I heart New York

Kim and I recently returned from visiting our friend Meg in New York City. I must say that I love this city. I don't think I could live there now, but it definitely warrants more frequent visits. Of course Meg was the ultimate hostess and took us where ever we wanted to roam. We enjoyed fine food, great shopping and superb company. This was Kim's first trip to the Big Apple and my return after a much too-long hiatus. Here are some pictures from the excursion...

View in Battery Park

Kim and I in Battery Park

South Street Seaport view

View of Ground Zero from St Paul's Chapel

The Sphere by Franz Koenig in Battery Park

Ice skating in Central Park

Meg, Withnail and I at the South Street Seaport

Meg, Kim and Withnail at the South Street Seaport

A view of Brooklyn at dusk

A view of the South Street Seaport at dusk

Kim and I in Time Square

A view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

Thanks for everything Meg: for your company, hospitality and most of all your friendship.

A new ride

So last week I was driving home from a really long assignment and my car started to behaving a little strangely. A loud noise resonating from my engine became progressively worse and worse. I finally pulled over and tried to investigate. Mind you I was on the the freeway and in the middle of now where, literally. At this point my car ceased to function and I forced to throw in the towel. I called AAA and waited to be rescued, so to speak.

AAA promptly came within a half hour and towed me the 76 miles to my mechanics location. Luckily I had the company of a nice tow truck driver or that ride could have been miserable. I made it home safe and sound, but by now it was night time and I would have to wait a see what had happened to my car until the next morning.

Well long story short...I apparently, had let the oil run out in my old girl and killed my engine. To be honest I really didn't like I had neglected my car for that long, but after blowing out an engine I'll have to chalk that one up to experience. So I've spent the week researching possible solutions. Do I fix my current car and fork out 3000-5000 dollars on an old car? Do I change make and model altogether and go for something different? In the end and after a hellish week of playing car tag, I decided to stay tried and true and bought a newer model 07 Honda Civic. It drives like a sports car and has numerous bells and whistles that were lacking in the 99 Honda. I can finally play my iPhone in my car and I've even downloaded a new iPhone app to keep track of my maintenance, Gas Cubby. So far I love this car! Oh and by the way my honey, Kim, wants everybody to know that she found the car for me on Carmax.com.

Patty's visit and the giant pumpkin

Patti Gotrik came to town,not too long ago, and spent a long weekend with us. We went out to eat, a lot: Malhi's Indian Cuisine, Casa Gutiuerrez etc. I swear Patty's taste buds are on fire. I coaxed into eating everything possible spicy and when I waited for her to gasp or cough she simple replied, "eh that's not that hot." Then one nice cool afternoon we took Patty down to Ventura Beach.

We walked along historic Main Street, ate breakfast at the Cajun Kitchen Cafe and sat on the rocks at Emma Wood State Beach. Kim and I even had Patty take a picture where Kim proposed in 2007. It was great to get a candid shot to relive the moment. Thanks Patty!

Our final stop put us at a local farmer's market near the town of Santa Paula, CA. Anytime we are in the area, we always stop at Francisco's Fruit Stand for fruit, nuts or fresh local salsas. This time we were on the hunt for a great pumpkin and Kim had the final say. The sucker weighed in at 35-36 pounds and cost a whopping $30. It was well worth this face.

It took 2 hours of scooping through hefty pumpkin guts and carving tough skin out of this 35-36 pounder. This ghoulish, creepy tree sat on Rowdy and Dan's front lawn as we passed out candy to the kiddies. One of my all time favorite activities.

Here's hoping everyone had a great Halloween!