25! The prices have dropped!!
At 5:30 pm, we were ready for dinner and headed to Vitorio’s in Huntington Beach. Tonight, Ken (the regular piano player) planned to have a trio, and he did, but to our surprise, we knew the drummer and bass player! We have danced to their music for years and years!
The girls were tickled! What could be better than live music from old friends and a menu filled with delectable Italian dishes!
Good friends are wonderful to have!
We had three singers this evening, and they all had great voices. We attempted to get our singer, Jim, up, but he decided not to make them look bad!
Kenon on the piano, Frank on bass, and Shelly on drums!
Vicky got a load of pictures, and she even captured Mary and me when we got up to dance!!
Vicky loves her new iPhone, and she’s now teaching us tricks she uses!
The music was so good we had no choice but to dance. The room was packed, though, so we switched to our signature “minimum-movement” style—tiny steps, polite elbows, and the occasional strategic shuffle toward the wall for safety.
Just as we were perfecting our crowd-avoidance choreography, the server appeared… because apparently even our two-inch dance moves still qualified as being in the way.
We kinda put on a show, but the band enjoyed our moves!
While Mary returned to the table, I asked Sandee to dance, and we did so with the entire table (the other ten people) looking on!
I am about to tell a story, but then I remembered it is mixed company, so I stopped before I got started.
Mary and I have fun, and at our age, that is quite alright.
At the end of dinner came dessert time, which we both specialize in. Mary went for the spumoni ice cream while I trounced on a cannoli, turning the beautiful cannoli into a twisted mess of unrecognizable ingredients. Italian cannoli are a traditional Sicilian dessert.
Cannoli is made of:
A crispy fried pastry shell, usually tube-shaped
A sweet creamy filling, typically ricotta cheese
Often flavored with vanilla, citrus zest, chocolate chips, pistachios, or candied fruit
Sometimes dusted with powdered sugar
“Cannoli” is plural; one is technically called a cannolo in Italian. (Daily Diary Italian lessons come free with the reading).
Watch Mary make the contents disappear! Poof! Once it is served, it lasts about 34 milliseconds!
The smile tells all!
Vicky and Jim made the evening even more delightful. Jim had the best seat in the house, sitting at the end of the table, looking directly at the band!
Having fun!
We departed for home after telling the owner how great the trio was. We hope they do this again! The freeway was wide open, and we made it home in about 20 minutes! It was time to hit the sack, so we did!
We were up early this morning after yesterday’s rest! Today we visited the Elks twice, once for lunch and then again for dinner dancing.
At 9:45 am, we headed to Michaels to get a watercolor picture framed for Bob’s birthday (it’s a surprise).
On the way to the Elks Girls Night Out, we picked up and dropped off some dry cleaning, then went to the vampire’s office so she could draw some blood (with Mary’s help , and finally went to the Elks for lunch.
Mary found her phlebotomist costume and put it on just before we entered the office.
25 cents??? The alcohol that comes along with my blood is worth at least $1.00
We showed up to the Elks for Girls’ Night in our matching Elks shirts from Hawaii, which reminded us of our recent Hawaiian adventure and of our many times at the Elks Lodge on Waikiki.
We sat on the patio, and we were warned about the waves. We were back from the edge just far enough to keep from getting soaked!
Look out, or you will be wet!!
Sandee joined us for lunch today, and Bill was still talking about the Pageant of the Masters adventure. Sandee is becoming a regular, which is good!
Sandee and Bill, great friends whom we will see tonight and tomorrow night for dinner.
George and Bob are always fun to be with!!
We dined, joked, and ribbed each other for 90 minutes.
Will and Iris always bring the table to life! Iris brought along her own halo! For being 99 years old, she is sharper than a tack!
Iris, as normal, has a halo!!
“Someone” was still tired from Tuesday, so we put her down for an hour or so before we go out and about again… Biting into the apple was helpful!
At 4:00 pm, I bent over and kissed her, and she woke up screaming in terror! On the bright side, she was ready to go! We are like the Energizer Bunnies!
Fill in the blank: “Sleeping ____________”
At lunch, we found out that Ronnie was playing this evening, so we turned around and, after dropping off a San Disk to Bob at his house, we went to the Elks again! We were joined by Danika and her mother Gail, along with Bill and Sandee. Let the party begin!
