judimendoza

Arco de la Frontera

2011-02-24T20:14:00.001-08:00

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Gene had a hoot driving as fast as he could through the old part of Arco.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: arco de la frontera

Mercado Central in Valencia

2011-02-03T15:36:00.001-08:00

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I had to make this one quickly. We are leaving Valencia early tomorrow and I don't know when we will have an internet connection again. Gene and I really love it here and it is difficult to leave, but we are on our way to smaller towns and more adventures.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: valencia

Egipto Libre

2011-01-30T07:25:00.001-08:00

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Last night we came across a demonstration in solidarity with the protests in Egypt

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: barcelona

The AVE Train

2011-01-28T03:09:00.001-08:00

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The AVE is the Spanish high-speed railway service that can travel at speeds up to 186 mph. We took it from Madrid to Barcelona and arrived in three hours even with a stop in Zargoza. It was very comfortable and we had an opportunity to see the Spanish countryside and catch up on some reading. I emphatically believe that we need this kind of service up and down the West Coast and with the commitment that President Obama has made to improve transportation infrastructure we may get it within the next generation. (These things take time)

We got off the train at the Barcelona station and caught a cab to the Born neighborhood, in the old part of Barcelona, where we had rented an apartment. During the ride I had the stomach wrenching realization that I had left my video camera on the seat of the train. I told Gene what had happened and he asked, “Are you sure?” I was positive. We decided that we would continue to the apartment and drop Gene off so that he could meet with the landlord and pick up the keys. I would take the cab back to the station and try to find the camera. I explained what we wanted to do to the cab driver and he said that he would wait for me while I went to the lost and found area inside the station. I kept thinking that I had no chance of recovering the camera and that my video making days were over. I was pretty miserable.

When I got back to the station, I jumped out of the cab and ran into the station looking for the lost and found office. I found it right away and was heading in when I was stopped by a couple of men that were blocking the doorway. “We are closed until 16:30”. It was 16:10. The cab was waiting and I thought that maybe I could ask someone to look in the train for the camera if it hadn’t pulled out of the station for it’s return trip. “I can’t wait, I left an expensive camera on the Madrid train that just arrived” I frantically explained. The men would not budge.

I ran up to a tourist information booth and explained my plight but they said the lost and found office was my only option. The cab was waiting and I was upset. I didn’t know what else to do so I went back to the office with the men standing in the doorway and I asked that they make an exception and let me in even though the office was officially closed. One of them looked at me and while shooing away others that were trying to get by, he ushered me in with the wave of a hand.

There was a woman sitting behind a counter looking intently at something in front of her, she did not look up when I stood in front of her. I waited a few seconds trying to be polite but finally saw that she was not going to acknowledge my presence. “Excuse me”, I said and she finally gave me her attention. I explained what had occurred and she listened, unmoved. I imagine she had heard my story many times that day. “Train ticket? “ she asked. Yes, I had the stub in my purse. “Video camera?” she asked. “Yes” I replied. She reached over to her right, and with one smooth movement held the camera up to me. “Is this it?” It was! I could not believe my fortune. I almost cried with relief. “A million thanks” I managed to say with a quivering voice. I must have looked very relieved because she actually smiled. Another crisis averted and I vow to keep a better eye on my belongings.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: ave, high-speed train, barcelona

Malasana

2011-01-25T05:03:00.001-08:00

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We are staying in a neighborhood named Malasaña in the north area of central Madrid. The guide books describe it as gritty, and some parts of it are, but other parts are elegant and beautiful. Weve been busy going to museums, eating and drinking, and walking, walking, walking. ; Most of the time we walk after dark because we still havent adjusted to the time difference and we have been waking up in the early afternoon. That actually works in the sense that we are ready to eat supper at the same time as the Madrileños. Doesnt work so well when you fall asleep at seven in the morning. Havent been able to connect with any Wi-Fi yet so the technical aspects of getting this on the web are difficult. This evening I will drag my computer around the city and look for hot spots.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Tags: madrid, malasana

