Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Tuesday December 30, 2008

We had no snow today. In fact the sun was shining most of the day. Last night Nancy and I discussed whether or not we should go to Jimmy Kirkwood's funeral. We had been to the funeral home and met all the Kirkwood.

As I was finishing running at the MAC, Nancy said she wanted to go to the funeral. She said that acquaintances go to visitation but friends go to the funeral. As always Nancy was right.

My Uncle Jim Hughes always said my Grandfather Hughes, a very devout Methodist, would go to funerals and comment after the service that it was a good funeral. As Uncle Jim explained Grandfather thought that if the service was well run and a lot of people were in attendance that the deceased was being sent off the way the Lord intended.

Jimmy's service was held at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, a beautiful church. The service was splendid and the church was packed. A lunch was served after the service. Jack and Rita, Jimmy's parents, looked as if they had reached closure and that Jimmy was in God's hands. My Grandfather Hughes would say that this was a good funeral.

We had lunch with Ruth Molenaar. Heidi and Jennifer were at the funeral. We also talked with the Kirkwood children.

Nancy and I stopped at Blockbusters on our way home and picked up several movies for over the holiday. We intend to stay home New Year's Eve.

Around 3 PM JD and I had a beer and talked about some career choices for JD. It makes me feel good when ex-employees want my opinion.

It was a busy day. It started to snow about an hour ago. I had better get to bed so I will be ready for shovelling tomorrow. I got my 30 in.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Monday December 29, 2008

It froze last night. But no snow, so no shovelling. Judging from the crowd at the MAC a lot of people are taking the week off.

The Detroit Free Press today blasted the Detroit Lions. 0-16 is nothing to write home about. The dismal record is because of the Bobby Layne curse. The good news for Detroit is that SPS bought a Saturn.

This afternoon Nancy and I went to the funeral home to pay our condolences to the Kirkwood family. The funeral home was jammed. Nancy and I talked to all the family members. They are all still in shock. It is so sad.

I checked by facebook page and only my sister wants to be my friend. I am looking for a current picture to post on facebook. I got my 30 in today, did you?

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Sunday December 28, 2008

I forgot to mentioned that Tasha set up a facebook account for me. I put in Alpena High School in my profile. None of my classmates have a facebook account.

This morning Nancy and I head for the MAC for our Sunday swim. I swam 30 laps using only the crawl. It took me 37 minutes to go 1500 yards. This is my best time for this distance. It is only the first time I used the crawl exclusively for this distance.

When we got home at 0930 Tasha was ready to head for Cleveland. She took some cookies, ham and other Christmas goodies. Petunia stuck with Tasha like glue. No way she was staying in GR.

Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. I took my nap and then Nancy and I headed for Kohl's. We found nothing.

We got a piece of bad new today. Jimmy Kirkwood passed away. He was only 40 and played with both Tasha, Sasha and SPS when they lived across the street. It has to be a tragic blow to his parents.

I watched a portion of the Lions game today. They set a record of 16 losses in a season. I might have mentioned earlier that I like the new chemicals used by the MAC in their pool. Now it appears as if my nose has rebelled against the chemicals. I am plugged up and cannot breathe. The same happened after my Wednesday swim. I will have to start wearing my swim mask that covers my nose.

Tonight we will finish the Christmas ham and bean soup. It will be an early evening. Nancy and I have a busy week ahead. Remember busy is a relative term for retired folks.

Saturday December 27, 2008

I started the day with a 3 mile run at the MAC. It started to rain last night and the rain continued all day. The rain on the snow has created a very foggy condition.

Tasha and I head for cousin Peg's in Rosebush at 0930. Even though it is 20 miles further we are taking the freeway to Rosebush. The fog was bad from GR to Lansing and from Alma to Rosebush. The Lansing to Alma portion of the trip was ok. Tasha and I did not talk for the first 60 miles because we were concentrating on the road. After the fog lifted we relaxed and even talked. Our conversation centered on the stupidity of driver. Visibility was less than a 50 feet and yet cars passed us going 70 mph. Many cars did not have their lights on. Despite the bad conditions we did not see any accidents until we got off the freeway at Rosebush. There was a bad accident on the off ramp.

