About 7 or 8 years ago I planted two Liquid Amber trees. They quickly grew into nice, tall shade trees. However, I didn't know they are such tenacious water seekers! Both trees were growing lots of surface roots and one of them sprouted roots that headed for the inground spa lifting the sidewalk in the process. So they have to come out. It's a shame because they provide much needed summer shade but I can't risk having the roots grow through the side of the spa. The tree also ruined a portion of a sidewalk that I'll have to re-pour.

Liquid Amber on the left.

Liquid Amber in the foreground.

Sidewalk demo. A stump grinder will take care of what's left.

Tonight I reached my Weight Watchers goal! This week I lost (drum roll, please!) a whopping -4.8 pounds! I knew I was going to do well and hoped for about a 3 pound loss. So this is a pleasant surprise. I started in March at 277 and now 228. I lost a total of 49.6 pounds! My goal is 230. Now, to become a lifetime member I have to maintain for 6 weeks + or - 2 lbs. With Thanksgiving in that time frame it'll be a challenge.

I would be remiss not to thank family and friends for their support. Thanks!

{{{{{Happy Halloween!}}}}}

I had a pleasant surprise this morning as I donned my leather for a chilly morning ride to Bakersfield Harley-Davidson; my leathers fit so much better, especially my chaps! Last Winter I had to tug at both halves of the pant legs to get them lined up so they could be zipped. This morning it was a breeze. The two halves met effortlessly...Sham-Wow!

There was a surprise at the dealership today too. Their recently hired employee, Ben, received a new Harley from his parents as a birthday gift! Wow! How cool is that? (However, I think they used the American flag inappropriately. They probably weren't thinking and were just trying to cover the bike for the surprise.)

Thanks, Mom!

We just returned home from attending my nephew's wedding in Overton, Nevada. We left Bakersfield Friday morning and spent the night at Buffalo Bill's hotel in Stateline, Nevada. This eliminated a long drive the day of the wedding. Overton is about 50 miles North of Las Vegas in the middle of nowhere, as it's said!

John Robert Karwoski married Kendall Murray at a friends home with many friends and relatives in attendance. John is my late brother's son. The ceremony was, as they say, short and sweet. Perfect if you ask me! The host's home is on 2 1/2 acres in this tiny desert community of about 2,500. Circumstances took family friend Steve Schloemer to Overton a few years ago and John followed shorthly thereafter. Steve was one of my brother's best friends.

Steve's friend, Arnie, hosted the event. The reception was held in his shop/bar/man cave. His shop is huge and lends itself to partying. With a killer bar, bandstand and brass pole; what else could one need? They have a nice backyard where the nuptials took place. The backyard looks like a great party place too. They have a nice pool and an awesome cabana/bar area.

Before the ceremony took place my wife and I were in the backyard by the pool just hanging out when we noticed a catering truck coming down the street. You know the kind, the typical Roach Coach you see at construction job sites. We joked that that caterers were coming. Well, as we watched, the truck kept turning towards the house and did pull in the driveway. At this point we guessed it was driven by wedding guests who either just got off work or it was their only mode of transportation. Wrong on both counts. It WAS the caterers! Wow. How unusual is that? But you know what? The food was great. Probably the only thing that went wrong was that the food was supposed to be set up inside the shop but guests started lining up as soon as the truck stopped. Ok then. Let's go to the Roach Coach and get some chow! Seriously, it was good food. And knowing Steve and his friends it, was the perfect solution to feed lots of people in an orderely fashion.

The wedding went off nicely. The Bride was beautiful, the Groom handsome, and everyone had a good time.

Here's some pics.

Today I went on a 375 mile ride with some friends. We left Bakersfield HD about 8am and headed toward Highway 46. We followed Hwy 46 west to US 101 North and took the Jolon Road (G-18)exit towards Lake San Antonio. Somewhere along the way we turned onto a road that goes through the military base, Hunter-Ligget.

Fort Hunter Liggett (FHL) is the largest installation in the Army Reserve and the eighth largest in the Army. With more than 165,000 acres of un-encroached mountains, valleys, rivers, plains, and forests it provides ideal maneuver areas for today's brigade-based Army. FHL's assets include a Convoy Live Fire Course, Weapons Qualification Ranges (pistol to Tank Table 12), a Live Fire Shoot House, an Urban Assault Course, a C-17 capable airstrip, 33 Drop Zones, a 36-pad Heliport, an Ammunition Supply Point, an Engagement Skills Trainer-2000, and Distance Learning Center equipped with 36 computers, more than 50 classrooms and bed space for more than 3,500 Soldiers.

