Patrick: http://flickr.com/photos/guder/sets/72157605027225450/
Joseph (my son): http://flickr.com/photos/guder/sets/72157605046187324/
Minnette: http://flickr.com/photos/26646067@N08/
Juli (When she finally uploads them): http://flickr.com/photos/26791633@N08/

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

And here is a video showing off the costume.

After a nice lazy BBQ (it was freaking hot today) we made our way downtown to enjoy the festivities of Downtown Napa. They had set up a number of booths advertising this that and the other thing. They had a few live bands, nothing really to talk about, but more sure of themselves. After getting tired of the crowds, we retired back to the Second Street Garage where we kicked back and waited for the fireworks. Below is the clips I took of the fireworks…. It was short enough to be caught on my cellphone, with tons of room left over.

After the running around we visited the chickens, and then sat down to see the summer story time. Napa Lit has different people read a book tot eh kids. This was the first of the summer so they had Napa Mayor Jill Techal, Assemblyman Brad Wagenkonect and Chef Cole (of Celedon and Coles Chop House) there cutting a ribbon. After which Chef Cole told the story of “Rock Soup.”

Below are a few pictures I took with my phone.

view more images from this album

The first dance was Cinderella, with Joseph having a fairly simple movement, but important part. And even though the other boy had his pants drop and lost all concentration (and memory where he was supposed to be) was able to continue and do a very good job.

His second dance was a bit more complicated in the movement category… but was cuter as he sang and danced along as one of Micky Mouse’s Friends.

I took a bunch of pictures, realizing that moving dancing pictures in low light is best left to a DSLR… but that’s a later purchase.

view more images from this album

As my wife was walking home from work around 3:30 today down one of the main drags here in Napa, a Hispanic kid walked up behind her. Thanking he was going to pas, she moved over. Well instead of passing he grabbed her purse and shouted “give me your purse.” She tugged back sayit was hers… and after a bunch of tugging the strap broke and he went running. My wife plays softball, and wasn’t going to take that (and wasn’t thinking) and dropped her work stuff and took after him. A guy farther down the street (A large Hispanic Male 5′ 10″ wearing black jeans and a clean white T-Shirt) turned and started running with him. As she almost caught them a guy driving by called the police, rolled down the window, and started shouting for them to give her back the purse. The good Samaritan drove and tried the cut the guys off, but they jumped in a white newer-model Jeep Cherokee and started down the street. He cruised up, opened the door and had my wife jump in, and they started chasing after them. After driving through the side street of Napa… horns honking and plowing through the street, the police advised them to back off (in case the punks had a gun) and had them stop so they could take down information. But the driving was obviously un-nerved them enough that they started throwing stuff out the window and the police collected the purse minus cash and credit card… and also a nice lady found the check book and called uup and had us come by and pick that up.

So far it looked like they came up dry on one card that was canceled before they could try. But the other card had charges at a Chevron in Vallejo already. Luckily the cards are both canceled, but my wife is shaken and her one arm got bruised up. And it looks like the punks are going to get away with it.

EDIT: First Pacific just called and tracked them trying to use our card at a number of Gas Stations in Vallejo. So far they’ve all been denied. They are making up reports to pass onto the Napa Police. Hopefully they’ll get more information and videos. Hopefully Washington Mutual (the card is Providian, but WaMu bought them) is refusing all charges and taking notes. Officer Duncan is the reporting officer. So if you happen to be able to help, I’d appreciate it.

This post has been cross-posted to my Family Blog and Here at Living in the Whine Country.

Edit (6-12-7): My wife couldn’t sleep well last night and realized they had probably stolen her ipod nano which had been in a zippered pocket. And this morning I got a call to take her to the bank, and when I went to pick her up, she had remembered that she had gotten a Mervyn’s card a month before… and it was no longer in there. Its also the strange things that had been taken, like her Safeway & Albertsons savings cards (also her Costco Card wtf?). And also she had a personal grooming kit, and they emptied the case of the parts and kept the tweezers and the case.

Edit (6-13-7) – Ane is refusing to walk (understandable) and I just found out it made the Napa Register. They don’t mention she almost caught the kid, and that certain things have turned back up (the checkbook).

Edit (6-27-7) – Checked records today to find that 2 charges from Chevron at 5200 Sonoma Blvd in Vallejo for $63.54 and $75.00. Disputing charges and contacting Vallejo Police. Napa Police have said that they should be able to get surveillance video. You’d think that these gas companies would start covering their butts more with all these illegal charges getting revoked, but they must be making enough money.

After I got off work, and of course after the graduation, we had a BBQ because Joseph wanted one. So we had a lot of his friends, a good bit of family and more food then we could eat. But I had 2 BBQs going, food coming off like crazy, and it all got eaten… well everything I cooked, we had chips left. All in all we all had fun (even with some early random sprinkles aside) and Joseph went to sleep happy. All that mattered.

PS – For those that gave him money for his graduation, he combined all of it and bought a couple larger LEGO sets.

view more images from this album