Yosemite

In early June, we took a road trip up to Yosemite. Even though I grew up in California, I had never been there and therefore was very excited to finally see the park.
The drive up was uneventful. We made a side trip to the Forestiere Gardens, but it was not open when we got there.
We stayed at the Yosemite Bug, a hostel-style spot about 20 miles outside the park. It turned out to be a bit noisy due to the younger crowd but the location was nice since it was close to the town of Mariposa. They did have a nice swimming hole with a little waterfall.

Our first afternoon was spent in Mariposa. After eating, we visited the Mariposa Museum and History Center. This museum was one of the best town historical venues I have been to. The exhibits, which explained the area's rich gold rush period, were very well done and had a story that led you through them. We also visited the old courthouse.


The second day was our first in the park and we drove in along Highway 140 into the park. The first views of the valley were stunning. Since we were there early in the summer, the falls were still at full strength. We drove over to the large parking lot near the village and started to explore. Our first hikes included the nature hike around the village and Yosemite Falls.




The next day we tackled Bridalveil Fall, Happy Isles, Vernal Fall, Mirror Lake and the Ahwahnee Hotel. The weather was perfect, not too hot but not too cold. The falls were all overflowing with water due to a heavy snowfall this year.




On our last full day we went to the south side of the park. Along the drive we stopped by the Talking Bear in Oakhurst but the audio was not working very well and we couldn't make out the bear's speech. We also stopped at the Sugar Pine Railroad and had a very nice little Jenny ride. We then parked at Wawona and took a shuttle bus to Mariposa Grove of Sequoias. Back at Wawona, we walked through the pioneer village that had many of the older park structures that have been moved.





Being in Gold Country, we took a short gold panning lesson at the Sugar Pine Railroad and the kids got a bad case of gold fever. Bengt bought a little gold pan and we started panning at a little park along the Merced river. After the kids lost interest, a real prospector showed up and proceeded to work the exact same place we had just left. I watched him and little bit later he showed us some gold in his pan. Not enough to make you rich, but enough to keep you interested.

On our way back home, we stopped by the California State Mining and Mineral Museum. It was a great place to find out about rocks, gems and especially gold. The kids loved the mine dug into the hill behind the building. Lastly, we stopped at Fort Tejon and a wonderful talk with the park denizens in period costume.

Books

Another batch of books read:

• "A Nation Rising: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes and Forgotten Fighters From America's Hidden History" by Kenneth C. Davis - An interesting set of narratives about little known, but important, episodes of America's history in the first half of the 19th century.
  


• "The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea" by John P. Craven - Mr. Craven has done some amazing things (assuming the book is true). However, I don't agree with this position on "outing" people and possibly classified information.
  


• "A Small Place In Italy" by Eric Newby - the original "A Year in Provence"
  

Weekend Activities

* Awesome PIPE event at San Mateo. Perfect weather, great food and good friends. Picked up 4 geocaches on the trail from the camp to Trestles beach.
* Slipped away from camping to see Jaya in here Alice in Wonderland performance. She was great!

Backcounty Drive

The family took a nice road trip to the back country. We started heading east on the 78, through Escondido and its numerous lights and through the San Pasqual Valley into Ramona. We took a quick stop at the Santa Ysabel Open Preserve West to stretch our legs. This somewhat new trail is something we will surely want to come back to. Back on the road, we turned north at Santa Ysabel and took the 79 past Lake Henshaw.
The meadows here were spectacular with flowers and green grass. A right on S2 and S22 took us down the curvy road into Borrego Springs.
We stopped in at the Anza Borrego Park headquarters and checked out the nature center. It was very educational for us. We then headed up a bit to do the Palm Canyon hike. However, the rangers at the site informed us that dogs are not permitted on park land. With nowhere to hike, we drove around a bit to see if we could some wildflowers from the road.
Along Borrego Springs Rd., a landowner has installed life size sculptures of pre-historic creatures. The statues are made of steel and very impressive. We caw sloths, camels, turtles, smilodons, pigs and even velociraptors. Thanks to the Galleta Meadows people for displaying these. We tried heading up a dirt road, but thought the better of it and heading out of Borrego Springs.
We headed south to catch the 78 into Julian. I love going to Julian and it very nice weather there and not crowded at all. The dog got a walk through the old cemetery and the kids got ice cream at the soda fountain on the main corner. On the way out of Julian, we stopped at the Inaja Memorial Park and did a dusk hike on the nature trail there. Wonderful views!
We then headed home the way we came.

Weekend Activites

* Hiked a canyon in Cardiff leading from Lake Drive to I-5.
* Hiked the west approach to the waterfall in Los Penasquitos Canyon. Sophie almost got bit by a rattlesnake after she went into some bushes; she was one a very short leash after that scare. It was a beautiful day, sunny but with a nice cool breeze most of the way. It is nearly 6 miles round trip and the kids were griping towards the end, but it was worth it.

Not Only in the South

Are mobile home parks the target of tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and other natural disasters. It seems France has them as well.

Weekend Activities

* Walked around Oceanside Harbor
* Climbed Seashell Hill

East Coast Snow

I was in Herndon, VA last week on business and was caught up in "Snowmageddon" or whatever they are calling the snowiest winter of all. These pictures were taken at our hotel.

