Happy Halloween - updated

Just thought I'd post a quick costume picture for kicks.

Marge taking on work at the firm.

 More to come later!

Ok, so later wasn't supposed to be this much later, but it happens.

Marge turned out to be quite a hit a work.  I won the award for Most Original Costume and was told by many that I was robbed of the Best Overall Costume.  I didn't have any intention of competing based on last year's awkwardness, but I had nothing to lose and figured it was a good sign that people were dropping by my office to see my costume from various floors in our office.  I was a little nervous driving to work in costume and not seeing a single person dressed up, but I figured screw it, its one day a year, I'm rockin it!

Jackson was mighty agreeable with his costume this year, even though it was a little weak.  When answering the door for trick-or-treaters many thought he was cute, but couldn't decide if he was the shark or was being eaten by one.  I think the intent was that he was being eaten, but the outfit missed the mark.

Before little ghosts and goblin's arrived  Jonathan had the creative idea for using one of the pumpkin buckets to add a little Halloween flair to our porch light.  The buckets were used to protect the agave in the walk way, and luckily they worked pretty well.  I was a little, old-lady-like, when yelling out the window for people to not cross in the yard since I didn't want people destroying or getting hurt on our cactus.  And yes, that was the appropriate order of my concerns.  However, a majority of monsters did a good job of using the obvious walkway.  


This was the first year we actually ran out of candy and had to do a quick candy run. I didn't expect the easy going "that's ok" responses from the unlucky few who knocked when we were out of candy, but appreciated the positive attitude.  Jackson was a bit exhausted by the end of the evening, but did a great job letting lots of little kid hands pet and pat his head after getting their candy.

Till next year!!

Ales on Rails

This past weekend Jonathan and I headed out of town to indulge in a break from the norm and experience the Ales on Rails event on the Verde Canyon Railroad.  Even though we spent just over a day away from Phoenix, the railroad trip with its lovely scenery, tasty micro-brews and the freedom it provided from house projects and work, was a much needed getaway! (trip photos can be seen in the slide show on the right)

After loading the beach cruisers into the truck and dropping Jackson off at his buddy's house down the street we headed North to the Verde Valley.  We were staying in a bed and breakfast, because for some reason I thought it fitting for the weekend adventure.  By the time we arrived in Cottonwood we were two hours past the "preferred" check in time so we decided to check in and set our stuff down in our room before heading out to dinner.  The room was an ok size, but it was literally a bed, in a room, nothing more.  Much to my displeasure, and despite what I thought I read on the website, we did not have a private bathroom and instead shared one with the guests in the room next to us, who by the way, we could hear through their door.

Cottonwood is a strange town, in fact its more like the convergence of one highway to another, bringing to life small communities of double-wides on large land plots, fast food chains, grocery stores, and a small, strangely remote downtown.  We enjoyed an authentic Mexican dinner and obligatory mini-vacation-margarita at El Torreo before heading back to the B&;B for a little cable TV surfing before bed.

The next morning we got started with a lukewarm shower, strike 2 for this place, and headed to the very disappointing breakfast service.  I have not stayed in too many bed-and-breakfasts, but for the love of cheese and rice, put some effort into the service!  Not one item, besides the bagel you toasted yourself, if you so chose, was hot.  I wasn't really there to fill up on breakfast as I had some Oktoberfest lunch plans in mind, but still a bit disappointing.  I also realized just how much I don't necessarily care for the company of non-family chatty Cathy's during breakfast.  I don't mind a little banter, but sally-non-stop had a one-up story for everything and could not seem to appreciate the beauty of a silent moment.  I felt a hint of awkwardness while I crunched on my seemingly deafening, fibertastic dry cereal as she talked at me, but I quickly relinquished any guilt and enjoyed the noise of my cereal replacing that of her voice. I sure sound pretty curmudgeonly, but lesson learned, bed and breakfast with strangers may not be my cup of tea.

Leaving breakfast with a bit of haste, we mounted our cruisers and cycled to the downtown district.  Despite the "bike friendly community" signs along our route, which usually indicate a bike lane, we opted to ride on the sidewalk that contained what seemed like an obscene abundance of driveways instead of ride on the highway. Once down town we racked our bikes and headed for some real coffee.  We apparently managed to get to town before nearly every shop owner but came across a few open shops to meander through.  Despite one shop's plethora of items we managed to walk away without any new whirligigs for our house, an accomplishment indeed.  Back on the bikes we had about 2 miles to go before we reached the train station.

For a little backstory, when I ride my cruiser, I tend to feel like I imagine Kermit felt as he pedaled along singing his Kermit song.  However there are times, like on this ride, when I feel more akin to a slightly naive hipster. Facing 3 waves of hills I shifted into my 2nd of 3 gears and smiled at the people driving by in the opposite direction as they craned their necks to witness my hamster wheelesque peddling. Silly out-of-towners.

