Shoes!

                  This morning...more flowers, more yardwork...Kimmy's garden is making progress!!  I put in some more portulacas on our front porch, in the St. Francis bird bath and added a pot of them beneath the olive tree...'deadheading'...Kim hated to dead head flowers and now I know why - I began this process, this morning and it takes time...but, she swore by it, to make the garden look pretty and to make more flowers grow.

                  But, no dirty feet in the shower (thank you God for these cleansing waters...)!!!

                  Here we are, at the bottom of the 5 flights of stairs we will race up to see Angie...wearing sneakers!!  Much easier to run the stairs in sneakers...but, despite my improved foot gear, Autumn won the race...

                 In the hallway, I spotted one of the RN's, Will, who had inpsired Kim and who had worked very hard to keep Kim comfortable during her stay.  I found out he was Angie's nurse that day and he said she was doing great and should be able to go home Saturday.  Will likes to ride through Fantasy Island,  the rugged desert bike trail near our house, and we exchanged numbers to see if he, Cody and I could go out there and tear it up one day! 

               It was nice to know Will was taking care of Angie...Autumn and Tonio accompanied me to come and say hi...Autumn noticed right away that Angie's room was right across the hall from where Mama stayed - she thought that was nice.  Angie had a gallery of nice artwork from her Grandkids and we ran into Kristie, Kim, Mario and their little ones while we were there.  It was a good visit, good to see Angie healing.  Good to put behind more ghosts...

             When we left, we raced down the stairs, heading for the basement.  Autumn was interested in getting something to eat from their cafeteria...!  She's so funny.  Anyway, on the way down, the bambini hootin' and hollerin' (great acoustics in the stairways!), they passed Dr. Atkinson, who had taken out Kim's gallbladder and discovered the cancer in her liver.  I stopped and talked to him - he said people still talk about Kim nearly every day and the impact she had on their lives.  I let him know that we think of him, and the other Dr's, nurses, techs, etc, who made a difference for Kim and us - you know, you want to visit these good people - only, the hospital isn't one of those places that is conducive for visiting those who not only aren't sick, but who are working hard to help the sick!  We talked about cheesesteaks.  Remember, he is from Bristol, Pa, north Philadelphia, where my Dad grew up...

            Down in the basement, Autumn loaded up on potatoes and then we headed back out into the sunshine...the bambini smiling, joking, saying it was good to see Angie and they were glad she was doing well...

           Prayers work kids - I told them.  Sometimes they may not seem to, but they do...and they nodded their sweet little heads in agreement, their eyes never leaving mine, searching my eyes for smiles...

            Love,

                      Dave

          

5th Floor St. Joseph's

          I woke early today...and worked in Kimmy's garden...adding a bougevalia and a 'monkey bush' or yellow trumpet bush...
          As I showered (thank you Lord for these refreshing waters running over me....), I realized how dirty my feet were...how'd they get so dirty?? 
         Stairs.  I went back to St. Joseph's yesterday, slipping in a little used side door that I had found when Kim was being taken care of on the 5th floor - able to avoid the main entrance, where I had left her parked in her wheel chair one morning, while I went to park the car, coming back to find her praying with Monsignor Tom - beamining, revitalized...with hope.
         I prepared to run up the 5 flights of stairs, glanced down....damn.  Flip flops.  Two days in a row...what was I thinking?  I ran one flight in them before kicking them off and doing the final four bare foot.
       A little winded at the top, I opened the door and entered the 5th floor waiting room...and time stopped...I couldn't remember the day or immediately why I was there or what room I was going to as I glided down the hallway...remembering...
       I came across Jesse, one of the wonderful techs who was incredibly helpful to Kim and our family - always doing extra, without being asked - making the bambini laugh, bringing them ice cream and drinks...he embraced me, asked me how I was doing...and I asked 'how is she?'...'how is who?' perplexed...
       And I was back.  I explained that I was here to see Angie and that she had her knee replaced.  He told me she was doing great!  And walked me to her room.
       I noticed it was directly across the hallway from Kim's room...
      
      Angie is doing great.  She's one of those hardworking, optimistic, non-complaining types...and it was a relief to see her.  They had strapped her knee into this boot looking apparatus that auto excercised her knee.  As it came towards her body, she would grimace, ever so slightly....'OK?'...she would smile and nod.  Her daughter Kristie was there with her little ones, Trinity and Richie and they were wonderful to watch, making me realized that I missed the bambini.
       It was the first time in several weeks that I was without them and I missed them.  As I sat there visiting with Angie, I remembered the days visiting with Kim.  I would miss the kids so badly while I visited with her, losing all track of day, time, missing meals...until Angie or one of her daughters would walk in with a meal for me...
      So it was nice that Kristie's little ones were there today.  The bambini were being taken care of by our friends Monique and Joe, who kept them fed and had them swimming all day...

