Java Joe's

Yup, that's right.... Java Joe's. That's where I am right now, burning off a few hours until the boat containing my passengers arrives from Channel Islands National Park. In case you haven't heard of that one, maybe it's because you can't drive there. Pull out the old atlas and look off the California coast, near Ventura. There they are, several islands with names like Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and San Miguel. My hikers went to Santa Rosa, I dropped them off several days ago, today they return, tired, smelly, but content (I hope). The return to San Diego should be uneventful, and it's only a couple hundred miles, "local" for me *grin*. So, anyhow, I found this cozy little coffee shop called Java Joe's, and lo and behold, they have free wi-fi. Right now I'm enjoying some blues while working on my cup of java and posting to my blog. Gee, sounds like I'm a real Netizen, hey? Can't say I'm "20th century"! I just noticed the spellchecker did NOT prompt me on "Netizen", obviously the spellchecker's not "20th century" either.

That time of year....

Welcome back! I guess I'm overdue to post, as well. But, it's that time of year at the bus company... work, work, work! A lot of the work this time of year isn't particularly difficult, just often, long hours. A lot of SPAB runs; School Pupil Activity Bus. Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, you get the idea. I'm working today, had a 17-hour day yesterday.

Kicking back in Santa Clarita

Hello again.... once more, I'm on the road, although a real shortie this time. Just an overnight trip, with a San Diego high school group, performing (choir & band) at a couple schools in this immediate area yesterday, overnight at a local motel, and they are spending today at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Hopefully they'll be exhausted and sleep all the way home *grin*. I had the "noisy bus", the Freshmen. I let them have at it, though, because they were singing (LOUDLY), and generally having a great time. So, to heck with it, let them be happy. They're happy, I'm happy! My buddy Don is along, it's a 2-bus move, and it's supposed to be hot here today (94 degrees), so we'll be getting a late checkout, then drive directly to a theater and watch "88 Minutes" with Al Pacino. By the time that's over, the worst of the day's heat should be just about over. Burn off about 3 hours, then it's time to return to Magic Mountain, pick up the kids, and leave at 2100. We should be back to the school by 2330 or so, back to the yard around midnight. Just another "bus driver" kind of day!

Time to collapse

Well, I'm home........ and BEAT! The trip is over, and exhaustion has set in. I got home, opened up one of the beers I'd brought home off the bus (one of the perks), drank it, and became very lethargic in short order. Told Jacque it was time for a nap. We laid down, fell asleep almost instantly, and were awakened (from a DEEP sleep) about 45 minutes later, by dispatch. Hmmm, I'm working tomorrow. OK, I can do that. Tonight, we're going to bed EARLY!

CA Adventure

Hello again, this time from Lompoc, CA. I, and a couple fellow drivers, are in the mddle of a 5-day trip with a group of buyers of flowers for a big national chain, hitting greenhouses from Gilroy, CA to San Diego. We started by deadheading (driving an empty bus) to San Francisco, then heading south. It's a busy, busy trip, but one I do every year. Like I said, currently we're just on the edge of Lompoc, here for a couple more hours. Then on to Santa Paula, then to San Diego County.

Unexpected emotions

Hello again, this time from sunny San Diego, where the temps were in the 80's today, Easter Sunday! So, of course, we got on on the motorcycle for a while. Jacqueline and I are "recovering" today; we helped youngest daughter Melissa move her mother (my ex-wife from 25 years ago) to a new location. It was supposed to be "quick and easy" for our part; just load up some stuff in my truck to take to Melissa's house, and our part was done. Except, it became bigger, and bigger, and bigger as the day went along. Their truck broke down, after we'd already realized that her mother had LOTS more stuff than we'd originally been led to believe. Bear in mind, Jacqueline and I did this to help out Melissa and her husband Jordan, not the ex-wife. So, it became a debacle, exacerbated by my ex-wife's total lack of preparedness. I told Jacqueline that night, after we were finished, that we both earned quite a few "brownie points" on the Karma Ledger (grin). The biggest surprise for me, however, had to do with seeing my ex-wife for the first time in many years. Without going into details, let's just say life hasn't been very kind to her, although most of her problems were self-induced. I really didn't know if I was going to be angry, melancholy, nostalgic, detached, or what. Well, as the day wore on, and her lack of comprehension about how her failure to be prepared for this move was adversely affecting us, I found myself getting annoyed at her. I kept my emotions close to the vest, but couldn't believe this was a woman I'd loved at one time. I couldn't see a shred of the person I once knew. She seemed old, worn out, tired, self-immersed, unaware, and generally difficult to deal with. I guess mixed with the feeling of annoyance was a feeling of "what a tragedy". Our paths have diverged beyond belief.