Before we sat down to enjoy some brews, brauts and sauerkraut, we walked into the ticket/tourist shop to pick up our pre-purchased tickets.  I provided my last name, as well as alternatives starting with an S, a K, or an H, or an R (Rupp has happened before) and they still could not find our tickets.  Turned out, the B&B we were staying with is notorious for not ordering the tickets requested and paid for by their customers.  Insert aggressive grumble. Thanks to the impressive customer service by the rail tour company, within a short amount of time we were able to secure another set of first class tickets and headed back to the courtyard for lunch.

Its really amazing how a great husband, lovely weather, tasty food and an adult beverage can wash away any notions of rage.  I mean look at that face, how could I stay flustered? 
 
 

Once loaded into the Sedona car, we enjoyed our complementary champagne while we listened to the summary of our trip, as well as the car's bar specials and complementary food service.  Our route would be a 40 mile round trip ride through national forest land, turning around in Perkinsville. The pace was moderate and the scenery was gorgeous.  We were not expecting fall colors seeing that Cottonwood is still more desert landscape than not, but the valley with its groves of cottonwoods, flowing river, bright red rocks and cloud free blue skies was absolutely stunning.   From our car we walked though the Phoenix car to reach and enjoy the outdoor car. This car was hosted by a rather entertaining guide who pointed out various rock formations including 3 monkeys, two frogs, and a gargoyle, to name a few.  He also took great joy in playing photographer and describing some of the local wildlife.  I appreciated his style because he was witty and informative but not overwhelming or smothering.   

                                  






The slide show to the right contains photos of the various rock formations however I included one of the more interesting formations to the right and below.  This cave about half way up the side of a mountain displays a face, thought by the natives to protect the cave. When I first saw the cave, the face I saw was that of a feline which is circled in the photo directly below. Whereas when Jonathan saw the cave, see the photo on the right, he saw the human face which was the face that was being pointed out. Oh perception, you fickle beast.

 When we reached Perkinsvile the Engine passed us by in a loop to reconnect to what was previously the caboose, for our trip back to the station.  As the engine passed our outdoor car they handed off a tasty treat of ice cream sandwiches for all interested customers.  We spent a majority of our trip back in the open car but settled in our seats for a bit before arriving at the station.  After debarking the train we prepared to ride what I was expecting to be a semi challenging ride back to the B&B but thankfully it turned out to be a much easier ride on the way back than it was on the way there.

           

Seeing that there was really no redeeming quality to staying another night (soft bed, bad breakfast, no private bathroom, and bland fellow guests) we opted to drive back to Phoenix much to the delight of Jackson and the kitties. Despite some disappointments in our lodging we had a wonderful trip and will certainly be back for another train adventure with family or visiting friends.

Minor victory

It had been 4 weeks since I originally ordered my Obama sign, but finally this Sunday I was able to improve the look of our block. Just hours after placing the sign, someone driving by stopped and called out his appreciation of the newly placed yard decor.  I stopped washing the Mini for a moment and we chatted briefly, both expressing the need for some Obama signage on our Romney smothered street.  Go Obama Go!

Unfortunately, just the other day another Republican sign popped up along our neighbor's property line but thankfully our front palm, complete with accented Halloween ghosts, does a pretty good job of blocking it from the public's view. Falling head first into the political signage rat race I may pick up another sign this week, just to keep things even. 

Hoot! for cupcakes

 I knew better, but I managed to do it again.  Too long had I waited to pick up the adorable little owl cake pans at World Market and now they were fresh out.  The next order would not be arriving until January.  This too long delayed delivery was not going to meet my immediate, albeit silly, need for owl-cake-pan-purchase gratification. When I asked if any other stores carried the item they located the last two in the state at a store about 20 miles down the road. 

I admitted defeat, or at least about 75% defeat and made my way home.  As the night went on I could stop thinking about those two remaining pans.  I dialed up the aforementioned World Market and set them aside for pick up the next day.  Heck, even gave me an excuse to leave work early so I could avoid the nasty Northbound traffic to pick up my pans.

While paying for my coveted bake-ware I chatted with the cashier who informed me that they had just come off of being put on hold for someone who neglected to retrieve them when I called about them.  Nice score!

Since October apparently is code month for canned pumpkin aplenty, I opted to use the pans for pumpkin cupcakes.  The Barefoot Contessa's recipe, as expected, was perfect. (see below). I have yet to make anything from one of her recipes that has not been fantastic.

