Shisley Scoop

Our Anniversary

2011-08-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

On August 11 we celebrated our 32nd anniversary. We took a weekend trip to San Diego. We stayed at the Dana Inn on Mission Bay, the same hotel we had our honeymoon. On Friday we visited the Midway, an aircraft carrier that was the flag ship for the gulf war. Katy, Brenda and their families came down and on Saturday we all went to Sea World. One thing that I really enjoyed was watching everyone help out and watch the kids no matter who they belonged to. Had a wonderful time

Landon at dinner - Seaport Village

Seaport Village.

Rebekah enjoys an exhibit

Brenda, Mike, and Landon

Katy, Danior, Rebekah, and Jonah

New England Cruise

2011-08-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

In June we took a cruise of New England leaving out of Brookland, NY. Had a wonderful time

Prince Edward Island

Bar Harbor, Maine

Sue drove the Duck Boat in Boston

Boston - a picture within a picture

Newport, Rhode Island

The crusie ship

Fun Things

2011-04-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Last week we watched Rebakah and Jonah for the morning and we took them to a wonderful place called the Underwood Family Farm in Moorepark. They have animals, rides, climbing areas, and a real farm growing vegetables. Jonah had his first pony ride going weeeeeeeee as he rode in the circle-very cute.. Rebekah always reminds me of Katy at that age with her big smile while on the pony. We had a great time.

A few weeks ago we visited the Getty Museum. Such a nice place with beautiful art work. Steven came with us for the day.

Fun things

2011-03-26T08:55:00.001-07:00

Landon showing how strong he is. Landon with his great-grandmother. Rebekah had her 4th birthday in March. We got her a new bike. Jonah, Mr. Jo Cool in hs Tigger hat. Rebekah is already in mommy training.

Day with the kids

2011-01-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a wonderful day. It started off with a visit to the temple. Then we watch Katy's kids all day while she and Danior had a date. We took them to Travel Town at Griffith Park. Jonah especially was so excited to see all the trains. After the park visit we spent an hour, yes an entire hour, at Toys R Us. They were so much fun and so well behaved.

Somehow they made it up in an engine or two.

So exciting. Jonah found a rock.

One pooped Rebekah. Looks so serious.

Here they decided to run in the open car. Jonah went down first and Rebekah fell on top of him. Silly kids.

Our Blessings

2010-12-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

The other day I was thinking and contemplating how blessed my family has been. We all have good health, happy families, and good jobs. So many people we know are without some of these things. As I pondered the events of the year I thought of the wonderful blessings of being protected from the difficulties of life offered these days. My family has not been impacted by the bad economy or job market. We all have good jobs, even though it is hard to go to work some days, but we all work hard and are self-sufficient. Brenda and Mike were blessed this year with baby Landon and it is so wonderful seeing their love and care for this special spirit. Katy and family have been blessed this year with being able to buy a house in Simi Valley. Steven is blessed with a job and the ability to pursue his Master's Degree.

I am thankful for all the blessings I have and greatful that I know they come from a loving and kind Heavenly Father.

Sue and I went to the car show the weekend before Thanksgiving. We went with the determination to select Sue's new car. It was depressing seeing how little we could get for so much money. Sue had been driving the Explorer for 8 years, the car being 10 years old. Friday after Thanksgiving we purchased Sue's dream car. We were pleased after visiting the car show that the car she wanted was about the same price as so many other SUV's, but she got a much nicer car with the Lexus. After spending most of the day in the dealer Sue drove home in her new Lexus, yet another blessing to our family. I will miss the Explorer. For a Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily), the car had been very reliable and such a good friend. So many fond memories of all those Home Depot runs on a Saturday afternoon. If anyone has earned such a nice car it is my dear sweet wife who has been so caring to others for so many years. I love you my dear.

The home is starting to look like Christmas. Rebekah and Sue are hanging stockings. You better believe this overgrown one is mine.

Our New Grandson

2010-09-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Brenda and Mike had their baby boy Friday night at 5:26pm. Landon Michael Sperber weighed in just under 8 pounds. Mother, father, and child are doing great.

Our Vacation

2010-09-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

On August 10th we woke up early in the morning to drive to San Francisco. We were celebrating our anniversary in style. We arrived about noon and hopped on our crusie ship, the Sea Princess, for a 10 day cruise to Alaska. Once on board we checked out our room and went right to the buffet for lunch. We set sail about 5pm going right under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The next day was our 31st anniversary. We woke up to the balloons on our door. After the buffet for a big breakfast we relaxed, walked the ship, and rested. Then back to the buffet for lunch.

This was a sea day as it took two days to get to Alaska. We relaxed, enjoyed the buffet, rested, and ate at the buffet. That night was formal night. We shared the table with an older couple that seemed to make cruising (and drinking, for the wife) their life. They had just finished a world cruise and were telling us they had cruised over 500 days. I had the ever popular Love Boat Dream for dessert; however, they are getting smaller each year. I had the same dessert almost every night.

Our first stop was Victoria, British Columbia. First thing was to hit the buffet for a big breakfast. We did not see any side trips we wanted to take, especially with the cost of the others we had planned, so we walked to the fisherman's wharf. Not much there but we were puzzled by the floating homes, smaller than a one-bedroom studio apartment that sold between $300,000 and $500,000. Crazy. After the walk we went to the buffet for lunch.

The next day was another "at sea" day full of buffet eating, walking, visiting the buffet, and relaxing. On the way to Juneau.

In Juneau, after gorging ourselves at the buffet for breakfast, we went on a whale watching trip. A nice comfortable boat that had a pilot who knew just where to look. We saw several humpback whales and one dove down about 30-40 feet from the boat.

We stopped at a nice overlook of the Mendenhall Glacier.

In Skagway, after hitting the buffet, we took our favorite excursion, the White Pass Railway. It starts with a motor coach ride about 60 miles into the Yukon and then the train back into town. Again a wonderful day. The train follows the original path of the Klondike gold miners, with the original trail still visible.

The next day we were sailing into Glacier Bay. We woke up early and went straight to the buffet. What an incredible day. The weather could not have been better and the water was so calm it was like a mirror. So much color in the sky, the water and on the beautiful glacier-capped mountains.

As we looked at the glacier, the naturalist ranger told us about the wildlife in the area. In his words there are "whales, birds, sea liions and what not". I happen to capture the rarely seen "what not".

Part of the wonderful experience of Glacier Bay is approaching the "Tide Water" glacier and hoping to see is calve into the sea. The noise it makes is awesome, they call it Blue Thunder. Mostly we saw small pieces but we did see one piece the size of a bus fall off. My camera was set on speed shots so I captured the entire event. So cool. Many of my pictures were also taken by a crew member photographer and for sale for $20 each. For the Global warming crowd, the rangers noted that more of the glaciers are growing than shrinking. Also, the calving is a natural occurance caused by the fresh water glacier meeting the salt water of the bay.

While watching the ice fall a nice crew member from Bulgaria took our picture. FYI, the glacier is 250 feet tall here. Doesn't look that big, does it?

The next day we were in Ketchikan where, after another big breakfast at the buffet, we took a shore excursion to a rainforest walk. I thought it was quite disappointing. The walk was with a guide, way to short, no wildlife, and much too slow. 1 1/2 hours to go less than a mile. They did have a rescued bald eagle and owl. The eagle is such a magnificant animal. She seemed so pleased to pose for pictures. We did some shopping after the short excursion, then to the buffet to eat.

The second to last night was again formal night. One reason I like cruises so much is to see how much my dear sweet wife enjoys them. We sailed all the next day just relaxing and eating.

The last two days were again at sea with buffet visits and exercise as we became the Wii Bowling champs of the Sea Princess. This was the second cruise where we accidently ended up on the same trip as old friends Rudy and Norma Wehrli. Their family had come along, so we got to have a lovely visit with them and their daughter Lisa Clark, one of our oldest and dearest friends. It was such a treat. We ended our vacation staying the night in San Ramon where Sue's brother Steve lives. We had a great visit with Steve and Nancy and were even joined by Jacob (Lumpy) and his new bride as well as Matt and Karen and their cute kids. Then the 6 hour drive home. We are extremely grateful for Steven taking care of the home front and keeping the dog alive.

My Summer Vacation

2010-07-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Once school is out for summer, my job changes from music to cooking. I am fortunate to work for a school that offers so many wonderful things to the children. For six weeks, we try some new foods and learn some cooking technique by being as hands on as possible. It is a tremendous amount of work and quite tiring, but I really enjoy it.

Snickerdoodle cookies are a tradition in cooking dating back about 10 years, way before I started. I couldn't find one child who objected to a repeat of this one.

In an effort to find things I could cook without an oven (see the explanation a little farther down the post), we tried French Toast. It was a huge hit and is requested for next year already. These cute little kids seemed to have bottomless tummies.

I love this picture because of her smile. Really, that's why I do this job.

It certainly made Grandma's day to have Rebekah and Jonah come for a visit. RL made a
"Firecracker Cookie" with the Kindergarten class and then played with them at recess. She had a blast. Can you tell that it was a scorcher of a day by the rosy cheeks???
This little cutie in Kindergarten has the most beautiful eyes, she is a sweetie and wanted to show off her "Firecracker Cookie" that she made for the 4th of July. This project became more "how many sprinkles can I fit on a cooke" rather than "make my cookie look like fireworks". It's all good.... if they're happy, I'm happy.

This was "Donut Day". Every student got to pick a donut, frost it, and decorate it. There were also all you could eat scrambled eggs. It was a huge hit. But really, donuts, frosting and sprinkles??? How could it not be a hit?

When you serve 300 donuts and let the kids decorate them, you have to be organized. We got the entire school through in around an hour. A big part of the success is due to my assistant this year. Asa is in the striped shirt in the middle directing traffic. He has been so much fun to work with and he is a pretty good cook too! He is heading off to college, but hopefully will return next year...???? I hope so.

I work with wonderful people. This is Patrick and Diane, two PE Coaches, who walked into Donut Day and took over scrambled eggs for me and did a magnificent job. All the staff worked to make the event a great one. Note the cabinets behind them...this is a science room. Dead, stuffed animals and bugs. Yuck. I drew the line however, at the live Scorpian... he was relocated.

This little guy wanted to show me his pizza bagel, but had a hard time looking away from the movies we watched in cooking. Watching movies kept them inside, cool and calm while the food cooked. We did not have an oven in our room and so cooking things was a major production.

Seriously...I have the best job in the world!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2010-07-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Another picture of Rebekah at her first pony ride, or is it Katy? Hmmmmm. Hard to tell. Same pony ride place, same smile.

Being a Grandparent

2010-06-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Being a grandparent is so cool. This Friday we had Rebekah come over and sleep the night. It broke our heart when we left Katy's to see Jonah grabbing his shoes and running to the door. Jonah will get to sleep over later. Rebekah is so cute and fun. One of her favorite items now is the marble tower. A great toy building different paths every time. Rebekah calls them Narbles.

She sleeps real well in her own little bed. Not a peep until early morning. then she wakes up, climbs in our bed and hugs and hangs on to grandpa. Brings back memories from 25 years ago.

As a special treat on Saturday we took her to the same pony rides on Tampa where we took our kids growing up. The place has not changed much. This little mother-to-be reminded us of Brenda, not that she is a pig but big with child. At least Brenda is not dragging her tummy on the ground.

At first Rebekah was a little scared of all the goats but quickly got over it. This little buddy never left the tractor. It was his (or her - I did not check) special spot.

And finally the reason we went there. Rebekah was a natural. No hesitation to ride the pony. A big smile on her face the entire time. Again, reminded me of Katy from years ago.

I LOVE BEING A MOM (& Grandma too!)

2010-05-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have the 3 most wonderful kids in the world. I can hear you saying,"How can that be?" Well, let me share a little about each one. They each have their own special talents that amaze me over and over again.

First let me tell you about Steven. He started out life pretty rough. A complicated birth, life-threatening illness, eye surgery as an infant...I could go on. He was our little man. He loved OshKosh overalls and his Little Tykes red and yellow car he drove. Always a sweet disposition despite some first class teasing and pranks by his older sisters, they now all have a great relationship as adults. A hard worker, driven to attain what he has set his sites on. An eagle scout, return missionary and soon to be college graduate. He is a tremendous repository of historical facts especially in the ancient world. Steve also has a gift for classical music and composers. He helps me out when I am looking for a particular piece, he knows who wrote it, when, where, who were their contemporaries, etc. He will be starting grad school soon working on his Masters. He is caring and helpful to all. I have lost track of how many times he is a little late because he stopped to help a sister in a bind or a stranger in need. How many guys are totally comfortable with little kids? He loves his niece and nephew. He and Rebekah had a blast building a gingerbread house together. I have to admit it is nice having him around, but I know he will be happier when he finishes school and moves out again.

