Saturday Events

With a bright sky Saturday morning instead of the forecasted rain, we hid our eyes under the covers and avoided getting out of bed to around 10 with the exception of getting coffee and the papers. It was great!

Then we felt we should join the day and bring a little more organization to the house. Carolyn made WW pancakes and I took out trash and put away the dishes. I then headed out to buy a new finishing sander while Carolyn headed off to purchase more yarn for her various projects (ponchos, baby booties, etc.). I had been unhappy with my previous efforts to re-finish the boat galley door and so I put the sander to the test. This time I went through three grits to get a good overall finish and I think I succeeded. Today, I'll begin re-staining and varnishing.

The afternoon began clouding up, but rain didn't seem likely then, so we motored down to SJC for a gathering at Saddleback Valley Christian School where our previous pastor, Mike, was going to talk. Several hundred former congregants were there to greet and encourage him. I was struck about how he really wanted to look forward, not concentrating on the past, as he laid out his vision for a new church that would center on strong Bible exegesis with current day applications and a commitment to expand that focus on new church plants within the larger Southern California area to start.

Afterwards we drove over to Wanda's to give her a brightly colored poncho Carolyn had made and then after a time of socializing, we all went out to dinner at Hennesy's in Dana Point. We sat outside near a patio heater and enjoyed burgers and pulled pork sandwiches while watching the full moon dance behind an increasingly cloudy sky. We even had a local who stopped by to comment on the coming storm - a 'meteorologist' he claimed who worked in a local surf shop and acquired one-of-a-kind Hawaiian shirts (this one silk). Wanda thought he was a little crazy, Carolyn thought he was just friendly, I thought he was trying to pick Wanda up! Just kidding. Anyway we had a good dinner and two desserts because yours truly was a klutz and spilled water on our first chocolate decadence when we were only about two thirds through. That justified a good tip.

Tournament Poker

Friday night I spent at my second friendly Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament. This one was held in an industrial warehouse just about 5 minutes from home.

There were 30 players, including about five women, who each bought in for $30 and began play on five tables. My table started off tentatively with a lot of checks (no raises) and people folding. Ilene 'The River' was taking a lot of pots on the last card and scared off at least a few. But other tables saw a few 'all ins' which eliminated someone.

As people were eliminated, we consolidated tables and I found myself on the last two. Unfortunately, I was knocked out at number 14 when I matched an 'all in' and my diamond flush to the king was beaten by a full house! Bummer.

I took the roll of dealer for the next hour or so as more and more were eliminated. And then there was one table. At eleven, I called it quits and came home to wife that had hoped I'd be bringing home the cash. Sorry! Maybe next time. I'll have to be a little more careful about the all ins!!

Know Your State

"Borrowed" from Hugh Hewitt, I listed only my favorites, if you wish to see the whole list check out his site.

KNOW YOUR STATE MOTTO

Alabama

Hell Yes, We Have Electricity.

Alaska

11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!

Arizona

But It's A Dry Heat.

Arkansas

Literacy Ain't Everything.

California

By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.

Colorado

If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.

Hawaii

Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru

(Death To Mainland Scum,Leave Your Money)

Idaho

More Than Just Potatoes...

Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good

Illinois

Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"

Michigan

First Line Of Defense From The Canadians

Minnesota

10,000 Lakes...And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes

Mississippi

Come And Feel Better About Your Own State

Nevada

Hookers and Poker!

North Carolina

Tobacco Is A Vegetable

Oklahoma

Like The Play, But No Singing

Oregon

Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner

Pennsylvania

Cook With Coal

Texas

Se Hablo Ingles

Utah

Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

The District of Columbia

The Work-Free Drug Place!

Saturday Sailing

Dennis wasn't feeling well enough this weekend to join us so Carolyn and I headed down to Newport early Saturday afternoon for a sail. The wind was rather light and a little flooky but was mostly abeam which allowed us to sail down to the jetty and back with only a tack or two. Our biggest problem was getting out of and into our slip. The engine is a bit rough, just running on three cylinders, and the transmission doesn't like reverse very much. Thankfully a good sea scout helped us as we docked!

