There be whales here

A gray whale has been hanging out in the bay.  No, I haven't seen it.  Would love to.  Hopefully, it won't be here for long.  It needs to get north and start feeding.  Sailing again on Saturday, so there's another chance for an encounter.

Big Balloons and Little Dogs

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of riding a parade float.  I finally got to do that and in a way that was much more fun than my dreams.  Thanks to my friend Yuko, I got to help with the finals of the San Diego Weinernationals and then ride on the associated float in the Big Bay Balloon Parade.

The day started with a decent breakfast at the Holiday Inn.  Several of the Weinerschnitzel people were there, mostly marketing folks.  They were very nice, but didn't quite seem to get the spirit of the dachshund people.  This was all serious business to them.

After breakfast, it was off to the races.  Before the main event, there was a run-off between two dogs for the last spot.  Local favorite Princess Destiny won.  Then all the dogs were given their racing vests which were all different colors and had numbers on them.  These would have helped a lot in the semi-finals when nobody knew who finished where.

The race happened very quickly.  The starters, like me, were totally crammed in.  I can't be positive, but the course seemed much shorter than the one at the trials.  When the dust settled, the winner was an Orange County intruder named Sully.

Finally, it was on to the parade.  What a strange experience!  Sitting on a float seems to give one immediate celebrity status.  I expected kids to respond to waves, but lots of grown ups were excited, too.  Even though we had all practiced our best princess waves, my arms were very sore by the end. 

Strange Holidays

This has to be one of the strangest holiday seasons ever.  Sunday is the annual Walking in a Weiner Wonderland event in Balboa Park where a couple of hundred dachshunds will walk to a special doggie concert.  I'll have to leave early because I have to be at the boat by 3 for the Parade of Lights.  This year's theme is Christmas at the Zoo, so I'll be changing into a monkey costume.  On the 30th, the finals of the Weinernational dachshund races take place before the parade and I'm helping a friend.  Go Team Chapa!  After the race, it's on to the float for the parade itself.  This is all a lot for someone who has often done nothing for the holidays.  Luckily, I'll have five days off to recover!

Testing the limits

Now we get to see if blogging can really pay.  I'm told that by putting the following sentence into this blog, I can start making money.  So here goes:  Doesn't euphonious remind you of an attachment?  Let's see what happens.

Long Time, No Speak

It's been quite a while since I've posted to this blog.  Sorry (or you're welcome) for the silence.  Let's see what I can cook up to make this interesting!

What is this?

This is my new blog for stuff other than travel. For example, you can expect to see posts about my first foray into home ownership. All fingers crossed on that one, please!