Bakery Elves

2010-12-30T16:22:00.001-08:00

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The Bakery Elves were busy getting ready for Christmas Eve in this video. Our pre-order numbers were up from last year and were even greater than Thanksgiving which is usually our busiest holiday -so the Bakery was hopping. It's always fun to test our production capacity, we have the room and the equipment, we just don't have enough labor. This year Gene was our lead pie baker and Carmen stepped in at the last minute to help her Dad. A big thanks to all the Bakery Elves, Carmela, Pat and Bettie in addition to Gene and Carmen. Hope you all had a great holiday.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: christmas, san francisco street bakery, olympia

Ferry to Port Townsend

2010-11-18T08:08:00.001-08:00

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We took the ferry from Edmonds to Port Townsend on our way to basketball camp this year. I've been interested in taking video of patterns and abstract shapes so I was attracted to the ferry's wake and wanted to see what a close- up of the water would look like. I just got a new camera, a Canon HF S11, that I am very excited about. It takes beautiful video and I'm looking forward to using it to explore my new inclination.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Tags: port townsend, ferry, basketball camp

Where did the time go?

2010-10-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

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I haven't seen this video in years, maybe not since it was shot. My friend Roger offered to take our old Hi-8 video tapes and digitize them so that we could use them again. When I started watching them it was as if I was traveling back in time. That could be Nolan now, in the present. Maybe, I thought, if I call his name he'll come running out from his room and jump on me and ask me for something to eat. But no, that time has passed and it is time to enjoy him as the young man that he is today, a wonderful companion, sensitive, capable and supremely confident. I know this to be true but I still miss my little boy. Where did the time go?

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: nolan, olympia wa

Joe

2010-09-18T19:30:00.001-07:00

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When I was young my family moved a lot and I had to make new friends every couple of years. My brother was three years older than me so we became close and helped each other get through each move that the family made. He also helped me get around the structure of our family. My father was a conservative Mexican-American and had strict views about dating and dress that I fiercely rebelled against. When I went out in the evening I was required to take a chaperone, my brother, but as soon as we were out of sight of the house, we split up and agreed to meet at a later time. I would have gone crazy without his help during those years but I'm not sure if I ever formally thanked him. I hope I did because now its too late to reminisce about those days. Joe died suddenly in June at the age of 57.

When people die, when a brother dies, we are inclined to tell the good stories that we remember. But my brother's life was complicated and troubled and that can't be denied. We had been estranged for a decade until the year before his death. My sister's wedding was the occasion that brought us together again and was actually the event that reunited him with his children as well as he had not been a part of their lives while they were growing up. Being with him and his kids and Renee, his ex-wife, that night was weird and magical and healing. Afterwards, while we were still wary, we began the process of building a new relationship and though its hard to find anything positive about the timing of his death, I am so glad that we had that opportunity to reconnect and make amends.

This is a difficult blog to post. How much should I reveal? But this blog has always been intended to let family and friends know what is occurring in my family's life so I will share pain as well as joy with all of you. I loved my brother and I will miss him. May he rest in peace.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

2010-05-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

The city of Olympia, and indeed the entire nation, has been watching the compelling video coming from the live web feed of the BP Oil Spill. Earlier this morning, we saw the damaged riser spewing oil from the sea floor. Then we saw a picture of a device that looked like an intake manifold on a car that is being used to pump mud into lines on the blowout preventer, the safety device at the wellhead that failed when the original blast at the BP Oil Rig occurred. We are all hoping that this "top kill" will finally plug this horrible leak but we won't know for sure for a couple more days.

Meanwhile the blame game is in high gear with Republicans and liberals alike blaming the Obama administration for not doing enough and BP, Transocean, and Haliburton officials appearing at congressional hearings to take the verbal tongue lashing that the public seems to be clamoring for. Gene and I had an animated discussion at dinner tonight and Gene pointed out that the citizens of this country are the ones to blame for this mess. We’re not willing to modify our behavior and our excessive lifestyles and we lack the political will to demand that legislators and policy makers provide incentives for sustainable energy alternatives and disincentives by way of taxes, for gasoline consumption. It’s an obvious argument but I haven’t heard it being discussed by the media or by politicians as much as I would like and I believe that’s because we are still looking for easy answers. Pointing the finger at BP and the rest might be satisfying but it’s not likely to change anything.

