Your True Nature

Advice from a tree
Stand tall and proud.
Sink your toots into the Earth.
Be content with your natural beauty.
Go out on a limb.
Drink plenty of water.
Remember your roots.
Enjoy the view.

3-29-08 Lyons Ranch / shooting

Yes, it was cold at Lyons Ranch, but there were beautiful vistas to look at. Looking to the east we could see the Trinity Alps, to the west the Pacific Ocean, to the south Redwood National Park, to the north the lair of Bigfoot. No, we didn't stop in.
Ahh, what a nice, and 'coolish' (Hooperism) day.
Jim

Be Careful Out There:

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.


IDIOT SIGHTING
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change.

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.


IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceburg lettuce.
From Kansas City


IDIOT SIGHTING :
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked , 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'

Happened in Birmingham , Ala.


IDIOT SIGHTING :
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS


IDIOT SIGHTING:
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.


IDIOT SIGHTING :
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.


IDIOT SIGHTING :
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'
This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, Missippi

STAY ALERT!

They walk among us... and the scary part is that they VOTE and
they REPRODUCE !

7th day trip home / beach

This is what I look like while waiting for the Stagecoach (shuttle) at 2:45 in the morning. The flight we were on was too late to even be considered a "Red Eye." Our flight was not to leave until 5:10, but we had to be to the airport about 3:30 a.m. Lucky for us, after a slight delay, we left at dawn. Unlucky for me, there wasn't an opportunity for me to get bumped. We arrived back in Arcata about 10:15 a.m. to a cool northcoast welcome.
After we arrived home I took Ohmah down to the beach and made sure that everything was OK on this side of the world. It was.
Jim

6th day

Well, as you can see, again, we didn't get a lot done. We just spent the day soaking up the sun and marinating in the pool. It was all a neat memory and a place that was very special to us. The labyrinth was a new experience, so we left our own stone pile there. I, as I always do when we go to a new place, brought back a rock as a mnemonic device (not a physical device, merely a tactile device) to aid in remembering the experience.
Jim

Today we were going to walk down to the bus stop to catch a ride to, well, where ever the bus goes, but we found out that the bus only goes by every hour. Yes, you're right, it took us an hour to figure that out and we missed it both times. By that time we had lost our incentive to "go where ever the bus goes" and stopped to get something to eat and came back to the pool. No use taxing ourselves, or stressing ourselves out, when we didn't really have a plan anyway.

The rest of the day (yes, we accomplished all that by 11:30) we spent by the pool holding the deck chairs down from slipping out from underneath us. You can see that we did leave our visible mark on the pool deck, but just like every other mark that man leaves, ut was soon just a distant memory.
Jim

3-18-08 4th day Tohono Chul State Park

Today we had too much planned; resting, relaxing, walking to and visiting a nearby park, resting, sitting by the pool, relaxing. Did I mention relaxing? Well, we were able to accomplish it all. Actually, I'm feeling pretty successful as we were able to do it all again. I guess that we're just 'overachievers.' We walked down to Tohono State Park, which is actually a microcosm of the nearby desert environment. It was a 10 on the 'cool scale.' There was even a docent to lead us around and made it much more interesting than just walking around by ourselves. With all the information that they shared with us, I'm just glad that there wasn't a test at the end! We completed the day by having lunch before we walked back and then mangaged to get in some more resting by the pool to top it off. Wheeewh...what a day.
Jim

3-17-08 3rd day 29TH Anniversary

Today was somewhat cool, but we did manage to pull some enjoyment out it, after all it was our 29th anniversary. It was kind of cool and so we were running in and out of our room all day. When there was a sunny period we would go out and sit in the chairs outside our room, and when the clouds came through we would come back in the room and wait for them to pass. We walked down to a small strip mall about 1/2 mile away and bought some groceries so we wouldn't be compelled to eat at the place we're staying.
In the evening we went to dinner though, and had a nice anniversary dinner complete with toasting with champagne at the precise time we were married. We figured out that I'd be 91 at our 2nd, 29th anniversary!

Jim

3-16-08 2nd day

Another successful day.

First day

Well, I must say, it was a successful day. We didn't have much planned, but we accomplished all of it! Mainly just walked around the grounds, ate breakfast, and laid by the pool. I dove in and mom said I looked like an otter, the ultimate compliment...I think. But, I did open up my eyes underwater for the first time in about 30 years...sans contacts!

They say it's suppossed to rain, but it just gets sort of cloudy, clears off and then gets cloudy again. Oh well, I guess it's just like home except for the fact that at home it doesn't clear off when it gets cloudy and it does rain. The temp is about 70*, which, I guess, also makes it different than home.

For being bumped I got a $600 voucher that is good anywhere in the US for one year.

Ohmah's in the house!!!

Aptera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2iCE51R9U

The weekend

This weekend, Sandi and I drove down to Novato to hear an author that we had been reading, speak. Eckhart Tolle was a very interesting and inspirational speaker.

I thought that this image was kind of interesting. It made me wonder since the toiletries are labeled so boldly, what would happen if you used them in the wrong place. Maybe, it's some type of subtle warning.

That night we drove back up to Fortuna so we could be in Ferndale early in the morning for the run we were to enter. We had plans to enter the Foggy Bottom Milk Run. This is a run that Randy and Andrew had run when they were about 10 and 12 years old. At the time Sandi and I didn't run in it. Well, this time it was our turn. Our 4.1 mile run was to start at 2:00 so we had plenty of time to scope the competition out. The bad news is that I lined up in the wrong place. All the cows had numbered tags so I thought that this would be a good place to start. But still I thought to myself, "I can outrun these heifers easily!" I soon figured out that maybe I was at the wrong starting line when all they wanted to do was chase me. Do I really look that much like a steer?


Well, after we found the real starting line we had to formulate a plan. I told Sandi that I probably couldn't run the entire 4.1 miles, in fact, so to pace myself and save my energy for a kick at the end, I'd warm up the first 4 miles by walking and then sprint the last .1 mile. I figured that since the only training I had done to prepare for this run was to walk to the starting line (quickly), that would be a prudent approach.


In a way it was somewhat like a dogsled race. If you're not lead dog, the view is all the same. Let's just say that I wasn't the lead of anything, so there was plenty views of what a dog sees if they're not the lead.

But, sometimes anger can serve to motivate a person, namely me. There was this older couple with white hair that were also running the race, at least I think they were a couple. No, there's nothing wrong with white hair, it's just that they were ahead of me for most of the run. I'd run for awhile and pass them, then I'd walk and they'd pass me. That went on for most of the race until I took matters into my own hands. I pulled a NASCAR move on the lady. All the NASCAR fans out there would be very proud. I waited for an inside corner and took the outside. I pulled in real close and knocked her into the ditch and rolled on out of there. I think it's called a 'bump and roll' in the NASCAR lingo. Anyway, I ran for a long time after that and crossed the finish line much before she did. That'll show some 70 year-old lady that she can't beat me.


Anyway, it was a successful day that was followed by a sore day, but that's OK, it was still a good weekend. Randy and Claudia invited us over for shish-ka-bobs. MmmMmmm good. One of those weekends where it's good to get back to work so I can get some much needed rest.

Jim

Today was a play day.

I left the house and 11 minutes later I was paddling out into Lake Earl to go exploring. I opened up a curtain that not too many people venture beyond. Minutes away, but yet a world away.