President's weekend

I took a vacation day on Feb 17th so we could meet Dean & Madelyn C at the Oakland airport. They were dropping off their rental car after spending a few days in the Napa area. We picked them up in a pouring rain and checked into the Prescott Hotel in San Francisco. After wine, cheese, and crackers in our room (and a Cindy-wine spilling), we had a terrific dinner at Fino's. I had the Rosemary chicken, and everyone else had the garlic prawns. Afterwards, we did nightcaps at the Le Grand Hotel bar where Cindy and Madelyn were introduced to Lemon Drop cocktails. After a tour through the lobby of The Clift, we retired to our rooms (although my spy tells me that Madalyn snuck down for one more Lemon Drop). Breakfast was at The Daily Grill and then across the Golden Gate Bridge to head back to Sacto. Ryan, Alex, and Onita came by the house on Saturday and we had a Tri-Tip dinner, while Lindsay went out on the town with Christine. We dropped D & M off at the Sacto airport at 1:00pm on Sunday and hoped that Dean would get the "good news" call for the Napa job he interviewed for on Wednesday. Looks like it is going to be a sunny day today, so I'll do my walk/jog thing (3 straight weeks now) and enjoy the day off.

Vacation planning

Finally got the vacation schedule completed. We're going to the Westin in Maui from March 22nd thru March 29th, and booked the Santa Cruz beachhouse from June 18th thru June 25th. Cindy is going to fly down to San Diego on March 11th to visit her Mom and will come back on March 13th. Madalyn & Dean C are in the Bay Area this week while Dean interviews for a job. I think we're picking them up at the Oakland Airport on Friday and we'll stay in San Francisco on Friday night at the Prescott Hotel and drive back to Sacto on Saturday, I think they fly out on Sunday. Dean S and I sat courtside on Feb 9th to watch the Kings beat the Chicago Bulls. We sat with Ron Sargis and his wife. Before the game, we got a behind-the-scenes tour of Arco, had a buffet dinner, and got Kevin Martin's autograph on our tickets. We saw most of the players getting ready for the game, and then talked with Steve Kerr after the victory. We also got 18 holes in at Haggin on Feb 11th with Dick G and Marty B. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and we kept it low-key. We're having some electrical work done on the house soon (new panel, some rewiring, outside lights, etc etc), and, of course we still need to do some upper deck maintenance, make a decision on the lower deck, and get the fences water-sealed.

Alex and Onita's ship Visions of the Seas docks this morning in San Pedro, back from 3 ports in Mexico, and they will drive back to Sacramento today...bienvenido...I'm sure their temperatures were much warmer than ours. We've been a one-truck household for a week. My Honda SE needs a new $3,500 transmission, but the Honda dealership is going to install a new one for free under a technicality they discovered in my warranty. I'm hoping to get it back by the 23rd or 24th. We saw WAIT UNTIL DARK last night at the Woodland Opera House, after cocktails and a buffet at Dean's house, both were terrific. Carol, Richard, Trisha, Jack, and Mary also attended both. It was Dean's directorial debut and I think he agonized over every detail during the play, while the rest of us just sat back and enjoyed it. The lighting (or lack of it) is an indispensable part of the play. Afterwards, we went backstage to see and learn the tricks of staging a play, and congratulated members of the cast. We finally got Ryan's Christmas ping pong table over to his house (big and heavy, but a lot of fun when it is assembled). Lindsay was supposed to speak at a "roast" of her ex-boyfriend Cam last night, we'll see how she says it went. Hope to finalize vacations to Maui and Santa Cruz this week, and possibly start the dreaded tax returns.

weather weather weather

Weather and its resulting effects have impacted our lives this month. At my office, we have had ongoing telephone problems that remain unresolved. At home, regular power outages have caused problems with our DirecTV, computer, clocks, and other electric services. The meteorologists claim it was the wettest December in our area in 50 years. And, of course, our rivers and creeks swelled to dramatic levels. It makes for a lot of inside time and, of course, cars and trucks never receive their proper washing and waxings. It also caused detours and delays in the mountains. Alex and Onita were diverted on their way from Reno to South Lake Tahoe, and my brother Glenn's trip from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento (with his family and my Mom), after a week's vacation, ended up taking over 8 hours. They arrived on New Years Eve and stayed the night at our house before heading out to Sunnyvale to visit Beth's mother. There was even a power outage at Gerry Gollihur's wedding reception on 1/1/06. We have had storm-free weather the past few days and it has allowed us to actually spend time outside cleaning up the assorted debris from the weeks of wind and rain. We took down all of the Christmas lights and decorations over the past few days, and our house looks very ordinary. Cindy has completed her series of knee shots, we'll see how successful it turns out. Hello new year!!

