R Rated

I think this was one of the first R rated movies I saw. And now years lateri work at the place that made it. As a kid in Sandy, UT I never imagined my life the way it is and where I am.

Sugar

This sugar bowl has been in the family for a couple generations. My mom got it from Aunt Esther who got it grom my great grandmother. Family lore has it that one of the spoons was lost on a farm, possibly in a pigs trough, and later found which is supposed to explain why one of them is scratched. I suppose I should write that stuff down.

Santa

This Santa has been around as long as I can remember. When I was little we had two of them, one for each of my brother and I. When it comes out its one of the things that tells me Christmas is here, and it's good.

Tradition

It has been tradition since before we were married that I would hang Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving... that's over 22 years now because it started when I was putting them up at my in-laws. Today tradition continues.

Piano

This piano has been in the family since my mother in law was little. It's been refinished a couple of times and could probably use a tuning. But it makes me warm inside knowing that my little girl is learning to play it.

JDC 1954

I've had this coffee table for about 15 years. I remember it being at my grandparents house when I was little, there were chairs that went with it that I think my cousin ended up with. It was the "kids" table at Christmas. Over the years it's gotten used and abused, but that's what Grandpa would want, it should be used. Well the kids and I decided to sand it down and refinish it. As I was sanding I found this where Grandpa initialed and dated it when he made it in 1954 which means he would have been about 35 when he built it, that's younger than I am now.

Dinosaur

For 46 years I've driven by the dinosaurs of Cabazon and never stopped. Finally yesterday I did.

Five Acres

18 years ago I worked at a school for kids that had been removed from their home for some reason or another. It was my "in between" job. Later it became my first foray into the IT world. As I was driving up Fair Oaks in Pasadena today I saw this nice new building with the Five Acres logo on it, it seems they are doing well and doing good things still.

Signs in the Sidewalk

As I was walking the streets of San Francisco this morning I came across this medallion in the sidewalk. Apparently there is a 3.8 mile path around the city that features 20 or so historical sites. I might have to come back for this.

The Central Valley

There was a time in the late '80's the there were not many places to stop as I made the drive north or south on The 5 between Stockton and Southern California. Harris Ranch was one of those places.

Just north of the exit is still the cattle ranch with 100's of cattle standing around in the dust and heat.

Further north is the Crows Landing Vista Point, a view area that I never stopped at before but always wanted to, just to get a view of the vast expanse of the valley.

The view here is towards the east, 180 degrees.

Land Crusher

When I was a teenager my folks had a Toyota Landcruiser, it must have been an '81 or '82, it was red. My wife and I just got a 2014 Jeep, I'd like to have an old Land Cruiser.

Gran Torino - The Jet Car

I had a real car in high school. 351 cu. in. of V8 power that we called "the jet car". Some how I connected the stereo up so the dash board lights flashed with the music. The back doors wouldn't open from the inside, in the days before child safety locks.

I saw one for sale this morning. Man, that would be fun to have again.