Weekend Activities

* Dart tournament at Joey's BBQ - knocked out in second round
* Finally got a chance to walk the dog; took her along 101 to enjoy the beautiful weather
* Finished in the money at a charity poker tourney - the last 5 of us chopped the prize money

India Trip

Here are some pictures from our trip to India.

Books

• Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi by Timothy Puaketat - If Cahokia was built from stone, it would be held in the same regard as some of Central America's ancient cities. However, being of dirt, it is somewhat obscure. This small book is heavy, academic reading but seeks to elevate Cahokia to a higher level.


• Larry Bond's First Team by Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice - A techno-thriller I couldn't finish.


• 1,001 Things They Won't Tell You: An Insider's Guide to Spending, Saving and Living Wisely by Jonathan Dahl - This would be good for those of you who don't think businesses are out to make money and not be your best friend. Very few really useful tips.


• The Last Testament by Sam Bourne - Bought at the Mumbai airport, the jacket quote says "The biggest challenger to Dan Browns' crown". This is a decent book but not as good as Brown's works.

Mumbai Attacks

We were in India on vacation during the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai. If you have any doubt about the evilness of Muslim extremists, read this riveting account of the 11/26 attacks.

It is hard to get in the Christmas mood in 80 degree weather.

Books

* "Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War" by H. W. Crockett III - An interesting if odd look at the Civil War. I appreciate the different point of views at looking at Lincoln and secession but the "lost cause" mentality is pretty thick.
* "Strategic Battles in the Pacific" by Earle Rice Jr. - good basic intro to some of the most important Pacific Theater battles. An explanation of why Midway was not included would be very welcome.
* "Driving Like Crazy" by P. J. O'Rourke - not one of his best efforts.
* "A Gift to My Children" by Jim Rogers - I haven't read any of Rogers' other books but I hope they are better than this. The advice for his children mostly center around China becoming the center of the universe.
* "Superfoods for Dummies" by Brent Agin and Shereen Jegtvig - a good intro to superfoods and should whet our appetite for more.

Operation Orchard

Is this the definitive account of the Israeli strike on the nascent Syrian nuke site?

Weekend Activities

* Lego League competition - The kids did awesome at their first contest, especially given the long day. With a couple of tweaks to the robot and the project presentation, they could place much higher.
* Open houses at Pacific Ridge and Grauer Schools - the first step in the long journey towards junior high
* Selena Gomez concert at House of Blues
* Worked on the garden
* Jaya performed at a duet concert, Bengt performed at his regular piano recital

Man on the Bench

This is one of the most interesting but saddest stories I have read in a long time. I realize that stories like this happen all the time, they are rarely publicized or have a somewhat happy ending. It also raises many questions:
* What caused Jeff Pastorino to fall into such a mental illness that we couldn't function in society anymore? It didn't sound like he had any previous mental issues. Was it just a failed romance that caused him to snap?
* Why didn't his family look for him? You would think one of his brothers would try to track him down after a while. Maybe they did, but it wasn't mentioned in the story.
* What if someone you knew and loved disappeared one day?

End The Fed

Ron Paul's idea is too radical for the small-minded leaders in office today.

Weekend Activities

* Hikes along the La Costa Glen and Scott Valley trails with several geocaches
* Planted carrots and spinach seeds to round out my winter crops
* Jaya started youth group meetings

Curse is Broken

The post-season voodoo hex the Red Sox have put on the Angels is over! I find it ironic that Dave Henderson threw out the first pitch. Apparently his magic wore off 24 years ago.

Inaugural PIPE

We had our very first PIPE at South Carlsbad State Beach. Lots of fun and great food.
Friends pix can be seen here.

Weekend Activities

* Lego League
* Sophie's Birthday - she got a new collar and a new toy
* Gardening
* Trying to stay cool
* Parents for Sunday dinner

Shantarum

I preparation for my upcoming trip to India, I read the novel Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is very long but easy reading book about an Australian escaped convict who "escapes" to the Bombay underworld. I enjoyed the parts about the slums the most. The entire section on the Afghanistan sideshow could have been cut out, in my opinion. It didn't add anything to story and seemed to be author's excuse to add some mujahideen warrior action into the book.

Labor Day Weekend Activities

* More bike riding - On one ride, my cell phone popped out of my wedge bag by Moonlight beach. A riding partner noticed when we got to Solana Beach. We retraced our path and called the number. Some nice people renting a beach house on 4th St. had picked it up and it was a quick ride over to claim it. For future rides, I will remember to zip the wedge bag completely :)
* Some nice trips to the beach.
* A friend gave Bengt a fencing exhibition. This friend competed at the college level and still had all the equipment. Bengt liked it and we might put him in class.
* Hiking in the trails above Green Valley.
* Nice BBQ with friends.

Books

Read some more books:
Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths About Science and Religion edited by Ronald Numbers - An interesting sounding book but was very academic and almost unreadable. The essays kept referencing other works and was difficult to get the point.

An Apple a Day: The Myths, Misconceptions and Truths About the Food We Eat by Joseph Schwarz - A good book that explains the basic science and current research about food, additives, sugars and anything we put in our mouths. I highly recommended it.