On to Brenda -

Brenda has always made me laugh. She is the keeper of all the good family stories, and no one can tell them the way she does. When she gets started I laugh so hard I hurt. It doesn't matter how many times I hear them. Brenda was born 3 weeks late, hmmm, I should have realized that she was going to have a great sense of humor. Always the most independent of my children, she is a confident, caring, and intelligent mom-to-be. We both love to cook and so she started a family recipe blog. She is married to Michael Sperber, a wonderful son-in-law, who keeps me laughing also. They are both hard-working college grads with a beautiful home that was a real fixer upper until they took control. They love Dodger baseball and their dogs, Jetta and Kita. Brenda is someone I can confide in and ask for advice, I love spending time with her. We love to go to Home Goods and look at all the great stuff!

Katy and I have spent the most time together by virtue of her being the oldest. We share some of the same interests and talents. She and I are both musical and play piano, we love to sew and craft and be creative. The difference is...she is SO MUCH BETTER! I had to stop scrapbooking because my pages I worked so hard on paled in comparison to hers. Just ask her about the chalk thing. Creativity just comes naturally to her. She is not afraid to tackle anything. She and her husband Dan are both college grads. Katy is planning to student teach this year and finish up her teaching credential. Doesn't take years and years except when you have two babies during that time. Katy is a great mother, she is very wise when it comes to knowing what her children need. I am consistently impressed by how much she teaches them. You ought to see her reason with Rebekah, an incredibly cute but stubborn 3 year old, and not lose her temper. Katy always wins. Now, Jonah (18 mo) is beginning the temper tantrum phase, I know she will handle it just fine. Katy has started her own business (because school, 2 kids and managing a big apartment complex was not enough to fill her days...). It's called KdBuggie. She hand makes and sells baby items on Etsy.com.

I want my children to know how much I love them all and appreciate all the years we have spent together so far. When they were small my biggest fear was them causing problems in school or becoming juvenile delinquents. Now that they are adults and those things, of course, never happened; my fear is that one day they will take their families and move to a better place than Los Angeles. This has a much better chance of happening than the delinquint thing. If it happens I know I will survive, but will miss them terribly. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who probably deserves more credit for children who turned out so great. He will just keep booking cruises and doing all the things that keep me so happy! We both know that Katy, Brenda and Steve and their families are and will continue to be the best part of our lives. We love them so much!
Thanks for all the great Mother's days!
Love, Mom

Stock tip

2010-05-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

My best stock tip is to sell Bank of America stock, even sell short if you can. Everyone I deal with at that bank is a complete idiot. This chapter:

Last week Steven and I went into our local branch, Steven to cash in a CD to move to Wells Fargo, and Sue and I had our IRA CD's mature. I was undecided whether to leave the IRA's with B/A or move it to Wells Fargo. We went to the branch and no one was in the new accounts area. After standing about for about 5-8 minutes I went to a teller. Conversation went something like this: "Is anyone there in new accounts? No, what do you want? I have some CD's that have matured and I want to know what my options are. You mean the rates? Yes. I guess I can help you."

She then walked to the new accounts area with us. Steven went first and tried to cash in his CD. After about 5 minutes of looking at who knows what, miss friendly says "it will cost you $26 to cash it in because you are past the 7 day grace period". I said, what are you talking about, it is a 7 day grace period starting on 4/20 and the date was 4/24. It sure appears to me we are only 4 days in. "Oh wait a minute......wrong CD. This one looks like the one". the first one did not mature until November, hence the penalty. Steven cashed in the CD. Then she spent another 5 minutes looking at my account. "Oh, this is an IRA account. It is special and I can't help you with it. It has all sorts of other paperwork and stuff to do."

By now she made up my mind for me, the money is going to Wells Fargo. I said, then cash it in. She said she did not know how and I would need to come back another day.

Monday Sue and I went back to the branch and met with the manager, another idiot. She fiddles on the computer for over 5 minutes and says "the computer says you need to have the requesting bank request the funds." I said to give me a casher's check and she said she couldn't, I had to have Wells Fargo request it. I asked if there would be a problem that the grace period is about up and she said no, as long as it was requested before it was up.

We went to Wells Fargo and met with our friendly banker. She greeted me by name. Wow. She said the B/A people were nuts. She could request the money but it would take about 2 weeks to get processed and I would have issues with the grace period. She told me to go to the other branch in the area. We went straight over. Now we met a B/A person who actually knew what to do. She took the right paperwork out and got us cashiers checks. Now we have been to a bank 4 times and still need to go back to Wells Fargo to get the cashier checks deposited. We gave the manager of that B/A a mouthful of complaints about the stupid people at our normal branch. I told her most of my money had been moved because everytime B/A messes something up I penalize them by moving a CD.

We went back to Wells Fargo three days later, now our 5th visit to a bank. Angela took great care of us.

Now it is Sunday, 6 days after we cashed in and moved our CD's to Wells Fargo and low an behold, the B/A website still shows we have the CD's in their bank. I assume someday they will figure out the money has been moved. Before we left Wells Fargo Angela shows us on-line with through the website that our new IRA accounts were there.

So, I suggest anyone with a Bank of America account is flirting with danger, and dealing with a bank run by idiots. My term "nonthinkers" is just not strong enough for them. We have had nothing but good experiences with Wells Fargo. I was so impressed that only meeting once with Angela she knew my name the next time I came to visit.

Spring Break

2010-04-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sue is on spring break so I took the opportunity to take three days off work. For all three days we had the pleasure of watching Rebekah and Jonah all day. What a blast this was, although we are getting reminded over and over again we are not as young as we used to be. I just don't know how Katy does this all day long, or how my dear wife managed three children all at once.

Rebekah and Jonah both love our backyard and want to spend all day playing, swinging, and sliding. Too bad our allergies would only take so much. Jonah kept escaping outside and would go to the swing, point at it, and look at us smiling. I am so weak, I can't resit either of them as evidenced by the Toys R Us bill.

We found a great park to take the kids. Neither of them had any fear at all. Rebekah loved the slide and played with the older kids. Jonah would climb about everything he saw and would try to step off a drop as tall as he was.

We learned that Jonah with all his food allergies he is okay with eating sand. He had a fist full in his mouth before I could get to him.

The interaction between these two is so fun to watch. Rebekah loves picking on Jonah, in this case with a carrot from the garden, but Jonah gets even.

Katy's contest

2010-03-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

Want to check out some great stuff?

One of our talented daughters (Katy) has started a business hand-crafting fine quality baby items. She has that amazingly soft "Minky" fabric, designer fabrics that are vibrant and gorgeous , the so soft chenille and more. There are even items that are 100% organic cotton. The prices are great! Beautiful blankets, burpies, clothing, lovees, gift sets (card included) and more. If you are local, I think she will work with you to avoid shipping charges!

http://www.kdbuggie.blogspot.com/

Comment on the blog post before March 26 to enter a contest to win a free item!

Items can be purchased at http://www.kdbuggie.etsy.com/ I think you will find the prices are great!

I hope you like what you see, the pictures don't quite do justice, the colors and softness are amazing!

News

2010-03-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

So the stork is back in town scoping things out. It found Brenda and Mike so they are now expecting a baby mid-September. That will be our third grandchild. We are all very excited.

Still thinking about our next cruise in August. Eastern Carribean or Alaska? We found a 10-day Alaska cruise round trip out of San Francisco. We have never done the Eastern Carribean cruise yet. With the Alsakan cruise we would not have to drive but it is twice as much as the other.

Work is going okay. Very different working for a mega-big public company. All the are interested in is forecasting the next month's and quarter's revenue. In today's eceonomy we are very thankful we all have jobs. I don't think anything will improve for some time. I also predict another stockmarket crash due to unemployment, Obama's policies, and the ridiculous spending and debt.

Friday (March 12th) is Rebekah's third birthday. Time goes by so fast. She is such a sweet and smart girl. Picks on Jonah too much though but what are big sisters for?

My Sweetheart

2010-02-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my dear wife of 30 years. I love you more ever.

Our wedding day 11 August 1979

Update

2010-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

It has been some time since I posted any update on our happenings. the last few months have been fun, yet very stressful. The company I work for was sold to Ametek, Inc., a $2.5 Billion company on the NYSE. I was the one that worked all the schedules and agreements not knowing what my future was going to be. It appears my job is secure for now. It will be very different working for a publicly held company but hopefully I can learn new things and it will turn out to be a good experience. So far the feedback is that I greatly impressed everyone with all the work I did.

Jonah has his first birthday on December 28th. Christmas was great spending time with the family. Last weekend Rebekah spent the night at our house and we had such a great time; she is so fun and well-behaved. Jonah is grampa's "Little Man". When he comes over he looks to me to be held and give the sweetest little hugs.

On January 13th Sue had a special birthday. All the kids and grandkids came over for dinner to celebrate. If anyone is wondering, Bank of America is still made up of stupid people. Katy and Danior did some remodeling in their apartment including some new furniture (I really dislike IKEA, ranks up there with Walmart). Brenda and Mike celebrate their second anniversay today (Jan. 20th).

In general, life is good. Spending time with the family is most enjoyable to us. We are hoping for another cruise in August - we have our sights on a 10 day Alaskan cruise leaving out of San Francisco. Anyone want to come (sorry, you pay your own way)? Sue's kitchen is holding up nicely.

Brenda & Mike

2010-01-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MIKE & BRENDA

2 years of happiness, excitement, and never a dull moment

Jonah is Walking

2009-11-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

Jonah is now walking. He is so cute. Today he was sitting next to me on the couch and stood up. He came into my lap, gave me a sweet hug and then a kiss. He is only 11 months old. I am still working with him to say grandpa.

Rebekah is sweet as ever. She still picks on her little brother but it could be a lot worse. I can tell she loves her brother and Jonah sure watches everything Rebekah does.

Being a grandpa is so cool.

Brenda's Birthday

2009-11-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA

A picture these days of Brenda is not complete without Mike.

Brenda was born at the Northridge Hospital and was 3 weeks overdue. When she was born, she was extremely large and came out face first. I guess she could not wait to see the world. She was actually born with Sue straddling the gurney and delivery table and no doctor present. Sue was in some distress and as soon as Brenda popped out the nurses handed her to me in order to take care of Sue. I held my beautiful goopy daughter for the first time and she right away opened her eyes and just looked at me.

As a little girl she had wild curly hair. We would take her to a public place, such as Disneyland, and we would often get people coming up to us wanting to take her picture. She was a handful growing up. She got lost once at Magic Mountain and another time trick-or-treating at the mall. She backed Sue’s car into a brick mailbox and would not come home that night until we went and got her. She once was hit while driving and her car ended up in the front of a building on Ventura Blvd.Somehow she managed to grow up and met Mike in High School. They were married almost two years ago on a cruise ship off the Mexican coast.

Today she lives in Simi Valley as the happy couple were able to purchase a home earlier this year. Brenda works with me and has turned into a beautiful caring woman. We love you Brenda.

More Banking Blunders

2009-11-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

So if you have seen my bank postings in the past, you will know nothing has changed. I received a letter from the IRS last week stating I owe $600 in taxes for 2007 because I under reported my interest, as reported by Bank of America. Just like 2006, for 2007 the bank for fools treated two of my mother's accounts as mine. Since the bank fired all the premier bankers (another stupid act on their part), I am forced to deal with the local branch of idiots.

A week ago Saturday I was giving the bank the benefit of the doubt and went to talk to my bank. I approached the desk and a woman asked what I needed help with. I said I needed the bank to fix their mistake and she pointed to the guy at the other desk and said he will be right with me. He turned around and gave her the stare of death. Then she went back to her desk and looked like she was playing on the Internet. 10 minutes later she walked behind the teller area and the other fellow came over and said he will be another 15-20 minutes with his customer. I asked who the woman was and he said the manager. I said shouldn't she have helped me. He replied she was in meetings all day and was busy. Do I wear a stupid sign around my neck? Meetings all morning on a Saturday? I don't think so.

Five minutes later, after I had waited 15 minutes, she came back and asked what I needed help with. I explained the issue and she said we need to talk with the tax people. DUH! She then went to her desk and called the number and of course no one was there on a Saturday. She gave me number to call on Monday.

I called the number and said I needed to get my 2007 1099 fixed. She went on about how I need to go to option whatever on the Links program and I said I have no idea what she is talking about. She asked if I was from a branch. I said, No I am a customer. Oh, what state are your in. I said California and she said she was in Kansas City and could not help me. So why did the manager of the branch give me her number? DUH! She transferred me to the California department.

When that lady answered the first thing she said was I need to go to my branch. Definately not what I wanted to hear. Now I lost it and started angrily explaining I had been there and they were a bunch of idiots who get everything wrong they do for me. I said this is the bank's mistake and I want it fixed. Then she appoligized and said she would help me. So why didn't she say that to begin with instead of saying I needed to go to my branch? DUH! She took my information and "placed an order".

The next day some other guy calls me and asks if there were two accounts or one. I said two and that I gave them to the other person yesterday. Oh, I have both accounts. DUH!. Then he calls back 5 minutes later and says he needs to send my mom a W9. I said, you realize this is the bank's mistake and her name is on the account. DUH!. He said he still needs to send her the W9.