Coconut Cream Cake

2010-05-08T22:19:00.001-07:00

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Bruce Teagarden made Coconut Cream Cakes for Mother's Day. It's a flourless and gluten free cake made with whipped cream, eggs, potato starch, sugar, coconut , sea salt and coconut extract. Bruce is making lots of beautiful desserts for us so if you haven't been to the bakery for awhile come by and taste his work.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: san francisco street bakery, bruce teagarden, coconut cream cake

At the Car Wash

2010-05-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

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I guess I'm easily amused because going through the car wash is always so much fun. It's been a wet spring which is great for flora but there is mud everywhere, on the car, on the floor, on the clothes. The city did some repaving on our road last week and the machinery sprayed mud on our mailbox and newspaper box. Where do mailboxes go to get washed?

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: car wash, olympia wash

Canada Line

2010-04-03T18:14:00.001-07:00

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We saw "35 Shots of Rum" at the Capitol Theater and the opening sequence reminded me of video that I shot while we were in Vancouver. I wasn't sure my video was usable when I first watched it but that shot of the subway tracks viewed from inside the conductor's booth convinced me to give it another look. I really liked the contemplative nature of the long take that the director, Claire Denis, used to illustrate the paths that our relationships take and how they sometimes necessarily diverge. There isn't much dialogue in the movie so images must convey the narrative and the theme of the film, and Denis mostly pulls it off beautifully. It's only towards the end that the lack of exposition becomes a problem, so that one isn't immediately certain about the conclusion of the story. That's just a small problem though, the movie is really very moving and well worth seeing.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: 35 shots of rum, capitol theater, olympia wa

Music at the bakery

2010-03-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

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Friday was sunny and warm and it was hard to stay inside. I worked in the garden while a couple of musicians played some tunes in front of the bakery. It was sweet and festive and a great way to celebrate the start of spring.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: san francisco street bakery, olympia wa

The Sports Report

2010-02-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

There is a large contingency of people from the Netherlands here to root for their formidable team of speed skaters. (It will take years to recover from the disqualification of Sven Kremer from the 10,000 meters.) They stay in hotels close to the Richmond Oval where the long track skating races are held because I don’t think they are very interested in any of the other events taking place. They turn out in all kinds of wonderful orange costumes and love to sing along with the Dutch ommpa band that plays during intermissions. I’m so glad they’re here, it’s such fun to attend the skating events with them.

The Russians have the best jackets around and seem so stern and exotic. They were very disappointed in the results of the ice dancing competition that Gene and I attended, I sensed that they felt their athletes were judged unfairly after hearing the reactions to the scores for the Russian teams.

But without a doubt, the most compelling story in Vancouver during these Olympic Games has been Team Canada and the hockey tournament. The Russians played Canada yesterday and it was all anyone talked about all day. There is a rivalry between the two teams because Russia beat Canada in the quarter- finals in the 2006 Olympics and then went on to win two World Championships. Gene and I were at a short track skating event and the hockey game was on the big screen between races so that the fans could keep track of the score. Now it’s on to the quarter-finals on Friday, the USA plays Finland and the Canadians play Slovakia.

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver B.C.

2010-02-19T10:28:00.001-08:00

What do you call someone who comes from the United States? Do you call them an American? When we visited Costa Rica people there called themselves American, they said we were North Americans. Now we are in Vancouver and North American seems to include Canadians. Belgians come from Belgium, the Dutch are from the Netherlands, and Argentineans are from Argentina. So what do you call people from the U.S.?

We’ve been in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics for a few days now and it is obvious to all that the Canadians are crazy about their Olympic athletes. They are wearing all kinds of Canadian branded sports gear; sweatshirts, hockey jerseys, gloves, hats, scarves, anything with the word “Canada” on it. We’ve been watching Team Canada play hockey in sports bars and the atmosphere is almost as electric as Super Bowl Sunday. Anytime the sports announcers mention a Canadian athlete winning a medal the crowds go wild. Even the foreign tourists are sporting the Canadian gear, shoot; I would wear one of those fabulous red Maple Leaf hats if I could find one.

We finally went to our first live event, curling, tonight and it was a blast. The evening began with a group of bagpipers leading the competing athletes into the arena. I thought we were going to have to stand for “O Canada” but I was wrong, the athletes went to their places and began their games without any further ado. Even though the Canadians are fanatically patriotic, that doesn’t seem to translate to the jingoism evident in U.S. sporting events. To me, it felt refreshing and civilized.