Cousin Peg was glad to see Tasha. Tasha and Peg got caught up and then we headed for lunch at the Diner. The Diner is located on Mission Road about 4 miles from Pegs. Peg and I had breakfast and Tasha had a burger.

The fog was bad from Rosebush to Alma but the rest of the trip home was clear. Almost all the snow is gone. We had ham sandwiches for dinner. The evening was spent reading and watching TV. I did get my 30 minutes with two 1 mile walks.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Friday December 26, 2008

We had freezing rain last night. I had to salt the drive early this morning. After my morning routine, Tasha and I walked to the Kava House for coffee. We had a ham sandwich for lunch. The ham was left over from the Christmas meal.

This afternoon I had to put the back seat in the Aztek. We need the additional seats when we go out to lunch with cousin Peg on Saturday. I also got the car washed (inside and out).

This evening Nancy, Tasha and I had dinner at the Belt Line Bar. Tasha and I had the wet burrito. The place was jammed. What bad economy?

Tasha helped me set up a facebook page. We noted that no one from my high school class is on facebook. No computers up north?

It will not get below freezing this evening. Tomorrow is will get to 50. Most of the ice on the roads should be gone by tomorrow night. I got my 30 in did you?

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Thursday December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a white Christmas. You know everyone in your home is above 30 when everyone sleeps in on Christmas morning. I slept in to 0800. Nancy, Tasha and I opened presents around 0900. It was a great Christmas. I got several gift cards, a cool vest, swimming caps, bedroom slippers and a book on construction of the Panama Canal. I also got a cool electronic gps/watch/heart rate monitor/etc from Sasha and the Scott Team. It is a great tool for biking, kayaking, and walking. Tasha printed out my blogs and put them in a really clever notebook. Thanks everyone.

Nancy made her world famous poached eggs. It was so good and filling I had to take a nap. After the nap I snacked, played with my GPS, snacked, read my blogs, snacked, and finally took a walk.

We had ham for dinner. The dinner also included gourmet potatoes and green beans. Christmas cookies were dessert.

Nancy and I have had 43 Christmas days together. Each one was special. We have never been separated. I have only spent 2 Christmas days away from my family. The first was 1961 on Midway Island and the second was 1963 in Vietnam.

I remember 1 Christmas my Dad spent hours making a scale model of a dragline crane. The crane was on wheels, the boom could be lowered and the bucket could be opened and closed. My Dad was crushed, I seldom played with the crane. The next year I got a small radio. I listened to that radio every night. On cold winter nights I looked forward to going bed and listening to my favorite radio show.

The weather man says that we have had less than 8 hours of sunshine this month. For comparison we had 8 hours of sunshine after 12 noon on the fourth of July. Just remember the days are getting longer and the sun is still in the sky.

Nancy and I want to wish every one a very Merry Christmas.

Wednesday December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve 08. Our crack snow shovelling team starts at 0630. The temperature is at the freezing mark so the snow is heavy. We got about 3" over night. We finish a little after 7 and head to the MAC so I can get in the pool before the seniors' water aerobics class. I swam 1100 yards.

I forgot to put my eye in so I head home and pop in the contact. I hurry back to the MAC to pick up Nancy. We have breakfast at the Omelet Shop. Tasha call and tell us her sump pump is not working right. I recommend that she call a plumber. I also head to Home Depot to see what a sump pump costs and how to install one. They are inexpensive and quite simple in their operation. I call Tasha and she says the problem is solved and she is on her way to GR.

