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July 6, 2014
More graphics and buttons, courtesy of VacaDude, coming soon!
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| Broadcast Schedule |
Channel Links |
Important News |
| Broadcast Schedule |
| Today!!! Sunday, July 6, 2014 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM PST |
| No Story Writing. We’ll write again on July 13. |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EDT |
| No VacaChat Broadcast.
The chat room will be open at 6:00 PDT (9:00 EDT—8:00 CDT). |
| Upcoming!!! Sunday, July 13, 2014 |
| 3 PM PST/6 PM PST |
| Story Writing Title A Midsummer's Night Dream (with apologies to Mr. Shakespeare) |
| 6 PM PST/9 PM EDT |
| VacaChat Broadcast Join us for the fun and hilarity |
| Channel Links |
| Channel Links |
| VacaChannel |
| http://www.ustream.tv/channel/vacadude |
| Pop-Out |
| If you want to view the chat or video in pop-out screens, use the links below. Some find that this places less stress on their computer and/or its memory. |
| Video: http://www.ustream.tv/channel-popup/vacadude |
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| If you use the pop-out links, it is recommended that you open two browser windows. That way, if one needs to be refreshed, the other is not affected. |
| Important News |
| VacaChat Broadcast Changes |
| Changes in the upcoming broadcast may be necessary. Check back to this site for more information later in the week. If changes are necessary, a "Breaking News" email will be sent, as well. |
| VacaVideo DVD |
| The DVD's have been sent. If you haven't received it already, please let us know. If you want one and did not order it yet, contact VacaDude soon. |
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Chatter News |
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| A Note from the Dude | Chatter News |
Prayer Requests |
Vaca Blog |
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| Hello Vriends, | ||
| A very happy Independence Day
weekend to you all! Yes, we here in northern California celebrated the
holiday on Friday night, but are still dealing with the aftermath. A
fire got sparked Friday night just after dark (gee, I wonder if it was
fireworks?? Duh.) along the southeastern shore of Lake Berryessa, about
15 miles from our house. So for the past few days we have been locked in
our house with the A/C on recycle mode, just because it is so smoky
outside. Last I heard the fire was at 7,000 acres and only 30%
contained, and a neighborhood is under mandatory evacuation orders.
Welcome to life in California during a drought! :( And I am displeased to say that I am still communicating to you from the other side of a technological gulch. My primary computer remains on life support. Actually, it is working great for running the programs I need for my work, but it's the Internet that it is barely hooked up to. You see, the internal hard drive is mostly dead. So I have an external drive hooked up via Firewire, and I'm running the most recent Operating System from it that way. So it's a bit like being in the middle of a brain-bypass operation. The weird side effect of all this is that I am actually now able to run the most recent Adobe products, where I couldn't before. You see, Apple periodically updates their operating system. Whenever they do and I upgrade, there is invariably a period of time when nothing works right. So I have to arrange in my schedule a time where my productivity drops to near zero, while I try to get everything up and running again. Well, I've been so busy with work for so long, I'd gotten a couple of versions behind. Over the years they went from "Jaguar" to "Tiger" (all of the operating systems have been named after felines, up until this very latest version) to "Leopard" to "Snow Leopard" to "Lion" to "Mountain Lion" to the very latest one called "Mavericks." (Then in the fall they say they will be rolling out "Yosemite," so I'll get to do this all again.) So I have two machines that cannot upgrade past "Tiger" because their internal architecture is so antiquated. I have another machine that cannot go past "Snow Leopard" because of the same thing. I had been running Snow Leopard on my iMac, and being that far behind meant that I could not run the latest Adobe software. Well, I figured I am dead in the water now anyway, so I might as well make the jump to Mavericks. This means I have hopped over the Lions altogether! So I am now up and running Mavericks just fine, but I am still in the lengthy process of getting everything to work again. I have the latest Adobe products working great, but the Internet is still iffy for me. That is my long and boring explanation as to why I am postponing this week's broadcast until next week. I still need to order and make the swap of the damaged hardware inside the iMac, and then get Mavericks to where it can handle the Ustream broadcaster again. Then in the fall I get to go through it again with "Yosemite." I wish I could just drop everything and run off to Yosemite, rather than merely upgrading my computer to it... So that's about it from here. We did take a break and went to Pizza Pucks down the street--for our 4th of July celebration. That was great--we had some tri-tip sandwiches and watched the fireworks from very close-by. I'll keep you all informed about broadcasting next week, so I hope to see you all then! Have a great week. |
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| Cheers, VacaDude | ||
| Chatter News |
| Sharoot | Sharoot's featured pictures can be found at the end of each newsletter, under Photos of the Week. She says that since they are located at the end, then "Sharoot's the Caboose!" | ||
| Elsalynda | Elsalynda's latest column entitled Nature in the
City: June’s Hidden Treasures in Waltham, is available online here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/article/20140624/News/140629774 |
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| Elsa shares this with us: "Hi, all. I am about
to give back this short-term loaner laptop to my friend. I miss story
time so much! And all of you and our fun and zany creativity together.