Mammoth March Madness

No, the title of this posting has nothing to do with college basketball....and everything to do with what's moving in to Mammoth Lakes as I type this. I guess it's been beautiful weather here for weeks... sunny, dry, pleasant. Until we arrive. There's a storm moving in, a late-winter cold system pushing down from the north. There's not supposed to be a ton of snow, maybe a foot max, but that's plenty enough to screw up the roads. My fellow driver and I chained up last night while the storm was just starting to get going. Good thing, the road we had to go up was a sheet of ice, with 4-wheelers sliding all over the place. They, of course, had no chains on. The bulk of the system is supposed to hit today, with heavy snow from 1100 to 2300, or so they say. We have no spare chains, no chain tool, no extra cross-links so what we have is what we'll have to make do with. I'd presumed the other bus had the extra stuff, since he came up before me, and the shop usually send the "care package" on the first bus. I found out yesterday he doesn't have it. Oh well, hopefully no broken cross-links. Anyhow, I'll post a few pictures, there's not much snow yet, but more on the way, and it's been really windy.

Keeping the Tradition Alive

I thought maybe this year was going to be the end of a LONG string of years with snow trips to Mammoth Lakes; after all, that's where I met my (now) wife, that's where a lot of the "steel" in me today is from. I was subjected to a trial by snow, not fire, there, many times. I've watched as the trips have dwindled consistently, year after year. In my peak years, all of the '80's, into the early '90's, I ran at least 20 trips a winter! My peak year was 24 Mammoth ski trips. But that was a long time ago, now. Nonetheless, I've continued to run at least several trips a year. Until this year. When the one sure trip I have done in the past was scheduled, but there was a conflict with another trip I *had* to take, I figured 25 years of tradition had come to an end. Well, not quite yet. It appears I'll be heading for Mammoth in another couple days, after all. It may even be kind of like some of those legendary trips in the early '80's.... you know, before AIDS. Everything imaginable (and then some) happened on those buses. Believe me.... I was there! Well, the trip this weekend might be kind of similar... in a distant sort of way. You see, I'm bringing a gay group to mammoth, and I hear they "like to party". I guess I'll be diverting the rear-view mirror (boy, does that take on a new meaning!) and watching the road ahead. REAL closely *grin*. I dunno, maybe this is the "end of the road" for my Mammoth trips.... kind of like the boxer who wants one last fight, well past when he should have retired, maybe it's time I hang up on the mammoth trips. After all, I got a wife out of the deal, right? And much more than just a "wife", she's my soul-mate, my friend, my lover, my confidant. So hey, I'll do this trip, with an open mind (that's the only thing that's open), and we'll see how it goes.

A matter of perspective

Beauty in Paso Robles, at a Motel 6? Who would have believed? Actually, it's quite nice here in Paso Robles, a Central California community up the road a ways from San Luis Obispo. The weather's been absolutely spectacular, and, while staying at a Motel 6 is not high on my wish list, attempts have been made by the staff to make this one a bit unique. Little flower gardens adorn the property, with a wide variety of flower species, some of which I've never seen before. Also, across the street is a commercial property that is absolutely adorned with flowering trees of some sort. Someone else will have to advise me as to what kind of tree they are, not my strong suit. I'm sure the guys working at the small implement place are oblivious to the beauty in their "front yard", but I found it quite remarkable. I'll attach pictures to this post, of course. I'm also including a photo of a McDonald's that's just down the street. Why? It's a "retro" Mickey-D's, with the old arches going through the building, white and red tile outside, and a "Mr. Speedy" logo on top. It was too good to not take a picture of it!

Forgot to mention.....

