Friday, 4 August 2006
Day 37
Ranch week has come to an end. But not before the big barbecue!
Craig Neuzil and Grandpa Carl sizzled up a meal to die for and friends came to join us.
What a great way to end the week.
Wednesday, 2 August 2006
Day 35
I went to the Santa Barbara Mission tonight with Mommy, Daddy and Auntie Rosalind. She's is actually Mommy's cousin, but they grew up together, so they're kind of more like sisters. Auntie Roz is cool.
We watched the opening ceremony to Santa Barbara's annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebration, the Fiesta Piquena or "Little Fiesta." It was quite a show.
My Auntie Elizabeth (again, Mommy's cousin) used to perform during Fiesta as a Flamenco dancer. She's very good, you know. Maybe someday I will dance in Fiesta too!
Monday, 31 July 2006
Day 33
It's Ranch Week!
Mommy and Daddy's friends are coming out to help do some real hard work on the ranch. This place is pretty old... it needs some serious TLC. (Tons of Labor, Cheap!)
Jim Poett and his wife Marianne (originally a New York girl like me) live on the ranch. They had a party at their house tonight in my honor and to welcome all the volunteers who came out to lend a hand. What a fun place! The parties never seem to end.
Saturday, 29 July 2006
Day 31
The barbecue was awesome. We have a huge barbecue pit under the grape arbor next to the main ranch house, and on it you can cook a whole lot of meat at once. Tri-tip is the beef cut of choice in these parts. And boy is it tasty! (Or so I'm told.)
Jim Poett is mommy's cousin and he manages the ranch and raises his cattle there. He works with my Grandma Delfina and a few others to keep the place running. They do a great job. Jim led the meetings all weekend and really did a nice job bringing some new ideas to the family.
I'm a little tired in these photos, but hey, cut a girl some slack. It's my first jet lag.
Friday, 28 July 2006
Day 30
We got in to Grandma Delfina's house really late last night. So late, it was actually 3am this morning! She has a great house. I love it here, and I'm so happy to see her again :-)
I visited Rancho San Julian for the first time today. The ranch is very important to my Mommy and my Grandma Delfina, and now it is to me too. It's been in our family for almost 200 years!
Tomorrow is the annual family reunion barbecue, but this year there are special meetings and such all weekend. Rancho San Julian is primarily a cattle ranch, but folks are talking about getting into organic farming and wine making... it's all very exciting stuff.
Mostly, I'm just excited to meet my family--and there sure are a lot of them! Some live on the ranch. Some of them have come from far away. But they're all here this weekend to meet me :-) (And to catch up with each other too, I suppose.)
Thursday, 27 July 2006
Day 29
I'm four weeks old, and I went on my first plane ride today!
Jet Blue flight 359 from JFK to Burbank, California.
I prefer Jet Blue because of their leather seats and all those channels of Direct TV, but a five hour delay on the taxiway before our departure had a way of souring those perks. Mommy and Daddy handled it beautifully, though, and the only hiccup occurred about 2 hours into our 5 hour delay--I threw a minor fit, but after a short 45 minute bout of screaming during our stay on the tarmac, they finally figured out what we babies have known all along... the pacifier is a good, good thing. I think the folks sitting around us thought so too.
Otherwise, a smooth flight, to be sure, and 10 hours later, this California girl was home at last.
Is that Hasselhoff? He's huge in Germany, you know.
Who's that under the seat? Hi Bailey!
Santa Barbara at last!
While Mommy hams it up for the camera, I'm checking out Jet Blue's 36 channels of free DirecTV! After 5 hours of waiting on the runway, there better be something good on this thing.
Finally, some sleep.