      It was nice to sit there visiting with Angie and Kristie, knowing that Angie was healthy and her doctors feeling that she was doing great.  And she may get to come home today. Thank God. I vowed that when I visited her, I would make sure to be wearing sneakers, to better run the stairs.  And by the end of my visit, I felt comfortable with the 5th floor.  At peace... Those wonderful nurses and techs comforting so many....
      
          Love,
                  Dave

    

The Third Floor...St. Joseph's...

          "We taking the stairs Dad?"  Is there any other way?  We looked at our feet...flip flops.  What the hell were we thinking?  Flip flops are not exactly great stair running shoes, yet, we knew we had to make the best of things...it's become our way, along our new journey...and up we went...only three flights, but, I was winded - it's been awhile...

           Today, Angie had knee surgery.  I told her I'd be in that 3rd floor waiting room, where I had been so many times while Kimmy was in surgery, praying for her.  Autumn insisted that she wanted to come, too.  "Wake me up, Daddy, I will pray with you for Angie." she told me as she got ready for bed near midnight last night.  The only thing I couldn't decide, as I tucked her in, was which rosary to bring...and the thought entered my mind, before I could stop it "especially since, none of them seemed to work, for Kim"...I work hard each day to block out thoughts like that.  Unproductive thoughts...they aren't 'functional' as Kim would have joked.  They just bring the darkness... And besides, I knew that the prayers would help - I've come to believe that God does answer all of our prayers...it's just that, sometimes the answer is 'no'.

           I woke Aut at 6:30 and we snuck out...driving the same route we did 100 years ago when we would be racing to see Kim.  As we looked for parking, in the garage, "I Need a Dr" came on the Ipod...Kimmy's sweet voice, haunting me...The security guard in the garage, had to steer me towards the stairs...I told him I hadn't had any coffee yet..
          We hit the top of the stairs, entering the 3rd floor waiting room...across the room, my eyes saw Mark, already sitting there, but, my mind was looking over his shoulder, to that spot where Dr. Atkinson had met me following Kim's gall bladder surgery and explained to me that he had found cancer...sending me spiralling, as the room swirled and turned...
          ...and then I was back.  We sat with Mark, Janene and Kristie - and the mood was much lighter than when they all had been there to sit with me and support me and pray for Kim when she was having her sugeries - we were able to talk, laugh and drink coffee (and have Breakfast Jacks - thanks Kristie!).  It was good to be in the presence of such positive people, and although I cringed each time the phone rang, jarring another memory, I felt that I was putting to rest the waiting room demons that sometimes plague me. It took about two hours, but, sure enough, Dr. Dixon came out smiling.  He told us that Angie had absolutely no cartiledge left in her knee!  But that he felt the surgery went well.  We all smiled, too.  The prayers had worked.  I had chosen a rosary made from rose petals, that our friends, Ursula and Sam had brought back from the Vatican, today...and the answer was 'yes'.

           Autumn insisted that we go into ICU to say hi to Dr. McCarten, the Dr. in charge of ICU who was so inspirational to our family and worked tirelessly to save Kimmy, and Deborah and Vivian, who work on that ward, too.  We found Dr. McCarten, who warmly welcomed us and found that it was Deb's day off and that Vivian was covering up on the 4th floor of the Women's Center, where Kim had convalesced following her gall bladder surgery.  As we made our way up there, we ran into Wendy, the hospital chaplain, who took us on a quicker, back route to find Vivian.  She was happy to see us...
           Wendy led us back to the elevator, where we said our goodbyes...as the elevator door opened, a lady asked us 'are you coming on board?'...Autumn and I looked at each other and both said at the same time "no thank you, we're taking the stairs!"  and bolted.

           We sat out front, on a stone bench near the statue of St Joseph's for awhile, talking, reflecting. We were both a little emotionally spent, after our 3 hour visit. The stairs hadn't changed.  The waiting room still held it's memories of those desparate days.  But, today, we were able to leave feeling relieved.  Happy.  Wishing Angie a speedy recovery!