At home I dug out some old family material that HC had and was surprised to find a family tree for the Hughes. Did you know the Hughes were from Inch, Ireland? Grandfather Hughes was born in Treadwell, Ont. His father was married to a Darlington as was our great-great-great grandfather. Intermarriage?

I also found material on the Sanborns. My paternal grandmother was a Sanborn. I have some good news for Sasha, I have found a family member who was in the Continental Army.

Tasha got to GR about 6:30. She brought petunia. We had a great dinner of lasinga (sp?). We watched some TV and then headed for bed so we will be bright eyed for Christmas. We could not get the close-caption to work on our HD TV. Any ideas?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Tuesday December 23, 2008

Yes folks the great snow shovelling team of Bob and Nancy cleaned the drive and walks in record time. We have had plenty of practise.

After the MAC I headed for the Kava House. We have had so much snow that the snow banks along the side of the road has narrowed the road width. Parking is difficult and it is impossible to get on the sidewalk because of the deep banks.

After lunch I again shovelled the walk. It took over a hour. I was so cold that I turned my electric blankee on and jumped in. It took 30 minutes to warm up.

I talked with cousin Peg today and I told her that Tasha will come over and visit this Saturday, weather permitting. She said that this will make her Christmas.

I am trying to get my XM radio on line. It cuts in and out. I called their tech center and had difficulty understanding the support person. I have the tunes but they cut in and out. I will put this on my list for Tasha to figure out. Tasha will also help me with my facebook.

Tonight Nancy and I were going to Russ's for soup and burgers. However, the weather is so bad Nancy decided to defrost some pea soup and burgers. Sounds great. I got my 30 minutes did you?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Monday December 22, 2008

Guess what Nancy and Bob did first thing this morning? You guessed it, we shovelled snow. About 1" fell overnight. As a result of the shovelling I was about 40 minutes behind schedule. Can a retired person have a schedule? Any way I got back home about noon. Nancy and I headed to the mall to finish Christmas shopping and to get a universal remote for a TV. We were unsuccessful. I did get a slice of pizza at the food court. The mall was jammed. I think most people want to get every thing done before tonight's snow storm. Yes we have another storm coming.

I stopped by the office to pay my fee for the football bowl pool. I also got a Christmas gift from the office. Of course I spent a lot of time talking sports with the guys.

When I got home I shovelled and went on a short walk. I am now in my nice warm office and will not leave the house. The temperature did not get above 20 today.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sunday December 21, 2008

Happy Solstice. Remember the days are getting longer so spring can't be that far away. The great snow shovelling team of Bob and Nancy had to shovel 5" of snow this morning before heading to the MAC. It might sound weird swimming when the temp is in single digits. Actually the warm water felt good.

After the MAC we did our weekly shopping at Meijers. Despite all the snow and heavy drifting the store was full. Everyone has to get the goodies in for Christmas. As usual Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast.

After my PM nap I again shovelled the walk. The wind chill is below zero.

We bought a brick of bird seed. I don't know what they use to cement all the seed into a brick but I'm sure it is tasty. I hung up the brick this afternoon.

The snow in the backyard is 21" deep. I got my 30 minutes did you?

I keep reading about the head trauma suffered by our troops in Iraq. They say that the head trauma will lead to dementia. Not a happy thought. I have been thinking about the dementia suffered by my father. I have alway thought it was caused by old age or a series of mini-strokes. However, after reading about the head injuries in Iraq I now think that maybe Dad's dementia was caused by a serious accident that Dad suffered while working on a construction project. Dad was working on the second floor of a building under construction when a crane carrying a heavy load hit dad in the head. Dad was in the hospital for about six months and in a coma for several weeks. Any ideas?

Saturday December 20, 2008

I am still trying to figure out what to do on these cold snowy Saturdays. I will have to find some good walking trails. Today I walked to Breton Village and had breakfast at the Omelet Shoppe. They have the best oatmeal in GR. I also finished my Christmas shopping.

