Finished another helmet

Said I would never do it again, but here it is:

A young lady from a local travel team batted her eyes at me and asked me to please paint her a helmet like I have in the past.

I couldn't say no.

PV. Pine Creek hike

Had to get out of the house and get some exercise even though it was a little warm. We took off in the morning and hiked about 2 miles in and 2 miles out through rough terrain. We crossed a creek and we saw some cows

Tool box

I had been shopping on Craigslist for a toolbox that I could put my telecommunications tools in, and maybe some ammunition. I just didn't feel it .was necessary to spend money on that at this time. So, I was walking through the shipyard and saw this toolbox that needed some work.  I took it home and cleaned it up, and put some plastic in the sliders so the drawers work better, and painted the top with a black rubberized paint.here is a before and after.

Back yard getting closer

I had a couple days off of work and decided to catch up on the construction of the back yard.  So I added some gravel, finished the bricks, put a coat of urethane on the bench and bought a vine for the trellis.

Evening ride on the Kat

I worked on the bike, and replaced a few items in the Carburetor. Once it was up and running, Sydney insisted we test it out ( it would be irresponsible to not test it). We rode over and got some gas, and stopped by a Jamba juice/ Starbucks were a few bikers gather, and we were off to the Poway area. Miramar rd. East to Scripps Poway pkwy, then to 67, back down Poway rd. about 25 miles, We had the Go-pro mounted, and it looked something like this.

Picked up a new bike to flip

I shopped the items at the auction, and this one seemed to make sense. I figured I could pick it up for $1,000 or less. Well, I got it for $800. after fees, it was $890.
The bike is in great shape, and I was able to take it for a ride almost right away.  We put a battery in it, and off i go.
The bike rode fine. But I noticed it leaked a little. I have taken the carbs apart, and adjusted them several times. I found a few parts that needed replacing due to age. In the mean time...
Sydney got her street bike license, and she wanted to take it for a spin. We took the back roads over to the coast and rode along the coast for about 12 miles, and she did great. She followed me, and eventually lead. I worry about her, but I want her to ride as much as possible with me, because one day I won't be there, and she will need to have good habits.

Replacing a fence post

Removed an old fence post that was rotten and broken it was a wood 4x4 Amber helped me put it in a metal fencepost. Bob and I did all the work, but here is where Amber contributed.

Turkey hunting Lake Sutherland

Sydney and I went hunting Saturday morning after she had won a drawing to hunt on the Water district of San Diego owned Lake Sutherland. We had to meet at the gate to the Lake at 4am, we signed in, along with 4 other hunters. we climbed in a rental boat, and headed across the lake in shear darkness, We landed the boat, in one of the fingers at the North end of the lake, near the dam.
We walked our way toward the canyons, and saw some tracks in the sand near where we were set up.
 unfortunately, that is all we saw.
On our way out we saw 8 deer as we hiked to the boat, and we saw a couple hen turkeys as we drove out.  what a wonderful day, Sydney got to drive the boat, and did a great job. She even maneuvered it into the slip. BTW, boats don't have brakes!

Ceveche'

Put together one of my favorite dishes Ceveche. It is a Mexican salsa/Pica de gallo with seafood.
We changed the traditional recipe a bit. It goes a little something like this;
in separate bowl, combine Cooked shrimp, and Imitation crab meat, and soak in lemon juice. let soak for 1 hour.
In larger bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, Cilantro, chopped onions, chopped scallions( a lot of green), Jalapeno peppers, serano peppers salt and pepper, garlic powder, and Olive oil.combine with contents of bowl of shrimp, crab, and lemon juice.
Chill for at least 1 hour. serve with corn tortilla chips.

1/2 pd shrimp
1/2 crab meat
1 1/2 cup lemon juice

4 tomatoes
1/2 large onion chopped
scallions ( to taste)
1 /1/2 Jalapeno pepppers
1 Serano pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Olive oil

Mothers Day at the beach

Loaded up the bike and went to the beach. It is probably the best way to get some place to park. Amber and I spent an hour or two watching our friends surf, and soaking up some sun. Amber had mentioned that she would like to come down to the beach more this summer, and it would be great if she could ride the bike.
I told her she needs to feel comfortable, and she needs to practice. So, I let her ride home, and she did great.

Sydney at work

Yesterday we went by Sydneys work to bring her sister by whom we had just picked up at the airport.
I had never seen Sydney in her work environment. she was working the cash register, and innerfacing with customers.

Working on a yacht

I worked on a sailing yacht. I connected the satellite dish to the modem, and dressed in the wires, and mounted some ancillary components.
They hoisted me up the mast to one of the scariest work positions I have ever found myself in.
It was only about 20 some feet in the air, but if you fall..... it could be catastrophic. enjoy the view.

Went out to Mission Bay for a bike ride with Kim and Sydney. It was crowded, but we found parking no problem. We left the North end of the bay, and rode to fiesta Island, and around the Island, and back, and finished the day doing 5 miles, and then some Mexican food.

