Summer visit with Fred!

2001, Hangouts, , , ,

See, he was really here! That is Fred in the woods of my apartment complex.

Fred in the woods

Well, and here’s me in the woods at my apartment complex!

Ivy in the woods

We played with some stuff and I made this pretty decoration!

Pentacle made of pine needles

We got this awesome watermelon! This is us attempting to eat it.

Sharing a watermelon

Christmas 2000

2000, Gatherings, Holidays, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is Corey. He lived with my parents at the time, so of course he was there for the festivities.

Corey

My dad’s parents came to our house for a visit.

Grandma & Grandpa Decker

 Dad was happy to see his folks.

Deckers

Here we all are! On the left side, that’s Yuichi (the guy sister P was dating), my grandmother, me, sister Lindsay, sister Patricia, Dad, and my grandfather.

Decker grandparents, Dad, sisters, Yuichi

Later that night, there was a dinner. There’s Corey, Lindsay, Patricia, Yuichi, and Dad helping themselves.

Dinner: Corey, Lindsay, Patricia, Yuichi, Dad

We had Heather (who used to live with my parents) and her younger sister Sam there too, and on my other side is my mom’s ‘Net friend Bill.

Dinner: Heather, Sam, Ivy, Bill

Gotta get the whole table! There’s the backs of Yuichi’s and Dad’s heads, and then you see Heather, Sam, and me (with my mouth full embarrassingly).

Dinner: Heather, Sam, Ivy

Rare shot! Mom almost never sits down, but there she is!

Dinner: Mom actually sat down

Yuichi plays piano, you know. Nice pose, guys.

Yuichi & Patricia

After the dinner, we all played a group game. Kind of a tradition in our house.

Game tradition

 

Here’s the first of many gift-opening shots. Mom and me.

Opening gifts

Mom’s a gift

Opening gifts

Opening gifts

Opening gifts

Opening gifts

Opening gifts

Jessica’s Wedding

2000, Vacations, , , , , , ,

Jessica and Ron at their wedding reception, having their first dance as children attack them with airborne bubbles. (I don’t have any pictures from the actual wedding, as it was not open to the public.)

Jess & Ron with bubbles

This is the freaks table at the reception: Jessica’s friends. Here is me visiting them. (Fred and I were actually seated at the long front table with Jessica and Ron.)

The Freak Table

There were shells all over the table and I gave Fred the idea to put two of them behind his glasses. Isn’t it cute?

Fred with shell eyes

The wedding cake.

Jessica’s wedding cake

Jes and Ron cutting their cake.

Jess & Ron’s cake

And it’s Jes and Ron *eating* their cake. Oh, isn’t it cute, barf barf.

Jess & Ron fed each other cake

Silly traditional wedding things . . . Jessica’s about to throw her bouquet here. Observe how I’m attempting to get out of the way.

I hid from the bouquet

It’s the wedding crowd doing the chicken dance! AHH!

Chicken dance

This is me and Fred with Jessica’s mom. I am making an inexplicably weird face!

Me with Fred and Jess’s mom

After the reception, there was a real party. Observe Jes and her friends in the pool.

Friends on the raft

Here’s where I spent most of the party, on the side of the pool talking to my new friend Steven, who is quite nice, a good listener and has stuff to say besides.

Pool party

Steven, the Leader of the Penguin Tribe, is swearing fealty to me, Queen Ivy and High Priestess of Budgiland.

New friend Steve kneels to me

I liked this rope swing. I spent lots of time there during this party. (Mostly talking to Steven and watching the pool partiers frolic.)

Rope swing

It was nice and shady there.

With Steve in the shade

Errands with Fred

2000, Hangouts, , , ,

Here’s me with my little cat ears headband on. Look! I’m from Josie and the Pussycats!

Cat ears

When we got back to Gainesville, we visited some shops. I like Books Inc.

At the bookstore

Fred had never had “grits” before, as it is sort of a Southern food. He had ordered some in the restaurant but we didn’t have the camera then. Here’s our memory of his experience with grits.