When I got home I drove Nancy to Costco. I filled up with gas, $1.52 per gallon. Costco was crowded just like any weekday in CA. Plenty of free samples were available.

We are using the all wheel drive Aztek during these snowy days. The wimpy Congress is blasting the American car companies because they don't make more teeny cars. Most people in the snow country like a big SUV because it is safe and can plow through the snow drifts. GM is just meeting consumer demand. Eat our snow Waxman.

For the first time I actually wrote out some Christmas cards. Is it my decrease in testosterone? I walked over to the post office to mail my cards.

Nancy and I went to the Namey's for dinner. It was a good evening. Good food and conversation.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Friday December 19, 2008

I looked out the window at 0230 and saw bare pavement. I looked out at 0600 and saw snow. Nancy and I started shovelling at 0700. We had 6" of snow. It took us 45 minutes. We drove the Aztek to the MAC because it has 4 wheel drive. No plows were out on the local streets.



I finished my workout before Nancy and stayed at the MAC because I found a copy of the Free Press. At 1115 we headed home. I parked in the street because since 0700 we got an additional 6" of snow. This time I shoveled the entire driveway while Nancy made Christmas cookies.



I worked on my computer for several hours and at 4:30 the snow plows finally came down our street. In our 35 years this is the latest we have had our street plowed. I shovelled the snow piled up by the plows. Nancy completed the Christmas cards so I walked to the post office to mail them. It was after 5 when I got to the post office and the line was out the door. They must stay open later during the holiday season.



Nancy made me beans and rice for dinner. It was great. I also opened a bottle of 2 buck chuck. Wine goes straight to my head. No snow tonight but we can expect some later on Saturday. It is not even winter yet.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Thursday December 18, 2008

Boy did I oversleep. I woke at 0630 and had to hurry and get the coffee made for Nancy. I got to the MAC a little after 9. The crowd at the MAC changes after 9. Retirees and moms who got their kids off to school replace the working people who have to be to work by 9.

I went swimming yesterday I swam 1050 yards in 31 minutes. The MAC recently changed the way they disinfect the pool water. This was a great improvement. I no longer have to cover my nose or worry about having severe dry skin.

The Detroit Free Press is suspending home delivery on Monday-Wednesday. They are trying to get more people to go to their on line site. Today the sports page had a picture of the All-State football players but did not give their names or school. This data was available at their web site. As a boy reading the Free Press funnies and sports before school was a big event. Ah the world of RHS is slowly disappearing.

I spent this afternoon trying to see if I could find a simple CD player for cousin Peg. I went to several visually impaired web sites but had no luck. I also filled out a football bowl pool card. I was surprised how much I did not know about this year's football teams. Old age or just not interested?

At 3:30 Nancy and I headed to the movies. We saw the new James Bond movie. I liked it Nancy did not.

At 9 I am going to watch the Madoff story on CNBC. I find this story very interesting.

Attached is a photo of over house with all the lights ablaze. I might take a picture tomorrow night showing the additional 12" of snow that is forecast. I can't get the jpeg to load, I will try tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wednesday December 17, 2008

The alarm goes off at 0535. It had snowed last night (3"). I had to move fast to get the drive cleared so I could get to a 0700 breakfast. I was a guest of Dave Despres, my old boss, at the breakfast. The club is called the GR Early Breakfast Club. They meet every other week at the Women's City Club. The breakfast was great and they had a funny speaker. I actually knew several people. The average age is about 74. I am going to join.

After breakfast I headed for city hall for the last GR Building Authority meeting of the year. This is also the last meeting for the city manager who is retiring. Since I have been on the authority, 15 years, we have constructed $154,000,000 worth of projects.

This afternoon I spent most of my time cleaning up my desk. At 4:30 I again shovelled the walk. We had about 1/2" of snow since this morning.