My next CD with B/A matures in 3 weeks. It will be removed immediately from the Bank of Fools.

Non-thinkers are all around us

2009-10-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

As most people are aware. especially those that know me well, I have an issue with Non-thinkers. I used to call them stupid people but I realize that is a little harsh and many non-thinkers can actually be smart, they just don't know how to apply the knowledge they have.

Where I work we are lucky to have a subtenant, Buddy Ben, who decided he did not have to pay rent. Ben kept giving us promise and after promise and we could "stanz it no more". We took him to court and got an immediate judgment without even having a trail. Anyway, Buddy Ben in his haste backed his truck right into the rear of my Infiniti G35 Coupe. If it weren't for another person in the car he probably would not have even told me. Ben scraped by bumber real good and his trailer hitch put a hole right through it. In his case I shall refer to him as a stupid person as he gets no respect and fits the title. I made an insurance claim with my carrier, Mercury, and filed a claim against his insurance carrier, Farmers.

I went to what I thought was a good body shop recommended by Mercury and got a quote, submitted it to Farmers and was told Farmers accepted everything. Then before I even took my car in to the shop Farmers has already paid the body shop. I guess they figure I no longer had a choice where to take it - "non-thinkers". So I took my car to the shop on Monday and was told it would take 3-4 days. On thursday, day 4, I called the shop to see when the car would be done. This is how the conversation went.

"Is my car done, I was told it would be 3-4 days and this is day 4"
"Oh, we were going to call you. There is a little problem"
"But you didn't call me, I called you. What is the problem and status?"
"We have not even begun the work yet because Farmers has not approved the cost."
"WHAT? The car is to be done today. What do you mean Farmers did not approve the cost? They already paid you"
"They did? Hang on" NON-THINKER!

Person 2 gets on the phone.
"We did get the check last week from Farmers".
"I know you did, so how can you say Farmers did not approve the estimate when they already paid it?"
"The estimate was for Mercury and since we are an authroized Mercury repair facility Farmers is not entitled to the discount. We have this problem all the time. Farmers also subtracts the cost of the little parts from what they want to pay. We are waiting for a Farmers representative to come out and inspect the car."
"Inspect it for what? They already approved the work, hence the check. This is unacceptable and you need to get Farmers on the line now to resolve this. Why didn't you call me the day I brought it in instead of me having to call you they day it was to be finished?"

Now an intelligent person might ask, if the quote was for Mercury and not Farmers, and they were told I would be going through Farmers, why did they not call Farmers and resolve this when they got the check and before I took in the car? Reason - they are Non-thinkers.

I called Farmers myself:
"I want to find out what the issue is on my car. I am the innocent party and expect my car to be repaired well and in a timely manner."
"I'm sorry sir, but we (Farmers) is waiting for the body shop to send us the revised quote."
"What? The body shop tells me they sent you the quote and they are waiting on Farmers to send someone out to inspect the car."
"We do not need to inspect the car."
"This is unacceptable. I need my car and it has been in the shop for 4 days and they have not even started the work. You (Farmers) need to call them right now and resolve this." NON-THINKERS

End result, my car will be in the shop for at least another week with a bunch of Non-thinkers in charge. I bet I end up with a Pinto when I get it back.

So I now add to the list of companies that hire non-thinkers insurance companies and auto body shops. Leading the list is still banks and cell phone carriers. Case in point, I got a letter from the IRS this week saying I owe $600 in taxes for 2007. Just like 2006, good old Bank of America screwed up on my 1099 and used my social security number for interest that belonged to my mother. Now I have to deal with the IRS too.

The Big Surprise

2009-09-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

So why the look of surprise and shock on my lovely wife's face? About March, Sue and I decided to book a cruise to New England to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. A few weeks later my daughter Katy approached me with a desire and idea of surprising Sue with a special gift. While we were on our cruise we would have our kitchen completely remodeled. Being the tighwad I am and having a job that is uncertain, I thought for quite a while about this. Then as I looked at the 25 year old cabinets, the floor peeling up, and the walls a mess I decided to do it. I figure I am either the bravest husband in the world of the stupidest to remodel a kitchen in secrecy from my wife, especially a dear wife that is practically a professional chef. With a lot of faith and a tremondous amount of help from Katy, Brenda, Steven, and Mike we set out on the project.

I had one week to get eveything done but with some planning and thinking I scheduled my annual visit to the New York office to add 3 days. We found a cabinet place that for a reasonable price would sell, install, an demolish the old cabinets. We picked out the style (from a limited choice) but felt confident Sue would like them. Then under pretence took Sue to a granite yard to get her thoughts on what she liked. We spent a lot of time at Home Depot deciding on the floor tile, sink, drink cooler, and other things. All this without Sue knowing about it. We even made a trip to Living Spaces to find the table unit. Sue wanted a high table and chairs so we could have a bar area at the counter. We visited a lamp store and surprisingly decided within 5 minutes of what we wanted, and they were even on sale.

As we got closer we needed to decide on the granite. Katy was able to borrow a cabinet door and we revisted the granite yard. We held the door up to our first choice and it did not match well. The granite we picked out was on Sue's list, maybe #2 or #3. When we held up the cabinet Katy and I knew almost immediately that was the one. We bought a big slab and some left over pieces from another job. It was stored at the yard and Brenda arranged for the installer.

After much deliberation, we decided on the floor tile. We knew how much we needed and the store in Simi Valley (where Brenda lives) did not have enough. We bought what they had and stored it at Brenda's house. When we bought the table there was another Home Depot next door and of course they did not have enough either so we bought all they did have. Then we went to the Home Depot by my house and again they were short. We bought all they had and visited the next Home Depot close to my house. They had the balance of what we needed. We felt the tile went very well with the granite and cabinets. We wanted a darker color since the cabinets and granite was lighter.

I left the paint color up to Brenda, Katy , and Steven. While we were off cruising the kids and BJ, our contractor, worked night and day getting it done. The demolishion happened the day we left. I cannot express the love and thanks to Katy, Brenda Steven, Mike and Danior, for all they did and the time they put forth. I am informed how much work Steven and Mike did working hard until the early morning hours. While we were cruising they were working so hard while we were relaxing and having fun. About five times Sue said on the cruise I looked like I was not having fun. Sue was totally unaware of my worry about what was taking place at home.

When we got home, before we entered the house I told Sue I had bought a special anniversary gift but it did not arrive in time for our anniversary or for our cruise. I walked her in with her eyes closed, told her how much we all love her, and let her open her eyes. She gasped for air and was totally speechless. Compared to what we had before, the project ended up just beautiful. I am still looking for the before pictures I took.

We love you Sue. Happy anniversary.

During the planning, there we many instances of little fibs in order to keep the surprise. I hereby make a total confession including:

1) answers to why Brenda and Katy called

2) fibbing about seeing a big lizard near our backyard storage space. We had items stored in the shed and knowing Sue's fear of lizards if she beleived there was one there she would not go near it.

3) explantions on why I was late coming home from work.

4) explanations on why I needed her car and used her gas

5) explanations on why I visited Brenda's home

6) explanations on why I had to borrow the company delivery van

7) explanation on why I cashed in credit card points for a check

8) statements about "someday" we might be able to remodel the kitchen.

just to name a few

Our Cruise

2009-09-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our 30th anniversary we took a New England cruise with our normal cruise line, Princess. We left August 22 out of the Brooklyn port. Boy is Brooklyn a scummy city. We actually flew into New York a few days earlier so 1) I could visit the office in Holbrook (Long Island) and 2) to allow more time for our secret project (post to follow). We were a little worried as hurricane Bill was approaching the New England area.

Because of the hurricane, instead of setting sail at 5:00 pm, we stayed in New york for the night and set sail in the morning for Boston. We were scheduled to first visit Newport, Rhode Island but we had to skip that port to let the hurricane get in front of us. When we did set sale it was a pretty rough ride. All over the ship were roped off "Sanitation Areas", a.k.a. barf zones.

In Boston we took a tour of the historic sites including the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea), the old Trinity Church where the Boston Tea Party was started, and various other sites of the city. We really enjoyed our excursion.

We set sail that evening for Bar Harbor, Maine, or as they call it Baa-Habaa. Here we took an excursion into Acadia National Park, and saw the location where one day earlier some people died being washed out by high hurricane waves. We went to the top of the mountain with a nice view of the harbor.

I find as I get older I am becoming more aggrevated with stupid people and stupid questions. At the top of the mountain one elderly lady asked if that was our cruise ship down there. Duh.....I am ashamed but the only thing that came to my mind was to say "did you see any other Princess cruise ships in the harbor when we left."

We set sail that evening for the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. Here is where the hurricane ended up and we were blessed with the remnant storm. Not too bad, just a little rain. The Bay of Fundy has the largest tide swings in the world, about 30 feet. When we were there, we passed through a nice village called St. Martins and when we hit the beach the tide was out. We were basically on the bottom of the ocean floor.

Then we set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were on a photographers tour which was a dud. No professional photographer and we just went to the standard tourist sites with 5,000 other people. We still had a nice time.

We were at sea all the next day one way back to Brooklyn. We had to wait about 5 hours in the airport for our long flight home. During the cruise, Sue kept saying I did not look like I was having fun. Little did she know why (I was all stressed out about what was happening back at home). The best thing about cruising is just being together 24/7. The food is great (and lots of it) and the entertainment, well its a cruise ship. Our waiter really like Sue and I think he was hitting on her. He is lucky I did not deck him.

This was our 6th cruise and we came home to an incredible surprise for Sue.

Aug. 11, 1979

2009-08-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

30 years ago today Sue and I were married in the Los Angeles Temple.

I was barely 20 and Sue was only 19. We had been dating for about 3 years. We woke up early on the Saturday morning and rode to the temple with Sue's brother, Steve and his wife Nancy. It was a nice sealing but hardly any guests were there. My family could not go although my mom waited outside on the temple grounds. Only John, Steve and Nancy could enter the temple and I recall Nancy's parents were also there.

When were at the temple waiting for the sealing I was on one bench and Sue was on another. They forgot about us and we waited for over an hour. I was wondering what was wrong with Sue and vice versa. After the sealing we had the usual pictures on the temple grounds and Nancy's parents provided lunch for us all. Then we went to Steve and Nancy's home for more pictures and the reception.

I recall my mom's cousin saying it was the nicest and most relaxed reception she has eve been to. We went on our honeymoon for a few days to San Diego. It has been 30 years of a wonderful marriage. I love you Suzanne with all my heart. We are celebrating our anniveresay with a New England cruise next week.

As I reflect on that day 30 years ago, I cannot overlook the love and generousity of Steve and Nancy. They provided and paid for almost all of the wedding costs. Then a year later helped us again when we lost our first daughter at childbirth. Even though they have moved up to Northern California, they are and always will be an integral part of our lives.

Update

2009-08-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today Is August 2. Only 2 1/2 weeks before we leave on our business trip/vacation. So what happens to prepare us? I woke up in the middle of the night Thursday with the worst back pain I can ever remember. I was tempted to go to the emergency room right then. In the moring (Friday) I got a very early moring emergency appointment and found out I have a 3mm kidney stone. I can't express how fun the last two days have been.

Sue has been during her job with her persistant counseling (aka nagging). If she does not see me with some water she gets all over me. I was pretty concerned as I probably drank about 2 gallons and could not pee. Then it was finally like a waterfall. I will not share the details of my pee but it was not pretty. The doctor gave me some Vycodin (SP?) that made me really feel crappy. Made me dizzy and gave me some nice barfing episodes. Did great for the pain.

Now it is Sunday morning and I have not had a pain pill since midnight. Still hurts a little but not bad. My pee is much cleaner so maybe, just maybe I am past the worst of it.

It's Coming

2009-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Only 5 more weeks until my dear wife and I depart for New York for a New England Cruise. We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Not bad for two 39 year-olds. We leave the middle of August a few days earlier than the crusie so I can visit the company's office for a few days. Then on Saturday we set sail (so to speak) on the Caribbean Princess for 7 days.

(Stock Photo)

While we are gone Steven is is charge of the house. We better not find any dead critters in the yard or evidence of any wild parties.

4th of July

2009-07-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

3-day weekends are great. It was busy and the best part was that Katy, Danior, and the kids were over each day. Katy and Danior were mostly working on a project.

Sunday we found the swimming pool we got for Rebekah last year and after patching a small leak we filled it up with water. Even Jonah got to play in the water.

Rebakah likes to splash, especially when grandpa is next to her.

The bathing beauty, perhaps a future Miss America?

Sue and I are starting to get excited for our next cruise. Our 30th anniversay is in August and we are celebrating with a New England cruise that leaves on August 22nd. We will leave a few days earlier so I can visit our office there on Long Island.