BTW, I forgot to mention in yesterday's post.... Jacque and I grabbed the opportunity to get out to the desert this past Saturday (3-1-08), really glad we did. Little did we know that I'd be leaving town the next day. We'd originally talked about going on Sunday, but changed our minds. Goes to show you, in my job, you grab the opportunity when it presents itself. Anyhow, I put together a webpage with pictures and a video from our day. The desert was a carpet of color! Here's the link:
Desert Day

Suddenly out-of-town

OK, February is history; it's always a busy month in our family, there's a ton of birthdays (including mine). Daughter Melissa's is a few days away still, then there's a bit of a pause. It's also typically a busy month for my work, and there's one of my favorite trips annually in February, Yosemite Valley. It's beautiful there in the winter. But all that's behind me, it's March now. I wasn't expecting to go out-of-town again until near the end of the month, but a fellow driver where I work has developed health issues, and I was asked to cover a 5-day run he was originally scheduled to do. It wasn't anything I couldn't do easily, so I said OK. Now I'm sitting in my motel room in Paso Robles, CA, with another couple "down days" (no service), then pick up my group and return to San Diego. Today's focus was on getting the coach fueled and the "head" dumped. That's accomplished, so the next couple days are truly "no service". I always feel better once the fuel tank's topped off *GRIN*. Anyhow, on a serious note, the driver with the medical issues is dealing with some bad news, and still doesn't know exactly how his doctor plans to attack the problem. I'm sure he wants to get back to work, but apparently it's going to be a little while. In the meantime, I'm thinking that I, and probably others, will be asked to go out of town more than usual. Another driver who does a lot of out-of-town trips is also currently off, recovering from surgery. Runs like the one I'm currently doing, no problem. But there are some others that, while I may have done them in the past, it was like the DISTANT past. Things like San Francisco city tours. That makes my skin crawl just to think of it! Yeah, if I absolutely had to, I could pull it off, but I consider it a very poor fit for my job strengths. Guess we'll see on that.

Birthday Boy

Wow, 56 years old now! Geez, they're flyin' by.... you've all heard that at one time or another. Well, I'm here to say it's true. The older you get, the faster time seems to slide on by. My dad, who's about to turn 84, says time continues to seemingly compress. Anyhow, I guess I can't complain; I hiked a mountain on my birthday! Then my daughters stopped by, with a couple of the grandkids in tow, and Jacqueline fixed a wonderful meal for all of us. I'd say I'm a pretty lucky guy. No, make that VERY lucky!

Carrizo

We (Jacque and I) spent the day Saturday, February 9th, in my new truck, traveling the roads of far eastern San Diego County. For those who don't know, San Diego County comprises land ranging from the coastal strip and beaches, to the inland valleys, to mountains, to deserts. I've heard San Diego County is one of the 10 largest counties in the USA. We stopped at McCain Valley, a huge BLM preserve just over the top of the divide between coast and desert, and stopped at a spot along the way (see the cheesy video taken on my digital camera below). Then, on we went to Jacumba, a small community in far eastern San Diego County, at around 3000', on the way down to the desert floor. We stopped at the border fence with Mexico, a short jaunt from the highway, and took some pictures. I'll attach all the photos here, the first few are at the overlook at McCain Valley, the remaining are along the border fence at Jacumba. Anyhow, after that, we headed back west, but on CA hwy 94, and stopped for lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall place called "Tacos de Mexico" in Campo, CA. Had a great lunch there, then returned to San Diego. A great day all around!!!

Oh Well.....

Oh well- The Chargers lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, boo-hoo. They kept it interesting until about halfway through the 4th Quarter, then you could just feel the game slip away from them. In the meantime, the Giants surprised everyone by beating the Packers, in Green Bay no less. So a Manning boy is going to the Super Bowl, just not the one everyone presumed. I just talked to one of my co-drivers, he wanted info on the flight the Chargers are on, since the company I drive for transports the Chargers to the airport and back for out-of-town games. I guess it's "next year" once again.......

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all readers of my posts! It's been an eventful year, and today has been memorable here at our home in San Diego. Another Christmas has come and gone (well, almost... it's 2230 now, on Christmas day), and the memory banks have more to store *grin*. We slept in this morning, then got going, and visited my older daughter and family. Returned home, tried in vain to open our own gifts while the phone rang incessantly, then caught a short nap before my younger daughter and her family showed up. Now, everyone is gone, Jacqueline's in bed, and I'm going to be there soon too. This day always reminds one to appreciate the things you have, it doesn't take much looking around to see people who are struggling. So, 2008 is rapidly approaching, and with it, a whole new set of events and memories. From our house to yours, may it be a fruitful year, and may good health be your constant companion! Happy New Year!

