on the level

Here's that missing shot of the potty seat cover dispenser. If you know me at all you have got to know how much this drove me crazy. It was all I could do to get out of there without ripping it off the door and hot gluing it back on LEVEL!

If it weren't for the tissue roll flying over the door like a possessed demon, I probably would have gone to the nearest Target and grabbed the tools to fix it.

Oy. I need help.

accessories from a thrift store!

When it comes down to it, you need a place to put your feet up at the end of the day. We went in search of accessories at the local thrift stores and this is what we came up with:

2 pressed tin flower pots, turned up side down and glued (with tub caulking) to the underside of a cupboard door for a sofa table. All recycled, the pots from mom's house, the cupboard $1.00 from the Habitat For Humanity thrift in Provo. The small fish bowl (so long "Soup" we knew and loved thee well!) is filled with button cast offs.

An architectural fleur de lis adds a touch of sparkle on top of the deep brown book case. Recycled from mom.

$1.00 each buys empty frames, mirrors. A few personal photos along side a $3.00 shelf, all from Deseret Industries, Provo. (-except photos, they were gifts from a friend.)

A collection of vintage suitcases and a complete bowling bag! The suitcases were $3.00 a piece as was the bowling bag, shoes and ball inscribed with "Brownie". The suitcases and bowling bag act as a catch all by the door, the shoes and ball are accessories in the book cases. Look for them in the photos!

Doesn't everyone have one of these funky flower vases from the florist? She filled hers with more buttons and set it beside a rusted metal basket found at Urban Renewal in St. George for $5.00.

$1.50 for three antique bottles, a small paper mache globe, black with light tan lines and markings, a small silver tray, $2.00 and arranging books by colour on the shelves. (Notice the bowling ball in the right corner on the floor?)

Very difficult to see in the photo, but on top of the left book case is a pendant, a small painted piece of glass with the Eiffel Tower and "Paris!" written in script. On the other shelf are her bowling shoes, a small ceramic vase, and on top a glass bowl (recycled from mom) filled a new unnamed as yet fish, and the fleur de lis.

random list

*We have two new RS Presidencies in our stake this month so we needed to have an orientation with the new gals. We decided a while back that this kind of a meeting isn't the most exciting, always goes longer than you'd think, and frankly everyone needs it, but nobody wants it. So we start ours out with a dinner.

There was one a while back where we were all so busy that we didn't have time to cook, so we ordered up Chinese and chatted it up over orange chicken and noodles. This dinner idea is a good one. The women who come are sometimes, not always, but sometimes intimidated or just plain overwhelmed. Seeing your 'leaders' eating a cheese enchilada has a way of relaxing people.

This last dinner meeting was so much fun. I got to meet up with a bunch of ladies I haven't seen in a while and I think we had more fun visiting than going over a list of do's and don'ts. One of the gals is a teacher, she had fabulous questions so the night went really fast.

I have been away from the house more than usual which has made the interior similar to that of an abandoned warehouse, except it's more like an abandoned 1500sf. E gads, the floor in the hall way looked like it had been carpeted with dryer lint. Partially because that is where the "laundry room" is, but also because we have just run it, done a few loads of laundry and headed out again without polishing the 'wood' (read laminate) floors and we haven't had Roomba plugged in for a while. (He goes back on duty today!) Under the dining room table looks just as fluffy, but with a stray dead leaf. Yeah. Appetizing.

*Ants. Wo Wo Wo unto the ants in this house! I am SO ticked (to use another insect for anger analogy) with these guys! I swear (I'm getting better about just doing that in my head, but still). We could have the kitchen counter smeared with marshmallow cream and they still would just randomly show up in the hall (which they did yesterday), the closet (what's in there?), Thor's desk (because bills are tasty?), or hanging out in the bathroom sink (yeah, I know, the whole water thing. But really; if they want water all that bad there is a neighbor who leaves his on all the freaking time!). We rarely have ants where you would expect them, but the whole of it is making me cranky. I have little black plastic ant traps everywhere. It's disgusting.

*I decided that I can't take the treadmill in the bedroom anymore. (I actually can't take a lot of what's in the bedroom anymore, but I can do something about the treadmill.) So I got it in my head that I could just move this and that and shove it into the girls' room where we already have the weight machine (and permanently set up ironing board - lovely, but I'm lazy.) and the twin bed for that single visitor (all other visitors fight over couches or -the winner- who gets to go to a hotel). So fate being what it is, I chose the day I wore my perfect white tee to do the move. No big deal, it folds; it has rollers.

O.k. So I clear the path from one room to the other, this baby is huge. I had to move a couple of books that stuck out too far in the hall book case, had to move said ironing board a few feet, put this over there, that over there and we're ready! I fold the machine and lock it and the tip the beast just enough to roll it. I SAID: TIP IT JUST ENOUGH TO ROLL IT! Good grief this thing weighs for thousand pounds and is stuck in those tiny but very deep carpet scars heavy objects make. UUUuuUuGGGhhh OOomph Oooohh uh oh! At this point I am making mental notes on how I am very happy no one is video taping this. Sweet mercy this is a bit more difficult than I antiscipated, but it's too late to stop now!