               Love,
                    Dave

Breakers Water Park

              We've always loved a good water park - Dorney Park built a great one.  Wild Water Kingdom.  Disney World had River Country, back in the day.  When we moved to Tucson, we liked to go to Breakers.
                There was one summer, where, we would go out to Breakers once a week.  We only had Cody and Autumn.  And Autumn was so little, we had to keep her in the little kiddee section...Kim would pack a nice lunch, like a big sandwhich, snacks and drinks for us all and we would spend the whole day there soaking up the sun and letting the bambini enjoy splashing in the water.
                Some times, Kim and I would get to go down the raft ride together - her laughing the whole way down and me just enjoying the sound of her laughter.  And, other times, we'd sit together at the edge of the wave pool, letting the wave rush over us, keeping us cool and watching Cody and Autumn play.
                The times we went, the bambini were so little, or could not swim, so we spent a great deal of time in the kiddee zone...taking turns with Cody on the bigger slides and tube rides.  And holding onto the kids as we ventured into the wave pool.
                 I remembered it all today, as we took the bambini out to Breakers with us.  Brendon slept over at our house last night.  He and Cody played Guitar Hero until the wee hours of the morning.  I went to bed after 1 and they were still going strong!  We met Janene and her kids, Bryson and Brad's kids,  Taylor and Tanner there around 10 and Karen, Kallie and Matt met us there soon after.
                Janene smuggled in many snacks and drinks for the kids, to keep them going...and the kids had so much fun riding all of the different slides and tube rides.  Janene, Karen and I sat in the surf, keeping cool and relaxing.

                   The wave pool, so cool and relaxing letting the waves run your over...

                       Cody enters the pool at the bottom of the tube ride.

                   Here comes Tonio!  His first ride down the slides!!  He was hooked!

             
                I was so proud of him.  He quickly oriented himself, gathered up his mat and raced for the top to do it all over again!!.

                               Bryson and Tonio enjoy the double tube, as Janene and Karen pull them through the wave pool.

                   Tonio's the tiny speck at the bottom of this killer slide...

                  Here comes Janene's step -daughter, Taylor, racing down the slide!

   Check out this video of Cody cruising down this slide!  He actually gets air for a brief moment, before reconnecting with  the water and having a great slide!

             And Autumn!  Oh my gosh, last July, when Kim and I took the bambini, we had to literally be with Autumn and Tonio the entire time...this year, they can swim and had so much fun exploring the freedom being able to swim brings...I still can't believe they both went down this slide, and here is Aut cruising down!!   I almost had to hide my eyes, fearing she would fly off of this thing...but who would have taped her then?

              Thanks so much Janene, for setting up this fun filled day for us....!

                             Love,
                                    Dave
PS, and right now, only Autumn and I are awake to say goodnight to Mama...but, Autumn points out, there are clouds covering the Big Dipper...'but they sure are pretty', she told me...

Reid Park Zoo

          The elephant habitat is the focal point as you approach the zoo via 22nd st...you cannot miss it.  They've erected a large, metal piece of elephant-like art work on the corner, marking the edge of the project.  Each week, you can see the progress being made and the bambini are anxious to see the completed work.  They remember that their Mama was a part of the petitions and drive to keep our elephants.  Kim thought they were an integral addition to our zoo and did not want to see them go.  And, she was able to help this project grow legs - she was so excited when the effort won passage and the funds had been secured to build the elephant's a new home that would satisfy the latest requirements for elephants in capacity.  The Philadelphia Zoo couldn't even keep their elephants - Kim was ecstatic to have been a part of the winning effort to keep ours in Tucson!
            This morning, we said we'd meet everyone around 9ish at the zoo entrance...Karen joked 'does that mean I leave my hotel at 9?'  Exactly.  However, the morning was tricky and soon, it was 9:30 and I was just leaving to pick up Lexy and Breanna from Mario...we detoured, briefly, for breakfast jack's at Jack in the Box...and coffee for me, and made it to the zoo by 10:00 - but, we pulled in just as Janene and Kristie were unloading...Karen and Betsey were already camped out in front of the zoo.
          Between us, we had 14 kids, ready to get into that zoo and to see some animals...the tiger exhibit was empty, with a crew working on the fencing...it looked as though a tiger or two had broken free...The girls always move quickly to get to the giraffes, one of Kim's favorite stopping points.  We made it in time to feed the giraffes.  Each child got a handful of carrots from a long time zoo employee, Jed.  After they made their way in, I introduced myself to Jed - reminding him of a time, at least five years ago, where my family came to feed the giraffes, Kimmy leading the way and getting there moments late.  Jed saw the dissappointment on Kimmy's face and the bambini and told us, 'follow me'.  He proceeded to take us behind the scenes to the polar bear home, and we were able to pet the polar bear through the chain link fence.  Next, we went to the backdoor of the rhino habitat, where he had the kids feed the rhinos and showed them how to pet them on their horns.  It was an incredible experience we've never forgotten.  Jed was thankful that I took the time to remind him of that day...    

