oh boy, it is 2011!

Posted on January 1, 2011 by kindli

This morning was the start of a new year. We hadn’t stayed up late the night before (I went to bed at 9 and read As Always, Julia), so we were up early (with a little assistance from our Oliver-alarm) at 7 am.

To celebrate the new year, we took our new car for a drive. We drove along 116 until the “Fort Ross or Bodega Bay” sign, turned left toward Bodega Bay and then drove along Hwy 1 until we reached the “hwy 12″ sign, and then took 12 home. There was almost no traffic – we were home by 10:30 – and it was a very enjoyable drive.

The rest of the day was spent accomplishing some of the tasks the growing list of Little Things To be Done.

Top of our list, the garage, now that we have two cars, we are hoping to eventually, perhaps, one day, fit the Matrix in there. Friday we did a major cleaning, and yesterday morning Gavin took a load to the dump.

Today we had Day 2 of Garage Cleaning and have filled our recycle bin full of cardboard. The gardening supplies (dirt, mulch, pots) have been moved outside into my cold rubbermaid storage boxes from college, this solution should hold out until summer when we hope to get an outdoor shed of sorts. We are making great progress (there is more floor), and we have a growing pile of stuff to donate to Goodwill (hopefully that’ll happen Monday).

Gavin also installed the in-wall fan controllers (they wire up where the light switch is). The fans in the master bedroom and office operate with remote control and they occasionally wander off with the toddler, so a few months back, we got in-wall fan controllers.

When all that excitement was done, we went for another drive, mostly because we could. I’m not entirely sure where we went. We drove on backroads, ended up in Petaluma, and took 101 and 116 home. Oliver had a lovely nap in his car seat.

Oliver’s been bathed, put in bed, and Gavin and I have settled down on the sofa to watch Die Hard on Netflix streaming. Happy New Year!

and a car seat in the backseat

Posted on November 28, 2010 by kindli

Gavin, Oliver and I spent the weekend looking at new cars. With Baby 2.0′s arrival in May and other possibilities on the horizon we decided it was time to investigate a larger and possibly second car.

We started Saturday looking at the Toyota RAV4 , we drove it around the block a few times, added it to our “maybe” list and then check out the Venza, it was an instant no. The interior console was huge and it felt like a car that even my grandmother would be horrified to drive.

Up next was the Mazda 5, theoretically it seats 6. We usually rent one in Houston when we visit my parents. It was surprising on the hills and in the turns, but the interior plastics were like chocolate box liners and the seats were less than ideal.

After lunch we continued on with the VW Sport Wagon, it was like driving a small, dark cave, a very nice small dark cave, and the seats were hard to get out of.

We then tried the Subaru Forester and Outback, both were very nice and scored quite high on the Installability Test (how easy it was to install the toddler’s carseat). The Forester felt weirdly un-spacious around the steering wheel, and the Outback had lots of fiddily little electronic bits which drove me slightly nuts.

I think I drove the VW/Subaru sales guy slightly crazy with my list of not-wants. I did not want electric seats, or heated seats, or an in-console sat nav system, or bluetooth (I don’t want to talk to people who call me when I’m driving!), or the flappy-panel gear box, or any number of other really “neat” features that so many cars come loaded with these days. I wanted good leg room, a spot for me to hook up the audio for my ipod, enough space in the back for 2 car seats, good trunk space, a sunroof and a fun ride. Apparently I was the first person who threatened to smash the “fiddily electronic bits” with a brick.

Today we began our search anew, starting with the Honda CR-V. It was by far the most fun to drive and very versatile, only problem, the seats in the lower-priced model did not have adjustable lumbar support.

We then went back to the Toyota dealership and drove the RAV4 again. We tested out the optional “3d row seating” which was fine, as long as the people in the third row didn’t have legs, and the people in the middle row were very petite. This time we took it on a slightly longer road test, on the back roads, it was like driving on Flan. The softened suspension amplified every bump and roll for a slightly sea-sick sensation.

So we went back to the Honda dealership to look at the CR-V again. The slightly more expensive, leather seated version had adjustable lumbar support.

After two days of looking at cars we decided we had enough and headed home armed with a stack of glossy brochures. Oliver is currently admiring the Toyota RAV4′s lovely photos.

Oliver’s favorite part was tearing around the showrooms investigating the new cars. His least favorite part was being loaded, unloaded, reloaded and unloaded again from his car seat in and out of new cars. After 12, Gavin lost track of the number of times he installed, uninstalled and reinstalled the car seat.