Major tenants at FHL are the 3rd Brigade 356th Logistical Support Battalion, 7th Brigade 104th Division (Institutional Training), the 31st Naval Construction Regiment, Operation Platinum Wrench, and the 63rd RRSC Equipment Concentration Site 170. The 91st Division (Training Support) is scheduled to reorganize and relocate from Camp Parks to Fort Hunter Liggett in 2009. An Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) is scheduled to be constructed at this site.

Hunter Ligget allows through traffic. After a quick license/insuarnace/registration stop at the gate, we were on our way to San Antonio Mission. It's one of the Missions in the California chain of missions founded by Father Junipero Serra. We spent about 45 minutes or so at the mission then headed towards the coast via Naciemento-Ferguson Road.

Naciemento-Ferguson Road is a great sight-seeing route. It's a combination of twisties and straight shots. There's plenty of road debris fallen from the hillsides. The scenery is spectacular but one must be alert when riding this road!

We rode until we merged with Highway 1, California's Pacific Coast route. We were about 40 miles North of San Simeon where Hearst's Castle is located. We continued South on Hwy 1 and stopped in Cambria for gas. From there we took Hwy 46 East back towards Bakersfield. We made a stop in Paso Robles for some nurishment then headed home.

Thanks goes to Brain for putting this ride together. It's was a beautiful day to ride some of California's most scenic roads. The weather couldn't have been better. The coast was partly cloudy as the Elephant Seals basked on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. I swear, there must have been a couple hundred of them "laying out"! They were so funny....they looked like a bunch of sardines laying in formation.

Here's some pics. When the slideshow starts, click the "reverse order" link. I don't know how I did it but the pics were uploaded in reverse order. PICS

My WW weigh-in this week...-0.2 pounds. The road to my goal weight is long and slow, but I'll get there!

We spent the weekend in the Mojave Desert at California City. It was our largest group of RV's yet...10! The weather couldn't have been better! Here's the pictures.

Tonight's WW weigh-in yielded -2.0 pounds. I'm 3.0 pounds from my goal weight of 230 pounds. If I can maintain my goal weight (within + or - 2.0 lbs.) for 6 weeks, I will have achieved lifetime membership status. That means no more monthly membership fees!

We had a nice visit today with my family in Palmdale, Ca.. We celebrated September birthdays. September 23rd was my mother's 79 th and my 59th. There were a few nieces with birthdays in September also. We all had a nice time. Here's some pics. .

I, like most Americans today, remembered the victims of our nation's worst tragedy.

On a lighter note; check out this video. Movie

My WW weigh-in: -3.1 pounds. That was a nice surprise. I attribute the weight loss to a change in exercise routine. I'm now on a treadmill instead of the elliptical...it worked!

My WW weigh-in: -0.8 pounds. .

“Acocdrnig to an elgnsih unviesitry sutdy the oredr of letetrs in a wrod dosen’t mttaer, the olny thnig thta’s iopmrantt is that the frsit and lsat ltteer of eevry word is in the crcreot ptoision. The rset can be jmbueld and one is stlil able to raed the txet wiohtut dclftfuiiy.”

My WW weigh-in tonight showed a -0.2 pound loss. It sure is hard to get back on track after vacation.

I finally got the Radio Flyer decal put on Kyle's old wagon. She looks pretty good!

Here's some more pics from vacation...Disneyland!

My WW weigh-in went better than expected. I gained 2.6 pounds. Not bad considering I didn't stay on the plan. I think the difference was, even though I ate the wrong food, I didn't eat tons of it like I would have prior to joining WW.

My daughter and two grandchildren went home today. We had a nice 2 week visit that included an RV trip to the beach and to Disneyland. I think the kids enjoyed everything and had some new, fun experiences. I hope they'll have fond memories of their vacation to California...I know we will!

Here's some pics.

We are enjoying our visit with our youngest daughter and her two children. Tomorrow we'll go RVing to the beach for a few days and then on to Disneyland! Here's some pics. .

Sham-Wow! My WW weigh-in this week...(drum roll, please!)... -4.2 pounds! I attribute it to changing up my exercise routine. Instead of walking exactly the same amount of time every night, I varied the times. The body does sort of get immune to an exercise routine if it's too regimented.

One thing is for sure, if the plan is followed correctly it does work!

My WW weigh-in tonight was a little disappointing. I gained 0.6 pounds last week. I'm not exactly sure how that happens but I stayed true to the plan and exercised. I did exercise more than usual and my Leader said that may have attributed to my weight gain. We'll see what happens next week.