I make it the door, but too late to notice it is exactly 1.5 inches too wide to fit through. Seriously? Ugh. I think "o.k, I'll just roll it back into the bedroom and slide it through sideways." Well the machine only rolls one way. So I kind of have to power lift one end of the beast and twist it, drop it, lift the other end of the beast, twist it and drop it and lather rinse repeat about 15 times before I can wedge my tiny self between the beast and the door jam, which by the way rhymes very well with a perfectly good swear word right about now.

I get it turned around and begin the process all over again, in reverse, to get it out into the hallway. I get it to the other bedroom door and lather rinse repeat.

Inside the bedroom now I (inwardly begin to weep) realize my white tee shirt is no more. But I press on (because I am an idiot). I go back to the master bedroom to grab the floor mat that goes under the beast to catch any stray machine grease (too late, got all that on my white tee and new chinos). I mop it clean and set it down in the right spot. I am happy that the rollers will work! Yeah! Just roll it into place! Whew!

Well until I figure out that the rollers just wudge up the plastic mat into a thick plastic wave of doom. To remedy this I need to tip the beast back onto my self while I bend over enough to grab the plastic and keep it taut with one hand while I walk and balance the beast into place. Yes, this creates a beautiful visual; although I do feel like Mr. Incredible after I am done.

I get it where it needs to be and plug it in. The phone rings. It's my daughter in law who wants to know what I am doing (Is she watching through the windows?). "Just cleaning today" "You want an excuse to stop?" I knew I loved this girl the minute I laid eyes on her. We go to Target. Frankly, if she wanted me to go anywhere it would have been a great idea at that point!

*My two nephews (twins) went through the temple for the first time last night prior to leaving for their respective missions (one to the "South side of Chicago, to the baddest part of town..." Well perhaps not, but South Chicago, Spanish. and the other to Germany/Austria). That was great. A beautiful night to be there with family and friends and to fill up the temple with people we love and respect. These two young men are awesome.

*Our #3 is moving today. This is the third move this year. For some reason my daughters like moving. Not really, they just have a habit of doing it a lot. I am glad for this move. She has her first 'off the desert' job with a "nice" dentist and a fabulous apartment in a great area. Plus she gets to live alone for the first time. If she gets a roommate, she'll be the land lord. She gets to make the decisions, it will be her "house". I am happy for her. Being the alpha roommate has perks the lesser roommate does not. Furniture, temperature level, closet space, etc. She has paid her dues, it's her turn now! I would (most seriously) love to live in that building where she lives, it's a great place all around. Almost perfect SoCAL location for S'mee. She wouldn't be so happy to have us there, but when or if she moves out...hmmm, maybe I can talk Thor into that!

The big bonus is this building has an elevator! Thor and the brothers are thrilled to hear this. Her last move (well and the one today moving out) had those really cool exterior stairs that have about 6 steps, a landing, a turn, and then another 6 steps and a landing. For one level you had to turn three times. She lives 6 landings up. (plus there are five stairs down to the common area, then across the grounds and another five stairs up to the parking lot. These people are stair freaks) Not fun for the movers. Thor asked if he could just throw the stuff out the bedroom window and replace what was broke after the fall with new stuff. If you know Thor at all, this is a clear indication of just how horrid the stairs are. He is giddy about an elevator.

*It's only 10:00 a.m., but all I can think of is some B&R's chocolate chip ice cream. I think I'll call my daughter in law and see what she's doing for lunch.

Profiling for Terrorists=Safety for All!

There are a few of you who literally know what I look like. For the rest of you let me draw you a picture:

5'4"(and that's a stretch), 50 yrs.old, over weight (seriously, just look at the icon, it's pretty accurate), short gray hair, glasses, very stiff legs and neck on the day in question, which means I was slow and walking rather "broken".

As that may be I am still the epitome of the American Enemy, a terrorist.

Yup. According to the folks at The River in Rancho Mirage, I am terrorist material!

I was taking the photographs you see in this post between 8:30a.m. and 10:00a.m. last Friday when I was approached by a Security Guard. Now to his credit, he seemed really embarrassed to "do his job", however do his job he did. Seems that "someone" had reported me. I was "suspicious". This is pretty much how the conversation went down:

Guard: Hello

S'mee: Hey! Pretty day!

G: What are you taking a photo of?

S: (as I am aiming at the roof of the Cheesecake Factory) The scroll work on the facade.

G: The what?

S: The scroll work. See? It's really cool and I bet no one ever pays attention to it. It's going to look great in a tight shot.

G: yeah? hmm.

S: Yeah! I got up early this morning so I could shoot the desert flowers in macro...

G: Really? I'm just learning to do that! Were you up at dawn?

S: Not that early, but early enough to get good light. Now it's too bright and those bougainvillea blooms are giving me trouble; too bright, too much contrast between the white and magenta.