After our cruise up and down the bay, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine along with bread and cheese and grapes while watching others coming back to their berths. Then we cleaned up the boat and headed down the coast in the BMW with the top down and the sun and wind in our hair. A beautiful day!

Monthly Poker

Another good night with the boys playing Texas Hold 'Em last night. There were eight of us this evening seated around Paul's newly made oval table. The buy-in, as usual, was twenty bucks and I don't think I ever dipped below my initial purchase.

We had some really interesting hands. I lost one with a full house to a four kings and another player had stayed in with a slightly poorer full house. It was a good pot - unfortunately, I didn't take it. Trip twos won the pot on at least two occasions. But I took good pots with another full house and even a high pair.

The last twenty minutes we tried our luck with Omaha poker. In this game, you are dealt four cards down with the same flop, turn and river sequence as in Hold 'Em. The difference is you have to use two, and only two, of the cards in your hand along with three from the board to make your best hand. People stay in a little longer because of all the possibilities and, therefore, the pots are usually bigger. It takes a little getting used to the different probabilities.

Overall, I won $27.25 and sacrificed about an hour of sleep. That's what naps are for!

Augustine

I like this quote which I found on the Federalist today.

"Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation." - Augustine

Politics and Religion at Dinner

This weekend was beautiful in So. Cal., the sky was clear and bright and we started off for a few errands as we drove down to San Clemente so Carolyn could pick up some items on sale at the art store while I checked out possible window replacements. Then we stopped at Expo to check out possibilities for new bathroom fixtures and tile choices (just looking). Then it was off to BevMo to replenish the wine refrigerator. We finished up with a good late lunch at La Salsa.

The afternoon was spent sanding the door for our sailboat which we had brought home and Carolyn worked on her various art projects. Then we readied ourselves for a dinner hosted by Debbie for Steve Kanda's birthday.

We were the first to arrive at 6:15 to find Debbie, Steve and Steph (Manny was taking a required writing exam) making final preparations on a gourmet dinner of tri-tip, asparagus, stuffed artichokes, diced potatoes, a salad including goat cheese and small tomatoes, and, of course, plenty of wine and champagne! Within twenty minutes, we were joined by the rest of the old SMCHS crowd, Dave, Mary Margaret, Arthur and Linda Gome.

Within moments, Mary made it clear that "it was about time" since the Kandas and Hutchins had not invited them to any events/parties in a long time. Debbie was most gracious and apologized that they hadn't reciprocated in a long time and that life sometimes just gets too busy. Mary was sort of off the hook, but she seemed to be placated a little although her ears perked up when it was casually mentioned that the Kandas and we had spent some time together in October (our trip to SLO).

But the real fireworks occurred around the dining room table as discussions veered from Steph's wedding plans (March 2006) to Terri Schiavo and the Pope. They always warn you to never discuss politics or religion, and the intensity of some of the comments were pretty extreme around the table, quite often by Mary!

Besides the normal info on Steph's wedding, a significant conversation related to their desire to have a 'spiritual' wedding, but not a religious one. Raised a Catholic, marrying an adopted Jew, that could cause some issues, but neither Steph or Manny attend church/synagogue, yet Debbie and Steve would prefer they are married by a priest, perhaps with a rabbi in attendance. While all the other major issues of their wedding have already been addressed, I'm guessing that who performs the ceremony will be one of the more complicated ones to complete.

Catholic discussions led to the Pope's recent death and Mary's assertion that he had set back the Church decades because he was so conservative having rejected the ordination of women priests or the use of birth control especially condoms in places like Africa with high incidents of AIDS. Of course, Mary can rarely just discuss these issues, but must 'comment' at a rather higher than conversational decibel level. I think we and the Gomes (Presbyterians) defended the Pope's conservative stands more forcibly than the two Catholic couples.

And then we got into a discussion of Terri Schiavo and the use of life support treatments. Mary was adamant that she would never provide respiratory or life support to David or her kids if their probable future life would be less vital than currently. I was aghast to find that she (and Dave) concurred that if they were to be confined to a wheelchair they would rather die! And, of course, Mary stated she would abort a child that was likely to not be 'normal'. Carolyn strongly spoke of the intrinsic value of every life, and soon she and Arthur had left the room to avoid further heated discussions and to try to learn a few Latin dance steps and which was ultimately her undoing.