Walking San Diego: Where To Go To Get Away From It All by Lonnie Hewitt and Barbara Moore - Not as detailed as Schaad's "Afoot and Afield" but had some new hikes.

Staying Street Smart in the Internet Age by Mark McCormack - A decent book on managing a company; helps if you are the head of a sports and entertainment agency and can do whatever you want

Weekend Activities

* Company picnic at Liberty Station. Got there early to grab some geocaches, then enjoyed some great food and games. Liberty Station is a very nice neighborhood, it has so much within a quick walk. We enjoyed the small museum at the NTC Command Center.
* Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - was decent, but quite different from the book.
* Dog hike at San Elijo Lagoon - too hot even for the lizards
* Quick trip to Cardiff Beach - nice way to beat the heat
* Harp and flute concert at La Costa Valley - wine and Subway subs!
* Installed a new reverse osmosis system - finally found one that fits our new sink cabinet, a Whirlpool model that has a smaller storage tank. The install went well consider I had to rebuild the drain system from the p-trap up.

Life's Little Celebrations

My sister-in-law, who is a fabulous photographer, is having an open house for her new studio.

First Lego League

Jaya and Bengt started on their First Lego League team this weekend. We got the standard parts and the competition mat but won't get the challenge for a couple weeks. They are very excited but will it will be very challenging to build and program the robot to complete the tasks. I am allowed to provide guidance but not solutions.

Weekend Activities

* Got a touch of the cold which left me quite congested.
* Dog walks at Manchester Reserve and San Elijo Lagoon (twice).

Weekend Activities

* PIPE (Post Indian Princess Event) meeting/BBQ. We got assigned a March event at Palomar Mountain SP (if it is still open).
* Small amount of biking.

Weekend Activities

* Spent half of Saturday biking.
* Attended our third consecutive Dogs Days of Summer festival in Cardiff. Sophie hates it more each year.
* Went to the Ruben Fleet Science Center with the kids. We checked out all the exhibits before taking in the IMAX Wild California film. I got sick watching the movie; no more IMAX for me :(
* Took Sophie to the Lagoon to chase lizards and rabbits to make up for Dog Days.

Socialist in Training

I recently partook in the government's Cash for Clunkers program. I was able to turn my nearly useless and extremely clunky 1991 BMW 750iL into $4500 of my kids future tax dollars. The car was falling apart and got terrible gas mileage. My new Kia Spectra is exactly the opposite.
Now that I have a taste of getting government handouts for no work, I can't wait for health care or the next deficit busting program.

Weekend Activities

* Very nice party at a friends.
* Finished the toe kicks and baseboards in the kitchen.
* Cruised through a 20 mile bike ride.
* Walked dog at Pipe Hike and lagoon nature center.

Weekend Activities

* Hikes with the dog.
* Staying out of the heat.

Kitchen

We are currently working on a kitchen remodel. We chose an IKEA model and to save money, we did most of the work ourselves. Our neighbor, a contractor, did the demolition on the old cabinetry and some of the minor plumbing. It took some long weekends, but we have most of it done.
The old kitchen had an Ell cabinet and countertop that we didn't like since it obstructed the entire space. We designed a galley-style kitchen with cabinets on either side of the walls. Notice the sink, which is a single-compartment farmhouse style. It is one of the things we really love about the new design. Some parts had to be custom made to fit the space. There is a small bookcase over the stove that Jyoti made since IKEA didn't sell a 6" cabinet. The other major custom piece is a desk for Jyoti's work area. It is made out of the same butcherblock countertop but lowered between two base cabinets.
Here are some pictures:

Weekend Activities

* Lots of walks with Sophie: San Elijo Lagoon, Swamis, Cottonwood Creek Park, Pipe Hike.
* Worked on the kitchen, again.
* Vacuumed the backyard. We have a gravel backyard and I have to use a landscape vacuum to pick all the leaves and pine needles.
* Did some biking, but the heat was brutal.

Reading List

A slew of books read:
* "Havana Nocturne" - featured on episode of Fresh Air, this book sounded interesting. I found myself much more enthralled with the story of the revolution than with the mob scene. The mob side of the story was quite predictable, pretty much like the "Godfather" whereas I did not know much about Fidel Castro and his revolution. Good research and writing on both fronts.
* "Mortal Syntax" - a nice book on grammar. I could do with less of the pithy stories.
* "Provence A-Z" - a guidebook to Provence by the King of Provence, Peter Mayle.
* "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" - less a guide than simply motivation to start vagabonding.
* "A Good Year" - watched the movie (starring Russell Crowe) first, then read the book. I liked them both, although they are quite different.

Weekend Activities

* Rode a couple of nice bike rides.
* Hiked the nature trail at Elfin Forest.
* Celebrated the soft opening of the new location of Gaffney's Wine Bar with some wonderful tastings. My favorite was a delicious cab franc.

Weekend Activities

* After several years and hundreds (if not thousands) of attempts, Sophie finally succeeded in catching her elusive prey, a lizard. This trophy was caught in the San Elijo Lagoon, on the nature center hike.

* Checked out the Del Dios Gorge hike, northward from the trailhead. This is trail #12.

Weekend Activities

* Attended the last Adventure Princess event with Jaya. In a twist of fate, it was at the same venue where we had our first event, Fiesta Island. I will miss the good times, but I made many friends that I will have for life.

