Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Glad Midsommar 2008!!


It's that time again to celebrate the longest day of the year and to get the summer started off with a bang. Over the weekend we celebrated Midsommar, which if you recall is a national holiday in Sweden. I know I've said it before, but when it comes to a celebration, the Swedes really know how to do it up right! We had absolutely perfect weather with plenty o' sunshine, a warm breeze and with the temp around 80 degrees it could not be beat!

We did have our traditional Swedish fare (similar to last year) complete with meatballs, potatoes, 4 different kinds of herring, eggs with caviar, smoked salmon, shrimp with Peter's special sås, and of course akavit! We had quite a turnout this year and good times were had by all! Here's to good food, great friends, and a fantastic summer! Skål!

The Swedish chef hard at work.

It all starts with the food.

Herring: mustard, original, creamy garlic, and dill. Mmmmm.....

Smoked salmon, and baby shrimp with sås and dill.

Just getting warmed up.

T. with Rob and Devon.

The spread

P and Rob enjoying the herring.

Mark and Joey sporting their Swedish colors.

Rob and Bevin (not to be confused with Devon)

P. passing out the akavit, and Devon feeling a little unsure about it.

Skål!

Kodak moment with Bob and Carolyn.

You can never have too much akavit!

Joey and Erica enjoying the swedish fish.

Maggie enjoying the breadsticks while Brian pretends he doesn't know her.

Big Al in the house! And it is past 10:00! Way past 10:00......

A rare Jimmy James sighting!

Even DJ Pete Marvelous made an appearance

Monday, June 23, 2008

Behind the Windshield....part 3

As I arrived in SF after a long week of travel I was greeted by The Frog and glorious weather with temperatures approaching 95 degrees F (that's 35C). Good times, good times.

Behind the Windshield......part 2

While Tracy was in Seattle, Puget Sound and Stockton last week, I found myself back in Atlantic Canada. The trip gave me the opportunity to see the inside of 5 planes, 4 hotel rooms and one rental car over 4 days. Toronto, St. John's, Halifax, Amherst and Fredericton were all graced by my presence for the better good of one of my current clients, TeleTech, and hopefully the communities as well. The video below epitomizes the week......lots of driving.

The Peanut is Down! The Peanut is Down!

So, I got the most hilarious e-mail from my sister (see below) about how she had a little 'accident'. Keep in mind it is hilarious, only because she didn't get severly injured, and her delivery of the events is priceless. The first question that came to mind when I read it was, "what in the hell is she doing rollerblading?" Apparently she was inspired by a recent viewing of an "I Love the 80s" episode. She sounds pretty beat up, so I don't think the pics quite do her pain justice, but I did get a verbal release to post the pics and sequence of events, and I just couldn't resist. Stay on top of the Advil Peen, and be sure to elevate!


"Sooooo... got into a minor accident yesterday. I was coming up to a sharp corner at the bottom of a hill on my rollerblades (you might know the one, actually... the path that runs along S. Cherry Creek Dr. by the mall and takes you under University, then takes a SHARP turn to run you up and alongside University before it takes another turn and runs with 1st/Speer past the Cherry Creek Country Club and into downtown). Well, I got some good speed on the hill heading under University and rather than take the sharp 90-degree turn with the path (although I did try), I went straight. My wheels skidded out from underneath me and the friction of skin-on-pavement slowed me enough so I only bounced once... just enough to flip me over and even out the road rash. I spent the rest of the afternoon RICE-ing my entire body while listening to Chris' woes about not getting to spend his ice-cream money. He did say that he was glad that I was alright... but even more glad that he witnessed it and that the only thing better would have been if I ended up in the river. Good thing the curb and the railing stopped me. On the limping skate home, he advised me that I would NOT be getting the scooter that I've been asking for (talk about salt in the wounds). So today, my left arm is swollen and bruised and my bloody wounds have started 'weeping'. My right leg is more red, swollen and scratched than it is normal and although nothing is broken, I'm pretty sure I tore my left shoulder because I can't raise my hand to ask any questions or open a jar of pickles. Good thing today is an office day. I also tried to dress myself and didn't get very far. I can't fasten my own bra and the seam in any sort of pant is enough to effect my walk in a constant-attempt-to-get-away-from-my-right-pant-leg kind of motion (like a dog chasing it's tail).

Needless to say, I am a hurtin' unit and can hardly focus on work so I thought I'd share some choice pics of my injuries (note that my elbow is lost in the swelling). Don't worry about me though... I'm a strong girl and only cry in the shower.


Happy Monday. "




Friday, June 20, 2008

View from Behind the Windshield....

Street car with Coit Tower in the background
Making my way home from the booming metropolis of Stockton yesterday, I missed my exit and ended up on the dreaded Bay Bridge. I say dreaded, because if you hit it at the wrong time of day it could be a painful ride in bumper to bumper traffic. I was lucky to hit the sweet spot and went sailing across. Since I tend to avoid this route at all costs, I forgot how fantastic the view of the city is from the bridge, and then took a drive down The Embarcadero. It was a beautiful day to take a stroll behind the wheel with the sunroof down, especially when it was about 80 degrees in the city, which is really rare! (Sorry P., you would have loved the weather!) I was having a moment and decided to take the time to appreciate this fantastic city we live in.....again.

Ferry Building



Cupid's Span


View of the Bay Bridge and the MUNI

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Sweden vs. Russia......oh dear

So it would appear that the team with the highest average age in Euro 2008 didn't have much left in them against a much more youthful and energetic Russia (since when was Russia included in Europe anyways??.......they should be banished, it's called Euro 2008, not Euro-Russia 2008......but I digress). After a brilliant opening match against the defending champions, Greece, and a hard-fought battle against Spain (which was only lost due to the guilty conscience of the Dutch referee who refused to penalize Spain for anything in the second half.....or perhaps he knew that if Sweden was to face Holland, Sweden would have demolished them), the Swedish team ultimately fizzled. Oh dear. See you in 4 years.....hopefully with a more youthful Swedish team.

