Andrea looking at the pumpkins. We got ours right from the vines somewhere else.

This weekend after working in Richmond I went up to Davis CA to meet up with my wife, Myron,and Andrea. Brenda and I drove separately because I was halfway there already and I did not want to backtrack(it only took me 2.5 hours to go 70miles where it took Brenda 3.25 hours to go ~100. you gotta love the weekend rush). We had a great time going out to eat at this hip place called “bistro33”(I think). Of course it had great food and the conversation with friends was even better. It is nice being with people you know really well and you can say anything you want and you won’t offend them (who care about the people at the tables around us). The waitress had a nice lip-ring and thought it so curious that Brenda had a tan that she asked her “how do you get so tan”? I know Brenda felt like asking her how did she get such good manners (and then ripping her ring out of her mouth), but showed the utmost grace in her response. There was live music of a guy covering popular songs of today (I was told that they were popular, but I have not heard of them before…that might be because I listen to country and prefer music that I can understand the lyrics… not music where all of the words slur together into some sort of drunken, high, mentally incapacitated mumbo-jumbo). He did sing some songs I had heard before and was an excellent singer.

We stayed at the Kampers place Friday night and then on Saturday we went to the Placerville area up highway 50 to the apple hill area. As you might expect there were a lot of apple orchards here and lots of vineyards as well. It was a dark and damp day, but I have never felt so good in such weather. It almost felt like winter (a San Jose winter…not the so cold I think I just got a sex-change winters of the Midwest) but nice all the same. Brenda and Andrea needed a pumpkin so we picked one of those up and also visited a Winery in the area. A very fun and relaxing place to spend the weekend (except now it is my job to carve the pumpkin).



We passed this hotel/B&B in the apple hill area.(for those of you who can't read the small print it the the MORNING WOOD COTTAGE...no comment is needed on my part, the name says it all).

We drove back to Davis and then watched the movie the Black Dahlia. This is a ridiculous stupid twisted movie that looks good in the previews but must have been thought up by some twisted sicko who never had anyone tell him he was loved or some crap like that because it was so weird. It could have been good if it was not so weird, sexual, bizarre, masochistic…wait that was the whole movie…so there is no way that this movie can be good. Take my advice and save yourself the waste of time and don’t watch this movie. You would be better off watching a good classic like Seven (Brad Pitt) if you want a crazy weird movie fix.

On a side note, has anyone been to a Marriot lately? I am staying at one now and they have the best cookies I have ever tasted. Where do they get them and what addictive substance is in these modern marvels? I must find the answer.



A bad picture of the singer at dinner.

Sorry for the picture quality, but they were all taken on a camera phone.

Nothing much

Sweet fire near where I work that burned over 45,000 acres. Not a good situation, but cool to look at.


I know that I have not posted in a while and some of you are very bored at work and check my web page every hour on the hour for any sort of update whatsoever. Here it is. Last weekend I had aa sailing race to moss landing and we did well. We did not win the actual race, but that is because it would be nearly impossible for us to win against boats that are inherently faster and bigger than us. To compensate for this each boat has a rating and this tells you how much faster the other boats are supposed to be that you per mile of the race. Well it ends up that we were not first, but with the corrected time we turned out to win the regatta yet again (we also won this race last year). It was close, but it could have been closer.

This week I was up in Richmond at a Oil Refinery working on a project up there. We are removing mercury contaminated sediment in the bay and I am going to be doing the confirmation sampling over the next month or two or longer. Hopefully it will not be every day, because it is about a hour and 15min away and more with traffic so I am going to be staying there for the time being. Everything else seems to be the same old same old here. This weekend we were totally free for a change and I sat around all day yesterday and watched football. What a good day. Today is up in the air, but something outside definitely will happen because it is 75-80 degrees and sunny of course.