Hunington Library

2009-06-15T20:29:00.001-07:00

So Sue is off work for the week and I decided to take the week off too. Today we visited the Huntington Library in San Marino. Steven came along for the visit. I highly recommend this for anyone who has not been there before. It has a reasonable admission price and just a beautiful place to visit. They have an art museum as equal to the Getty and an incredible manuscript collection including a Guttenburg bible.

Two of the most famous paintings of all time are at this museum. One is Blue Boy which became famous when Huntington paid $700,000 for it, the most ever paid for a painting at that time. Know a days it is probably worth $700 million.

The second painting is Pinkie. The colors in the painting are magnificant.

The grounds are sitting on over 270 acres and the flower gardens are to behold. This is my favorite picture of the flowers that I took.

One flower that makes the gardens famous is the "Corpse Flower". The Simpsons had an episode after this flower. It is just about to bloom which is a rare occurance. The last time it bloomed was in 2002. The flower is over six feet tall and when it blooms it emits an odor like rotten meat.

They have a nice Japanese garden. Lucky me, I found the most beautiful woman at the place to have my picture taken with.

Family updates

2009-06-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

Katy celebrated her birthday at our house. A magic bullet (blender) was top on her want list.

Jonah tried the baby swing for the first time. He seems to really enjoy it.

Rebekah discovered a new way to get in and out of the backyard.

Rebekah being the great big sister she is teached Jonah the art of being a TV couch potato.

The proud grandma.

Banking update

2009-05-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

A continuation of my last post. I got fed up with complaining about Bank of America and decided to do something about it. Sue and I opened up new accounts Friday with Wells Fargo. Seriously, I am not convinced Wells Fargo is any better but at least I can send B/A a message that if they do not want my money they won't get it.

So we went to Wells Fargo and set up accounts and what did we find? Someone else (two people) had already used my social security number with the bank. One name was the same person who used my number two years ago with Bank of America (my bank) and WaMu. One account was inactive and the other never went active. I figure they ran the number through the credit agency, saw the fraud alert already set up and he people bolted. Now I get to deal with Wells Fargo about the fraud issue.

Today we went back to B/A to resolve the service fee issue. It was reversed but they guy had no idea what I was talking about when I said they had it linked wrong with my CD's. I figure I will be back next month for the same thing. I closed out one CD to move over to Wells Fargo. We figured we would try out the bank first before move all the accounts. Now all I need to do is keep the checkbook away from Sue as she wants to use the CD money to get a new car. I asked about our account that now has a zero percent interest rate and got no where. It is an "Investment" account and the fellow "did not have the proper license" to help me. I already closed out the account on Friday anyway.

B/A Strikes Out

2009-05-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Bank of America is getting progressively worse. The Feds have determined the bank is still undercapitalized. I take this with a grain of salt as the Feds are being run by Obama and they use an unrealistic worse-case scenario that will never happen. Nevertheless, the bank has received almost $100 billion now in federal aide which will most likely turn into equity owned by the Feds. Does anyone think I want Obama and the demorats (spelling intentional) controlling my money?

In addition to problems as outlined by my blog post a few weeks ago, B/A has now struck out. Due to the banks mistake I got hit with a $20 service fee this month. I rolled some CD's over last month and the moron changed the link to the wrong checking account, thus the fee. Besides, who believes $20 a month is a reasonable fee?

Then today I get a "Maximizer" statement in the mail which I have several thousand dollars saved up. I notice the interest posted is $0. Then in the fine print it says due to current economic conditions the interest rate is now 0%. This is a "Maximizer" account? I hate to think what the regular rate is. One might ask if the bank were lowing the rate to zero, or more appropriately eliminating interest, why wouldn't they notify me in advance so I can do something else with my money? "Economic conditions" is synonomous with Demorats as the Federal Reserve interest rate, which controls the bank rates, has not decreased in months.

Seriously, who is running the company? What is he smoking? Does he really think the bank can charge people 18% plus on credit cards while taking their money in savings accounts and not pay the customer any interest at all? Doesn't he realize people have choices in choosing a bank?

I am open and asking for suggestions where to move my money.

More Family Fun

2009-04-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Easter at the Shisley home is always fun. The family came over and we had the usual Easter Egg coloring contest. Past years while Steven was on his mission he was always the judge. Now that he has returned I am the judge and for some reason my eggs always win.

Danior was having lots of fun.

On April 17th I had my 50th birthday. Sue planned a small get together with some of our closest friends and the family. Rebekah seemed to like the cake.

So Many Years

2009-04-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I turned 50 years young. Sue invited a few of our closest friends over for a little get together, along with the family. We had a fun time. Thanks to everyone that came over. Here is a short recap of the good and bad for each decade:

1950's - I was born and lived in the 50's for less than a year. We lived on Clarendon St. in Woodland Hills. No memories as I was very young when I was born.

1960's - Great childhood. My parents treated me with love and kindness. I started swimming with a team and spent many weekends at swim meets. In Elementary School I started to play the flute. I aslo played on t-ball teams. Great decade.

1970's - mixed events. In the first half of the decade my parents split up and my dad died in 1976. We moved to Granada Hills after AI graduated from El Camino in 1976. Hard times were afloat. I was active in school bands and the ECR swim team. Met a gorgeous blonde in high school and married her in 1979. Drove a hot 1968 Camaro, oh how I wish I still had that car.

1980's - great decade. Focused on raising the family. We lost our first daughter, Robin, during childbirth in 1980. Katy was born in 1981, Brenda in 1982, and Steven in 1985. We moved in to our house in Woodland Hills. No money for the entire decade. Graduated from CSUN with a degree in accounting and became a CPA. Started working with Pacific Theatres in the accounting department.

1990's - good decade. Focused mostly on raising the kids and building a carrier. Still no money. No time for anything. Just work, work, and more work.

2000's - good decade (so far). Changed jobs which was way past overdue. Katy got married and had two kids (so far). Brenda got married. Steven went on a mission. Sue and I went on our first cruise for our 25th anniversary and have been hooked ever since.

So far I have no major regrets in life. Only real regret is staying with my Pacific Theatres job too long. I have three incredible children and two wonderful grandchildren. My wife is the most wonderful, loving, giving, kind, beautiful, thoughtful, caring, fun woman in the world. I have a good job. I feel the love of my Heavenly Father in my life. I am ready to enjoy the next 50 years. My goal is to live long enough to bankrupt the Pacific Theatre's pension fund.

I bestow my love to all my friends and family.

Robert

Bank of America Woes

2009-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we lost our Becky, our premier banker with B/A. In the bank's wisdom, they eliminate the premier banking group and put me back with 1) the regular banking, or 2) the investment group. Don't really know which since the bank has yet to notify me the premier banking group no longer exists. I know because Becky and I talked. Let's look at these two options logically. 1) Taking something away from a valuable customer is never a good way to run a business. Now that I do not have someone to help me with my banking needs, why would I be incentivised to stay with B/A? 2) Putting me back into the investment group, the Merryl Linch team that ran that company into bankruptcy, is not exactly the group of people I want managing my money.

Case in point. Instead of calling Becky to renew Steven's CD we had to go talk to someone at our branch. Seeing how we both work everyday that only leaves Saturday available to do such. We went in the bank for a simple 20 minute transaction that ended up taking 1 1/2 hours. The fellow had no idea what he was doing and had to get his manager at least five times. Then somehow B/A managed to get my profile messed up and had the wrong SS number. Would they believe me to fix it? Heck no. I had to drive all the way home, get my SS card, and drive back to the bank. One might ask why not believe the customer when he tells you they are wrong. I think I gave him my ID 4 times. He then wants to verify my SS number so he says it loud enough for everyone in the bank to hear it. He kept saying how he was concerned about security and wanted to make sure everything was right. He said, for example, they need 2 sets of ID's to set up a new account (in this case a new CD). I said, but....., with your concerns about security, why didn't you ask to see the social security card (for Steven's account). They believed Steven when he said what his SS number was but would not believe me when I told them they had mine incorrect. That is how someone opened an account under their ID while using my SS number about two years ago. That person had picture ID, not in my name of course, and since B/A took her word for the SS number without verification her fraudulent activity got pegged to me.

I hope Becky lands a new job quickly with a local bank. B/A's days of having my money may shortly coming to an end. Only trouble is that most banks aren't much better. Too many "non-thinkers" is these position.

Family Fun

2009-04-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am a little late but here are a few pictures from Rebekah's birthday party. Mike did the bbq cooking and just could not wait to taste his masterpieces. He is the best Barbeque-er in the family.

Robert's mom Lenore enjoyed holding her great-grandson Jonah.

Rebekah opened her presents. Can you tell if she liked the Little Einstien's computer from grandma and grandpa?

We recently had a great visit by Sue's niece, Jen and her three children Eli, Aive, and Caroline. the kids were so sweet and well behaved. Here they are watching TV with Rebekah. Thanks Jen for the fun visit. Come again soon.

Jonah is getting bigger and cuter. Grandpa is his favorite.

Too Funny to be True

2009-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

So today we went out to dinner to PF Changs and Steven told us a story that happened today. While he was teaching a student driver he saw a lady crossing the street who dropped some dollars in the street. She climbed on a bus before he could tell her. About an hour later he was driving down the same street and the dollars were still there. He pulled his car up, stopped, and opened his door retrieving the few dollars.

We were still talking about this and how funny it was as we walked back to the car. He was joking about the money still being there and how no one looks down while they walk. I said I do because I don't like to trip or step in a hole. Just then I saw some money on the ground. I picked it up and it was 3 $100 bills. One for each of us. No one was in sight and since it in a drive-way of a mall parking lot we ended up with a nice night out.

The Princess

2009-03-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

So....I am convinced we have the cutest granddaughter in the world. Afterall, what would you expect from a little girl with Sue's genetic makeup? Rebekah loves the Disney princesses, especially Cinderella and Snow White. Her Aunt Brenda bought her a Cinderella dress that she wears all the time at her house. At grandma and grandpa's house she has a Snow White Dress.

Recently a very dear friend of ours gave us a little slide set for the kids. Rebekah took right to it. It is the perfect size for the patio or inside of the house. Rebekah really enjoys it even when it is raining outside.

Rebekah has also discovered how fun a swing can be. She has been reluctant to try one and all of a sudden she loves it. Again, the cutest granddaughter in the world.

Finally, some great news which is hard to come by these days. Brenda and Mike are now home owners. They purchased a house in Simi Valley and moved in last Saturday. They needed to replace all the flooring, bathroom fixtures, and the kitchen; plus a lot of painting. End result is a very nice home. Congratulations.

Our Trip to the Zoo

2009-02-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday Sue and I were graciously allowed to take Rebekah to the zoo while Katy was at a baby shower. Boy did we have a great time. We got there pretty close to opening at 10 o'clock.

The Flamingos have been near the entrance for many years. I think the smell has not changed in 20 years. Perhaps with the city's budgetary constraints they have not even cleaned the place in 20 years.

What big smiles on the faces of the girls.

Rebekah liked the Kangaroo, maybe because she associates the beast with Winnie the Pooh. Rebekah refused to ride in the stroller. She had to be a big girl and walk. She wanted to hold both our hands and do the cheat thing where we lift her up. We knew we were in for a long day.

She really liked the gorillas. I pointed out the daddy, mommy, and baby. She was fun to watch as she commented on everything they did.

The zebras were fun. All they did was huddle near the back and eat.

Rebekah saw another little kid walking on the curb. That of course meant she had to do it. Look at the concentration on her face.

The giraffe's were well received. Rebekah kept calling them zebras. I would remind her they are giraffes. She would say "Raff" and then call them zebras again. Another little boy her age came up and also called them zebras. His mother laughed and said he always calls the zebras.

We gave Rebekah a bottle of water and discovered that she cannot walk and drink at the same time without walking like a clutz. After about 3 hours at the zoo she finally got real tired and we went to get some food. Memo to self-next time bring our own food. The food was more than twice the admission. Rebekah got a Monkey Meal.

Notice the small mark under her eye. At one point Rebekah start to run down a hill and did a slide into first thing. So much for us taking care of her in the future.

Life Changes So Quickly

2009-02-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night around 9 pm we heard lots and lots of sirens. Wave after wave of sirens. My brother John found a video clip from the news about this accident. A driver in a large SUV plowed head on into a VW Jetta on Mulholland Drive. The SUV driver had minor injuries, the Jetta driver was seriously injured and it took firefighters 45 minutes to extract him from the wreckage. It turns out the driver of the Jetta was my oldest nephew Andrew. He is a talented chef and all around wonderful person. Please keep him in your prayers as he struggles to recover. He is in Northridge Hospital in the ICU.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/1-trapped-in-mulholland-drive-crash/2305843010104652364/?icid=VIDURVNWS01

Life Goes On

2009-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

As I get older I keep learning how much my family means to me and how lucky I am to have such great kids and grandkids. I look forward so much to the weekends when I can spend more time with everyone.

Rebekah loves tomatoes. Sometimes she will open the refrigerator, see the package of tomatoes, grab them and run. She loves to pick them straight off the bush and pop them into her mouth.

