We spent the weekend in Palm Desert with our Bible Study group at Shadow Mountain, an older tennis club/condo complex built in the 50s before anything was built around it.
Carolyn was picked up by Dennis and Gloria early Friday afternoon, and I'd planned to leave from Upland after work, but then my boss decided to arrange a meeting in Newport Beach in the early afternoon and I'd be closer to home. Nice idea, wrong timing! I left the meeting around 4:30 and when I saw the 91 toll road cost $7.75 and it seemed clear around the bend, I foolishly elected for the non-toll drive. Two minutes later, I was at a dead stop and spent the next hour in first gear in the Mini driving as far as the 71. In Riverside, it opened up and by the time I left Beaumont I was driving 90 in sixth gear.
I met up at Shadow Mtn about 8 and after enjoying a margarita, the Hughes, Youngs and we headed for dinner at Hometown Buffet, where we ate too much and closed the place down at ten.
Saturday morning I was up around 7:20 and made coffee and then headed down to the courts to watch John and Kathy Elliott play doubles as the heat began to rise. I got back to the room a little after 9 to find that Dennis, Gloria and Carolyn were still sleeping! I read on the patio until they staggered out of their darkened rooms.
With the Hawleys added to the mix, we checked out a local swap meet about 11 which took all of about 24 minutes to see completely. A good thing, because it closed at noon as the temps rose to over 100. Then our ten-some headed for lunch at Tommy Bahamas where the girls ate at one table, the men at another.
Service was extremely slow on the men's side at least as the women were just finishing when we got our meals. But my pulled pork sandwich was very good.
The afternoon was spent poolside either in the pool or under the various shade structures. Books and magazines were read, conversations were ongoing.
Dinner again was a late affair after our 'reception' of margaritas, wine, fruit and cheese and crackers. We had a good Mexican dinner where we again ate too much.
Sunday, several couples left early after our own continental breakfasts while the Hughes and we stayed to enjoy the pool until mid-afternoon. On the way home, Carolyn and I stopped at Cabazon to do a little shopping for ourselves and for Ashley and then headed home. As we cruised home, we watched the temperatures drop from around 104 to 76 as entered the city limits of Lake Forest.
Thankfully, it was a dry heat, but it burned just the same!!
Monday, June 27, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Bubble Wrap
The silly things you find on your wanderings through cyber space. Pop to your heart's content.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
I realize it is almost nightfall for my Scotland based daughter and son-in-law, but a big shout out to you both and a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY on your number three!!
Hope you were able to celebrate! Love to you both.
Hope you were able to celebrate! Love to you both.
College is a Good Thing
Last week, this week and next week, the parking lot that surrounds my office is being re-paved in thirds. A large machine grinds up a portion of the old asphalt to reuse as base while the remainder is scooped up and dropped into dump trucks. Truck drivers climb up to cover or clean off the debris from this dumping. Laborers shovel dirt and asphalt into hard to reach corners. A water truck continually dampens the base as either a skip loader levels the grade or a heavy roller flattens or compresses it. Soon it will all be re-paved and re-striped.
The smell of diesel fumes and odd dust particles float through the air. The whole building shakes and rumbles with the passing of heavy equipment.
I'm so glad that I'm on the inside, not the outside doing the heavy, dirty work. Can you imagine coming home every day coated in dust or dirt or mud? Dear - just undress in the garage and take a shower before dinner!
That's why higher education is a good thing, the opportunity to earn a living with your mind rather than your muscles. A good thing, that! But, I've had the 'pleasure' of a few of those types of jobs in my younger years. My least favorite was either the summer I spent as a construction laborer shoveling, staking, walking through dirt and mud, etc. or the summer I tried to sell cookware door-to-door (not as physical, but worse in so many ways).
What job in your past are you thankful you're not doing now?
The smell of diesel fumes and odd dust particles float through the air. The whole building shakes and rumbles with the passing of heavy equipment.
I'm so glad that I'm on the inside, not the outside doing the heavy, dirty work. Can you imagine coming home every day coated in dust or dirt or mud? Dear - just undress in the garage and take a shower before dinner!
That's why higher education is a good thing, the opportunity to earn a living with your mind rather than your muscles. A good thing, that! But, I've had the 'pleasure' of a few of those types of jobs in my younger years. My least favorite was either the summer I spent as a construction laborer shoveling, staking, walking through dirt and mud, etc. or the summer I tried to sell cookware door-to-door (not as physical, but worse in so many ways).
What job in your past are you thankful you're not doing now?