G: So do you work for (a local newspaper)?

S: Oh heck no! hehe, my husband is in a hotel basement for a conference and this is how I keep myself occupied! I just go all over taking whatever sights I can. I like macro shots of architecture and ...

G: Shrubbery. Right. Yeah, you see, that's why I'm here.

S: huh?

G: Yeah, I've been trailing you for about 40 minutes. All I have seen you do is bend over and take pictures of the ground or stick your head in a bush. 'Figured all you were taking pictures of were close ups on flowers and bushes.

S: hehe, yup, I'm weird that way.

G: Well, I hate to say this but I need to escort you to your car. You need to leave.

S: What!?!

G: Yeah, someone called in a report a while back; said they saw you taking "suspicious" photos. Thought maybe we should check it out. That "someone" talked to a store owner who talked with another and then more and more shop owners called in and well, we have rules and policies about this sort of thing.

S: You mean against taking pictures of flowers? I didn't take any photos of people or store designs. You want to check out my film?

G: No, like I said, I've been watching you for 40 minutes and all I have seen is you taking shots of bushes. Well until the rooftop. They think you could be taking photos to use in a (rolling eyes) "plan".

S: Sooo, I'm taking terrorist photos? hehe. Let me explain something. First off, If I were to take off running, you could catch me in three steps. Second, there ain't a fat girl alive who would blow up the Cheesecake Factory! And third, if I were a terrorist and I did somehow manage to blow up this place, what would I accomplish? Blowing up, what, like, 250 old people? I'd be laughed out of terrorist school!

G: hehe, I see your point, but you still need to leave.

So leave I did. Let this be a lesson to you folks. If you are ever in Rancho Mirage, home to the likes of the Betty Ford Center, 12 golf courses, a casino, and the 67% elderly population who boast that Sony Bono was once their Representative...remember that they are also very diligent about civic security! The bushes have eyes! They have a "no tolerance" enforcement for their "suspicious" photographers. Terrorists beware! These folks are on high alert and will take down -or at least escort politely out- anyone profiled as "dangerous!"

I don't know about you, but after seeing these "plan" photos, I'll be sleepin' with one eye open! (shudder!)
(shhhh! That bud right there---> it's a microphone!)

Curious George!

For the last two days I have been in the jungle! And at the lake. And building New York. My son and his wife are getting ready for baby number one, a boy, and they wanted his room to be decorated as a Curious George book. Each wall will be a different adventure. This top photo shows the almost complete (still need to add finishing touches to the tops of those palm trees) corner that takes George from the lake to the jungle. (if you look closely enough you can see the chalk outlines for fish in the lake)
Paint cans abound! However this shows how cute the jungle is going to be when we finish the tree tops! Oh and we're going to add some flowers in there too. Mommy loves her orchids, so we're going to have some growing in the jungle.
The jungle corner wraps around into Central Park and down into New York City! Lots and lots of high rise buildings! The Brooklyn Bridge, The Chrysler Building or is it Met Life?, Empire State Building, and of course a toy store, book store, and others!
Miss Liberty is out there in the harbour, George will be flying with the Man with the Yellow Hat in a helicopter, and the city wraps around to the third wall. On that wall (no photo yet) will be more tall buildings and a Fire House with "real" fake brick! George will be balancing on his blue and red ball as he goes down the street.

The 4th wall is where poor George falls into the lake, fascinated by the fish in the water. A small yellow pier and a few dragon flies will complete the total cartoon look. We took the cartoon drawings from the many stories and tried to put them on the wall as closely as possible, telling a few of his more famous adventures.

Tomorrow we head out to the OC to move the RDH back home for two weeks - I'm excited to have her home again for a bit- (she's in between apartments over the holidays), and then tamale night we have a schmancy business dinner. Always busy, but always fun!

Tuesday Tutorials: Tombstones and Cupcakes

This is Halloween!
Originally uploaded by S'mee

"Fred's Dead, Baby"
Originally uploaded by S'mee

We are down to the wire on those Halloween preparations! So today's tutorials are easy, fast, and best of all CHEAP! We have tombstones that you can personalize and cupcakes that are just fun. For the complete instructions head on over to Tuesday Tutorials!

Mickey Mouse Monday!- Dia De Los Muertos!

¡Disneyland está celebrando a diá de los muertos! Hopefully Babelfish translated that correctly for me! In the patio by the shooting galleries in Frontierland, Disneyland has put up a very vivid, colourful floral display celebrating the Day of the Dead. A Latin American holiday honouring ancestral dead. Want more info and photos on the celebration and nearby Zocalo Restaurant?
click here!

Field Trip Friday, The Getty, and C.A.S. in 'Frisco

Field trip this week will take you to L.A. and San Fransisco.

The Getty is absolutely fabulous! First off, it's FREE! Second it's beautiful. Third, there is always something new and interesting going on. This weekend we have the Family Festival!

Will you be in the Bay Area this weekend? Then we have a nice trip planned for you out at The Steinhart Aquarium.