Del Mar with Mom and Dad

Went out today to hit the beach, Grandpa wasn't feeling so good, so we took it slow.
first we had lunch, and then walked to the cliffs of the beach. We found that the bathing suits have gotten even showier than last year.... yikes!
Mom and Dad soaked up the sun in the 84 degree weather.

Car show with Grandpas

Good Guys Del Mar Nationals at Del Mar. Went with Father and Father-in-law, Bob And Eric. Over 1500 cars, lots of great paint jobs classics from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's.
We did a lot of walking, and even saw some autocross racing in the 3 acre slab. I almost bought some tools, but decided not to. found a 1968 Camaro, and a 1940 ford, hit the top of my list.

Hiking with Friends at Pine Creek

We loaded up the truck with Kim, Sydney, Bob, myself, and three dogs.
Bob brought his doc Axel, we had Sasha, and Marley.
Pine Creek is located in Pine Valley, we hit the trail head, and walked about a mile or so into the canyon. It was tough going but it was beautiful, and we had a great view to the creek below. once or twice we made our way down to the creek to let the dogs drink and play. Here are some pictures:

Winter in the desert

Sorry I havent kept up on this blog, but life has been complicated.
I took the girls out to the Desert, and we rode the Dunes of Glamis, and got some video of it, and put some music to it:
youtube video of Glamis

Next Chapter... Job change

After being in the Powersports Auction business for a while, It is time to move on.
It was mutually agreed that I was not a fit for the position as it was evolving. The needs of the job specifically in territory had changed and forced me to seek employment elsewhere.
I learned a lot during my time with NPA. I was not really ready to leave as I felt I was gaining progress, building accounts, bring in new customers, and keeping my markers ahead of most the team every month.
Where I go next is still uncertain. maybe motorcycle industry, telecom, aerospace......
If you are reading this, and you have an opening for me......
give me a call.

Glamis and the deck

On Friday after work, "S" and I went out to Glamis to meet up with the Coffins. we got out there about 9pm. we built a camp fire, enjoyed some beverages, and then retired to their camper/toyhauler.
In the morning,  we went on a ride, and a few of us fell over due to the sand being so soft. The sand gets soft when the temperature picks up. we went back to camp, and had some lunch. another ride, and we went to a hot Springs, and then onto Gecko road, where we found a great natural jump.I got some good Air, but Hali did better than all of us.
Here is a picture of "S" and I getting some air.

 "S" and I drove home that night so we could get a fresh start in the morning on the deck.
The deck had been taken apart, and That morning, we cut up the boards, and loaded both trucks with the boards. we broke our backs, but we unloaded at the dump, and treated ourselves to some subway sandwiches. We went home, and broke up the cement anchors of the deck, and loaded up the cement, and some bushes, and disposed of them.... ( secret drop).
We washed the cars, and dirtbikes, and laundered the gear.

Birthday!

My lovely Daughter Sydney made it to 16 despite all my threats.
Happy Birthday, Kid!

Went Turkey hunting

The only thing I saw was turkeys all along the road. I could hear them in the trees near me, but none would come out to visit me and my decoy.
Better luck next weekend. I will be going up into the mountains more, with Robert.

Tejon youth hunt

I had heard about the Tejon Ranch youth hunt sponsored by the California Deer Association. I entered my daughters name, and got a call back from Jerry Springer, President of CDA. He said that Sydney had won a deer hunt at the Ranch. 275 junior hunters applied, 5 were picked for Deer, and 10 for Hog. We were asked to practice at the rifle range, be prepared for any kind of weather, bring a big cooler, do not bring ammo( it would be provided) bring one parent, and a camera. We headed out of San Diego Monday the 17th, and stayed in Santa Clarita. The next morning we drove through the heavy fog and rain to the offices of Tejon Ranch Lebec California. We were met with open arms by the staff of Tejon Ranch, Jerry from CDA, and the other JR. hunters and Dads. Jerry Passed out gift bags to the kids filled with goodies: Alpen Optics binoculars, Barnes ammo ( 2 box's), z-blades knives, scent away shower kit, Hunters specialties Deer call and rattle,.Binocular harness, and 3 hats. along with a few other items that were in the bag. We were very excited about these give-aways, from the sponsors, and plan on writing them thank you letters. Our guides showed up, and we followed them through the main gate, and we headed to the cabin, where we would set our gear.

We waited to see if the weather would clear so we could practice shooting. The fog and sleet showed no sign of clearing, so we started shooting at short range:

Once we were sighted in, we jumped in the truck of our Guide "Cody", he drove us around the Western end of the Ranch, and we started seeing deer right away:

Cody found a nice Bobcat to get pictures of.

Since we were there to help balance the herd, we were only allowed to shoot Does. Here is a shot of a young buck we saw early.

