Flamingeaux - 2003


	January * February * March * April * May * June July * August * September * October * November * December

	July The following week they stuck around town. There were a number of places they wanted to go, but they settled for The Tech Museum (16 pictures), Monterey Bay Aquarium (22 pictures), and Bonfante Gardens (170 pictures!) [click each of the location names to see the pictures.]
	They spent the 4th of July at home with the dogs and a new "pool." How appropriate that they made a dolphin-themed pool this year! The girls kept cool in the pool in the afternoon. Then, in the evening, the neighbors had some sparklers and other fireworks which Joyce watched with the not so happy dogs. The cats found places to hide from the noise and lights. It was a quiet, but a very fun 4th.
	Saturday evening the girls drove up to Bethel Island with friends Dan and Henrietta and spent the night and Sunday on their yacht with them. They were the deck hands they needed to clean her up, since Henrietta is a week away from delivering young Chanan. Then the gals spent a relaxing afternoon boating up and down the delta. Joyce caught her very first, and then second, fish of her life! See the pictures! The following week, with their congregational leader back from Israel, they went to the Boardwalk with him and the kids on "60 Cent Night" and had an old-fashioned great time riding many of the rides for a reduced rate. See the pictures! One of the things Ana has done over the years, from her time as a young woman working at Pacific Valley Bank and Foundation, to her current position at Hewlett-Packard, is volunteer at local events. She is carrying on that tradition with Joyce, who has joined her in the past at various activities for United Way. Now Joyce has had the opportunity to be a volunteer in her own right, at the Cupertino Art and Wine Festival sponsored by the Cupertino Chamber. It was a beautiful, sunny (hot) day, and they were working the soda booth (no, Ana did not let Joyce pour wine!) and they were kept pretty busy handing out water to the thirsty hordes. They took a few pictures around the park before booth duty; see them here.
	Right after their tour of booth duty, they rushed down the highway to get to their friends Dan and Henrietta's to celebrate the 8th day celebration of Chanan. Along with several friends, they welcomed him into the world, and honored him with a brit milah. There were so many cameras and video-recorders going, I'm sure this has been documented around the world!, but here are a few of Ana's pictures to mark the occasion.
	August For our August birthday celebration Joyce and Ana made a "cake" out of cupcakes, and decorated it with a dog drawing. This kind of cake doesn't require a knife for serving ... very convenient! See the pictures of the weekend. The girls got to see the marvelous play "Aida" which is the musical by Elton John and Tim Rice. Playing the antagonist was Mickey Dolenz of "The Monkees" fame. What a fantastic production this was! We had a strange visitor to our neighborhood one morning. We let the dogs out for their morning constitutional, and they ran to the fence barking. Here is what they had "treed." (click picture) Ana and Joyce were blessed to be a part of a very special day for their friend Elisha and all her family. See the pictures of Eli's bat Mitzvah.
	Our dogs are so precious. Here they are, acting silly, sitting in their "bathtub." Spectre isn't wild about it but Jester likes to just sit in it. Just before the end of the month, Ana and Joyce auditioned for another play. It's been three years since they were in "Wizard of Oz" together. It's not easy to find a play for the two of them to be in together. Well, their friend Ritchard encouraged them to go out for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" ... and they both made it! Joyce will be in the Kids Chorus, and Ana will be in the wives' chorus, an Egyptian slave, and also an Ishmaelite! Look for pictures from the play after it starts in October. Info about the run of the play can be found at the Theatre's website. Ana created invitations for Bay Area locals and for remote folks from all over, if you want to see details more specific to you.
	September Labor Day, they had one last hurrah for summer. See the pictures (thumbnail page, then click a picture to see details). Look who visited Ana's worksite ... the Mascot for the San Jose Sharks, SJ Sharkie. He was in the cafeteria -- looks like he was hungry, looking for a bite! (click the picture for the full-size shot!) While they were going to rehearsals 3 nights a week for "Joseph," working up to 5 and then 6 nights a week, the girls also got the opportunity to watch several plays on their non-rehearsal nights. They saw "Funny Girl" by American Musical Theater, "Fantasticks" by Palo Alto Players (co-starring their friend Ritchard), and "Bye Bye Birdie" by the Sunnyvale Community Players, where they are in rehearsals. And, a cool thing happened on the way to the theatre ... (see the pictures)
	October Rehearsals are going full steam, and they are now into the High Holy Days. Yom Kippur is right before the girls' birthdays this year, so Joyce's Hebrew birthday falls before her real birthday. See a few pictures from play practice, birthday celebration activities and Sukkot.
	November The last two weeks of October and first two weeks of November were filled with 4 performances a week of Joseph, 16 performances in all. The girls had a blast working with "the best cast ever!" Check out the pictures of their marvelous experience. The girls celebrated the 1st birthday of their "godson" / "godbrother" little Yochanan with the rest of their congregation. His mom planned a terrific pirate themed party, with costumes (Aaargh!), and a pirate treasure hunt for all the kids to participate in. [pictures coming soon.] On Thanksgiving, Joyce was with her Dad, and Ana joined her mom and sister at her sister's future in-laws.
	December The holidays will be over in no time. Joyce and Ana wish you Chag Chanukah (Happy Hanukah), Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas. More important than all the words that express greeting at this time, they hope you feel the Blessings that these times should bring. Surround yourselves with your loved ones when you can. Don't dwell on the commercial aspects of the season that we are constantly bombarded with. Take time to attend a Holy-Day celebration at the House of Worship of your choice. Don't forget the Reason for the Season, and the Miracle of the Lights, and Yeshua, Jesus, the Eternal Light! God Bless all who read this, and know that you are Loved! Happy Holy-Days!
	[December - continued]	(click picture for full-size portrait)