For all the fun details click here!

The ride to the "redwoods"...

The Catholic Graveyard at Tomales CA.
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Thor and I headed out the last day of our trip for a "quick look" at the Redwoods. Thor had visited them as a child and wanted to shared their beauty with me! Unfortunately childhood memories being what they are, Thor hadn't quite calculated the distance to the redwoods from San Francisco and we ended up on a freeway headed north. The freeway was a glorified parking lot and luck being what it is, we turned off and drove west! (My favorite direction!) Although we never made it to the redwoods, we had what turned out to be, one of the best driving day trips ever.

We turned off the 101 at the 12, driving through some of the most picturesque land. This map shows the route. Sebastopol is an artsy, wine country introducing, bed and breakfast-y kind of town. After the redirection from a road block caused by an accident we then went north through Forestville (self explanatory name), Guerneville, and on to Jenner at the coast. I felt a bit thrown back to my old hippy days (at least wannabe) as we drove through these little earthy towns with all natural food stores, hemp purveyors, rainbow pretty-much-anything-you-want, and art and craft boutiques. And lots of alternative couples feeling comfy in their own shoes to put it politely. The flip side being the white folks in dreads and India batik. Talk about mixing your cultures with fashion. But that's those darned artsy types. For me, it looked like heaven, for Thor, well that's another story.

The photo above is (terrific segue) a portion of the Catholic cemetery in Tomales. (looking at the above map, find Cotali and go straight west -and slightly lower- to the tiny little angle on the red line. That bend in the road near the water is Tomales.) A small historic town of (what the town sign said) 5. We think perhaps someone has erased the extra zero(s); but it's not for us to say. That aside, It is a quaint little town, very quiet the day we visited and we only saw about 5 actual folks walking around (so perhaps the sign was correct although the housing states there should be more.) We took the side street up the slope to the hill where the wrought iron gates waited wide open, and drove into the grounds. To the left of the drive way were the tombs. All had the raised curb and further raised cement borders; with the unused graves still grassy and full of wild flowers. Once "furnished", evidence shows a cement slab covers the crypt; and head stone or foot stone mark the resident(s). Interesting.

After leaving Tomales we drove out to Point Reyes in hopes of visiting the light house. It was closed, but after researching what we missed, I am a bit glad we got there too late. This website tells the history (very interesting!), but also that it is equivalent to climbing a 30 story staircase to get down to the light house, and then back up! Hello knees! So I am content (for now) to read all about it. You should too! Have fun!

Carlton's Log: day one - sort of...

Well here we go again! The last time Thor and I came to San Francisco we experienced the 9-11 tragedy and the effects it had on this international city. i.e. controlled mayhem! (anyone interested in that story?, write me in the comments box and I'll write it up) We arrive today and we end up having a an earthquake, 7.6, off the coast and then again a 3.9 inland (much smaller, although I did feel it as I standing in our hotel room rather high off the ground...). Along with these earthquakes came a tsunami warning.

Our #2 called us during our dinner and told us about the tsunami warning. It was kind of funny or perhaps more so coincidental that he was also the one who called to warn us about 9-11.

I think that the warning and excitement currently being reported is due largely to the recent events of last winter, and the enormity of the destruction and deaths from that tsunami. The U.S. has (I think?) better advantages for broadcasting predictions and warnings and so the call goes forth: Be ye warned! The news currently is taking any and all calls from viewers, some crack pots, others with actual albeit minimal information about what they felt or experienced during the two quakes. I have to be honest, there is only ONE station even bothering to televise this event; and no one in the hotel or otherwise warned us at all. lol It's kind of funny that we heard all about this via a (very inland) SoCAL phone call! lol

Lest anyone think that I am reducing the past events, I am not nor do I wish to belittle them in any way. It's just odd how, while in the midst of the supposed commotion - no one cared lol. Perhaps it is because we are in the center of the city on top of Nob Hill and are a fairly safe distance from the shore.

Here's another "thing"; my digital camera broke and I have no means of photo journaling this trip as of yet. The thought of purchasing a new camera makes me crazy... it would be nice, but I just bought a car and there went all of S'mee's monopoly money for the week. Grr. So I will figure out something else. For now, that's day one in S.F.

p.s. please forgive spelling errors! Different keyboard, no spell check!

This is Halloween!

Ahhh, the crispness of the mornings are lasting well into the afternoon and has announced that autumn is once again here! WaHoo! It's my favorite time of the year. I know that we'll have two weeks of cool weather, then another three weeks of really hot "Indian Summer", then two or three days before Halloween it will get cold and stay cold for at least four months.

The whole of autumn gets me excited. I enjoy the anticipation of the holidays. I try to get into Disneyland for one last hurrah and to sneak a peek at the "Nightmare Before Christmas" (N.B.C.) display at the Haunted Mansion and steal as many idea as possible within my budget. I am a holiday freak and I admit it.