Wednesday’s Trip Home

Posted on September 29, 2010 by kindli

This morning we had Big Plans, an hour at the Aquarium and then driving back home. We checked out of the hotel and made it to the Aquarium moments before it opened at 10 am. Upon arrival, we were informed there was a female sea otter hanging out in the tide pool. It was cool, but O quickly got bored and decided there were more interesting things to see.

We had a packed hour at the Aquarium. Today’s trip started with the seahorses which had been sadly overlooked on our previous visits. Back in January, the exhibit was still fairly new, and it was packed. On Sunday, it was decently crowded, and on Monday they were simply overlooked.

After the seahorses, the turtles were very very popular, or rather, the crawl space next to the turtles was very popular. O had spent a fair bit of time there on Monday and was thrilled to be able to explore it further.

We crammed quite a bit into our hour. At 11:20 we loaded into the car and drove to San Jose to meet up with a friend of mine for lunch. O loaded up into the backseat with his Otter hand puppet, hammerhead shark, sippy cup, and snack cup. He proceeded to nap for most of the trip.

After lunch, we visited Grandma Dulce for a quick stop-over, fresh diaper, and snacks, then we headed back to Sebastopol. Thankfully the drive home was uneventful, traffic was light, and we got home at a reasonable hour.

Photos of our adventures can be found at Kindli’s Picasa – Monterey Vacation 2010, and as soon as I can upload video there will be stuff on YouTube.

Tuesday in Santa Cruz & Carmel

Posted on September 28, 2010 by kindli

O's ready for action armed with his sippy cup & otter

This morning we prepared for an adventure: we planned to go 17 mile drive, spend the morning in Carmel, have lunch, and then go to the Aquarium. We headed out early, drove around Cannery Row, and along some scenic coastline, then one hundred yards into 17 mile drive, we realized the clacking noise we’d heard earlier was coming from our tires.

So much for that.

By 10 am we were at the local Goodyear Tire place, where they told us they could not patch the tires, and then tried fervently to convince us to buy two new tires, one for the damaged one and one to replace one of the other rear ones so they’d wear evenly, be safer, etc. Total cost, a little over $300.

Testing out tires at the Goodyear in Pacific Grove

We got new tires last week. They’re the Big O brand Euro whatevers and they come with a 3-year warranty, so we drove to Santa Cruz (where the nearest Big O Tires was). Over twenty miles with a driver’s side rear tire full of nails.

If we made it to Santa Cruz we could get the tire fixed, for free. As long as the car drove, it was safe to drive to Santa Cruz. If we got a flat (instead of just a tire fully of nails) we could change it (ourselves), or if we were with in five miles of Big O we could call AAA and have them tow it (the first 5 miles are free).

We made it to Santa Cruz without major incident (the tire pressure light turned on, but it is inhabited by gremlins). We went 50 miles an hour, and often a bit slower. We angered the drivers behind us with what they perceived to be our over-cautious driving style, but we made it there safely.

With the new tire we found a place on the Wharf to have lunch. The food was good, but the over all experience was unmemorable. After lunch, we set about our original day’s plans: going to Carmel.

After a five hour detour, we found ourselves back on 17 mile drive heading to Carmel. We stopped at several scenic spots, took photos, and walked around. After about three or four stops, Oliver had really had enough of the in-and-out of the car and he made this quite clear.

Almost 5 years later, we've added a baby to the 17 Mile Drive Photo & Gavin continues to stand uphill

I suspect the sales staff at the galleries we visited are accustomed to a slightly different budget from their mid-week window shoppers. After perusing Sur La Tabe, we visited Tiffany’s, several galleries, Tumi, a rug store, and some children’s clothing botiques. Sadly we simply don’t have $500 to spend on a custom bronze statuette, or $2300 for a new rug for our living room. The purse I liked didn’t come in the color I loved, and I also can’t justify spending $60 on any one article of clothing for Oliver. Ever.

Photos of our adventures can be found at Kindli’s Picasa – Monterey Vacation 2010, and as soon as I can upload video there will be stuff on YouTube.

Give thanks at Easter

Posted on April 12, 2009 by kindli

In addition to being grateful for a wonderful family, caring husband, and adorable son, I would like to express my thanks for the man in the white Ford F-150 this evening.

On our way home from Palo Alto this evening we noticed the tire pressure light was on. We didn’t think much of it and decided to check it out on Monday, that was until it started making odd noises. The odd noises continued as we exited 101 for the Golden Gate Bridge, so we pulled onto a side street to check out the situation.

The rear tire on the driver’s side was completely flat. Gavin was astounded that I hadn’t felt any difference in the car’s handling -admittedly I was pretty shocked myself- up until the last 200 yards or so, aside from the increasingly loud odd noise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After debating wether or not we should call AAA (we decided not to), we set about emptying the trunk and getting the spare tire and jack out. It was getting chilly and dark, and neither of us were looking forward to the task.

