We got our Idaho drivers licenses recently ... I guess we are officially residents now!

Today I registered the Harley and Suzuki in Idaho. I'm amazed at how low the DMV fees are compared to California. You don't really grasp how expensive everything is in California until you move from there. My Harley was $241.00 in California last year. It was $24.00 here in Idaho!! What's up with that? I guess Californians are so used to getting hosed on everything they just don't feel the hurt anymore! I could understand if California was a little higher than most states, but 10 times the amount!! That's just out of line and rediculous.

I still have 2 trailers and the RV to get registered and I'll be all caught up. We still have to get Idaho drivers licenses too.

Everything is out of storage! Sadly, there just wasn't a good space for our old upright piano so we donated it to our granddaughters pre-school. Other than that, everything is here somewhere.

Slowly but surely we're getting settled. I guess there's no hurry but I'm in a hurry to have routine and normalcy back in my life.

Things to do:

1. Make a permanent spot to park the RV.

2. Finish the master bathroom.

3. Install a wood burning stove downstairs.

4. Get estimates/plan/build a shop.

5. Build some kind of rear patio/deck type structure.

6. Install a few ceiling fans

The list goes on and on!

We have moved! It's been an ordeal but we got it done. We moved into our recently purchased home in Post Falls, Idaho.

Man, what a change in lifestyles. We have winter here...snow!

We bought a bank-owned house that was in pretty good shape overall. It just need painting and a good cleaning to make it shine. The previous owner had it built in 2004-2005 but never quite finished it. The main structure was complete and liveable but he didn't finish painting the trim or installing something around the whirlpool tub...he left it with open studs. Those are easy fixes though.

We're happy with the location. We are 1 mile from town but in the woods where deer frequent our cul-de-sac.Everyone we meet (the cable guy, the phone guy , etc.) tell us we are in a great location and got a good deal. We're pretty sure we'll be happy here. Also, we've had more than a few people tell us what great off-roading there is nearby...can't wait to check that out! Stay tuned!

"Boy! It sure rains there a lot!" I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase uttered since announcing our move to Spokane, Washington.

People usually confuse Seattle with Spokane. Why? I have no idea. After correcting people who make the statement about Spokane's rainfall, which happens to be less than half that of Seattle, they usually say, "Oh ya, that's right. It's Seattle that has all the rain. Where is Spokane anyway?"

Ok. I know everyone isn't a geography buff but you would think most people would know the difference between eastern and western Washington. Spokane is as close as you can get to Idaho without actually being in Idaho!

At dinner the other night, and once again discussing our move to Spokane with friends, I reiterated the rainfall differences between the two cities. Upon saying goodnight to acquaintances, one of them said, almost apologetic and with a facial grimace, "Good luck with you move. Boy, it sure rains a lot there!" I just smiled and said, "Yep. Thanks."

Merry Christmas!

I've taken one trailer load of belongings to storage in Spokane. The trailer is once again loaded as we wait for escrow to close next week. We'll take the last trailer load to storage and leave it in Spokane returning with an empty pickup. When we get home we'll load the last items into the 5th wheel. Jan will tow the small trailer with the Ranger on it as we depart California for the last time!

It's been very hectic for the last few weeks but our burden of moving 1,250 miles away will soon be over.

Boy, selling the house, both of us retiring, and moving to another state has been an adventure to say the least! We didn't expect it to all to come together as fast as it did but we are thankful it didn't drag out for months waiting for the house to sell.

I'll soon go off-line for a while as we bid farewell to California. For me, it's been a great 51 years but it is now time for a change as we start a new chapter of our lives!

We regret having to leave friends and relatives and can only hope some of them will want to visit us eventually. I'm sure we will return to California in the future. Happy New Year!

Okay. So ever since Facebook, I have neglected to update my site in a timely fashion!

LOTS of NEWS!! Tomorrow... I retire from the State of California!! Whoo Hoo! Twenty years of prison employment finally comes to an end.

