The Joys of Summer in SoCal

Ah yes, the joys of summer in sunny, dry and hot Southern California. On Thursday I was all set for another 20-mile bike ride after work. It's typically a little hot around 4:30 p.m., but it usually doesn't smell like fire!

I guess it's a smell we are going to have to get used to here. This view from our apartment balcony is a fire blazing just south in the mountains. Naturally, I sat out on the patio with a drink and book and watched the whole thing unfold. All I needed was some marshmallows and graham crackers. The photo doesn't really give the size of fire much justice. If you look closely after you click on the image to expand it, you will see a helicopter just above the smoke line. That should help put the size into perspective.

I was amazed at the efficiency of the firefighters here. This fire raged in 95-degree temps for two hours. That's all the time it took for the helicopters and planes to put out the fire looking to advance in the dry brush. The foam phosphate does an amazing job retarding fires. I tried to snap a few pics of the planes dumping but my lens was maxed out, the smoke made them grainy and they pretty much sucked. This mountain is about five miles southwest of us.

The fire consumed about 125 acres in two hours time. Needless to say, the air quality here in the "valley" wasn't ideal for a hard bike ride so I had to shelve that plan for the day.

Other than that, Tracy and I had a great holiday weekend together. We were able to watch another type of fire from the porch on Saturday as two fireworks shows were visible from our balcony. Pretty ideal for us. No fighting crowds or traffic and the drinks were cheap! But we didn't completely cheap out. We managed to make a stop at a couple of wineries on Saturday for some tasting. We had another glass at Leonesse Cellars, which is by far the best winery we have found here so far. They have good reds and whites, which is a rare find here for some reason.

On Sunday we made our first stab at beer can chicken on the grill and it turned out really well. After 90 minutes the bird was ready and I was impressed we pulled it off for our first time. Tracy did the preparing and I did the grilling. I really, really didn't want to mess up my half of the duties. Bet that chicken never thought it would end up in our grill with a beer can up its ass!

Today (Monday), I took in another solid bike ride and am thoroughly enjoying an extended holiday weekend as KTM gave us Friday and Monday off. I feel like I'm the only one out there with Monday off too. Tracy wasn't as lucky.

Watercooler Talk

It appears the old cliche reference to watercooler talk at the office doesn't really apply to KTM anymore. Due to cost cuts I guess, the Glenwood Inglewood cooler service no longer exists at the KTM West office. It was a little sad once I learned of the cooler's demise.

We have an espresso machine, a selectable coffee style machine and a sink filled with dirty dishes. I guess that's where the non-fancy water comes from ... the dirty sink. Unfortunately, the water here in Murrieta tastes like a swimming pool so I'm going to have to come up with another option. Way too much chlorine; it must be the only solution to killing off all the nastiness found in the Colorado River these days.

My suggestion was to have people pay for the coffee and espresso, which would fund the water cooler rental. Ultimately, you know things might be bad if the water cooler service costs get cut. At least I get AC still, unlike all the mechanics in the back shop, drying out like a sponge here in the desert.

At the end of the day maybe I've just been a little spoiled with a water cooler at every job I've had. As long as I don't become the old water cooler, kicked to the curb looking for a new office to call home, there's really nothing to complain about!

Mama We're Coming Home

For those of you we haven't alerted, Tracy and I will be home from July 30th through August 3rd. Hopefully we can meet up with most of you. We're looking in to going to the Twins vs. Angels came on Saturday night. Maybe a little grilling and tailgating pregame?

Nothing much new to report here. It appears we are out of June Gloom here and 90-degree days and blue skies are what's in store for the next four months. Meteorologists have it rough here ... no, no they don't.

Before we come home the Twins are in town for a four-game set against the Angels. We're planning on attending three of them. Tracy really, really misses Bert ... must be from all that gas he used to throw! Think we won't make Circle Me Bert signs?

