Start Your Engines...

 
For Steve's 50th birthday, which is tomorrow, I really wanted to do something special. In early June while we were out having dinner one evening, I casually started questioning him about his upcoming BIG birthday:

Me: "Honey, what would you like to do for your birthday this year?"

Steve: "Nothing special...absolutely NO party!!"

Me: "OK, no party, but how about something a little extreme?"

Steve: "Like what?"

Me: "Skydiving?"

Steve: "No Way!"

Me: "Bungee jumping?"

Steve: "Absolutely not!"

Me: "I know, how about matching tattoos?"

Steve: "Not a chance. Are you crazy?"

Me: "OK then, what is something out of the ordinary that you have always dreamed of doing?"

Steve: (without hesitating) "Drive a race car."

Me: "Sure, like that could happen. I don't think anyone would be willing to let a total stranger drive their race car."

I stored the info in my mind and casually changed the subject.

The next day I started searching online for race tracks that offer amateur racing. I was striking out when Kyle happened to call. I told him what I was doing and he remembered hearing about one of our local tracks offering something called "Spectator" racing. I immediately checked it out and signed Steve up. The track is a 1/3 mile asphalt oval track and the cars are modifieds that can go over 100 mph, but usually only get up to about 70 because of the turns. He would be allowed 10 practice laps, then 2 laps to qualify for position in the main event, and then race a 15 lap main event...and all in front of the usual race night crowd since it would be during regular Saturday night races on Sept. 27th!

Warm up laps. Steve is driving the #15 car.

First lap of qualifying went well.

Second lap of qualifying resulted in spinning out and stalling the engine!

Push vehicle was called to help, but unfortunately it got hooked up with car, sooo...

they had to call out the BIG truck!

All lined up for the main event. Steve qualified for sixth place out of thirteen cars, which was great considering he only completed one qualifying lap.

Main event action!

Notice how close the #17 car is to Steve!

They ended up making contact and Steve spun out, but didn't stall his engine, so he got right back in the race.

And crossed the finish line!

All in all it was a great evening. Kyle took all the photos while I took videos with Steve's camera and Sam was there to cheer! I am not sure what place Steve finished, but it was somewhere in the middle of the pack. He did really well considering he got passed by several cars when he spun out.

Happy 50th Honey! Just wait 'til you see what I have planned for your 60th!!

A rocket...in my garage?

Excuse me, did you say you want to build a ROCKET in MY garage?

Casting tubes

A few months ago, my son, the mechanical engineering student, informed me that for a senior project his group decided to build a rocket!! Not just any rocket...this rocket would have to be launched in the desert of Nevada because it would shoot 40,000 feet into the air! It didn't matter that nobody at his school had ever attempted such a feat, or that his group had to plead their case to the "high ranking officials" of the school to get permission to dabble with rocket propellant, or that professors and mentors warned them that their time frame and the scope of their project would be practically impossible to complete, these guys were determined and driven. They jumped through all necessary hoops to get permission, they acquired funding and sponsors (including a nice check from NASA), and they went full steam ahead with all the optimism and excitement of youth.

Motor case insulation

Motor case

Sam assured me that all the dangerous elements would be done in the garage of their mentor, a wonderful man who works with rocket propellant for a living and volunteered to help, and our garage would just be used for storage and a work space for manufacturing parts. OK, no problem there, but he failed to mention that they would leave big messes and use all of his dad's tools! He even had me out there helping him cut wood early one morning so, I suggested writing "sponsored by Mom and Dad" on the side of his rocket, but he said for that we would have to fork over some real dough!!

Propellant grains before firing

Small motor after firing

After working for a couple of months and running into one problem after another... receiving damaged parts that had to be returned, instructors halting development until safety issues could be resolved, machinists at school that, as Sam put it, "Yell at me every single day about one thing or another," the group was hit with their biggest hurdle...they wouldn't be allowed to launch in December as planned; the latest the launch site would permit a launch would be the end of September, which meant losing almost 3 months of valuable time.

Nozzle

After much discussion and some disappointment, the group realized that they wouldn't be able to complete the entire rocket in the time given, so they have scaled it back to a "static test", which is a test of the engine, thrust, nozzles, and other things I don't understand. Although there will be nothing going up into the air, the test still has to be done in Nevada because of the size of the engine. The group was disappointed to cancel the launch, but the instructors and their mentor have all assured them that the amount of work involved in just the static test alone is way over the top for a senior project. The school has been closely monitoring this project and is considering using it as a catalyst to develop an aerospace engineering department, which will make it much easier for the next group that decides to build a rocket (Sam has already been approached by other students asking for permission to use his plans as their guide for a senior project next year). Pretty cool, huh? He is a pioneer!

Fiberglass lay-up on foam: nose cone experiment

I am proud of Sam because he has taken such a leadership role in this project. He has worked hard and he has learned how to deal with difficult people, how to be more assertive, and how to make wise decisions. That alone makes the project a big success for him as he will be a great asset to his future employer. Now, if only I could get him and his friends to clean the garage!