We've always planned to move out of California when the time came and that time is now upon us.. We chose to move to the Spokane area. In recent weeks we have sold our house, bought a moving trailer, and began packing for the move. I'll leave this Thursday, December 14, with my first load to Spokane and put it in a storasge unit there.

We plan to live in the RV park while we shop for a new house. I would like to find a place out of town with 5 acres or more and a shop for under $100,000.00. Right! That's only in my dreams! Although it is a buyers market I'll have to spend a bit more that that to get what I want. We are flexible and open to all options. We'll consider manufactured housing too. Ok...mobile homes! However, newer mobile homes are not the flimsy, walnut paneling laden boxes they used to be. Some are quite nice.

Tomorrow is my last day at work and 3 days later, Thursday, is my wife's last day at Kaiser Permanente after more that 25 years. We'll leave Bakersfield with a heavy heart as we have developed some great friendships since moving here 20 years ago. As a matter of fact, I've lived in Bakersfield longer than any other place I've ever lived!

We should complete our move by January 8, 2012. What a way to start the new year and the next chapter of our lives! I'll report from Washington after we move and get set up in an RV park. Adios, California!

We spent the weekend in Big Pine, California at my brother and sister-in-laws (Richard and Coni) celebrating his 65th birthday.65??? OMG!!!

Anyway, we all had a good time visiting and it was nice to see their visiting children and grandchildren. We all pitched in Saturday norning and decorated the yard in a luau theme. The weather cooperated which is always nice. It was a great day with family, friends and good food. What more does a birthday boy need, huh?

Check out the pictures. There's also a few pics from when Richard and I took a ride in his Rhino to Keough Hot Springs on Sunday morning.---------> PICS.

We spent memorial weekend at Diaz Lake in Lone Pine, California.

We had a great time with family and friends. The first two days were picture perfect and the last two days were pretty windy. However, we never let the weather dampen our spirits!

We took our ATV's so we could do some off roading and exploring. We went to Cerro Gordo Silver Mine and Ghost Town. At 8,500 feet it offered some spectacular views of the Owens Valley and surrounding mountains. We also drove up to Whitney Portal which is the starting point for hikers to ascend Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48! Talk about serenity and scenery...that's the place to be. Whitney is also about 8,500 ft. but it's much cooler on the West side of the Owens Valley compared to the East side where Cerro Gordo Silver Mine is located. It was 37 degrees at Whitney and snow flurries. Beautiful! You should go sometime. It's an easy 13 mile drive from Lone Pine.

While we up at Whitney Portal we ran into my brother's sister-in-law. Talk about a small world! They stopped by our campsite at Diaz Lake and visited for a while too.

Like I said, the first two days were perfect. A couple of the girls made it bikini weather! Long time friend, Aaron, did a little fishing and Daisy played in the lake. Janice and I got in a few games of cards and Backgammon.

Everyone had a good time and nobody had any major breakdowns or vehilce trouble...that's always a plus!

I took lots of pictures and one video of the motorcycle processsion escorting the Vietnam Memorial moving wall. You'll have to see the video on my Facebook page. Here's a link to the rest of the pictures --------------> PICS!

I recently returned from a four day bike ride with two friends. We went up to Norhtern California and did some sightseeing.

We left Bakersfield on Thursday morning. My first stop was to fill up 2 blocks from home. I went to start the bike and had a dead battery. My two friends, Reggie and Brian were waiting for me at Bakersfield Harley Davidson. A quick phone call and they were able to bring a new battery with them. Ben, the parts manager at Bakersfield HD, hooked me up. I didn't even have to pay for it until I retured home!

So we started off with a little hiccup but since we had no hard and fast schedule it wasn't a big deal.

We made our way to Highway 58 West and merged on to I5 North to Highyway 46 west. That got us to Paso Robles where we stopped for breakfast. We continued North on US 101 to San Francisco and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. You have to visit the bridge every now and then to remind yourself what an awesome engineering feat it was to build... in 1937!