In addition to the politics/religion, Dave and I discussed sailing and his five year plan to purchase a 40' plus catamaran to circumnavigate the globe over four or five years. He is a stronger man than me as I could not imagine being confined with MM that long. They will be trying their hand at a longer time sailing this summer when they take their family on a week bareboat cruise through the British Virgin Islands.

Walking to our car around 12:30 a.m., Carolyn discovered that her dance moves with Arthur had really hurt her hip and she felt as if she had torn a ligament! Sunday morning she could barely move and so we decided to stay home (we had planned to go to Coast Hills) and take it easy. We began the morning with the papers, coffee, juice and sausage and scrambled eggs made by yours truly. Carolyn did some more painting and Bible study while I watched Tiger win his fourth Masters primarily due to his ball's half revolution on the 16th that dropped in for a birdie rather than hanging on the side of the cup.

I'm hoping that we were appropriately forceful in our defense of our beliefs and faith over the weekend, but the dinner party seems to focus on our desire to be with those who are more closely aligned with us spiritually and even politically.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

UPDATE: Turned off haloscan because it couldn't import the old Blogger comments. Well, I tried!

Weekend Update

While we thought of Ashley and Bryce in London, Saturday was spent working out in the yard mowing, trimming, planting under a beautiful sunny day. We probably spent three or four hours welcoming Spring outside, before I was able to catch a short nap before getting ready for dinner.

The Hales had invited us down to Laguna for dinner in Romeo's off of Main Beach. We met up at 6 and had great pasta, or salmon, or veal and a good bottle of Chianti. Then it was off to the High School for a performance of the LA Scots, a pipe and drum corp who played numerous reels, etc. Carolyn said it reminded her of the Highland Games even though the pipers were not nearly as numerous (obviously). We had a good time and good conversation and the music kept both John and me awake.

Sunday, after an hour less sleep because of Daylight Savings, we went to church at Saddleback again, primarily to pick up tickets for their 25th anniversary celebration which will be held in Anaheim Stadium on the 17th which Katie wants to attend. This time we actually ran into a few people we knew including Jill Schreiber and the Youngs from our Bible study.

Then it was home for a quick read of the Sunday papers and lunch before we headed to Newport to meet the Hughes for an afternoon sail. We decided to ignore any chores this time and took the opportunity to have Gloria and Carolyn 'man' the tiller for a while to get a feel of the boat's handling while I got more familiar with the mainsail and jib. It was a great day just enjoying the sun, wind and salt air without too many boats in the harbor.

Leaving around 5, both we and the Hughes headed down PCH, stopping for a brief dinner at Del Taco in Dana Point, before we drove to PCC for an open meeting on the history of the dispute that led to Pastor Mike's resignation and the plans for the future. The parking lot was full and the street was fully parked for two hundred yards from the church. We ended up in an upstairs annex listening to the discussion on a video feed. It was the most painful meeting I've ever had the displeasure to endure even after an admonition to behave in a Biblical fashion! The level of animosity was painfully obvious from many who spoke from the crowd, and the two senior associate pastors had a real difficulty in either controlling it or explaining well the circumstances of Mike's departure. It felt as if they we're sugar-coating much of their descriptions, and it sounded like they had not appropriately responded to legitimate requests for information/meetings as mandated by the church's constitution. After an hour and half, we couldn't take it any more, so we left for home to unwind before the beginning of this work week. It was not a fun way to end an otherwise really good weekend.

Nana's Honda!!

Carolyn took Wanda up to the Circle of Orange for a little "girl" excursion to have lunch at the Filling Station and tour the antique shops. Then on the way home Carolyn asked me via her mobile whether they had any cars that fit Wanda's requirements at Capistrano Car. I quickly checked, they didn't, but I looked on the CarMax site for their new Irvine lot (off of Bake) and found listed a 1995 Honda Accord with 107k miles for just under $8k, champagne color with leather seats. A possible match so I called Carolyn back.

