Friday, May 19, 2006

Peter Pan

Erika, has been performing in the Mystique production of Peter Pan here in Pocatello. She's WENDY, and is absolutely fabulous. I've gone two different nights and she has been consistently wonderful in both. I think she has the best female voice in the production and one of the best for the show as a whole. I gotta admit that I really was fond of the voice on Hook.

The first time I went I got this call from Nan asking if I want to about an hour before showtime. She had two extra tickets cause her sons had decided to go do something else. Shanna wasn't around and Nick had homework so Robin and I went. Nanette, Rebecca, Hanna, Brady, and the two of us had a great time. We were sitting off to the side so we were able to see the Wendy Bird hanging from the rafters waiting for her death scene. It's so cool that Erika has been flying through the air.

The second time I went we planned a little further ahead. So Melinda and Shanna and I were able to attend along with Nanette, Sydney (who's seen it a lot) along with Mick and his mom. Mick had graduated that day with his bachelors degree so that was cool. We had a lovely time. Once again the lullaby that Erika sings is the most touching part of the show.

I highly recommend this production and the pasta entry for dinner.

After later
Jenny

Monday, May 15, 2006

The South Menan Butte


The South Menan Butte
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Sunday morning, Melinda and I got up early and hit the road. She was working on a presentation about her home town for one of her classes. Menan is a very small town and we lived she did most of her growing up there. I’m hoping I will be able to add some of the stories and pictures she collected about Menan to my scrapbook. If I’m really lucky I’ll be able to post some of them here. In any case, we hit the road to go to Menan and take some pictures.

We still have relatives in Menan whom we love very much. However, this was a quick hide and seek mission. Hide from the obligations and seek good pictures. Between us we got quite a few. We photographed, the churches, rock houses, main street (site of The Parade), the park (site of The Fireworks), the town hall, the buttes, the Snake River and of course the bank. We even went over to Anis and photographed the church and cemetery there. Menan is 1.5 hours north of my house. We were able to get there by 9:15 a.m. and be back here in time for a nap around 12:30.



The Menan Bank
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Of course we saw a lot of birds too. The red-winged blackbirds were out in full force showing off their bands of red, trying to lure the females. There were also dozens of mourning doves, magpies, kestrels, brewer’s blackbirds, goldfinches, and even a quail. Later we ate lasagne, watched episodes of Remington Steele and talked about life on the Butte.

The scariest part of the adventure was the taking of pictures of the neonazi guy’s house. We only took a few pictures then turned around taking a couple more and were about to drive off when I saw him watching us, hidden by trees. EEEEEEEEEeeeee…. We drove away then. He’ll definitely bring a little local color to her report.

Fun weekend all in all.
Jenny

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Snake on the Water


Snake on the Water
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Nick, Melinda and I went birding/fishing on the Snake River at Massacre Rocks on Saturday. There were Grebes, Coots, Ducks of all kinds, Pelicans, a Great Blue Heron, swimming Pronghorns, and even a Mountain Lion. We’re looking out over the water at enjoying the voyage when Nick asks, “Is that a Snake?”

I had no idea what he was looking at. He turned the boat and headed in the direction of his curiosity. Sure enough there was a squiggly line moving in s shapes across the water. It was moving fast and as the boat approached it headed right for us and then lifted out of the water looking like he was trying to get in. Nick moved the boat and we evaded the snake. Why was the snake in the middle of the Snake River? I don’t know. While I wasn’t exactly sure which variety of snake it was, I knew it wasn’t one of the poisonous ones. We really only have rattlers, and this wasn’t one of those. Turns out we found a gopher snake.


Cold Snake
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.

We watched the snake. It stopped moving forward in the water and seemed stall out. He stopped and hung in the water. Snakes are cold blooded, the water was very frigid, it looked to us like he was hanging out to be food for birds of prey. I teased Nick about using his fishing net to help the snake out. Next thing we know, Nick is fishing the snake out of the river. Then he has to untangle the snake from the net. Remember, he’s the one driving the boat and now he has his hands full of snake.

I end up driving for a while, the problem is that the river is full of shifting sand bars and Nick has all of these cool gadgets that he monitors to find a clear path. I eventually decided I’d rather hold the snake than continue to drive the boat. It would be faster too. So I ended up holding on to the snake. The snake had a real preference for Nick. He had taken off his shirt and was quite warm. I was wearing a silk shirt and was not quite so warm. Nick said that when he pulled the snake from the river it was very cold. It also didn’t move much. As it warmed up it definitely got a little friskier.


Nice Snake
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.

I was very, very happy when Nick beached his boat and let the snake out off the front of the boat. That was one fast moving snake as it slithered it’s way up the rocky beach and out past the brush as fast as it could. It was also one lucky snake. The tally of rescued animals is now 1 kitten, bunches of dogs, and 1 snake.

After later,
Jenny

Thursday, May 11, 2006

The Strawberry Shortcake and The Stellar's Jay


The Strawberry Shortcake
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Melinda and I went down to Big Sur to see all the redwoods. We stopped for lunch at the Big Sur River Inn. This is one of my favorite places in all of the world. The restaurant sits in the middle of the redwoods. We were seated at the outside dining room, gorgeous. Several birds were around, checking for crumbs, hanging out. One beautiful blue stellar's jay was on the lookout for food.

