Hurricane Katrina

"Hi Audrey!
      This picture was taken in 2006 when Auntie flew to Mississippi with a crew of people to work on houses that were partially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Biloxi, Miss. exactly 6 years ago to this day.  Thousands of people had to move away from their homes because they had become too unsafe to live in - like this one.  But see how they spray painted, "Do not bulldoze, still alive and kicking"?  I hope that this family is safe and back home again.
      Love,
          Auntie"

Burning Bridges and the Mullet

"Hi Danny,
      I  picked up these postcards to send to friends and relatives when Uncle John and I moved to our new house.  I thought that it was hilarious!  It implies that we've 'burned our bridges' and have moved on.  I decided against sending them (except to Aunt Xie) because I didn't want to offend anyone and thus, 'burn bridges.' I still think it's hilarious, but sometimes what Auntie thinks is funny is not the same as what others might think is funny - like the time I gave your dad a mullet.  He asked me to cut his hair - and it all went downhill from there.  I couldn't help it, but eventually his hair grew back and he forgave me, and I repaired that bridge.
      'wish you were here!'
      love,
           Auntie"

Time on our Feet

"Hi Danny!
      This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands, or in this case, too much time on your feet:  you take a picture of them.  That's your dad's, mine and Aunt Xie's on the bottom.  Your dad's feet are legendary in Redwood City.  They strike fear in those not forewarned about their appearance.  Your dad had to warn people to look away when he took off his socks, else they'd be in danger of temporary blindness - like looking at the sun.  They are a weapon to be reckoned with.
      love,
          Auntie"

Old Blue

"Hi Audrey!
      This is a picture of your mom and dad when they came for a visit in 1999.  Your cousin Tineke was 13 and Nate was 11.  Nathan's holding Copperfield our cockatiel and your mom's holding 'old blue' her favorite sweater.  She loved that sweater as if she carried it 'in utero'.  It now lies in a landfill in Martinez where a family of possums use it as a dining room table.  They call it 'old yellow' because, after years of sun exposure to UV radiation it is no longer blue.
      Love,
          Auntie"

Optical Illusion

"Hi Danny! 
      Here's another picture postcard of Gibraltar Dam.  See that little van in the background?  If you hold your thumb over it and look at the picture, the flood gates look small.  If you take your thumb off the van, the flood gates look humongous.  Try it....see what I mean?  That's what's called an optical illusion.  It's kinda like how Cukie (my bird) used to fluff up his feathers to look really big, but when he was hopping around on the ground he looked really small.  Or how it looks like your dad has lots of hair, but really, it's a wig.  ha ha. kidding.
      'wish you were here!'
              Love,
                   Auntie"

I Heart Unicorns

"Hi Audrey!
      This picture was taken at a plant where they manufacture concrete pipe.  that man in the picture is thinking to himself, "Gee, I wonder what I'm having for lunch."  He's also thinking, "Gee, I really like unicorns." But he's just thinking it, and not saying it out loud.  If he did say it out loud people might think he's 'lost his marbles.'  Speaking of marbles, I found a really old one while digging in my garden the other day.  It's blue with white swirls like this---->



Wish you were here!
      Love,
          Auntie"

Guinea Pigs

"Hi Danny,
      See the guy with the white hard hat?  He's probably the site foreman just like your dad.  He's telling that other guy, "Watch out for my pet Guinea Pig, Ralph." Did you know that Guinea Pigs are neither from Guinea nor are they pigs?  But they sure are darn cute!  I think Ralph was looking for cheese or trying to get through the chain-link fence.  Anyhow, TTYL.
      Love,
           Auntie"

Waterslides and Spillways

"Hi Danny,
      This photograph is of the Bradley Dam spillway.  It kinda looks like a water slide, doesn't it?  It reminds me of the trip to the Manteca Waterslides we took when your dad was little.  If I can remember correctly, he got a sunburn and vomited after eating generic hotdogs.  Your dad is a good swimmer, but that was the year they invented generic groceries, and the technology wasn't yet perfected.  So the labels on the food had tiny disclaimers you could only read with a magnifying glass...like this one...

                    *Do not attempt to swim after eating these or else you will projectile vomit.
      love,
        Auntie"

One Large Pipe

"Hi Danny!
      I can't believe that you are going to be 6 years old in a matter of days!  You are almost as big as that reinforced concrete pipe!  And that one's 7' in diameter!  Speaking of RCP, see the notch inside of it?  That's so that it can be fit into another pipe so they can construct a long segment.  Flowing full, that pipe could handle 850 cubic feet per second. That's a lot of water.  We're talking 382k gallons.  If I had a penny for each gallon, I'd be rich!
      love,
          Auntie"