The Elks always have good food, and tonight they had artichokes, Mary’s favorite. I went off my diet and had a hamburger, so I’ll hide the bathroom scale tonight so I cannot find it in the morning! Delaying the bad news is a good approach!
Mary got her artichoke!
How did people figure out how to eat artichokes? It was probably the result of a long process of trial, hunger, and observation.
Artichokes are domesticated thistles, related to wild cardoons, and people in the Mediterranean were eating those kinds of plants thousands of years ago. The likely path went something like this:
People first ate the tender parts of wild thistles. Many thistles have edible young stems, leaf ribs, and flower bases if you remove the tough or spiny parts. Early foragers would have learned which parts were usable.
They noticed the flower bud had a soft center. An artichoke is basically an unopened flower bud. If you peel away the tough outer bracts, the base of each bract has a bit of soft flesh, and the “heart” at the center is substantial and tasty.
Cooking made it easier and safer. Boiling or roasting would soften the bud and make the edible parts more obvious. Many plants that seem too tough or bitter raw become useful when cooked.
Selective cultivation improved it. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew artichoke-like plants. Over generations, farmers selected plants with larger, fleshier buds and fewer nasty spines, eventually producing the artichoke we know today.
So the answer is: humans probably didn’t “figure it out” all at once. They were already experimenting with edible thistles, discovered the tender bud parts, and then bred the plant into a bigger, tastier version. Also, someone very patient must have been involved.
We knew that Sandee was coming, but Bill got his business taken care of early and came along! It’s always a treat to have these two join the party!
Bill and Sandee joined us this evening.
At the Santa Ana Elks, Bill and Sandee hit the floor like champions, waltzing wildly to a run-mama tune no one could quite identify. Sandee twirled with grace; Bill twirled like a shopping cart with a bad wheel. “Stay vertical!” he whispered as his shoes skated across the polished floor.
Ronnie, watching all this commotion, sped up—or maybe Bill’s panic did.
Sandee spun under his arm, and Bill saluted the Elk head for balance. Around they went, elegant, chaotic, unforgettable.
At the final note, Bill dipped Sandee, then gently collapsed into a chair. “Perfect,” Sandee said. “After tonight’s demonstration, no one will ask to give them dance lessons.”
Sandee and Bill tear up the dance floor!!
Mary never misses an opportunity to check the future using her own personal walking talking crystal ball!
Here are some facts about crystal balls:
Crystal balls are usually made of glass or quartz, not always true crystal.
They are often used in fortune-telling, especially for “scrying,” which means gazing into a reflective surface to seek images or insight.
Clear quartz crystal balls are popular because quartz is naturally clear and sparkly.<
They have been used for centuries in different cultures for spiritual, mystical, or decorative purposes.
A crystal ball does not scientifically predict the future; its use is based on belief, intuition, and symbolism.
They can be dangerous in sunlight because they can focus light like a magnifying glass and possibly start a fire.
Many people use them for meditation, decoration, photography, or spiritual rituals.
Size varies a lot—some are tiny enough to hold in one hand, while others are large display pieces.
Perfectly clear natural quartz balls are rare and expensive because large, flawless quartz is hard to find.
In movies and stories, crystal balls are often shown as magical tools used by wizards, witches, or fortune-tellers.
“Let me see into the future! Maybe if I rub it!”
Ronnie came over to make sure “The Dancing Star” was OK after Bil’s last demonstration!
Ronnie popped by to visit—always fun!
Mary gave up on telling the future, so she decided to reflect the light off my head and make designs on the ceiling. After some practice, she was able to write her name on the ceiling. I was quite dizzy after this incident.
“There now, Paul, keep your head still, and the dizziness will soon go away!
Did you notice our matching shirts? The lodge now requires that we match for unexplained reasons. Can you guess why??
“A magnificent specimen of what, I do not know!”
Ronnie waved as we walked to the car. Now that our table is gone, he can speed up the music without worrying about Bill falling over!
We headed home and crashed. No swimming this evening, as we were tired.
We slept late because yesterday apparently tried to kill us.
We woke up with just enough time to throw on our “exercise costumes” and sprint out the door like two aging superheroes whose only power is being late. We arrived, climbed onto the bicycles, and pedaled for several miles before the real fun began: being flung to the ground and folded into human pretzels.
