12.10.09
More Jetta work and tortilla soup…
This morning Heather called me at work to tell me that she had made tortilla soup and ask would I be interested in having her over to share the meal. Uh, yeah! 
Heather met me at my house and immediately got to preparing the meal. It’s times like this that I wish I could cook.
Heather heats up the tortilla soup she made last night and prepares slices of avacado, sour cream and cilantro to add on top. Mmmm... =)
It tasted even better than it looked (I know, is that even possible?). =)
Heather also invited Jeffery over so the four of us got to enjoy a wonderful home cooked meal while watching episodes of Police Squad (hilarious) and Stacked (always good for a laugh).
Heather, Jeffery and Me
After dinner Jeffery offered to install the lock chassis that just arrived for the Jetta. After breaking yet another piece we at least got the automatic trunk unlock function working. Hurray! Thanks Jeffery.
At this point it was about 7:30 and Heather and Jeffery had headed home. Since I wanted to fix the trunk lock and glove box door at the same time I decided to break out my Jetta manual and get started. It was way more complicated than I had originally thought but that didn’t deter me. First up, removing the front console.
In order to remove the console I had to take out 5 screws, remove the lighter and change drawer, take off the automatic shift knob and then carefully rock the plastic housing until the tabs released. Ok I admit, I did snap a few plastic pieces. The car is almost 10 years old so the plastic is brittle.
I can't believe I actually decided to strip the car down to this level. I hope it all goes back together ok.
The whole reason for removing the console was to get at this one screw that held the glovebox in place. Thank goodness I had the manual otherwise I probably would have just snapped this piece off not knowing it was actually screwed in.
So all that work was just to be able to get access to a screw....one screw.... That's a lot of work for one screw (tewwible!).
Seven more screws to release the glove box and then I was finally able to tackle replacing the front door.
I spent over an hour trying to get the old door off and then new one secured in place. Turns out that the holes on the hinges of the door were too small and off center so the pins wouldn’t go in. After giving up on the brute force approach I grabbed my Makita and drilled out the holes so they’d accommodate the pins. Success!!
Ignore the RAID in the background. Yeah, we have ants again. Boo... =P
After about 3 hours of scratching up my knuckles and letting out more curse words than I care to admit I was finally able to get the Jetta back together and looking pretty good might I add. It was a lot of work but totally worth it. =)
Looks good right? =)
Although I was a bit bummed about not installing the trunk lock bracket myself I completely forgot about that after tackling the glovebox. It was a huge challenge and I did it!! Now I just need to fix the leaky radiator problem (I’ll probably have to take the car in to the shop for that but at least all the other parts are fixed now). Until the next Jetta crisis this is Jettagirl saying Peace Out and VW for life. Goodnight! =)
Yeah you know you're rolling hard when you're driving a Jetta. VW 4 Life baby. What what?! =)
12.04.09
It’s cold as a “you know what”…
In case you were wondering how cold it was in Livermore this morning, might I offer the following pictures as a response. =)
Crazy right? I have the faucet set to slowly drip into the water bowl to keep it full for the dogs. Guess it was slow enough to create this reverse icicle. =)
And just in case you thought the above picture was of water splashing up from the bowl, here's a closer look. Yeah, that's cold!
Sierra shown for scale. Oh and check it out, you can see the start of another drop of water that will ultimately add to the growing icicle that has formed.
I’m going to have to get a jacket for Lotus since her fur is so short and it’s so dang cold outside. Sierra has a nice fluffy coat right now so I think she’s fine. Isn’t that right Muppy. =)
11.29.09
Thanksgiving 2009…
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! =)
Thanksgiving was at my Grandma Gillott’s again this year and as always, it was wonderful. =) Grandma made an awesome meal of succulent turkey paired with mashed potatoes, carrots, cole slaw, stuffing and gravy. So delicious!! But I’m getting ahead of myself (again).
While my grandma worked on dinner in the kitchen, Marshall, my dad and uncles played a couple games of Pinochle in the living room.
Marshall, my dad, Uncle Tom and Uncle Tim playing a traditional game of Pinochle before dinner.
Amazingly Marshall and my Uncle Tom beat my Uncle Tim and Dad at Pinochle. Check that man's sleeves!!
While the guys played cards, Heather, Jeffery and I hung out with the cousins and our dogs. It would have been great to have a family photo with everyone and their baby dogs but that didn’t happen. Instead I got a few cute shots of them here.
Hey, it's Classic Sierra (get it?). =)
Lotus!!