I have a cheap CD player. I put in a disc and play several tracks (tracs?). When I turn it back on it starts at track 1. The only way I can have the machine resume playing at the place where I turned it off is to push "pause". If I do this for any length of time does it damage the disk? I am trying to find a simple machine for cousin Peg that will resume where she stopped. It has to have large buttons.

I am thinking about applying for an opening on the Kent County Road Commission. Nancy and I went to dinner tonight to talk about the pros and cons of applying. The term is for 6 years. The commission meets twice a month so we could not take a vacation over 2 weeks.

Tomorrow night we are suppose to get over 6" of snow. It is not even winter yet.

Tuesday December 17, 2008

We got a light dusting of snow overnight. I had an easy shovel.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days I do my dead lifts. I am back to my normal routine by doing 3 sets of five using a 100 pound barbell. The rest of my routine is at 75%. I will be back to 100% on Monday. After the MAC I drove home and then walked to the Kava House. It takes 20 minutes to get to the KH. The walk gives me my 30 minutes.

In the afternoon I drove to Best Buy, Circuit City and Costco to price small TVs. I took notes at each store and found that Costco was $100 cheaper. I bought a 23" set for Nancy.

Nancy and Mary Namey had to work at Meijers Garden from 5-9. Ed and I went out for a hamburger and beer. Prior to going out I set up the new TV. It works great and I did not screw up.

The weather has been very cold. I am having a hard time keeping my feet warm. Last night I went to bed with very cold feet. I think it is a family thing. My Grandfather Hughes use to keep a light bulb under the covers to warm his feet. This action started the house on fire. I hope my electric blanket works better.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Monday December 15, 2008

Yesterday when I went to bed is was in the 40s. Overnight the temperature dropped over 20 degrees in a very short time. The wind was howling all night. When I got up this morning the temperature was in the teens with very high winds. The roads were glare ice. I grabbed a bag of salt and spread it over our drive so we could get down our hill. A few degrees colder and the salt would not have worked. Because of all the ice and snow I again had to drive to the MAC. The parking lot was full.

After the MAC I ran some Christmas related errands. I had to wait 40 minutes at the post office in order to mail some packages. I also stopped by the office to give some money to the ,adopt a family for Christmas, program. The roads were in tough shape with near white out conditions.

This afternoon I did some work on the computer. I say it was work but it really was just messing around. I checked on Bernie Madoff and his money fraud. I find this scam very interesting. It is amazing all the smart people that did not know what was going on. Where is Madoff? Is he in jail? Did he spend the money on cars, boats, condos, girls? A lot remains to be determined.

My eye doctor let me try a new super-duper contact. It is comfortable but not as powerful as I would like. This afternoon I picked up a contact that was made to my prescription. I put it in and alas I can see clearly now.

I have been harping on getting 30 minutes outdoors every day. So around 5, I went outside and shovelled the walk and then went on a short 1.25 mile walk. I did get my 30 minutes.

Tonight is a poor TV night so I am going to bed to continue reading a good book. It is called "Paris, 1919" and is about the peace conference after WWI. With the bad economic times I see a lot of references in the papers to the Joad family.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Sunday December 14, 2008

Sunday is swim day. Nancy and I headed to the MAC at 0745 so that we could be first in the pool when it opens at 0800. We accomplished our mission. It was 15 minutes before anyone else arrived. We swam for 45 minutes.

After the swim we headed to Meijers for our weekly supplies. For breakfast Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs. I read the first section of the GR Press and then took my Sunday nap. After the nap I went to Best Buy to check out TV's and computers. I noted that HP has a new desktop that has the 24" monitor and computer in one unit. It looks neat. It has a touch screen and web cam all built in. I also checked out the TV's and noted that the prices have dropped in the last several weeks. How come all the TV's less than 27" are all 720P? I could not find a 1080.

It has been above freezing all day. I took out a steel spade and opened up our storm drain. I then cut a channel for all the storm water to reach the drain. I enjoy this. How come a 70 year old man still likes to play in the water?