Happy Birthday Sauce!


Hey Birthday girl!  Hope you have a great time tearing it up out on the boat, and have a few beers during magic hour for me!  Cheers!  (BTW....what were we thinking when we went through that overalls phase?!)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Puget Sound

A view of Puget Sound

I spent some time in the Seattle area this week doing some work and a little exploring. I haven't been there in years, and I forgot how beautiful it really is. The weather was perfect: sunny and 70 degrees, and the entire area was going crazy as summer had finally arrived. It sounds like they had a pretty rough winter up there and everyone was certainly ready to dry out!

I couldn't believe it, but I left the house without my camera! I snapped a couple of pics with the camera in my phone, but it doesn't doesn't quite do it justice.

Mt. Rainier

Oh man....this pic is pathetic, and doesn't quite capture the essence that is Mt. Rainier. The sun was setting and you could see the moon rising in the background. I did the best I could to capture the moment. It was really amazing at the time.

Driving down the highway

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Birthday mamma !!

Har den äran på födelsedagen mamma!! Have a wonderful day. I wish I could be there but unfortunately I have to spend all of today on an airplane.....off to Newfoundland, then Nova Scotia and finally New Brunswick. Skål!!

Happy Fathers Day!!

Today here in the US we celebrate father's day so this to all those wonderful dad's out there. Enjoy the pics below, the first one of myself with dad in Malaysia, taken on April 4th 1981. The second one is of Phil with the kids, also taken some time in the 80's. Oh my how time flies.


Saturday, June 14, 2008

Sweden pushes on....

After a controversial goal in extra-minutes, Spain scored the final goal of the match making the final score 2-1 Spain. Sweden was clearly the superior team when it came to playing skills although the Spanish definitely took the Oscar for most fake falls and injuries. Apparently Tracy was so confident in Sweden's exceptional skills that she wagered some money for a Swedish victory, alas, $50 dollars that used to be hers is now owned by a certain "Spaniard". Oh well, I guess we can't always be the best. The fight continues with a game against Russia in a couple of days.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Greek salad anyone??




In Sweden's first match of Euro 2008, they crushed defending champs Greece in a convincing victory. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the first goal in the 67th minute with a magnificent shot from 25 meters. No more than 5 minutes later Petter Hansson followed up with a second goal which clinched the match. Sweden 2 Greece 0. The victory created massive celebrations as illustrated in the pictures above. Can't wait to see what the celebrations will be like if Sweden beats Spain!!

Sweden's next match will be on Saturday against Spain who defeated Russia today 4-1. The game can be seen live in the US on ESPN2 at 9:00am (PST).

Monday, June 9, 2008

Sausalito Summer Salad

Over the weekend we chefed up a deelish chile-lime crab salad.  The weather has been so nice, the crab is fresh, and this salad just cannot be beat!  To give it a whirl, click here.  

Note:  we changed the cilantro to parsley (Peter is not so much a fan of cilantro) and added some fresh butter lettuce on the bottom to pull it all together. 

Saturday, June 7, 2008

The Red Eye Home

It was a fun-filled week in The Last Frontier, but there really is no place like home. A few last pics from the air as the sun was setting at midnight....




Friday, June 6, 2008

FORE!!

On a cold, frosty morning in Alaska 38 teams teed off in the First American Title of Alaska 26th Annual Golf Classic. My company, CaridianBCT (formerly Gambro BCT) sponsored a hole, and I had to do my part in providing proper representation. A couple of new experiences for me on the golf course: for one, I have never been on the course at 6:30 am! (people really like to start their activities early around here!) It was still so cold and frosty....I could see my breath! Not to mention the greens were frozen, so they had to set up temporary greens....which is crazy. Why not just start at a more civilized hour? Before teeing off, a few announcements were made:
  • "Be advised of the moose that is heading toward the driving range"
  • "Be aware of the mother bear with her 3 cubs on hole 18"
  • "Oh, and be mindful of the cow and her newborn calf on hole 13"

Only in Alaska.....

Moose heading toward the driving range.

Turned out to be a beautiful day on a beautiful course.  

Feeling pretty good about my birdie on lucky hole 13!  
I know!  I couldn't believe it either!


Thursday, June 5, 2008

Gone Fishing

Marina in Resurrection Bay down the Kenai Peninsula

I had the opportunity to go fishing in Seward, AK today. It was quite an adventure! Unfortunately, the weather was not ideal, but I was so distracted by all of the sights to really notice. Although, by not ideal I mean 45 deg. and raining all day! But what is that Swedish saying Peter? There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. So true! Not to mention we left at 3 AM! So painful! But seriously, it is like walking around in a postcard up here! The trees, the mountains, the water, the wildlife! The pictures don't even do it justice, but here is a little taste of my attempt at catching the big one.....

Getting acquainted with my pole and our trustly steed.
(Not quite what I was expecting, but I had plenty of rain gear. And how flattering it was!)


The Crew

We saw so much great wildlife! Sea otters, dolphins, seals, jumping fish, bald eagles....unbelievable!


Catch o' the day
We were hoping to catch a King Salmon, but no such luck. Spring has sprung pretty late up here this year, which has made for a later salmon season. This little fella is a ling cod, apparently not like your typical cod, but a delicacy, and illegal to keep when caught in the bay.

Giving him a little hug before I set him free.
I know he looks small, but I was pretty happy about it!


This doesn't even look real!


Taking it all in




So many waterfalls everywhere! Amazing!