That's different.....

When I lived in Southern California, I hired a Certified Public Accountant named Mark to help set up my office accounts and prepare my taxes. Twenty five years later, he still prepares my taxes. Since I am in Fresno and Mark is in Los Angeles, I drive 200 miles each way when I have to close out my fiscal year. This morning, I headed south bright and and early. The day was hazy and traffic was light. All in all, the trip was boring until I saw a truck in the distance hauling a strange load.

It's not often one sees a giant toucan and parrot out for an early morning jaunt!

After meeting with Mark, I headed to The Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. I checked in, then headed for the elevator. A plaque just above "up" button noted that the elevator had been used when filming the movie "In the Line of Fire".

While I was standing there waiting for the doors to open, I wondered what the crowd in the lobby would do if Clint Eastwood suddenly ran through and jumped into the elevator. Then the door whooshed open and this got out.

And you know what? No one paid any attention.

Tomorrow, I have reservations to hear Stephanie Pearl-McPhee speak at the Los Angeles Library. She is a wonderful speaker and it should be fun.

Block Party

This is what I did this afternoon.

Before......

......and.....

After!

It never ceases to amaze me as to the difference blocking makes!

A Tale of Two Men....

Today is the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that have become known simply by the date 9/11.

I remember walking out to feed the horses that horrific morning only to be surprised by clouds and the distant smell of rain. Curious if the weather forecast had been revised, I turned on the television to witness a living nightmare. Television cameras were focused on the Tower One of the World Trade Center as billowing smoke poured from the raw wound where the plane had hit. I watched in confusion as the news man tried to explain what he was witnessing – and could not find the words to describe it. Then, without warning, a second huge jet came out of the blue sky and slammed into the other Tower and a fireball exploded from the facade. Then came the Pentagon.....the collapse of Tower Two....the collapse of Tower One, and word of the end of Flight 93 in that Pennsylvania field.
Throughout the remainder of that terrible day, my staff and I witnessed the continuous broadcasts and endless re-plays of the planes appearing out of nowhere, the slow crumbling of the towers, the raging fire at the pentagon, and the numbed faces of the survivors. Yet, despite seeing it over and over again, it was impossible to truly comprehend.
At the same time as I was watching the news on television, far away in New York City, one of my clients, a man named John was actually living the nightmare. John worked for Morgan Stanley and had been sent to New York City for a training seminar to be held on the 72nd floor of Tower Two. John had arrived in New York the day before and checked into the hotel across the street. He was issued a security key card to access the building and arrived bright and early on September 11th. John was standing at the window with another employee looking at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty when a dull bang reverberated through the building. Minutes later, papers and other debris began to drift down in front of the window. Neither John nor his companion knew what had happened. They were soon joined by other employees who wondered aloud if they shouldn't leave the building. Because Tower One was behind Tower Two neither John, nor the other employees could see the gaping hole and the billowing smoke. As the employees wondered what to do, loudspeakers in the building began to advise them to remain calm and stay where they were – Tower Two was not affected. However, John’s companion remained nervous and ultimately decided he would rather be on the street than in the building. John and he made their way to a stairwell and started down. It was a decision that saved his life.
As they reached the landing of the 50th floor, the building was suddenly rocked and the smell of jet fuel assailed their senses. At that point they realized they had to get out and hurried down the stairs, all the while being joined by more and more people all seeking the way out. After nearly thirty minutes of steadily moving downward, they reached the street, pushed their way onto the street, and raced toward the plaza. As he walked onto the plaza, John was confused by a large reddish spray across the concrete and what looked to be a bundle of paint covered rags. Slowly his brain deciphered what he was seeing and he turned and ran. As he neared a side street, a low rumble filled the air, distant at first, then building until his entire world was a defining roar. He turned and watched as Tower Two crumbled in slow motion. And as the building fell, a choking cloud of plaster rushed toward him faster than he could run. Blackness covered him and he fought to breath in the thick plaster. When the light slowly returned, John started to walk. He heard Tower One fall, but his mind was too shocked to totally comprehend it. He started to go back to the hotel, but it, too, was gone. John wandered for the next ten hours. He had no cell phone (it was back at the hotel) and no way to let his wife and son know he was alive. When he finally was able to place a call, he had no words to tell them what he had witnessed.
Three thousand miles away, in Clovis, California, Dave McDonald, the CEO of Pelco, Inc. (Pelco makes all those surveillance cameras we see everywhere) was deeply affected by the overwhelming loss of firefighters, law enforcement officers, soldiers, and the innocent passengers of the fated air craft. He resolved to help in any way he could. His company supplied the cameras that where initially used in the search of the rubble.
But Dave wanted to do more. He decided to build a memorial to those who sacrificed their lives. But he wanted to let the friends and families of the victims know that California cared about their lost loved ones and he wanted to honor those victims be remembering their families. So he invited survivors their families, and the families of those who had been lost, to attend the dedication ceremony at his expense. Dave ultimately paid the way for 1,150 New York Police Officers, Firefighters, Port Authority Officers and others to fly to Fresno via a chartered Boeing 747 and other commercial flights. A huge dedication ceremony was planned with California Highway Patrol, Fresno Sheriff and Fresno Police officers, Clovis Police officers and various California government officials and celebrities. The general public was invited. The ceremony on March 13th was a time for remembrance. Pelco continues to maintain a museum on site of artifacts and photos from the terrorist attacks.
Today it was only fitting that Kenny and I went to the Pelco Memorial and witnessed the laying of a wreath to honor those who lived through that day and those who died that day, never knowing why or who was behind it. My prayers are with them all.