SOHO Lecture

I attended tonight's SOHO's Third Thursday Author Series lecture on Consolidated Aircraft/Convair. Both authors were at the Adobe Chapel to present their work, "Consolidated Aircraft Corporation". I am interested in Convair both from an aviation enthusiast standpoint and the from the fact I work on one of their former factories. The authors, from the Air and Space Museum library, were true experts in their field and very passionate about the subject. The audience was as well, most of them being former employees or children of employees.

Weekend Activities

* Worked non-stop on the kitchen and some real progress on the finishing touches.
* Went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - it was cute, much like the first. Air and Space Magazine had an article on how "real" the movie was. However they were speaking only of the set that was built to mimic the real museum. Because if you see the performance the Wright Flyer puts on, you would think the plane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135, not a 12 horsepower 4 banger.

Weekend Activities

* My parents came down to celebrate Bengt's and Jyoti's birthdays. They brought cake and pie. We watched Jaya's soccer game in what is considered inclement weather.
* Checked out the new farmer's market at Flora Vista Elementary. It was a bit light on the fresh produce and had a lot of prepared and packaged foods. We bought some delicious hummus and baked pita chips.

Sophie

Sophie with her stuffed animal.

Book Return

A while back, we visited the UCSD Library. They seems to have some staffing cutbacks and aren't able to put the books back.

Weekend Activities

* Visited the somewhat new Del Dios Highlands Preserve. It was a bit sunny and the kids were grumpy so we only did a mile or so. We will go back in the fall and make it to the reservoir.
* Saw the new Lake Hodges Pedestrian/Bicycle bridge. It was surprisingly high off the water and Sophie was a bit scared.

* Caught a great CYT production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
* Great Memorial Day BBQ at a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday.
* Finally got the veggie garden going with a trip to Sunshine Gardens; and what visit to Sunshine Gardens would be complete without a cupcake from Elizabethan Deserts

Weekend Activities

* Jyoti's cousin Abhi was in town so we did a very typical San Diego experience and went to the zoo.

Weekend Activities

* Worked on kitchen remodel
* Hike at San Elijo Lagoon in perfect weather

Disney Cruise

My parents took me and my brother's families on a 7-day Disney Cruise recently to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. This was my first cruise and didn't know what to expect other than the stereotypical cruise experiences.
Disney ships leave from Port Canaveral so we flew into Orlando the night before departure. We stayed the night in the airport Hyatt. It was a decent hotel with a nice pool the kids enjoyed when reuniting with their cousins.

The next morning we boarded Disney buses for the 45 minute trip to the port. The buses had a video to inform us on what to expect. They were very nice and the trip was pleasant. At the terminal, there was the usual security theater. Everyone gets a "Key to World Card" which acts as a room key and credit card. The kids cards were supposedly set to "no charge" mode but some shops did not seem to recognize this feature. We had to get our pictures taken so they could visually verify us when getting on and off the ship. There was a cool model of our ship, the Magic, in the lobby. We also registered the kids for their respective activity centers.

We finally boarded and we were immediately slammed with the sales pitches. The first was two guys selling bottled water and beer by the case (at much less than bar prices they claimed). We ate the buffet and hit the pools while waiting for our staterooms to be ready.
The rooms were small but nice. Better than a mid-range hotel room. The kids had bunk bends to sleep in (the bottom bunk was formed from the sofa). Our room was on deck 2 (second lowest) and toward the stern. I like having the lower deck since the motion was less. However, our aft location gave us some noisy nights. We eventually complained about it and an crew member came by to check it out. He made some adjustments to the bunk bed but after that the weather improved so the creaking mostly stopped. The loudest noise came from the thrusters which are using when pulling into port which usually happens early in the morning. I didn't mind since I like getting up early but if you are sleeper, make sure to get a room amidships.

Our first two days were at sea, heading south. The winds where quite strong and made being on the top deck interesting. The crew said this was one of the windiest cruises they have ever had. Thank goodness for stabilizers or it would have been ugly. In spite of the wind, we hit the pools, the arcade and the of course the food.
Our first port of call was Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Most of our group went on a swim-with-the-dolphins excursion. The rest of us when on a guided mini-bus tour of the island. Our driver, Mr. Quick, drove up and down and all around the island. He was very proud of his home and pointed out all the interesting facets of it. One thing that I found particularly fascinating was the way the BVI'ers handled construction. They usually only build one floor at a time, but they left all the plumbing, electrical and re-bar fittings sticking up into what will someday become the next story. Its looks like the house was devastated by a hurricane, when in fact the opposite was the case. This was the Magic's first call to Tortola and Mr. Quick might get a comment to two regarding his saucy description of a local bar and its full moon festivals; let's just say the stories of panties did not mesh with the Disney crowd. Overall, I thought Tortola was bit shabby, but the people were nice and welcoming.

