AdamandTiffy.com

It took awhile, but we finally posted the pictures from our summer trip to:

• Las Vegas
• Zion
• Capital Reef
• Bryce Canyon
• Grand Canyon
• … and back to Vegas!

It was another whirlwind tour of the Southwest, and we had a great time staying in cabins, hiking in the desert, and absorbing the absolutely gorgeous geography out there. Check it out our summer 2007 photos!

After five years, we hit another milestone as we renovate the space that’s meant to become our library. Scott did a nice job with the sheet rock and priming. This past weekend we painted the ceiling and walls of that space, and oh, what a difference!  It’s a 30×16 foot room, and boy, did it take awhile. The weather was perfect though, and we were in good spirits as we listened to tunes and kept chugging along.  We ditched the mocha and went for a warm gray on the walls, with a lighter shade on the ceiling.  It will really pop with the white trim which I will one day install. My memories of the dark wood paneling and red shag carpeting are fading fast. Only about, oh, 15 or so more subprojects to go before we’re finished!

Last Memorial Day weekend, we had a great time visiting Amanda and Jared in sunny Los Angeles. (I’ve been reading a lot of Robert Crais lately and was excited to see some local context for what had been spinning around in my imagination.) Other highlights mostly center around food because we are who we are:

• Soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung.
• Delicious ice cream combinations at Scoops — that is, “Guiness Tiramisu,” “Pear, Blue Cheese, and Pecan,” “Mango and Pineapple Soda,” “Chocolate and Porto,” and a taste of “Caramel and Bacon!” — AND frozen yogurt at Pinkberry.
• A drink with the hipsters at The Standard in downtown LA.
• A stop at In-n-Out Burger for a double-double and their deliciously crispy but gut-bustin’ well done fries.
• Brunch (at the last minute!) with Lesley and Greg at Bread and Porridge.

We got to see a music video being filmed in downtown LA. Jared and I also reenacted the scene from the “Heroes” finale where Sylar and Peter Petrelli have their telekinetic battle! I guess it’s easier to have downtown LA double for NYC than truck all your stuff to the east coast; that staircase-like sculpture is unique, though, and I can guarantee it’s not in Manhattan. There are lots of good pics of us mugging it up and doing a Moe-and-Curly eyepoke and deflection at a distance. Those are in our hidden archives, though.
Probably the most fun we had was getting to see Amanda and Jared’s house, on which they’ve done a great deal of work, and enjoy their beautifully landscaped backyard during a nice al fresco feast. Also, they have a dedicated and well-stocked bar about which they are liberally hospitable. You can’t beat that in a host!

An actual quotation: “Dude, this is going to sound crazy, but I’m actually too tired to go to bed.”

Haven’t we all been there?

Our library now has drywall! This is a major milestone! Still a ton more to do now, including paint, trim, installing bookshelves, redoing the floor, getting the fireplace ready for winter, and more! Still, it’s a major step. If anyone needs a local contractor who can do a spectacular job, we’ve got a fellow to recommend. Mail us!

And we look forward to inviting you over soon to enjoy brandy and cigars.

We’ve arrived back from this year’s great summer vacation, and what a great time we had! Here were the highlights:

San Francisco - We stayed at The Argonaut near Fisherman’s Wharf and actually ran into actor Jon Lovitz at the hotel’s great restaurant, The Blue Mermaid. We ate yummy dim sum at Oriental Pearl in Chinatown. Let’s not forget our creepy night tour of Alcatraz. Finally, we went on a touristy cable car tour of the city, got a fun education on the architecture, and drove across the Golden Gate.

Yosemite - Our tour of national parks continued. Yosemite has the wonderful geological monoliths Half-Dome and El Capitan, and our view of both from Glacier Point was spectacular. There were so many gushing waterfalls, runoff from this year’s great snowfall, that I lost count of how many we saw. It was great family fun to stay in a big house with everyone after full days of seeing the natural wonders.

Kings Canyon / Sequoia - There were amazing, mighty trees that can be found nowhere else; their trunks grow huge and their canopies majestic in the 5000 - 7000 foot altitudes. Driving down the switchback mountain roads demanded constant attention but was so much fun!

Death Valley - I didn’t know what everyone was complaining about. It was a dry heat! The mercury settled at a mere 123 degrees on July 1. We saw the scenic and beautiful Artist’s Palette, a colorful formation of rock enriched by the evening sunset. The flat tire was a mere inconvenience.

Las Vegas - Vegas, baby! Vegas! We had another great meal at Mon Ami Gabi with a perfect view of the Bellagio fountains across the street. Having been there several times before, Tiffy and I were intrigued to test out the new monorail system. We had an enjoyable adult evening — no, not that way! — at Red Square in Mandalay Bay with David and Dee; there were delicious libations and a hip atmosphere. We’re sure the teenagers enjoyed just as much all the walking down The Strip in 100 degree heat because they couldn’t either drink or gamble.

And now we’re back home, and we love that, too. At least we have our vacation photos and other family pictures to help us relive those fun times on our most recent 1200-mile road trip!

Photos of my 10-year college reunion are now up. Ah, good old Swarthmore! I really missed it, you know, what with it being all of two minutes down the road. Nevertheless, it was great to see some of my old friends and some of the folks I’d lost touch with over the years. And the Alumni Office at the College always sets out a good spread, so yay for all those unsung heroes!

Here were some highlights:

• We had a nice dinner at the Iron Hill with Jonathan, Cari, Lesley, Greg C., Greg P., and his new gal Lanette.
• Had some yuks in the Frear Ensemble Theatre watching Lesley inflict — I mean perform! — her stand-up routine.
• I missed the ‘96 party in Paces … just like every party in Paces ever.
• Got to run around campus visiting old haunts.
• Enjoyed our dinner in a tent with a record 155 class of 1996 class attendees, leaving before the dancing started. Dodged a bullet there!

All in all, it was lots of fun. Apparently, however, my class is now infamous. Looks like I left the party before the real fun began. Allegedly, a couple of my class officers, in separate incidents, a) stole a golf cart and b) stole a beer keg from the class of ‘91 that had to be retrieved by Public Safety. Ten years later and we’ve all grown so much!

Farewell Klatha, hello Dreamhost. Lots of interesting new tools are available with much less work on my part, so I’m happy. We’re hosting Hanulec.net there also. Friends, please remember to input adam -at- adamandtiffy.com in the referral field if you sign up with Dreamhost so I can get some loot!

Wondered what we’re up to this summer? At the tail end of June we’ll be taking another fun road trip and visiting a few more National Parks. For a preview, check our this PDF of this summer’s drive. Only 1100 miles this year!

We had a terrific storm about a week ago that practically buried us in snow. All the remnants are practically gone, but we did take a few pictures while winter was in its glory.