My best Christmas gifts received were a visit and...

Ry in Pasadena

Reuben and Ryan

Ryan, Joyce and Reuben

Pete, George, Sheree and Ryan

...my digital photo viewer from Laura and Pat that you will find on my fridge highlighting a constant dissolve of various pixs of Laura, Pat and Ry...a home run of a gift.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas. Mine was particularly special since I was able to spend it with Ryan. Ry has been working on a job site with Siemens in Las Vegas for the past month. Fortunately he had a few days off for the holiday and chose to spend it with his dad. We stayed busy visiting family and friends. Christmas Day was spent with Pete, Cathy and family...they filled our bellies with a month's worth of food! The next day we made the trip to the Valley to enjoy time with Joyce, Reuben and family. Saturday was filled locally with Temecula friends, especially those associated with Pete's car club. As someone that appreciates fast cars and the work put into the restorations, Ry enjoyed the day.

Ryan has left to head back to Sin City and those days spent with him seemed to go so fast. I am grateful though for the time I got to spend with him. As a parent you hope that you have prepared your children to take on life as an adult to the best of their ability. Years ago they accepted the baton that was passed off to them a lot earlier than they deserved, however, mostly due to their character and strong dose of good common sense, they have done very well and thus made me extremely proud of them both. I'm a very lucky dad to be blessed with my kids.

Laura and Pat have had a rough Christmas holiday due to the passing of Pat's Grandpa this past week. They have been and continue to be in our thoughts. Hopefully next year, families will be able to gather together around the holidays for happier reasons.

In closing, I appreciate all the gifts and friendships afforded me this past year...here's hoping 2009 is kind to all of you.

Awww, the 80's...

Their persona's were screaming at us even back then!

Taylor

I had the greatest dog in the world. I think it's important that I start this out that way, just because I can, and because it's true. Of course yours is the greatest, too - to you.

My greatest dog in the world, Taylor, died today. I'm in a surreal psychological place about it all. I'm already sad about who won't be there waiting for me at the door. She was part of my life, my house, family and friends. I'm not ready to talk about a rainbow bridge or something making me stronger that didn't kill me. I'm mulling over memories of her that will stay with me for the rest of my life. She was everything good and I really do think that the mutual love between a dog and a person is one of the coolest things in the world if you can stand the sad parts.

Taylor was pretty smart. If she could speak I imagine she would have beat me hands down at TV trivia. A more loyal and unselfish dog would be difficult to find. One thing she could never master was the concept of Halloween and that innocent little kids were behind those threatening masks. What she did get though was her routine of falling asleep under my desk with her chin resting on my feet. I wonder if she ever realized the impact of that on me.

Before she passed I reminded her that she was loved and being the smartass that I am, I asked her to put in a good word for me. See, some may view that as self serving and it may well be, but anyone that knew Taylor and her bigger than normal heart...would know where she's headed.

Visit to Frosty's......

The Drifters Car Club enjoyed a visit to Frosty's residence in Temecula today. Frosty, a multiple car collector himself, has amassed a remarkable collection of retro signage, sets, custom automobiles and the garages to maintain and house them all. Each and every one of us in attendance enjoyed ourselves and wish to thank him for a great "time machine" visit.

32' Ford grill...

Ten minutes well spent...

Set aside a moment as 60 Minutes follows America's toxic electronic waste as it is illegally shipped to become China's dirty little secret:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4586903n

Image of the week...

Gray scallop sea shell.

The Senility Prayer...

Grant me the senility to forget the people that I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do...and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Painted flames...

These are the preferred form of flames by Angelenos found on the hood of a custom hot rod I photographed recently.

The week that was...

An uneventful start to a Southern California week quickly switched to be the focus of the nation's attention with the ongoing devastating fires that have hit the region.

For me personally, I'm fortunate to not be in any immediate danger. The ultimate fear factor during this fire season is once again, the "winds". The combination of fierce Santa Ana winds and ninety degree plus temperatures have delivered heartache and devastation to so many. All I can say is you find yourself staring at the television screen watching the coverage and can do little other than shake your head in disappointment.

One fire, the Montecito fire near Santa Barbara, destroyed a good portion of the neighborhood in which I went to school in, Brooks Institute. I understand, their original campus and one of the most beautiful piece of properties you will ever experience was spared.

The fires and their impact have given us all a reason, although at a high cost, to reflect on our priorities and serves as a reminder to be grateful for what we have. Having said that, I wish all of you a week ahead that is kind to you.

"Union break"...

Feel like your boss has gotten enough from you this week? Feel the need for some non-work related Internet game time in your cubicle?

Try your hand at this intellectual brain building challenge...

http://majman.net/fly_loader.html

Thought for the day...

Who is your real friend?

This really works! If you don't believe it, just try this experiment.

Put your dog and your spouse in the trunk of the car for an hour.

When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you??

The week that was...

Where do I begin. I guess the week was certainly painted with new beginnings in the political arena and as a result thankfully an end to the tired campaigns and TV ads. My week started out as I walked into the kitchen to find what remained of a bird that Taylor, my springer spaniel and boss of this casa, had brought into the house...I'm sure believing I would be proud of her catch. I had bird feathers EVERYWHERE! I didn't have much time being bummed out about what she did to this poor bird before realizing I had another one, this one alive, in the house flying from one room to another as my four legged Barney Fife was trying to chase it down. An insane combination of yelling at Taylor, feathers flying and me screaming like a little girl as the bird nearly flies into my face in panic, I finally manage to divert it back outside after a half hour of the madness. Let me tell you...not a fun experience. I felt like Mitch Brenner in Bodega Bay. If I thought Taylor knew how to handle a broom and dust pan I would have made her clean up the mess.

After that, the rest of the week remained calm in comparison. In addition to the ongoing work efforts for the business, I watched the election coverage on Tuesday evening, enjoyed dinner with terrific friends and took in a few local car shows at the end of the week with my brother Pete.

I hope your week that has passed was good and here's hoping the one ahead is even kinder to you and your loved ones.

Rich

Fall colours are here...

For those of you back East here's a photo taken this morning showing that our fall season has arrived in Temecula as well...even though we're enjoying temperatures in the 80's!

Laura and Ryan's first set of wheels...

Laura's first "chopper" and Ryan's ride was powered by "Two on the Floor"

The kids today!

Recent images...

Recent images from a local custom car show.

My first day...be nice to me.

It's Friday November 7th and my first introduction to blogworld. Thanks to the prompting of Laura I have been convinced to give it a try. Looking forward to the experience! (I'll try to play nice.)

Rich