Monterey

Last weekend we took a "quick trip" to Monterey with "The Borgeses" for Chris' birthday. We stayed at The Clement.....a highly overpriced hotel on the waterfront off of Cannery Row. The Borgeses got the room for a hell of a bargain....so it was worth every penny.

We had an absolutely FABULOUS dinner at a waterfront restaurant. Dave tried Cioppino, I had lobster, Art got his chocolate mousse, and Chris had $7 Martinis...woo hoo...can't beat that. But seriously, it was delicious. After dinner we went looking for some fun. We had to create a little of our own, but we did end up dancing at a local spot and watching Phelps get #8!!!! Fun was had by all.

The following day we trolled around a bit more, then headed to see my "Kitty" and Lani in Marina on our way home. I truly miss my "Kitty Kat." She is about halfway through her pregnancy with my little Taylor and I just need to be near her more often. We all collaborated on an awesome BBQ, then feasted on the outcome.

Then we rode of into the most beautiful sunset, headed for home. It was a wonderful weekend getaway with all of my very favorite people!

North Carolina

August 7th through August 12th, we took a trip with Mom back to North Carolina for a family reunion. NC is a beautiful place....green, green, green (we were lucky enough to miss the humidity). David described the trip as "a step back in time." It is amazing how different life seems there.

We stayed in Hendersonville (not too far from the tiny little towns the family members are from). Hendersonville was a stunning example of NC charm. Beautiful and old, the buildings are well maintained and old advertisments are still displayed. Can anyone say "timewarp."

The family reunion was a faciniating event. We ate some "Old Fashioned North Carloina BBQ" (trust me....you gotta be from NC for that one) and spent a whole lot of time trying to figure out how everyone was related. This picture was kind of the axis, so to speak, even though it is not the Stacey family. This photo is of my Great Great Grandparents (mother's father's mother's parents...lol). Their daughter married my great grandfather and had 11 children (the youngest of which is my grandfather). The offspring of many of those 11 siblings were there, but there were also offspring from these 2 people's other chilcren. There was the son of their son present and the daughter of another of their daughters (believe me...it is hard to keep this all straight). Anyhow, I have realized I am going to have to paint an entire wall in our house like a family tree to even begin to grasp the magnitude.

It was a heartwarming moment to visit my grandfather's grave, buried there in his home town in the company of his beloved mother and father. I did not know, until I was there, how special and important it was to have taken him "home." Honestly not until I truly knew what "home" meant. I am happy he is there.


David and I did manage to find a Hooka Bar (of all things) in that vintage little town. It was completely empty, but we managed to have a good time none the less.


But...........the highlight of the trip for me was visiting the Gilboa Cemetery outside of Morganton about one hour from Hendersonville. This cemetery and church are quite old and extraordinarily the graves of my Great Great Great Great Great Grandparents are there. My 5G Grandpa was a revolutionary war soldier and is buried alongside his wife in this "out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" place. I still do not have words to desribe how breathtaking it was to witness this in person. He was buried in 1834...born in 1760. I am awestruck.



What an amazing trip!!!!!!!!!!!

Toro Toro!!!

Wow! Last night we went to the culminating activity of the Handford Festa.....the Riverdale Bull Fights.

I have literally NEVER seen anything like this. It was an amazing night. Take a look at how it went.

By the way, modern bullfighting here is a bloodless sport (unless a bull fighter gets injured) and the bull is not killed in the end. Just so you know. (I wouldn't have anything to do with it if it were not.)



In Portuguese style bull fighting, the fight happens in two phases known as "cavaleiro" and "pega." The cavaleiro is a beautifully dressed horseman on a specially trained and decorated horse. The cavaleiro's job is to stab the bull with long decorated sticks (bandeirilhas-I looked it up...lol).

In the "pega," 8 men (known as forcados) literally wrestle the bull with no weapons of any kind. (This part is UNREAL!!!! and these guys are INSANE!!!) Their job is to subdue the bull and bring him to a complete stop. A front man challenges the bull and provokes him to charge. Mid-charge, the front man grabs the bull and is then aided by the other 7 men in stopping him (including the dude who is pulling the bull by the tail......lol). It is an unimaginable amount of fun to watch. Check it out.

At this particular Bull Fight there was the addition of the Spanish style with the use of a Matador. The Matador fights the bull in the ring with the use of a cape (generally red) and a sword (traditionally used to administer the fatal blow. Here.....just for looks). The Matador uses his cape (with truly enjoyable pomp and circumstance) to control the bull and maneuver him into the proper position to kill. The Matador gets unbelievably close to the bull, at times taunting and showing his bravery by turning his back or even laying on the ground. It is beautiful.

Portuguese Celebration

This weekend was the Saint Anthony's Celebration in Hanford. For everyone like me (non-Greenhorns) who have no idea what this means....you are really missing out.


In the Portuguese community, each year there are a series of celebrations to honor important Saints in the Catholic faith for their contributions and lessons. Each celebration is hosted by a different town and it is a massive undertaking and an amazing result. Celebrations include activities over several days.



Each Saint is represented by a beautiful statue that travels to each celebration.

This saturday included some daytime activities and a dance in the evening with Portuguese music and dancing (I am getting quite good at this I think).

On Sunday, there was a massive parade that incuded bands, queens (in beautiful gowns and capes) junior queens, senior queens, attendants, the Saints, and a mass representation of flags of all kinds (American Flags, Portuguese Flags, etc). The Parade marks the route to the church where there a traditional mass was held in the beautiful Portuguese language. The lesson of the Saint was conveyed there along with beautiful singing and lots of tradition. Mass concluded with the Parade leading the way back to the hall (or community area) where a massive lunch was served (free to anyone who came)...linguica for all....mmmmmm.

Sunday was finished with a second dance (where we proceeded to be out until 1am again) where Joe Belo's band completely rocked the house with an awesome combination of traditional portuguese and some rocking American hits. (I just have to add that we absolutely adore these guys. They are great friends and really fantastic musicians. Thanks Guys!!!)

Catching Up and Filling In

As a little catch up info, this summer has been quite full already. Boating is one of our favorite summertime activities (especially with Art and Chris...aka "the Borgeses"...lol). We frequent Millerton lake. However, there has been a Shaver appearance or two. Good times, great company, priceless memories.

Intro to Us

This is a blog about Dustine and David....hence the title. I'm a little everything (Native American, Mexican, White) and he's a lot Portuguese (ok....totally). We thought it was about time we made a little spot to share our adventures with everyone else. There isn't much we don't like to do and life is pretty full right now. We are a little behind in creating this, so the next few posts will probably be a little catch-up...please bear with us. :) Oh.....and welcome!