It is not a technical issue, it is a health concern. Even a much older
netbook was bothering me healthwise with my environmental illness. I am
going to 'meet' a desktop soon, to borrow and then purchase if I feel
healthy using it. I am also considering a rather pricey alternative
treatment for this illness, developed and presented in Canada, called
Dynamic Neural Retraining. I'm still mulling that one over. (I may look
into a notebook or whatever you call it.) Thank you all for your communications, cards, bday wishes, and staying in touch. My birthday was on June 10!! EEK! Another decade. And a journal has accepted a poem of mine for online publication and possibly in a print version too! I've swum a few times, so far, at Walden pond. The water was chilly with only one little girl and me in the water. She said, 'Hi, how old are you?' LOL I said, '70,' and she said she was 7. I was only 10 times her age. I had my voice recital which went great despite a bad dress rehearsal one hour before. Hmm…let's see…I have a TINY bunny in my yard and so far it is doing well. I adore it. I am sure there is more news but this is enuf for now. I love you all to PIECES!" |
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| We'd love to include more news of VacaChatters. If you have something you'd like to share (something about you or your family) or if you know of exciting news about another chatter that they're just too shy to share, please send it to us! (We won’t run it without that chatter’s permission, however.) | |||
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| Littleguys | Now it is Littleguys' turn to be included in our
prayers. She has a couple of medical issues going on and is supposed to
consult with a surgeon on Monday. The two issues are not related, so it
is pure luck of timing that she can talk to the surgeon about both at
the same time. If you want details, she said go ahead and email her. samwisebaggins@yahoo.com She isn't bashful, just thought that maybe these details are not appropriate for a newsletter or chat. |
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| Caboval | Caboval is in need of our prayers for her dog, Joey. You can read more about Joey and his struggles here: http://gfwd.at/1n8NU0h. | ||
| UPDATE on Joey! Caboval writes: “Joey is in remission but the chemo almost killed him. He was in liver failure and the Dr gave him a 50/50 chance to live. He made it through that and we have had 3 really good weeks. He was so happy and acting like a puppy, but now he is starting to not eat again and he vomited today so I don't know… It's a rollercoaster. I have a feeling he is having liver issues again. I do really need those prayers!!!” | |||
| Elsalynda | Elsalynda is also in need of prayers. She is asking for prayers for good care and caring from her primary care physician. Elsa reports that at her last visit, her physician "was at least civil and apologetic." She also reports that her back issues are improving and thanks everyone for their prayers and support. Continue to keep Elsa and her doctor in your prayers. | ||
| GentleDoe | A brief update and again a request for prayers. She's still going back and forth between her house and her mother's, trying to care for her own pets and her mother. Her mother has heart problems and has had a difficult time since her father's stroke. Her father is still in Assisted Living and he longs to come home. He cries every time they talk to him. Due to transportation problems Doe and her mom have not been able to visit with him but a few times. A family member is adding to these difficulties. Doe is requesting prayers for her and her parents and for relief from the interference of this family member. She's struggling with Social Security issues and the daily transportation problems to her home to care for her birds. She does not want to have to give up the birds. Tory just turned 18! They have been together since he was 4 months old. She request that we please keep her and her family in prayer. She wants to thank all of the Vaca/Molly family for their love, support and prayers during this very difficult time. If you want to contact her, you can do so at faith.bun.2012@gmail.com | ||
| Jes and Miss Jonesy | Both Jes, and her furkid, Miss Jonesy, are battling health issues and undergoing various tests and procedures. Let's keep both of them in our prayers. | ||
| Shari in Memphis | UPDATE!!! Just received this from Shari: "So kind of you to keep prayers going for me. I was hospitalized in November for an event (that just yesterday my doc said was severe enough that it could have killed me) and have pretty much been sick ever since. I'm trying to be patient as doc said it would take 6 months to a year, to fully recover." | ||
| Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts for owl our wonderful VacaFamily members! If you have any prayer requests, updates or news of answered prayers, please let us know. Email us with the information so it can be included in the next newsletter. | |||
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Check out VacaDude's blog! Don't forget to send VacaDude your comments to let him know how much you appreciate him, his time & his talent! |
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| http://vacadude.wordpress.com/ |
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| A
Message from Zorro |
StoryTime News |
StoryTime Archives |
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| Recipe of the Week |
| A Message from Zorro |
| Hello there, Everbuddy! | ||
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Happy 4th of July to you all! I don't know exactly what that is all
about, but I know it involves lots of noise, smoke, explosions, and
all that. Personally, I have my own Independence Day to celebrate,
which involves owls, escapes, and a big feast to mark the occasion