Tonight's WW weigh-in: -1.6 pounds...finally, more than a few ounces! The difference? I was more diligent in my exercise routine. I managed 6 days last week compared to an average of 4 days the previous 2 weeks. It worked!

Those of you who follow my site know our friend Kyle passed away just about a year ago. His Dad gave me his old Radio Flyer wagon to fix up. I thought of Kyle a lot while working on this. I'm sure he would approve. Here's the result and some more pics.

Success! I just got back online. That wasn't too frustrating! It's nice to be back on a descent size monitor. The laptop was fairly small. We're good to go!

I just brought home a new desktop PC. I've been using a laptop for a few years now and it's really gotten slow. And the size of a laptop leaves a lot to be desired. Not to mention it's obsolete! We'll see how long this transition takes.

Wish me luck!

Today I made my routine jaunt to Bakersfield Harley Davidson to catch up on the local biker B.S.! While I was there I noticed a used 2005 Softail Standard for sale. Having previously owned one myself, I moved in for a closer look. Just out of curiosity I gave her a real close look..especially the gas tank. You see, the same day I sold my 2005 Softail I accidently dropped my helmet and put the slightest little dent in the gas tank. It was barely noticeable. You really had to look at just the right angle to see it. Well, guess what? The bike for sale had the same dent. Yep, It must have been my old bike that someone traded in for a new one. I asked the saleman a few questions about the guy who traded\ her in and he confirmed my suspicions...it was my old bike. What a coincidence, huh? Her she is!

I forgot to mention, we spent 4th of July at Ventura Beach with friends. The weather was sooooo much cooler than Bakersfield! Here's a few pics.

Tonight's weigh-in was -0.4 pounds. It's not much but at least I'm going in the right direction!

Today I participated in a escort ride with the Patriot Guard to honor another fallen hero from Bakersfield, Maj.Jason George, 38. We escorted the Major to our new National Veteran's Cemetery just East of Bakersfield. The Patriot Guard had a strong showing with a procession of about 100 bikes.

Here's an article and some photos. The funeral procession was quite impressive. I'm sure his family was appreciative.

My WW weigh-in this week was the same as last week...a -0.6 pound loss. I'm not quite sure why the weight loss is in such small increments. My leader asked if I had lost inches. Come to think of it, I believe my pants haver gotten a bit looser. At least it feels like it. We'll see what happens next week.

This past Saturday I participated in a escort ride with the Patriot Guard to honor a fallen hero from Bakersfield, Sgt. Josh Soto, 25. He was killed by an IED (improvised explosive device) in Iraq and leaves behind a wife and 10 month old son. It was an honor to pay tribute to yet another fine American who made the ultimate sacrifice. There were about 30 bikes in the procession, a good number of the riders are veterans.

Here's an article in the local paper. And here's some Pics

My WW weigh-in this week netted a -0.6 pound loss. Little by little!

My WW weigh-in went better this week...way better! I lost 4.4 pounds. That more than makes up for my gain last week. Looks like I'm back on track.

Today I participated in a charity ride to benefit a local child who was brutally attacked by his drug-crazed father. Affectionately dubbed, Baby Angel, 4 year old Angel Mendoza was blinded for life by his father's horrific actions. His story is almost unimaginable. Here's a link to the news story: Story

This morning hundreds of motorcycle riders of all ages and lifestyles gathered at Bakersfield Harley Davidson for a ride to support Baby Angel. The turnout was amazing! I've never seen so many people at our local dealership. When someone is in need, Bakersfield really comes through!

I don't know who or how many people organized this event but it went off without a hitch. My hat's off to them. Kudos!

We left Bakersfield Harley Davidson and rode the outskirts of town making our finally destination Beach Park by the Kern River. The ride was great. All the traffic signals downtown were set to the red flashing mode so the procession could stay together and not have to worry about stopping for red lights. Once at the park it was apparent this was a well organized event. The food was ready and the band was playing. Everything was great!

For this event there was a suggested $30.00 donation. If there ever was a worthwhile event, this was it. A guy just ahead of me in line to make a donation wrote a check for $100.00. The person accepting the $100.00 donation couldn't believe the guy only wanted 1 ticket! With 100% of the proceeds benefiting Baby Angel, there must have been lots of generous people suppling food, drinks, t-shirts, etc.. I just hope he can recover from his ordeal...physically and emotionally.

Having worked in the prison system for years, I have a feeling his father will receive a huge dose of prison justice...hopefully an overdose! Here's a link to some pictures.Pics

As I feared...a 1.8 pound gain this week. It's not a good excuse but we were out of town for 4 days and I didn't stick to the WW plan or exercise. The scale never lies! Well, it's back on track time.