Monday, June 20, 2005
Beautiful Weekend
Saturday skies were blue and the temps were warm. A nice break from the June gloom that has been the norm over the last few weeks.
The day was spent doing all those chores that no one likes. I mowed and weed wacked and trimmed the hedges, carried all the laundry downstairs and Carolyn did four loads, washed both cars, emptied trash, etc. By mid-afternoon, I called it quits and we spent some time on the patio drinking beer or iced tea while reading our current books.
I had a hankering for Mexican food, so we had dinner at La Fresca, and then watched Hotel Rwanda on pay per view at home. I never knew that the two "tribes" that fought the civil war against each other had been designated as distinct by the Europeans who separated them by their physical characteristics.
Sunday also began bright and sunny and we made it to church for the 8:30 service and then picked up Wanda who was taking me (us) out to breakfast/brunch for Fathers Day. We enjoyed various egg benedict combos at the Harbor Grill and then drove her over to see our sailboats new berth.
While we were 'slip-sailing', the Hughes and their kids showed up for an afternoon sail, so I drove Wanda back home, changed, and then returned to the slip. With seven of us on board, it was a little crowded, but one or two of us were usually on the high side with our feet over the side and Christine seemed content to be below deck for most of the afternoon. The wind was strong and we had a very exciting sail especially with the 150 jib up rather than the 110.
We put the Journey to bed around 5:30 and then headed home. A really warm voice mail from Ashley greeted me when we returned, I was sorry we hadn't hooked up, but her voice was the best present I could get. The sun had gotten to both Carolyn and me, so we both wanted a nap. For me, the nap turned into good-night, I got up briefly around 9 to change, but I was quickly back asleep for a ten or eleven hour rest. That never happens!
Hope you had a good weekend, too!
The day was spent doing all those chores that no one likes. I mowed and weed wacked and trimmed the hedges, carried all the laundry downstairs and Carolyn did four loads, washed both cars, emptied trash, etc. By mid-afternoon, I called it quits and we spent some time on the patio drinking beer or iced tea while reading our current books.
I had a hankering for Mexican food, so we had dinner at La Fresca, and then watched Hotel Rwanda on pay per view at home. I never knew that the two "tribes" that fought the civil war against each other had been designated as distinct by the Europeans who separated them by their physical characteristics.
Sunday also began bright and sunny and we made it to church for the 8:30 service and then picked up Wanda who was taking me (us) out to breakfast/brunch for Fathers Day. We enjoyed various egg benedict combos at the Harbor Grill and then drove her over to see our sailboats new berth.
While we were 'slip-sailing', the Hughes and their kids showed up for an afternoon sail, so I drove Wanda back home, changed, and then returned to the slip. With seven of us on board, it was a little crowded, but one or two of us were usually on the high side with our feet over the side and Christine seemed content to be below deck for most of the afternoon. The wind was strong and we had a very exciting sail especially with the 150 jib up rather than the 110.
We put the Journey to bed around 5:30 and then headed home. A really warm voice mail from Ashley greeted me when we returned, I was sorry we hadn't hooked up, but her voice was the best present I could get. The sun had gotten to both Carolyn and me, so we both wanted a nap. For me, the nap turned into good-night, I got up briefly around 9 to change, but I was quickly back asleep for a ten or eleven hour rest. That never happens!
Hope you had a good weekend, too!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Dinner for Four
After the funeral and our Saturday nap, we readied our home for dinner party with Steve and Debbie Kanda whom had not yet seen our remodeled kitchen.
They arrived around 7 along with a chilled bottle of champagne which we quickly opened and poured into flutes while we showed them the kitchen. Debbie was quite impressed and she thought Carolyn's design and selection of fixtures and handles and colors, etc. was just excellent. It's nice to have such an enthusiastic response!
We shared cheese and crackers while we caught up on family (kid's mainly) and then adjourned to the kitchen to share a meal of chicken florentine, rice with almonds and currants, and vegetable medley complimented with a Shiraz-Cabernet. We hadn't seen them for over six months and it was good to catch up with them.
We talked about vacations and I think may have convinced them to join as at Club Intrawest in Palm Desert sometime in the not too distant future and whetted their appetite for a trip to Zihuatanejo or some other 'exotic' locale.
Then, we talked about Steph's planned wedding on March 25 of next year. She is renting a designer gown rather than buying one as Steph, ever the financial analyst, can't see that a purchase makes much sense. We talked about all the other issues that need to be decided and it turns out Debbie is going to interview Chris Babbitt on Monday for the videographer!