of my NOT becoming...a big feast. I have been helping the Dude with his electronic experiments. I'm feeling a little bit like Igor, who I think was Dr. Frankenstein's assistant. At least (sof far) the Dude has not been attempting to reanimate dead flesh, or anything so morally ambiguous as that. Just a bunch of little blinky lights. I am also assisting him with his photography for the photography club he has joined. They meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month--at a pizza parlor! So I am more than happy to assist, especially when it results in my being able to chow down on some yummy flatbread pizza! Well, time to get back to the busy work at hand. Whatever that is. Hope to see you all next week! |
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| Yours Most Whiskerly, Zorro |
| StoryTime News |
| Next StoryTime | Sunday, July 13, 2014 3:00 PM PDT/6:00 PM EDT |
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| Title | A Midsummer's Night Dream (with apologies to Mr. Shakespeare) | ||
| Invitation | We need story writers! Please consider dropping in and checking out the fun we have writing the stories. Honestly, it's not at all difficult to join in and you'll surely be glad you did. | ||
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More stories added to the Archives! | ||
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| BBQ Bacon Brisket | |||
| Ingredients | |||
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2-3 pound beef brisket |
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| Directions | |||
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Heat vegetable oil in large pot over medium-high heat, salt and pepper
FAT SIDE OF BRISKET and lay down in pot to brown 4-5 minutes. While that
side is browning, salt and pepper the other side that's now facing up.
Flip brisket over (so now the fat side is up) and brown the other side
an additional 4-5 minutes. In your slow cooker, place your browned brisket in the bottom fat side up. Lay your bacon across the brisket. Pour Root Beer, BBQ sauce and stock over the top. Close the lid and cook on low all day (8 to 10 hours) or on high 4 to 5 hours. Remove brisket from slow cooker and let it rest about 10 minutes on the counter (covered with foil to keep it warm). Slice brisket and then serve it with some sauce from the slow cooker. |
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Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake |
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| Ingredients | |||
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1 can cherry pie filling |
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Directions |
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. |
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| Owl Cams |
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Other Nature Cams | Video Picks of the Week | Inspiration | ||||||
| Other Bird Cams |
| Owl Cams |
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| Puffins | |||||
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Shetland Islands Puffins | http://www.shetland.org/puffincam/ | |||
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Sea Island, Maine |
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-burrow-cam | |||
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Sea Island, Maine |
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/puffin-loafing-ledge-cam These pages also contain links to numerous other nature cams. |
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| Eagles | |||||
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Black Eagle |
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http://www.africam.com/wildlife/black_eagle_webcam The first egg hatched on June 6!. |
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Decorah Eagles |
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles | |||
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Berry College Eagle Cam |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/berry-eagle-cam | |||
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http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/index.htm | ||||
| Peregrine Falcons | |||||
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PA Falcon Cam |
http://www.pacast.com/players/falcon.asp | |||
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Commerce Tower Peregrines |
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-cameras/peregrine-falcon-web-camera Cam not live now but should be returning soon. |
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Pitt Peregrine Falcon |
http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1 | |||
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Gulf Tower Peregrine Falcon |
http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam2 | |||
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Emily
Falcon Cam |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/emily-falcon-cam | |||
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RFalconCam |
http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/ | |||
| Talking Birds | |||||
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Watch the Birdie |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Watch-the-Birdie | |||
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Disco |
https://www.youtube.com/user/MsJumpinJude/videos | |||
| Other Birds | |||||
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California Condor San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego, California |
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/condor-cam | |||
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KC Zoo Penguin Cam |
http://www.kansascityzoo.org/penguincam |
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Whidbey Island Back Porch other assorted birds |
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/katersch | |||
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Hellgate Ospreys |
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/27/Hellgate_Ospreys/ | |||
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Ostrich Chicks |
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Streaming Bird Cams |
http://www.beakspeak.com/ | |||
| Other Nature Cams |
| Pandas | ||||
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San Diego Zoo Pandas |
www.sandiegozoo.org (click
on live cams)
or
http://www.ustream.tv/sandiegozoo. Zoo's