We spent the last few days RVing with our local H.O.G.chapter at Casa De Fruta in Hollister, Ca..

Our H.O.G. chapter president, Dave, planned this trip for members. Some Rved, some stayed at the hotel and others even tent camped. Everyone had a great time and we enjoyed near perfect weather.

On Saturday we rode the bikes to Monterey and visited Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. Of course we had to try to local fare and had some clam chowder. We did a little window shopping and retured to Casa De Fruta.

Casa De Fruta is a pretty nice place to stay. They have an RV park as well as a hotel. So no matter how you travel they have you covered! The grounds are nice and clean with several shops and places to buy fruit, nuts, candy, etc.. There's also a scaled down train that tours the park where you can see an Albino Peacock and a buffalo.

Casa De Fruta is 200 miles from Bakersfield so it's a fairly close destination just right for a 3 day weekend. It was a success and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes an annual event attracking even more members!

I'm dreading my next WW weigh-in!

Here's some pics!

Tonight's WW weigh-in...-1 pound. Slowly but surely!

Happy birthday to my brother, Mike...60!

My WW weigh-in yesterday was a 1.6 pound loss. Thats 30 pounds! Whoo hoo!

Today I partcipated in sending off four young men and one young woman to Marine Corp bootcamp. About 50-60 bikes, ridden mostly by old vets, showed up to support these young men as they enter a new phase in their lives. We escorted them South on I-5 as they headed for Los Angeles. We rode about 10 miles South of the recruiting station in Bakersfield then pulled along side their van and gave a farewell salute to them.

Here's a few pics.

David and Angee bought a new truck yesterday...she's a beaut! Here's a few pics.

I decided to change my WW weigh-in day to Monday's since I'm off. It's probably not a true indication of actually weight loss for the week because I weighed in wearing shorts, sandals, etc. as opposed to my work clothes but I lost 4.2 pounds. However, I'll have to weigh-in next week on Tuesday because of the holiday. I may even experience a gain because I'll be in my work clothes again. We'll see.

I broke a thousand!

999 Days, 09 Hours, 14 Minutes, 19 seconds until I retire!

Today I bought and installed a turn signal/license plate relocation kit for my bike.

Before After

It's nice looking and easier to clean the saddlebags too!

Yesterday my WW weigh-in: -1.6 lbs.=-24.2 pounds total.

I'm half the way there!

Today I partcipated in sending off four young men to Marine Corp bootcamp. About 25 bikes, ridden mostly by old vets, showed up to support these young men as they enter a new phase in their lives. We escorted them South on I-5 as they headed for Los Angeles. We rode about 10 miles South of the recruiting station in Bakersfield then pulled along side their van and gave a farewell salute to them.

Here's a few pics.

WW weigh-in: -0.4 lbs.=-22.6 pounds total.

I recently completed a 5 day, 1900 mile bike trip with friends. I'm surprised I actually posted a weight loss today. I didn't stick to the WW plan at all. But what I managed to do is to control my portions. Although I didn't eat the healthiest foods on the trip, I didn't really pig-out and go overboard.

Some friends and I went on a trip to Arizona. The roads we were on were suggested as scenic routes in the Harley-Davidson Tour Guide. We saw some beautiful areas where I've never been before. We rode in mountains and some desert terrain and everything in between.

The ride was a nice break from daily life. One of the highlights was visiting the Meteor Crater just East of Flagstaff, Arizona. Click on the link to read some fascinating facts. Another scenic leg on the journey was to Sedona, Arizona via Road 89A though Oak Creek Canyon. I can best describe it as a mini Grand Canyon.

Another amazing sight was the Morenci Mine near Clifton, Arizona. Billed as the world's largest copper mine...it's friggin' huge! Here's some pics.

WW weigh-in: -2.2= -22.2 pounds total.

This week will be more difficult. I'll tell you why later.

Happy birthday, Debbie! The big 5 OH NO!

Today I attended the annual Mopar Spring Fling at Woodley Ave Park in Van Nuys, Ca.. As the name implies, it's a Mopar only event consisting of mostly vintage iron. There's usually some newer cars there also.

Going to the Spring Fling this year was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It opened at 10 am so I left Bakersfield at about 8am. By the time I arrived most of the entrants were set up and the show was in full swing. The weather was a comfortable 72 degrees and the cars were plentiful.

Check out the pics. Holding your cursor on the title will display the full description. Click Here.

Weight Watcher weigh-in...-1.6 lbs. That makes an even 20 pounds...slowly but surely!