Even though we were about 100 feet apart on separate torture devices, we could still hear each other’s heroic yells, groans, and dramatic farewell speeches as pressure was applied to muscles we didn’t even know we owned.
After surviving that wellness-themed assault, we made a quick trip to the market for essentials: bananas, milk, and whatever dignity we had left. Then we returned home to the glorious sound of Domilita and her magical staff of cleaning elves transforming the house while we tried to look useful.
Finally, we made a quick run to the UPS Store to ship a “care package” to Bonnie and the kids—because nothing says love like a box full of surprises and a shipping label.
It was warm today but not HOT; we still stayed inside!
Mary fixed a great lunch consisting of newly invented things like turkey slices rolled up with cheese (i.e., a turkey sandwich without the calories). She also made a wonderful salad directly from the garden!
The weather was perfect today!
Mary’s better each time she goes to class, and with Geri’s assistance, she is learning new tricks, like using Q-Tips to remove excess water! I still need to give her a little class in perspectives.
Mary finished her painting from yesterday!
I worked in the office beside Mary all day getting the video ready for Bob’s Birthday party, which is coming up soon!
The evening dragged on, and after heroically exhausting ourselves by sitting in the office and pretending to be productive, we shuffled off to the pool, where 90-degree water waited to gently poach our tired little bodies like luxury dumplings.
The night WAS peaceful!
We fiddled around for a couple of hours before returning inside.
The gazebo provided just enough light!
We’re still recovering from the Pageant of the Masters, so we heroically collapsed into bed at 10:00 p.m. Everything was peaceful… until 2:22 a.m., when Miss Grace decided it was time to debut her one-cat opera.
For such a tiny feline, she can produce sounds usually reserved for rocket launches, emergency sirens, and haunted Victorian mansions.
I stumbled out of bed, gave her the required royal pets, shook her dry food like a servant summoning the queen’s breakfast, and crawled back under the covers. Thankfully, I didn’t wake again until 7:30 a.m.—alive, but emotionally altered.
It’s Tuesday, and we are off like a herd of turtles—slow, determined, and occasionally distracted by snacks.
We spent several hours working in the office, some of which involved attending to Her Majesty, Grace, who continues to rule the household with a firm paw and absolutely no concern for our schedules. Today, Mary headed off to her painting class, while I prepared myself for tonight’s grand soirée in the fine arts—because nothing says “cultured” like trying to stay awake after a full day of errands.
Mary returned from class early, and at 2:30 pm we met up with Dianne to depart for the Sawdust Festival. The Sawdust Art Festival has long helped cement Laguna Beach’s reputation as an artist colony and creative coastal community—also as a place where people can turn driftwood, glass, and mysterious metal objects into things you suddenly realize you cannot live without.
We wandered around, admired the displays, visited the artists, and—through sheer perseverance and refined cultural instincts—managed to locate a glass of wine. This, of course, elevated the entire art experience from “lovely afternoon” to “masterpiece.”
The weather was in the 70s, which is basically Mother Nature saying, “You’re welcome.”
The 2026 theme for the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach is “The Greatest of All Time”—or G.O.A.T., for those of us who prefer our fine art with a side of barnyard abbreviation. The show will explore history-defining art and artists through live-action “living pictures,” music, and theatrical storytelling. In other words, people stand perfectly still while the rest of us sit there wondering how they don’t sneeze.
We arrived at the Sawdust Festival, went through security, and headed straight to the wine booth!
Come on in, but behave!
The weather was outstanding! The sky was clear, there was a slight breeze, and the temperature was around 75 degrees!
We walked around for 90 minutes!
BUT… Before we walked, we drank some “Shopping Readiness Fluid,” commonly called wine! Mary loved my new look—windblown! She was actually shooting the fly away, warning the little guy that if he tried to land, he might slide off and break his neck! Mary is so thoughtful!
Starting fluid is being applied!
We heard dance music, so naturally we headed that direction and gave a demonstration on how to dance on a wooden deck with rubber tennis shoes!
Time to dance.
Mary spotted an octopus perched on top of a glittery stall sculpture at the Sawdust Festival. “Dianne, look! Modern art has gone marine!” she whispered. Dianne froze, clutching her red wine like a life preserver. “Is it real? Why is it judging me?”
