I had the opportunity to take part in some of the festivities at the GranFond. When I saw this video I just had to push it on to make sure we get bigger and better next year. Big props going out to Levi who started this contagious craze of mass cycling in Sonoma County.

Can’t wait until next year!

Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo from Bike Monkey LLC on Vimeo.

Spring Lake Park

Mix 104.9 – The Best Mix of the 80s, 90s and NOW! Listen MONDAY Morning @ 11:40 Stacey Kay will be chatting with David Archuleta and she’ll have a chance win tickets to see him Wells Fargo Center for the Arts on 11/29 and attend a Pizza Party With David!!!

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Bouquet of Roses

My favorite part of a rose show is usually the arrangements and bouquets.  What is the difference?  An arrangement has roses embellished with other plant material or prop while a bouquet is just roses.  I am not sure if that is a accurate technical difference between the two but it is mine!   I love them both. 

In a rose show each arrangement classification is given a descriptive name to inspire the arranger.  Themes are selected to compliment the title of the Conference or Show.  In this case, the Conference name is You have a “Date” in Palm Springs.  The arrangements were beautiful.  My favorite (always a difficult thing to say) arrangement was a dried arrangement in a standard traditional design.  I prefer the traditional designs because they use more roses but there were many lovely modern designs also. 

Dried Arrangement of Marilyn Monroe roses and dried plant materials

You can tell from the names of these roses that hybridizers like to grab the public’s attention by drawing upon the fascination with celebrities.  Deidre Hall is a wonderful rose and yes, I must admit that I have been known to watch Days of our Lives in my past.  Is she still on that show?

Entry for "America the Beautiful: Across the Fruited Plain" - Roses are Deidre Hall

 

 

This Rose Show was a national ARS event so the quality of arrangements is fantastic.  We do pretty well at our local rose show that is held at the Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center the first Saturday of May each year.  Please come by and check it out.  While I am writing of local events, the Redwood Empire Rose Society holds pruning demonstrations at the center the first two Saturdays of the year from 9 to noon.  It is a great time to learn to prune roses and we have lots of fun.  Hardy rosarians are outside pruning in the rain, sunshine or fog.  Stop by and get expert training free of charge.

Training is the best way to keep your pet safe and establish a healthy relationship between you and your dog. There are so many factors involved with caring for a pet and if you start training at a young age you can save yourself a lot of worries in the future.  Training can make walking your dog more enjoyable, taking them to the dog park safer and  having people over to your house a lot less hectic.

Whenever you start basic obedience training the most important thing you can do is BE CONSISTENT  . Dogs are creatures of habit and any training you do must be re-enforced  regularly in order to stick. So this means you are being trained as much as your dog is.  It’s very hard to resist your cute, adorable, furry baby when he tries  to get up on the couch or bed with you or when he gnaws on your hands but habits like this could mean disaster as he/she gets older. Your dog is happiest when he knows what you want from him so when you train him it helps to strengthen your bond and gives him a way to make you proud.

When you walk a well-trained dog on a leash, YOU are in control at all times and not being dragged down the street. If  you come across another dog you do not have to worry about your dogs reaction. You can enjoy the fresh air together and get some healthy exercise without dreading a misbehaving dog.

When you take your dog anywhere off leash whether it be the beach, a dog park or even  your front yard, basic commands like come, stay or heel can save their life.  You don’t want your dog to chase things unexpectedly or take off in front of a car.

It can be a pleasure having people over to your house when your dogs are well behaved. They won’t jump all over company or try to get out of the house and take off when people are coming and going. Without the proper training some dogs become so territorial that they won’t even let anyone in your home without going crazy.The peace of mind of having a well- mannered pup makes entertaining much more enjoyable.

Having a dog is a long term commitment and a lot of responsibility. As cute and loving as they are, they can also be challenging and maddening, especially if they are not trained. When you take the time to create structure, teach commands  and give your dog boundaries it feeds their desire to please you. It makes them more relaxed when they know what you want from them.. so teach them. Give them positive re-enforcement when they do good and don’t tolerate bad behavior. This means you can’t be lazy and confuse them because sometimes they get away with it and sometimes they don’t. There are reputable trainers and pet facilities that can help you. Train your dog, they will love you for it and your life will be a lot easier in the long run.