I wanted to comment on that lady who left about 20Million dollars to her dog or some crap like that. How pathetic is your life that your closest friend is a do?. I would rather be poor and have a friend that could at least talk to me instead of one that will crap and then lick its own rear-end. People who spend thousands on dogs (or any other pet that is treated like a "member" of the family) make me very annoyed. Out here there was an interview with a homeless woman who lost her job in the big collapse of the "high tech" area a few years ago. She was bemoaning the fact that she misses those good old days when she was making lots of money and would pamper her dog with $10,000 operations, massages, and other crap. Was I the only one who was thinking that had she used her money stewardly she would not be homeless? By and large you can determine your own circumstances and you must live with the stupid(or smart) decisions you make. Allowing yourself to elevate a pet to "Family member" status is the beginning of a slippery slope where you care less about those in real need and waste you money on dumb pets(who could care less about you and would like anyone who would just give them a treat or attention). An animal had outlived its usefulness when to care for it costs more then it would be worth if it was butchered and sold in a local taco truck.





The new dredge that takes the sediment(~21acres of it) and puts it-


into this field that is huge and then the contaminated soil with be mixed with concrete and will not be able to escape into the bay anymore.

Backpacking in the Sierra's...a great way to spend time

We have just got back from the big Labor Day weekend activities and are very tired. For the past two nights we have been in the Ansel Adams Wilderness backpacking and seeing some of the most beautiful scenery I have every seen. I know the blog that I posted about two weeks ago had a bunch of pictures of the sierras as well, but get ready for more.

On fri. we left at about 3:30pm just in time to hit all of the weekend traffic, but we knew that was going to be the case. We stopped for dinner in Groveland at the Iron Door Saloon. This is quite the place because it is the oldest liquor establishment in the entire state (since 1852). The place had character, but we did not get to stay for the live music because it was 0'dark thirty and we were still 30min. from our campsite.

The next day we had to get a permit and were not sure if all of the Quota spots were taken, well they weren’t and we got to go where we wanted. We left out of Agnew Meadows (near Mammoth CA) and took the river trail up to 1000 Island Lake (about a 8 mile hike). As you may be able to guess from the name it has a bunch of rocky outcroppings in the lake that make it very picturesque. A great night of sleep and an even better sunrise revealed a great view of Mt. Ritter over the lake.







Brenda admires the campsite the first night.


I have no idea what Brenda was doing after dinner when this pic was taken, but here it is.


Brenda awaiting a gourmet breakfast of oatmeal.


A cute couple picture.


Great view in the morning.


We then went along the JMT (John Muir Trail) past various other beautiful lakes and rivers and then arrived at our campsite at about 4pm and got to lounge around the Trinity lakes area (guess how many there were). Most of the lakes seem to be well named and easily viewed right off of the trail.


Nice view...and the mountains weren't bad either


Me with the "hills" behind me.


Garnet Lake with Ritter(on the right) and Banner(on the left) in the background.


Banner and Ritter through the trees


Me with the Minaret's in the background




Shadow Lake with Two Teats Mountain in the background.

Rosalie lake. You've see one sierra lake...you got to see them all.


Next to the water again. So cold but so nice.


After a lunch near the falls it was to nice to pass up a dip in the water. Brenda went in to, but no picture.


We then hiked down to Devils Postpile. It was a great morning and the peacefulness of the backcountry still fresh in our mind as we were arriving at the postpile. Rounding the corner we see signs telling visitors not to climb on the postpile (a National Monument), and what did we see? Of course we turn the corner and see a busload of “tourists from another country” doing exactly what the sign was prohibiting. Idiots. I know that the sign was in English, but their interpreter can read (I am assuming) and should tell them. Why must they come to our country and act like morons... making all of us Americans angry and insulted(Note: it is not always foreigners that act in this way, but I am in the business of making gross generalizations and what do you expect)? There is nothing like a quick reality check when you just get out of the backcountry, and then see a bunch of idiots to remind you why you need to go back into the backcountry.





No standing near the edge sign


Obviously near the edge and it is hard not to think that people tend to get what they deserve.


Always a good time breaking Federal laws

Here is Brenda doing her best "tourist" impression righ next to one of the many signs prohibitting walking on the Monument

The Postpile wiothout all of the "tourists".