Little Girl (Mom and Dad's dog)
Winnie (Heather and Jeriah's dog)
Froggy Leykis (Jeffery's dog)
Apollo (Cousin Alli and Mitchell's dog)
Playing with the puppies was a lot of fun and so was playing with the settings on my camera. I think Sierra looks quite nice in black and white, don’t you? =)
After dinner Marshall played another game of cards while my sister, mom and I helped do dishes. We chatted a bit more after that and then it was time to hit the road. All in all Thanksgiving was awesome. Thanks for another wonderful Thanksgiving Grandma. =)
Mt. Diablo in the fall (16.3 miles)…
A couple of weeks ago I went on another hike with “V” and the guys to Mt. Diablo. Joining us were my buddies Ilya, Magda, Jackie and Craig. The hike was 16.3 miles and started off at the Castle Rock staging area.
The hike started at the Castle Rock Regional Park entrance around 9:45.
The trail started off easy enough (the first few miles normally are) so Magda attempted her infamous cattle gate vault. In the interest of full disclosure I should say she also did the vault at the end of the hike. That girl is crazy strong! =)
Magda preparing for her big trick.
Up and over (and with a backpack too, crazy!). I give her a 7.5 out of 10. Keep working on getting fully vertical Magda.
About half way up the mountain a biker that we had offered encouragement to as he huffed and puffed up a steep hill offered to take a group photo for us when we ran into him further up the hill as he took a break.
Jackie prefers not to have her picture taken so although she was actually in the shot to the right, I cropped her out.
Further up the hill where we had to walk single file on a narrow path cut through the grasses we encountered the first animal (alive!) of the day. It was a baby rattlesnake and it struck at the leather boot of the guy in front of me. I immediately stopped, shouted for the people behind me to stop and then dropped in low to get a picture. Come on, I never pass up a photo op.
A rattlesnake! Lucky I wasn't the target of this snakes bite. With my regular tennis shoes on he might have actually hit skin. =P
Before I knew it we had reached the summit. It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re having fun. =)
Beautiful views from the summit of Mt. Diablo.
On the way back down “V” pointed out this guy, a rat that was extremely curious and walked right up to me. Methinks he may have been a bit rabid since you normally don’t see rats wandering around in the middle of the day. I was worried he was actually going to try and climb up my leg thinking I was a tree or something so after snapping a few pictures I said goodbye and continued on down the trail.
Magda jokingly said "Oh I'm sorry Jenny. You're having such bad luck today, all the animals are alive.." Yeah I know, I normally only get pictures of live animals. That's only because dead animals don't run away from you.
The hike was a lot of fun and a great workout. I can’t wait until the next one.. =)
11.10.09
Weekend at Grandma’s…
Weekend at Grandma's... always a pleasure. =)
This weekend I had invited my mom to go hiking with me, “V” and the SOC group in Gilroy and then head to my Grandma’s in Salinas for a visit. When my mom didn’t call to confirm on Friday evening I figured she wanted to let the whole thing slide…then I got a call at 7:15am on Saturday morning.
Instead of doing the hike with “V” we decided to head straight down to my grandma’s. I liked this idea a lot more because I could bring Sierra and spend more time with my grandma. I haven’t seen my grandma since Easter so it’s been too long.
Since my grandma wasn’t expecting us until later she almost had a heart attack when I yelled “Surprise!!” She was still busy cleaning and preparing freshly made spaghetti sauce from home grown tomatoes so my mom helped her in the kitchen and I headed out to the backyard to take some pictures and talk with my Uncle Tim.
My grandma has the greenest thumb. Not literally green, although I haven't actually checked... hmm...
That whole sprawling plant is a tomato plant that started as a volunteer and just took over from there. Seriously, there must be something in the water.
My Uncle Tim also has a green thumb and uses it to grow wicked hot peppers. In addition to growing hot peppers my uncle has also written some amazing QBasic programs, has PI memorized to 1000 places (he’s recited off two full pages of numbers to me, no joke), and can probably out hike me even with me doing bodypump and backpacking trips. But back to the peppers. =)
They look pretty harmless right? WRONG!! Merely touching ones finger to the cracked skin of these peppers and then touching your tongue results in several minutes of extreme burn.