blogs: http://blognew.sandiegozoo.org/category/animals-and-plants/giant-pandas/ |
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Twin Pandas at |
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Giant Panda Cam |
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm | ||
| Bears | ||||
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Kansas City Polar Bears |
http://www.kctv5.com/category/244581/nikita-berlin-polar-bear-cam | ||
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Brown Bears and Salmon |
http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls (lots of other cams at this site, as well) |
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Black Bears |
http://www.bear.org/website/live-cameras/live-cameras/holly-bears-den-cam-live.html | ||
| Other Animal and Nature Sites | ||||
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San Diego Zoo and Safari Park |
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/ | ||
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The Pet Collective |
http://www.thepetcollective.tv/livestreams/ | ||
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Critter Chat Cams |
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Friends of Felines Rescue
Center |
www.ustream.tv/ffrc | ||
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Little House |
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CC's Page of Links (scheduled for updating) |
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| Other Sites of Interest | ||||
| International Space Station Links | ||||
| During a recent
broadcast the Dude talked about the websites where one can view the
spacestation and the view that the astronauts have. Here are the links: This one has the map, but no chat. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/ This site has a chat room. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload |
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| Trees | ||||
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Jes shares with us this wonderful page of photos
illustrating nature's wonders. Trees | Dusky's Wonders |
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| Intricately Carved Bench | ||||
| Jes also shared with us this photo of an
intricately carved bench. Can you imagine how many hours of labor went
into this creation? Hundon informs us that the sculptor works in the UK and if you follow this link you can see the bench from all sides. You can also see many more of his works. They are all incredible. http://www.treesculpting.co.uk/g_oakowlbench.html |
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| Video Picks of the Week |
Bird Does NOT Like a Short Tail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJIUNNssSVg
PLEASE Go To Sleep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLErNXIYjMg
Dancing Bats
1. Film bats hanging upside down.
2. Flip footage.
3. Add music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce_v8l4ie0Y&app=desktop
This Audience Was Taught A Lesson They'll Never Forget
A brilliant way to communicate how dangerous mobile phone use while driving can be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHixeIr_6BM
Beethoven Argument
Classic Comedy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QSvGnDd4m4
Let the Spiders Roll
(from TwoClubs—especially for Sharoot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yYC5r8xMI
| Inspiration or Things to Make You Think |
Incredible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxTznDRixpw
Aug(De)Mented Reality
Using a unique animation technique that
combines traditional animation and special transparent cells,
Hombre McSteez turns everyday life into an odd cartoon universe full of crazy, hilarious characters.
A joy to watch and I must say: kudos
to this man's imagination!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpum4nK2wOM
World's largest tuba
http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/latest-news/worlds-largest-tuba/
Who Invented the Internet? And Why?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21eFwbb48sE
Extraordinary Farmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H9S3n_tILKo
Officially Amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRX39WY4rgQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22X43stOr3g
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Fun Animations and Pictures |
Photos of the Week |
Zorro's Word of the Week | |||||
| Just for the Fun of It |
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Felt Owls
http://charlottesfancy.com/2009/09/18/family-friday-owl-licious-crafts/
Bird Nest Ornament
http://www.favecrafts.com/Ornaments/Bird-Nest-Clay-Pot-Christmas-Ornaments/ct/1
Owl Gift Bag
http://jennicanknit.blogspot.com/2012/09/owl-gift-bag.html
A Textured Owl
http://www.iheartcraftythings.com/2012/05/textured-owl-craft.html
Hootie Owl
http://www.lbrummer68739.net/2nd-grade/hootie-owl/
Owl Pillow
http://www.favecrafts.com/Decorating-Ideas/Owl-Pillow/ct/1
| Fun Animations and Pictures |
Where's Air Traffic Control When You Need 'Em?
Why? Why Did I Have So Many Kids?
Out For a Stroll
PingPong
Gimme Back My Blankie!
Sleepy? Who, Me? I'm Not Sle…
| Photos of the Week |
From the Dude
A nice fireworks photo. It's one I took from Pizza Puck's
Sharoot's Caboose
A pair of Click Beetles (identified by Buggirl) on our neighborhood nature path.
And this humongous spidey on our nature path. I'm sure many of you heard my screams.
I screamed like a little girl, and then I screamed like a big girl!
I think I saw spidey cover his ears. I sent it to Bug for ID but she has not yet responded. Maybe she's too skeered!
| Zorro's Word of the Week |
Coming Soon!
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VacaShopping for Summer
Time to prepare for summer! T-Shirts, BBQ Aprons and Mugs await you!
VacaDude’s creations are sure to be treasured gifts for those special people in your lives.
Check them all out at VacaDude's CafePress store! Support our beloved
artist/broadcaster/friend!
http://www.cafepress.com/vacadude
MollyTheOwlBooks
Eric has discontinued the sales of all his books and merchandise.
of that and want one, let DotRot know
and she'll do what she can to make it available to you.