                         The giraffe nips at Tonio's head...Breanna Autumn and Lexy enjoyed feeding the giraffes!
                       The kids lingered at the polar bear exhibit, as the huge bear put on quite a show for us today, stomping around the rock area of his home and then plunging into the waters right in front of the protective glass that the kids stood behind. 
                       As it got hotter, we sought shelter in the zoo's little water park.  I think the kids would have stayed there all day if we had let them!

                     There are fountains and sprinklers in this area and it sure helped to cool the kids off and keep them going for the second half of the zoo.  The otters sure were frisky today!

             Trinity, Taylor and Lexy got their faces painted like giraffes at the zoo school!
             It's such a great zoo, just the right size, nice exhibits with good variety of animals, plenty of shade for these hot days...and they had each other, to enjoy and to laugh and to make a great memory...the kids had a super time today...
            Love,
                    Dave
           
           
         

Sabino Canyon

            We found ourselves back at Sabino Canyon today, taking our friend, Karen and her children, Kallie and Matt on the tram ride up into the canyon...
           It was already smoking hot when we met there at 9:30.  Karen coming from the far southwest side of town (she has a timeshare at Starr Pass) and us coming from the southeast side of Tucson...we had agreed to meet at 9...I've briefed Karen on 'southwest' time, and she has already mastered it, as we beat her there!

          Today, you could ride the tram the 4 miles into the canyon, but not disembark to explore the surrounding trails and pools, due to the raging fires in our state.  They have decided to be proactive and not let anyone go trapsing through the canyon, willy nilly, building campfires and such.  I quietly put my barrage of lighters away, so as not to attract attention to myself...

                Autumn took the pictures of our trip that I am posting...beginning with this deer, who revealed itself to us as we sat and waited for our tram to arrive.  You know it must be a very dry summer, for the deer to appear at the tram starting point!

         Kim and I had visited Sabino Canyon many, many times over the years we lived here...we would bring in a cooler with sandwhiches and drinks and spend the day, hiking, swimming and just enjoying each other's company.  When we did take the tram, they used to describe this rock outcropping as 'Geronimo's Face'...today, in a more politically correct world, our tram driver told us this rock formation was called 'the winking guy'...seriously.  Pretty weak, eh?

               Anderson's Dam was are all time, favorite spot to picnic, swim and work on our tans.  I can't even tell you how many times Kim and I ended up right here, especially when we lived in the apartments at Tanque Verde and Dos Hombres.  There is usually a waterfall, cascading down the center of this rock formation and a deep, cooling pool awaiting below...today, it was rock and sand....

            The driver let us get out for 5 minutes at the top of the canyon!  Here's Matt, Tonio, Cody, Autumn, Kallie and Karen...
            It was baking hot...already close to 100 as we rode up into the canyon, and just over 100 when we finished.  The bambini shrieked to go swimming with Karen and kids...we went back to her Starr Pass time share and they had a large pool to enjoy. 
          And, when we made it over there, it was topping 106 degrees!

                     These two hawks amazed and delighted us today, as they foraged right next to the table we chose in the shade near the pool!  The male is in the tree and the female on the ground, in the grass.  A rep from the Desert Museum even stopped by to talk to Kallie and Autumn and to observe the hawks.                       The temp hit 107 today...but it's a dry heat!

                                Love,
                                      Dave         
                                      
           