The octopus waved one arm, accidentally flinging a paintbrush onto a nearby hat.
Dianne exhaled, then Otto blinked and sprayed water. Dianne shrieked, Mary snorted, and the hat’s owner said, “Honestly, my hat looks better after the thing with eight dramatic arms modified it.”
After strolling through the Sawdust Festival, we headed to the parking area adjacent to the festival grounds, and from there we drove to a new parking lot and waddled to the Lumber Yard for dinner with the gang!
Time To Eat!
The girls got there first! The Lumberyard Restaurant in Laguna Beach is a downtown American bistro named for Laguna’s early lumberyard history. The area around Forest Avenue once supported the town’s building boom, supplying wood and materials for cottages, shops, and artist studios as Laguna grew in the early 1900s.
The restaurant opened in the late 2000s in a renovated historic-style building on Forest Avenue, embracing that “old Laguna” lumberyard theme with warm wood interiors and a casual neighborhood feel. It became popular with locals and visitors for comfort food, cocktails, and its convenient location near the Festival of Arts, Pageant of the Masters, galleries, and downtown shops.
Today, it’s generally known as a relaxed gathering spot that reflects Laguna Beach’s mix of art-town history, coastal tourism, and small-town dining culture.
They were ready to go as they reviewed the menu online!
We found our table; it was the noisy one!
I ordered tinned fish and selected muscles. Note to self: never do that with Marshall around!
A lot of grunting and groaning was going on here!
Now it was off to the Festival grounds.
Iness fit right into this crazy group up, and she tried tinned fish along with me!!
Time to walk to the festival grounds.
The evening was perfect!!
The show is about to start!!
We had GREAT seats!! Thank you, Vicky!
Let the show begin!!!
Here’s some fun trivia about how they set up the “pictures” in the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach:
The scenes are called tableaux vivants, meaning “living pictures.” Real people pose to look exactly like famous paintings, sculptures, posters, or historical artworks.
The performers are painted with special makeup and body paint so their skin, clothing, and shadows match the original artwork.
A lot of the illusion comes from lighting. The lights are carefully aimed so people look flat, almost like they’re part of a canvas instead of standing on a stage.
The sets use forced perspective. Some props are larger or smaller than they seem, so from the audience’s viewpoint everything lines up like the original picture.
The actors often stand inside or behind painted frames, fake walls, and sculptural pieces that hide parts of their bodies and make the image look two-dimensional.
Performers have to stay completely still while the curtain is open. Even tiny movements can break the illusion.
The setup is extremely precise: positions are marked, costumes are matched to the artwork, and the stage crew checks details like hand placement, head angle, and facial expression.
Many scenes are built with layers: a painted backdrop, real props, and live people all combined so the audience sees one finished “painting.”
The Pageant often recreates not just paintings, but also statues, murals, movie posters, and historical scenes.
Part of the magic is that when the lights change or the curtain opens, the audience suddenly realizes: those are real people inside the artwork.
We were up bright and painfully early this morning because it was that sacred time of the week: our bi-weekly flagellation session at Peak Performance — otherwise known as “paying professionals to turn us into damp laundry.”
We walked in wearing clean, freshly pressed workout outfits, looking like two responsible adults with goals. We walked out looking like we had been dragged behind a 10,000-pound garbage truck, hosed down with regret, and left in the sun to reconsider our life choices.
But apparently it works! After all, we do not look like we are a combined 156 years old. Maybe 149 on a humid day, but certainly not 156.
After our morning appointment with pain and perspiration, the Silver Fox headed to the doctor to get his passenger-side airbag recall taken care of. It definitely needed fixing because every time I pull the “EJECT PASSENGER” lever, absolutely nothing happens! Mary stays in her seat!
Very disappointing, but now that the eject button is fixed, Mary still has to be nice to me the old-fashioned way.
Since we were already down in southern Tustin, we decided to reward ourselves with lunch at the American Legion of Balboa Island. Mary has been a proud member of the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291 near Balboa Island/Newport Harbor for 25 years — which means she has seniority, history, and probably the legal authority to have me removed from the premises if I misbehave.
Naturally, I behaved… mostly.
Here are some fun trivia-style facts:
• It’s not technically on Balboa Island — Post 291 is in Newport Beach on the harbor, near the Balboa Peninsula area, with views across Newport Harbor.
