Financial Books

* How I Made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market by Nicolas Darvas - I love reading Darvas' tale of the 1950's bull market; the telegrams are quaint
* Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Education by Robert Kiyosaki - The latest by the Rich Dad guru and beginning of my latest journey
* Real Estate Riches: How to Become Rich Using Your Banker's Money by Rolf De Roos - A Rich Data real estate investment primer
* The Dollar Meltdown: Surviving the Impending Currency Crisis with Gold, Oil, and Other Unconventional Investments by Charles Goyette - great read on the government malfeasance in running the economy
* Rich Dad's Rich Kid, Smart Kid by Robert T. Kiyosaki - advice on educating your kids, both academically and financially
* Investing in Real Estate by Andrew J. McLean and Gary W. Eldred - good reference material on real estate investing
* Emerging Real Estate Markets: How to Find and Profit from Up-and-Coming Areas by David Lindahl - a good primer on how to research emerging markets, a bit vague but useful
* Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss by Ken McElroy - the real estate guide in the Rich Dad series
* Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future by Michael Maloney - not as good (or recent) as Goyette's book
* Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money--that You Don't Learn in School! (Miniature Edition) by Robert T. Kiyosaki - starting the kids early
* Rich Dad's Advisors: The ABC's of Property Management: What You Need to Know to Maximize Your Money Now by Michael Maloney - essentially a guide to why you shouldn't manage your own properties
* The Art of Real Estate Appraisal: The Complete Guide for Homeowners and Real Estate Professionals by William L. Ventolo Jr. and Martha R. Williams - a surprisingly comprehensive book on the "art" (and it is an art) of appraising
* Real Estate Loopholes: Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investing by Diane Kennedy - a great primer on how to buy, own and sell real estate with the max tax and legal advantages
* RICH DADS RETIRE YOUNG RETIRE RICH by Robert T. Kiyosaki - motivational book, some interesting concepts but little practical advice
* Loopholes of the Rich: How the Rich Legally Make More Money and Pay Less Tax by Diane Kennedy - an extremely informative book on the basics of real estate tax and legal issues
* Sales Dogs : You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales (Rich Dad's Advisors series) by Blair Singer - the last 3 chapters are the meat of the book
* Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men - One Message by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Donald Trump
* Rich Dad's Before You Quit Your Job: 10 Real-Life Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Building a Multimillion-Dollar Business (audiobook) by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter - some interesting lessons and stories of entrepreneurship
* Landlording on Auto-Pilot: A Simple, No-Brainer System for Higher Profits and Fewer Headaches by Mike Butler - some decent tips on self-managing single family homes
* Tax Secrets of Millionaire Real Estate Investors by Richard T. Williamson - a great book on real estate tax issues
* How to Create Multiple Streams of Income: Buying Homes in Nice Areas With Nothing Down by Peter Conti and David Finkel - a good intro to lease option
* Rich Dad's Real Estate Advantages: Tax and Legal Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investors by Sharon Lechter and Garrett Sutton - another decent by somewhat shallow book from the Rich Dad on real estate investing

10 Years in Encinitas

This month marks our 10 year anniversary in Encinitas. Much as stayed the same, but some things have changed.
* Moonlight Beach Tot Lot was built and was a great success. Our kids loved it when they were younger.
* Cottonwood Creek Park was built and was a great success.
* The kids have attended no less than 6 schools.
* Less greenhouses and more houses.
* The San Dieguito Heritage Museum moved from a dilapidated old gas station to nice new digs near Encinitas Ranch.
* The Hall property park has still not been built.
* Pacific View school closed in 2003 and still sits idle.
* Quail Botanical Gardens built a children's garden and changed its name to San Diego Botanical Gardens.
* All the Albertson's have closed - one is being replaced Kohl's while the other was replaced by a Smart & Final which moved.
* Our street has cycled as the old guard has moved out and new families have moved in.