Musings From my Visit to Minnesota

Well, it's 0030 here, now, and I really ought to be asleep. I'm at my parent's house, here in Bloomington, MN, but leave tomorrow for home. It's been a really rewarding visit, got to see all my brothers and most of their spouses. Also got to spend some "computer time" (basically, the equivalent of quality time) with my nephew Christopher, who's WAY too sophisticated for his age, when it comes to computers, anyway . Fortunately, he's pretty much your typical kid otherwise. Anyhow, my dad's crisis has passed, in a way. Yes, it's still very real, but the treatment regimen is fairly painless: one pill a day. Yes, there's side effects, but nothing that's really hard to tolerate. I think a massive weight has been lifted from him, he's obviously less stressed about the whole uncomfortable experience now. I had the opportunity to spend some rewarding time with both him and my mom, and am really glad I came back. It was great to see that my brothers were all doing well too. And I wish I'd had my camera for my brother Donn's house... boy, did he have that sucker lit up with Christmas lights!

From fires to rain

Hello again, it's been a while. Several significant developments of late; the fires are all over, thank God, and winter has started a bit early. San Diego got a significant storm about 10 days ago, and now it's raining again. Currently, I'm in Riverside, CA, at UC Riverside, with a group of high school students doing a campus tour, in the rain. I'm beginning to think we're in for a wet winter. But that's not the "big development". My dad's been diagnosed with cancer, but fortunately it's been caught early, stage 1. The lymph system appears to have been affected, however, and the doctors are discussing strategy and therapies. I'm flying back in a few days, just to spend a little time with them. My mom's worried sick, probably more than is necessary, it doesn't appear to be life-threatening. Of course, it's still a major concern, and everyone (especially my dad) wants it behind us. This little experience landed up being the subject of my Christmas letter this year, it's had a profound effect on me too.

After the Fires

They say the worst is over.... at least for us, here. There's still evacuation orders in effect, but all in East County now. The prevailing breezes have returned to their normal, from off the ocean, bringing us cool, moist air. There were actually a few raindrops a short while ago! However, the weatherman says we're going to be getting another high-pressure event, off the Great Basin, starting tomorrow. But they're promising no hurricane-force winds with this one, it's supposed to be a mild event. Unfortunately, it may result in the smoke from the fires still lingering in the East County to drift over us.... AGAIN. Wonderful. I tried to hike the mountain yesterday, got halfway up the grade, realized I could only see about 2 miles because of the poor air quality, and knew I wasn't doing my lungs any favors being out in that air. So, I went 1/2 way up the mountain, and turned around. Today is about as good as it's been since the fires started 6 days ago (geez, was it ONLY 6 days ago??), but, as I said, tomorrow may be worse.

One picture's worth a thousand words....

San Diego Wildfires

Wow.... this is a scary time here in San Diego right now; eerily reminiscent of 2003. At our house, we're actually faring a bit better than last time, the air quality hasn't been as bad, thanks in part to the fact that we're between the two enormous fires raging in San Diego County. The fire that's closest to us, the Harris Fire, put on quite a show for Jacqueline this morning, before sunrise, before she left for work. Yes, even though officials are recommending that people stay home, and stay off the freeways, some of us still have to go to work. I requested the day off, otherwise I'd probably be out there too. But, last night, Jacqueline and I packed up "the important things" into her car and my truck, just in case we had to evacuate. The weather was supposed to start reverting to the normal airflow, off the ocean, and here at our house (about 5 miles from the coast), it is indeed starting to change. But apparently, that's not the case further inland. Also, as the breeze starts up from the west, we're going to get all that smoke we've managed to avoid so far. Anyhow, as I said, Jacqueline had quite a visual experience this morning at 0430. Mt. San Miguel, a large mountain just southeast of San Diego, near Spring Valley, was fully engulfed. I found some pictures taken by another blogger, link here, that accurately depict what was happening about that time. Dante's Inferno would be an appropriate description. The viewing angle is a bit different from our house, but not much. And the view from our house is unobstructed, because we live on a high point. I'll include the photos here:

Can you understand now why we're a bit nervous?? This mountain is approximately 5 miles from us, as the crow flies. San Diego is experiencing a major disaster right now, I personally know a couple who *may* have lost their home (they don't know yet whether it survived). Here's a map showing the relative proximity of our house to the Harris Fire: