Fire and evacuation California living

We had a little excitment last night. I was working in the garage, when I heard the helicopters, and sirens. I stepped out to here the police helicopter telling us to grab a few valuebles, and evacuate. I grabbed the dirtbike, the computer, and our personal files. I eventualy went back for the wife. :)
We went to a friends house, and watched the action unfold on TV. From his rooftop, we also watched the aireal show of tanker planes, helicopters (news, fire dept. and police) over our still standing house. "S", "K" and I were able to go back after an hour. "A" was with friends.
In a flash you have to decide what is important, and what you really need. We grabbed a change of clothes, and the dog. I do have some pictures to share of what we saw, and what us, and the nieghbor grabbed.

View from the back yard













What was important to the nieghbor
















We pulled back in after the evacuation, the nieghbor had pulled the BMW in front of our driveway, but you can see what I grabbed














Smoke still visible when we returned

fire footage video

I went out to Barona with my 13yr old daughter who has never raced. It was a Fathers day race, and they were doing a special Fathers day relay race where you had to share a bike.

She didn't want to go out and ride in the practice sessions for the regular racers, it was a bit intimedating. So after all the races were done, they allowed the father and son/daughter teams to get a few laps in on the bike that they are not used to. she did 2 laps of practice, and I did one on her cr80.They sent the 65cc class out to do their 4 laps. The fathers did the first lap, and handed the bike off to the jr. rider. it was a hoot watching the dads on the 65cc. some of them were clearing the finish line table top, and a double.
Then it was time for the 80-85cc class I did the 1st and 3rd laps without incident. she stalled it once, and we had a great time. The will give plaques to everyone who participated.

I also competed in the 40+ beginner class and got 1st out of 4.
1st moto:I stalled at the gate and couldn't get it started until my group was in the second turn , and finished 2nd.
2nd moto: better start, and finished 1st.
Yahoo.

team Ratz:













daughter at the bottom of the hill (turn two)













Dad over the finish line jump













daughter over the finish line:














What a great fathers day I was able to bond with my daughters, and they had a good day. My oldest was able to overcome her fears of the track, and traffic.

Memorial Day

Our 10u girls went to a tournament in Clairemont, and went 1win, and 2Loses in pool play, to advance to bracket play. They played the number 1 seed ( Lakeside) in the 1st round, and was winning 1 - 0 until the last inning. Lakeside came back to win 2-1 on a last minute play to advance, and eliminate our 10u team. We learned a lot about stratagies of other teams, and what we need to work on.
"S" had some great catches, and made some good plays. She hit the ball when she was up to bat, but it was always to someone for an out. "We'll get em next time kid."

"S" and I also went riding to the mountains by Lake Morena about an hour outside of San Diego. The weather was perfect 71 degrees, and we found our way to some difficult trails, I wanted to check them out before letting Sydney ride on them, but every time I turned around, she was keeping right up with me. Here are some pictures. The only time I could stop and take pictures, is when the trail was mellow enough that I could pull over. Most the trails were so rocky and windy that these pictures don't do it justice.








Notice Lake Morena in the background. Also you can see what fire has done to the landscape










Looking up at S from half way down. This rock was huge, a couple hundred feet long, and wide, The picture doesn't capture how stepp it was, but it was tricky, and fun.














This picture is about half way down the rock, looking down to our little trail. Negotiating the slopping rock was a new expieriance for the both of us, and S handled it well.

Started working on the streetbike

I got tired of seeing all the rust and corrosion on my streetbike ( Suzuki GS500).
So I removed everything down to the frame. Took the frame and wheels to get powder coated. The frame and wheels will be semigloss black, and gloss black.
I had to strip off the paint on the tank, and the plastic bodywork. It took a lot of sanding. I also Took the shock apart, and sanded, and painted the shock body, and spring.
I will keep the blog updated with progress reports, but here is some pictures for those of you who are having anticipation anxiety:
The before picture












The shock before,














The shock after,















Now, the tank partialy done,















And completely stripped:

Visit to Ohio

K left for Ohio. Brandon is Graduating after 7 years of High school.... just kidding.
He graduated on time, and is probably going to Lake Erie College.
K is meeting her parents who flew out on the same flight.
The girls and I are managing just fine. S and I will be attending a Softball tournament all weekend. A will go to the movies, and a birthday party. Then we will try to get her some rest.

!!!!!!We're going to Nattionals!!!!!!!

We had two good weekends in a row for 'A's travel team " San Diego Renegades"

This weekend they had a tournament in Tucson that was a National Qualifier. You had to win it all, but if you did, you get to go to the nationals in Sacramento, CA. The girls went 7 - 0 to win it all. They defeated the "OC WildCats, ( who beat TNL, to advance)They played so well.
I believe there was only two errors the whole weekend. The Renegades outscored their opponents 44 - 4, on Sunday.
'A' got to bat only a couple of times( struck out, and grounded out), and did some base running. I think she played the outfield once or twice.

Qualifying this early in the year means less tournaments, and travel that we would had to do. It will cut our cost of trying to qualify this year considerable.
Congratulations to the Team, Coaches, and Parents. We are very proud of you.