• One of the biggest American Legion posts: Newport Harbor Post 291 is often noted as one of the largest and most active American Legion posts in the country, boasting 10,000 members.
• Waterfront Legion hall: Unlike many American Legion posts, this one has a prime bayfront location, docks, and a strong boating culture.
• It has its own yacht club: The post is closely associated with the American Legion Yacht Club, which is a big part of Newport Harbor’s boating community.
• Old Glory Boat Parade: The American Legion Yacht Club helps put on the Old Glory Boat Parade, a patriotic Newport Harbor tradition around the Fourth of July.
• Veterans + boating culture: The place blends two very Newport things: military/veterans history and harbor life.
• Popular local hangout: For members and guests, it’s known as a great spot for drinks, food, bay views, and watching boats go by.
• Close to Balboa Island Ferry: It’s in the same general harbor area as the famous Balboa Island Ferry, which has been running for over a century.
• Post number 291: The official name is usually American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291.
• Community role: Beyond being a social club, it supports veterans, youth programs, patriotic events, and local civic activities.
We had lunch and watched the youngsters take a sailing lesson from the Legion’s Yacht Club staff! They were having fun, and we were having fun watching them have fun!
All the kids were having fun!
We sat on the patio and watched the boats go by, happy not to have a boat, which is defined as a hole in the water to which you pour your money into.
Mary ordered the turkey club sandwich, which is always excellent — stacked so perfectly it looked like it had been engineered by NASA, only with no bacon.
The Legion’s chef does an OUTSTANDING job. Honestly, everything that comes out of that kitchen is just right. Hot things are hot, crispy things are crispy, and nothing arrives looking like it lost a bar fight in the fryer.
A few months ago, we came in for lunch, and the place was almost empty — maybe we were early, or maybe everyone else had been warned we were coming. So we asked the bartender if the chef could come out for a moment.
The poor chef emerged looking a little nervous, clearly thinking, “Oh no… what did I do? Too much mayo? Not enough fries? Did someone find parsley?”
But instead, everyone applauded him and thanked him for working so hard and making every meal so consistently wonderful.
You could see the relief wash over his face. He went from “I’m about to be yelled at” to “I may be the mayor of lunch.”
Yummy
I was going to share with her until the waiter mentioned today’s special was lobster tacos! How could I not turn that down? They were terrific and the prime reason that I had no dinner this evening!!!
Wow! Complete with some heat!!!
We sat outside even though it was a little warm; the sea/bay breeze was comfortable. We watched the dredge still at work in the bay. It’s been working for several months now.
We enjoy each other’s company!!
We were in no hurry as Mary had followed me to the Lexus facility and we had to wait for the phone call saying everything was ready. The recall work and some minor updates were completed right on time. As the last drip of wine departed from the glasses, the iPhone went off, saying the Silver Fox was ready!!
As we finished our meal and the last drop of vino, the car dealership call came in; the Silver Fox was ready!
I drove to the dealership in Mary’s car, and she waited for me to pay the bill, and then she followed me home.
As good as new!
It was in the 90s, so we stayed inside and worked in the office. Mary went to watch TV and take a small nap! I finished off the Elks Lodge part of the website, updating events and cleaning up things.
When I joined Mary, she was ready for dinner, and I was so stuffed from lunch that I passed. I did join her in the kitchen and snitched one forkful of coleslaw! We called Robin, and by that time it was 7:50 pm, so we headed to the pool and floated around for a couple of hours.
Two hours of floating is a relaxing way to finish the day!!
Since we were planning to go to The Pageant Of The Masters tomorrow, we crashed at 10:00 pm. Dianne is going with us, and we plan to stop at the Sawdust Festival before dinner and the show. A good night’s sleep is mandatory for this adventure.
Morning arrived, and the three of us shuffled into the kitchen in search of coffee—also known as liquid eye-opener, heart starter, and the only reason we don’t communicate exclusively in grunts before 9 am.
Robin had to head out early to visit her sister, since she’s her caretaker and resident superhero. While getting ready to leave, she spotted Miss Grace quietly watching all the morning commotion from a distance—looking innocent, of course, which usually means she was either judging us or finalizing the blueprints for her next great escape.
“Yes, I am in charge!”