The jay kept flitting around eyeing our food. Our table was right at the railing where the bird was hanging out. We really got to watch him as he was watching our table. Then came our desserts. As you can see, they were ASTOUNDING. I've never seen a strawberry shortcake look like this before. They were also yummy.


The Stellar's Jay
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Don't forget, the Jay was still winging about. We took our time, talking, eating, listing birds in our notebook. Our desserts were mostly demolished and the Jay just couldn't take it any more.

Suddenly there was a swoop and my plate was full of wings as he attempted to carry off a large chunk of the strawberry shortcake. All of us (stellar's jay included) were quite startled. He flew back to his perch leaving most of his ill almost gotten gains on the table. It was so funny!

Definitely one of the high points of our vacation.

-- Jenny

Gulls on Rocks


Gulls on Rocks
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
In November of 2004, Melinda and I went to Monterey. We birded all over the area and saw everything from Oystercatchers to Peregrine Falcons. We went to San Jose, Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Big Sur. We had the best time. I love this picture. I like how each gull has his own rock. -- Jenny

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Sydney in Hat


Sydney in Hat
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
This is another photo from Melinda's camera and visit in May/June 2005. Sydney was (and probably still is) a HUGE fan of The Wizard Oz. She really loved this Dorothy dress. Erika got to be a Munchkin in the local production of The Wizard of Oz. Sydney loved to watch the show, sing the songs, say the lines and meet everyone. She wanted to be Dorothy.
It was soooooo cute.

Jenny

Lilacs


Lilacs
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers and spring is here again. Right now my lilacs are just beginning to bloom. The buds are masses of dark purple just waiting to spring forth. Melinda came to visit Pocatello last year and our lilacs were in full bloom and she took this picture. Thanks Min!

Jenny

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Favorite Library T-Shirts

I stumbled across the cafe press website on library humor. Here are my two favorite t-shirts sayings. :) Jenny

Being nice to the Librarian
means the difference
between the right answer
and the wrong one
Buy Here

Ask, And
A Librarian
Will Tell You
Where To Go
Buy Here

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Nick as Captain Jack Sparrow


Nick as Captain Jack Sparrow 02
Originally uploaded by J Semenza.
This is the infamous costume from Halloween 2004, when he still had long hair. We had such fun that weekend. We attended a party at a friends house the first night of Halloween. The second night of Halloween we went to a club where he won "Best Male Costume." The third night of Halloween we stayed home and gave out candy. We were supposed to have still another party, but were too tired.

After later
Jenny

Last Weekend

I left Idaho Friday morning and met up with Annie at the parking lot of the State Library. We then spent a very enjoyable afternoon shopping at Sam Weller (books), Asian Market (food stuffs), and The Dancing Crane (imports). For dinner Jessica and I ended up at an upscale restaurant named Pine. The food was very tasty, which was a surprise since it was trendy, complicated and could have been overwrought. That evening I found out that the manager who was to speak to Annie’s class wasn’t going to make it the next day. After talking it over I volunteered to do it, if they wanted me.

The next day dawned with Hannah coming down the stairs saying, “Mom wants you upstairs now.” Not a good moment. Apparently Rebecca is very allergic to mold, specifically the mold from her plants in the garden. After a trip to the urgent care center we grabbed some breakfast and then started shopping for something for me to wear to speak in. Neither of us thought that my tie-dyed, beaded t-shirt was appropriate. I found a lovely blue velveteen jacket that fits like a dream, a white tank top with butterflies and sequins and a pair of high heeled sandals, a’la Candies from the 1970’s.

I looked good, though I regretted the high heels after standing, walking, swaying, and leaning there for an hour and a half. I ended up talking with the co-coordinator of the program for an additional 30 minutes. She’d been having difficulties with job interviews. I explained that the most likely cause of her not being hired had nothing to do with her and could just as easily be about an inside candidate or someone who just moved to the state with 10 years of experience in the same job. You really can’t second-guess why you weren’t hired. If it is a real concern, asking is a possibility. OF course, having someone proof your resume and cover letter along with a short course on interviewing skills is always in order. I highly recommend that librarian use their gift of research to find answers to any kind of hiring, or management problem.

Rebecca, Annie and I went to dinner at the Olive Garden and then Annie and I watched a dvd of Eddie Izzard. He is hysterical. Unfortunately the sugar and caffeine of the day before caught up with me and I slept through a large chunk. I did wake up and watch the end with the very funny big about technology and printing. I accidentally hooked Annie on my Boggle game. I’ll have to keep an eye out for another copy of it in the stores.

Sunday I got up really, really early, packed and was on the road by 7:00 a.m. I had told our friend Kris that she could come over and use my kitchen to make medieval candies. I had a great time talking, smelling and laughing as she cooked and I played/updated/mucked about with my Library Thing database. I’m a librarian, what can I say, I had to get my subject headings corrected.

So that was my fun filled weekend.

After later
Jenny