This morning I went into nutso mode and the wheels are turning. After a quick trip out to the shed, inventory will be taken and plans will be made. This year there will definitely be more tombstones made, and hopefully more decor that lends itself to the theme. All of this is crazy because we rarely treat children in our neighborhood. The times they are a changin' and good folk stay away from the door to door festivities and only the crack head 32 year old moms with a soundly sleeping 3 month old come asking for milky way bars. (Oh, and the 24 year old gang bangers who scare the bujeebies outta me) But still I hope.

Two years ago I made up the front porch with floor to ceiling "New Orleans" lattice closing it off on all sides except the entry. Once inside there was a friendly "graveyard". (I prefer Halloween lite to blood and guts gory) I have tons of silk grass (from the wedding business years ago), so the grass was laid over bundles of crumpled newspaper to resemble grave "humps". Each site had it's own tombstone and some actual dead roses. There was a floating glow in the dark ghostie balloon and when guests arrived at the porch they would inadvertently step on the fog machine dispenser and fog would cover the floor of the "yard". The soundtrack from Nightmare before Christmas was playing in the background and with the other decorations, it was pretty cool.

Not too many people showed up, but those who did, albeit on some form of "medication", were happy they came by for their lousy candy. I always want to throw a fun party, but competing with the "Trunk and Treat" at church and school carnivals always means not enough guests to bother with. sigh.

This year Halloween is on Monday, so I will again attempt to bring something new to the slab. Goals are as follows:

New additions to the tombstones.
A wreath with eyes and teeth similar to the one in the Haunted Mansion/ N.B.C. Theme.
Gates similar the scenes in N.B.C.
Characters from N.B.C. that will greet the trick or treaters on the porch.
New luminaries that follow the theme and create a path to the door.


We'll see how it goes. I will be posting on the projects so all can see where it succeeds and if they fail. Costs and difficulties.

I will also be posting projects I have done in the past that probably everyone has done to death, but maybe someone new will pop by and get an old idea and turn it into something better. Please share!

First project just to get me in the mood... scary cupcakes!

I am hoping to get started soon, so stay tuned!

Saturn

As Thor and I were on our way to Palm Springs he suggested we stop off at a car dealership and within an hour we were the owners of a new vehicle. It's boxy, it's smaller than the extended mini-van we had, but still large (if compared to, let's say this but not as large as, this). We got this. Normally Thor takes several months to make any decision, read: sometime in December I was expecting a car decision to actually come to fruition.

I am not sure if this was the reason for the 5.6 shaker the next morning, but hey, whatever brings us a foot massage. We were on the second floor of our hotel Sunday morning when the "earthquake" hit. Technically, if you have lived here in CA for any length of time, a 5.6 isn't much to write home about. Actually we were into it about 45 seconds before we finally accepted that it wasn't a plane flyby and actually the earth rumbling. After it was over we called the kids at home. #5 answered and said she was answering the phone just as it began so we talked with her while it was going through our town. It was cool to think it had that much time to get to where we lived. Science!

One last shameless plug...

Clairmont Young Musicians Orchestra 2005, Walt Disney Hall
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Here they are! Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, CYMO

at Walt Disney Hall in L.A. , May 2005.

Don't you just love the organ pipes in that hall? Gorgeous! And there, right over there, yeah her, that's my #5! She's having the time of her life!

Clairmont Young Musicians Orchestra 2005, Walt Disney Hall
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

So, If you're in the Southern California Area and would like tickets to see the show....HAH! No can do! This concert is FREE! But, they usually have a SRO crowd and "sell out", so get in line early if you want a FREE seat! Bridges Hall, Claremont Colleges, Claremont CA. 7:00 THIS Sunday. Doors open at 6:30, "tickets" will begin to be passed out to those in line about 6:20 or so. Come early and grab a seat, these kids are amazing! (There is even a reception following the concert with food and drink and opportunity to meet the musicians and the conductor!)

Program and other information available at: Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, CYMO

For Whom the Bell Tolls...

While reading the Wednesday post of The Golden Road to Samarqand, Amira wrote of her love and interest in cemeteries. After reading several of the comments on that post I realized I am among friends who all have an affinity towards the history and culture of cemeteries.

Recently Thor and I were afforded the opportunity to travel to New Orleans. I had a couple of friends who had been there and also know a friend who served his mission there. Anyone I asked suggested we take a cemetery tour.

Thor wasn't available to go on tours as he was in seminars. I decided to ask a friend if she wanted go. She became very nervous about the cemetery tour but suggested we stick to the tour bus that went through the city. I will exclude the points of the tour and our guide except for the parts he explained as we went to cemetery #3 (if I am remembering correctly). The following is what I gleaned from our tour guide.

New Orleans is wet. Very wet. And due to the nature of the swamp land, humidity, and general landscape of the Delta Region provisions and laws needed to be established and are in place to this day to a certain degree. The land is saturated by all of this moisture so much so that the land itself sinks at the rate of an inch per year if not halted by man.

