2100 miles: a class, a crash, and some drive-by shooting

Last weekend my Dad and I took a little road trip... driving from Salem, Oregon to Palm Springs, California, then back home again. (We went down to Calif to attend a class.)

The whole trip was awesome. The drive down and back was not as bad as I thought it would be, and the scenery was incredible. We did do some drive-by shooting, with the camera of course, and so some of the pictures are 75mph blurry, but I'll share them here later.

Have you ever driven in the greater Los Angeles area? Holy cow, I didn't realize the 75-80mph white knuckle driving for 2+ hrs nonstop to get from one side of LA to the other would be so exhausting...

We did have some excitement, too. Heading home we were leaving the LA area and heading up I-5 toward the Grapevine at about 10:30pm when traffic suddenly came to a dead stop. Up and over a hill at 75mph and everyone ahead of us slammed on their brakes. Dad was driving and we managed to skid to a stop without being rear-ended. All I could do was mutter, "Oh crap."

The right lane was blocked by a Toyota that was sideways across the entire lane. There was heavy dmg to the front passenger side and the driver was still in his vehicle. The accident had just happened, too - no flashers, nothing. I could smell smoke from the engine of the Toyota. There was another bigger vehicle down on the exit ramp below with the entire rear pushed in.

I asked my Dad, "Should we call 911?"

"Nah, someone else probably did already."

"I bet that's what everyone says. I'm calling."

So I called and it seemed that this was new news to the dispatcher.

Today I was curious about the crash and Googled it. Here's the rest of the story: http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/26658/ <http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/26658/>

Dinner and a Show

After dinner. The Seagulls' dinner., originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

On a recent girls' day out, Rachel and I were in in Lincoln City where we picked up some burritos and quesadillas at Muchas Gracias then drove down 17th Street to park on the beach.

While we ate, we watched the gulls pick up mussels, fly up in the air, then drop the mussels on the beach to crack open the shells. Once opened, the gull would pick up the mussel and shake it until the meat came free from the shell. There were piles of shells where the gulls had eaten their dinner.

After dinner and the show, we shoved our crumpled burrito wrappers in the trash and we left behind only tire tracks in the hard wet sand.

Stamp Picture Frames

I've always turned to crafts in the past when trying to figure something out - or when I was restless and needed some kind of change. You know when you have a restless creative moment and you feel compelled to just create to calm the inner crafty beast for a while?


Even when I'm trying to figure out a new Pretty Little Doo Dad to go with a new PlateWrap fabric, I turn to other craft projects to help me think.

Lo and behold, I have a LOT of other completed crafty projects made when I couldn't figure something else out or when I just felt compelled to create. The dilemma now is I need to figure out what to do with all these creations and I don't dare craft away to figure it out. Not until I do something with all the other neat stuff filling my shelves and storage bins.


Aha! How about a little Etsy shop filled with all the nifty items I felt compelled to make? This is a totally random collection, but maybe that would do the trick. What do you think?


The pictures shown here are two picture frames I made from a decoupage of stamps, address book entries, air mail envelopes, and a pencil...


Are they Etsy-Worthy?

A.D.M.I.R.A.L.

Some of my very creative friends have been creating acronyms lately. (They're bored.)


Today's word is: admiral


Here is what they have come up with so far....

1. A dreamer's mentality is really animalistic lies!!!!
2. a demons mask internally, reeks a lot.
3. All Day men insist Raylene's are luscious
4. Another day makes Isabel really angry, LIAR.
5. And Dexter makes Isabel recognize all lies!!
6. ALL DOGS MUST INTRODUCE REALLY, ALL LEGS
7. Andi digs men, interesting really, all lunar-cycles
8. Aliens derive many inter-species rascals all loony.
9. All day menu, incommunicado raisons, A La-carte
10. After demons make ice-cream, run all loose.
11. Adam David Moore is really always late!!
12. Although David may irritate Rachel, all love
13. A dorky man internets right, aint lyin!
14. Apples delicious make ill retch and leak
15. A daring Many induce raspberry and lemon.
16. Anonymous darling men instigate rave at Laguna
17. Amorous dazzling men incarcerated return as leeches
18. Admiring duchess mirrors iguana radiantly and laughs
19. All Disaster Monday isn't really all laze
20. Any day my irresponsible relative aims low
21. As doomsday munches in, reorganize all ladles
22. Angry demonic munchkins irritate rabbits and lizards.
23. A disruption might include reprioritizing Andi's lament.
24. All dumb movies include racing alligator legs
25. Andi decides, "maybe I'll Relocate at lanai."
26. Anchovies disgust moms, ignoring rugrats ate lots
27. Alabamaslammas do make illegal retaliators all lovers.
28. A detailed magazine investigates real-estate agents lying.
29. Accountants demand management includes reality as loss-cause.
30. Aspirational dog-lovers must investigate arf logarithms
31. Art does magic in real adult lives
32. Arch dioses meet in Rome about Lutherans
33. Artichokes do make interesting remoulade at lunch
34. Abaci destroy math ignaceously reinterpreting all lava
35. Achtung defines men investigated rationally at laboratories

Can you think of any more?