I helped Nancy tape some packages for mailing to CA. She has been working hard on getting her Christmas shopping done early.

I told Sasha that in 1 week my biorhythms will start to go up. I always note an increase in energy and enthusiasm after the winter solstice. The days are getting longer and spring is on its way.

After January 1 I will add some comments on my blog from my great grandfathers diary that he kept in 1938. I got my 30 minutes in today did you? My spell check is not working so I have to use the dictionary that my mother gave me in 1956. It is indispensable. Thanks Mom, I love you.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Saturday December 13, 2008

It was 17 when we got up this morning. The snow, ice and cold kept me from riding my bike or kayaking. I walked around Reeds Lake. It is about 6.5 miles. I was surprised that despite the cold a lot of runners were out. I bought a NY Times and had coffee at the Kava House.

It looks like GWB is going to bail out the auto companies. This is good.

The story on the collapse of the Madoff fund was very interesting. Even rich people get robbed.

I liked typing on SPS's under desk keyboard so much that I bought one. This afternoon I installed it and rearranged my office. Change is good.

This evening Nancy and I went out to dinner with the Moleski's. A good time was had by all. Good food and conversation is always fun.

Gas has gone up $0.20 in the past 2 days. I predict that it will reach $2 by the end of the year. I still have some Christmas shopping to do. I think I will wait until next week. Speaking of Christmas I talked to Tasha today and she said weather permitting she and petunia will be in GR for Christmas. Nancy and I look forward to seeing her. I got my 30 minutes in did you?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Friday December 12, 2008

Today I set my alarm clock. I had to have my car into the shop by 0800. After delivering the car, I walked to the MAC. I had coffee at Breton Village waiting for the call from the shop. I got the call and they gave me the bad news. About $500 now and probably $2800 in the near future. Should I trade in now? I love the car and it does everything I want (carry my bike and kayak). We use Nancy's car whenever the two of us travel. How about I trade in Nancy's car for a nice new Taurus?

After picking up my car I headed home to catch up on some unfinished items and update my blog. I have been having a hard time keeping warm despite multiple layer. Is it old age?

Tonight Nancy and I ran some errands and stopped at Panera Bread for a quick bite. The rest of the evening will be spent reading the paper and watching TV. I got my 30 minutes did you?

Thursday December 11, 2008

I am still driving my car to the MAC. I don't have enough nerve to try and ride my retro. I see other folks riding their bikes but I am gun shy. Every time I have a lay off from exercising, when I return, I follow this sequence, 50% day 1, 66% day 2, 75% day 3 and 87.5% day 4. This takes 1 week so at the start of the second week I am back to my normal routine.

Today is a busy day. After my morning routine, I had an eye doctor appointment at 2. The doc is giving me a new contact that is suppose to be state of the art. Generally my eyes are ok.

At 4 I had an emergency Grand Rapids Building Authority meeting. The emergency was a non issue. We did resolve a long going legal action against a contractor and designer.

At 5:45 Nancy and I meet the Horling's at Leo's for dinner before the Civic Theater. The play was the musical version of "A Wonderful Life". Nancy and Hal gave it a 2.0. I gave it a 3.2. I think Karen agreed with me.

Wednesday December 10, 2008

Ah! Wednesday my easy day. The footing is so bad because no one shovels their walk, I drove to the MAC. I swam for 30 minutes (1000 yards).

When I got home, after breakfast at the Cheri Inn, I decided to string some Christmas lights outside. I started stringing lights along the eve located along the front of the house. Then I did the breeze way and garage. I still had some lights so I did the evergreens each side of the front door and strung lights directly over the door. I will send a photo. It took me almost all afternoon.

Since it was book club night, Ed Namey and I went out for pizza. We solved all the world problems.