Happy Birthday Rhonda...

 

August 28, 1996

Today would have been your 53rd birthday...what fun we would have had celebrating, laughing, and eating cake! Although it has been almost 12 years, I still miss you every day and can't believe how often I find myself wishing I could pick up the phone and call you. I guess that 20 years of sharing everything , good and bad, with my best friend is not an easy habit to break.

You had the incredible gift of always knowing the right thing to say and encouraging me when nobody else would...homeschooling comes to mind. I really miss reminiscing about all the great (and often stupid!) things we did together. Remember our motorcycle days? We sure got a lot of looks driving down the road!! Now it is more common for girls to drive bikes, but back then it was pretty rare. How about all the time we spent "not" going to school and going to the river instead? Or the time we thought we were so cool cruising around in the boss's Vette, although we were both hugely pregnant? Remember the sprinklers that soaked us the night we were spying on Russ's bachelor party? Or all the 'girls days'... leaving the husbands and kids at home and shopping til we dropped? I could go on and on and on. There are so many great memories that nobody else can relate to... oh sure, I can tell people about all the fun we had, but it isn't the same as reliving them with the only other person that actually remembers too.

Thank you for the gift of your amazing friendship; it is a blessing for which I will always be grateful. Happy birthday my friend... you are truly loved and missed.

A Memorable Date...

 

Friday night at our house is known as "date night". So that we both get to do things we enjoy, Steve and I take turns planning our weekly dates. Last week it was my turn to plan and what started as a very nice evening ended up taking a turn for the bizarre!

I decided I wanted to go to BJ's restaurant for dinner. My decision was made quickly and easily since BJ's is one of my favorite places and a good friend recently gave us a generous gift card for BJ's. Thanks to our friend, we had a delicious meal and we even treated ourselves to a very delectable dessert (which was a special treat because we rarely order dessert for ourselves). We enjoyed our meal immensely and extend a BIG "thank you" to our friend.

After dinner, I decided I wanted to go to a little town in the foothills called Coloma. It is only about a 30 minute drive and we hadn't been there for many years. I remembered a couple of old churches and an old cabin that I wanted to photograph. Coloma is a mere dot on the map, but it played a big role in the history of California. It was there that James Marshall discovered gold in 1848, thus prompting the California Gold Rush in 1849. It is fun to explore the old buildings and the monument of Marshall that stands at the top of the hill.

Normally Coloma is just a sleepy little ghost town that gets some visitors on the weekends to raft and play in the river and school tour groups to study the history of the area. On a Friday evening we expected it to be fairly deserted and we weren't disappointed when we saw the empty park by the river. We found the road that led up to the monument and headed up the steep grade which was also empty of cars. Imagine our surprise as we rounded the curve at the top of the hill and encountered a bunch of big rigs (don't ask me how they got up that narrow winding road), vans, cars, catering trucks and lots of people!!! It took us a minute to realize that we had just stumbled upon a Hollywood film crew in the middle of shooting!! We had to stop in the middle of the road as there was a catering van blocking our path. As we were sitting in our truck wondering what to do a man and a woman approached us.

Man to Steve: "So, where are you headed?"

Steve: "Up to Marshall's monument."

Man: " Oh, I am really sorry, but we can't let you drive through here right now."

Woman to me: "What are you guys planning to do?"

(Apparently they are suspicious of people just showing up at their location, but we didn't even know they were there!)

Me: "Just explore and take pictures of the monument. We didn't know you were here. But, hey what are you filming anyway?"

Her: "It is an episode of True Blood."

Me: (Blank look).

Her: (Realizing need to clarify). "For HBO".

Me: (Pretending to recognize the title). "Oh, yeah."

(We don't have cable or satellite so I have never heard of the show, but she smiles at my fake response, so we 're both happy).

Man: "You can turn around, go back down the hill a little ways, and park on the side of the road where your truck won't be seen in our shot, then walk around our "location" to get to the monument."

Woman: "It is a short walk and we have about another hour or two left to shoot."

Me: "Well, ok, we won't get in your way. We don't mind parking by the road and walking."

Man & Woman: "Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation and we are sorry for the inconvenience."

Steve manages to turn around and head back the way we came. We intend to park on the side of the road and hike, however, all the way down the hill we see "No Parking" signs posted. I said, "Maybe we should just park here anyway and if we get ticketed we can let the Hollywood people pay the fine." Of course, Steve didn't think that was a good idea so he kept driving.

Luckily we were able to find another road that led to the two old churches, Marshall's cabin, and the old cemetery...all within easy walking distance to one another. We were ecstatic to find a sign directing us to the church parking lot where we were sure we could park without bothering anyone.

Once again, we rounded the bend and what do we find in the parking lot...you guessed it, more Hollywood vehicles. Geez, how many trucks does it take to film one episode? Great, now what?

