My Great Grandmother?

So I have been using ancestry.com this week to look into my Genealogical History. Here is my great-grandmother, Catherine Hollinger who was born in 1879 and passed away in 1962. This photo was linked to her geneological record. How cool is this?

Thus far I have been able to trace my ancestry to two ancestors on the VanAtta side of my family who lived in the Netherlands, one born in 1396 and the other born in 1400!

Fox 10 at Horizon Elementary!

So this morning the FOX 10 helicopter came to our school for "Whirlybird Wednesdays" at featured our school and students on several segments of the Fox & Friends morning show... there are two clips posted here that are each about 2 1/2 minutes in length... At the end our students got to get up close to the helicopter (which was their favorite part!)

Chase field

Taking in an Arizona Diamondbacks game at Chase Field is more than just watching a baseball game.  The stadium is almost as big an attraction as the on-field product.  Built in 1998, Chase Field has been the home for the Diamondbacks since their inception.

Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, the ballpark is easily accessible by two freeways that connect Phoenix to the surrounding suburbs.  Located just a block from US Airways Center where the Phoenix Suns play basketball, Chase Field shares many of the parking structures in the surrounding area.

Besides driving, you can take the new Phoenix light rail train which has a stop directly adjacent to Chase Field to get downtown.

The stadium has been designed to have an old ballpark field with a brick facade and exposed steel.  One of the first things you notice is the large retractable roof that opens in just over four minutes.  On days when outside temperatures are below 95 degrees they will play with the roof open.  During the hot desert summer the roof is closed during the game and the stadium is air conditioned to a comfortable 78 degrees.

With a seating capacity of 49,075 the park looks massive from the inside.  The seats have all been angled towards home plate making it quite comfortable to watch a game without having to rotate and sit on the side of your seat to see the game action.

 Chase Field has several unique features besides the retractable roof.  There are large mosaic panels above the outfield that can be opened to provide more air flow and give the fans a view of downtown Phoenix and the surrounding mountains.

The playing surface is natural grass and the park is relatively symmetrical.  Beyond the right field wall in center is a swimming pool that can be rented on a per game basis (for about $6,000 a game!) When Diamondbacks players hit a home run fountains shoot off spraying water into the pool area.

Above center, Chase Field is the home to the largest scoreboard in baseball with a high definition screen measuring 144 feet wide by 55 feet high. During the game the scoreboard shows crowd images and messages that are amazingly clear and life-like. (from stadium journey)

Chase field with the roof retracted:

A view of Chase Field with the roof closed and the large 'shutters' also closed...

Riding the light rail to Chase Field is the easiest way to get downtown... This is the light rail and Valley Metro transit hub at 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road by the Christown Spectrum Mall...

Inside Chase Field this was the view from my seat... it was still light outside at this point in the evening:

Zooming in on home plate and the pitcher's mound:

The "windows" on the side of the stadium open to let more breeze in and provide a great view of Downtown Phoenix and the Mountains...  The roof was fully retracted that night as it was a perfect 78 degrees outside!  You can also see the High Definition jumbo screen in center field... it is the largest screen in an MLB stadium at 144 feet wide and 55 feet high... its REALLY big...

The screen up close with the announcement of the attendance... 21,316 fans there, or about 45% of capacity... Chase Field can comfortably seat nearly 49,000 Diamondbacks fans:

The D-backs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 and the had the obligatory handshake at the end of the 9th inning:

After the game and the fireworks they dim the stadium lights and light up the interior using the jumbotron as a giant nightlight:

Heavenly Bed (sort of)

So its time for my annual bedding upgrade... I have always wanted to have the Westin Heavenly Bed at home, but could never afford it.  Thanks to Macy's I have been able to reproduce the heavenly bed for less than 20% of the cost!  The Charter Club Damask Stripe 500 Thread Count bedding set is great and I saved big $$$ with 55% off this week through a combination of discount offers (I saved more than I spent!)

The white-on-white satin and matte striping adds a nice effect and the fact that the entire set is iron free and wrinkle resistant straight out of the dryer is just an added bonus.   It is incredibly soft bedding and it is like sleeping in a cloud.  Now I will have to avoid eating those cheddar biscuits in bed though...  that will be tough!

A Carefree Drive

So last weekend I decided to go for a drive up to Lake Pleasant Regional Park (one of the Maricopa County parks) since I had not been there before.   To get there you go about 4 miles north of the Loop 101 off of I-17 and take AZ-74, better known as the Carefree Highway west about 10 miles to the mountainous desert-lands of the northwest valley (Part of the cities of Phoenix and Peoria)

Unfortunately when I got to the park I found out the county charges $6 per car to enter... Being the cheapskate that I am, I said forget that and drove off to enjoy my afternoon drive around the far north valley...