Women at Work

2010-01-08T11:52:00.001-08:00

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The renovation at the Bakery required some demolition and Amber turned out to be an expert at it. And while we were able to get the Bakery opened on schedule we still haven't completed our project. The electrical work, lighting and retail arrangement is still unfinished.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: san francisco street bakery, olympia

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-05T15:43:00.001-08:00

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We bought the property on Fishtrap Loop and Nolan became the half owner of a double wide trailer with a lovely view of the water. He moved in on the day after Thanksgiving and he's very happy. We all feel pretty lucky, we think this place is perfect for him. I wish him contentment and success in his new home.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: fishtrap loop, olympia wa, nolan

Testing a Well

2009-11-09T13:46:00.001-08:00

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More of the "men at work" category that I find intriguing and fun to video tape. This time we are testing to see if there is water in a well on the property that we want to buy in partnership with Nolan. It's a beautiful piece of low bank waterfront close to Boston Harbor on Fish Trap Bay. There's a mobile home on the lot that has a view of the water and will work out great for Nolan and a roommate. Lanny Carpenter is the well expert, he had help from Keith D., the man that owns the property now.

A thought about my blog; I think that in order to continue blogging I have to branch out beyond the vlog format. I find that it's too restrictive and time consuming to post only video blogs. There have been many stories that I have not chronicled for want of a video. It's time to try something different. -Judi

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: water, fish trap loop, olympia

Bowling In Oakland

2009-09-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

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Last time we were in Oakland visiting Carmen we went bowling. Jeremy is an excellent bowler but as you can tell the rest of us range from mediocre to downright terrible. That didn't matter, we had a great time. Actually the entire visit was special. Carmen just got a job as a waitress at The ButtercuP restaurant in east Oakland and at the time was preparing to start her second year at Mills. We went to lots of fabulous restaurants and went to see the King Tut exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It's always wonderful to spend time with Carmen and Jeremy and I can't believe how patient and accommodating Jeremy was with the parents of his girlfriend. Thank you Jeremy.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Sunday Afternoon in Olympia

2009-07-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

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When I rode my bike through downtown Olympia this afternoon I didnt expect there to be much going on but I was wrong, the Farmers Market was hopping and there was a work party at the Rafah mural project on State Street. I rode by my favorite fountain, Tide Pool of Time on Columbia and Thurston and then headed home. I was having a relaxing ride when I had to stop suddenly at an intersection and couldnt get out of my clip-on pedals fast enough. I fell over, seemingly in slow motion, and ended up banging up my bike and getting my ego and an arm bruised.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: olympia wa, downtown olympia, biking

Olympia Pie Baker's Guild

2009-06-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Gene and I were invited to be part of a team of judges for a pie making contest held by the Olympia Pie Baker's Guild. Kathy Giglio guided us through the process and explained how the guild was formed. After the judging, pieces of pie were available for sale and there was an auction of all of the entries as a fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank. The pies were delicious, it was a treat to get to sample all of them. I hope that the Pie Baker's Guild holds this event again next year.

Nolan

2009-05-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

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Its very hard to get footage of Nolan. When I did manage to get him on camera he started counting off the seconds as if there was a timer on and my camera would shut off after a designated time span. Hes always been like this, even as an infant he would stick his tongue out every time I took a picture of him. Now hes 21 and I made this piece to celebrate his birthday.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tom Otto

2009-04-14T20:44:00.001-07:00

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Genes family has a large stockpile of family movies on 8mm film, so when Tom Otto turned 65 this March, Gene wanted to make a video montage using clips of Tom as a young man. We could not get it done in time for Toms birthday because we got sidetracked watching lots of film. Its a little late but this is for you Tom- Happy Birthday!

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: tom otto

Opening Day at the Farmer's Market

2009-04-08T17:18:00.001-07:00

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Last Thursday was opening day at the Farmers Market and we are excited to be back after a long, long winter. Gene and I wandered through the aisles greeting vendors and shopping for food that you cant find anywhere else. The Market is one of the gems of Olympia, a food emporium of superior quality and we feel lucky to be a part of it. The Market is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. See you there- Judi

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: olympiafarmersmarket, olympiawa, farmersmarket, sanfranciscostreet bakery