Back in the day, the law was set at burial needing to be done within 48 hours of the deceased finality. The body would be cleansed, dressed, and readied for the family crypt. Little or no embalming would take place. If it was used in the preparations, a special fluid was used so that the body would only be "suspended" for a minimal time. The law stated the body needed to decompose quickly. A body would be placed in a crypt for a minimum of 365 complete days.
A family would purchase cemetery land as the family plot. Calculations were made as too how much land a family could afford and how much they would need. Land was and is expensive, so a family would try to figure out just how many members could die within a certain "year" and plan accordingly within their financial means. The land being wet, an indicator of one's wealth would be the size of the crypt and how high off the ground it would rise before entry.

monuments of angels
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

The larger the crypt and the higher the stairs to enter the more wealth you had. One exception was the single crypt that stated in literal stone that whoever was buried there would be there "for eternity". This was a clue to those around that the crypt would not be shared.

Shared? Yes. Let's say you have a family plot and build a crypt large enough to house four tombs. What do you do when the fifth member of the family dies? Well, you throw Auntie Prudence down the family pit and move in Uncle Cleatus. This is accomplished rather cleverly.

out with the old in with the new
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

This photo is a great visual for the process. You can see in the photo that the crypt is built from brick. This was part of the law. Because of the plague and other diseases, bodies were required to be encased in brick, and sealed with concrete (lower right tomb) for the first 365. In this crypt there are 6 tombs, each (originally) with a facade of marble for genealogical information. As one body would complete there term the facade would be removed. This exposed the brick, which would be disassembled and exposed the casket. The caskets were made so that once the body had decayed, the ends could be removed. Auntie Prudence's remains, usually just bones, would then be pushed out of the casket via the open foot end and then would drop into the pit that was below each crypt, once there, Auntie Prudence would be taken into the earth naturally by Mother Nature over the years.
This particular crypt is in decay, most likely because the family who shares this plot have moved on to another area in the country and economics being what they are currently, they can afford to buried elsewhere.

neglect and nature
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

In this photo, you can see that neglect has exposed this crypt (in the center rear) to the elements and decay has set in, almost to the point where total reconstruction will need to take place. The crypt held three tombs. What we are viewing in this photo is the back of the tomb where much of the "work" was accomplished. It is a good photo in that it shows the extra length in the crypt and the construction that allows the process to happen. You can see the roof line, then a dark rectangular piece; that dark rectangle is actually and open part of the tomb, exposing the inner area of the top tomb. Broken and tumbling bricks are falling over due to gravity and into the area built to accommodate the falling bones. Exposure to the weather has evidently filled the open spaces of this crypt with enough soil, debris, etc, that plants are now filling the space. Although, in my limited knowledge, I think this would happen rather easily if not constantly maintained as we saw many city buildings that had ferns just growing into the exterior walls - many of them several stories up. Finding a crack in a wall is all it takes for a seed to find its' new home.

Also in this photo is a great example of a family plot whose finances were meager. Saying that, I somehow think this is where my family would have been buried. Perhaps in the old south this was a poor person, maybe today it would be the lower middle class? This is a ground level crypt. It has the cement borders and the tomb on the left still has the cement casing on the top. The wrought iron fence was there to show respect, but also to keep animals and visitors from walking on the crypt in an attempt to preserve the structure. Due to the level of the tombs, more than likely the caskets would have deteriorated right along with the body and sunk into the earth at a rapid rate.

The poor were left to rent community crypts. Essentially these were made of brick and usually made as the structure that surrounded the cemetery, looking like a tall, wide and thick brick wall. The front of the community crypts were built similar to the others with a false front and labeling system for identification. These crypts could also be rented for a one year (or more if needed) period by families whose plot was filled, but not legally able to be opened and rearranged to accommodate the new dead. Let's say Auntie Prudence was buried on May 24, 1823. She took her place in the vault. One more space was available and then Uncle Cleatus died two days later on May 26, 1823. Uncle Cleatus would take the last available space. Now because all the spaces are filled the family would hope no one would die until May 25 of 1824. Knowing that Gramma Jed had died earlier that same year, January 10, 1823 his space would become available on January 11, 1824 but he cannot be disturbed for 365 days. So when Gramma Edwina died May 30, 1823 she would have no where to go except the rental crypt. She also would have to stay there for the required 365 days; so if someone dies after her, say on February 28, 1824 they could slip in the family crypt BEFORE Gramma Edwina, because the Grampa could then be removed and she take his place for free. This would leave Edwina waiting for another available tomb in the family plot, extending her stay with the "undesirables" in the city plot.

nature finds a way
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

This is a photo that explains just what Nature is capable of. The arches on the bottom of the photo are actually the top of the tombs' "headstone"s, showing that this land has sunk considerably since the time of construction. The guide here told listeners that this area sank at the level of 1 inch annually. These tombs' headstones were originally at average eye level for an easy identification. Nature finds a way of recovering what is hers.

...enjoys long walks on the beach, with toddlers...