Less than an hour later, Carolyn called and told me they were at CarMax and were buying that exact car! We talked about buying a warranty and declined. An hour after that, on my way home, Carolyn called again to tell me that they were still there and she had prevented them from charging an additional $300 through a dyslexic mistake. So, this evening I arrived home before wife or mother-in-law.

Rolling in around 6:30, and after two and half hours at the dealer, the 'new car' rolled in with Wanda behind the wheel. She was totally excited with the firm leather seats, the wood trimmed interior, and the easy ride. We all lifted glasses of wine to celebrate with crackers and cheese while Wanda continued to thank me for finding the car for her. I continued to mention she might want to thank Carolyn who had actually endured 2.5 hours of car buying hell! She had performed admirably in keeping all the paperwork straight and not allowing them to add costs.

We are glad that Wanda now has good transportation as her old car was falling apart, and Carolyn and I laughed about how I was the good son-in-law and get credit even when credit is barely due.

Animal Groups

I've always enjoyed the various names given to groups of animals.
Some favorites:
Chattering of chicks
Quiver of cobras
Murder of crows
Convocation of eagles
Mob of emus
Gaggle of geese
Bloat of hippopotami
Scold of jays
Cloud of locusts
Prickle of porcupines
Shiver of sharks
Committee of vultures

What Age Would You Choose for a Day/Week?

In my blogosphere wanderings, I saw someone's post where they discussed what age you would like to go back to if you could be that age again for just a day or as long as a week.

I think I would go back to 5 years old. It was a time when everything was basically happy with few, if any, responsibilities. No school. No chores. I could play outside with my friends. I didn't need to wear a helmet to ride my bike. I was in good shape with all the running around. I could play soldier using surplus WWII gear and guns weren't politically incorrect. We'd pretend to kill the 'Japs' or the Nazis.

My mom and dad hadn't divorced yet either. I had a sister two years younger who would follow me around and my older brother had not yet left to a boarding high school in St. Louis so we still played together. Both sets of my grandparents were alive and we visited often, receiving all the attention a young grandson gets in terms of encouragement and treats.

We had a great Irish setter and for a while I had a lizard for which I had built his own cage. My uncle George, a life-long bachelor, was my guide into the mysteries of wood working and tools (skills not shared by my father).

And if I was to go back to that age during summer, there would always be the vacations to either Lake Tahoe or the Rogue River or just going to the movies and New Joes in San Francisco.

What age would you choose and why?

Family Weekend

It seemed like a long weekend with Uncle George's funeral on Saturday and our Easter get-together on Sunday.

Saturday morning we were up relatively early to pick up the house, get the car washed, and to shower and dress for George's funeral. Wanda made it to our house promptly at 9 am and we were on our way to Holy Cross cemetery in Culver City at around 9:20. You can never be sure about the traffic through LA and there was a slight slow down near LAX, but we found our way there about a half hour before the 11 am service.

We were greeted by Kathy Oliver who had spent the last few weeks up in LA visiting her father daily and who seemed exhausted emotionally and welcomed our hugs and love. We all milled around greeting cousins and friends before the service. Eddie and Calla Chevalier were there with Tim and Ian, Mike Chevalier dressed in a somber black Hawaiian shirt and shorts continued his tradition of dressing to his own standards.

The priest gave an interesting homily about the meaning of life and the importance of how we fill it with love for others - a trait of George's that was profound in his willingness to take in and feed the less fortunate. George's caretaker was the second to speak. Philip is from the Philippines and he and his wife and son have lived with George and Jean for at least three years providing care. Philip spoke lovingly of how George taught him English, facilitated bringing him here from the Philippines, and often played ball (in the house) with his son. Eddie then got up and gave a great tribute to his father and how he found the greatest pleasure, not in travel or possessions, but in his family.

Just before the service started, Lisa, Cale and Amy appeared after having gone to the wrong chapel at first! It was Cale's birthday on Saturday, so they didn't join a good portion of those who attended as we were all invited to a lunch at Tony P's in Marina del Rey about 4 miles away. The Chevaliers hosted a lovely reception on the waterfront which allowed us time to catch up with a number of our extended family.

Leaving mid-afternoon, Carolyn, Wanda, and I stopped off in Newport Beach to show Wanda the new sailboat which required us to take off our non-marine shoes to board her. I think Wanda is looking forward to her first sail.