My brother had grown these peppers from seed and gave the plants to my uncle. Looks like they're doing quite well. =)
My uncle takes great pride in the heat of his peppers so after having fun seeing my reaction to following his instructions to put my finger on the cracked skin of his hottest pepper and then touch my tongue he egged me to eat a good-sized piece of the pepper. Was he insane? Would I die if I actually ate a piece? The answer to both questions is “No” so despite the fact that my mom was fearing for my well being and telling me not to do it I followed suite after watching my uncle pop a piece into his mouth. For the next 5 minutes we kept pointing and laughing at each other as we coughed, eyes welling up with tears from the intensity of the burn. Ah, good times, good times… =)
After playing with fire in the form of hot peppers I decided on a less dangerous game. I know I take after my mom in a lot of respects and also share many of my dad’s traits (not to mention his physical features…we both have piggy noses and grandma hands). As I looked around my grandma’s sunroom however I realized that I also have a lot in common with my grandma and uncles as well. First there was the dead things box and yeah, it’s just what it sounds like. =)
Check it out, my grandma has a collection of bones and other dead things collected over 40 years ago when my uncles would bring them home from the creek as kids. Sweet!
The box on top contains dried out snake skins, birds nest with abandoned eggs and this guy, a perfectly preserved horned lizard. I love it! =)
The box on the bottom contains the skulls and jawbones of several different animals. I think it's very neat to be able to see the skeletal features of animals up close. It's all in the name of science. SCIENCE! =)
Then there was this awesome hand sculpted dinosaur (there are actually several) that my grandma has stomping around a prehistoric environment of succulents. I’m not sure if my grandma made this or possibly one of her students when she taught elementary school for 30+ years. Either way, it’s SO cool! =)
Raar!!! I'm a dinosaur with short little T-Rex arms. Fear me!! =)
I just thought it was cool to be able to see some of what I consider to be my weird little quirks and preferences kind of showcased in the form of these displays created by my grandma and uncles so many years ago. =)
After an afternoon of chatting and hot pepper eating it was time for a delicious home cooked meal of spaghetti, salad with fresh home grown cherry tomatoes and bread. I had been good and only ate an apple at lunch and didn’t snack on junk food before dinner so the meal was absolutely amazing. Seriously, best dinner ever. =)
After dinner my mom, grandma and I watched “The Glass Bottom Boat” with Doris Day (very funny) and then it was time to head to bed. Sunday came and went all too quickly. My grandma had to leave for church around 9 so my mom and I packed up the car and left around 8:30. It was a wonderful trip and just like my grandma’s home-cooked meals, they always leave me looking forward to the next one. Until then, the pictures below will have to hold me over. =)
Uncle Tim harvests more of his peppers for pickling. He also makes a sweet pepper jam that my parents love on pancakes and toast.
Until we meet again hottest of the hot pepper plants. You were a worthy adversary but ultimately you were bested by my stomach acid.
My grandma's back yard is like a secret garden to me because it backs up to trees that line the creek and contains some of the most beautiful flowers and landscaping I've ever seen. It always makes me feel at home.
Thanks for having us over Grandma. I had a wonderful time and can’t wait until Thanksgiving. Mmm, turkey, cole slaw, mashed potatoes and gravy…yeah, I can’t wait! =)
Houston, we have a problem…
This last weekend I went to pop the trunk of my Jetta and was saddened to find that nothing happened. I could hear the latch apparatus doing something so at least the electronics part seemed to be working but yeah, no dice. =(
Being that my Jetta is very important to me and I really like being able to use the trunk I decided that I would attempt to identify and fix the problem myself. So tonight, armed with a backpacking headlamp, a screwdriver and a bowl to hold the screws, I shimmied through a folded down seat in the back row of the Jetta and into the trunk to begin removing the carpeted interior.
Although it was a bit cramped in there, it didn't take too long to remove the 13 screws and get a closer look at what was going on.
This is an up close of the broken latch assembly. When working properly the arm to the left of the white locking mechanism pushes the black lever to lift the latch and unlock the trunk.
Unfortunately the black lever is made of plastic (lame!) and finally cracked after 9 years of service. With the latch lever hanging on by a thread it was only a matter of time before it fell off completely. Boo... =(
After getting an up close and personal look at how the locking mechanism works it appears I should be able to unlock the trunk by turning the key clockwise (counter clockwise just engages the electronic lock). I'll have to replace some parts to give that a try.
I was hoping I could jury rig something to get the locking mechanism working again but it was not to be, well at least not without additional resources (like crazy glue perhaps). I also tried to remove the metal mounting from the trunk so I could see about replacing the whole thing however I would have needed deeper sockets to get around the screws. My brother has the right tools so I’m going to see if he can let me borrow them tomorrow to finish this up.
With no other options for fixing the trunk I guess it’s over and out from Jettagirl for now. I’ll write more when I have an update on the status of my car. =)
11.01.09
Lotus and Pig-Pig…
A couple of weeks ago Heather stopped by the house and happened to have her camera on her. The following events captured on film (well an SD card) show the evolution of Lotus and Pig-Pig’s dynamic from alpha pig and submissive dog to best buddies for life. =)
Don't look now Lotus but there is a pig on your shoulder. I think it wants your bone!