The second port of call was a mere 30 miles away at St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We didn't have any shore excursions planned, so we wanted to get some snorkeling in. A guidebook suggested a couple of beaches so we went to get a taxi. A tip for you: get the price before piling in the cab. We weren't thinking and probably got ripped off. Obama's stimulus money hard at work. Anyway I made it back in booze savings. The snorkeling was average. The beach was crawling with "waitresses." They weren't mean or pushy, but they kept coming by asking if we wanted something to drink or eat. After a couple hours, we had enough. We did find time to get to a couple geocaches which was fun. As for the booze, here is a tip: don't go to the place closest to the dock, walk another 50 yards and save loads of money. I simply crossed the street to "Al's Booze Barn" and saved tons on some Johnny Walker Swing a friend asked me to get for him. I also picked up some Cointreau for myself and Kevin.

After another day at sea, we pulled into Disney's own island, Castaway Cay. Right from the dock, you knew this was an extension of the ship and of Disney, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. First, the snorkeling was great. They filled the lagoon with a bunch of old buoys, boats, etc. to attract tons of fish. The only drawback is it takes a bit of swimming to get out to the good stuff which limits the range of the kids. Second, the food was great. My brother and I did an morning 5K. The heat was brutal, but I did pretty good.

The highlight of any cruise is the on-board entertainment. I was expecting some B-level Disney shows rehashed from the parks, but I was woefully mistaken. The shows were first rate amazing productions. My favorite show was the "Golden Mickeys", a take on the Oscars which features the big Disney animated films. The girls' favorite entertainment was karaoke; they participated every night it was offered. I even joined in for a song or two. The crew members who ran the entertainment were very professional and really kept things going.
The other focus of a cruise is the food. The quantity is a given, but the quality is what matters to me. Breakfasts were average. We usually ate at the buffet in order to save time. It is hard to mess up oatmeal, donuts and bacon and Disney didn't. Lunch was usually taken on deck at the fast food stand. Decent burgers and fries. I don't expect much for lunch and I wasn't disappointed. Dinners were excellent. I like how the menus changed each night. I tried to stay on the lighter side but everything was great. The service was also top notch, better than almost any restaurant you find on the mainland. I especially enjoyed the black tie nights where I could break out my James Bond Mk I tuxedo.

After boarding, we set off for the final leg home. We pulled in quite early and I was able to watch the resupply operations for a while. It was amazing to watch the amount of stuff they are able to move off trucks and onto the ship with their little fork lifts. They only have a few hours to get everything squared away before they ship leaves again.


We had an evening flight but we got to the airport quite early. I checked for any earlier flight and we just made one which turned out to be very lucky for us. Our bags were already checked through on our later flight thanks to the Disney baggage handlers but we figured we would just pick them up later. At Dallas, we quickly checked the board for our connecting flight and noticed a gate change. We hustled on the train to the gate and just made the flight, very lucky for us. After landing, I checked on the status of our later flight which had our luggage; the leg from Dallas had been canceled. Had we stuck to our original itinerary, we would have another involuntary day of vacation. Now, we just had to wait until morning for our bags. Tip: get on the first flight you can AND you get to the Orlando airport in plenty of time for an early afternoon flight.

 

Books

Been slow with the blogging, but quick on the reading. Here is a rundown of the recent books:

"Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost - And How It Can Find Its Way Back" by Mickey Edwards - Much has been written of the demise of the conservatism and the Republican party. This excellent book covers it much detail.

"Unleashing the Warrior Within" by Richard Mackowicz - A typical self-help book that attempts, unsuccessfully, to apply military, SEAL-type tactis to everyday motivational techniques.

"Anza-Borrego: A Photographic Journey" by Ernie Cowan - An excellent photog book by former NC Times outdoor writer.

"I So Don't Do Mysteries" by Barrie Summy - I pre-read this book in anticipation of handing it off to my daughter but I decided against it after reading it. First, the teenage characters are focused mainly on boys which detracts for the story. Second, the story isn't very good. I was interested in the book becuase it was set in San Diego but the only places mentioned are the Hotel Del Coronado and the Wild Animal Park (wich a cameo from the Whaley House). Very disappointing.

Weekend Activities

* Attended two science lectures at Cabrillo National Monument
* Jaya had her sleep-over birthday party

Monster Trucks

Is there anything more American than Monster Trucks? It has everything dear to our hearts:
* Obscene amounts of horsepower
* Excessive gasoline consumption
* Wanton destruction
* Over-the-top patriotism
* Intrusive advertising
A couple weeks ago, the family and I took the trip down to Qualcomm Stadium for Monsterjam. It was a blast! The truck drivers really go out of their way to put on a good show. At the end, Gravedigger deliberately wrecked his truck to please the crowd. Just as fun as the trucks was the demolition derby they had during intermission.
There were two negatives on the evening. One was the extreme volume of the public address system; it was much louder than the trucks and very annoying. The other was the obnoxious drunks on the trolley ride back to Old Town. The $9 beers would also have been a negative if I had been stupid enough to purchase one.

Barbary Pirates

I highly recommend "The End Of Barbary Terror" by Fredrick Leiner. This book covers the second, and last, Barbary War. A while ago I read, "The Pirate Coast" by Richard Zacks about the First Barbary War in 1804-1805. The Barbary Wars have received renewed interest lately as a result of our dealings in the Middle East as well as the increase in piracy around the world. Both books give a fascinating account of how a very young nation makes its presence known on the world stage. During the first war, American was torn between military force and diplomacy (this meant continued payment of ransoms and bribes to the Barbary pirates). Both were utilized to the end the first war. For the second, American was coming off a victory (of sorts) over England in the war of 1812. We had a good but small navy and chose to use it against the continued misdeeds of the Algerian pirates. A navy squadron, under Stephen Decatur, sunk and captured several Algerian ships and made a show of force persuasive enough to get a treaty fully in America's advantage. The American's were so successful, England and other European countries formed an naval coalition to finish the job and end the Barbary reign forever. A lesson for today? Perhaps.