Super Bowl Sunday Katy came over. Jonah and I had a long time together sitting on the couch and watching the game.Even sleeping baby boys can be pretty cute.

They are pretty good when they are awake too.

Rebekah is such a goof ball. She looks so serious - or is she falling asleep?

Sue's birthday - Jan. 13

2009-01-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today is Sue's birthday, 39 if you ask her. To me she looks like she is 39. Keeping up with family tradition, here are some special things about my dear wife:
1) Sue hates to be called Susan. Sue is okay, Suzie is good, Suzanne may be preferred, but do not call her Susan. I have my own special name for her.

2) Sue once got lost at Disneyland for a family outing. We all went on a ride that took forever and when we got out Sue was missing. We hunted all over asking several employees where we might expect to find her. Finally, one thinker said lost children go to Independence Hall. We went there and sitting on the lost child bench with all the little kids was Sue. She started to cry, her lip started to quiver, and she said she wanted to go home. She is really a good sport with the story as it is a little embarrassing.

3) Sue does not have an enemy in the world. Everywhere we go she is greeted by people who know her. Everyone loves Sue. I often tell her she is so popular she should run for a government office----she would win.

4) My dear wife loves to cruise. I love seeing her on a cruise because she looks so relaxed and a peace. Our first cruise was 5 years ago to Alaska to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Before we left I gave her a diamond anniversary ring. She just started to cry. Since then we have been on 5 cruises and are planning our next one for August.

5) She is a great pianist as most people know, but she also arranges and writes music. She usually arranges and/or writes for the schools performances all year round. In addition, in high school she played the Clarinet. Then she was moved to the saxophone section where we met. Sue can also get by playing the flute. She is excellent with the pot and pan drum set.

6) Besides cruising, her favorite thing is to hang out with me, the kids, and especially the grandkids. Up until recently it the grandkids were just Rebekah. Now when she holds Jonah I see that same sparkle in her eye.

7) Sue is a great cook. She cooks our meals, hence my over-muscular belly, but also can cook for a hundred people at a time. She was in charge of the kitchen for young women camp for 10 straight years. All the girls looked forward to going for her special treats.

8) Although stories differ, I believe Sue liked me because of my car. She says it was because I was so nice to her. We met in High School band. Honestly, I drove a 1969 Camaro in high school, who would not like to be around that muscle machine?

9) As everyone well knows, Sue is a great and loving person. When someone is ill she feels the sickness herself. There is nothing she would not do for her family or friends, and she does it all.

10) Most important, Sue is my favorite and forever very very best friend. I enjoy spending time with her more than anything, even to the point I sacrifice my own time by going grocery shopping and the cleaners with her. I must draw the line at the nail salon. Love you.

The Stork has Arrived

2008-12-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

So Katy was due on December 23rd. After a frustrating and uncomfortable Christmas she finally called about midnight today (12/28) to say she was in labor. Sue and I had Rebekah duty and they were letting us know they were leaving to drop her off. About half an hour later they passed the baby baton, and Danior and Katy sped off to the hospital. We were too excited for much sleep that night. At 4:00 am Katy called telling us that she had a baby boy about 3:30 am, weighing in at 9 pounds. She and the baby we doing great. After much deliberation, the baby was named Jonah Michael Martin.

We visited with Katy, Danior, and Jonah about 2:00 in the afternoon on Sunday. Rebekah got to see her baby brother.

We had a great time taking care of Rebekah. When she woke up in the morning she grumbled just a little and I pulled her into bed with us. That gave us about another hour of sleep and when she woke up, she just looked at me and smiled. What a great feeling having her love her grandma and grandpa so much that waking up without mom and dad was nothing at all. We got her dressed and fed breakfast and she had to go down the slide before Church.

We all got ready for church and she was such a good little girl. In church she sat so well and was so quiet. After church we got home and had a snack. Then we went to the hospital to visit Katy, Danior and the baby. Sue got Rebekah ready and Rebekah helped brush Sue's hair to get her ready.

We tried our best to get Rebekah to take a nap when we got home. Fat chance of that. We were pretty wiped out, especially with the lack of sleep during the night, but not RL. We tag-teamed a little so we could each have a quick cat nap. Not RL. Anyway, we sat down for dinner after a few bites RL just could not hold out any longer. We made up for the sleep deprivation because she slept 12 hours that night. I guess we really wore her out.
Congratulations Katy and Danior. We love you. Thanks for the grandkids.

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-11-30T14:08:00.001-08:00

This last week has been a lot of fun (and expensive). To start, on the 24th was Brenda's birthday. She came over for a short while and we gave her some gifts.

Looking at the picture, you can almost hear her say Ooooo. Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving at our house. Brenda and Katy, with spouses, came over about noon. Us guys had a big project planned.

Inside this massive box was a swing set for Rebekah and any other grandchildren who pay us a visit. I thought it would be a good bonding experience for Rebakah's father and uncles to work together and put this thing together.

Many of the pieces were large and luckily there really weren't an overwhelming amount of parts and construction. Us men got to work while the women folk worked in the kitchen.

Once the platform area was done I let Rebekah try the slide. She really liked it. It took no time at all for her to learn how to climb up so it was up, down, up, down. In the next picture. Steven is attaching the swing pole and Rebekah could not wait as Steven was blocking the way. You can see Rebekah trying to pull him out of the way. She quickly figured out how to squeeze in front of him. Verrrrrry Cute!

Us men folk finished the set and the women folk finished the food. We had a terrific dinner and good (interesting) conversation. Here is rare footage of my mom having an opportunity to hold Rebekah.

On Friday we went to the Pantages Theatre to see Wicked. Brenda, Mike, and Katy joined us. The play was great and squeezing three adults into the backseat wasn't easy. After the play we had a great dinner at Bennihana's. Saturday Sue and I woke up early and hit the stores. Six hours later, our feet and backs were done so we called it quits. We got a lot of shopping done. Just a few more things to get for a few people, lots to get for me. Thanks Brenda for arranging the play and dinner.

Brenda

2008-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Brenda's birthday. Just like everyone else, here is my list of things about Brenda.

1. When Brenda was born it was while Sue was strattling the girney and the delivery table. Brenda was a big baby, born posterior with no doctor present. As soon as she popped out, the nurses were so concerned about Sue they handed me Brenda right out of the oven. As I held this goopy baby she slowly opened her eyes and just looked at me. I wonder what she was thinking.

2. As a baby, Brenda had very curly blonde hair. We would go to amusement parks and strangers, usually Japanese tourists, wanted a picture of her. Who knows how many photo albums in Japan her picture is in.

3. Brenda got lost two times as a young todler. First time was at Magic Mountain. Unbeknownst to me, she followed me into the restroom. When I finished resting, I walked out and Brenda was gone. We were frantically running all over looking for her when some gentleman came up to me hold Brenda and asked if this was mine. The second time was Halloween at the mall. There was at least a million people there trick or treating from store to store. Brenda followed the wrong group in the wrong direction. We found her shortly a few stores down just following the throng of kids.

4. One of our favorite stories is when she was a little baby she loved M&M's. Once she just kept popping them in her mouth until she could not chew or swallow them. She sat there with her cheeks puffed out and chocolate dripping down her chin. Another time I caught her in the bathroom when she had coated both arms solid with Desitin. Ever try getting that stuff off?

5. Her first boyfriend was a real jerk. I disliked him so much I offered Brenda $50 not to see him again. She took the offer, the money, and never did see him again. I offered a $100 for her to dump Mike but she turned me down.

6. Brenda has worked with me for over two years in the accounting department with Ameron Global. For me, this has been a great two years. We have two hours of special one-on-one time each day, although quite often Brenda is asleep on the way home. For once in my life, I have the first hand scoop about Brenda and Mike before Sue does.

7. I remember Brenda's favorite toys as a young girl were mostly dolls. She liked Strawberry Shortcake the most. Later she liked a collectors doll. We gave her one for Christmas and she was so happy.

8. In high school Brenda and Katy used to fight like crazy. Most of the time it was about clothes. They were constantly accusing each other of taking their clothes. It got so bad they each put a lock on their bedroom door. I would always tell them "Sisters are Forever". I guess it eventually worked as Brenda and Katy are really good friends.

9. Growing up Brenda always thought Katy got all the good stuff. Things were never "Fair". As a result I developed what has been known as the "Fairity Speech" where I would ramble on and on about how things may not seem fair at the time but over the long-run they always evened out.

10. As everyone knows, Brenda is a great person with a great heart. She cares about other people and always lights up a gathering. She got her good looks from her mom and he wit from her dad.

2008-11-23T17:38:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Sue, Brenda, Mike, and I went to the LA Auto show at the convention center.

We left at 8 in the morning and drove to the North Hollywood Metro station. For future reference, the station is on Lankershim, not Laurel Canyon. So I messed up, at least I knew which trains to take. Brenda and Mike got a little frieked out about taking the subway. They live such sheltered lives. The red line connects with the blue line which has a stop at Pico just a block from the convention center. Once inside we made a beehive dash to the restrooms, then to the west showroom for the first set of cars. Our primary reason for going was for Sue to check out what kind of car she would like.

Okay, so maybe the Ferarri is not a realistic car. Sue would really look hot in one of these but we need a family car with a back seat.

I think Sue would like this car except it says "King Taco" and she is the Queen. Also no room for me. One car she wanted to look at was the Honda.

Okay, wrong Honda. She wanted to look at the Honda CRV. This is Honda's concept car.

Ah, we found the right car. Sue gave it good look over.

Sue, Brenda, and Mike gave this car a good look over too. I think she is having fun.

One car for Sue, one car for me, one car for Sue, one car for me.........

Okay, two for me. This is the car I want, the new Camaro. My first car was a 1968 Camaro and they have revitalized the feel of the old muscle car. Dodge did the same thing with the Challenger which is my second choice. These are real cars, not like a Lamborgini or Ferarri. Besides, those real expensive cars do not do well when they crash, just ask Brenda.

Another car for Sue. After a while all these mid-size SUV's started to look the same for me. Notice in almost every picture with Sue she has a car door open. Interesting!

The Camaro look pretty hot in black too. Such a tough choice. Maybe a black one for me and a silver one for Sue. Then we can switch each week. For lunch I had a hot dog that was wrapped in bacon. Surprisingly very good. We hopped on the subway to go home and just like last year, we got on the Purple line instead of the Red line. It appears the two lines share the same track and alternate. A nice gentlement on the train alerted us to the problem and we got off, took the next train and made it back to North Hollywood. First thing when we got to the car was take out the sanitary hand wipes. We had a great time.

Another Day in California

2008-11-16T14:05:00.001-08:00

It is so much fun living in Los Angeles - NOT. This Prop. 8 thing is really disturbing in so many ways. Not just the nonsense about the LDS church, but the lack of a response by our glorious mayor and governor. Their silence is a shameful approval of the bigotry and persecution about religion, not to mention their complete disrespect for the vote and will of the people. the media is so one-sided and give the gays so much media coverage and rarely tell about the other side of the issue. This week we are enduring yet another round of fires through out the state. Locally in Sylmar and Newhall a fire is raging and the entire San Fernando Valley is entrenched in smoke. Yet with the need for our great police officers to help protect life and homes, they have been deployed to city hall because of the gay's protest. A great example that these people do not care about anything or anyone but their cause of wickedness. I am convinced they really do not even care about marriage, to them it is all about money and immoral sex.

So what is this mysterious black stuff in the picture? Is it goo from outspace, shadows, or a lame attempt at sidewalk art? This is actually a pooling of ash from the fire. This is the filth we are breathing. For some reason, probably as a result of small winds, the ash has pooled in front of our garage. There is also a collection by our front door mat. At times it looks like it is snowing outside.

Enough about the gays (literally) and the fires. Last week we took Rebekah to Toys R Us and bought her a little car. Boy did we pick out the right toy. When she comes over, the first thing she does it get into her car. It has a music box for the horn and all day long we hear it playing the songs.

Katy is about 6 weeks away from having her baby. The next few weeks should be a lot of fun. Next week we are going to the LA Auto show. Then Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving we are going to the Pantages to see Wicked. Then we approach the Christmas season. Best thing about the holidays is being together as a family.

Halloween

2008-10-26T16:07:00.001-07:00

So Friday, the week before Halloween, our primary had its annual Halloween Carnival. Katy, Danior and Rebekah came to enjoy the activities. There was even an appearance by Brenda and Mike. The meal was boiled hot dogs, as good as they sound. RL was dressed as a fairy.

She liked her magic wand, especially to put in her mouth. This photo is the fairy with an attitude.

After the carnival we all park the cars in a circle and the children go trunk and treating. Rebekah really got into it. She especially liked the tootsie pops from the Waldman's.

