Willie and Teddy's Excellent Adventure: 2012

10/14/2012

Okay, so the worker bees did go on strike as far as producing this periodical, but they were busy in the sukkah and with all that ushpizen stuff. Seemed like there were different people coming thru the sukkah everyday what with it actually being sukkot and all, and coupled with papa's birthday, and his baseball team getting into, then out of the playoffs, and homework and running and everything, life is very busy as per usual. So, without further ados, here's the pix

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First night of sukkot, where it is usually raining and miserable, and this night was perfect, as would be the next 7--no rain, no dew, no nuthin but occasional mosquitos trying to bite our ankles.

This year we put up an actual sign explaining the sukkah (and the 'occupy front yard' sign) so neighbors would know what all the whooping and hollering was about and that they should join us if they saw us in there.

First night dinner was good too--hot and sour hunan chicken for those of you keeping score at home.

Kippot didn't quite make it to the table, so we had to make do with what was on hand--that's what our ancestor's leaving egypt would have done, so we were pretty comfortable with that.

Sez you, fool. I think I look dorky in a napkin, but such is life sometimes.

We didn't hear any cars swerve out of control when they caught sight of the wonder of the sukkah at night, but we're pretty sure there must have been some wild gawking nevertheless.

First actual day of sukkot, papa was out bright and early to make a bracha on a stuffed lulav and etrog--he says that it is more environmentally responsible to use the stuffed one year after year but we think he's just too cheap to shell out $40 for a big lemon and a bunch of branches. To each his own.

Trilby and Willie and family came in one night--happened to be at the same time the A's were beating up on Texas, so papa's attention was straying from normal conversation points. Typical.

The next night was papa's birthday, and the only conversation could possibly be what form the rice krispy treats would take. Turns out papa just copied Teddy and made the same 'cake' that Teddy had, one chocolate, one plain. That's fine--now gimme some before I gnaw your arm off, tubby.

MY CAKE! You'll get nothing and like it. Bunny ears.

Lets see if this cute sideways pose gets me some cake. It worked--hey mikey.

LeeAndra was next on the schedule having completed her yearly trip east to help Auntie Iris with high holidays in Sharon, MA.

When we were up at Bruce and LeeAndra's place for the cosmic gathering 25th wedding anniversary there was a kid that really liked papa's propeller hat and he remembered that I had one that I wasn't using anymore so LeeAndra took it back with her to Denman to make a little guy really happy.

Good thing papa pulled out his A's hard hat because he took their loss like a ton of bricks. He's still in mourning so don't mention baseball til pitchers and catcher report, or February 15th to the uninitiated.

In the meantime, we watched his loser football team fumble away another game just today. For fun during an exciting moment, I came in with this tank top stuck on my head--it's size 3T which means it's extremely small, but papa said he'd help me get it on if I wanted. That was all the challenge I needed and now here's visual proof that I fit into the clothes I wore when I was 3. Now give me back the jeans you pilfered from my drawer last summer.

Copyright 1997-2012, The Berman Brothers, Willie and Teddy. All rights reserved.

9/23/2012

Okay, this is where we apologize for not posting for so long. It's so hard to find good help these days. Summer ended. School started. Willie is running x-country. Teddy is studying hard for his B.M. next June. New Year happened, with a day off from school over our protests. Another day off with no eating coming up this week. It's just one holiday after another these days. Thankfully, holidays mean special food. Last week we got barrel smoked tri-tip (and Willie professed his love for papa, but it was probably the tri-tip talking), and we had apple and honey and today we set up the sukkah frame, even though it isn't yom kippur yet, papa wanted to get a head start on building it, and it wasn't raining at the moment and the football game had not started yet, so off we went to build.

Anyway, you'll see the sukkah in all it's glory next Sunday, if the workers don't go on strike, which is a distinct possibility.

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While Willie was at camp, we went up to Baker Lake to visit our friends and brought dinner--yummy burgers and sausages.

And Mexican Coke, with real cane sugar!

Speaking of sugar, mommy made whoopie pies, and we helped a lot.

Ya, I know what you're thinking--we probably just helped eat them, but you'd be wrong--we were right there in the trenches during all phases of production. From baking to filling.

Mmmmm, filling. I just want to eat it now right off the knife. Can I? Can I? Can I? How about now? Can I?

Sneaking some FILLING! Now? Can I?