Woodcutters Weekend

Spent last weekend at Camp Marston for another Woodcutters Weekend. We cut wood in the rain, sleet and snow but thankfully the wood lot had a cover on it. The kids were relieved of duty and spent most of the time playing Ga-Ga.

San Eljio Lagoon

The new nature is opening up this weekend.

Patch Job

I was laid up for most of the weekend due to an operation to repair an inguinal hernia. My surgeon used laparascopy so there is very little scarring.
I had the surgery Scripps Encinitas. The staff and facilities were first rate. Should be back at work on Monday.

History Books

Picked up a couple of history books from the Encinitas library.

• "Faces of San Diego" by Colleen O'Connor. A nice little photo book from different periods of San Diego compiled by the sister of a former mayor.
  


• "San Diego: California's Cornerstone", by Iris Engstrand. This general narrative covers the history of San Diego from pre-Spanish times through 2004. It is broad but shallow, except for Spanish exploration period which digresses too far into the situation in Europe at the time. One interesting aspect of the author is her view that the Spanish treatment of the native populations was out of compassion and although maybe misguided at times, was meant for the betterment of the Indians.
  

Old Town

On Saturday afternoon, we all went down to Old Town to see the sites and visit some of the museums.

* First, we went through the McCoy House Interpretive Center. This is a very nice museum with each room representing a different period of Old Town's history. Unfortunately, the docent said this house is the first to be cut when the money gets tights so is closed often.

 * In the Robinson-Rose House, we saw the wonderful model of Old Town from 1872.

* We did the tour through the Estudillo House. I enjoy the period costumes that the park employees and volunteers wear.

* The kids dipped candles at the candle and soap shop.

* We ate dinner at The Alamo Mexican Food, which is the only fast food Mexican food we could find within walking distance.

Flotation Devices

Proof positive that your airline seat back cushions actually do float.

Airline Hero

There are still people in the airline industry concerned with customer service. Keeping them alive it seems. USAir will probably try to dock this guy's pay for the plane then ask for a government bailout.

Palm Is Back

As a long-time Palm user, I am glad to see that they are making a comeback. When my cell phone contract is up this summer, I will take a long look at the their Pre phone. I always loved the Palm organizer apps as they where much better than the Microsoft equivalents.

Weekend Activities

* Guides trip to Agua Caliente County Park. The weather was perfect and made for a great time at the mud caves and on the Moonlight Trail. Bengt's pinewood racer was the 3rd fastest in the tribe and he made the nation finals where he got the second round. The ranger was a bit persnickety and made us douse the campfires way too early.

* Walked dog at San Elijo Lagoon.

Track Bailed Out Companies

Now you can follow the performance of companies that have received government bail out money.  It is probably best that these companies stay healthy for taxpayers to have any chance of getting anything back from our "investement."  Although I imagine by the time the warrants and other payback schemes are coming due, the companies (aided with plenty of graft) will find a way to weasel themselves out of it.

PMBA Book

Got Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds from the library. It is pretty much what the title says it is: presentation zen. It is filled with advice on how to make better and prettier presentations. It had some good suggestions but it geared for public speeches.

Books

• Money Mischief: Episodes in Monetary History - a great introduction to monetary policy. A bit dense and hard to follow (it is not 'Monetary Policy for Dummies'). Read this if want to learn about how today's economies work and how the government manipulates it.


• The Heretic's Apprentice - The weakest Cadfael episode I have read so far but still good.


• Did Lincoln Own Slaves? - A wonderful Q&A style biography of Abraham Lincoln by Gerald Prokopowicz (the host of Civil War Talk Radio). If you are interesting in Lincoln but don't want an epic bio, this is the perfect book for you. By the way, the answer is no, Lincoln did not own slaves (but the read page 156 to find out the entire story).
  

Weekend Activities

* Yet another Sophie walk at San Elijo Lagoon. Can't wait for the nature center to open.
* Planning meeting for next weekend's Agua Caliente camping trip

Israel Warns Of Pending Attacks

One of the most interesting stories to come out of the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza is that the IDF have been informing targets that they are targets. They have been calling or texting the occupants of buildings that are about to be flattened in the hopes that civilians will be get out. Note that this is necessary mostly because Hamas uses civilian building for military purposes. Israel is deliberately trying to avoid civilian causalities while Hamas purposely targets them.

Life with Windows Mobile 6

Cons
* Lots of dropped calls. This might force me to try and downgrade back to Mobile 5.
* Less battery life. I used to get 3-4 days on a charge, but now get only 2-3.

Pros
* Faster.
* All the organizer apps (Task List, Calendar, etc.) are much better.
* On a related note, the new Google Maps Mobile has a new feature where it determines your location based on cell tower presence. Since my phone does not have GPS, this is very nice.