Weekend Activites

* Bengt made blue belt at USSD!
* More of Jaya's play
* St. A's Fall Festival

Weekend Activities

* Jaya's confirmation
* Jaya's performances of "Pocahantas"

Weekly Activities

* Jaya saw the "Shrek" musical with Grandma
* Visited the awesome Craftsmen Museum

Books

* The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - I liked the Medieval theme but the story was a bit weak
* The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray- a wonderful book about elements
* Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle - good, but with a weak ending

Weekend Activities

* Jaya had a confirmation retreat
* The rest of us spent a day in Rosarito, Mexico to visit with children to help brighten their day
* Hiked San Eljio lagoon and almost stepped on a baby rattlesnake!

Historical Weekend

* On Saturday, we dropped in on Encinitas' 25th Birthday Celebration at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum. We had some good food and vote for our favorite lima bean recipe.
* On Sunday, we went to the Cabrillo landing reenactment at the Point Loma Sub Base. We had some great Portuguese food.

Jerry Schad Memorial Hike

I memory of Jerry Schad, Sophie and I did an 8-miler in Mission Trails this weekend. We parked along Portobelo and took the trail along the north edge of the park past Shepard Pond to the north approach to the North Fortuna. It was very foggy and misty and visibility was only about 1/4 mile so we could see the summit until we where there. We then headed to South Fortuna, down the Steps into the valley. We headed north into Suycutt Wash and then west up onto the Rim. We followed the Rim Trail back to the trailhead.
Here is a view from near the summit of North Fortuna:

Family Camp

We had an awesome family camp up at Mount Laguna. Hiked the Big Laguna Trail out to the big lake, the Lightning Ridge Trail and the Nature Walk at the visitor center (which was closed for an unknown reason). On the Nature Walk, Sophie stepped into a cactus and had spines all over her rear paws. We pulled most of them out but she still wanted to walk on her own; which she did with a limp.
Here are some pictures from the BLT hike.

Weekend Activities

* Finally visited the USS Midway museum!

Dinner on the Patio

Jyoti bought some more cactus for our garden and put then on the patio table.  When I made dinner and put the bowls of broccoli and salad down I couldn't tell the difference between the succulents and my meal.

Labor Day Weekend Activites

* Put up a storage shelf in Jaya's closet
* Rearranged the living room and Bengt's room
* Cleaned up a bunch of stuff, stored some and giving away some
* Washed car, then it rained!
* Changed the rear brakes on the Kia, very frustrating until I read that the pistons twist, rather than press, back into the calipers

Is the World a Safer Place?

Professor Joshua Goldstein makes a compelling case that today is safe and getting safer.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Weekend Activites

It was a hot and humid weekend by San Diego standards. This meant lots of pool time. Also did some walks and runs on the beach.

Tax-Free Weekend

People are always amazed when citizens get exciting about not paying taxes...and when tax revenues go up when rates go down.

Jerry Schad's Last Journey

My favorite outdoor author, Jerry Schad, has terminal cancer is not expected to live long. Very sad for a great San Diegan.

Ken Follett

My brother mentioned Ken Follett to me and I quickly read two of his historical novels:

• Jackdaws - a suspenseful novel of an all-women sabotage operation in occupied France during WWII.


• Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy - the first of his new 20th century trilogy. I liked it although some of the character building was a bit repetitive

Family Wedding

One of Jyoti's cousins got married in Greenville, SC that past weekend. The weather was hot but not unbearable. We got to reconnect with lots of relatives and had a great time.

Cuyamaca Backpacking

I did a nice little one-night backpacking solo trip to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park over the weekend. I left work on Friday night and drove to the Green Vally campground entrance. I parked there and headed out. I took the Harvey Moore trail the 4.5 miles to the Granite Springs primitive camp. It was a bit warm but not too hot; I had plenty of water and was constantly sipping from my hydration bladder. The camp was completely deserted. There is a pump for water but the signage warned it was for livestock only. The rangers said you could purify it and I did so with iodine tablets. I made 2L that way. The camp was nice but there were enough flies to annoy you. After dinner, I lied in my tent and read a book until the sun went down. I slept well and woke at the crack of dawn. I quickly packed up and was on the trail by 6:00a. I took the East Mesa Fire Road trail initially. I then took the spur trail that went up to the top of Oakzanita Peak. The morning views there were incredible. I wish I hadn't forgot my camera! Back down the peak and another few miles back to the parking lot for a total of 6.2 miles out. That made 10.7 miles. My pack was 33 pounds including food and water.