When Robin got in the car, she noticed the tire-pressure-low light was on—which is never the car’s way of saying, “Have a great day!”
We took a look and, sure enough, her rear passenger tire was flatter than a pancake. On the bright side, it was only flat on the bottom, so technically it was still trying.
Robin pulled into the driveway so I could save the day with my trusty air compressor—because every hero needs a cape, and mine apparently has a hose attachment. As I inspected the tire, I spotted a suspicious little silver dot in the tread. Using my highly advanced diagnostic tool—also known as my fingernail—I discovered a nail had punctured the tire.
Thankfully, Robin was able to drive it to the local service station, where they patched it for $20. Not bad. Around here, that’s basically a miracle with air pressure.
A tire shop will usually:
1 Find the leak – They may spray soapy water on the tire and look for bubbles.
2 Remove the tire from the wheel – This lets them inspect the inside for hidden damage.
3 Remove the object – Nail, screw, etc.
4 Prepare the hole – They clean and slightly ream the puncture channel.
5 Buff the inside surface – The inside of the tire around the puncture is roughened so the patch sticks.
6 Apply rubber cement/vulcanizing adhesive
7 Install a plug-patch – This is a one-piece repair: a rubber stem fills the hole, and a patch seals the inside.
8 Trim the plug – The part sticking out of the tread is cut flush.
9 Remount, inflate, and leak-test – They check it again with water/soapy water.
Oops
We went inside and walked the garden, but after determining it was already 86 degrees, we went back inside. Mary painted whilst I worked on Bob’s birthday video. At day’s end, the movie was 140 images long, or about 13 minutes!
Mary’s watercolor painting will be a present to Bob at his upcoming birthday party, and it will be a surprise.
Busy Bee!
Mary was happy about her recent procurement of a set of thin brushes. Brush sizing is not fully standardized, so a 000 from one brand may be slightly different from a 000 from another brand. For very tiny details, look for brushes labeled ” detail,” “miniature,” “spotter,” or “liner.”
It’s in the details.
By 5:00 pm we were both hungry, and someone was listening to us! Geri, Mary’s watercolor partner and our neighbor, called and came over bringing homemade German potato salad and homemade coleslaw! We had a glass of wine with Geri, and when she departed, we slipped outside and grabbed two ears of corn from the garden. Marys said it was the best corn of the entire summer. Another two degrees and it would have been popcorn!!
Corn on the cob for dinner.
While we were out in the garden, we roamed for a few minutes and saw the pumpkin is beginning to turn orange! We can see pumpkin pie in our future. Pumpkin pie is usually made with sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins rather than large carving pumpkins.
Common types include:
• Sugar pumpkin/pie pumpkin — small, sweet, smooth-textured flesh
• Dickinson pumpkin — widely used in canned pumpkin purée
• Baby Pam — popular for baking
• New England Pie pumpkin — classic pie variety
• Long Island Cheese pumpkin — sweet, dense flesh, good for pies
Large jack-o’-lantern pumpkins are edible, but they tend to be watery, stringy, and less sweet, so they don’t make the best pie.
The pumpkin is turning.
Back inside, Mary cooked up the corn, and we dished out some potato salad and coleslaw. It was a delightful dinner. After dinner, Mary returned to painting, and I cleaned up the kitchen!
Mary worked for another hour and finally said she was done. I told her to put up the painting and her equipment and let it dry because we needed to go into the pool and she needed to let her hands rest! There was a LOT of detailing in this painting. Maryy needed to rest her eyes and see it fresh in the morning.
Hours later!
Returning from the water at 10:00 pm, we attempted to watch a new series called Extinct. It’ss a 2017 sci-fi series created by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. The premise is that an alien invasion has wiped out humanity, and hundreds of years later, selected humans are reconstituted/regenerated and returned to Earth to try to rebuild civilization and uncover what happened.
We never made it through the first episode, and when we woke up to go to bed, it was on episode three. Thank goodness for streaming; we’ll return to the series tomorrow.
It’s 9:00 am, and we are outside working our little fingers to the bone!
I marched into the veggie garden at dawn (OK, 9 am) carrying a zucchini seedling like it was a royal baby. Mary, meanwhile, stood beside her rose bushes with pruning shears, a leopard sunhat, and the expression of a woman prepared to negotiate with thorns.”