Nov and Dec updates

Cindy and I stayed at the Hotel Palomar in San Francisco on November 18th (our 33rd wedding anniversary), ate dinner at LJ's Martini Grill, and attended the Cirque Du Soleil show titled "CORTEO" under the tent. It was the story of a festive funeral procession imagined by a clown after his death. The show had excellent music, acrobats, and clever and humorous moments. Very enjoyable and highly recommended. We also saw the live stage show WHITE CHRISTMAS at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on December 10th with Dean & Carol, and Jack & Mary. We ate at Fino's beforehand, and congregated at Jack's penthouse at the Mark Hopkins Hotel afterwards. We stayed at the St Francis Hotel across from Union Square. We hosted a Christmas party at our home for about 35 friends on December 23rd, with Carol and Mary decorating our dining room in an "icicle & snow" theme. Cindy's mom Lita visted us between the 21st and the 28th and we kept her busy helping us with the party and trying to stay dry with all of the rain we have been getting. We are going to Gerry Gollihur's wedding on Jan 1st to cap off 2005.

We are back from attending Grandpa Jack's funeral services in San Diego, about 1,100 miles roundtrip in our rented Grand Caravan. I drove down and Ryan drove back. Lindsay and Alex watched movies on the ride home. Onita traveled with us and met the rest of the family. I'll pick up Cindy from the Sacto airport later this afternoon. Yesterday was Alex's 27th birthday, but we are delaying celebrating it until she is back in town. Everything went smoothly in San Diego, although there was a lot of driving back and forth between our hotel and the homes, cemetary, mortuary, and church. Aunt Madalyn and I spoke briefly at the memorial service and we had a small get-together at Grandma Lita's home afterwards. Lita is doing as well as can be expected. Uncle Eric will fly back to Tennessee on the 14th I am told. Abby spent the week on Sandy's farm and I am sure had a ball. I missed nearly a week of work and Cindy missed two weeks, so we will return to overflowing Inboxes starting tomorrow I am sure. Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon and our weather is clearly Fall, so it's time to bring out the warmer clothes and get used to gray and wet for the next few months.

Update

Apologies for not posting for nearly a month...it's irresponsible to blame being busy as the reason, but I nevertheless will, for at least a portion of the past 3-4 weeks...the other, undefined, portion is clearly my responsibility and I accept it without argument. Cindy has made 2 trips to San Diego during this period to care for her father Jack...everyone is well aware of the perceived unfairness of approaching passing, but there is no denying that it is an unavoidable inevitability that all of us will have to face at same point... it actually is very fair since no one is exempt...if you have lived your life honorably and deeded good teachings to your offspring, then you have nothing to fear and you should be proud of the legacy you will leave...Grandpa Jack will rightfully claim that legacy...I am absolutely sure that sadness will reign upon his passing, and that is a proper sentiment, but what you leave behind, namely, indelible memories and the unquestioned soundness of your family, surely must be counted , and should represent an equal counterweight to that sadness. Death is a natural product of life. And there is nothing wrong with celebrating the death of someone who will leave us stronger and wiser. That is the way Jack would have wanted it scripted, that is the way he would have wanted us to accept his passing, and I am confident that will be the way we receive his life's journey. Our strength will be a fitting tribute to Jack.

Sacramento Sports Rule

Sacramento is the king of minor league and women sports. Our male River Cats almost won their 3rd straight PCL baseball crown, our women's football team (The Sirens) has won their national Super Bowl 3 straight years, and our lady Monarchs just won the WNBA crown !!...Any one remember the Sacramento Surge winning the CFL football crown about a decade ago ?? Oh, and Derek Lee, of El Camino Hi in Carmichael, will probably be the MVP of the league this year. And, the Kings this year are assuredly going to be very, very competitive. Oh, almost forgot to mention that the UC Davis Aggies just beat Stanford in football. There is a lot to pay attention to in our area if you like sports...any sports. And, of course, we have Natalie Golbus of female golf fame to follow too. And don't forget that hometown Carmichael has had more gold medal winners in the Olympics than any other city in the world !! If you stop and really think about it, the Sacramento area is an excellent sports area...almost forgot the Olympics trials too...so no complaining...we really are very fortunate to have terrific local sports to follow...(and we don't riot or burn cars when we win championships).

