Sailing and Spelunking

Today Shay and I double booked ourselves. We had no interest in watching the Superbowl, and I had no interest in sitting at home being lonely---so we got busy.

Our friends Jeff and Nereyda came up from Phoenix and wanted to try out their sailboat on our lake....
So we started the day sailing.

It was my first time on a sailboat, but Shay apparently has had a catamaran ride in the past.

It felt like being a Kennedy. Sort of.

Once the wind picked up, we felt it would be better if we got off the water. I know, I know, sailboats are supposed to enjoy the wind but we were in 30 mph gusts and it was making the ride a little uncomfortable.

We trailered the boat, then Shay and I hit the road to go visit a destination I've wanted to see for 20 years: The Grand Canyon Caverns! It was a 2 hour drive, and of course on the way we enjoyed a fine dining experience with Wendy's.

We had some time in the lobby before our tour began, so we read all the articles they had posted--we learned as much as we could about the history of the caverns.

Oh, and then there was THIS guy:

Once inside, we were mesmerized. The elevator takes you more than 200 feet down, and then you begin walking in this beautiful, silent atmosphere with soft lighting around and different shapes of rock and crystal formations.
Shay and I were the only ones on the tour (the advantage of going on Superbowl Sunday) and we had the full attention of our tour guide.

She took us around to one of the "big rooms" they have, were there's a hotel suite set up in the middle. It's flanked with blue lighting to set it apart from the rest of the cave. There's a t.v., beds, sink, CD player, and living room furniture:

I was about to make a reservation but then I found out the price tag: $700 for one night. So I'll have to save up for that.

In the "big room" there were openings in the ceiling, which used to be waterfalls before the cave dried out:

Could you imagine how beautiful that would be? To stand in this enormous cave room with the water cascading down from the ceiling....too cool for words.

Shrimp and Other Items of Importance

Shrimp is good. It's important. Especially when you add butter and garlic.

A good way to spend Thursday evening is with friends who also enjoy shrimp.

And.....deviled eggs....

I didn't photograph the risotto...

Double Duty

Working on a Saturday is a fact of life in this town, and we've all gotten used to it.
Realistically, in this economy, there is no such thing as a day off. If you don't have clients, you're out networking to get more clients. And when you DO have clients, well, you're busting your tail to get your work done. Even if it means "friend time" is affected.
When I got off work on Saturday, I went to Heather and Kenny's to spend the rest of my Saturday. But Kenny's work wasn't done quite yet. So we occupied his driveway to watch him work!

Kenny and Heather own Arizona Hydroclean--which is a service for not only powerwashing and steam cleaning--but also all kinds of detailing. Kenny's customer of the day was a classic Nova station wagon that had ORIGINAL paint from the 60's. He worked for many many hours to get rid of the oxidation. It made me tired to watch. But I watched.

And watched.

And Heather helped me watch.

We were in the driveway so long we had to move our chairs several times to stay in the warm sunlight! Sacrifices....

I certainly enjoy hanging with Kenny and Heather because they're happy to do whatever, they never spend their time lecturing me on my life or any issues. They do their best to shield me from predators. They just want to be positive and have fun. And, honestly, that rubs off on me. And Shay! When Shay is around them, he doesn't feel the urge to just disappear into the living room to stare at the t.v. He's perfectly fine with sitting around with us goofy adults. Also I think he likes me better when I'm with Kenny and Heather. I'm a little more relaxed and cheerful.

A Love Affair With My Kindle

My Kindle is with me just as much as my cell phone, because I never know what my schedule will bring. Sometimes with my job I'm busy--and at other times I'm sitting there for HOURS with nothing to do. A long time ago I had the ability to be bored and be happy at the same time, but now I seem to have a mind that is constantly in need of stimulation. And, no, t.v. doesn't count. That's mind numbing, not stimulating...