I’m sooo in love with Levi Leipheimer’s  King Ridge GranFondo! Here I am, at home in cold Mont-Tremblant  Canada,  and I just can’t stop thinking about it! I’ve been reading so many posts about it the past few weeks and went through hundreds of pics. It just sounds like and amazing journey!

First, I got to specify that anything involving California, for a French Canadian, sounds awesome. You know, the sun, the beach, the surf. But Northern California seems to have so much more to offer: the coast, Redwood Forest, the vineyards, Santa Rosa…and the challenging King Ridge!

For those of you who aren’t cyclists and have no clue what I’m talking about, let me help you here:

1. Levi who? Levi Leipheimer is an American pro cyclist, long time teammate and friend of Lance Armstrong.

       2.  Gran Fondo? A long distance road cycling event for cyclists of all abilities (an Italian tradition).

      3. Levi’s GranFondo? 3500 cyclists enjoying the beautiful hilly terrain of Northern  California for a 1 day event.

 Click on this link for the video of the first edition, October 2009: (please, watch it all, gotta see those gorgeous coastal switch backs towards the end to really get the feeling of it all!)  http://www.levisgranfondo.com/

     4. The event raises money for 2 causes: http://forgetmenotfarm.org/

     5.   http://www.keepthetour.com/

Ok now, you all know what I’m talking about!

I’m telling you, there’s something magical about those roads… Closing my eyes, I can see myself pedaling effortless, surrounded by striking mountains, astounding views and hundreds of happy cyclists.

Sure hope I can make it there next year. Wouldn’t want to miss it again!

Sonoma County, can’t wait to meet you!

Mjo

PS Even the lemonade stand looks cool!

Costa Rica started to get started as its own country.  In March of 1856, the Costa Ricans  defended their country from invasion by William Walker in the Battle of Santa Rosa, which occurred in Guanacaste.  The story of William Walker is interesting, so I’m going to have a tangent here (supplied in part with information from Wikipedia, not that I endorse its use for anything more scientific!)….

William Walker was born in 1824 in Tennessee, he graduated early, spent a few years in Europe studying medicine, observed the 1848 revolutions in Europe, returned to finish a medical degree at University of Pennsylvania, practiced in Philly, moved to New Orleans, became a lawyer, edited a newspaper, moved to California….sounds rather normal so far, right?

Well, he apparently had done as much as a normal person would ever want to do, so he then moved on to deciding to make a hobby out of privately conquering Latin America.

He started by taking over a small part of Mexico and declaring himself president of the region.  He was forced out by the Mexican government, sent back to the US, tried for starting a war that violated US principles, acquitted, and moved on to planning some more.  At the time, there was a war in Nicaragua, and he saw an opportunity.  He recruited over one thousand men and started on the way to controlling (he was in southern Nicaragua, where most of the population is, and which happens to be near the Costa Rican border).  Costa Rica declared war on William Walker, Walker sent a small army to invade Costa Rica, but the invaders were defeated in the Battle of Santa Rosa in March.

La Casona, Santa Rosa

In April, Costa Rica sent forces into Nicaragua and defeated some of Walker’s troops in the Second Battle of Rivas, Juan Santamaría played a key role (remember this name).  Walker at this point had declared himself the president of Nicaragua.  His policies were put in place to encourage people to immigrate to Nicaragua, particularly spun towards Southerners who were interested in spreading slavery.

Eventually, his time was up.  His policies were weakening, people were revolting, and in May of 1857, he surrendered to the US Navy.  When he arrived in New York, he was  considered a hero, but then blamed the Navy for his “failure”, and lost popular opinion.  He tried to go on another spree, but was retrained by the Navy.  Eventually he returned to Central America, but was taken into custody by the British Navy because they considered him a threat to their own intentions.  The British Navy gave him to the Hondurans, who decided he should be shot by a firing squad (seems this was the preferred method at the time, remember Pablo from “History of Costa Rica, Part 1″?).  Walker was 36 years old when he was killed on 12 September 1860.

Back to Costa Rica….