Philly Cheesesteak Burrito...seriously

         Over the years, I've tried to find a 'perfect' Philly cheesesteak, outside of Philly, and have come close (Frankie's over on Campbell, Daglio's on Pantano)...and, I've always counseled friends NOT to choose to buy a Philly cheesesteak when we are out to eat at a place like Village Inn - or one time, we were at some steak house in Dallas and a guy that I worked with at Toys R Us, Ed Reeves, asked me "Dave, think I should try the Philly Cheesesteak?"  No Ed, it will be horrible.  He did not listen.  And I was right.
        And I'm OK that I cannot find that Pat's or Geno's caliber cheesesteak.  I've come to appreciate what I have here - chile rellenos - you kiddin me?  Or any Mexican food, for that matter.  I really don't need another Philly cheesesteak, truth be told.
        So when Filaberto's, a local Mexican fast food chain put up a Philly Cheesesteak poster several months ago...I ignored it.  But each time we went there, my curiosity grew.  And grew.  Today, I broke.  I went against every bit of advice I've ever handed out.  And I know in the case of the cheesesteak, my advice has never been wrong....yet, there I was, with Cody today at Filaberto's for lunch.  When the lady asked me what I wanted, I ordered Cody the rolled tacos, and then, I heard - out of MY MOUTH, as if I had aboslutely no control, as if I had lost every last marble - over the rainbow - 'I'll have the Philly cheesesteak burrito!'...
         I was wrong.  This thing was great!  It had grilled onions and peppers.  And provolone cheese (sorry Cheez Whiz fanatics...there was NO Cheez Whiz when the cheesesteak was invented by Pat and Harry Olivieri back in the 1930...it was not invented until 1952 and didn't really catch on until the mid to late 80's...I was already in college and had eaten so many provolone covered cheesesteaks by that time).  Now, in my opinion, that burrito is a great combination of the real Philly cheesesteak mixed with Mexican food...

           Oh, and Cody and I had a nice lunch together, while the little bambini went swimming with our friend Tammy.  And here's the little dare devil going down the slide...head first!  They had a lot of fun...
          After lunch, just for fun, I took my last real estate course I needed to renew my license.  You must complete 24 credit hours of continuing education to keep your license every two years.  I completed my credits with full 30 days to go!  And scored a 96% on my final exam.
         
             Tonight, we went to Fuddrucker's, for Angie's daughter, Kristie's and Kristie's daughter, Trinity's, birthday celebrations...we pretty much took up their whole front room.  I lost count at 30.  I got to be talking to Mark, about the world today, etc...and Mark told me, his personal philosphy is that you need to surround yourself with postive people.  Supportive people - to be happy these days...I had to point out the irony in his philosophy as I showed him how he had done just that for my family.  And, to prove this point, today, an old friend from high school of Kim and mine, Karen Miholics and her children, Kallie and Matt, arrived in town and Angie and Kristie insisted we invite them along!  We spent about 4 hours eating burgers, cake, watching the multitude of bambini carousing about, playing video games, the older boys playing ball outside on the patio, the smaller ones crowded around the poor guy making balloon animals...good times.
            And now, it is after 11:30, and,  Lexy, Trinity and Autumn are on a conference call on my cell phone.  I had no idea that you could conference in multiple callers on my phone.  Autumn did.  And she has.  I'm getting old.  The striking thing, is, not only did Autumn know how to initiate this conference call, none of the girls were impressed or awed by this feat.  It's as if they've done this a million times...

          I got a great text today, from Ami, my blog-technical and design guru, and kindergarten teacher of Cody.  And incredo-mom of triplets.  She was enroute with her family to San Diego.

               Ami commented that the only way to survive driving through Yuma, is with a Rock Star!  I have to concur.  And Bryan makes a smart choice with the orange, rehydrating Rock Star!  Way to go Bryan!  Although Rock Star cannot help you hyperspace through Yuma, it can make this barren, scorched, wasteland bearable until you get to the sand dunes in Cali.  Smooth sailing after that!  Hope you guys have a fun time in San Diego!  I'm playin' that lottery, if I win it for enough millions...there will be a Conca Beach House in our future!!!

           At the end of the day, it's about people...good people.  People helping people.  I was once married to a girl that believed in that.  She'd say 'Do things for people, with love and a smile.'  She was right.  I believe that more than ever now.  So, it was with great sadness that the district that I work in with Barnes & Noble was dissolved this week.  For the business.  Which means that my District Manager, Tom, no longer had a district to manage.  We will miss him.  And I've told you how much he had done for my family.  He'd claim that he had done nothing, yet, here was an agnostic actually praying for Kimmy to get well.  And praying that I did not truly go over the rainbow and making sure that I could be with the bambini to help them begin on their new journey.  And his wife, Cathy, had her prayer group praying for us all...and their two daughters, too.  Tom was the first D.M. I've ever worked for that truly got the meaning of work/life balance.  He's a good person, so I'm confident he will land firmly on his feet - but please say a prayer for him and his family for me tonight...
                    Love,
                              Dave
                

Cars 2

      As the temperature hit 106 again today, we took shelter at the theater...there is not shortage of interesting movies out there...and so, we gathered together at the Park Mall...Along with the bambini, I picked up Janene's son, Brendon and Andrea's daughter, Breanna and we headed to meet up with Andrea's sister Kristie, in visiting from NM...she brought her daughter, Trinity, who is two weeks younger than Tonio - her and Kim experienced a lot of 'pregnant times' back then...where have 8 years gone? And her son Richie.
     The mall was hopping.  I immediately assumed that it was Saturday, a feeling I could not shake the rest of the day.  We managed to find a spot and hike across the bubbling tarmac without melting...and head right to - Justice.  Brendon and Cody fled for the safety of the Vans store.
     We wanted to get some food in the kids before the movie, so we made our way to the food court.  Subway and McDonald's, all the way around.

  Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is up to his old shennanigans in Cars 2 - pretty decent sequel!

                                Tonio, Breanna, Autumn and Trinity are glued to the screen!  Brendon and Cody sat a little higher up and Kristie ended up near the top with Richie and some friends.  We were in the third row, but, boy, those reclining seats are nice!
                              Afterwards, Kristie took the little ones to the playground off of the food court.  I remember many times, I'd sneak out of Toys R Us down the street to meet Kimmy for lunch and we'd sit and watch our bambini racing around that little playground...Cody was such a dare devil, climbing up on the roadrunner they used to have and launching himself off of the highest point of its head!  Kim would try to stop him, but he was so quick.  It was always a nice way for us to spend some time together during the work week.
                           I took Trinity, Autumn and Tonio back to Justice, to purchase items that they had seen prior to the movie, while Brendon and Cody hit the hat shop.  The little ones all bought Webkins and couldn't wait to get home to link them online and meet up.
                          And so, we swaggered out into the blazing hair dryer of a parking lot and went off to meet  up with Andrea...and drop Brendon and Cody at the skate park.  They like to ride there and zoom up to McD's when they get hungry...suddenly, it was 8:00 and the kids were telling me they were hungry.  I had nothing.  I didn't want to take them this late to McD's, so, I called Viro's, to see what time they were closing.  They used to close at 8, and I was relieved when Vito Jr. told me they were now open until 9 on Friday's and Saturday's.
                          Rosa and Vito left for Wisconsin to visit relatives on Thursday and then are off to New York, so we had a chance to visit with Vito Jr., as he runs the bakery for them while they are out of town.  Autumn had....pasta!  Tonio - calamari.  And I decided to try Kimmy's all time favorite....linguini with clams.

                  Kim was crazy about this dish.  She'd get it every time we went to dinner at Viro's.  I'm not a big linguine guy, but, thought I'd get it tonight for Kim.  And found it to be delicious, especially with a Moretti Rossa.                       
                   We left full and satisfied and got home around 9:30.  The kids hooked up with Lexy, Breanna and Trinity on Webkins until 11:00...then, we went outside into the chilling night (it's down to 93 degrees!  That's a 13 degree swing!) to say goodnight to Mama...

                      Another good day....

                          Love,
                                  Dave

The Plumber

     Another cool thing that I did on Father's Day, was, fix the toilet in my bathroom.  I've told you a million times, Kim was the handy man in our household.  I am not handy.  When I noticed that the toilet would not stop running, first thing I thought of was the flapper.  I've actually changed one of those before, and was excited that this was something I could handle.  Sure enough, I swapped the old, tired, flapper out with a new one.  Hey, it was 7 years old. That's 49 in dog years.  What the extrapolation on toilet flappers?  I was happy with the length of service I had received from this particular flapper.  
     Later that day, I came to find that it was not a bad flapper.  Damn.  I had sent the old flapper to an early garbage can death.  What else could it be?

                Who KNOWS what this thing is called - 'the little floaty, arm thingy that floats up and stops the water piece', is the technical name I believe.  This is the old one.  We lived in our first home for 10 years and these things never went bad - so I was a little dissappointed with this piece.

                       I got myself laughing pretty hard, as I was jammed behind the toilet and the wall, right where that garbage can is, trying to get the plastic nut off the bottom of the piece pictured above, and had this mess on top of the toilet.  All I could think about was, Kimmy walking into the bathroom, seeing my disorganized attempt to fix this and telling me 'OK Dave, move over, let Kimmy take over', as she had done so many times in the years we lived together.

 Birds eye view!  New flapper!  New floaty thingy that controls the water!  I did not let this thing beat me!  I am better than the toilet!

And Bella agreed with me, coming in to check on my progress frequently and offering ecouraging advice and comments...hey, do you think Kimmy could have...??

And when I pulled up Kim's blog tonight, the new MixPod music player that I put on it began to play 'I need a Dr'...I hadn't realized it is the version from the Music Awards...And the voice of Skylar Grey froze me, sounding so much like Kimmy...