Sick Sophie

We mistakenly left a bowl of mixed nuts on the dining table yesterday afternoon and the dog promptly ate them. Unfortunately for Sophie, some of the included nuts were Macadamias. Apparently, Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs. When we woke up this morning, Sophie was suffering the symptoms: wobbly walking, vomiting and depression (although I can't really give a definite diagnosis on this one). Sophie spent the day sleeping in her bed and was fine by the evening, just like a bad Macadamia nut hangover.

Weekend Activities

* Sophie dug a big hole in the garden.

* We went up to Palomar Mountain State Park to see the snow. I went a slightly different route up there that took us past Lake Wohlford, which I have never seen. At the park, the sun was out and the weather great.

The dog loved it as well, especially when a squirrel scampered across the snow.

* Took my parents to see Dr. Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! as the Old Globe theater. The acting and music were great but the stage was the best part of the show. The scenery people outdid themselves on this one. The only negative was the heat in the theater, too hot for me.

Weekend Activities

* Kids went to Disneyland for the Christmas festivities.
* Kids had their Christmas piano recital. Jaya played "We Three Kings" and Bengt played "Good Kind Wencelas".
* Waited for the storm.

Weekend Activities

* Jaya held a garage sale and was quite the little salesperson
* Lux Art Institute Open House
* Hike at San Elijo nature center and South Cardiff

Weekend Activities

* 2 Thanksgiving Dinners sans kids (they were in St. Louis visiting my brother).
* Build another loft bed for Bengt. This one was shorter than Jaya's.
* Hiked San Elijo Lagoon with the dog.
* Painted the ceiling (over a year after we removed the popcorn).
* Put up a dartboard in the garage.

Record Rainfall

San Diego is deluged with over 1 inch of rain. Truly a storm of biblical proportions. Note that sections of Florida received 15 inches in one day during Tropical Storm Fay.

"See No Evil" by Baer

"See No Evil" is an extremely interesting look into the CIA from 70's through 9/11 from a bottom up view.  The first section is a surprisingly candid look at the nuts of bolts of HUMINT (at least the way it used to be according to the author).  The later sections describe the gradual disintegration of the CIA starting from Reagan and culminating with the complete intelligence failure that led to 9/11.  Although the author finds fault with the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations, he minces no words when describing the utter disdain the Clinton administration had for the CIA.  A novice observer might argue that with the Cold War over, there was/is no need to maintain an expensive overseas intelligence framework.  However, Clinton's policy of appeasement made us blind to terrorists and other threats (like China and Russia).  It also contributed to the faulty intelligence that led to the Iraq War.
Written right after 9/11, this book has some interesting characters that are seen in a much different light 7 years later.  One is Ahmed Chalabi.  Baer writes about Chalabi's efforts to overthrow Saddam Hussein in the mid 90's that Clinton refused to support (for nefarious reasons the author later found out).  Chalabi was then a prime mover in getting Bush to invade Iraq in 2003.  If the CIA has boots on the ground, that whole mess might not have happened.
It will interesting to look back at the Bush administration to see if he allowed the CIA to get back to its roots and foster a new HUMINT network.  One lesson we need to learn is that there are always bad guys and we need to keep an eye on them.

PMBA Books

Two more books from the PMBA. Note that the PMBA has an updated list so some of the books I have read are no longer on it.

• Money & Power: The History of Business - ok but very brief.  Pretty much what you would expect from a book about a TV show.


• 12: The Elements of Great Manager - good tips for managing.

Weekend Activities

* Hiking at Guajome County Park.
* Classics 4 Kids concert at the newly renovated Balboa Theatre. The Balboa is a wonderful venue. I highly recommend taking your children to see Classics 4 Kids to kick start their appreciation of the arts.

Weekend Activities

* Awesome Adventure Princess event at Agua Caliente County Park. Visited the mud caves which were amazing. They are formed by water carving tunnels through the hills, but they look like they were drilled out by man. Tested out the new pool which is unheated buy very refreshing.
* Kids had a piano recital.

Stock Ratings

Is there anything more ridiculous than brokerage stock "ratings"?  One example of how worthless these ratings are can be found in todays GM news.  JPMorgan just now decided that GM is deserving of a downgrade.  But even given the stock's 65-year lows and the very real chance the company could go under any day now, the geniuses give it a rating of "neutral".  Not a "sell" or "shitty" rating, but a "neutral".  What does it take to get a bad rating?  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the stock itself.

Soon to be Homeless

The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean is looking for a new home. If you have a spare bedroom or room for 273,800, give them a call.

Weekend Activites

* Built a bottom bunk for Jaya's loft bed
* Walked the dog in the rain
* Visited the new SRF book shop

Break Up the Trojans

Maybe Obama will help distribute the college football wealth like he will all our money.  At least UCLA might be able to complete.

Single Muslims

Came across this image ad on some site. I thought it was a joke.

Update: I removed the image as it was lost.

Weekend Activities

* Had a Guides event at Del Mar Beach. We had great weather this time; no rain, thankfully. Not many activities to spoil the lazy time on the beach.

* St. A's had its Fall Festival fundraiser for the Sudanese outreach. Our chili entry again failed to win. Green Flash brewery was on tap which made a perfect compliment to the chili.

