वेल्कोमे तो थे jugle

While on vacation....

I actually didn't mean to post that title ( and haven't any idea what language I accidentally wrote in), but my new-found lack of ability to speak English seems to be continuing.
The jokes on me about re-naming myself "Treefrog".
Last night I dreamed that Hillary herself was here in Sayulita,Mexico, and I could only speak in frog croaks.
I leap-frogged towards her, ribbiting all the way, ribbited and frog-jumped in front of her, and then frog-jumped away.
She didn't seem to mind. Always the greatest sport, that Hillary.



Well, back to our rigorous schedule of swimming, eating, sleeping, buying Mexican balls, and painting!
Anyone want me to buy them a Mexican ball? Only 10 pesos ( around 70 cents)!

I will return to my regular awesome blogging on February 5th, until then these few pathetic posts written on my Ipod will be all I can occasionally summon!
Thanks for checking in!

Let's see if this works... ooh that was hard!

Gone feral, be back soon!

God is fish head.
No longer using human langwij
Changed name to treefrog.







The top two drawings of H.C.A. were made before trip, the bottom two, drawn on my trip, represent some "Feral fashion" ideas.

Feral fashions

I hereby declare that the H.C.A. is going feral.
"Catch us if you can!" said the H.C.A. Gingerbread man!

See no evil....

Ah, my first night in Sayluita,Mexico, and my first pathetic attempt at blogging on my Ipod. This is going to take some practice! Is this supposed to be some sort of Hill-cleanse?

Petting and jetting

I'm getting ready to hit the road and jet off to Sayulita, Mexico.
After a strenuous day of interviewing cat petters, I finally decided on none other than the fabulous
Wendy Layton!



I decided not to bring my computer, but I will be blogging on my Ipod, so if my blogs looked ragged and sloppy, I hope you'll cut me some slack!
Speaking of ragged and sloppy, this seems to be the look I'll be sporting in Mexico. I like to call it "Shipwreck chic".

Tomorrow brings us a brand new Government, a Government that we all helped bring to reality.
A Government that we can all be proud of and be a part of.
I hope everyone kicks it into to high gear and celebrates in style!

Now, if you'll excuse me.... I've got some roaming to do!

Hillary Clinton's favorite food

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, and time to ponder apon the mysteries of life.
This morning I find myself pondering this critical question.... what is Hillary's favorite food?
Let's begin to unravel this mystery wrapped in a riddle, shall we?
We can file this one under homework for Hillary's next birthday party.



Hillary is seldom seen eating. There are almost no photos available of Hillary taking a bite of anything, much less sitting down to chow like the rest of us. I was once at a luncheon where Hillary actually (gasp!) ate lunch. We were told she almost NEVER does this, and the caterer was thrilled!
But what kind of food does Hillary like best? Enquiring minds need to know!
I've done a little research, and this is the best I could find.....

Hillary's favorite meal is rack of lamb.
She loves hot, spicy food... Indian, Ethiopian, Mexican. She loves salsa and curries.
She carries a bottle of hot sauce where-ever she goes, as she believes it keeps her healthy. I guess it works!
She eats pretty healthfully. She leans towards vegetables and salads, she tries to stay clear of too many starches.
However, she does not like frisse, so don't put it in your salad if you have her over for lunch.

Whew! That's enough homework for one day!

Now let's watch Hillary drink a beer and dance a little, shall we?
Yee Ha!!!

Newsflash!

I've decided that it's Hillary or nobody for President for me, and I will be leaving the country Inauguration day!

Kidding!

Well, I'm not kidding about leaving the country, I will be watching the Inauguration Ball with mucho gusto, from Sayulita, Mexico on Tuesday night! Ya Hoo!

Sayulita is a groovy little beach town near Puerto Vallarta. Shawnee and I will be in this area for two weeks.


The beach Shawnee and I love to swim at.

I still haven't decided whether or not to bring my computer.
Being an avid blogger, I desperately want to blog my way through our trip, and share the experience with all of you!
But the cheap rooms we stay at are not the most secure for such expensive equipment, so jury is still out on this decision.

But wait a minute.... what is the use of doing anything if you can't blog about it?

Oh look, I think I just convinced myself to haul my laptop along! Yea!

Keynote speaker?