These pictures were taken with my new camera. It is really nice and I got a great price on the kit.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Been tagged

2008-10-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

So visiting Brenda's website, I guess I have been tagged. Sue can do her own post. I think these things are dumb but I will play along. Why 8 things? Listed in no particular order:

8 favorite TV shows
1> Heroes
2> Magic Finally Revealed
3> Chuck
4> Bones
5> Gray's Anatomy
6> Simpsons (yes, I still like it)
7> DSN (Direct Shopping Network)
8> How Its Made

8 favorite restaurants
1> Chili's
2> My Brothers
3> In and Out
4> Yamato's
5> Benihanna's
6> El Torito
7> Back Angus
8> Numero Uno

8 things I did yesterday (Monday)
1> went to work
2> Genealogy
3> watched TV
4> fed the critters
5> checked email
6> read the Internet
7> pet Angel
8> went to sleep

8 things I look forward to:
1> My next vacation/cruise
2> Retirement ( a long way off)
3> Our family get-togethers
4> Seeing Rebekah
5> Sleep
6> Katy's new baby
7> Spending time with Sue
8> Holidays

8 things I like about Fall:
1> Holidays
2> Cooler weather
3> End of daylight savings time
4> Snow-topped mountains
5> Trees changing color
6> New TV shows
7> Crisp clean air
8> Elections being over

8 things on my wish list:
1> a monthly vacation/cruise
2> Early retirement
3> spend more time with kids/grandkids
4> computers that do not freeze up in the middle of things
5> more Republicans than Democrats
6> Less "non-thinkers" in society
7> Sue's eternal happiness
8> Happiness and success of my children

Garden Update

2008-10-12T15:05:00.001-07:00

I know the excitement everyone shares over our garden so here is the update. Basically, it is kaput. Garden season is over. Our few apples were actually as good as store-bought ones.

I promised Rebakah a while ago that she would get first taste. Yesterday we planted a very limited new crop. Mostly onions and herbs as planting season is gone until next spring. Rebekah was a good helper. If anyone knows of vegetables that can be planted this time of the year let us know.

Getting Older

2008-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that it really sucks to be getting older. Case in point: Last Friday at 6 in the morning I went outside to feed the critters (birds and squirrels). As I walked toward the feeder I missed the step off the patio and my foot landed sideways. Ouch! I hobbled to the feeder (critters come first) and then into the house. As the day progressed my ankle got worse and worse. By Friday night I could not put any weight on it (and I have plenty), and the ankle was all swollen. I decided to stop being stubborn and to take people's advice. Saturday Sue took me to urgent care. So much for Urgent Care, they would not even see me and sent me to the hospital emergency room. We spent 2 1/2 hours at the ER, not my way of enjoying conference weekend. The X-ray showed I had a sprained ankle with some slight ligament tears. I realized this was the first time in my life I have been on crutches. About 3 hours later, the doctor called and said the radiaoligist looked at the x-ray and saw a small bone chip or flake, whatever. Treatment was the same, stay off the foot for a few days.

I was on the crutches for 3 days and graduated to a cane. Today (Thursday) I can walk again, however, last night I aggrevated it again. I got up in the miidle of the night and the dog decided to join me, right under my feet. She tripped me and I landed on my knees and wrists. Spent the rest of the night in pain from my ankle and wrist. At least the dog knew she did wrong as she quickly came over to see if I was okay, as if to say "I'm sorry", and gave me a lick.

Sue was so sweet taking care of me the way she did. Love you dear.

I find as I get older I have less and less patience. Especially for certain things, such as stupid people, not stupid things people do, but stupid people. In an attempt to stop calling people "stupid" or"morons" I decided to call them "non-thinkers". Anyway, Katy was over Saturday for conference and she wanted to work on some sort of top-secret wood project. She wanted to use my router. I told her I bought it about 5 years ago and I could never get it to work properly, in fact I thought I broke it trying. Needless to say, I lacked the patience to set it up properly. Katy spent about an hour actually reading the instructions and analyzing all the parts. She got the darn thing to work and it worked very well. I realized how patient and intelligent she is (although I already knew that) and how impatient I can be.

One final note, last Sunday I gave in to my desires and upgraded my camera. This was a tough decision as it was several hundred dollars. Thanks to some encouraging from Sue, I realized how boring my life is and photography is about my only hobby. I don't have the camera yet as it needs to get delivered, but stay tuned for the first pictures.

Things are Happening

2008-09-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

One great thing about our lives is that even though our daughters are married, they still live close by. Brenda works with me and we get to spend one-on-one time together as we ride to and from work each day. Sometimes she is asleep on the way home but if not, we have lots of good talks. We get to see Katy 1-2 times a week. Seeing Rebekah is great and I especially appreciate it as I did not have grandparents to visit when I grew up. The other day Katy and Rebekah came over and stayed for dinner. Katy made cupcakes and Rebekah seemed to like them

You know those shade canopies you can get for the backyard? The instructions are very specific about anchoring them down to the ground. I guess our great neighbors believe that portion of the instructions did not apply to them. We got home from work one day this week and this is what we found.

Sue loves to play the piano and I love listening to her practice. This day she had a little helper. Rebekah needs a little more practice but she definately has music in her genes.

Another home improvement project completed. We felt we needed some sort of gate for the front yard. Rebekah likes the yard and while in the front she likes to run down the driveway. We are not as young as we used to be so if we are not careful and fast enough she could get in to some real trouble. Beside, the dog likes to wander too. We put together two fence pieces and attached some wheels. Mike dug a post hole for me and was blessed with several blisters for his effort. Steven almost had me drill through his finger too. Anyway, injuries and all, it turned out to be a success.

Alaska Vacation

2008-08-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sue and I had a wonderful cruise to Alaska. We left Saturday August 9th with Steven driving us to the airport. Our plane was about 1 ½ hours late due to a runway in Seattle being closed down. Nevertheless, we got to Seattle and had no difficulty finding the Princess employees and getting on the bus. After a 20 minute drive, the Golden Princess was waiting for us. We left Seattle about 5pm and cruised all day Sunday.

Alaska is just beautiful with mountains covered in snow and glaciers. We arrived in Juneau and took an excursion to the Mendenhaul Glacier. As we got off the bus one lady start to barf. That was disturbing. The glacier was real nice and at that site was a small stream where the salmon were spawning. I won't show a salmon picture without their signed consent, besides they like their privacy. After we returned we roamed the town for a short while.

This was Monday and it was our 29th wedding anniversary. 29 years of total happiness. To celebrate we had dinner at the ship's specialty steakhouse. Good thing because that was the day the dining rooms had a bad menu option. Most of the time we ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet and dinner in the dining room. Food was great. One day Sue actually tried some cavier. This picture shows how well she liked it.

The ship's entertainment, well what can I say, it was a cruise ship. We had seen most of the acts before on other cruises so it was disappointing. At least the singers this time were on pitch. Tuesday we were in Skagway. We had a wonderful excursion, a bus ride into the Yukon and a ride on the White Pass train back. The Yukon is so beautiful. This first picture I will enter in Princess's photo contest.

Sue has a new friend.

I like this picture from "The small boat harbor". I wonder what the large boats are like.

Wednesday we crused the Tracy Arm thingie, a deep canyon carved by a glacier. There were icebergs everywhere with the most incredible color blue. Glaciers and waterfalls landscaped the 3,000 foot granite cliffs. This was the only place it was actually cold. It was cloudy almost every day with light sprinkles.

The last picture is the glacier that carved the entire canyon over the last 10,000+ years. The next day we were at Ketchikan where we did our shopping for family. Rebecca was the big winner. Then we left about noon and sailed all the next day arriving at Victoria about 7pm. We were there for a few hours and left about midnight. We did not even get off the ship since there was nothing to do at the stop, especially late at night, so we enjoyed watching most of the people leave the ship and slowly walk back five minutes later.

To me, here is the most beautiful woman in the world, my bride of 29 years.

As fate would have it, the Golden Princess is the same ship we were on in January for Brenda's wedding. Brenda told me to eat a hot dog for her. Here you go Bren.

This last picture is of the two of us exercising on the ship. 4 laps around is a mile. Thanks Steven for taking care of the house and Katy for picking us up at the Flyaway.

Fun Stuff

2008-08-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have a new Wii buddy. Together we sit and play Mario Cart for hours.

The other day Katy and Rebecca were visiting. As I walked in from work Rebecca says all excitedly, Grandpa. Brought tears to my eyes. First time she said grandpa. She has been calling me Pa for a few months.

Our garden was a success. Today we picked a few items for dinner.

This Saturday Sue and I are off on an Alaskan Cruise. Steven is stayng home and taking care of the house and critters. While on the cruise we are celebrating our 29th anniversary.

Robert's Grandfather

2008-07-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Internet is a wonderful thing. Yesterday I was in a conversation that ended up with my telling a little bit about my grandfather, John (Jack) Heyser. I did a web search on his name and found this article written about him from an event in 1910. It appears the story is also Chapter 2 in a book about the Rim of the World, the road between Big Bear and Arrowhead. This picture was taken of him in 1909 in his mechanic's garage.

The article:

The first car into Big Bear Valley and on over the 101-Mile Rim of the World route was a twenty-horse-power White Steamer driven by John A. Heyser of Los Angeles. He was accompanied by Opie Warner, editor of the San Bernardino Free Press of tat era, and George Wood, owner of one of the three garages in Riverside at the time. The actual time for the trip was thirteen hours and seven minutes, but the running time was eight hours and seventeen minutes.

Mr.Heyser’s own account of the spectacular trip is as follows:

Your writer at the time had pioneered many out of the way towns and resorts in the southwest, dating from 1903 on. But the purpose of this story is to tell you of the first trip to Bear Valley by auto, which negotiated the old horse trail over the Rim of the World and return to San Bernardino by way of Waterman Canyon trail. It had never been done before, and it was held an unquestionable fact that it was impossible for any automobile to negotiate the steep, sandy, rocky and stump-strewn trails for the distance of 100 miles. Wagers were placed 10 to 1 that it would be a failure…everywhere interest was intense…everyone who had made the trip into the mountains behind a couple of hay burners over hot, dusty, sandy, rocky, steep grades was anxious to know the outcome.

Automobiles were still a thing of the future, gasoline stations were unknown; on the desert water sold for 10 cents a small pail; gas and oil came in cans only; tires were terrible, a 2000 mile guarantee was something to write home about. There were no self-starters, no storage batteries; magnetos and common dry cells predominated. All wheels were made of wood, just like wagons. Tires were not demountable from the rims. There was no free air; the hand pump was the source of inflation everywhere.

We had stripped the White Steamer runabout of fenders and anything else not required for the tough assignment. We carried on the running boards two ten-gallon cases of Red Crown gas, two five-gallons of water, our Prestolite tank for headlights, and our emergency food supply. Our drinking water was in one canteen…What was ahead we could only hope to find out. The valley folk all said we were loco and screwy.

At 8 o’clock of this memorable morning, the whole town was out on G Street to see the take-off. It is here repeated that there weren’t a half dozen motor cars in the entire valley at the time. Many well-to-do ranchers desired them, but had no faith in their performance. If this one were to successfully navigate the horse and buggy trails over that 100 miles of mountain country and return alive to prove it, there would be a line forming to buy automobiles.

To cheers and noisy farewells, we three started, following Highland Avenue to East Highlands, thence up from Mentone through the “terrible” Santa Ana Canyon to Clarke’s Ranch and the nightmarish Clarke’s Grade into Big Bear. We faced three obstacles: the Santa Ana River, the old Clarke’s Grade, and the unknown trail from Big Bear to Little Bear (now Lake Arrowhead) and the steep descent down Waterman Canyon.

On the first leg, large boulders struck front and rear axels, crank cases, and tore at running boards and under gear. We forded water three to six feet deep; quicksand, cactus, and jagged ends of fallen logs didn’t make the trip a Sunday Picnic. The wagon trail was faint, oft-time indistinguishable and a wrong guess as to direction precluded any turning around to try another route. It was often necessary to back up a mile or two over boulder and deep-swirling fords. Planks were unlashed from the running boards to build causeways over boulders that could not be dislodged. Shovels helped build run ways over lots of them. After ten miles of this, we came to the last ford across the deep and swift river, and we could see the only habitation between us and the goal at the top of the mountain grade. This was the Clark’s Ranch, a little mountain fruit and stock ranch.

The Clark’s had seen our approach and came to the bank of the river to hail us and exchange greetings. We asked for advice crossing the stream, and the only advice the Clark’s had to offer was to get the hell out of there. Asked why, Clark retorted that we must be three lunatics; otherwise we would never have gotten that far up the canyon in one of those “devil wagons.” He added that the water was five feet deep there and they wouldn’t even think of taking a team of horses across. To attempt it by automobile was accepted suicide.

Well, the driver hand-fired her up to 1000 pounds of steam, and we hung on as we hit the crossing at 30 miles per hour with a half-block run at it. The entire hood went out of sight under water, the fires were put out and we were all drenched. It was necessary for Opie and Wood to jump off and push the car up the steep sandy bank. But right then and there, the safe arrival of the first automobile to negotiate the Santa Ana and reach Clark’s Ranch was history. It took the boys a little time to refill the gasoline and water tanks and the little pint steam lubricator on the dash for we were hastily preparing for the supreme struggle up that infamous Clark Grade to Big Bear Valley.