After a quiet Saturday night, Sunday dawned bright and clear and warm. Carolyn prepared a great brunch for Wanda, Lisa and Katie and us which included fresh fruit, mimosas, sausage and the creme brulee french toast we had enjoyed in Lake Arrowhead. Fabulous!! Then we took our croquet set down to the lake for a vicious game where both Lisa and I declared ourselves poison and tried to slam the heck out of everyone else, but Carolyn was able to create some strange sort of force field and we kept missing and she snuck by to win.

To facilitate our weird schedule and the ecumenical nature of our group, we had our Easter service at Saddleback at 4:30. This being the eleventh of twelve services, Pastor Rick Warren was sounding a little raspy, but the service alternated music between the discussion of five points from his Purpose Driven Life on "What on Earth am I here for?" And, of course, the first purpose is that our life is for God's pleasure and that we should glorify Him. At the services close, Pastor Rick challenged those who hadn't sought God's purpose to repentance and to follow Christ.

Then it was home to rest up for the start of another work week. Happy Easter!

Men Buy, Women Shop

Or at least that seems to be the case for most persons I know. Late, yesterday afternoon, I got home around 5 p.m. from a Land Summit meeting that had been held in Chino, and I announced to Carolyn that I needed to get a dark suit for the funeral on Saturday. My formal attire has either not kept up with current styles or my current 'physique' and I haven't bought a new suit in over a decade.

Carolyn agreed to come with me to the Men's Warehouse near the Laguna Hills mall. I told the salesman that I needed a dark suit for funerals and evening weddings, and I needed it tailored by Friday night. We looked at several that I rejected because I didn't want to look like a gangster or someone in a 'shiny' suit. Within about thirty minutes, we'd chosen a dark suit with a slightly lighter thin stripe, two shirts, two ties, socks, and had the suit measured for alterations.

Now, picture that same scene say with Carolyn looking for a dress for a wedding. My guess is several days of visiting numerous shops in several malls to find the right dress. I am so glad I'm a guy because I hate shopping (not counting Home Depot or Circuit City, of course).

We were out of the store a little past 6 and over to California Pizza Kitchen for chicken chipotle ravioli (pretty spicy!) and lettuce wraps before heading over to our Thursday night Bible study where we continued into the second chapter of 1 Peter.

A funeral and family gathering for Uncle George on Saturday and Resurrection Sunday with Wanda, Lisa and Katie. Happy Easter everyone!!

Travels

We have a lot more of the world to see. Some of these places were only visited by one of us, probably Carolyn on her trips with friends. Where should we go next?



create your own visited countries map

Miscellany

Pastor Mike gave his last sermon at Pacific Coast Church on Sunday and I'd have to say he was most gracious, talking about transitions and using 1 Corinthians to say while we often have our own plans, God has the ultimate control. His intentions were to stay on at PCC, but the current circumstances have altered those plans.

I don't know if I was just being hyper-observant, but the prayers led by Pastor Dan and Pastor Mark (Senior Associate Pastors and elders) during the service seemed to be rambling and unfocused whereas they are usually heartfelt. And when all the staff came on the stage at the end of the sermon to pray for Mike and his family, Pastor Mark was noticeably absent. All I can hope for is that God will use this change to broaden His work in our area and that those involved in the dispute will learn to trust Him more fully.

Later Sunday, we heard that George Chevalier had passed away after a bout with cancer. Carolyn's cousin, Eddie, called Monday to tell us of the funeral that will be held for his father on Saturday. Pray for George's 'kids', Eddie, Mike and Kathy, and all the grandkids. George was a kind and generous father and friend.

The Terri Schiavo case ruled the news yesterday as Congress passed a law specific to her case that would allow Federal court intervention to re-insert her feeding tube and they just ruled today that the courts had fully protected her rights and would not intercede. It has made me more focused on completing the creation of our living trust along with wills and directives on what to do if I were in the same situation.

Carolyn didn't feel that well yesterday and spent most of the day resting and completing her Community Bible Study, but she is feeling moderately better today and is at her leaders meeting as I write this. Pray for her health and that she might get over this persistent pain that she's had for over a month.