We saw close to 70 deer in 3 hours, but it wasn't as easy as spot and shoot. I was the goal of the guide to not shoot does with yearlings, and if we couldn't tell which doe the yearlings belonged to, we moved on:

Finally we found 3-4 bachelorettes, Sydney and the guide got out of the truck with the rifle, and tri-pod, and started hiking out to the base of the mountain the deer were spotted on. I tried to hang back so I could capture it all on film. She set up, and took a shot that just went under the lead doe. We kept an eye on that deer, to make sure she was not hit. She did not leave, nor did the other 3 deer. Sydney put the cross-hairs on her again, and let another round fly. You could see the impact on the deers ribcage, it instantly lurched, and took off to the top of the hill and disappeared in the brush. Our guide asked us to stay put and keep an eye out for her around the base of the hill. Sydney and I walked around the hill, and found our doe expired. We quickly took a few pictures as the sun disappeared on the horizon. She was all smiles. I kept an eye on her to see if she was truly enjoying this, or doing it for Dad. She never stopped smiling, and loved it all. I had told My daughter that I wanted her to gut the deer, ( against her mothers wishes). She flipped the deer over and used Dads knife and followed the guides instructions well. she was allowed to turn the knife over at any time, she made it all the way to cutting the esophagus. That was fine with me. I have learned over the years of coaching my daughters that sometimes it is best to let someone else coach her. She listened to the guide intently, and he was a very good instructor, and a very patient man. I think he appreciated me not butting in, too.

Sydney and her guide Cody:

I can't thank the folks at Tejon enough for giving my daughter the experience of a lifetime. Jerry hooking her up with the hunt, and all the goodies. And mostly Cody( our guide) for making it a very pleasurable experience. Sydney was a fine young lady throughout the whole thing, and I couldn't be prouder of her. She was involved, a good shot, patient, polite, sociable, and grateful.

4 out of 5 of the kids were able to harvest a deer. The 4 were very conscious of the feelings of the young man who did not get his deer. That night we all sat around the cabin as one of the old timers told a story or two, and we all shared some laughs. I highly recommend you try to get your youngster in this hunt, but if you don't I hope you have a great experience in the outdoors as we did. Eric Here is the video:
 WARNING GRAPHIC

Amber and Oma are back

Amber flew back into SD. We picked he up at the airport, and stopped by the Mexican food joint. It was also the week that Oma came out for a visit. We were smiles from ear-to-ear.

Hunting and riding

Hunting season came and went. I spent a lot of time scouting as it is as much fun as the actual hunt, and I can bring my friends with me. I explored a lot of new places this year, but I settled on Pine Valley and McCain Valley. I hunted in both places. I shot my deer in McCain Valley. It's size wasn't impressive, but it was still a success.

Amber wanted to try to ride my street bike before I sold it. The bike is a Honda vtr1000. She did very well.

It has been a while since I have talked to you all. The bad: After working for 8 years with AT&T, my employment with them has come to an end. Apparently they didn't need me as bad as I needed them. I spent 3-4 months looking for employment. I found a new home with a great compnay called NPA (National Powersport Auction) they are a few miles away, and I have known of them for about 20 years. NPA is a auction house for motorcycles, quads, boats personal watercraft... etc. I am a sales rep for them, and I go to dealerships, and try to bring in inventory( consignments) to the auctions. I have been working with them for 4 months, and so far so good. I do travel a lot. thank goodness the girls are old enough to not require my constant attention. I didn't take much of a hit in salary. so I think we are going to be ok. I miss the security of AT&T, but definately not the people. Love my new home NPA!

Dad and Daughter weekend, Oh, and some gardening

We were bored Saturday night, so Bob took us ( 'S' and I , and Bobs daughter)out to the bowling alley on base.
We bowled a game and a half. The scores were not impressive, but everyone was smiling.
We had some fries, and beer. Made our way over to the pool table, and tried to teach the girls about shooting pool. We listened to some country music and had a great time.

















Sunday, we got up early and went out to the mountains, and 'S' participated in the Youth Pheasant hunt. They had booths set up for shooting clays, learning about the environment, archery, bird dogs, and finally going out into the field with a dog, and handler, and a partner. 'S' had a shot at two birds. She hit the first one pretty hard, but it flew into another field, and it's demise could not be verified. The second bird was hit, but flew off to live another day. Her hunting partner was able to knock down one bird ( kids were given an opportunity at two birds, often a rooster, and a hen). Here is a picture of 'S' with her partners bird.

We left the hunt, and I let 'S' drive the truck down a dirt road in the mountains. It was one lane mostly, and winded its way out of the mountains and some beautiful scenery, that included seeing wild animals, waterfalls and stream, an arboreal tunnel.
We made it home after a long day. 'S' took a nap in the sun ( it was in the 70's all day) I cleaned the gun, then went out back to plant some tomato plants, and some onion bulbs. This is my first earnest attempt at a garden, I will keep you updated

Internal Medicine

Anyone see anything wrong with this?

Went to the Supercross

It was quite a logistical nightmare, but we got it done with minimal problems.
Got into the stadium parking lot early, had a little cookout on the tailgate. The 'A' showed up, because she was at softball in OC. We went into the pits and saw some famous riders, and people. 'A' got a free hat, and T-shirt by turning on the charm. 'S' and her friend also enjoyed the pits, and the boys they saw. We made our way into the Stadium ( Bob, myself, and the 3 girls, ) when Bob got a call from his daughter who had just arrived. We all watched, cheered, and laughed. We had a very good time.