Well, since the parking lot was not full, we asked if we would be bothering anyone by parking there amongst them to do a little exploring. The crew graciously told us that although they had the entire area rented, we were welcome to park there until the rest of their trucks started rolling in from the hilltop, then we would need to move our truck. We thanked them and proceeded to go explore and take pictures while keeping an eye out for the trucks.

Emmanuel Church Built in 1855 ~ Oldest Episcopal building in California.

It is very beautiful inside the church.

James Marshall's cabin built in 1856.

Very rustic furniture inside cabin.

St. John's Catholic Church built in 1858.

Very cool inside!

While we were laughing and finishing taking pictures a park ranger stopped by to chat.

Ranger: "You folks doing ok?"

Us: "Yes, just fine. The Hollywood crew allowed us to park in the church lot for a bit while we take some photos."

Ranger: "Great, just vacate when they ask you to because they rented the area."

Us: "Yeah, they told us. We tried to go to the monument, but couldn't get through."

Ranger: "Sorry. They have the whole area for today. We have been planning this one day shoot for many months and it has gone very smoothly except that traffic control could have been better."

Us: " They told us to park on the side of the road and walk to the monument, but we noticed the "No Parking" signs and decided against it.

Ranger: (Big smile) "Wise decision."

(Hubby shoots the ultimate, "I told you so" look at me and I just grin.)

Suddenly we hear the rumble of the trucks and vans coming down the hill. We tell the ranger to have a nice day and head for our truck. We manage to exit the parking lot just as the crew begins to enter it and just down the road we encounter ....

Gorgeous deer calmly watching all the commotion !

All in all, it was a very memorable date. Everyone was very pleasant to us and we now laugh about the entire experience. Steve says, "Huney, only you could plan a trip to a quiet little town like Coloma and unknowingly get mixed up in the middle of a Hollywood filming crew!"
Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the Hollywood people! Oh, well, maybe next time!!

Did I blink???

As Kyle celebrated his 26th birthday on July 22nd, I found myself wondering how he got so old so fast and how in the world did I become old enough to have a 26 year old kid? It seems like just yesterday he wasn't allowed to cross the street without holding my hand and now he has already moved halfway across the country and back without any help from me at all. When did the cute little boy become the handsome young man? How did he go from being an avid weather enthusiast at the age of 12 (making homemade weather instruments, keeping a weather journal, photographing the sky, climbing on the roof during thunderstorms...) to a grown man that gets paid to "keep his head in the clouds"?

Kyle then (6 mo.)

and now.

I don't really know where all the years went; I guess I must have blinked at some point, but what I do know is that Kyle has always made me proud to be his mom. He is a blessing for which I am thankful! Happy 26th Kyle; I love you.

Melancholy...

  
For the past couple of weeks our house has been a flurry of activity. First Kyle came home for a vacation and he always brings a certain amount of energy to the house. While he was here Sam managed to cut back on his schedule and actually spend some time at home for a change. Then for the last several days of Kyle's vacation, one of his friends from Texas came to visit. Our house was full, busy, and oh so much fun! I may have been outnumbered (4 men to 1 woman), but I certainly managed to hold my own. I can talk just about anyone under the table...I can hear all those that know me well say "amen" to that!

I always enjoy Kyle's visits and this one was no different. He had planned a lot of activities, but didn't get to do them all due to the smoky, hot conditions we were experiencing (which are thankfully much better now). He did seem to be busy most of the time though.

Kyle's friend (and now we consider him our friend as well) was a perfect house guest. He could teach Kyle a thing or two about neatness! We had a great time with him and it was our pleasure to have him visit. He never complained about the smoky air, the heat, or anything that the rest of us whined about!

Now Kyle and his friend are in Eureka, Steve is back to work, and Sam is off and running and the house is quiet and empty. As nice as that may sound, I must admit that I miss all the chaos. With the chaos and clutter (all Kyle's, never his friend's) came the joy and laughter...there was the deodorant fiasco, the unintentional video, the iced tea accident, the great debate over the best photo for the fair, the bloody nose story, the e-mail obsession, and the list goes on. All great memories that will make me smile for a long time to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed having a full house and miss all the noise and activity. Anyone want to come for a visit?

27 Down...93 To Go!!

 
Last Friday my hubby and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we have been married that long... not because I didn't think it would last, but because the years have flown by so fast! I can remember the minister at our pre-marital counseling session asking what our goal was for this marriage, and without hesitation Steve said, "120 years"...so I guess that means we are still newlyweds!

We decided to head to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days to unwind and celebrate with a little rest and relaxation. We had a great room with a beautiful view of the lake. We walked on the beach, watched beautiful sunsets, and spent one day exploring in Carson City (about a 20 mile drive from Tahoe).

We enjoyed walking along the pier. (Our hotel is in the background).

This one is for Kyle. It is out on the end of the pier.

The water is clear and clean and amazingly blue.

The ducks were very friendly!

Quaint little antique store in Carson City. It is inside a cool old house.

There is still quite a bit of snow on the Sierra's.

Glorious sunset.

The trip was good; the company was even better! So, here's to the next 93 years...may the journey continue.