So I do a pretty good job of making sure I always have a couple of books to read on my Kindle. I do so thru Amazon, they have a pretty good assortment of novels and bios. The Kindle is capable of storing 3,500 books. It also has WiFi, so if I'm in an area where there's a signal I can log onto Facebook or Yahoo and check messages. Or I can log onto Amazon and find a new book. Also, if I am busy with my hands or on a road trip I can activate the little feature that will read the book to me.

I don't know how many books I've read since I got the Kindle a little more than a month ago, but it's at least 6. The price is usually less than $9.00 for a book, and once you select the book on Amazon it is sent to your Kindle wirelessly in less than 60 seconds. I'm amazed at how long this device can stay charged! I have run the battery down only once, and it takes about an hour or so to get a full charge. What is even nicer, the charger for the Kindle matches my cell phone. That's almost unheard of these days.

So there you have it, my commercial for an item that doesn't need advertising...

Auction Memories

This past weekend we watched the high dollar auto auctions on T.V. and it reminded me of our automotive auction experiences back in 2009. What a great time, it was at the Peterson's Automotive Museum in downtown L.A.
One person who has had my admiration for many years is the very talented George Barris, and he put in an appearance at this particular auction. I was star-struck.
So the moment I saw him apart from the crowds I approached and asked if I could get a photo. He was MORE than accommodating, he was happy to hang out with us and take pictures. I couldn't believe I was standing there talking to GEORGE BARRIS....

He joked with Shay and I when he noticed that I had had Shay do this particular pose behind his back...

So he playfully did this pose:

You're sitting there saying to yourself, "Big deal, who is this George guy?"

He and his brother began building custom hot rods in L.A. back when the industry was just starting to take off. Soon he began building exotic customs for movies and t.v. shows, which is where his work is really known.
He designed and built the original Monkees Mobile, the Green Hornet's car, the Munsters Mobile, Batmobiles, the Flintstones' car, KITT from Knight Rider, the Beverly Hillbillies truck, "The Car," and he was the builder of the General Lee.

One of my favorite Barris customs was not from a t.v. show or movie, it was a novelty custom--just one of many. It's called Kargoyle:

I've always loved cars, and it was a big thrill to get to know Mr. Barris. He's invited us for a tour of his shop in L.A., and one of these days I'm going!!!

SCORE Race in Laughlin, Nevada

On my birthday, I worked in Nevada at an off road race. The annual SCORE Desert Challenge. One thing I notice about Laughlin, Nevada; they invest tons of money and resources to welcome this race every year. Just like Mexico does. They realize the economic impact--like the thousands of people who come from out of town and rent hotel rooms, eat in restaurants, buy fuel.....and they don't take this for granted.
Besides....it's always a good show.


This car belongs to John Langley, who is the creator and producer of the show COPS. Sometimes he brings a film crew along to document his participation in the off road races. We finally had a conversation with his film crew last year--and it turns out it's the same crew that tapes the show COPS. Now, that's funny to me!

The orange vehicle belongs to Robby Gordon, and he's out on the roof trying to put out a small fire...

The first ever wedding to take place at the SCORE Start/Finish line...

This car seems to be missing something...

At the end of racing on Sunday, we had a spectacular sunset!

We celebrated my birthday with lobster. LOBSTER!! I have never been treated to a lobster dinner for my birthday before. I guess that's pretty cool. (and pretty sad at the same time, huh?)

Can't Not Watch, Part 2

The Wrestler is a couple of years old, and I remember hearing all the hype about it when it was in theaters. Part of the excitement was the fact that it starred Mickey Rourke, who used to be good looking. I've seen pictures, I would have to agree.
I finally saw it and I was just stunned. What a great movie.

The scene that really clarifies just how miserable this guy was, would have to be when the main character Ram is staggering home to his little old rented trailer house on a cold night after a wrestling match and he finds his doors padlocked. Landlord wanted his money.
But it gets more miserable, like when he has to take a part time job at the deli counter in the grocery store. As he makes his way thru the back room of the store to get to the deli, he imagines the roar of a crowd waiting for him to appear in the ring for a big wrestling match. Saaaaad.....