Post-surgery

Cindy's knee surgery was on Thursday and she is rehabbing it by staying off of it and keeping it elevated. She's taking the week off from work to help the healing. I got in some golf at Haggin on Sunday with Dick, Dean, and Tim Brown. It was perfect weather and we got a perfect 8:00 am tee time...unfortunately, my golf was not perfect...Oh well. Lindsay's birthday is on Thursday and we're still weighing options because Ryan has school that night and Alex is working...maybe put it off for a day?? Ryan had an interview today for a new job with the State, and Cindy is turning in an application for a new position too. Dean is back from Burning Man...seen enough bare bosoms until next year big fella??? And Dick's daughter Janelle is back home from her back surgery per Dick and doing a lot better.

Life of Riley

Riley, Ryan's dalmatian mix, visted Abby today and everyone got along well. We had dinner last night at Susan's Restaurant in Sutter Creek before Dean's play and it was excellent. Then we zipped down to Jackson for the play. It, too, was very entertaining and all the actors did a terrific job. Because it was in a small outside amphitheater, the audience brought in coolers with goodies and drinks before (and during) the show. We had an uninvited bat make an appearance mid-way through the show (Cindy was the lone screamer), but the evening was beautiful with lots of stars in the sky and it cooled off after the sun went down. Very fatigued Dean decided to leave for Burning Man today instead of directly after the show. Wise decision. We tried the new Costco by Ryan's house today and it had an inside food court and an outside nursery center, it is a little better than the other ones in our area.

Sutter Creek

We're off to Sutter Creek late this afternoon for dinner at Susan's Restaurant where we'll meet up with Dean and Carol and caravan over to Jackson to see his play tonight at the outdoor theater...THE RAINMAKER...bring your own lawn chairs. Afterwards, we'll take Carol home and Dean will head out for Reno on his way to the Burning Man festival. He'll be back on Thursday because he'll have Friday and Saturday night shows again. The side fence project is now done (all that is left is to allow the wood to dry and then we can waterseal it)...next project is the other side fence (and gate)...we'll have to make sure the landlord for the other house is sincere about splitting the costs. It looks like I won a week trip to Maui from work...hotel, airfare, rental car, and $1,000 to spend...I'm close enough to it, so I'm going to see if I can reach $100,000 net for the month over the last three business days. Still have 3 San Francisco trips we haven't used yet, but they may have to wait since Cindy's knee surgery is less than 2 weeks away. And, still trying to figure out how to coordinate the Saturday course tickets we have for the PGA golf tournament in SF in early October and then the employee bus trip to the 49ers game the next day. Having trouble finding any time for golf. By the way, best wishes to Dick and Donna's daughter Janelle who just underwent back surgery, she'll be laid up for a few months.

Back from SD

We made it back in our rented van on Monday afternoon, and made fabulous time from Rancho Bernardo...only a tad over 7 hours. The new portable DVD player worked pretty well, although it 'froze' a couple of times for no apparent reason. In addition to Grandma and Grandpa, we also saw Dean and Madalyn, Heather (and family) and Emily at Heather's birthday party on Sunday afternoon. Lita is taking great care of Jack. We picked up Abby from Sandy's farm on the way home, and she looked like she had a great time mingling with all of the critters. Ryan says his new dog Riley also did well while he was gone. Alex did sprain his left ankle on Sunday (he already has torn ligaments in the right one), so I think a long 90-day rest is very much in order...gotta let those things heal properly, otherwise, bad, bad problems forever. Rest them young man !! New carpet and work stations at my office, what an improvement. Let's see if it helps collections.. Lindsay's part of the office is next for the new stuff this weekend.

