Cruisin' the Coast

Lucas & Dad cruised Hwy 1 for Spring Break. Check out these classic shots of a CA native ;o)

Pfeiffer Falls, Big Sur (Chipmunk cheeks filled with fruit snacks)

"They're so cute, Dad...can I pet them?" says Lucas of the 3000 lb Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas. (They look like long boulders, lower right hand side of the pic with Lucas).

"Are we there yet?" The endless curves of Big Sur

Earthbound Farms Children's Garden, Carmel Valley

An arbor fit for a kid.

The chamomile herb maze.

Wisdom for all ages. "Until we extend the circle of our campassion to all living things, we will not ourselves find peace." Dr. Albert Schweitzer

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And a (now) comical interaction at 3am this morning...

Lucas: Daaadddeee? I need some water

Dad: Come here, you know how to turn on the faucet (at his bathroom sink)

Lucas: Not THAT water, I need bottled water

Dad: This water is better and you can do it yourself so that Daddy & Poppa can sleep

Lucas: Dayad! I can't drink this water! I need Bottled Water!!!

Dad: Lucas, why are you terrorizing me at 3am? Here's your bottled water!

Lucas: Thanks Dad. Can I sleep with you?

Dad: If you promise to go to sleep and not be all squirmy.

Lucas: Dad, will you scoot over?

Dad: LUCAS!

Lucas: Good nite, Dad.

Dad: Good nite, Lucas.

Brandon & Co's Spring Break

My nephew, Brandon and some friends headed out west this past week from Texas for Spring Break in SoCal. We had a great time with the gang - they were incredibly fun to have around all week. Here's a peak at some of our adventures...

Brandon McCollum lookin' like a local in Marina Del Rey

Is that Matthew McConahey? Or is it just Brandon looking like him at the Marcel Bistro in Santa Monica?
Brandon & his "U.G" (uncle Greg) enjoy sailing in Marina Del Rey

Jeff relaxing on the bow of David Gales' brand new 40' Elan Sailboat.

David at the helm with a bunch of Texans!

Brandon picks avocados for a week's worth of guacamole

Anthony's serious about Smash Ball in Laguna Beach

Shea & Sasha - Lovin' Laguna Beach

Catherine & Sasha catch a sunset at Crystal Cove

The smoking gun...our drinking cups with our stripper names...Our first pet and our first street name (which didn't fit on the glass), but we all know who Sassy Sandalwood is (Brandon)!!!

Lucas whacks another baseball into the pool! (Pedro, the lizard, looks on in the background)

Lucas' New Trampoline

So Lucas' Birthday present from his Daddy & Poppa FINALLY arrived this week! A shiny new trampoline :o) After watching him and both sets of cousins (Detroit & Dallas) and THEIR trampoline fun, we decided to go for it. What a great investment for 4 year olds! He LOVES spending time out there, laying watching clouds, stars, doing flips, playing like a caged monkey, the possibilities are as wide as his imagination. And there's the dad factor...I'm pretty into myself. Its GREAT exercise! Pictured with Lucas is his friend, Kai.

Little League Kicks Off!

Lucas began Little League Baseball this month and is on the Northwest Angels T-Ball team. He has always loved baseball and now he's finally old enough to play on a team and get some formal training! He has a great coach and teammates. If you want to see some truly dedicated baseball players, stop by Alona Park on Saturdays at noon! They are too fun to watch. Think The Bad News Bears' T-Ball Training ;o)

Lucas' Spring Show

Every Spring, Spurgeon Nursery School puts on their big show. It's adorable. This year's theme: a night at the Oscars. The kids all did really well. Lucas even sang his songs, Skidamarinck & Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, without too much distraction (especially considering his meltdown on stage last year). We went for ice cream afterward as has become the tradition. Such cute kids! Enjoy the pics...

Home Improvements?

So our home improvements 2008 have officially begun! We have been wanting to recess our washer & dryer controls since we moved here in 1994.



Having the original valves & controls sticking out of the wall caused our appliances to stick out as well, rather than being flush or at least nearly flush with the back wall. Well, due to the big ordeal that it was to a) increase the size (1.5 to 2") of the drain pipe, b) place it lower in the wall and c) find the right panel to fit our dryer's gas valve as well as the vent, we delayed doing anything about it - until now. Talk about opening pandora's box...(like many home improvements turn out to be).


Ray Smith, plasterer to the stars (he thinks) did a great job patching our interior. Now we just need to repaint, buy a new washer & dryer and get the outside repaired (which we'll do along with the bathroom addition behind the kitchen. It turns out that our smooth redwood siding is no longer available and has to be specially milled (translation - more money). We'll need to buy more siding anyway to finish the bathroom exterior so we might as well order it all at once and avoid paying the set-up fee twice.


What should have been a simple fix...gotta love these old houses!

Heart of San Diego Gala

It was a beautiful weekend in San Diego. We stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado, guests of Bob & Betty Beyster & their daughter, Mary Ann.

Bob founded and recently stepped down as President & CEO of SAIC (http://www.saic.com/), one of the top 5 defense contractors for the US Government. One of their major contributions is for the Department of Homeland Security's special screening of our ports as well as their work on security for the Olympic games (among many other important contributions toward keeping our world safe). They are an amazing family and are so incredibly down to earth. The Beysters were being recognized for their generous support for UCSD's Cardiac Research at the Heart of San Diego Gala. It was a glamorous black tie event - we truly felt special and honored to be at their table.

Among the guests...Marian Ross from Happy Days! She looked stunning with her red hair and sequined green gown. (sorry no pic - I didn't want to be so bold as to snap a shot without her permission - I know, I make a horrible paparazzi).

A Tribute to Allie

As my first entry to our new Blog, I feel the best way to start is by paying tribute and thanking Allison ("Allie") Miller, my tenant extraordinaire in Rockwall, Texas for inspiring me to create a running diary of our lives. There is so much excitement going on these days - I want to refer back in my old(er) age and reminisce. So thanks, Allie, for leading the way to this program that will help organize in some small way our life happenings and allow us to share them with the world. I also want to acknowledge Allie's passion for life as exhibited in our correspondence as well as her Blog (http://www.schmal.blogspot.com/). I couldn't ask for a better person to carry on the spirit of a place that has such special meaning for me.
Thanks Allie ;o)