The road was different, just a winding, narrow, hot rocky trail clinging to the mountainside by its eye whiskers. There were sharp elbow turns; so sharp in fact that the little car with the wheel base of a wheelbarrow almost had to affect several movements to get around them. Many required unloading the car, and even the driver had to get out and help push, guiding it as he did, as we three young pioneers worried, cussed and struggled on our way slowly up that hot dry grade, under a blazing sun, toward the summit.

Halfway up the top, we ran out of water for the steamer. Opie had faint recollections of a spring somewhere near where we were stranded and eventually found it to bring back five gallons of water, while I rested under the only shade within sight, that of a manzanita bush. Into the hungry water tank went the precious, though rancid-looking fluid, hand pumping a charge of it into the dry generator coils. The fire was turned on, the steam gauge rose to 600 pounds and we were on our way to successfully conquer the impassable Rim of the World.

We soon topped the summit and relished the shade of the huge pines, the shady down grade bordered with ferns and flowers –and best of all, the welcome breeze. We had conquered Clarke’s Grade and our motor car was the first to run its little rubber tires over the pine needles and dusty trail to this wonderful playground.

We drifted in front of the only conspicuous building in Big Bear, a large log cabin that housed the post office and a general store. It was about 2 p.m. and since 8 we had traversed about 45 miles. After answering questions galore about our trip, we took on gas from our slim supply of 10 gallon cases, ate some sandwiches and deer jerky on sale at the store and set out to tackle the Rim of the World return route to San Bernardino, 55 miles. We could have rested on our laurels, but we preferred to carry on to the limit. We were warned at Big Bear just as we had been warned by Clark and others: “You can’t possibly make it. You will be stranded out there in the mountains and it will just be too bad.” He meant it too. There were no tow cars, no oil stations, no phones or radios, just risks and perils.

But we took off across the meadows behind the receding waters of the lake. There was no road nor trail, just a herd of about 1000 cattle feeding on the meadow grass. Now these T-Bone steaks on the hoof had never seen a motor car either. If a White Steamer had not the inherent habit of howling like a half-starved wolf in Alaska, the cattle would have minded their own business. However, they took exception to the howling noise set up in burners and did not seem to relish the smell of gasoline, nor the speed of the jumping thing hurtling across their pasture. Consequently the head man laid down his horns on the grass and took off after us like General Grant must have when he took Richmond. The truth is, we got a kick out of scaring the cattle, and even blew the old rubber bulb horn at them and yelled at them; we invited trouble.
And did we get it. The large bull took after us. Bouncing over grass and dried hoof-holes left in the mud by the receding lake, it was fun for a moment, but as the bovine got closer and closer to our rear-mounted gasoline tank with 50 pounds of air pressure in it, it soon ceased to be a joke but a race for cover. I opened the steam throttle and gave it all it had and as we bumped along we expected to break a spring any moment. Opie and Wood yelled and threatened the bull, but that only just made him open his throttle the more. But we finally outdistanced him.

In Fawnskin Valley we passed a little cabin of native logs, and then started the lonesome 55 miles through the pine forests, over the hazardous snow slide grade to the next sign of civilization, the Tillots, at Green Valley. Stumps on the trail had to be negotiated the same as boulders into the Santa Ana Canyon. Trees were so close to the trail that we scratched paint off the roadster getting through them, and finally arrived late in the day at Green Valley to the immense surprise of the startled Tillots, who couldn’t believe their eyes at beholding an automobile in their wilderness.

At that time, Green Valley was a nursery for the forest service, and thousands of baby pine trees were growing there to be set out in the mountains where the Brookings Company had logged off mature trees. The road this far had been one nightmare after another, but we took no chances and drove slowly but surely toward our goal. As we passed Green Valley we were about exhausted and it was almost sundown. We came to Deep Creek, and again faced nothing but trouble, for there were no bridges or paved highways then. We lay down on a sand bar, ate our last sandwich, lit a Bull Durham cigarette and relaxed. The car was still in fine shape, and we had enough gas for 40 miles or so.

Opie figured we could make Pinecrest and the old Baylis resort about 15 miles ahead in time to get a swell feed and maybe communicate with the valley over his magneto telephone line he had boasted of. We only had 22 miles more of mountain driving along the rim, and then we would be on our way down hill, after which we would drift back to San Bernardino and be able to parade up and down before all the saloons and hotels and pool rooms where the boys were waiting to collect their wagers on the trip.

After a good rest at Deep Creek we steamed up and hit the trail again, stopping for a few minutes at Heaps Ranch, which was the only sign of habitation between Green Valley and Pinecrest. Finally we lit our carbine lights and drove under the arch to Pinecrest, where we were given a welcome fit for a king. It did not take them long to wind the old wall magneto phone to San Bernardino and announce our safe arrival at Pinecrest. But the diehards still wouldn’t concede it could be done, and started placing bets that we would not be able to get down the steep, rocky switch-backs into Waterman Canyon.

But after a real feed, we set off to complete the history-making trip. On the entire journey so far we had met only three vehicles, all horse drawn: one horse and buggy on Clarke’s Grade, a ranch wagon in Santa Ana, and another rig near Waterman Canyon toll gate.

We took things slow and easy down that 10-mile steep grade. Our brakes, little rear cast-iron shoes now almost worn out to paper thickness, did not hold the car at all times. It was necessary to put the steam engine in reverse many times to hold the car back. Our headlights flashed all over the mountain-side and could be seen glaring through the darkness on the Rim of the World.

Our return to San Bernardino from this trail-blazing expedition really set the pace for mountain travel, and within the next three years in anticipation of more automobile travel, roads were improved, and in recent years the engineering of fine high-gear roads has opened up this wonderful mountain playground to millions of vacationers who make the trip in an hour, thanks to the foresight of a handful of pioneer-spirited men willing to risk lie and limb in 1908 to pioneer mountain travel by automobile.

A few weeks prior to this “Rim of the World” trip, Mr. Heyser startled all of Southern California by driving the same White Steamer to the top of Strawberry Peak. This spectacular trip was made to prove the ability of the car before attempting the longer route through Big Bear Valley.

Rebekah

2008-07-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

I think it does not matter how old I get or how fast Rebekah grows up, this is how I will always remember her. She has a thing about remotes. As soon as she finds one she grabs it and runs all over the house with it. If she can find another, the more the better. We keep a few extra ones in reach for her. Each one she points at the TV and pushes the buttons.

The other day Sue and I spent the afternoon at Katy's. When my kids were young I would lie on my back and give them "Pony Rides" on my knees. Rebekah got one and was soooooo cute. She would finish (with a tummy plop) and go to my knees and say "Mo" (more). Grandpa just is not as young as he used to be. Pony rides 25 years ago would be nice and long, these days they are a lot shorter.

Home Projects

2008-07-05T18:17:00.001-07:00

So the heat finally got to us. We decided to take a stab at putting in a misting system for the back patio. This was our 4th of July activity. Here you can see how hard we both worked on this project.

This project only took 2 trips to Home Depot. On the first trip we planned on using the same micro-sprinkler system we got for the garden. We could have purchased a misting system but for the money and what you got, it was not worth it. As we were getting the final supplies we found misting connectors for regular PVC pipe and that looked so much easier. Here Sue is putting on a connector. YES, I helped, she has gotten so good at the pipe stuff over the years from reparing the sprinklers so many times that she does the glue stuff. Besides, someone needed to take the pictures.

Funny how the patio seems to be so much longer when you do an improvement project. Seems like whenever I paint it the patio doubles in size.

Finally the 20-foot (whatever, I did not measure it, but it was long) piece of piping was put together and it was time to put it up on the top of the patio. A good opportunity to try my fish-eye wide-angle lens to make Sue look as tall as possible.We added a small section on the side, and connected the piece along the post that hooks up to the hose. After ten minutes we turned on the hose and to our surprise we had water and no leakage. Then we relaxed for a while admiring our excellent work. We felt like kids again running through the sprinklers. When it gets cooler we (I) will repaint the patio and make it a little more attractive. Why do they make the glue such a bright blue color? This picture actually has the mist coming out of it but too difficult to see.

Our garden was a success, except for the corn. The stalks grew very well but the corn did not mature enough due to a lack of pollination. We have little baby watermelons growing now.

Lots of onions and tomatoes. Some Zucchini and carrots.

I can breathe again

2008-06-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

This last year has been pretty difficult for me employment-wise. I work for Ameron Global, Inc. and we were approached about a year ago by a company interested in purchasing the business. For the last year it has been especially stressful working to get the company sold knowing that the sale would most likely result in my employment being terminated. Being a CFO, a buyer would most likely already have top accounting personnel and I would not be needed. Also, there would not be a realistic position for me with what was going to be left with Ameron. With negotiations going on, and constant bickering by the buyer, the deal died this last week. I can breathe again knowing I still have my job. Of course the question can be asked, if the owners were trying to sell the company then, would they try to find another buyer now? I don't really know, but the airline industry is not doing well and companies are not selling for what they did a year ago. At least I get some sort of reprieve. Now the lawsuit phase commences.

Anyway, to celebrate our life being taken off hold, we booked an Alaskan cruise for our anniversary in August. We leave August 9th for a week round-trip out of Seattle. We took an Alaskan cruise 4 years ago to celebrate our 25th anniversary. That was our first cruise ever and now we are hooked. Steven will be at home to take care of the house and the dog. The great thing is the crusie is only about 6 weeks away so we don;t have to look forward to it for 6+ months like our previous cruises. Because of the late booking we got a very good price as the cruise line tries to fill the unsold rooms. As fate would have it, we are on the same ship as we took to Mexico for Brenda's wedding.

Fun Stuff

2008-06-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

So I am convinced that I have some of the best kids ever. We have discovered that as the children get older it becomes more difficult to celebrate holidays and just get together. With Katy and Brenda married, they now have to schedule things around their husband's family also. Case in point, Father's Day. Brenda and Mike are away this Father's Day weekend so we celebrated a week early. The three kids planned a family outing and did a great job keeping it a surprise for me. Katy somehow found someone in her apartment with connections and we all went to the Magic Castle in Hollywood for dinner and the shows. The food was okay, but really too expensive for what we got. The shows were pretty good. We liked the close-up magician the best. Steven met a older couple sitting next to them at one of the shows. By the end of the night they seemed as if best friends, exchanging emails and home addresses. In all, it was a great time and so thoughtful of my great children.

Sue and I bought ourselves a Wii a few weeks ago. Brenda bought one and we liked it so much we bought ourselves one and seem to play it almost every night. I saw the sooooooo many commercials on TV and thought it really looked stupid, but it is a lot of fun. It is probably so much better for us than just sitting around all night watching tv. We get some exercise bowling, playing golf, and tennis. As evidenced by the picture below, I think I have mastered the bowling game.

I finished the game before this with 6 straight strikes, then a 300-perfect game of 12 more strikes. I am afraid to play again to ruin my 18-strike streak.

For those who have been concerned about how our garden is doing, be at ease. It is doing very well. We have been feasting on radishes, lettuce, and zucchini (Sue only of course). We have tomatoes that are starting to grow and our corn will be ready for consumption in a week or two.

Yesterday I was showing Rebekah the garden and to my surprise, she pointed at the apples on the tree and said "apple" clear as day. She is getting cuter as she gets older. Last week while visiting I left the room and she came running after me saying gampa gampa.

This last week I finished CERT training, Community Emergency Response Team. It was a seven-week course teaching me how to be a responder for an emergency situation. We learned first aid, search and rescue, emegency preparedness and some other things. At the conclusion we were all given a nifty CERT backpack with our green helmet, green vest, and some other supplies.

One last note, Sue visited someone the other day and she made a comment about me that made me think. She said she could tell how much I adored my wife. At first I thought, that was strange. Then the more I thought about it, the better I felt. I am glad people can tell how much I love my wife, and I do more than they can realize. We have heard of soul companions, but I think Sue and I go beyond that. I hope Katy, Brenda, and Steven realize how much their parents are still in love and how they and their families make us complete.

Katy

2008-06-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

Today is Katy's birthday. It seems like just yesterday she was a little infant in our arms.

Katy was a great child. Her mom and dad lost Katy's older sister, Robin, during childbirth and so looked forward to this little baby girl born June 1, 1981 in Northridge. When her mom was pregnant she had gall stones and had to suffer a few months before she was far along in her pregnancy that she could have surgery to remove her gall bladder. Then when Katy was born, after one week she became deathly ill. She was admitted to Children's Hospital in Hollywood for a week being treated for Sepsis, a blood infection. As a young child Katy always loved aninmals. A bit of trivia, her nickname came from her dad calling her KD for her initials and it developed into Katy.