“We have until the thermometer hits ninety,” I announced. “After that, we could turn into soup.”
At eighty-eight degrees, I finally planted the zucchini, patted the soil, and whispered, “Grow large, my green torpedo.”
We collected a load of green beans, some of which will be dinner tomorrow and some will be laid outside in the sun to dry out (more bean soup on the way!)
The string beans have reached too high; we needed a ladder to get them!
A bumblebee landed on Mary’s hat. She froze. “Don’t move,” I said.
The bee inspected her fake sunflower, judged it unworthy, and flew away. Mary resumed trimming, but one thorn grabbed her sleeve. She yanked free, stumbled backward, and sat directly in her wheelbarrow.
I stared. Mary stared. The zucchini, newly planted, seemed to stare.
Then the thermometer clicked to ninety. “Inside,” Mary declared, water dripping from her forehead. “Immediately.” We were back inside at 10:14 am, door shut and AC on full blast!
Oh my, the temperature is climbing.
The remaining part of the afternoon we watched TV, and Mary made a light lunch since we were going to the Elks this evening. Robin popped in about 4:30 pm, and we had a glass of vino before heading to the Elks at 5:20 pm.
The girls did their normal salads, but I went for the English Cut Prime Rib with a baked potato the size of Detroit, which, by the way, Mary finished off when I gave up!
The Elks menu was excellent this evening.
They had a special drink menu, and of course we tried so—the Lemon Drop Martini. A Lemon Drop Martini is a sweet-tart vodka cocktail made with lemon juice and sugar. It’s usually served chilled in a martini glass, often with a sugared rim.
Typical ingredients:
Vodka
Fresh lemon juice
Triple sec or Cointreau
Simple syrup or sugar
The Lemon Dop kid!
It looked so good I had to try it, so bottoms up (I am talking about the martini!)
Burp Slurp!
Mary went for the Blackberry Mule in the copper cup! To make a drink a “mule,” you add ginger beer and lime, which are what generally make it a Mule. She ordered it because it sounded like a sophisticated farm animal.
Mary took one sip, blinked twice, and whispered, “This tastes like a berry kicked me in the tongue.” Paul, meanwhile, was happily guarding his Lemon Drop like treasure.
Mary smiled sweetly, swapped glasses while Paul was not looking, and took a victorious gulp. “Hey!” Paul cried. “That’s mine!” Mary shrugged. Consider it a public service. Your drink needed rescuing.” Paul tasted her Mule, coughed, and nodded. Fine. But next time, rescue me first.” Robin laughed and admired Mary’s quick actions!
Just us having fun!
Mary’s selection of drinks gave me a chance to try new things. Tonight’s Mule could also be used as paint remover! I finished it off anyway!
Mary tried the Blackberry Mule.
Ronnie took the stage, and the dance music began. Ronnie always plays a couple of waltzes just for us, so we made a few laps around the dance floor, letting our meals settle!
Then Ronnie announced that “Paul will now lead the Hokey Pokey”. What could I do but, with the help of my trusty sidekick Mary, go to every table and enlist participants for the dance of the evening.
Ronnie had me do the Hokey Pokey this evening.
Off we went with a group of 25 “older adults” putting things in and then putting things out and then shaking them all about, followed by hands in the air, fingers shaking, and turning ourselves around.
The history of the Hokey Pokey—also known in the UK and some Commonwealth countries as the Hokey Cokey—is a little tangled, because several people and traditions claim a role in its creation.
The basic idea is simple: dancers stand in a circle, put body parts “in” and “out,” shake them, and turn around. Similar participatory circle dances existed before the modern song, but the familiar version became popular in the mid-20th century.
In the United States, the song is often associated with Larry LaPrise, who said he helped create it in the 1940s as entertainment for skiers in Idaho. He later recorded it with the Ram Trio, helping spread it widely. However, other American songwriters also claimed earlier versions, and there were copyright disputes over who truly wrote it.
In the United Kingdom, the dance is usually called the Hokey Cokey. A well-known British version was published around the 1940s and is associated with songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, though the phrase and dance may have circulated informally before that.
As for the phrase itself, its origin is uncertain. Some have suggested links to old magic words like “hocus pocus,” while others see it as nonsense language meant to sound playful and rhythmic.
