Duckie

Isn't he cute?

So often when I come into our neighborhood these days, 

the ducks are parading across the street from the lake.  

Sometimes in pairs, but mostly in groups. 

I like to think they are little waddling families out on a big adventure.

So it came as a surprise when we discovered that this little duckling 

had taken a liking to our backyard last summer.
  

Sophie StinkerBelle hadn't run him off and he didn't seem afraid at all.  

I don't know about you, but I've had a couple of run ins with Mama Ducks 

and I'm no fan of being maimed by a nut job duck that thinks I've run off with her baby.
  

We have enough problems with the lunatic mockingbirds and the dive bombing scissortails.   

Magoo and I had to be extremely cautious.  Especially me.  

Magoo has a tendency to get a little weirded out by things that fly and peck at him.  

This causes him to flail his arms frantically and run off like George Costanza. 
I could be seriously injured.  Mowed down in the prime of my life. 

Must. Be.Very.Careful.

But this cute little thing was all by his lonesome.   

No family to be found.

We have a salt water pool, so we didn't think he'd be harmed if he swam around for a bit.  

He seemed to be having a fine time without a worry in the world.  

But where were his people?  

Magoo checked him out for injuries and all seemed well...and he was so calm being held!  

We couldn't believe it.

As cute as he was, we needed to help him find his way home.  

We took him down to the lake and searched until we found what we deemed a suitable duck family.  

Into the lake he went.  

We said our goodbyes to little Duckie and worried when he didn't seem to be accepted.  

Every day for about a week, we circled the lake looking for our little visitor.  

He was so tame that he didn't seem to have the proper skill set for being out on his own.  

We knew this because we are duck experts.

Okay, so we aren't exactly experts. 

But our oldest son keeps a lot of random data in his brain that comes in very handy
from time to time.  

If he read it when he was 6, it's still there.  

Like a walking reference book, that one.  

We didn't want the little guy to have separation anxiety or something.  

We wanted to keep Duckie for our very own pool accessory...but he pooped in the hot tub.  

Color coordinated or not, he had to go.

I hope that's you and your people waddling across the street, Duckie.  

Happy trails.

And watch out for the woman in the white Infinity...she always runs that stop sign. 

Where's a nut job Mama Duck when you need one?

Thrills and Chills

 Oh, the excitement of their first trip to California!  

Magoo and I took our nieces to Coronado.

  The plane, the plane...the girls were nervous on the way there, 

but were total pros on the way back.

We went to the San Diego Zoo, cruised the bay, spent an afternoon in La Jolla and stayed on Coronado.  

We went to Oceanside, Carlsbad, Cardiff By The Sea, and Encinitas.  

We saw sea gulls with one foot. We watched Mr. Panda munch on his bamboo and the polar bears chomping carrots.

We opted for milkshakes, hot cocoa, cupcakes, churros, and Ben&Jerry's.  We are now big fans of  Burger Lounge and the turkey basil burger.

We bought lotto tickets and dreamed of buying beach homes. 

I had to promise to give them each a million dollars and 

buy their mom a beach house so we could be together all year.  

We didn't win, but we'll keep dreaming.

Did I mention that we ate a lot???

We watched as a miracle occurred before our very eyes.  

Anni finished her entire burger!!!  

And for the first time in her life, according to Lexi.  

This was a big happening, because Anni eats like a bird and never finishes anything unless it's a pack of gum.  ;  ) 

We went to In-n-Out.  Walked in and pigged out! 

The Drizzzzzler

The girls loved the sky tram at the zoo and one of them (see above!) giggled and giggled asking permission to drizzle someone from above.   She's a prankster.  

Grace Kelly meets Amy Poehler.

I hope the girls always remember our nutty adventures.

I know I will.

Like, let's see...

1. I need an eye patch!

2. Ewww, the seals stink!

3. My foot is broken, I need an eye patch, call a waaaaambulance!

4. The Cecily Emergahopp language, which I do not speak or understand, but Uncle Magoo and Lexi do.

5. Picking out cookies at Girard Gourmet.

6. Playing with and selecting our puppets from Geppetto's Toy Shop.

7. The candy store on Coronado and  blinging out with our grillz.

8. The escalator thru the trees.

9. Late nights snuggling with tired little monkeys and chattering until we fell asleep.  I need an eye patch!

10. Pancakes for dinner with a side order of Uncle Magoo's hair on fire at Clayton's!

11. De-nied!!!

 Cookies or Calamari?  I think the pictures tell the story.  ;  )

 The Drizzler tormenting her little sister with crunchy tentacles.

Lexi hearts Roberto!

And then there was Roberto...

For all of you Ali and Roberto fans out there, you'll love this.  The girls were dying to see someone famous.  We didn't want to drive to LA and get stuck in traffic for hours.  So, as luck would have it there was a San Diego magazine with an article about Ali.  We were thrilled to discover that she had named the area of town where Roberto's office was.   We hopped right over there.  Or as Anni said, "To 11th Street, Magoo!"  They were so excited and seriously...who doesn't want to see Roberto?  They wanted to meet Ali, too.  They hoped she'd be there.

Magoo dropped us off close to the address and circled around 

while we went to stalk Roberto.

Unfortunately, we stalkers were left bitterly disappointed.  

He wasn't in the office that day.  Boo!  

The girls were sad, but the sweet people in his office gave me 

his business cards and we took these photos. 

 (The girls abandoned their posts and ran off like big chickens instead of coming into the office!)

I hope you aren't planning on doing that with Justin Beiber or the Twilight cuties, girls.  

There can't be a wedding if you don't actually meet.  ;  )

 One day I shall come back for you, Roberto!

  

    See you next time, Coronado!