Keynote speaker for the "2009 Youth Leadership Conference"? I'll have to think about it I'll do it!
Whatever shall I wear? Should I go with "Ruler of the H.C.A. Teen Galaxy" Official Attire , or with "Hostess of the H.C.A. Cosmos Cotillion" Haute couture? I can't decide!
But nevermind what I'm going to wear, let's talk about what YOUR going to wear!
How do you feel about being a dancing Hillary? We could go for a Ziegfeld Girl look, except with Hillarys.
So much to think about, so much to discuss.

I wonder if I can talk Hillary into joining us. After all, it's for the children, and I believe the children are the future!


How do you feel about singing this song in front of a 90 foot Hillary slideshow backdrop?
Oh, and did I mention a fireworks display?
H.C.A., I'LL BE NEEDING YOUR HELP! This event will be held Thursday Feb. 26th, and there will be a lot to do! Seriously!

Anyways, this is going to be a blast! This year's "Youth Leadership Conference theme" is "Making the impossible possible!"
The Hillary Clinton Army apparently fits under this heading.
On that note, I think I'll be giving Hillary a call!

She's in!

It's Official, Hillary Clinton is our new Secretary of State!

Hillary Clinton is in!

Calexico in Bisbee

... or so the rumor goes!
They will be kicking off their American tour sometime in February at Cafe Roka's 'Starlight Lounge"!

Another great idea from Hillary

I just love Hillary's ideas!

Hey, I've got 50 Hill-masks and 50 red blazers, so I think Hillary's idea is going to be a blast!

We can take the proceeds and go Hill-raising around town!

Hillcar wash!

We might need to research a bit about car washes, if we are going to have a fund-raising... HILLCAR WASH!
Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!
Who's willing to dance around in short shorts and a tube top?
And does anyone know how to roller skate?

Bad news on the Hillcar

My mechanic called me today with some bad news, the Hillcar needs a new transmission.
I made this Hillcar video today to try to convince myself that I should pony up, and pay up.

Hillary is hard at work

At least somebody is working around here!

Hillary at work

Hillary has no time to surrey or to picnic!
Thanks, Hillary!

It's Jenny Brown Week!

Yesterday my bird-friend Toulouse and I spent the day in the mountains with none other than the infamous Kelly Galligan and Jenny Brown.
Kelly and Toulouse are already old friends.
Toulouse and Jenny, Patron Saint of Animals, got off to a great start and hit it off instantly!





Toulouse and I had a long talk in an eagle's nest, and made a big decision....



This week is Officially "Jenny Brown week"!



You can tune into Bisbee Radio all this week to find out where Jenny Brown is going to be to accept gifts.
Get your Jenny Brown on!

What's the H.C.A. going to do today?

Congratulations, Charlene!

Congratulations, Charlene, you are Officially the winner of the "70's Song-Off Blogger's Challenge!"
The only bummer is that Louise has gone off the deep end and was last seen with a shotgun in one hand, and a broken vodka pump in the other. She was mumbling your name.
I have one word for you, Charlene....RUN!

Meet Jenny Brown!

There's a new funster in Bisbee this week, and her name is Jenny Brown!



Not only is Jenny a blast to hang out with, but her story is incredible!

Jenny and her husband Doug rescue abused farm animals and give them a new home at their "Farm Animal Sanctuary" in Woodstock, New York.

Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, rabbits and goats who have been abused, neglected and abandoned now have a happy home at Jenny and Doug's farm. They currently care for over 150 animals!



Jenny is partly bionic due to cancer as a child. She believes this experience opened her heart to the plight of all animals, and made her who she is today. Check out this incredible story from the New York Times, where Jenny helped her goat, Albie, who lost his leg due to neglect, receive a prosthetic leg.
Jenny Brown Story

Meet some of the farm residents.

Each animal has their own story, to read more please visit
Meet the Animals



Olivia


Delvin


Jenny with Madison, the Alpine goat.


Elvis

You can help sponsor these animals for as little as ten dollars a month.
Something to think about....

Jenny is here to visit our dear friend, Kelly Galligan this week. Kelly is also very involved with the farm and is a board member. Like Jenny and Doug, Kelly is an animal-rights activist and a vegan.

I wonder what they are up to today...
On that note... I think I'll call Kelly and Jenny and see what kind of trouble we can get into!

Sunday song

It's Sunday afternoon, and time for a Sunday song!