I am back reading the Detroit Free Press. The Detroit paper has a vastly different point of view regarding the GM bailout than the LA Times. The Free Press has made some good arguments. Unfortunately the auto bigwigs have not been able to articulate their point.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tuesday December 9, 2008

I have some jet lag. I got up at 0615 and headed outside to shovel. We had about 2" of wet snow and ice on the sidewalk and driveway. It took about 1.5 hours to get everything cleaned up. Nancy and I are a great snow shoveling team.

Because of the snow on the sidewalks I did not want to take my bike to the MAC. I walked. It was misting when I started but was raining when I got to the MAC. I noted that gas was $1.59 a gallon. After the MAC, I visited D&W and bought a club sandwich at their deli. The sandwich was my breakfast and lunch. Nancy did go to the store to stock up on supplies for the rest of the week.

This afternoon I tried to get caught up on my e-mails and regular mail. I have a long ways to go. We have winter storm warning in effect until 10 this evening. Today is Tuesday so we will watch NCIS this evening before heading to bed.

Sasha says that is takes 1 day for each hour of time difference to get rid of jet lag. I have 2 days left. Did we have a prop lag before jet planes?

I got my 30 minutes in today. My weight gain was about 5 pounds. I hope to lose this weight in 3 weeks.

Monday December 8, 2008

Today is our big travel day back to GR. We left Sasha's at 0930 and headed for SF International. Our flight is scheduled for 1215. The flight was on time. Boy! did Bob and Nancy luck out. For the second time, nobody was sitting in the window seat. This was great because we could stretch out. The flight was smooth and took only 4 hours. The flight east is about 45 minutes shorter than the flight west. Headwinds, etc.

We waited about an hour in Cleveland and then headed for GR. The plane was only 50% full. GR had plenty of snow on the ground and the temperature was 29 degrees. The taxi could not get up our driveway. We had to carry our bags. The first thing I did when I got inside was to turn my electric blanket on. I did not spend my 30 minutes out doors. Tomorrow!

Sunday December 7, 2008

Today is the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. I knew someone who was there. He worked for me on Midway Island. His name was Nick Carter. Why do I still remember this?

Today is also a travel day for Bob and Nancy. We took I5 North to Sasha's place. This trip was uneventful. We had dinner at the hamburger place near Sasha's home. I had the 3/4 burger. It was good. Tomorrow we head for snow and winter.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Saturday December 6, 2008

LA slept through the night. He did not call out for mom or dad. After coffee we loaded LA up and headed for Adventure City. It took us longer than usual because we had the wrong set of directions. However, we finally made it.

Adventure City is a small theme park with rides only for little kids. LA and I rode on the roller coaster 2 times. He also went on every other ride. He had a great time.

When we got back to LB, Vera and SPS had just arrived home. They said they had a great time in BH. I got SPS to help me finish LA's RR track and round house for toy. When we finally got it erected I have to say that it looks like a fun toy. SPS went to the Outback and bought us takeout. It was good. We did observe that we all think the portions were smaller. Is it the economy?

Tomorrow is our long trip back to Sasha's. Nancy is feeling much better. SPS did tell me about UM beating Duke in bb. I checked the weather in GR and noted that the temp had not been above freezing for several days. I will still follow the 30 minute rule.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Friday December 5, 2008

A beautiful day in LB. The day started with a clear blue sky. It warmed up to 71. After coffee, I took LA to the park at Signal Hill. Nancy is still under the weather so she stayed home. LA spent 30 minutes on the swing. He only agreed to stop after told that Grandpa's arms would fall off. We also spent considerable time on the merry-go round.

SPS came home early today to make reservations in BH for tonight. Nancy and I are taking care of LA all night.

Got a call from Tasha and she explained her less than fruitful week. I am amazed at her ability to solve problems. Her move with the congressman is brilliant.

Tonight Nancy and I loaded LA in the car and headed to Belmont Shores. We had dinner at BJ's. It was good. After dinner we walked along Second Street. It was very busy. The economy in the area must be pretty good because we saw a lot of families eating out.