By the 1950s, the Hokey Pokey/Hokey Cokey had become a staple at children’s parties, weddings, school events, skating rinks, and community dances. Its popularity comes from being easy, silly, and inclusive: anyone can join in, and no real dance skill is required.
So, in short: the Hokey Pokey likely grew out of older circle-dance traditions, took recognizable form in the 1940s, and became internationally popular through recordings, parties, and group events.
After a few dances, we headed home to float around in the pool under the stars and continue solving the world’s problems.
A dip in the pool was required.
After the swim, we headed to the TV Room and attempted to watch the movie “Arthur,” but alas, none of us made it without falling off to sleep. It was a good day! Robin was able to capture an image of Miss Grace, who graced us with her presence; apparently she liked the movie also!
Today is empty! I was out and about at 8:00 am, delivering a kitty-poo-poo to the vet and then to Home Depot to get some odds and ends.g
By the time I got home, Mary’s beans were ready to go. These beans are special as they came right from our backyard last year. Mary and I shelled them from several bean plants, so the beans are a good mix.
It’s a lot of work, but very satisfying to dine on your own food!
I ate my beans as my father taught me, warm on a nice piece of bread. To make matters better, Mary brought out orange jello complete with mandarin orange slices inside. YUMMY!!
After breakfast, Mary went into a movie that was not quite my cup of tea, so I mossied into the office and set up a small program that will randomly select a “Good Morning” image from a set of 400 that I have collected. Now I have to put a small piece of code on every daily diary entry, and voilà, a random image pops up!
It was warm outside, so we stayed inside after 10:30 am. Before that, we did some minor gardening activities.
Inside, we did some work with Mary going upstairs and straightening up the storage closet with my assistance. Miss Grace wanted to go into the closet, but we shooed her away!
GO, get’um girl!
We worked until about 3:00 pm and then got ready for tonight’s dinner with the Liles, celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary!
Joe, Amy, and Alex popped in around 5:30 pm, and we visited for a bit before embarking on the long and arduous 1.5-mile journey up the mountain to the Orange County Mining Company.
Joe drove the van, which made it easy for everyone to fit comfortably and, more importantly, gave the van a rare opportunity to get out of the house and see what the rest of the world has been up to. It seemed to appreciate the change of scenery, although it declined to comment.
After being seated, I pointed the camera toward Amy and got the “Amy Look”! That is one order less severe than the “Mom Look!”
Amy
Joe was Joe, always fun to be with and always a story to tell!! We talked about the past, and those things that NEVER REALLY HAPPENED were sure a lot of fun!!!
Alex was with us this evening, always a joy to be around. Charlie is still at work at the summer camp but will return Sunday evening. We tried to get Alex to order a tomahawk steak again, but he decided on something smaller, a baby elephant.
Alex
Alex did go for the Mud Slide dessert and polished it off with ease. Mary and I shared the Mud Slide, but alas, we could not finish it off.
The Mud Slide could bury a small car with ease!
We enjoyed being with each other (and talking about Colleen, Robin, and Michele). They put us at the back of the restaurant when they saw us come in. Next time we will disguise Joe so we can get better seats!
The whole fam damily!
Time to dress up!
We dined and looked out the window, seeing the Sun slowly set in the west. Palos Verdes is in the distance, and on a clear day, one can see downtown Los Angeles.
The Mining Company has a great spot on the hill!!
The kids headed home after a short visit, claiming they had chores to do to get ready for tomorrow — which sounded suspiciously responsible. Amy still has some extra work to do getting her classroom ready for the first day of school on Monday, because apparently classroomsdon’tt magically organize themselves over the summer. Rude.
92 degrees, the world’s best sleeping pill!!!
May and I, however, chose a more advanced strategy: we went VFR direct to the pool and spent a couple of hours floating around like highly qualified aquatic retirees. At one point, I caught myself yawning mid-float, which seemed like a clear signal from my body that I had reached peak relaxation and should proceed immediately to bed before I accidentally fell asleep and became a pool noodle.
“Let me see into the future! Maybe if I rub it!”
We walked around for 90 minutes!
The show is about to start!!
Alex was with us this evening, always a joy to be around. Charlie is still at work at the summer camp but will return Sunday evening. We tried to get Alex to order a tomahawk steak again, but he decided on something smaller, a baby elephant.