He's getting closer. Watch out Lotus!!
Oh it's on now. Lotus, you know what you have to do.
Aw, that's right. Snuggle up with Pig-Pig. Lotus and Pig-Pig: Best friends for life. =)
Two days later Pig-Pig had been reduced to piles of stuffing strewn around the living room but it was nice while it lasted. “Pig-Pig would have wanted it this way…” – (sort of Homer Simpson) =)
A very “Sierra” Halloween…
A couple weekends ago Sierra and I went over to my sisters to do crafts and watch Halloween movies (cute spooky Halloween movies, Sierra and I don’t like scary movies). =)
Heather likes to get costumes for her doggies so in between “The Haunted Mansion” and “Clue” we played dress up with Sierra. She wasn’t digging it to much but I thought she was a-dorable! First she was a friendly moo cow.
Wait, is that a cow? No, it's Sierra! =)
What a silly cow. Sierra, take that off. =)
Next Heffies dressed Sierra up as a good witch.
Sierra was refusing to look at the camera. Hmm, maybe she was more of a "naughty puppy" witch.
Look, I have no makeup and greasy hair so we both look ridiculous so SMILE Sierra. No? Well you still look cute. =)
From Sierra and me, Happy Halloween Everyone!! =)
Tilden/Sibley/Redwood Regional Parks Hike…
Hurray for fall hikes! Thanks to Valerie and “V” I got to go on another great hike with the Society of Outdoor Cardinals where we traversed three really awesome regional parks including Tilden, Sibley and Redwood.
This is our crew (all 16 of us). This was a shuttle hike so we'd all have to fit into a car that seats 7 and a car that seats 5. I was one of the drivers so at least I had room.
The plan was to start at the Steam Trains parking lot at Tilden Regional Park, shuttle some cars to our final destination (Redwood Regional Park) and then embark on our 18+ mile. I’ve been on one hike with Valerie before and besides being an amazing hiker, she is also an incredible historian and enjoys sharing her knowledge with the rest of us. Although it took more time because of all the stops it was awesome to learn more about the geology and history of the area. Thanks Valerie. =)
There were a lot of beautiful things to see along this trail.
Beautiful fall thistles...
My favorite picture of the day. I love the blue, oranges and browns. Same color as the scarf I bought at the Pumpkin Festival last year. =)
And some nature inspired signs of the season including a haunted house, well outhouse (I think it was haunted, I think I may have seen a ghost..ok, I didn’t but still). =)
Ooo, it's a spooky old outhouse. With it being Halloween I think my imagination was a little more active than normal. =)
The hike was quite enjoyable and I was sad when we had to end it a bit early to accommodate Valerie’s social plans for the evening. We made it about 14 miles in 7 hours and had a lot of fun.
Enjoying time beneath a canopy of rustling leaves and overarching branches.
After shuttling everyone back to their cars I started back down the road to CA-24. Along the way I stopped briefly to capture the setting sun looking out over Grizzly Peak Blvd. Really beautiful…
The setting sun sparkles over the bay from a turnout on Grizzly Peak Blvd.
As always, thanks to “V” and Valerie, our trip leaders, for a fantastic hike. I can’t wait until the next trip. =)
10.30.09
Del Valle in the fall…
Lake Del Valle through the trees...
This last weekend Marshall was nice enough to take Sierra, Lotus and me to Del Valle for a nice little hike. Fall has arrived in Del Valle and it’s absolutely beautiful. I love it! =)
Marshall isn’t exactly the hiker type (ok, he “greatly dislikes” hiking) but he still goes out with me because he knows how much I enjoy it. To make the hikes more enjoyable for him he likes to listen to a TV show or book on tape on his iPhone (hence the FBI style ear piece he’s sporting with Lotus below).
Big pimpin' pimpin'...
I had seen, and picked up (yep, picked up) two tarantulas on Saturday and was hoping to see a tarantula on our hike but no such luck. Instead I found this, an unfortunate toad who appeared to have gotten squashed and then was drying in the sun. A spooky sighting to prepare for Halloween which is this upcoming Saturday.
Very unlucky frog. Normally I like seeing dead things (because I get to see these animals up close) but this one made me kind of sad. Sorry toady... =(
All in all we had a very nice hike. I even got a picture of Marshall and me and he’s smiling! =)
Smile for me Marshall, it's not so bad. =)
I’m off for an 18+ mile hike tomorrow at Tilden Park led by “V” and Valerie. Should be a lot of fun and hopefully I’ll get some more great pictures of the beautiful outdoors in fall. Goodnight… =)