Thanks to a recently completed widening project on I-17 north of the Loop 101, there are now so many brand new lanes to choose from during light traffic on a Saturday afternoon! (And yet this is still jammed up to a near standstill during rush hour... How???)

It's the details that matter... Like the mountain borders along the top of the overpass and the native-american inspired turtle on the side.   ADOT spends a lot of time adding little details like these to their freeway projects.

They do mean 25MPH! (okay... maybe 35 mph...)  It is a sharp u-turn offramp to go westbound on the Carefree Highway

Fresh air, blue skies, and stunning desert vistas along the Carefree Highway in North Phoenix and Peoria:

Hmm... Shouldn't there be a big alien ship playing music somewhere around here?

Like stealing fire from the gods...

So for most of my life, I have been obsessed with those incredible cheddar biscuits that they serve with every meal at Red Lobster.  They are known as "Cheddar Bay biscuits."  Well thanks to the 21st century wonder known as the internet, I have located the recipe for these delectable morsels of cheddar-y goodness.  Even an incompetent cook such as myself was able to make these perfect biscuits on my first attempt, so ANYONE outght to be able to make them at home also! 

Here is how to make them:

Ingredients:

 2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix

 ¾ cup cold whole milk

 4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

 1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

And to brush on top:

 2 tablespoons butter, melted

 ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix. (I had to add an extra 1/4 cup of milk)

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. (I just melted more butter and then dipped the biscuits upside down in the bowl then sprinkled parsley on them in the absence of a brush) Makes one dozen biscuits.

ABC News's Good Morning America explains: Order an entrée from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years this recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to Red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right in the box of a baking mix.

The problem with making biscuits using a baking mix is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix.

On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip-with grated cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.

Recipe courtesy of Todd Wilbur, "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2," Plume Books.

and the Original Link

And the Finished Product: 

Hey!  Where did that 12th biscuit go???

Double-layer rainbow

There was a brief respite between rainstorms his afternoon and I just happened to glance out the bedroom window when I spotted this incredible double-layer rainbow off towards the east.  I grabbed the camera and snapped a few quick pics before the rain started up again...

Double Rainbow:

Up close:

And then it rained for another 10 minutes and a new, even more vibrant "half-rainbow" appeared...

How to make a Mega Monsoon

This is a 12 News short documentary about the mega-2008 monsoon storm of August 28th...  About 2 minutes in length

South Mountain preserve

So now that I am finally getting over my 3-week adventure with the flu and had a few good meals yesterday evening, I wanted to get out and enjoy some fresh air.  I have not yet been to Phoenix's South Mountain Park so I decided to go for a drive to explore this afternoon. It is considered the largest urban park in the United States and boasts an impressive 51 miles of  primary trails for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding.  Today over 3 million visitors a year enjoy the beautiful desert foliage and breathtaking views t this park.

As always, I had my dependable camera with me and took some pictures of my trip... enjoy!

A beautiful day in Downtown Phoenix as seen from I-10 just north of the downtown core:

Looking south towards South Mountain from I-10:

Travelling south on Central Avenue towards South Mountain:

The South Mountain neighborhood in Phoenix...

Approaching the enterance to South Mountain Park and the end of Phoenix's Central Avenue

Park directional signage:

The summit of the mountain (with dozens of communications towers at the top)

Self-explanatory:

The TV and Radio towers atop the peak of South Mountain:

Downtown Phoenix from South Mountain:

The far southeast valley neighborhoods just south of South Mountain

Close-up of the TV, radio, and cellular towers atop the mountain:

The TV towers as seen from Dobbins lookout point (and my car too...)

At Dobbins Point overlooking the north side of South Mountain towards the Valley:

Downtown Phoenix from Dobbins lookout (The roof on Chase Field (MLB Arizona Diamondbacks)is open on the center right)

Camelback Mountain and Sky Harbor Airport (you can see the control tower in the middle)

The east valley including Phoenix and Tempe near the airport:

The University of Phoenix Stadium (NFL's Arizona Cardinals) and Jobing.com Arena (NHL Phoenix Coyotes) at the Westgate City Center in Glendale in the West Valley as seen from Dobbins Point.  My house is about 2 miles south of the big white-roofed stadium (somewhere in the far left of this picture, can you see it?)