Other than that, it was a fantastic day today.  We got up early and walked Bella through the desert before the fires of hades had really kicked in.  It got up to 106 today, but did not feel a degree above 102.  I love to take the bambini and their friends to the movies on hot days like this.  Andrea dropped us Lexy and Breanna and we went to see Hoodwinked 2.  I don't believe it will win any awards, but the kids sure enjoyed it!!   And they came home with us for some pasta (Angie made Kimmy's vodka sauce and it came out great!!) and played until 9...it's cooled off to 95 degrees and I told the kids if they wanted to play outside, they might want to grab a jacket...

...I believe I will sleep tonight...

Love,

 Dave

Flotsam and Jetsam

         No, not the eels from The Little Mermaid - if you look up the definition of flotsam and jetsam, you'll mostly find it to mean the floating wreckage of a ship, or its cargo...

        ...and, in 'cleaning up' what's left to write about our trip to Cali, I found bits and pieces unexplored, or that I had forgotten, or recently realized...kind of like flotsam and jetsam in my mind...

          But first, the new playlist.  Thanks Ami, for teaching me about MixPod, so the music for Kimmy's stories would auto-play again!  MixPod, you might note, also has a video feature, one of the bonuses Ami pointed out to me when she suggested it.  Tonight, Cody and I were watching Layer Cake, starring Daniel Craig - a fine, twisting story that will surprise you several times - especially the ending!  One of the songs in the soundtrack was a Duran Duran tune that Kimmy and I used to like - 'Ordinary World' - and as I listened to the lyrics, I thought - I need to put that on Kim's blog tonight.  I found a nice acoustic version that puts the lyrics on the video - just click the drop down box to make it big enough to read with a magnifying glass...

          So, here we go.  First of all - we had a good trip.  Cleansing.  We needed that.  And, if we weren't already tighter, the bonds we have made are even stronger now.  The bambini are amazing.  Jeanne, the owner of Bella Stanza, who's shop I shared with you in last night's blog, emailed me some wonderful feedback on how well these guys behave and get along together - don't get me wrong, they still have their moments, but, it's different now...
        Second, we all came back really tan (and, I use sunscreen now!).  The sun was fabulous - interesting thing though, I seem to have a hole in my tan, right about where my heart used to be...a round circle - about the size of a quarter...or the size of a wedding ring and engagement ring hanging around the crucifix Kim bought me for our anniversary one year from San Xavier Mission...The whole is perfectly round and white against the rest of my tan...I'd take a picture of it to post, but I'm not about to freak anyone out with the sight of my chest!  The rings shielded that part of my chest from the sun, creating a perfect circle. 
        Thirdly, aside from the video on Laguna Beach of us scattering Kim's ashes that Autumn somehow shot without me noticing, she also got some other pretty cool photos - here's some now:

Bella, pre-barf-o-rama...snuggled down for the long ride...


The sand dunes...you know Yuma is behind you and you are on your way to San Diego when you pass these beauties.  Best use of the dunes in a film?  Napoleon Dynamite.


Here we are (turn computer sideways), at Seaport Village, with some giant lobster guy outside of a shop that carried 6,000 different style socks, according to the young lady behind the counter.  Fascinating.


And, outside the little corner restaurant, right on Laguna Beach, that Kim liked to eat lunch or breakfast at.  Cody has his finger up this gentleman's nose.


Autumn was captivated by the road signs "why can't we have a Pacific Coast Highway or Sea World Drive in Tucson?" she asked me one day.  "The street names here are so cool!"


Wyland Museum/Gallery in Laguna.  About 25 years ago, I bought a Wyland whale's tail ceramic piece at a shop on Long Beach Island for Kim...she loved this place.


Antother great street name!


Bringing Kimmy to the ocean...6/13/11 - Treasure Cove, Laguna Beach


Near sunset at Laguna Beach...

    Autumn is such a cutie and she has a pretty good eye for a nice photo - I did not see these until a day or so ago and don't know when she stopped to snap all of these shots.  But I'm glad she did.

     No one left awake to say good night to Kimmy with me...Autumn and Tonio watched Nemo together, while Cody and I watched Layer Cake.  He said he'd be right back and never came back out - he and Bella fast asleep in his room.  A boy and his dog.  The night sky, so brilliant, as always...and still near 90 degrees at 1 a.m.  It's a dry heat!
 
           Love,
                  Dave

Little Italy

       Thank you Ami, for posting up the new lead photo of Kim, walking towards the ocean and beginning to look back over her shoulder - this was always one of my favorites - and, even today, when I pull up her blog, it has the same affect it has had on me over the years...