This one goes out to Toulouse!

Howe Gelb in Bisbee

Last night's "Howe Gelb" show in the Starlight Lounge of Cafe Roka was a huge success! I was busy waiting tables most of the night, but I was able to catch the second half of his show.
"Magical" would be the best word I can find to describe the scene in the Starlight Lounge.


Here's a few shots I snapped after the show.





Howe trying to fathom the wonder we call "Emily".



Bill Carter


Howe's wife, the enchanting Sophie


Niki, Sophie, and Bill


Sally talking with Tour, Howe's stand-up bassist.



Emily, Sophie, and Howe

Many thanks to Shawnee, Bill, Rod and Sally, for making "The Starlight Lounge" a reality!

Lazy Days of the H.C.A.

Lazy days, you know the kind of day you might spend in a park enjoying the sun, laughing and goofing off.
It's a care-free day of fun, flowers and freedom. The sun is shining, children are laughing, birds are singing, kites are flying ... all that stuff.
"Lazy Day" by "Spanky and Our Gang" best evokes the mood.
Roxanne and I are putting together a radio show about these kinds of "parks and recreation" songs.
We are trying to get a radio interview with Spanky McFarlane herself.
This show will be aired on some yet-to-be-decided sunny afternoon. We will be encouraging you to pack a picnic, and take your radio (or computer) to the park, tune in, and enjoy!

With this as my inspiration, I bring you "Lazy days of the H.C.A."...

Dueling Banjos

It's the nail-biting final hours of the 70's song Blog-Off challenge!
The finalists are Charlene and the team of Louise and Chew-mee.
But wait! A new development!
Louise the Sock Monkey has threatened Chew-mee with her rifle, and Chew-mee has hit the hills.

This leaves just Louise and Charlene.


Louise waits outside of Charlene's house.

Louise was last spotted camped outside of Charlene's house with a shotgun in one hand, and her laptop in the other.
She has uppped the anti and is challenging Charlene to a duel.
From now until midnight, Charlene and Louise can only post Western songs from the 70's.
The duel is on!

The winner takes it all!

Today is the last day of the "70's Song-Off Blogger's Challenge", where bloggers have to use 1970's song titles or words from those songs as their blog post titles. It's been an interesting week!
Charlene and Louise are neck and neck.
Wendy, Perrie, and I are trailing so far behind these two that there is no hope for us.
Good try, Wendy and Perrie, but little did we know we are up against almost super-human bloggers!

My count says:

Charlene: 26
Louise: 33

I may be off on my count so contestants should give their own tallies.
Now blogging quality is also taken into consideration, not just quantity.
So ultimately the readers will be the judge.

Charlene and Louise, you have until midnight to duke it out! The winner takes it all!
All of what, you might ask?
The honor of the Grand Title of "Winner of the 70's Song-Off Blogger's Challenge", ofcourse!




ABBA perform their classic 70's hit "The winner takes it all".

In the desert, you can't remember your name...

Today's H.C.A. TOP SECRET MISSION was a success!
I am now at liberty to fully disclose the details to you.
Chew-mee, Louise and I had a successful flight into the desert in "The Flying Tiger"( the H.C.A.'s Air Power), with our hostage, " Gimmpy the chain-mail sock monkey".
Our mission was to deliver Gimmpy to his next player/victim in this chain-mail sock monkey game.
Well, it's all very complicated, so let's just watch the slideshow and you will see who Gimmpy was delivered to!

Ride like the wind

At High Noon, Chew-mee and I are off on a Top secret Mission.
We can't give you too many details now, but will fill you in after said mission is complete.
All I can say now, is it involves H.C.A. Air Power, a demented sock moneky with a gun, a vodka pump, and a Gimp.



And I've got such a long way to go, to make it to the border of Mexico.

Games people play

It seems we have another player!

Perrie's place

The legend lives on...

Sung to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

The legend lives on from Chappaqua on down
Of the group that they call "Hillary Clinton Army"
The H.C.A. they do say, still continue to play
even though it's long past the primary.

The Hillcar was the pride of the Hillary side
Coming from some copper town they call Bisbee
As art cars go, it was more garish than most
but it got lots of airtime on T.V.

With an art car or two, and a ridiculous crew
Those H.C.A. games keep on growing
Though Obama has won, this isn't the end of the fun
As long as Hillary is entertained in the knowing


That's enough of this bed-time story for one night, kids!
Feel free to make up the next verse!