Maiden Voyage

Our Cal 2-27 was officially purchased earlier this week and Dennis and his son Steve had been down on Wednesday to check out the engine and electrical issues. All of it worked although the engine needs a little work to get it to run smoothly. So we planned a work day this Saturday to clean her up.

Dennis was at the Sea Scout base (its temporary berth) around 8 a.m. and Carolyn and I made it down around 9:15 after two attempts to leave. Dennis and I tackled the upper deck while Carolyn scrubbed down mildew and woodwork down below. After several hours we were definitely pleased with the result. Carolyn had the woodwork gleaming and any trace of mildew gone while Dennis and I had scrubbed the deck of all the grime it had accumulated. Gloria, a late riser, met up with Steve, their son, and came down in the late morning and Steve got right to work changing spark plugs and adjusting the electrical system. The engine is now running on two or three of four cylinders and he will be checking cylinder compression to determine why the fourth isn't firing.

Carolyn and Gloria made a run to Taco Bell to grab a late lunch for all of us and then we decided to try our new baby out! All the while, hoping we wouldn't be caught be the Harbor Patrol as we don't have the 2005 sticker on yet. Dennis let me skipper as he handled raising the mainsail and jib and tended the winches. Luckily we had a beam reach all the way down the Newport Channel past the ferry and even all the way back beyond the Balboa Bay Club. We had to tack about three times!

The day had started out a little rainy with drizzle but by the time we took the boat out the sun shone over the bay as clouds were seen both to the east and the west. Next time out I'll have to remember sun block as I came back with a sunburned face.

It's Friday

And it's raining again!! After more than a week of normal So. Cal. weather, the storm watchers (TV weatherpersons) are out again talking about how this current 'storm' will bring our rainfall up to either the second or wettest season in the 130+ years of L.A. recorded weather. And, of course, we're planning our first workday down on the boat which we actually purchased on Tuesday.

Dennis and Steve were down in the harbor earlier in the week and the engine and all the electrical systems work! Much to our delight. Perhaps the rain will pass through quickly and we'll get a chance to try out the sails around Newport Harbor.

I'm trying to be a bit more diligent in diet and exercise recently. I've been drinking water rather than Coke or Diet 7-Up for lunch and started taking a half hour walk at lunch at least three times a week. Of course, I don't walk in the rain except to get to my car. Hopefully, the work around the boat will burn off a few more calories.

Breakin' Up is Hard to Do

Received two letters from Pacific Coast Church yesterday, one from the elder board and one from Pastor Mike announcing that Mike will be leaving PCC after serving for 15 years. Evidently, the mediation wasn't successful! Then we met with our application study group last night for the last time under the auspices of PCC as our group leader is a close friend of Mike's and will be following him as he (probably) sets up another church in the not too proximate area (but which may be closer to our home).

This is rather distressing as we just went through this a little over a year ago at Mission Hills Church. We'll hear Mike preach his last sermon this Sunday, and then who knows where we will attend for the short-term including Easter. We're likely to follow Mike as we really like his teaching style, but it may be months before there is any place to meet or he may decide to take a bit of time just to rest. This whole event stresses families and friends as they choose different churches.

Please pray that Christian friendships won't be impacted, but that we might consider this an opportunity to expand Christ's influence throughout the Saddleback Valley.

Numbers

Those of you who know me, know that I'm a numbers man. Where Carolyn can retain names, I retain numbers. I see patterns, primes, quotients. I remember numbers that have little need to be remembered.

So on Friday, while I was totally hooked up to the ER monitors, I'd occasionally look over to check my vitals - you know, to see if I was flat lining or anything (just kidding). Blood pressure was good and low around 115/75, respirations around 20 per minute and heart beats of around 72 per minute.

Do you realize what an amazing machine our hearts are? 72 beats per minute, 4,320 beats per hour, 103,680 beats per day. Nearly 38 million beats per year. By the time you're 25, your heart has worked almost flawlessly for 946 million beats and mine has worked over 2.1 billion and I'm hoping for over 3 billion!

God does some amazing work! And I'm extremely grateful that the hours He's numbered for me have not yet been fully counted.