Several cars drove past, and one, a white Ford F-150 with a “baby on board” sign stopped in the middle of the road in front of us. A man got out and offered his assistance. His english wasn’t very good (neither was our spanish). He had a more efficient jack, and he obviously knew what he was doing. With a little assistance from Gavin, he quickly, expertly changed out our tire.

We thanked him profusely and asked if there was any thing we could to. He simply smiled, shook our hands and was on his way.

I wish we could’ve done something more in return, words cannot express how grateful I am to him for his assistance with our tire this evening.

Blog post & photos of the cheesecake and Oliver’s first Easter will be probably be posted tomorrow, we’ve had a long day.

Oregon Trip Photos

Posted on July 15, 2008 by kindli

I now present photos from our trip to Oregon.

To Oregon & Back Again

Posted on July 13, 2008 by kindli

We’re back from Oregon (we drove up July 6), we got in Saturday afternoon and Nick picked us up @ the Santa Rosa airport. SR has a quirky little airport, I highly recommend flying into it at least once.

Our adventure started Sunday, when we stayed at a little motor lodge in Humbolt County. A family friend owned the motor lodge and was renting out most of the buildings to homeless people. They also own other properties in the area, and are working to help the community.

Monday we drove to Gold Coast, OR, over nighted in a lovely condo, and Tuesday we took one of Jerry’s Rogue Jet Boats up the river.

Tuesday night we arrived at the house in Waldport (between Florence and Newport). The next few days are a blur of car rides and napping. We visited the Aquarium in Newport, the dunes outside Florence and the bog with the bug eating plants (very cool).

Eventually I’m going to upload photos, and my FIL has promised to send me the ones he took as well.

we drove 800 miles and never left the state

Posted on April 21, 2008 by kindli

Abilene looked like an abandoned ghost town at 7:45 on a Sunday morning. The only sign that life might have once existed there was a plastic bag blowing across a parking lot. We were the only car for a good ten minutes as we worked our way to the highway.

On the bright side, there was no traffic until about an hour outside of Dallas so we racked up the miles. A grand total of over 800 in all.

We met Amanda and James for brunch at Bailey’s Breakfast Brunch Lunch not too far from the airport. They recently moved into a new apartment and Amanda was excited they’d “just” gotten a microwave.

At around 1:30 we dropped off our rental, took the shuttle to the airport and started the joyous process of going through airport security. At DFW they’re trying out a new method of air-poofing to test for explosives, and they have a new x-ray system where you can leave your liquids and laptops in their bags. The new x-ray system is nice, the air-poofing is a little strange.

About an hour or two we got to our gate a voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that the flight was over booked and they were offering vouchers to people to take a later flight… which is how we ended up in Dallas this time.

Gavin and I looked at each other. Before I could say anything, Gavin said “No. No way.” So we flew back to SFO on our regularly scheduled flight, complete with Babies in Surround.

Dulce picked us up from the airport, and after dinner in Palo Alto, Gavin drove home. It was his turn to drive, after all, I’d driven the 800+ miles all over Texas.

300+ miles roundtrip for BBQ

Posted on April 19, 2008 by kindli

This mornings grand adventure took us through the middle of Eden, Winter, and a few other wide spots in the road. Gavin and I ventured south on 83 to Junction, Texas, home of Cooper’s BBQ.

We drove about 2+ hours to meet Sean and Anne, Gavin’s Internet Friends. They drove up from San Antonio, and we drove down from Abilene. Junction is about half way between the two. Sean remembered Cooper’s from a previous road trip he’d made through the area.

Continue reading →

In 152 miles, exit right

Posted on April 17, 2008 by kindli

I will spare everyone my rant on the inefficiencies of American Airline, and instead enthrall you with our adventures on the road.

When our TomTom gleefully announced “In 152 miles, exit right” I knew we would be in for a long drive. A very long drive. Once we left Dallas/Fort Worth the landscape occasionally featured cows, 24-hour XXX book/video stores, Mega Churches, and greasy fast food joints (not national franchises).

In the process of uploading/modifying the TomTom, the music we’d put on had been erased. Gavin attempted to find music on the radio. Twenty five country stations, occasionally broken up by a blast of festive latino, we turned it off in despair and started a round of 99 bottles of beer on the wall (we got to 86 and quit).

Heidi lives with Abby & Kevin, Duke (a nearly blind/deaf arthritic dog), Slinky (the fluff-ball cat) and Chiquita (Chic the cockatiel). She has my old mini-fridge from prin, amply adorned with odd stickers from my college days, and a unique collection of art and postcards adorning the walls.