Escape the Heat

We are lucky. Just as we missed record heat in June in Sacto when we spent the week in Santa Cruz, we missed more record heat in River City these last days by escaping to San Francisco for 4 days. It was 67 degrees on the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday afternoon and in the high 70's in SF proper. In fact, it was TOO COLD for us last night to hang out at Union Square after dinner!! In contrast, Sacto was over 110 degrees with power outages. We kept a low profile in SF. We saw Beach Blanket Babylon (fast-paced and topical revue that we loved) at Club Fugazi on Friday night, and celebrated Carol's birthday (with Dean too) at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and at our hotel room on Saturday night, but otherwise we just made short shopping trips and dined at Lefty's and The Daily Grill, and simply relaxed. Our room was on the 29th floor of the St Francis and offered views of the Bay and the City (Coit Tower in the center and TransAmerica Bldg to the right in the picture). Lindsay held down the Sacto homefront (even with a power outage on Saturday night), and Alex played soccer in the record heat. I plan on getting over to Ryan's house to try out his ping pong table and see the extra room I am sure he added to his house with his new power tools (only kidding). Back to work tomorrow for both of us.

Sacto summer

It has been a busy two weeks. Abby seems to like the new Honda Pilot (see above). Ryan gave a 4th of July party (we babysat Riley aka Murray), and then we all celebrated his 31st birthday (he got power tools). Alex and Onita move into a new house on July 28th (very close to Alex's work), I think they are done with apartments. They are camping at Ice House for 4 days. Alex has my truck and I am driving his Lexus. Cindy and I are headed to San Francisco's St Francis Hotel for 4 days with plans to see the play Beach Blanket Babylon, dine at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, and see the Filoli Gardens. Dean and Carol may meet up with us on Saturday night. Lindsay is 2 weeks into her new job with Dreyer & Babich and getting a little more comfortable every day. She dresses very professionally now. She finally was able to wash her newly-painted Honda SE and it looks new!! Our next door neighbor had her baby girl "at home" last Saturday night. It has been hot here and is expected to get hotter. I guess I'll have to start my yard chores early tomorrow morning. Cindy's birthday is on the 26th (that's why we are going to SF). And, my DSL finally got back up, although I am considering going to hard cable now, can't blog if I don't have reliable internet access, right??

Santa Cruz recap

We drove home on Sunday, June 25th from Santa Cruz...the coastal weather was terrific and we missed the record heat that the whole valley experienced that week. Alex and Onita visited us from Thursday to Sunday morning, and Dean and Carol visited from Friday to Sunday morning. Lindsay and Abby vacationed with us for the week. We all took turns exercising Abby down at the beach and after a few days she really calmed down. Dean and I played Pajaro in Royal Oaks (I shot a 97) and Spring Hills in Watsonville (I shot a 94). Pajaro reminded us a little of the Presidio golf course. Alex, Onita, and Lindsay all bicycled down for Woodies on the Wharf on their cruisers. Our beach house (see above) had just been vacated the day before by the student renters and the owners worked feverishly to get it clean for us (and they did). We also visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and dined out most of the week . Dean made dinner for us on Saturday and then we built a bonfire on the beach that night. Tomorrow night we have a suite at Raley's field to see the River Cats play and then fireworks postgame. Ryan is having a 4th of July party, and Lindsay just started her new job with the law firm Dreyer & Babich, and we painted my Honda SE "Toyota 040 white", it makes it look like a new car. And, my 56th birthday was dinner at The Mandarin with "adult" fortune cookies.

Birthdays

I'm late on my Dad's birthday and Father's Day is Sunday, so I hope to double-gift and telephone him to try and make good. I'm a busy guy, but that's no excuse for not being prompt for birthdays. Mine is the 27th and I'm sure I won't be late for it. Ryan's special day is July 6th, and Cindy's is July 26th. This is our last week of work before vacation. Last week we partied at the Rancho Murieta Golf Club at a Junior League charity fund raiser with Dean and Carol (see above). We also visited our next door neighbor's newly remodeled two-story house (he had a combo house warming/baby shower party on Saturday), he has done a terrific job on it. Of course, the house across the street has been completely remodeled, and the house two doors down put on a second story, and the house three doors down is being remodeled inside. So there is a lot of "fixin' up" that is going on in our neighborhood. Alex is out of town for the week attending a training class for his job, and Lindsay is very close to landing a new job with a local prestigious law firm. Good luck!!! We'll wrap up things here on the home front over the next few days and then head off on vacation. Yippee !!!!

Soccer, tennis, golf

I was able to watch 3 of Alex's 5 soccer games over the weekend at Consumnes River College, they recorded 3 shutouts and, surprising to them, finished in second place. It was a hot weekend and the guys played very well. Boy, you have to be in shape to play 5 competitive games over a 24-hr time span. I also got in my first tennis match of the season, playing doubles with Gollihur, Roska, and Brif. We all looked a little rusty but hopefully we'll find our rhythm as we play more often. It's also time to get out the golf sticks, I'm going to try and get in 2 or 3 rounds before Santa Cruz. And, I'm still logging my daily 1-hr power walks and thinking of going to twice-a-days, just for the challenge. I've been so busy I didn't get my Dad a birthday present last week, but I'll double him up on Father's Day. We're down to 3 cars as I sold Lindsay's Honda to the mechanic at the dealership. Our electrician is due today to replace the fans in the attic and our bathroom, and to finish trimming- out the exterior electrical panel. I won a trip for 2 to Las Vegas to the new Wynn Hotel, so we have to squeeze that into our calendar of things to do. This month, a trip to Tahoe is the available prize. But first, we're gearing up for Santa Cruz.