Here's a verse from some random drunk guy I found on Youtube.

Fly like an eagle

It seems the H.C.A. is getting air power, compliments of Chew-mee. The "Flying Tiger" will be arriving tomorrow to
take me on a top secret mission!
I am told to dress "mercenary meets Aviationary".

CODE WORD: "Mother Eagle has wings"


Photo compliments of Chew-mee and Louise sock monkey.


The Hillcar, on the other hand, broke down on the side of the road today, and refused to budge another inch.

I had to stop and wonder what kind of day Hillary is having.

Flying Tiger, take me away!

Howe deep is your love?

Here's another cool video of Howe Gelb made by Bill Carter.

Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm mmm mmm mmm

Here's a quick video of a sampling of my two years of making Hillart, music by Mamma Cass Elliot.

Every 1's a winner!

It's the start of a new year, and the start of a new Government.
It's also the start of the 70's Song-Off Blogger's Challenge!

With Hillary and Obama at the helm, I do believe that every 1's a winner this time around!

"70's song-off" Blogger's challenge

The Hillary Clinton Army invites all bloggers to a "70's Song-off" blogger's challenge this week.
Here's the rules:

Starting now ( Monday January 5th) through Friday,( January 9th), all your blog titles must either be the name of a 70's song, or words from a 70's song.

Your song must actually be from the 70's, ( 1969 or 1980 will be disqualified!) and the words or title must be correct.

Blog must have relevance to more than just the song.

All bloggers welcome!

So far the following blogs are playing the game:

You Tour Like a Girl

Louise Slut Moneky

Charlene's Blog

Perrie's musings

If other bloggers sign up later in the week, they will have to write at least 5 posts by Friday.
The more posts written, the better your chances of winning.

Readers will vote on who wins the "70's Song-Off" Blogger's Challenge over the weekend.

Let the 70's Song-Off begin!

The mystery of Nadia Hagen

Nadia Hagen and her husband, Paul Weir, are the founders of pyrotechnic circus, Flam Chen.


Nadia on New Year's Eve in Bisbee.

I happened to be sitting next to Nadia in the park on New Year's day as she drew in her sketchbook. I was amazed by her drawings. She told me she sketches all her ideas in her book first, and then makes them a reality as Flam Chen.
I asked her if I could take a few pictures of her sketches, and she told me I could.














Nadia blows me away for so many reasons, and these drawings are just one aspect of the mystery of Nadia Hagen.

Great Flam Chen video!

Bisbee New Year's Eve 2009

Howe Gelb in Bisbee

If your not already saving your loot to go to Bon Jovi's fundraising concert for Hillary Clinton, consider this...

Come on down to Bisbee for a special evening with Howe Gelb at "The Starlight Lounge Cabaret" at Cafe Roka.
Saturday, January 10th, 9:30 PM.
This will be an intimate cabaret setting with good wine and great entertainment, space is limited. So get on it already!

Here's a cool Howe video made by Bill Carter, who is bringing us this event.


This will be the first of a series of high quality concerts at The Starlight Lounge.

Tickets are $20.00 ( first drink is free!)
If you would like a ticket, you can e-mail me at:
gretchen@gretchenbaer.com

Or call Shawnee at (520)-236-5197

I suggest you make a night of it and have dinner at Cafe Roka prior to the event!

For dinner reservations call:(520)-432-5153

Flam Chen New Year's slideshow revised

I revised the slideshow I made from pictures I took of Flam Chen on New Year's Eve. Here it is...

Friends on New Year's Eve

Here's a few shots of various friends on New Year's Eve...


Here's Kate, AKA Love 23, decked out in her lantern-wear.


Chili looks faaabulous!


Chew-Mee Moore makes the scene!


Ed goes for a late night balloon ride.


Kelly returns to earth after a balloon ride.


In the early morning we all gathered around Kevin as he imparted his wisdom apon us.

Hillary in Times Square

If you haven't already seen the video of Hillary and Bill pushing the button for the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve, here it is.




The commercialism is over the top, but it's great to see Hillary and Bill looking so happy and having fun.
Hillary looks great!

More photos of Flam Chen on New Years in Bisbee

I took so many photos last night. Here's a few more...