Laws of Unintended Consequences

DMCA was passed 10 years ago today and Wired has an interested take on its first decade in force.

Greenspan Shocked, Absolutely Shocked

What a joker this guy is.  The Fed is the primary cause of all these problems. Considering this was a guy firmly in the belief of free markets (and the gold standard), it makes it more surprising what a political buffoon he has turned into.

Update: Ron Paul thinks so to.

Rocketry

This story about amateur rocketeers demonstrates pure American ingenuity and the human desire to explore and expand our knowledge. That being said, I am certain the government will shut them down sooner or later.

TSA Comms

This is too funny.  But given the probable reaction from the screener, I would make sure that you have plenty of time before your flight.

Weekend Activities

* Playing darts, dog-sitting, baking cookies, roasting chickens

Politics

I started a new political blog here if anyone is interested in nationwide and local Encinitas issues.

Woodcutters Weekend

The kids and I have been going to Camp Marston near Julian for several years now. I always wanted my wife to go to see what all the fuss was about. It turns out that the camp has a Woodcutters Weekend that families can attend. Your family gets to stay at the camp at no charge, but in return you have to cut wood, literally. We spend 8 hours on Saturday and a few more on Sunday turning big pieces of wood into little pieces wood.
Here is a before picture of the wood pile.

Here is the after picture of the pile; it is more impressive in person.

The family operating dangerous machinery

Land Of Lost Knives (and box cutters, wine openers, etc)

Every wonder what happens to all those pocket knives, box cutters, wine openers or anything mildly hard and/or sharp that the TSA confiscates are airports? You would think that these items which are so dangerous they can't be allowed on a plane, would be melted down into paper clips. Don't want these weapons to end up in the wrong hands, do we now.
But it seems that the geniuses at the TSA just hand the knives off to your local schools. Here is but a small sample of the potential hijacking instruments that were removed from the hands of law-abiding citizens and given to 3rd graders.

Weekend Activities

Slow weekend. Did two dog walks, one of which was a return to Pipe Hike (aka Manchester Preserve).

Change

Change is a word that being thrown out a lot these days.  Barack Obama popularized the trend during the Democratic primaries and he used it to overcome Hillary Clinton, something I didn't think was probable.  I have written about change recently as well, mainly due to the disgust with our current government.  But I think my definition is different than Obama's.  I require a change in government that means more freedom, more responsibility (both personal and by government), less government (in all areas, defense, entitlements, etc.).
When Obama speaks of change, I am not sure what he means.  I have not seen anything in his platform that constitutes real change.  Yes, his platform differs from John McCain's in some minor ways, but neither candidate has solutions to the government's problems.
On the Encinitas city council, change here would be getting back to responsible government.  When we first moved here, the city seemed very well run (and for the most part, still is).  Yet it has started down the slippery slope of corruption and greed that the federal government has been sliding down for decades.  Corruption in the sense that certain council members seem to want to hide from decisions, meet in closed sessions.  Greed in the sense that the council tries to pass illegal and/or unethical taxes (i.e. the water tax from a few years ago).  Greed in the escalating salaries, benefits and costs of running the city.  The goal of the council should not be to have your name on as many plaques on as many public properties as possible, but to serve the residents of your city.  In my mind, only one (possibly two) of the current council members does this, Teresa Barth.  Hopefully more will join her.
Do I think that the other council members are bad people. No, they seem likable enough and I have never seen evidence of major wrong-doing.  The issue is the age-old problem of power and money corrupting those who hold it.  A lot of what they did for the city was good.  But after years of building small parks (Moonlight Beach), they feel the need to build a huge, overblown park that nobody wants (Hall property).  After having a small, but usable public works facility, they feel the need to overpay for a dilapidated car dealership.  That kind of service we don't need.

Voice of Reason

TMQ's Gregg Easterbrook is usually right on the money when it comes to the lack of common sense in our government.  Today is no exception as he gives some wise advice to our lawmakers.  I've often wondered why governments seem to get fleeced in deals with non-government entities.  Just look at all the lousy sports stadiums deals in the country.  The reason is that they have the Warren Buffett's on their side and the government has Congress.  It is not a fair match.

Can We Believe This Man? Now? Please?

WMD's in Iraq, nuclear weapons in Iran, uncountable numbers of overblown "terrorism" warnings, now the collapse of the US economy. Last I heard, the economy was still growing, albeit slowly, but nothing that seems to warrant the dire forebodings the government is putting out.

Weekend Activities

* Elfin Forest Reserve - sans kids, did the Way Up Trail to the top. Only 1.5 miles but straight up. A bit too hot still, but will be a good one to try during winter.

World's Most Dangerous Golf Course

I wonder what the rules of golf say about a plane interfering with your line of play.  Free drop perhaps.

Bob N. and the NC Times

Does Bob Nanninga work for the North County Times?  Or is he just extremely available for comments on every article the NC Times does on Encinitas, especially when it concerns the city council.  Reporter Ruth Webster sought fit to get Nanninga's comments on the sidewalk dining policy that might be under consideration for alterations.  Why were none of the other 10 or so council candidates consulted for their views?  Granted, Bob N. does own a downtown business, a restaurant in fact, but that pertinent information was not mentioned in the article.  The Bob Nanninga political machine is hard at work it seems.