Maybe he was flirting a little

First, here is this week's GP (It's Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself Wednesday).

Dale took this one.

Now it's time for a story.
Last Sunday, Dale and I went to Barton Springs to enjoy the freezing waters and sunshine with some friends. We approached the gate and I handed the Barton Springs employee (gate keeper) the money to pay for our admission. Here is how it went down:

Me-"This is for the both of us" (Dale is right beside me)
Gate Keeper- "For you and me or you and him?" (he looks at Dale)
Me- *chuckle* "For me and him"
Gate Keeper- "Oh, ok."
Me- "Unless you get an employee discount...then we can talk.:
Gate Keeper- "Why yes, I do get a discount."
Dale-"I'll just be waiting over here." (Stands against the wall)

*****

I laugh, Gate Keeper gives me change, and Dale and I make our way into the pool.
Dale says- "That guy was a creep."
Me- "What? you think so?"
Dale- "uh, yeah." (Then he mimics what Gate Keeper said to me)
Me- "I thought he was funny! He was just being funny."
Dale- "right."
Me-"Do you think he was hitting on me?"
Dale- "He was a creep."

I am lucky that Dale did not point to his ring and then point to me like he has done in the past.

Unrelated

You know I like to take pictures. Only a small fraction of them make it to the blog. I decided to go through some files and post a few that did not make the cut.

The Hair:

This was taken in March of 2007. I miss my long hair and am growing it back. I will most likely cut it again because I like the change. However, It will be harder to do so the next time since I now know how long it takes to grow back.

The Michelada:


Dale is a fan of the Budweiser drink, Chelada. It's a mix of the Budweiser beer and Clamato drink. Reyna knows how to make the real deal (michelada). I have never wanted to take a sip of the Chelada from the can but could not resist a jug of Reyna's mixture. It was goooooooooood!

The Album Cover:

I did not take this picture...duh. I stole this idea from Rachel. I can't remember the specifics, but you somehow google a variety of things to get your band name, your album name, and your album picture. I thought mine was pretty cool.

In other news:
I miss you. We should hang out some time soon.

That is all.

Sculpture Falls

Back in June, my buddy Tirzah invited us to swim at Sculpture Falls. Here is the evidence.
The Hike:

I am not sure how long the hike was but it was a lot shorter than the trail most people have to take. Tirzah knew a dude that had a short cut trail starting from his back yard, continuing down a fairly steep hill (in some parts) and ending at this awesome swimming hole.


Awwwwwww....sweet!

Our arrival:

Simply beautiful.

The Water:

This is a picture Dale took of the gravel that lined the bottom of the swimming hole. Those pebbles are under water! How clear is that!

The water fall:

Tirzah is photogenic.


In my head, I was thinking Dale would get a shot of me looking relaxed as the water bounced off my shoulders. Notsomuch.

Josh on a rock:

Hey, look! It's Josh on a rock!


In other news:
We got our gym membership. Did I tell you that? So far, so good. I have been going steady. I only wish I had started this at the beginning of the summer. I have already noticed a difference in my energy level. It's a good thing.

Hacienda is playing Stubb's indoors on Aug 22nd. This time, they are the headliners. I already have my tickets....do you?

That is all.

GPOYW

GPOYW = Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself Wednesday!
a funny weekly picture of yourself. shot by you or someone else. used by blogger e.g. tumblr. can also be shot on other days, but posted only on Wednesdays.

My buddy Tirzah Took some really cool pics of me hoopin' and sparklin' on the 4th of July. I thought today would be a good day to do my first GPOYW post with those photos.
(side note, I know I have gratuitous pictures of myself many days. That's how I roll.)


Here is my favorite:


And these ain't bad either:



Here is a cool one of Josh:


And to show you how superior Tirzah's photography skills are compared to mine, here is one I took:

Somebody needs to learn more about her camera's settings.

In other news:
We are going to Gold's Gym to try and get a membership. I hate negotiating. Let's hope I don't call the sales goob a dirty liar and throw his energy drink in his face.