          June 15th...our last day in Cali...once again, I woke up before the bambini, and ran Bella...this time, up hill - for those of you who just returned from this area, you can attest to the grade of some of the hillsides...I started off pretty strong...slowing down as gravity worked its will against my body...slowing, feeling as if I wasn't going very fast...Bella, showing little effort 'why ya slowing down???'...Not going to let this hill beat me - and I'm at the top - my heart feeling like it stopped for a minute...coming back down, not too much easier, as I fought to not go too fast!  Shin splints!!

           We got to the beach by 8...the bambini wanted as much time as possible in the sand and surf...the dolphins were there to greet us, playing in the waves - again, at least a dozen of them - it was so peaceful and tranquil to sit there and watch them...

                        Autumn was so proud of this sea weed bulb thingy!  They dug, swam and played until around noon, raced back to the hotel to get cleaned up, throw our stuff in the car, including Bella and head over to Little Italy!
                        We ate a great lunch at Fillipi's,

                       Autumn...pasta, what else?  Tonio and Cody split a pizza and I got the torpedo sandwhich...
                       Then, we walked down to the corner of Beech and India, to Bella Stanza. 

             Kim and I had visited Bella Stanza together nearly 18 years ago - Kim loved the items in this shop.  Over the years, we looked forward to our visits with the owner, Jeanne - and Kim would pick a new item for our home.  Jeanne has unique pieces, as, she will travel to Italy, for a month or more at a time and traverse the back streets, looking for that talented artist, working out of their home and purchasing their art to bring back to her shop.
          Jeanne has literally watched the bambini grow, and we've seen the photos of her grandchildren as her children have had them...
            Here were a couple of Kim's favorite items she picked up there:

                   Kim used this for freshly grated parmesian cheese (Tonio had just picked that cherry tomato from our garden).  We have a little matching finger bowl that she'd put oregano or sea salt in or sometimes olive oil for dipping.

                        She chose this salad bowl on one trip and the utensils on another.  The handles are made of Murano glass.  The little dish with the blue dove, she used to put our salt and pepper shakers on.

                   The Madonna, she actually bought for me one time and it hangs in our kitchen.

                   Another piece of Murano glass work - set on the chest as you enter our house.  Kim kept, guess what?  Sea shells in it...that we found in San Diego.

And a nice pitcher, that she liked to put water in for us...

There were many others, each punctuating our visit to the coast....

                        
               We visited with Jeanne for some time, as we caught up and she had a chance to talk with the bambini.  I told her I needed to pick up a fruit bowl.  In all the years we had visited, we never got a fruit bowl.  Jeanne had a beautiful selection, and, with Autumn's help, they chose this one:

          It looks perfect in our kitchen on the breakfast bar (hey, there's even a runner!  didn't know we even had that, thanks Janene!) and is 'functional' as Kim used to like to joke when we were picking out something for the home.
         If you get a chance, next time you are in San Diego, check it out.  It's just two blocks north of Seaport Village...Bella Stanza's website is http://www.bellastanzagifts.com/ ...sadly, it was time for us to leave - it was already about 4 in the afternoon!

                   Jeanne sent the bambini home with gifts...a pinocchio for Tonio...

       
                             A 'Ciao Bella' pillow for Autumn and Cody got a Italia key chain...Jeanne has a big heart...

                     Jeanne snapped a photo of us around the fountain in front of her shop...something Kim did each time we visited...

                   Prepping for the loooonnnngggg drive home...Ice Tea/Lemonade Monster...not too bad.

                 Autumn got this photo of the sun setting as we raced across the desert...

                  Arriving home around 10ish to a completely clean house...

                                Janene detailed the kitchen...took everything out of the fridge...spotless.

                            The oven!  Kim had been meaning to get to this....

                                     Even the laundry room....

                                 Her son, Brendon, nailed the hall closet, while Angie scrubbed base boards, bathrooms, Kim and Andrea decorated, did the sheets,  wash, etc, etc...in fact the house is still looking pretty darn good!  All of the kids rooms were cleaned and Angie has told them that she'd do 'surprise' inspections....and they are keeping up with their rooms, too!  These guys had 'snuck' into our home, a couple days in a row and cleaned everything, with vacuuming help from our neighbor Betsey!  Have I mentioned that we are blessed?
                           It was nice getting back to our home, especially not having to worry about cleaning!

                           And our trip was a good one, for us...and to 'visit' Kim - I have so many good beach memories...so many - the new lead photo of Kim on the beach - it's from 1985...Beach Haven on Long Beach Island N.J., where all of our greatest beach times began...

                            Love,
                                    Dave