Memorial Weekend

We're back from San Diego after visiting Lita, we ate lunch outside at the Del Coronado and dinner at Hacienda de Vega (a funky Mexican home turned into a restaurant), it was a lot of fun. We also had a blast at the Rancho Bernardo Winery. We're also 2 weeks into our new "healthy" lifestyle...no booze, few carbs, and moderate portions (plus I power walk 1-hr per day)...we are seeing the results!!!! The picture above is Lindsay's '95 Honda Accord EX and I will probably sell it tomorrow to a mechanic at Carmichael Honda (it looks and runs terrific), Lindsay will take over my old Honda Accord SE (that I took over from Alex), we'll paint it white, and she will be good to go. Lindsay is also being smart by watching her eating habits, exercising regularly, and she is looking much more trim and healthy (it is also great for the mind too). Sunday we plan to drive up to Brifman's un-birthday party (inaugural voyage for our new Honda Pilot) and catch up with him and some other buds. Brif always puts out a great spread. Then we'll probably just relax on Monday and enjoy the day off. I hope everyone appreciates the meaning of the day and contemplates the sacrifices that others and their families have made to safeguard our country and our families.

Cindy's Pilot

We finally pulled the trigger on a car for Cindy...we decided on a 2005 Honda EXL Pilot with 14K miles and every bell and whistle on it. Now she gets to sit up high and be surrounded by air bags ( that's what her two top priorities were in a new car) the Pilot's first big trek will probably be to Santa Cruz on June 18th...our electrician's final day of work will be tomorrow...he has installed a new electrical panel, sconces above our fireplace, under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen, re-wired the entire garage, wired and installed 2 lights on the outside of the garage, and ground lighting in the backyard...just a few more odds and ends and he will be done...we still have imminent decisions to make about our backyard decks and gutters...we're flying down this Saturday to San Diego to stay 2 days with Lita (will fly back on Monday)...Lindsay and Abby will watch the house...Cindy loves her new promotion (lots less stress and more flexible hours)...our Kings lost 4-2 to the Spurs but looked good in 4 of the games (next year promises to be better)...and, of course, May means lots of yard work, so that's just more to do for me...it never ends...we finally had to sue the dishonest landlords next door who agreed to pay half for the new fence before we put it up, but now have intentionally flaked out...trial is set for next month...

Kings v. Spurs

Larry C. has been in Chicago for the past few days, so he treated Dean and I to courtside seats at Friday night's third playoff game between the Kings and the Spurs. And what an incredible game it was. Dean had screamed himself hoarse by halftime. The officiating, especially by referee Ken Mauer was poor, and Dean let him know it. He also had some choice words for Robert Horry on an inbounds play, and Robert did not like it. The crowd was raucous and loud (and so were we). Dean was counseled by a large security gentlemen in the final quarter who did not share Dean's passion. The Kings won it literally at the final buzzer when Mike Bibby stole the ball from Manu Ginobli about 10 feet in front of us, passed to Kevin Martin, and he streaked to the rim for a layup that bounced three times before settling into the basket. The crowd (and us) went bonkers, and so did the Maloofs who ran all around the court with their hands in the air. I don't think that level of excitement had been in Arco for quite some time. The KIngs are still down 2-1, with a game tonight with the Spurs at Arco. Larry should be back from Chicago and at the game. I hope he sees something even resembling the barnburner we saw.

April recap

April has been very busy...after returning from Maui, we took our pictures over to Dean & Carol's house for cocktails, new chocolate treats, and Dean's signature soup and quesadillas with Jack and Mary...D & C's weather in Maui I think was less wet than ours...then, Cindy and I both got sick for about 2 weeks and ended up on antibiotics (Lindsay has followed suit and is currently battling the same flu?? strain)...we hosted Onita's parents Jorge and Bonita Nogales for Easter Sunday (see dinner picture) and had a fun time learning about each other and trading stories about Alex and Onita as kids...(I hear Onita recently got a sales rep job with Young's Market, congrats!!)...Cindy and I have been toying with getting a new car (Honda Pilot??), but they cost more than our first house !!!...we're flying down to see Lita on May 13th for a few days...we got our taxes filed with a day to spare, yippee...D & C are finishing up their major backyard project, and we're getting ready to do extensive electrical work on our house, in addition to upper deck repair and lower deck replacement in the back yard...Larry C got back today from San Antonio after seeing the Kings blow a sure victory in overtime (Brad Miller's picture belongs on a milk carton)...it's going to be 85 degrees tomorrow...Summer is here and Spring took the year off.

Back from Maui

Back from Maui ( Wed to Wed) ...the Westin was top drawer...tropical showers nearly every day, but always in the low 80's and never cooler than 68 at night...ate a lot of seafood...took a lot of pictures...shot an "80" on Ka'anapali's South course...it was nearly 6 hrs to get to Maui, but only about 5 hrs to get back to Sacto...my laptop was very useful for sending email pictures and for researching local places...everything went pretty smoothly, no real disasters, although I did not like the rental Pontiac GrandAm very much...Lindsay took good care of the house, and I understand Alex stopped by frequently for support...next vacation is Santa Cruz from June 18th through the 25th.

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.