I made a new hoop using only fancy tape. (glitter tape and super shiny tape). It does not have the grip action that a hoop has when you put some electrical tape in the mix. That's your tip of the day. It sure looks pretty though.

I just learned that my friend Danny (a.k.a. Osama-bin-drinkin') is going to pay us a visit starting next Wed and ending on Monday. I better start drunk-proofing the house now.

That is all.

My Dream Party

The hula hoop party was a success. We made about 20 beautiful hoops.
Rachel and I co-hosted the event and I must say, we work well together. We could not have done it without Dale's cooking, Juan helping with connecting the hoops (you need brute strength to connect that many hoops), Sarah K. and Amy preparing the food, and Larry for being cool enough to let a bunch of ladies hoop on his property. Big ups to those folks!


Connecting the tubing:



Decorating:



Hooping:

Gayle was a natural.


Kim learns a new trick!


On the golf course.


Good times.

I hope to have another hoop party in the early fall when things cool down a bit. It was just too much fun! Thanks to all of those in attendance. If you did not make it to this party, perhaps you can join the next one.

Sock Dachshund Charlie

I have completed my first sock dachshund. This was a bit harder than the other sock dog I did because I did not really have a template for it. I just tried to make it up as I went.

This Sock Dachshund was modeled after my dog Charlie. I could not really get a good picture of Charlie with the sock dachshund because Charlie HATES it.

I don't know why but every time I put the thing down next to him he gets up and moves away. If I persist, he runs away and will hide under the chair.

Cooper, however, is a good sport about it. He will even cuddle with my creation.




Sock Dachshund Cooper will be next. I think his will be better because I have had a little practice.

That is all.

Peacockery

The newest addition to my peacock bathroom:


I've had the peacock up for a while but I just added the gems yesterday. They are real gems because I am really rich.



Yup, you are looking at diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and what not.


Ok, I got them in a couple of assortment bags at the Hobby Lobby for $3.49 per bag.
No matter...I love them.

Sock Animals

I made my first stuffed sock animal.

It was not very easy but it was very satisfying.


My good buddy Tirzah has made a handful of these little creatures. She is quite skilled. She let me borrow the instructional booklet- Sock and Glove: Creating Charming Softy Friends from Cast-off Socks and Gloves by Miyako Kanamori



I really want to make a few sock Dachshunds. Those words sound good together ...."Sock Dachshunds." That could be the name of your band.

You can make pig, rabbits, elephants, birds, cats, and monkeys (just to name a few). I am going to practice with the dogs for a while. It's all about the technique.

I even went out and bought a little sewing box to store all of my supplies.

I love new hobbies.


In other news:
I went to buy hula hoop making materials the other day. When I asked the gentleman at Lowe's where I could find the irrigation tubing, he tried to tell me I needed something else. It went like this:
me- "Hi, can you tell me where I can find irrigation tubing?"
Man- "Um.....for your yard?"
Me- "Well....sure. I think they use it for sprinkler systems, gardens, and small farms"
Man-"I think you are talking about a soaker hose."
Me-"Uh, no.....not a soaker hose. Tubing."
Man- "Ok, the soaker hoses are on Isle 7."

Me- (trying to not sound as frustrated as I was) "I need 3/4" 160psi poly tubing. It does not have holes for soaking anything. It us used for irrigation as a water source, header line and submain lines but I use it to make hula hoops." (I did my homework before buying the tubing because I knew I might run into a situation like this.)

Man- "HULA HOOPS?"

The Tubing (pic from last summer)

At this point, another employee intervened and showed me where the tubing was.
After I had two big rolls in the basket, I was tooling around Lowe's looking for some tape. This customer approached me and said, "Hey, it looks like you got yourself a big project going on!"

He was covered in paint and plaster and seemed friendly enough so I decided to tell him the truth about the hoops. He was also surprised about my project and wanted to know how I made the hoops. I told him all about it. I ended with "Yeah, I know I look all important and handy with this tubing but it's really just for making hula hoops."

He said, "Well, that is really interesting. Now, here is your compliment for the day...You sure are pretty."