Tomorrow we go to Adventure Land. We hope to get LA in bed by 9. Lots of luck. He took a 3 hour nap. SPS and Vera should be home by noon.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thursday December 4, 2008

Started the day at the blue collar Starbucks. Bought a LA Times, I like this paper and it is cheap compared to the NY Times.

When I got home Nancy and I decided to take LA to Huntington Beach. LA and I walked the path along side the beach. The path has a lot of bike traffic, even for a week day. Nancy stayed in the car because she is still under the weather.

When we got home I make a quick trip to the grocery store to purchase some supplies (beer, etc). Nancy and LA took a nap and I started assembling a "Classic Train Table with Roundhouse". I got the table assembled. Tomorrow the roundhouse.

SLS is feeling better and Vera and I never really got the bug. Tomorrow SLS and Vera are going to "Wicked" and then will stay the evening in Beverly Hills. Nancy and I will take care of LA. It should be a fun weekend.

At the beach we had clear skies and warm temps. At SLS's the day was overcast and cool. Go figure.

The news reports in CA regarding the GM bailout are not as intense as in MI. I think most people in CA could care less. It does not look good.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Wednesday December 3, 2008

While drinking coffee this AM I get a call from Nancy telling me that we have to take LA to see Dr Kim. LA appears to have the flu. Dr Kim confirmed that LA did have the flu. Nancy also has the same bug.

After the Dr visit we took in a movie. The movie was Madagascar 2. LA enjoyed the movie. I gave it a 3.5. LA fell asleep on the way home. Nancy put him down and he slept for 3 hours.

A cheap plastic mud flap on the rental car came loose. I tied it up with a steel hangar. After my repair job I took a 2.5 hour hike.

This evening Vera, Nancy and I took LA to his gymnastics class. LA likes this class.

SPS has also been under the weather. Nancy and SPS are now in bed (8:48 PM). Tomorrow we may go to the beach. I want to rent a bike with kid carrier so I can take LA for a ride.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Tuesday December 2, 2008

Our first full day in LB. The day started overcast (foggy) and cool. It remained that way all day. The temperature did not reach 70.

I walked to the Starbucks on Willow. Every Starbucks has its own identity. The Willow store is a working mans coffee shop. Not too many newspaper readers. I bought a LA Times. I like this newspaper.

After Starbucks Nancy, LA, and I head for story hour at the LB library. LA was a little hyper. This was according to Nancy. I read a children's book on Michigan. It was quite good.

After story hour we went to a park in Signal Hill. A small town loaded with oil wells. The park is on top of Signal Hill and it has a great view of the LA area. Of course our view was not good because of the fog. We had lunch at Costco.

After lunch, LA and I took a nap. I did make a trip to Walgreen's to get some tooth paste and shaving cream.

SPS came home from work not feeling well. He went right to bed. Nancy cancelled her pork chop with stuffing dinner and we had her world famous poached eggs. It is 8 PM and I must watch NCIS. Remember 30 minutes outside each day.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Monday December 1, 2008

Today is a travel day. We got up at 0600 and I made a quick run to Starbucks. We loaded the car for our trip to LB.

Apollo had an 0820 appointment at the vets. Nancy and I arrived on time and immediately met with Dr. Littlehale. He said Apollo was responding to the medicine. After we dropped Apollo off, we hit the road.

The traffic on all roads was very heavy. For the first 200 miles we encountered fog. Once we got close to LA the fog lifted. This year is the first year that I noticed the deterioration of the CA roads. In the past I was impressed with the good maintenance. I guess money shortages are hitting all states.

When we got to SPS's house SPS was waiting for us. We walked over to the day care to pick up LA. I took a short nap.

Tonight Vera brought home a beef, chicken, rice dish and a salad. It was good. We just got back from a walk around the block. It is a pleasant evening. Everyone is tired from all the travel so it will be an early night.