Fred likes grits

Me in the store with bananas, and a Chiquita sticker on my head!

Ivy likes bananas

At Mother Earth they had these cool cheesecakes. Fred stocked up.

Stocking up on cheesecake

Happy birthday Lindsay!

2000, Gatherings, , , , , , , ,

We went to my parents’ house to visit my sister on her birthday. Here’s my sister Lindsay, me, and my dad, while she opened her presents.

Surprising Lindsay for her birthday

Fred and I gave Lindsay a card with a cute moon on it. She apparently liked it. (I hope.)

Lindsay’s birthday card

Linds cutting her cake that we brought.

Lindsay’s cake

My mom putting bunny ears on her dog Charlie. For some reason she has taken great pains to hide her face from this picture.

Hanging out with Mom & the dog

Population

2000, Hangouts, , ,

Here’s me with a big blow-up bat with which I was preparing to smack Fred, probably.

A big bat

Here’s Fred riding a bike to the picnic we were going to have.

Fred rides my bike

We had our picnic on a roof; here is me on the wall that is around the outside of the roof.

Lounging on the wall

And here’s me on the wall again, because Fred seems to be camera-happy.

Sitting on the wall

There’s Fred enjoying the food of the picnic.

Fred enjoying the roof picnic

There’s me, also picnicking.

Ivy enjoying the roof picnic

After lunch we played my game, The Phantom Whistler. On a second-story roof, I whistle and then see if the people on the ground figure out where the sound is coming from.

Whistling at passersby

These are some people we photographed who were walking by while I was whistling. Hehe!

People walking by on the ground

There’s me populating! Another one of my pranks: I made little men out of clay and give them roof-pebble heads, and place them all over the music building in a mini-men invasion.

Hiding clay men in the wall

Fred helped. 🙂

Hiding clay men in the wall

Cooking with Fred

2000, Cooking & Baking, Hangouts, , ,

This is the next day. I was playing with a toy where you try to get the heavy thing to swing up and land on the peg. I had just won it here.

Playing with bolero

Here is Fred, exceedingly happy that he had finally managed to win with the toy. 🙂

Playing with bolero

We went to the store to get some ingredients for our cooking exploits. This is me outside Fred’s car–the one he drove from California to Michigan (school) and later down to Florida to visit me!

Fred’s car

I’m putting away the eggs. Thrilling, innit?

Putting eggs away

 

We are preparing to cook honey cakes. Here is me with tools of the trade.

Cooking

I guess I’m preparing the honey here.

Cooking

Here is Fred cooking up the batter and frying the honey cakes!

Cooking

Me with the finished honey cakes!

Made honey cakes!

Fred developed a hobby of playing my keyboard while at my house. Here is him doing so.

Fred tries keyboard

Solstice Day in California with Fred

1999, Holidays, Vacations, , , , , , ,

Got to visit San Francisco, the Golden Gate bridge, and the Pacific Ocean on the Winter Solstice, and then we did a Yuletide ritual together.

Haite Street

Fred at the Golden Gate

Ivy at the Golden Gate

Caution sign for the beach

Sunset

Sunset

Ivy in the sunset

Fred in the sunset

Greeting the Pacific Ocean

Nice moonlight

Solstice ritual

Yuletide altar

Solstice ritual

Solstice ritual

Fred enjoying Yuletide meal

Jacuzzi

Crystal in the jacuzzi

Silly with the crystal

 

Wassail and winter fun with Fred

1999, Vacations, , , , ,

Visiting Fred in San Jose! We made wassail with cider, apples, and our own spices in a tea ball, and made crescent cakes for the full moon.

Trying Fred’s keyboard

Calling co-host Loco

Fred making crescent cakes

Fred making wassail

Ivy drinking wassail

Fred drinking wassail

Moon face decorations

Cracked apple

A little cold

A little silly

Pretending to sit on the wall