San Diego

All five of us are renting a van tomorrow morning and headed down to Rancho Bernardo to see the in-laws, coming back on Monday. Spent last weekend in refreshing Bodega Bay with the Gollihurs and had a great time. What an astounding temperature change. Got a round of golf in too. Bought a portable DVD player for the long ride to RB and back. Sandy will take care of Abby at her farm while we are gone. Hopefully, our new carpeting and work stations will be installed by the time I get back to work on Tuesday.

Comments

To those of you who are 'commenting' on my posts, a big "THANK YOU"...I am not blogging as a means to fish for responses...that is a pleasant byproduct, though, I must admit.. it seems to me to be another way that we can keep in touch ( whether we agree or not) when email and/or face-to-face is not appropriate or possible. I hope you'll 'comment' when you feel like it, and I'll keep blogging, for the immediate future, as my way to let everyone know what's going on in my mind.

Hot Sunday

The heat is pretty amazing...it really limits you to what you can do outside...Today, I worked in the back yard doing yard work for about 2 hours, Cindy worked in the front yard waxing my car...we both finished and agreed (in the air-condtioned house) that it was too hot to go outside anymore for the rest of the day...Nar's addition next door is going very well, it appears to be a very good remodel...the house across the street just got a new roof, and will be getting new, larger windows as well as gutters and exterior siding...our street has been undergoing a real facelife over the past two years...the results have been excellent and there is more to come...very much an upward trend. Ryan is out of town, with his new dog Riley, camping; Alex graciously agreed to work a Saturday night at his second job because someone quit; and Lindsay spent last night here with Abby; Cindy has her MRI follow-up tomorrow with her surgeon; we'll see if we can get some substanitive answers as to what the best future plans are for her...our fingers are crossed.

Cindy's birthday

Tomorrow is Cindy's birthday...No. 52...all five of us are going to have dinner at Bandera's @ 6 PM...it's a nice, dark atmosphere "nightclub" kind of restaurant that specializes in roasted chicken and mashed potatoes...actually, all of their menu is very good and they have a great bar...the River Cats game on Friday night was terrific...it was a typical mild Sacramento evening and we have great food and drink in the luxury suite...and the "Cats won !!!...my Mom called tonight to wish Cindy a Happy Birthday and to let me know she was still in the process of unpacking (just like a dormitory girl) , but was fully moved into her condo...well, it's still hot here in the River City, but it will pass and it will be Fall without warning...best two seasons in Sac Town...Fall and Spring.

River Cats

We're going to the River Cats game tonight...it's Dinger's Wobblehead Night...lots of good food and drink in Suite 8...meeting Dick and Donna there at 6:30...great way to kick start the weekend...no big plans for the weekend unless the side fence project starts...we'll just have to see.

Heat Heat Heat

Yesterday was our sixth consecutive day of triple-digit temperatures...the record is nine consecutive days set in 1996...and, I heard that yesterday also set a Sunday record for power used in California. Any yard work has to be done in the early morning hours or in the late evening. If this was France, we would have old people dying in the streets. Oh well, there is truly nothing we can do about it but cope with it and hope for some cool Delta breezes.

Office Remodel

It is getting pretty hectic at the office. Outside, workers are getting ready to begin construction of a few new office buildings that will surround us. Inside, the remodel of the bathrooms and break room are in full work mode. Also, workers are taking out the old ceiling insulation and tiles, and will be putting in new versions of both. And, the CAT 6 wiring project is in full swing. Dean is our construction foreman (a role that he was drafted into) while Larry is in Toronto for a few days. It's pretty crazy but seems to actually be heading forward on schedule. The 103 degree temperatures each day only add to the scene.

Update

The Boz Skaggs concert was very good. The casino was full, but much quieter than the ones in Nevada. Slots do not accept coins, so you play with bills or electronic tickets which cuts way down on the noise. Even the winning bells are muted and subdued. Very clean premises and security everywhere. You feel very, very safe. We ate a lot of prime rib and seafood there before the concert. I hear Ryan got a tw0-year old Dalmatian and will pick him up on Monday after he is neutered. Alex is camping near Ice House. Lindsay is making plans to stay with a girlfriend for a few months in midtown Sacto. We decided not to go on the limo trip to SF to see the Giants tomorrow night (Cindy's knee coupled with work the next morning just didn't seem like a good fit for us). Low key and relaxing weekend ahead for us.