You're working me to the bone. Nobody will believe that we actually put up with all this child labor without any reward. Now? Can I?

NOW!!!!! MUST EAT WHOOPIE PIE!!!!! MUNCH MUNCH SQUISH CHEW SWALLOW!!!!!

What is they doing in the basement, precious? They looks like they is having funs.

PAPER SHREDDING--MORE GREAT FUN!!! Paper in--DESTROY!!!!!!

Oil break or paper shredder is a sad machine.

MUNCH MUNCH SQUISH CHEW SWALLOW!!!!! Wait a second--that's no whoopie pie.

Shhh, no one must know what has just occurred here. Besides, no small animals were harmed in the previous chewing incident.

Who you calling a small animal?

This looks like we have an exceptionally deep couch based on both of us being able to sit side by side in the wrong direction next to each other. Or maybe we are just so svelte that we just fit naturally. Or Willie is getting crushed into the cushions. Kind of like the frog in the boiling water where you start it in cold water and then slowly increase the heat. Then, before you know it...

No more frog. It's magic.

Copyright 1997-2012, The Berman Brothers, Willie and Teddy. All rights reserved.

8/5/2012

We've been there and back again, and then there and back again again. And then Papa went back there, and he's back again. And Willie went there, and he's not back again, yet. What in the world are they talking about? You'll probably figure it out in the pictures.

It's official--summer is here. It hit 90+ outside and it's 80 in the house, at 9:30 PM. Papa is melting and has an ice pack in the back of his shorts in a feeble attempt to cool down. Mommy is happy, but she's looking for a screen porch to sleep on.

When papa went to shul yesterday, a funny ironic thing happened. A person was up on the bimah saying the prayer for peace which goes "may we see the day when war and bloodshed cease, and a great..." and at that very moment the scream of fighter jets practically drowned out the speaker. Papa nearly burst a stitch trying to suppress his laughter. You see, the blue angels were in town terrifying the locals this week, and it was just at that prayer for peace moment that the peace was shattered, but a fighter jet. Hmmm.

Blueberries were picked. Pie was made, and eaten, and made, and eaten. Grandma and grandpa came and went. It's been a busy month.

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Bet you can't guess where we are--give you a clue--there are hills and water. Give up? Need another clue?

How about now? This enough of a clue for you?

Huzzah! On 7/11, 7-eleven was giving away free 7.11 oz. slurpees. mmm, slurpees. As you can see, I had two in the first round. MAL didn't want his so I was the lucky beneficiary.

BRAIN FREEZE!!!!!!! Here I thought the long straw would be sufficient to warm the slurpee fluid before it entered my brain, but oh how I was wrong. It hurts...

Then it was off to Ft. Point where it was unbelievably cold considering the weather guy said it was going to be 80 degrees. Not in SF in the summer, it's not.

It was so cold papa had to put on his emergency jacket to keep from getting frost bit, or fog bit, or wind burned, or whatever.

Then it was on to the toad fountain and free chocolate samples at the ghirardelli square tourist trap store. We had lunch at the fountain so that we could strategically observe the shift change in candy store, and GET MORE CHOCOLATE!!! We're smarter than the devil.

Next day was hike out in Point Pinole park which was also super duper windy. We're sensing a pattern here.

Speaking of patterns, Cousin Jonathan showed up at nana's and we had some good poker games, and this game of Egyptian Rat Screw. Pattern--SMACK!

Then it was time for Jonathan to be off so we did the group photo thing.

Duh, which way did he go George? Which way did he go?

Home again, home again, what can that mean?

Well, like any condemned man, it can only mean a last cigarette and meal. Ramen please.

And don't touch my junk.

Do you like my hat? I DO! I like your hat. I like your party hat. And it's crunchable.

Grandma showed up bearing gifts. Or at least a bag. Good thing since the city started charging money for bags at stores since we left the first time.

Then we were off again. This time to Denman Island in British Columbia. There was lots of hidden and not so hidden stuff on this low tide beach. Bunches of star fish were hanging around the base of rocks, and there were shells to collect.

And beaches to comb.

And crabs to harass. It was super fun getting them to scoot around. They're really quick when they want to be.

The reason we went to Denman was for our friends' Bruce and LeeAndra's 25th Cosmic Wedding Anniversary celebration. They prepared for the huge crowds by building a bunch of brand new outhouses. We celebrated the new outhouses by decorating them with clever and sometimes bawdy humor.