Just really really neat

Someone emailed this to me a while ago and I wanted to share. 

Look closely at the feet of the camels. Do you see? The dark camels you see are just shadows. The real camels are the tan figures at the feet of the shadows. 

I now have proof that mothers are smarter than doctors.

(Sorry Patty! I still love you!)

Yesterday I stopped by Walmart after work to drop off an Rx for Rachel.

The lady at the pharmacy said it would be ready in half an hour, so I ran down the street to shop at Safeway, then returned to Walmart and picked up some other stuff, then pushed my cart over to the pharmacy.

I was 9th in line. There wasn't a line when I dropped it off; where did all these people come from?

Oh, and did I mention I had to pee as soon as I got in line? I think bladders are required to do that to you when they know you're stuck in line...

After standing in line for a good 20 minutes, it was finally my turn. The lady couldn't find my order.

Turns out I gave them an Rx for myself that had been given back to me when I got it filled. (Why did they give it back? No clue.) The two pharmacy technicians who were now involved in this mess were very understanding and nice about the error and said they would fill Rachel's as a rush... then they looked at it, looked at each other, then looked back at me .

I sighed and asked, "Now what?"

The Rx was for an over the counter medicine.

What?

They said sometimes the doctor will write a script instead of telling the patient what to buy and how to use it. They didn't know why.

So nice Pharmacy lady walked me over to the area where they sell this medicine to make sure the over the counter stuff was exactly what was written on the Rx... and it was...

...only the Rx was for regular strength and I had already bought Rachel the extra strength to tide her over until we had the Dr appt and could get some meds to solve the problem.

I looked at the pharmacy lady with my best 'You have got to be kidding me' expression and mumbled, "I think it's time for me to go home now..."

She patted me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, tomorrow's Friday. Hang in there... This just proves Moms are smarter than doctors."

Springtime in Oregon

Springtime in Oregon, originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

Hey mom, what's springtime looking like in Northern Wisconsin?

Oh Crap!

How NOT to Make Orange Iced Tea

How NOT to Make Orange Iced Tea, originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

We make a lot of iced tea at home. Not the "mix the powder with cold water" kind of iced tea, but the "boil the water, steep the tea bags, then add ice" kind of iced tea. There are a ton of flavor choices when you make iced tea from tea bags, and one of my favorites is green tea with a little lemon juice and sugar.

One day, I was cleaning out the pantry and found some Tang. Not enough to make a whole pitcher, and a little too much for a single glass, so I decided to try making orange iced tea with green tea bags and tang.

And the zest of an orange, for more flavor.

Step one: start brewing the green tea.

Step two: add some orange zest to the steeping tea so the hot water can extract the orange essence from the zest.

Step three: add the rest of the Tang powder and adjust the flavor with sugar, if needed.

Step four: try not to go overboard with your tea-making experiment...

Orange zest into the tea, originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

I zested the orange into the tea.
The orange essence should add some nice flavor to the tea.

Oh what the heck., originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

Oh what the heck.

I'll just toss the whole orange in.

 Oranges taste good.

..Here, Rachel. Taste this.

Here. Taste this., originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

 Boy, she sure looks suspicious, doesn't she?


And rightly so. This was the NASTIEST tasting stuff I have ever made.
She wouldn't eat or drink anything I made for a good week after this failure.




Disclaimer #1: I tasted it first and didn't die, so I know it wouldn't kill her either.
Disclaimer #2: The glass is shaking because I'm trying not to giggle as I hold it out to her. 
Disclaimer #3: She could have refused the drink offer, but didn't. Caveat Emptor.


(I love my child, but sometimes I am a bad mother.)

You ROCK

This is my most recent Pass It On Plate design.


I've got a stack of blank plates to paint up - got any ideas about what you'd like to see on a plate?

PS: This plate is part of our Plate Diary Dollars™ program.