Katy always did exceptional in school, never a problem. As a young girl she was a Daisy, a Brownie and Girl Scout. She loved (and still does) to draw and paint. No one knows where she got her artistic talent from as both her mom and dad have very little of it. She has always been very kind and loving, except for teaming up with her sister to pick on Steven. She was very good at math and science during school (and she still is). She is the Jeopardy queen of such subjects.

Katy always loved music. As a child she would sing at home and in church. In Junior High she learned the Clarinet and played in band. She also took her dad's old saxaphone and played it for a while. She continued on into high school and was in marching band and concert band. Hard to believe with her mom as a piano teacher, that Katy taught herself how to play. In high school she was the accompianist for the school's top singing group. She still plays for church and teaches a few students. Katy graduated from El Camino and went on to CSUN. She worked with her father for a few years at Pacific Theatres, worked at Waterpic, and at Sierra Canyon School.

Katy met Danior at the LDS institute at CSUN. She had bike trouble and Danior was kind enough to assist her. They dated for a while and were sealed in the Los Angeles temple May 28, 2005. Danior currently works for an accounting firm and Katy works at home managing their apartment complex.

On March 12, 2007, Katy and Danior were blessed with their own baby girl, Rebekah Louise. We always knew what a great mother Katy would be and she has proven us right. Katy, we love you very much. You make us proud.

SUNDAY, MAY 25

2008-05-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, just another usual day. We woke up early for church and I noticed a helicopter hovering in the area which appeared to be by the freeway close to Brenda and Mike's condo. That happens all the time so we thought nothing of it. Then half-way through chior practice I get a call from Brenda on my cell phone. They were awaken at 3 am by gun shots next door. They guy they share a wall with freaked out, came home drunk and beat up his girlfriend. She ran out of the condo and he chased her outside taking a few shots at her and the security gaurd. Brenda and Mike called 911. The helicopter showed up and they figured things were safe and went back to bed. Little did they know their next door neighbor was hiding out the other side of their bedroom wall with guns and amunition while the SWAT team was sealing off the area, closing down the 101 freeway and getting ready to move in. Brenda and Mike woke up about 9 with a SWAT officer peeking over their balcony. Surprised to see her, he told Brenda there were police officers at their front door to escort them out. They grabbed the dogs and left immediately, still in their pajamas. Somehow they ended up with the guy's dog for hours until the girlfriend came back to get it. The entire block was sealed off with police cars, detectives, and bomb squad vehicles. They found something in the guy's apartment that required the bomb squad and then everyone was kicked out of the place for most of the day.

This is the command post. Brenda and Mike were both pulled in for about 1/2 hour each to be interviewed by the lead detective.

The bomb sqaud truck. The squad could not go in for a few hours as they waited for a search warrant. Meanwhile, Brenda and Mike are in their pajamas on a cold overcast day. Not until I talked to a detective did he walk Brenda back to their condo to get some warmer clothes. The area was a "crime scene" and she could ot touch anything except to get her clothes.

Here they sit in front of the condo unit on Burbank Blvd.

They are being interviewed by a reporter from the Daily News. Mike is holding the pit bull that belonged to the guy and his girl friend. She asked him to hold on to the dog as she was being wisked off to the police station. It was supposed to be an hour but was closer to 3.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_9380414

Mother's Day

2008-05-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Mother's Day. After church we went to Brenda's for dinner. Here is a picture of Sue with her Mother's Day flower.

She really does not like pictures. She always makes me take pictures of her as far away as possible . Nuts to her. I think she is the most gorgeous person on the planet. Love you dear!

Brenda made a nice dinner at her place. My mom came over too. Brenda and Mike recently stimulated the economy and used one of their tax rebates to buy a Wii. If anyone does not know what a Wii is, it is a TV computer game where the player holds a control stick and with their motions control what is happening in the game. Here my mom (Lenore) is bowling. She seemed to be the best of all of us.

In another game between Katy and my Mom, it was a see-saw match. It came down to the very last frame. Katy was ahead by 8 pins and my mom threw her first ball, 8 pins. Then she threw her second ball and it went right between the pins so they ended up in a tie.

Rebekah got her own private swimming pool yesterday. Yet when I came home, Rebekah was not in it but Sue and Katy were soaking their feet to cool off. Rebekah did walk in and out of the pool a couple of times.

Sunday May 4

2008-05-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

So I know how much everyone is concerned about how our garden is doing. Hopefully this will answer the concerns.

If anyone has visited Katy's blog you already know that we are going to be grandparents again. Katy is expecting little Robert or Roberta about Christmas time. Rebekah got two new things at grandpa & grandma's house. First, her own little couch that folds into a bed.

Second, grandma bought her a little pull puppy. Here she is in Angel's bed. Shows how smart she is, she knows the puppy belongs in the dog's bed.

Garden update

2008-04-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know gardens are not real exciting, but I had to post the official first picking of something we grew. So its was just basil, but we grew it. Look how tall the corn is getting.

Monthly gathering

2008-04-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Saturday 4/19) was our monthly gathering. We get together with the kids and my mom to enjoy each other's company, celebrate birthdays, and just have fun.

Brenda/Mike made a pot of chili, burned right thru the bottom of the pot. They say it was pretty good but I don't eat the stuff.

Katy cut up some watermellon. You can tell by the expression on her face how pleased she was to have her picture taken. Better watch what you are doing Katy or we might get a finger as an added bonus.

Sue got busy preparing some corn, still steaming mad at me for not doing a good job cleaning the patio furniture. It did not matter that I: 1) took out the trash, 2) hosed off the patio, 3) did the dishes, 4) put away the water bottles, 5) vacuumed the floor, 6) paid the bills, 7) updated PAF for the day's temple visit. 8) picked up the dog piles in the backyard, 9) picked up clutter, 10) solved the world's oil crises. It was all about the patio furniture. Notice the lack of dishes in the sink (thank you).

While all the food gathering was going on, I had RL duty. Just like her grandpa was as a youth (29 years ago), she is a climber. I don't see any cobwebs, just a clean patio.

Mike started cooking the hot dogs. What a mighty fine looking BBQ. I wonder who did just a great job putting that together.

Danior made sure the post was not going to fall. I taught him well.

Rebekah got her first corn on the cob. She likes it but had a hard time holding on with her tiny little hands. Look who is eagerly waiting for an opportunity

"Opportunities are never lost, others take those which we pass up"

Absolutely nothing to say here. Oh my!

Flowers for my lovely wife. Love you dear.

Garden Update

2008-04-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking. Yes we do live such dull lives that our new garden is all the excitement we have to write about. Things are growing nicely. The corn is getting taller.

The radishes have sprouted and are ready to be thinned.

And the carrots are peeking up too.

This last weekend Rebekah discovered the hose and Sue helped her water the garden. This was well until RL discovered how cold the water was when she turned the hose on herself. I may be bias, but I think RL is the cutest little girl on the planet.

Just so there is no confusion, the garden is not all we do, actually I (Robert) do most of the work. Brenda came over last night and snapped a picture or our nightly routine as we relax, watch TV, and work on our genealogy. We argue about who gets the live version of PAF on the screen.

By they way, April 17th is Robert's birthday. Gifts are always accepted (and lots of them)

The Garden

2008-04-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

After years of having the empty space in our backyard we finally got our act together and planted a vegetable garden. It only took us 4 trips to Home Depot and 1 trip to Green Thumb.

Here you can see how hard we both worked. We debated long and hard about the format. We knew we wanted raised beds because the last time we planted a garden it was well enjoyed by bugs and snails. Our soil is like cement and trying to plant anything in the clay is ridiculous. I built a fence in the front yard a few months ago and wile digging in the dirt I ended up seriously hurting my thumb. Got a condition called "trigger thumb" which lasted many months. Sue wanted one or two large boxes and I thought some smaller ones would be better.

We bought four smaller boxes and the dirt with our first trip to Home Depot. In these two boxes we planted lettuce. We made a second trip for wood to build some bigger boxes and dirt. We spent about an hour looking at sprinkler stuff. The car would only hold so much so we made a third trip to get more dirt. Then a fourth trip for more sprinker parts.

Here is one of our sprinkler feeds. It fits onto our regular sprinker pipe and is called a microsprinkler system. Looks kind of like an octopus. We have hoses going all over the place to all the boxes and fruit trees.

Our end product. Along the fence is corn and onions. The far box has tomatoes, zucchini, green onions, and radishes which have already sprouted. The little boxes have lettuce (romaine and endive) and carrots. The closer box has watermelon, walla walla onions, basil, and parsley. Inbetween are our two apple trees and an orange tree we planted late last summer. My mom says she will come over when we are away and pick our vegetables. Almost as soon as we planted the seeds the birds started having a snack.

We also planted in the backyard some flowers so I can take Rebecca on our excurions; special grandpa-granddaughter bonding time.

BBQ update

2008-03-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

The BBQ is still working. We put our old BBQ out at the street for big-item pick up and someone helped themself with 1/2 hour. What idiot would want that old, beat up, and filthy thing?

The DMV Visit

2008-03-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

Lucky me, my driver's license expires this year. That means a roadtrip to the DMV. I made the appointment over the Internet. That was pretty cool and modern. Since I work in Valencia I went to the Santa Clarita office. Thanks to Brenda, she gave me some heads up as to the facilities and its location.

Good thing too. It was a tiny building with virtually no signage. The parking lot was full but again, thanks to Brenda's advance warnings I had parked around the corner at a small strip mall. I walked in the door about tenth in line. The line moved fairly quickly and I was given the magic number, F0019, and told to wait in the never ending group of chairs.

There were about 40 people at the chairs and they all seem in a stupor as they were waiting for their number to be called. I was hopeful that since I had a "reservation" my number would come up real fast. Everyone seemed aloof and to themselves, almost as though they were about to walk the green mile. A voice kept calling out the numbers, sounding as if it was from the movie Logan's Run. A soft, soothing voice which got everyone hopeful they would be next. Surprisingly, my number came up after about 5 minutes. F0019 to window four. I screamed BINGO and went to the window for my prize. To my suregrin the prize was I had to fork over $28 bucks.

She took my papers and gave me an eye test. How appauling, she accused me of not covering my eye completely. Little did she know I was just as blind with both eyes as I was one at a time. But I did not cheat, it was covered sufficiently. I passed the test and was told to go wait in the line all the way on the other side of the building for my photograph.

That was interesting too. Nobody would talk to anyone else. This line was about a ten minute wait. At one point a security guard came out of the bathroom and told us how to stand in a line. He move one lady up a foot, told me to stand behind her, and another lady to stand behind me; as if we had never stood in a line before. Our state's money put to good use. Then I saw one guy there for his driving test. Duh, he parked his car in an illegal spot painted red. I wonder if he passed his test.

Soon I was "next". Everyone else was envious. My turn came and the thumb print reader had about 5 snap shots before they got a good print. I was asked my name, as if the paperwork was not accurate. He took my picture and I was done. Now I get to anxiously wait and see how horrible my picture turns out. That worst part was having to add 30 pounds to my weight from 12 years ago.

The Barbeque

2008-03-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

We bought a new barbeque at Home Depot last week. Saturday I decided to put it together. Some assembly required. Dang!

Yep, that’s one mighty fine barbeque!

Why doesn’t mine look like that?

Dang. I guess I need to start over. This time I will use the instructions. French, why are the instructions in French. What the heck is “le grille”?

I’m going in. How do they get all those pieces in the one box?

I got the stand put together. Looks good, I think. Will it hold the barbeque part? What holds it on?

Wow, its starting to look like something. That was really heavy. Good thing I have a buff wife to help lift it. Why don’t the holes line up. Dang it. I’ll try a little hammering.

So many pieces. So many boxes. Why are the pieces that go together in different boxes?

The end product. Odds are 10 to 1 in Vegas that it will work.

We tried installing the propane and it fired right up. No extra flames shooting out anywhere that we can see. Sunday night we tried it out. The meat looked cooked to me. Another successful project checked off the list.

Rebekah

2008-02-20T19:33:00.001-08:00

Rebekah Louise Martin was born March 12, 2007 in Woodland Hills, CA. This picture was taken on our January 2008 Mexican cruise. Rebekah (RL) is a wonderful child with a great disposition, taking after both her mom and dad. Grampa and Grandma (us) have the pleasure of baby sitting each Monday night while Katy goes to school for her teaching credential.

The Happy Couple

2008-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

Brenda Shisley and Michael Sperber were married Janaury 20, 2008 off the Mexican coast. After being together for 7 years since high school they finally tied the knott.

Current Events

2008-02-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Robert and Suzanne's Blog. After seeing the great work by Katy and Brenda we had to get our Blog started. We are still resting up from our January cruise to the Mexican Reviera where Brenda and Mike got married at sea by the captain. What a great time we had. The best thing about the cruise was just being with the family for the entire week. Baby Rebekah was such a good little girl. Right now we feel deprived as we have no new cruise booked but we will find one soon.

Sue is still working at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, I am still working at Ameron Global in Valencia. We seem to get the most joy from being with our children and babysitting Rebekah who is almost one year old.