We continued on to Santa Rosa where we spent the first night. The next morning we continued North to Acata, Ca. where we picked up Route 299 East towards Redding. Route 299 parallels the Trinity River..a very scenic ride. We spent the night in Redding...still perfect weather...great riding!

The next morning we headed out on Route 44 East with plans of going through Lassen National Park but Mother Nature had other plans. Snow and road closures at higher elevations had closed the park. No problem...we're flexible!

We decide to go South on a byway...Black Butte Road. We rode Black Butte Road all the way to Route 36. We continued on Route 36 South to Route 89 South to Lake Almanor. It was slow going but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous!

We continued on Route 89 South to Quincy, Ca. which eventually merged with Route 49 through California's Gold Country. We went through several quaint little towns on route 49; Grass Valley, Auburn and Downieville just to name a few. It was a long day and slow going because of the curvy roads but the scenery made it worthwhile. At one point there was a sign, a professional sign, not homemade, that read "Bikers Beware! Deadmans Curves next 15 miles." You didn't have to say anymore than that! We eventually made it to Placerville where we spent our last night.

The next day was all about getting home! We took US 50 West to Sacramento and merged with 99 South towards Bakerfield. Then it was; pick 'em up and put 'em down...homeward bound!

It was a great trip! We saw lots of great scenery, drove through the giant redwoods and followed some beautiful rivers. We had no major problems and got home safe and sound. That is a perfect ride!

Here's some pics------>Pics

April 3 was our 26th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going RVing out to the desert...just the two of us. The weather could have been better...it was windy but the temperature was nice. We hung out and played card games and did a little riding in the Polaris Ranger. Here' s a few pics. PICS!

A shot of the lathe gears.

I decided to renovate my 1952 South Bend Lathe. I've owned it for about 20 years. I acquired it from a former co-workers employer. The fellow who originally purchased it in Chicago passed away some years ago. I happened to find it abandoned when I went back to work for that former employer for a short while in 1990. Then about 7 years ago or so, I sold it to another co-worker...I almost immediately regretted it. About a year ago the guy I sold it to called and asked if I wanted to buy it back...I jumped at the chance. I wanted it for mostly sentimental reasons.

After getting the lathe back a close inspection revealed lots of damage to the gears. Thanks to the Internet and Ebay, finding replacement parts was a snap. I now have all the parts necessary to make it useable again. While I was at it I puchased a renovation manual specifically for my lathe...that will help with disassembly, rebuilding and re-assembly. Here's a before picture. ...and after.

Unfortunately the new year has started of with a bang...no pun intended. The Arizona shooting brings out (once again) the pundits with all their rhetoric. Why must there be anyone to blame but the shooter himself? It's not the guns fault; it's not his parents fault; it's not his school's fault; etc., etc.. IT'S HIS FAULT! ...PERIOD!

This will be debated over and over in the media until, well, until the next BIG story comes along. Make no mistake about it; the media loves this stuff. That brings to mind the Don Henley song, "Dirty Laundry". "It's interesting when people die...give us dirty laundry."

There are just some bad people in this world who were bad from the moment the seed was planted. You can never know what lurks behind someones eyes. For whatever reason they are just bad and it usually takes an horrific act for others to realize it. The shrinks, with their psycho- babble, will tell you there were signs that somebody should have recognized. People who know the nut will have their "Ah ha!" moment following the act also. But you know what? There are just some things we can't foresee or control. That's just the way it is.

Arizona residents can legally buy and carry concealed weapons. I'm wondering why someone besides the shooter wasn't armed. The story may have been quite different.

Well, like I said; there are some things we just can't doing anything about. This brings to mind another popular song by Sonny and Cher, "The Beat Goes On"...

I hope 2011 will be a good year for everyone!

I can finally say, "I retire THIS year!" I'm looking forward to the changes my wife and I will experience this year. We tentatively plan on putting the house up for sale and move by the end of the year or early next year. We'll just have to see how it goes.