Friday Night at the Movies

Fun night with the Friday Night at the Movies gang. We had some Greek food, saw a slide show of Tom's trip to Chengdu, talked to Wendy in Chengdu and watched "The Good Sheppard". We also stayed up rather late, the movie was two hours and forty minutes long, so I'll make this a short posting, as Nancy and I have to get up early to go to the B Street Theatre on Saturday. I've posted a picture from Tom's slide show. The small picture is on the far right of the blog page and there is a larger version at the bottom of the page. I'll post some more pictures of our gathering, on tomorrow's blog.

Movie Night Tomorrow - New Additions to the Master Bedroom

We changed our meal plans for tomorrow's Friday NIght at the Movies. We're going Greek this time. There is a very good Greek restaurant in Elk Grove and it's time we ordered some take out from Daphne's. The guys should like it.

I've posted a picture at the bottom of the blog page to show the Master Bedroom updates. Kenneth installed the shutters last Sunday and I've added a plant and inserted a little table next to the bed. Our "antique" rotary phone sets on top of it. The rotary part still works fine. It doesn't even have touch tone capability. I've had it for thirty years, or longer. I've actually forgotten just how long ago I made the purchase.

Spring Rain in Sacramento

We had some rain today. We're behind in our rainfall for the season, so it was a good thing. However, I kind of curtailed some of my usual outdoor activities, because of the rain, and instead I spent the day catching up on my reading. I received four magazines in the mail today, so along with the magazines I already had, there was ample reading material at hand.

This afternoon I went to Raley's to purchase some fish. Wednesday has become a day that Nancy and I enjoy a fish dinner at home. We had our usual salmon, but we also tried some catfish and cod to see if we'd like it. The catfish went over well, but we didn't care so much for the cod.

Today, I also went to the video store, to get "The Good Shepard" - for this week's Friday Night at the Movies. I think we'll have Papa Johns pizza, for the guys coming over on Friday. I still have to come up with a good dessert.

Eddie Video - Neighborhood Walk

I want to make sure that I don't leave Eddie out of my blog videos, so here is a short clip from his visit yesterday. Note to Tim: no need to turn the volume off, Eddie is quieter than Wiggy. However, you will hear me whistling, a little. So, alert your guys. Hope that they don't get too excited.

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=EddieComesOvertoPlay.flv

Sometimes when I'm on my neighborhood walk, unplanned diversions can occur. Today was one of those times, but it was all good. Tom, one of my neighbors who lives near the lake, happened to be outside when I strolled past and he had something to show me. Tom, who owns a couple of businesses, well... actually only one now, as he sold his tire shop a while back... he wanted me to see his remote controlled sprinkler system he recently installed. He knows that I like gadgets and the remote device is something that he installs oftentimes when he gets the bid on an upscale landscaping job. Oh, I forgot to mention, Tom's other business is in commercial and residential landscaping. The remote device that he showed be was really neat and somehow that discussion led to a discussion about his home entertainment system. He's decided to put his house on the market and he said that he may leave the current media center intact for the next owner. Tom is also a general contractor, he built the house that he lives in, so he knows the pros and cons of including household items when selling property. I asked to see his system, which was custom built some three years ago, and he was happy to do so. He has a beautiful upscale media room filled with top of the line equipment. However, it is - as mentioned, three years old and a lot has changed, technology wise, over that period of time. He's kind of undecided as to what he will do regarding the media room equipment, especially after we began talking about Blue Ray and large Plasma screens. We also talked at length about politics, immigration and Don Imus and before I knew it an hour an a half had passed. Nancy has kind of gotten use to me sometimes losing track of time during my walks, so she doesn't panic, or think that maybe Eddie or Wiggy might have attacked me along the way (although that would be a fun story to tell if it actually happened). Anyway, I learned a lot from Tom and I'm sorry he will be moving from the neighborhood. Wonder who the new neighbor will be?

Mr Wiggles Says: "Woo - Woo"

Carla brought Eddie and Wiggy by the house today. They were playful and so really full of life. While Nancy and Carlene were having a conversation, Wiggy decided to get his two cents in. I had my camcorder ready. Wiggy is quite a talker. During his walks he likes to let you know that he is outside - by barking his signature "Woo- Woo", to all who are willing to listen. He really is persuasive when it comes to convincing Carlene to take him and his brother for a walk each day. Most of the neighbors now recognize Wiggy's greeting, that "Woo - Woo" sound, and Carlene usually makes several stops along the way to say hello to everyone. Eddie, on the other hand, doesn't do much barking, but he's more of a good will ambassador for the neighborhood. He is always cheerful and has a wonderful smile on his face when he comes up to greet you. He is a really happy guy! Both Westies are a joy to visit with and Nancy and I always enjoy our chats with Carlene. You learn a lot from interacting with your neighbors, both the two - and the four foot variety. I want to share Wiggy's "Woo - Woo" greeting with you - so check out the video below.

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=WiggyWooing.flv

Baby Brandon Visits His Great Grandparents

Baby Brandon and family drove up to Elk Grove today, from their home in Fairfield, to spend Easter Sunday with Nancy and me. Actually... Kelly drove... hey, the kid is only six weeks old! Of course, lots of pictures were taken, and we captured some camcorder footage as well. Baby Brandon seemed to really like Perry the Penguin. Perry only knows one song, a Christmas song - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". What the heck, if the kid likes Perry, what difference does it make if he (Perry) doesn't know any Easter songs yet... right? Baby Brandon did a little dancing (his feet moved - you'll see) and some head movements - in tune with Perry - no easy feat for a six week old baby, I might add. Alas, we weren't actually recording when that happened, but we did manage to capture some spell binding and all consuming video of Baby Brandon and Kelly watching Perry the Penguin. No question, Brandon is certainly a very talented baby, as you will see from the video. Actually, if truth be known, I often sing along with Perry when I first get up in the morning, even though Nancy sometimes has to remind that Christmas was actually over several months ago. Time gets a bit fuzzy when you get a little older. So, go take a look at the video! Oh, and don't forget to check out the newly posted pictures of Baby Brandon and his parents. There's a picture to the right, of Kenneth and Baby Brandon, and another of Baby Brandon, with his parents, Kristi and Big Brandon, at the bottom of the page.

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=BabyBrandonlisteningtoPerryPenguin.flv

Nancy fixed a great meal for Easter - ham, with all the trimmings. We all enjoyed the food - and the conversation. During the visit, Kenneth installed the new shutters, in the master bedroom, the ones that we purchased from the company where he works. I think they really add a lot to the new decor. He did a fine job of measuring and installing the shutters. It went smoothly, with no glitches. All in all, a fun day - Easter Sunday.

Getting Ready for Easter Day Gathering

Nancy and I spent a good part of the day getting ready for tomorrow's Easter day meal - with Kelly and the kids. Baby Brandon will make his first visit. I'll post some pictures after the gathering.