After reading a post over at Mother of All I am having a terrible craving for salt air and sand in my shorts. I have a small penchant for the smell of a funky lagoon, the wharf and wet nappy hair. That coupled with a bunch of screaming kids makes my heart skip a beat. Throw in a warm smashed PB&J and a hot orange soda and I will elevate to seventh heaven!

Yes, I am talking about summer at the beach. The sting of being sun-kissed and the first gasp as you enter the briny shore take me back to my own childhood. It's funny, but back then it was o.k. to just drop off your kids for the day and pick them up sometime near 9:00 that night. As an adult the thought makes me cringe. Not so much about the child safety issues we deal with now-a-days, but if I were the drop off mom, I would just have to stay and hang out. There would be no getting me back into that car until sundown.

We were taught to swim almost in tandem with walking. We were given secrets such as the water won't keep bashing the tar out of you if you just swim past the breakers, and if you get caught in a rip tide, just swim parallel with the shore and in a very short distance you'll be free again. That and never put a dead jelly fish in your trunk to save for next Monday's Show and Tell.

One of my favorite past times was and still is: Making Sand Castles. While browsing the Deseret Bookstore last week I found a "must have" book for my collection: Sandcastles Made Easy by Lucinda "sandy feet" Wierenga. Not knowing how far I can go without breaking copyright laws I will neglect to post her photos of work...YOWSERS! So cool, so pretty, and so tempting to try.

I read the book in about 20 minutes, and although there are some laws of physics to memorize, it's not rocket science. She gives away her trade secrets and recipes for the perfect castle and sculpting sands. Who knew there was a science to it all? After reading her book I now understand why my attempts have been less than stellar, however well planned and executed. So watch out beach goers! I have knowledge. And knowledge is power! No sand is safe from now on. I am off to stake my foolish man's claim and build me a house on the sand.

A rose for Lilly...

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Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Lillian Disney had two particular favorites in life, roses and Royal Delft porcelain. Frank Gehry decided to combine the two to create this tribute as a gift from her grand and great grandchildren.

Iron bars were reinforced to shape the petals of this rose. Wire mesh was filled with concrete and then waterproofed. Thousands of Royal Delft vases and tiles were broken on site and applied to the petals by an eight member team of artisans led by Tomas Oshinski. The mosaic pattern we see today is beautiful sitting amongst the flowering trees and plants basking in the rooftop sun.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A.

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Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Located on the same block of Grand Avenue as The Mark Taper Forum, The Ahmanson Theatre, The Music Center, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion sits the architectural wonder: The Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Check out the photo gallery! Holy Hannah! Click on the model views of the interior of the concert hall. It is fabulous. The organ has gorgeous pipes and the ceiling structure is terrific!)

Designed by Frank Gehry, it is the newest structure in the : The Music Center. In 1987 Walt Disney's widow, Lillian, donated $50 million to create this hall. It took 16 years to come to fruition. This hall is now the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Also housed within the complex is the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theatre (REDCAT).

The hall contains 12,500 pieces of primary steel, which weigh over 11,000 tons.

Over 30,000 architectural drawings were used to produce the concert hall.

A 750,000-lb. crane was needed to erect the steel support structure.

300 tons of bolts and welds were used.

18,00 cubic yards of concrete were poured, including two roof slabs 15 inched thick.

8 skylights were designed with glass three inches thick to keep the interior naturally bright.

"Tree trunk" columns are made of Douglas fir and serve as supports and air conditioning, lighting, and supports in the lobby. This wood is used throughout the hall because of its aesthetic similarity to the wood used in musical instruments.

The outside of the building is stainless steel. Originally it was left polished and shining like a mirror. Now, only a few places on the building are still reflective. The bright California sun shone so brightly, neighboring buildings were being heated from the WDCH. Air conditioning units were being over run and still unable to cool the surrounding buildings. Eventually the steel was brushed to decrease the reflection. I can tell you, sitting on the rooftop patio, you can still feel the heat from the building!

Melinda Taylor designed the rooftop garden that covers nearly one acre! The plants and full sized trees were placed in specially designed planters to create the illusion that they are growing naturally our of the ground, but keep the building secure and free of root systems. The trees and plants were placed in the same sun facing direction as they were in their original locations, insuring fresh and colourful blooms and blossoms year round. The bumble bees were very happy about this yesterday as they danced from one tree to another and in and around all the flower beds! From the 34 foot high vantage point you can see across the L. A. basin. Yesterday we saw Dodger Stadium!

The REDCAT is home to cutting edge experimental theatre, music, and performance art. Additionally there is a 3, 000 sqft exhibition space and multipurpose cafe.

The lobby of the WDMC is open daily for tours and walk throughs. There is terrific shop with museum quality art and gifts in all price ranges. (I saw a nice metal mesh purse. If anyone is interested, I prefer the silver bag with the ruffle edge and stone closure. A tad over $650.00.) There is a "nice" bistro on site and also a cafeteria type eatery within the lobby.

Carlton's Log: Day Two, explore!

After the initial drive around town I made mental notes of where I wanted to explore while Thor was in meetings all day. I set out for State Street. Famous for it's promenade, but also for it's gorgeous and magnificent buildings.