Identity Theft Alert

As many of you know, there has been a huge surge in identity theft over the past few years. Studies have shown that every person in the United States and Canada will have their personal information compromised at some point of their lives and some folks will suffer serious financial losses.
Dan recently told me about one of the latest concerns in the law enforcement community. It involves credit or debit cards and the use of a small, handheld device called a "card reader" very similar to the one pictured here.

The card reader plugs into a PDA or cell phone. The thief makes a deal with an employee of a retail or service business such as a waitress, retail clerk, or gas station attendant.

The typical scenario is as follows: The waitress brings the bill to the table, then tells the customer that she will take payment to the front when the customer is ready. The customer takes his credit card out of his wallet, hands it to the waitress, who then walks away. On her way to the cash register, she swipes the card through the card reader, which in turn stores all of the information from the magnetic strip on the credit card. The credit card is then charged and returned to the unsuspecting customer. He puts the card back into his wallet, totally unaware that it has now been compromised. At the end of the shift, the waitress meets the thief who pays her $25 or more for each card swiped. He then makes a duplicate card using hotel key blanks and uses it at gasoline stations or other locations which don't require a PIN number. The spending spree continues until the theft is discovered (usually when the billing statement arrives) and the original account is closed. In the meantime, the thief has had ample time to put significant purchases on the account.

Prevention is the key. No matter how many times you have been to a restaurant, store, service station, etc., NEVER allow your credit card to be taken out of your sight. Personally carry it to the cash register and watch as it is swiped through that business's card reader. Insist on a receipt and write the name of the cashier on that receipt. If unauthorized transactions do occur, those receipts will assist law enforcement in tracing back to the time of the compromise.

The bottom line is we all must be very careful of our personal information in the age of microchips, scanners, bluetooth technology and micro-processors.

The Endless Afghan - The Fourteenth Square

This square is the one I worked while on the road. The pattern is from The Great North American Afghan book. It is a combination of various Aran patterns which require careful concentration to avoid crossing cables the wrong way.
It also has lots and lots of bobbles which gives it a lot of texture. I was concerned that it was going to be slightly larger than the twelve inch square called for by the pattern but its final measurements was an acceptable 12 1/4 inches square. What a relief! I really did not want to re-knit it.

Road Trip

Each year, Dan and I plan several "getaway" weekends. Everyone in our family looks forward to them. Justin gets to spend time with his friends, Kenny gets to spend the weekend with his grandmother, and Dan and I get a chance to spend time alone together.

Since Dan I and I both enjoy history and antiques, we chose to visit Humboldt County, California. Humboldt County is a county located on the northwest coast of California on the Pacific Ocean. It is about a eight hour drive from the Fresno area, so we had to leave early. The drive took us through San Francisco, up the Coastal Highway and through the coastal redwood forests.

These trees are truly amazing. There are so tall and thick in places that they block out the light of the sky. The dominant trees in coastal redwood forests range from several hundred years to over two thousand years. These forests are truly ancient. Their appearance has changed very little over time. Only a couple of trees per acre, per century need to appear to sustain the population.

Dan and I stopped at one of the Scenic Vista point to get a closer look. That's the back of our car near the base of one of the trees which gives you a sense of their immense size.

Situated along the spectacular Northern California coastline 280 miles north of San Francisco is the City of Eureka. The city is bordered on one side by beautiful and functional Humboldt Bay, and on the other by mountains lush with giant redwood.

Eureka has a population of around 28,000 people. Established in 1850, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Landmarks as Historical Landmark No. 477, It offers all the charm of a European village. Beautifully-restored buildings dating to the 1800s make up the downtown shopping area comprised of several blocks. Within an easy walk is the incredible Victorian Carson Mansion, one of the most photographed structures in the world.

The Carson Mansion was constructed in 1884-1885. It is a three story, eighteen room structure with a tower and basement. The house was designed by the Newsom Brothers of San Francisco, well-known architects throughout California. Perfectly situated to the south of his lumber mill, the Carson Mansion has become a local landmark.