But the biggest problem is Steve. How is he going to walk down the aisle without tearing up? Even now, when we talk about the song for the first dance, he can't even think of it without starting to get misty. Butterfly Kisses is definitely out, so Steve is thinking a polka might be a safe choice! (just jokin')
The night ended around midnight after lots of laughs, good food, and good conversation. We shouldn't let too much time pass between get togethers!
They arrived around 7 along with a chilled bottle of champagne which we quickly opened and poured into flutes while we showed them the kitchen. Debbie was quite impressed and she thought Carolyn's design and selection of fixtures and handles and colors, etc. was just excellent. It's nice to have such an enthusiastic response!
We shared cheese and crackers while we caught up on family (kid's mainly) and then adjourned to the kitchen to share a meal of chicken florentine, rice with almonds and currants, and vegetable medley complimented with a Shiraz-Cabernet. We hadn't seen them for over six months and it was good to catch up with them.
We talked about vacations and I think may have convinced them to join as at Club Intrawest in Palm Desert sometime in the not too distant future and whetted their appetite for a trip to Zihuatanejo or some other 'exotic' locale.
Then, we talked about Steph's planned wedding on March 25 of next year. She is renting a designer gown rather than buying one as Steph, ever the financial analyst, can't see that a purchase makes much sense. We talked about all the other issues that need to be decided and it turns out Debbie is going to interview Chris Babbitt on Monday for the videographer!
But the biggest problem is Steve. How is he going to walk down the aisle without tearing up? Even now, when we talk about the song for the first dance, he can't even think of it without starting to get misty. Butterfly Kisses is definitely out, so Steve is thinking a polka might be a safe choice! (just jokin')
The night ended around midnight after lots of laughs, good food, and good conversation. We shouldn't let too much time pass between get togethers!
Two Funerals and a Wedding
Saturday morning, as I dressed for Darla's mother's funeral, I realized that my recently purchased suit was about to see its second funeral versus only one wedding in the last two months. Personally, I don't like that ratio, but I suspect it is more likely to continue that way as fewer of our friends kids await their first marriage while none of us or our friends are getting any younger.
The ceremony was a wonderful tribute to Jessie who had 90 years of a full life and whose first marriage had lasted 55 years until her husbands death and then she had re-married 3 1/2 years ago at the age of 86 to Damon who was still driving at age 95!
The one thing that stood out about Jessie was her smile. Every time I saw her at the Bethke's, she had a warm and friendly smile to all around her. And, she certainly loved being around her family.
After a short graveside service at El Toro Memorial Park, we quickly stopped off at home to pick up two fruit platters Carolyn had prepared for the reception, and then headed over to her daughter's (Nancy) home in Nellie Gail. Nancy has a flag lot with a long driveway that opens to an amazingly large lot which contains a large grass area, a vegetable garden, a jacuzzi with waterfall, and a barn large enough to store a big RV, and an office from which they run their family business (school microscope repair).
We stayed several hours amidst the family which comprises 12 grandchildren and about an equal number of great-grandchildren, and around 3:30 we headed home for an hour's nap.
The ceremony was a wonderful tribute to Jessie who had 90 years of a full life and whose first marriage had lasted 55 years until her husbands death and then she had re-married 3 1/2 years ago at the age of 86 to Damon who was still driving at age 95!
The one thing that stood out about Jessie was her smile. Every time I saw her at the Bethke's, she had a warm and friendly smile to all around her. And, she certainly loved being around her family.
After a short graveside service at El Toro Memorial Park, we quickly stopped off at home to pick up two fruit platters Carolyn had prepared for the reception, and then headed over to her daughter's (Nancy) home in Nellie Gail. Nancy has a flag lot with a long driveway that opens to an amazingly large lot which contains a large grass area, a vegetable garden, a jacuzzi with waterfall, and a barn large enough to store a big RV, and an office from which they run their family business (school microscope repair).
We stayed several hours amidst the family which comprises 12 grandchildren and about an equal number of great-grandchildren, and around 3:30 we headed home for an hour's nap.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Whee!!
After an afternoon at CarMax, we purchased a Mini S for Carolyn (primarily) as a replacement to her 1989 BMW 325i whose top was leaking and the A/C only worked at fan level 4. She is getting re-acquainted with the proper use of a stick shift and the art of down shifting, but she is getting better. Think of us the next time you watch Bourne Identity!!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Today's Quote
"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing - they believe in anything." - G.K. Chesterton
Discuss among yourselves.
Discuss among yourselves.
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