I replied with, "uuhhh, thanks. That was really nice of you." I am not sure what to do in that situation other than just saying "thank you" and then getting out of there. Stupid me....I thought he was really interested in how to make a hula hoop. Sheesh.

A True American

Rachel and Larry threw an old fashioned 4th of July party. Larry even made sure the beer fit the theme as he stocked his cooler with Pearl, Schlitz, and Coors Original (yellow bellies).

I'm not sure if it was the old school beers or the patriotism that brought out the beast in Larry but something is to blame for what happened early on in the party.

Larry lives on a golf course. His neighbor, a retired Colonel, lives next door during the cooler months in Austin. During the summer, the Colonel (I don't know his real name as this is the only thing I have ever heard Larry call him) and his wife travel to a cooler climate. Larry and Rachel keep an eye on the house for them when they are away.

Anyway, right around the start of the party we see a golf cart pull up to the Colonel's back yard. Golfers are constantly hitting their balls into the back yards of the those that reside along the course. This dude climbs out of his cart and approaches the fence as Larry watches him. He uses his putter to reach over the fence and knock his ball to where he can reach it. That's fine. No big deal. Then, he messed up.


The golfer sees a few other balls in the Colonel's yard and decides to walk through the gate and help himself to the little treasures. Larry mutters "what does he think this is, an easter egg hunt?" and then yells "HEY! GET OUT OF HIS YARD!"

Before you can say "bad ass", Larry approaches the man with a walk that could rival that of John Wayne's.

I hear him giving the guy a lecture about not going into peoples yards. The lady in the cart was so nervous that she just kept a permanent smile plastered on her face.

I wonder if the man began to reconsider agreeing to the matching outfits? I mean, it's gotta sting a little extra to take a tongue lashing while dressed up exactly like your wife.

The got in their cart and drove off in quite a hurry. Larry gave them the stink eye until they were out of sight.


And then he went on to cook us the best hamburgers and hotdogs I have ever had.


That's our Larry....A True American Bad Ass.

Are You Kidding Me?

My dogs are sweet. They get along really well. Look at them gettin' all cozy.

They do almost everything together. They eat together, nap together, and play together.

Nap:


They have turned my couch into a bunk bed.

Play:


They even share the sticks they find.

From time to time, they also enjoy working together to tear my house up.

It was raining the other day and I had errands to run. When Cooper was solo (before the days of Charlie) I would put a pee pad down if I had to leave and it was raining. Dachshunds HATE going outside to do their business in the rain or after a rain. They are so low to the ground and I don't think they enjoy getting their bellies wet.

Any-hoo, the pee pad thing worked for cooper. Pee pads are primarily sold for puppy potty training purposes. You can find them at your local pet store. I will no longer by them.
Why?
This is what I came home to:

When I first saw the destruction, I did not know what this mess was made of. I thought they somehow got a hold of a roll of paper towels or toilet paper. And then, I figured it out.



Charlie is a little instigator. Listen, I love that pooch but he is a tad ghetto.

He still has a little pee pad around the eye area.

That stuff took forever to clean up.

In other news:
#1 I am tired of reading books with sad endings. Rachel, Tirzah, and Reyna have all recently lent me some books to read. I won't tell you what they are because you may want to read them and I don't want to ruin it for you. The bottom line is that in each of these books, a main character dies a crappy death at the end. Ugh. I can't take it anymore. I guess thats why I go for Stephen King. People die in his books but the story is so unreal that you are ok with it. Not unreal in a bad way...unreal in an escaping the day-to-day life type of way.
I don't like it when books make me cry. It messes with my street cred.

#2 I will admit, I watched John and Kate Plus 8. I usually would catch the re-runs. I enjoyed that show. Sure, Kate was a bitch and John was a door mat but it made for some good TV. Ok, it was sometimes uncomfortable when Kate would scream at John from across the grocery store. And, yes....I do agree that those kids were somewhat exploited. Dang it, I still liked that show. Now that they are divorced it has lost it's sizzle for me. I hope they go ahead and pull the plug on that sucker. You know....for the kids.

I gotta clean the oven now. Stupid cherry pie done went and sprang a leak.