Juan Santamaría (the name you were supposed to remember from the Walker tangent) was a young man who joined the forces against William Walker.  He was a drummer but gained his fame by setting fire to the camp of Walker’s men.  Juan did not survive the incident, but did became a national hero.  There is a statue dedicated to him in Alejuela, his birthplace.  However, the interesting thing about the statue is that Juan’s likeness is in Haiti, while another similar statue (that was commissioned at the same time) is actually in Alejuela.  At some point, the two were confused, and Costa Rica wound up with a statue wearing a non-Costa Rican outfit, which no one noticed initially.  Apparently, even after some one did notice, it was not a big enough deal for them to switch it!

Monument to the Heroes, Santa Rosa

I’ve about had my fill of writing about history (I mean, after William Walker’s escapades, anything is bound to be boring in comparison!), so here we go in super-fast-forward….

So, after William Walker and Juan Santamaría, there were some governmental changes, including a new constitution in 1871.   Education was made mandatory, water and electricity access were improved, and reforms were common.  After the depression the most influential players were the government, the Communist party, and the Church (Catholic).

Rafal Guadia was the president from 1940-1944 and started lots of good things: UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica, the national university), Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (Caja, the social health system), and labor laws.

After a 5 week Civil War in 1948, the Communist Party was ultimately banned, the army was abolished, and a new Constitution was constructed based on the one from 1871.

A variety of men were presidents, including Oscar Arias (who won a Noble Peace Prize), who was a president in the 80s, and is the current president (you can read more about him here: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1987/arias-bio.html).

That more or less brings us to today, with not so much emphasis on the last century (sorry!).  More about Costa Rica in the next post….

25 de dezembro de 2007

Trecho: Santa Rosa (BRA) – Resistencia (ARG)

Diário:

Santa Rosa, sete horas da manhã de um feriado e só um motivo muito especial para nos tirar da cama. Era chegado o dia da tão esperada (e planejada) Guanacos’ Trip. Sabendo que nossos pais e amigos não viam a hora de se livrar da gente, marcamos um “café despedida” na casa do Duda para que todos pudessem nos desejar boa viagem em alto estilo. Após um incontável número de conselhos que iam desde “não esqueçam o protetor solar” até “carreguem os documentos sempre com vocês”, a hora do embarque. Ou não, porque as luzes traseiras do carro insistiam em não funcionar. Felizmente o problema foi rapidamente solucionado e lá fomos nós!

Em meia hora estávamos em Porto Mauá, pegando a primeira barca do dia. Já do lado argentino, em Alba Posse, realizamos os trâmites necessários para entrar no país e seguimos viagem.

Rio Uruguai em Porto Mauá

Fato que não faz sentido agora mas que será importante no desenrolar da história: Evandro e Ale entraram com o passaporte na Argentina. Duda e Pedro com a identidade.

Chegamos a Posadas por volta do meio-dia e encontramos uma cidade completamente abandonada (afinal, era 25 de dezembro). Aí ocorreu uma cena que se repetiria em quase todos os dias da viagem: o ritual da procura por um restaurante que agradasse a todos. Como 98% dos estabelecimentos da cidade estavam fechados, acabamos nos contentando com meros panchos ou cachorros-quentes, se preferir. Ah, ganhamos também um copão rosa neon de brinde que nos acompanhou durante todo o roteiro e até hoje traz ótimas lembranças.

Nós, os panchos e o copo rosa em Posadas.

Satisfeitos com nosso almoço, passeamos um pouco pelo porto da cidade, que é muito agradável para uma caminhada, e novamente pegamos a estrada. Quer dizer, pegamos a estrada depois de passarmos pelas incontáveis sinaleiras não seqüenciais da cidade, retardando nossa viagem em pelo menos 20 minutos.

A estrada padrão argentino é uma reta sem fim. Simplesmente se mira uma cidade, pisa no acelerador e vai! Fato esse que contribuía (e muito) para a insistente sonolência dos ocupantes do banco de trás do carro.

Acabamos passando por alguns postos policiais e, apesar da insistência do motorista em pagar algum suborno, ninguém nos parou. Só tivemos problema para abastecer o Santanão, pois alguns postos não tinham gasolina e outros só aceitavam abastecer no máximo 80 pesos.

E foi assim, seguindo as retas infinitas que costeam o rio Paraná, que chegamos a Corrientes, perto das cinco e meia da tarde. Demos uma voltinha pelo porto da cidade, cruzamos a ponte e chegamos a Resistência, autodenominada “cidade das esculturas”.