From the Renegades website"San Diego Renegades 12U (Margulies) Qualify For 2007 USA-ASA Junior Olympic Nationals: The San Diego Renegades 12U (Margulies) are Champions of the Region 13 National Qualifier Tournament, held in Tucson, Arizona on May 5-6. The championship gives the Renegades a berth to the USA-ASA Junior Olympic 12U National Tournament in Roseville, CA from July 29-August 5, 2007. The Renegades won the Region 13 Qualifier Championship playing in a tournament field of 24 teams from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The Renegades finished with a perfect record of 7-0 and outscored their opponents 71-7. Congratulations Renegades! -- On To Nationals!"

last weekend in April

Pretty boring weekend.
I pulled my truck in, and replaced the front brake calipers, with rebuilds. Brake fluid everywhere. It wasn't too bad, I drove it to work today, and it actually stopped.
We watched the SDSU girls play softball against Colorado State. SDSU won. Those girls are bad asses. Throwing 67-70mph from 40ft. There is not much time to react. I would say you have to plan on swinging at everything, and stopping if it is not a good pitch. Instead of the opposite ( waiting to see if it is a good pitch before you start your swing).
Amber was in a tournament in Palm Springs for her 12u travel softball team. They went undefeated, and took 1st place.
It is starting to heat up out here. it was 94deg out where Amber was playing. It was about 80 in San Diego.

I just got a used laptop this weekend, and I am trying to set it up wirelessly at the house. So I bought a wireless router, and experimented yesterday. After 2 hrs., and lots of help from the neighbors kid ( 27 yr. old kid) I found out that the wireless card in the computer is faulty. Yeah! another purchase needed. I need to by a new wireless card for the laptop. You see how important this is now, right?

We are moving into the picks for Allstars. Sydney will make it on one of two teams.... probably the better team.
Amber is in travel ball, and is not elligable for Allstars. I think she is a little sad about that, but she is excited about being on a team that could go to nationals.
Talk to you all soon

Birthday for "S"

"S" turned 10 over the weekend. She had a sleep over for her friends. They went to the movies, and made cup holders, had hamburgers, and stayed up late.
"S" got a few nice gifts, some clothes, Gift cards, A Coach wallet, and a Bat-Bag, ( backpack style)

My latest helmet for "A, D"

This helmet is for One of the players that played on the "Mira Mesa Magic" a semi-travel team. "A/D" was one of the players I really enjoyed coaching, because she has a great deal of heart. What she did best was "want" to make a play.
She got a special theme on her helmet for the referrence to the trip out to the desert. Her and a group of brave individuals conquered the great california desert rattlesnake. They cleaned, cooked, and ate the snake. This indoctrinated her into the snake eaters tribe, Which is represented, on the personal side of her helmet. The other side is traditional MM theme. I hope you like it, "A"...

Spring break snowboarding

"S" just returned from a week of snowboarding at one of the premier ski resorts in the country.



MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN FACT SHEET
LOCATION Central California
Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
MAMMOTH Average Snowfall: Over 400 inches (33 feet)
MOUNTAIN Average Sunny Days: 300
STATISTICS Length of Season: November - June
Vertical Rise: 3,100 feet/945m
Elevation: Base: 7,953 feet/2,424m Summit: 11,053 feet/3,369m
Skiable Acreage: 3,500+/1,416+ hectares
Snowmaking: 477 acres/193 hectares, covering 48 trails - 33% of mountain
Number of Lifts: 28 – 1 Six-pack, 10 Quads (9 high-speed detachable), 7 Triples,
5 Doubles, 3 Gondolas and 2 Surface lifts (2 pomas)
Number of Trails: 150 named trails
Uphill Capacity: 50,000 rides per hour
Longest Run: 3 miles
Terrain: 15% expert, 20% advanced, 40% intermediate, 25% beginner



"S" went with some friends of ours who took good care of Sydney on only her second trip to the mountains snowboarding.
She was up there for 5 days, and got in a lot of boarding. She actually went on some very difficult runs, from beginner to advanced runs.
She is growing so fast that she had to borrow some cold weather snowboarding pants.
It was very warm up there on some days. It was in the mid 50's. She borrowed the snowboard, but we went and bought her some boots ($20) not bad. We are looking into the after season sales for a board, and bindings for her.... we'll see.

Cousins on Vacation

My sister, brother-in-law, and their kids went to the ozarks, in Mossouri. They had a chance to do some horseback riding.

April 1

"S" is up in the Mountains snowboarding, she will be up there for 1 week. She should be an expert by the time she gets back. http://www.mammothmountain.com/

"A" was in San Francisco for a Choir recital. She saw the Golden Gate Bridge, and China town. It was a 10hr. bus ride , one way.

"K" and I went to some friends in Chula Vista, they have a pool, so we sat around, had a drink, and relaxed, and ate steak.

Sad News

My dear friend, Mike Bolles died Yesterday morning. He died in his sleep, but it appears as though excessive medications, and his weak heart may have played a roll in his passing.
Mike and I met When I worked at Nortel, back in 1999. Mike and I both took jobs at Allegiance telecom. We worked together there for almost 3 years. Mike said we need to get dirt bikes, and we bought some dirtbikes and gear, and even got some for our kids. We spent a few weekends together riding, and I have stayed with it ever since. I am glad he got me back into dirtbikes. I have attached a picture of Mike after he crashed trying to overtake me on a big jump. (Pictured is his son Christopher, and my daughter Amber )
Mike was a very funny guy, We had many stressfull days at Allegiance, and he made them tolerable. His wife Phyllis had a heart attack in bed back in 1999, went into a coma, and suffered brain damage. When she came out of her coma, Mike cared for her and the kids the best he could, but he never got over loosing the wife he knew and loved. It may have reallly been the day he died. Mike was a hard worker, and was very smart, he was very good at problem solving. he often gave his personal phone number to customers who had problems, so they could reach him directly. Now that is dedication. He generously brought people onboard the company that he saw potential in. Mike D. , James M., and myself. We all watched the 9/11 tradjedy unfold at work that morning. And when we got bored, Mike and I would try to spice things up. We would pull pranks at work, or get into irrelevent arguements about politics, science, current events, or poke fun at each other. We had our ups and downs with everyone there, but we were a disfunctional family.
Mike had recently been job searching, and trying to make ends meet for his kids ages 19, and 11. but a recent Car accident set him back yet again.
I would like to pass on my love, and prayers to his kids, and all his friends. A part of me is missing, and the sun is shining a little less bright right now. I will think of him always.
If you knew mike, or only met him once, he probably made you laugh.
Godspeed Mike!
Please feel free to leave a comment.

last march weekend

What a busy weekend. Friday, "A" had a game, and got two hits, played catcher, but did not get a chance to pitch.
Saturday, "A" and "K" drove to Huntington Beach for a tournament for "A" travel team. They went 2 for 3.

"S"'s team lost to a Teara Canyon team. She hit the ball twice, but was thrown out at first. She pitched, and struck a girl out, and threw out two others. " Good defense Kid!"
"S" went over to a friends, and they had a sleepover. Dad went to a Surprise party for a friend.
Sunday, Dad Went Golfing! It has been about 8 months since I golfed. I shot a 90 at Easlake. Not bad! Most important was that I had a good time, and was smiling the whole time Brad, John, and Robert kept me laughing, the entire round. They are very good friends, and they have a positive out look. Thanks guys! For those keeping track, John didn't hit into the group ahead of us..
"A" 's team made it to the semi-finals on Sunday, and lost 1-0. They came home very tired. I picked up "S" and we cleaned the garage, and she did homework. The dog hurt her paw playing with another dog.

Spirit week

"A" had spirit week at her school. her and some friends dressed like super heros, one day, and her she is, as Wonderwomen.
















Sasha was unconcerned about how anyone looked last week, and she was in dog heaven with her mostly empty jar of peanut butter.

Mom is in town

My Mom is in town, and she brought along a good friend of hers. We picked them up from the airport, and went home, unpacked, and went to the beach. The weather is perfect, around 69 deg. "S" and I went to the airport While "K" and "A" were at their tournament.














The beach was Del Mar, it is also a dog beach, but we did not bring our pooch. Maybe next time.












Today they took my truck, and went to Horton plaza, which is downtown.

more softball

We had two tournaments since i have talked to you last. Amber is slowly making progress. Her fielding is looking good, and her base running is looking good (besides the only time she got on base this weekend, she was thrown out stealing second, after hesitating between bases, the coach was tryng to call her back)
Amber was having a tough time making contact with the ball. She tends to swing under it. She hit the ball 3 times this past weekend, but poped it up 2 times, and lined out the other.
The next step is to hit it straight in a line shot.
She also got a chance to play an infield position ( 2nd base) for two innings. That shows us that the coach has confidence in her fielding, and startagy playing.
The last two tournaments their team went 3-0, and 3-0. La Habra, and Mission Viejo.
Here is a picture of her playing 2nd.

Renegades debut

A had her first tournament with her new travel team. She had 3 at bats, and got on base once with a walk. She caught 3 fly balls, and 1 hot grounder she had to back hand. They will probably have her bunt a lot this year. She also stole two bases, and advanced home on a passed ball. She had a beautiful slide that i missed, but here is a shot of her batting, and standing on 2nd base.

two new desert vixens

We went out to Ocotillo wells with a new rider. "J" was wearing purple, and is riding the white bike. She did really well. She fell a few times, but all at low speed. She climbed a few hills, and rode in the sand. K got on the XR80, and rode around a little. She followed us out to a riding area with the truck, and enjoyed a day away from the house, and the laundry. I took S on a 6 mile ride across the desert to Poleline rd., and back. She did fantastic. She is really picking up the pace. "A" also had a very good day. She helped out our new rider, and is really learning about responsibility. She also rode my 450 again, and only tipped over once.
The temperature was about 72deg. with a very light breeze. We packed up, and made it back by 6:30.














look who came out to the desert "J" (family friend), and "K".

"J" in purple,
"K" in white t-shirt,
"A" white helmet,
"S" black helmet #27.