I used a cream cheese frosting, which I can't say is ideal for decorating, but seeing that they were not on display and would soon be in our bellies I really wasn't too concerned with the artistic appearance : )

Delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes by The Barefoot Contessa:

Makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients for the Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins (I use a level 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.  (side note, in case you decided to buy one, I only cooked mine for 16 minutes)

Hall of Fame Induction + Mobile

With our St. Paul's  embossed invitations in hand Jonathan, Sandy, Carolyn and I made our way to Jonathan's hall of fame induction at St. Paul's E.E. Delany Field.  Brian met up with us before we headed inside the gates and while Jonathan joined his fellow inductees before the ceremony, the rest of us found a well positioned place to sit and observe the ceremony. The ceremony recognized athletic and academic excellence achieved throughout high school continuing into college, and also recognized current day professional success.  Check out the video for Jonathan's announcement.   Achievements in all of the sports were recognized with some students participating in multiple spots during their high school career. 

 We departed the field just prior to the start of the game, but not before I could make a few crowed observations. Most of the high-school-going-on-30-year-old girls were dressed in their heals and skimpy little dresses, while the boys, yes I said "boys" donned their classy blue blazers and slacks.  Oh the south, how you continue to amaze. Certainly not the image of a crowd you would find at one of my home town high school football games. My gawking at their tradition, most likely matches their gawking at my tattoos.

Boiled peanuts, a southern thing for sure.

                                             

Not sure why I'm looking so smug, but everyone else looks great!

The next day Jonathan got up at dark-o-clock, some time around 5 AM or before, to head out on a fishing adventure with his dad and his fishing buddy, Steve. I, on the other hand,  took the excuse of being so far from home to break routine and sleep in. After enjoying some coffee as well as a lovely chat with Carolyn, we took care of a few errands, attempting to avoid the occasional downpour without much luck.  When we returned home, we sat down for lunch and heard all about the day's fish catching, lake touring adventures from Sandy and Jonathan.  Later on Carolyn made a scrumptious sweet potato cheese cake complete with a home made pound cake crust, as well as some tasty stuffed eggplants for the dinner we had planned with Sandy's fishing buddy and his wife.  Jonathan and I joined the post catch routine and enjoyed a feast of fried fish, crab, fried okra, veggies, pearl couscous, and of course that delightful sweet potato cheese cake.  Delicious!

Sunday turned out to be quite the gray and rainy day, which as desert dwellers, Jonathan and I appreciated.  Sometimes its just plain refreshing to see so much moisture!  We made the best of our day by hitting up few antique shops before breaking for a tasty pizza lunch, then continuing on our antique/vintage shopping adventure.  We did a pretty good job of stimulating the economy with each person finding a few items to bring home.  I made out with some jewelry, a vintage bag that Jonathan found for me, as well as some cookware/glassware.  Jonathan found an art deco fixture for our guest bath that would have been about 4 times the Mobile price had he found it in PHX.  He also found a fantastic sprinkler, I don't know the specifics but it was a solid piece of machinery, to which I vetoed, seeing that we don't have a lawn.  Sandy, no doubt delighted by my veto, purchased the sprinkler, touting its sprinkler glory to the point of displaying its sprinkler prowess amid the continuing rain. I'll admit it was a very nice sprinkler and I do have a twinge of guilt for my veto, but again... we do not have a single lawn to sprinkle!

George vs iPhone4s 

Hello George.

Sunday night we went out with Brian and I experienced my usual dose of "you're not from around here" southern charm.  Thanks to living with Jonathan and visiting Mobile, I've been introduced to food/meals I had never known about growing up in California. With that said, I know what turnips are, and I know what turnip greens are, so when we were checking out the menu at the fish restaurant on the bay I was a little thrown by the menu item "turnips". Not wanting to assume anything I thought, just maybe, they prepared the starchy turnip instead of the greens.  The not so stone face look of disgust at my "how do you prepare the turnips" let me know right away the menu was simply missing the "greens". I laughed before mentioning my California upbringing, which only dug the hole deeper, and tried to express that I knew what turnip greens were, but the menu says... Her entertaining mockery ended with a sample serving of greens that very much met the approval of everyone at the table. After she brought us our food I joked that at least I hadn't ordered a salad with the dressing on the said to which she recounted a recent group of women asking to find out the "light" dressing options.  Her response to these ladies, "we got Ranch, Blue Cheese, Thousand island..." Funny waitress lady.   I can honestly say that each trip to Mobile has included at least one instance of getting a menu item wrong, or being mocked for not being from the south, or getting dirty looks for mispronouncing the word "pecan".  A lovely place to visit, but they might run me out on a rail if I tried to live there.

Charlie

Our trip home was thankfully on time and uneventful.  Both Jackson and the kitties were very delighted to see us, despite their kitty judgements of the other cats we'd obviously spent time with while in Mobile.