Trinity Episcopal Chapel
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

One of my immediate favorites is Trinity Episcopal Church. This wonderful specimen of Gothic style architecture is a treat for the eyes. I could spend hours just looking at each hand hewn brick with their thousand colours of sand. The linear structure is fascinating as several stacked blocks are equivalent to one, each row of bricks being equal in height. The carved details in the stone arched windows and entries were perfect. To imagine the hands and minds that built this structure makes one feel like they are in the presence of genius. This is not modern technology, this is old world craftsmanship. The serenity of the whole property was peace inducing. The bells in the tower rang on the half hour, calling the worshipers into the sanctuary. On this warm spring morning, it was a great place to sit and sketch in my diary.

Trinity Episcopal Maze
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

In the garden to the side of the chapel is a terrific maze patio. As I sat and sketched the window details, a young woman parked her car, got out and purposely and quietly made her way around and around to the center of the maze. It took her about ten minutes. As she was leaving she came over, looked at my sketches and struck up conversation. It seems she has attended the university here for the past four years. Any time she had questions about life she would walk the maze and meditation on her answers. Graduation is soon and today she was contemplating a job offer and move to Louisiana. Far away from family, friends and security. It seems the maze has always helped her feel closer to the One who will always give her an answer and be there when family and friends are so far away.

Stained Glass
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Walk to a door way and you are greeted with enormous wood doors with strong iron hinges. The doors are open and welcome you to enter. Inside the sanctuary the room is divided into three with two aisles leading to the front pulpit. All four sides of the room have large stained glass windows which glitter in the sunlight streaming through them. They tell the life of Christ in glorious colour and detailed images. The picture of the window here depicts the birth of Christ. Jesus in Mary's arms, surrounded by worshiping shepherds. The windows are tall enough to extend to the top of the second floor gallery and beyond. They are glorious and inspiring. The aisles are supported and divided by tall gothic pillars, carved with more detailed scroll work and high arches that build in layers to a point. There are trefoils everywhere, I am sure to signify the Holy Trinity.

Jesuit Fathers
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Down one block and over one block stands the fantastic edifice of Jesuit Fathers with it's Cake and Icing details that make this one delicious building to look at! Bright white with contrasting sand coloured amazing scroll work and carved pillars, this is another example of artisans glorifying God. This corner facing church is across from a city park but has so many flowers, shrubs and palm trees to practically qualify as a park itself. The greenery shades and gives a coolness to this hot in the sun white structure. Gardens on both sides invite parishioners and passers by to sit and reflect on it's benches and low walled flower beds.

Detail of Door Pillars
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

The picture here shows some of the minute details in this gorgeous door frame. All the doors in this church are surrounded by these arched carved beauties. I can't imagine the time and skill involved in hand crafting these! Wow, absolutely magnificent!

Carlton's Log: Day Two, the shopping

Scroll Work on the promenade
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Everywhere you go in the city of Santa Barbara you can find some beautiful architecture. In old town, the promenade at State Street, there are hundreds of examples like the one pictured on the right. This is a detail of a doorway on an obscure building off the beaten track. The arch way border itself is about three feet wide, making a graceful arch at the top. It descends into the doorway about another three feet. For me, the amazing thing is that the detail in this scroll work is not repeated more than 3 times in the relief which is three stories high. Crazy! There are, in this particular doorway, 5 different "stripes" of relief connecting together to make one huge border. This example has fruit as the theme. The others had scrolls, animals, leaves, and cherubs. All for a doorway! This grand entrance now belongs to the delivery entrance for a store on the promenade, which has an even more grandiose welcome for it's guests. Whew!

I managed to walk through a botanical garden, actual two, that are just one block over from State street. AMAZING flowers and shrubs. The pathways are winding and help you relax and just drink in all this nature. The birds sing and chirp and there are nannies with strollers, lovers hand in hand, and plenty of old timers who are willing to explain this or that flower or tree if you just ask. I could have spent plenty of film in these parks!

After walking through the parks I headed for the promenade and set my sights on Sur Le Table where I picked up some goodies for home and kids. It was nice to have a slow shopping experience and read all the labels and pick up things, explore, and browse the store shelves. I even made a few phone calls to folks to share my finds, which was fun!

Thor called me just about the same time my tummy was, so I grabbed the world's largest grilled chicken burritos (thanks to Tony's on the promenade) and headed back to meet Thor for lunch. We split one burrito and thought we were going to burst! Thor went back to work and I decided to take in the hotel and snap up some pictures of the great blessing we were sharing!

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Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Check it out! We have a couple of parents hanging out on the porch. They were busy all day long bring food, and chirping to the little ones tucked behind the wires. I believe they are robins, as daddy bird has a flaming red breast. On the opposite pillar we have another set of parents, big black birds who built their nest on the outer side of the pillars next to a conveniently placed drain spot. They too were busy flitting in and out feeding their newly hatched offspring. Needless to say we have one busy and chirping porch!