KTM Flash Ad -- 1st Ever

Check out my first-ever KTM flash banner ad. Dad, this would be an ideal event for you since you ride the 990 Adventure and all!

It wouldn't all fit in the frame space requirements here even after I modified the size, so you can see the finished polished version at http://megaswf.com/view/f7f976dbec168ad2ba6a2a57f74dda27.html

I Suppose

I suppose I should post an update as it's been a while since the last real post. Last week my parents came to visit and spent six days here in SoCal. Sorry for the lack of pictures, we didn't have a working camera. Bare with me, this will be a longer than usual blog. I promise the next one's won't be so long winded.

Overcast skies were the norm for the first three days of their visit. Tracy and I had to work on Thursday, so my parents were on their own. They're big kids, so we figured they could handle it. They hit up Old Town Temecula and then made it over to a winery for a late lunch. Sounds like they enjoyed themselves. We got a sweet Friends Welcome, Relatives By Appointment plaque from my parents that they acquired in Old Town antiquing ... my mom's favorite pastime. Kind of like her baseball.

On Friday, my dad and I donated to the local Indian tribe, losing $100 cumulative at the Pechanga Casino before we headed to meet Tracy in Orange County. My mom was smart and just looked on as we dumped cash into their pockets. We met up with Tracy around 2 p.m. after a trip across the Ortega and the four of us had lunch overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach. It was a really quaint location and even better than the scenery was the food. After lunch, we made our way to Anahiem stopping at Huntington Beach on our way for shopping. Once we got to Anahiem we scalped some excellent seats for the Angels v. Mariners game that was proceeded by a much better than expected fireworks show. Bang, ooooh, awe.

The overcast weather persisted in to Saturday with a nagging mist ... not ideal for enjoying the world renowned San Diego zoo. Turns out the day worked out perfect. The mist quit as we entered the zoo, and it managed to keep the crowds down too. The zoo just opened its new African Safari featuring elephants and Jaguar that was really impressive. Overall, the zoo was great and we did a good job of saving money. Tracy and I are now zoo members, a less expensive alternative to buying four admission passes. It cost us $80 and the membership lasts for a year, came with two guest passes and discount passes. Standard admission for four adults would be $140. Our other cost saver ... we packed lunches and brought souvenier plastic cups from our last trip to the Wild Animal Park. The zoo refilled them for free, which was a $11 savings! Once we returned home, my dad and I grilled up some delicous steaks and chicken ... Tracy and my mom were off on their own adventure as Tracy picked up my birthday gift. I'll update you more on that in another blog.

Sunday the weather turned, turned really hot. We headed out to Palm Springs to visit my mom's second cousin in 98 degree temps. Downtown Palm Springs was a little disappointing. I guess it has appeal for the sunny skies, but it just wasn't my scene. Palm Springs just didn't live up to the hype. The only cool thing, literally, was the mist features outside the shop awnings. Other than that, nothing to see here, move along. Nevertheless, Tracy and I enjoyed the pool and the sun and my parents enjoyed catching up with two people whose names I can't remember. I'm sure they were great names though. Later we hit up a mexican restaurant that was just OK. Fairly standard mexican food fare.

I also took a vacation on Monday afternoon and spent time with my parents bumming around at our outdoor mall here in Temecula. Tracy managed to swing another half-day and the weather was sky blue and 70. Pretty much perfect weather for a little wine tasting. We bought a bottle of blush wine at Wilson Creek and enjoyed the high alcohol content and some cheese and crackers. My mom seemed to enjoy the high alcohol content more than the rest of us though :)

On Tuesday morning, I took my parents down to La Jolla before their flight and we did the standard walk on the beach. Then, we headed over to the must see and smell ... the seals! We got to the cove just in time and were able to stand right above some of the biggest and stinkiest of the bunch. It's always fun to see the seals. After that, we had a really good lunch at The Cottage in La Jolla and were off to the airport. Wow, six days goes fast. Especially when it's really, really fun. Thanks for visiting mom and dad, it was great to see both of you.