A trupe no Porto de Corrientes

Cais de Corrientes e Rio Paraná

Fomos direto ao centro procurar um hotel e aprendemos a primeira lição da viagem: nunca julgar um hotel pela fachada. O Hotel Colón tinha uma fachada cinco estrelas e quarto de duas. Anyway, fizemos o check-in, deixamos o carro na garagem e saímos em busca de algo para comer. Bebemos uma tal de cerveja Iguana, comemos uma pizza e voltamos para “casa” (como viríamos a chamar todos os hotéis em que ficamos). De volta ao hotel, somente descansamos para o dia seguinte.

A Iguana de Resistencia.

Estatísticas:

540 km percorridos (Duda como motora)

3 barbeiragens

1 mudança de país

1 pessoa atrasada para o café da manhã

2 patetas usando identidade para entrar na Argentina

1 cerveja Iguana sem espuma

19 tentativas do Duda pagar propina

5 horas para o Pedro montar o tripé e tirar uma foto de toda a galera no Porto

Montgomery High School

]]> http://fitnfurry.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/youre-going-on-vacation-but-what-about-me-can-i-go-to-fitnfurry/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:33:02 +0000 fitnfurry http://fitnfurry.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/youre-going-on-vacation-but-what-about-me-can-i-go-to-fitnfurry/

It’s the time of year when we are making plans to get out of town to celebrate with friends and family but what about our furry family members that can’t always come along for the ride?  The main thing to remember is that you have options.

If taking  your pets with you is not an option you can find a reputable in-home caregiver to come and feed and walk your  pets while you are away. Make sure they are bonded and insured and most of all make sure you feel comfortable with having someone come into your home and that your pets will get the care they need.

Another option is leaving your pet with a professional caregiver.  Boarding facilities can be a reliable choice when you are away.  Most places are reasonably priced and well equipped to give the necessary care your pet needs.  It is always a good idea  to check out a few different options  and find one that is the best fit for you and your pet.  Places are popping up all over the country that are not your standard “kennels”.  There are all inclusive pet resorts that can offer training and grooming while they are boarding so you can go on your vacation and when you pick up your furry friend they will be well mannered and looking great!

If you are home for the holidays you may still want to board your pets for a day or two or drop them off for some doggie daycare.  With the hustle and bustle of the season people may be coming and going more than usual which increases the chances of having a lost pet.  Also, there are many poisonous things for your pet to get into such as poinsettia plants, christmas tree water or turkey bones.  When our schedules get hectic our animals sometimes suffer so why not drop them off for some doggie playtime while you’re doing your shopping or entertaining.  Make the holidays fun for everyone including your furry family members!

Santa Rosa Creek

Lake Raphine

11-1-09  7:09 AM

1/15 sec.  f16  ISO 100

Canon XTi

The City of Santa Rosa issued a proclamation specifically mentioning our own Craig Gaevert for his participation in the Gran Fondo bike race. He, along with other volunteers, was honored yesterday for his role in making this event a huge success for the City.

11-8-08  12:12 PM

1/500 sec.  f6.3  ISO 200

Canon 20D

10-17-09  7:58 AM

1/2000 sec.  f3.5  ISO 200

Canon G9

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Imagine if you will that you hired a crew to come and take out an old oak tree from your backyard. Then imagine that you get a call from said crew a few hours later. That call went something like this “Yea hi, we had a little hiccup removing the tree. It’s actually kind of funny really; you’ll laugh when I tell you. See our crane became a little unbalanced and well, smashed through your house”

Now personally I would flip shit, I can only assume the McCarthy’s did the same. Oh and should I mention that Mrs. McCarthy was just in a car accident earlier that week? Luckily no one was hurt in this little mishap. If you’re friends with these people though you should probably stay away for a while, as they’ve either been jinxed or Mr. McCarthy is channeling Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor.

Looking at it in hindsight, did that tree really need to come out? And what the fuck did they need a giant crane for anyway? Why didn’t they just keep cutting the thing until the pieces were manageable? The pictures show guys back there and nice little pieces. Perhaps this company also moonlights as a lumber provider and needed some 20 foot long 2×4s.

One thing is sure though. These are lumberjacks, and they’re not okay.