The mansion is a fairy tale like structure, with gables, turrets, cupolas, complex windows, porches and pillars. It is adorned with Stick-Eastlake characteristics. The wide porches with large ornamental pillars make for a grand entrance. A complex combination of gables, turrets, cupolas, and pillars constitutes the exterior of the Mansion. The second story balcony has wrought iron framework with the Masonic Order insignia combined with his initials, W.C.

To the west of the Mansion sits another grand Queen Anne. This home was built in 1889 by William and Sarah as a wedding present to their son John Milton Carson. This house was also designed by the Newsom Brothers. The Queen Anne façade is dominated by a large domed turret, so characteristic of the style. Layering, spindle work, and surface undulation also help to define this home as Queen Anne.

The pink and white color of the home has endeared itself to locals as the “Pink Lady.” The clustering of these two landmark Victorians at the foot of Second and M Streets, certainly helps to define the boundaries of Eureka’s Old Town which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Twenty miles to the south of Eureka is the town of Ferndale. Ferndale was the model for the small town under siege in the movie "Outbreak" starring Dustin Hoffman, Renee Russo and Cuba Gooding. Ferndale is known for well-preserved Victorian buildings. In fact, the complete town is California Historical Landmark No. 883 in part due to the Victorian structures. This is view of Main Street. The blue building on the left was built in 1901 as a commercial Victorian called the S.H. Paine Building.
This building was built in the Eastlake-Stick style in 1896 for P.F. Hart. It has been at various times a stagecoach stop, a saloon, a gambling hall, a house of prostitution and an art gallery.
Another famous Ferndale landmark was built in 1898 as the New York Cash Store in the Eastlake-Stick style. This building was designed by T.J. Frost, Architect.
At the corner of Main Street and Ocean is The Victorian Inn. It was originally built as the Ira Russ Bank Building in a style described as Eastlake-Stick. It was also designed by T.J. Frost in 1891. This building can clearly be seen in the movie "Outbreak" as it is the backdrop for the "hospital" in the script.

There is so much to see that it is hard to get any knitting done. However, I do have another square of the afghan nearly completed and should be able to finish it by tomorrow.

The Endless Afghan - The Thirteen Square

This is what I did when I couldn't work on the computer. I picked out a fairly intricate pattern out of the The Great American Aran Afghan and I knit.

Contrary to the opinions of the knit critics in the house, this in NOT a pineapple.
Nor is it an decorated Faberge' egg on a pedestal. (What goes on in the mind of an 11 year old anyway?)
It's a fish swimming through the water! It's also one more square completed on the afghan. Twenty seven more to go!

Coke (and Root Beer Slushies) are bad for Computer!

It is amazing how much we take for granted until it is not around. Take, for instance, my laptop computer.

With the advent of microchips and Centrino processors, the lowly laptop evolved from a expensive plaything with limited capability to a powerhouse that competes easily with unwieldy desktop models. About four years ago, I made a decision to switch from a desktop to a laptop as my personal computer. I have been very happy with the decision. My computer goes with me to court, to seminars, up to Washington, on airplanes, in cars, and trains. Last February, I upgraded to a new Hewlett-Packard Pavilion Entertainment PC. It literally has most of my life packed into its hard drives.
So imagine this tranquil scene. I am sitting at the kitchen table typing on the computer. Justin and Kenny burst through the front door with a surprise for everyone. They had stopped at the local A&W and brought Root Beer Slushies home for everyone. Since it was 105 °F (40 °C ) in Fresno, the prospect of a icey drink was a welcome treat.
Kenny reached into the paper bag the boys had used to transport the drinks in the car, and grasped my Slushie by the rim of the cup lid. He then started to pass it over the computer to my right hand. Just as he was directly over the open keyboard, the lid pulled off the rim of the cup and the entire drink cascaded into the laptop!

I jumped up and quickly unplugged the computer. But the damage was done. I watched in stunned dismay as root beer slushie poured out of every port in the computer. The laptop made a sort of a sizzling gasp, then went dark.
Kenny immediately started a mantra of "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..." as he tried to wipe up the spreading puddle. I tried to soothe him and deal with the electronic catastrophe at the same time.
The next day the computer was off to Hewlett-Packard for repair. I had purchased the "3 year - all inclusive" extended warranty on advice of my husband when I bought the computer (he envisioned that I would drop the computer, not test its capability to mimic a sponge).
The repaired laptop arrived Saturday. I plugged in the computer and opened the screen. Apparently the repairman was not amused at the sticky mess underneath the keyboard.
I spent the weekend reloading all my programs and downloading by backup disks. I’m back in business!