Today I test drove a TorRed (torrid=hot!) Dodge Challenger R/T with the 6 speed manual transmission.

This car is hot and fun to drive! This morning I made my weekly jaunt to Bakersfield Harley-Davidson to catch up on the local biker B.S.! Afterwards I pointed my bike North and headed for Delano, California where a 2009 Dodge Challenger awaited my arrival.

This particular dealership happens to be on my route to work and that TorRed Challenger ask been beckoning for a few weeks now. It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride and a test drive. Once at the dealership I was met by a salesman wandering the lot. No surprise there! It was about 11 a.m. and I was the lone soul on the lot. A sign of the times! I told the saleman I would like to test drive a 6 speed and he was happy to oblige. I had brought along my Converse shoes so I could "feel" the pedals. My work boots are just to cumbersome to relay any feedback from those 379 horses!

A quick shoe change and we were set. The salesman drove her off the lot. He was pretty aggressive for being on a surface street as his shift into second gear broke the tires loose a bit. Cool! He drove up the freeway for a few miles then exited and we switched seats. The saleman told me to keep it under 85mph. He explained that if the car was ticketed it was then considered used and the dealership would have to get it licensed thus losing dealers incentives and other monies. I didn't know that...or was he giving me some B.S.? Anyway, I rowed her through the gears easily reaching 85 mph by the time I hit 4th. She had a lot left in her! I drove for a few miles to the exit and began down shifing. Then the saleman says,"You don't have to downshift. Just put it in neutral and use the brakes." Huh? I looked at him and he must have seen the confused look on my face. "I guess you probably know how to drive a stick.", he says. {{{YOU THINK}}}}. I asked him what was the fun of having a stick shift car if you weren't going to shift up AND down. He said I had a point. Wow!

The car was fun to drive. Comparing the automatic to the stick:

1. The stick sounds better than an automatic coming to a stop...if you downshift!
2. The automatic gets up and going a lot faster. It depends on how fast you can shift. I don't think you can beat an automatic though.
3. With a stick shift you can rev the engine before taking off without waitng for it to idle down before putting it in gear like you have to do with an automatic.
4. One may get tired of shifting in heavy traffic. Although that doesn't bother me with my Dually.

My conclusion? I could be happy with either the stick or automatic. I think my choice would be swayed by price, color and availability. The 6 speed adds $995.00 to the sticker. Remember when sticks were standard and automatics were extra? How times have changed!

Weight Watcher weigh-in...-3.4 lbs. That's better than last week! Back on track.

Today I took a test drive in a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. My first impression...WOW! The car I drove has an automatic transmission and the 5.7 liter Hemi engine. The window sticker listed all the options and I think it had them all except the sunroof. The Challenger was clad in Deep Water Blue paint with hood to fender stripes and chrome 20" wheels.

While I was standing next to the car waiting for the salesman to copy my drivers license, it started up. Remote start...that's pretty cool! Before I got in the car I automatically adjusted the power seat to it's full rear position. Once behind the helm it was apparent there is plenty of leg room for my 6' 4" frame. I was surprised that I had to adjust the seat forward to a comfortable position. The car was already running so I slipped it into Drive and existed the lot and headed for the freeway on ramp. The ramp I entered on had a slight right curve to it so I didn't go wild with the gas pedal and nail it hard. I did that about half way through the ramp. Man, I was up to 90mph in a flash! I didn't go any faster than that...didn't want to press my luck. It was a pretty short test drive but long enough to know that I could be happy with one!

How many times in our lives do we use the word "if"? Thousands and thousands? I have to do it one more time. "IF" I had gotten 2 more numbers on Satudays Super Lotto draw I'd be a millionaire this morning! I actually had those two numbers but not on the right line. It's sort of like a slot machine that stopped a litte too short. Man, that was a close one.

Upon checking the Lotto results this morning 920 other people had 3 numbers plus the mega number too. It's worth $55.00. On the same ticket on a different line I had 3 numbers. Those were the two numbers I needed for the $8 million dollar jackpot plus another number. That is worth $9.00. I guess I'll be buying $64.00 worth of Lotto tickets for the Wednesday draw. Wish me luck!

Tonights WW weigh-in was a disappointment...I gained 2 lbs! OMG! How'd that happen? I really didn't change my eating habits. However, I did weigh in wearing work clothes boots, etc.. Last week I was in street clothes. That may have something to do with it.

Tonight I decided to step up my exercise time. I've been walking for 30 minutes on the elliptical. Tonight I walked while watching American Idol...60 minutes. We'll see what happens next week.