So I was out at a local bike shop yesterday with a friend and ran into this guy who has the same year and model Honda. In the course of talking to him it came up that he had a set of aftermarket pipes and I was looking for same, so I bought them for $100. They have a nicer sound and some more power....
So the pond area has been cleaned up in the past 3 years we've been here. Last photo was taken tonight, the others last summer.
If you consider yourself a good American and patriot I urge you to take some time to get educated on the candidates for President, particularly Ron Paul, Texas Representative. He is essentially being blackballed by the media but has a website and YouTube channel.
His next debate is June 5 airing on CNN from 7-9 pm EST. Please listen carefully to what the participants are saying and ask yourself "who would I want to lead the country?" If your answer is Ron Paul then please support him by helping spread the word and donating to his campaign.I support Ron Paul because he opposes and would substantively change the following:
• The WTO (World Trade Organization), NAFTA and CAFTA. These organizations threaten our National Sovereignty by placing domestic policy decisions in the hands of foreign agents.
• The "Federal" Reserve. Despite it's name, the Federal Reserve is not a Federal agency (think FedEx). It is a privately owned corporation that manipulates the value of the U.S. dollar (through interest rates) to the advantage of the wealthy and the detriment of the middle class and poor.
• The PATRIOT Act. The PATRIOT Act is an unconstitutional law, passed by a panicked, spineless Congress at a time of fear and uncertainty. Congressional members were so scared, in fact, that they literally neglected to read the law they passed. This law allows for domestic spying on ordinary Americans. It allows for warrant less searches. This law is not limited to terrorism cases. This law gives the government the authority to detain anyone, for whatever length of time, without ever bringing charges. This law is illegal.
• The REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act is a law passed by Congress that mandates the creation of a national ID card. These cards are plastic human barcodes that every American citizen will be forced to carry, starting in May of 2008, so that the government can keep an absolute tab on every one. Right now it is the law.
Depending on your State of Residence, some of the features these cards will include are: fingerprint, iris scan, genetic information (DNA), social security number, physical description of the card holder, a magnetic strip which would allow access to databases containing your credit history and private medical information, and an RFID chip, which would allow the government to track your movements.
• The Military-Industrial Complex. The Military-Industrial Complex is a term that was made famous by WWII war hero and former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. He used it in his farewell address to warn Americans of the dangers of the MIC. The term Military-Industrial Complex refers to the relationship between the Military, Government and Private Industry (a.k.a. weapons manufacturers). It works like this...
The more wars there are the more toys the Military needs. The more toys the military needs, the more money Private Industry makes. The more toys Private Industry makes for the Military, the more influence the Government gains on the world stage. The more influence the Government gains on the world stage, the more toys the Military will need to sustain it. The more toys the Military needs to sustain the Government's gained influence on the world stage, the more money Private Industry makes... and so on.
Only constant war can sustain this vicious circle of war profiteering, dominance of others and death and destruction. In essence, constant war benefits these three parties at the expense of world peace and stability.
• The War on Drugs. "War on Drugs" is a propagandistic term for a policy that sustains the very drug market it is supposedly meant to fight. By criminalizing drugs (think Alcohol), the government enables the existence of black markets (think bootlegging), which in turn allows for the emergence of individuals and criminal syndicates (think Al Capone) who are more than willing to kill, rape and bribe themselves into riches, as they satisfy that market's demands.
By keeping drugs illegal, the government enables a market whereby those who trade in it (gangs and individuals) make enormous profits that allow them to further their criminal enterprises. It puts money into the pockets of individuals who use it to bribe Police, Court Officials and Politicians. It turns desperate poor people into deviant entrepreneurs. It makes criminals out of individuals who have the illness of addiction.
• The War on Terror. The "War on Terror" is another propagandistic term and contributes greatly to the Military-Industrial Complex. It is meant to promote fear and submission to authority. By neglecting the fact that terrorism is a tactic of war and not an enemy, the government is able to conceal the progress, or lack thereof, of it's war against said enemy; simply because one cannot measure a tactic.
• The Department of Homeland Security. The DHS is a massive, wasteful, bureaucratic, Orwellian institution that threatens our values, our liberties and our Rights under the Constitution. This is the same institution that spent the summer of 2004 scaring all Americans by issuing "orange alerts" whenever the political situation for the White House got dangerous.
• President George W. Bush. The President has waged an undeclared, unconstitutional war in Iraq. The President has waived the Writ of Habeas Corpus; the right of an individual to have a Court review whether or not their detention is legal. The President has exceeded his Constitutional authority and violated several federal laws by; engaging in domestic spying, allowing the NSA to intercept and listen to millions of innocent phone calls, allowing the NSA to read your private e-mails and Instant Messages, allowing the NSA to monitor your internet activity and by allowing the Post Office to open your mail. And these are only the confirmed programs.
It was good timing to get away, and we had a fun week with Dad in the land where every day is a good weather day. I put some pics in an album below so I'll just fill in some narrative as I have time.
We got there Saturday afternoon and just relaxed and caught 'Breach' at the movie theatre for $1.50 (yes thats correct one dollar and 50 cents). Although the popcorn and drinks ended up costing just north of $10, funny story about that- I ordered the large bag and after the clerk filled it I changed my mind and said I'll take the tub which appears larger and costs $1.00 more since there were 3 of us and it would be easier to share. So she pours the large bag in and ITS THE SAME FREAKIN SIZE, well she is all apologetic and trying to put more popcorn in until it spills all over the counter. okay...
Next morning we went to church service at the Crystal Cathedral, yep the same Hour of Power that I have made fun of in the past on TV. The place is really cool and the music is great, but too little message and too much Hollywood for us. After that we were hungry and had lunch at marie callenders.
Monday we toured the Queen Mary in Long Beach, which is now a floating hotel as well as open to tours. Andy's grandfather travelled on her from England to New York in 1936 and his dad put some cool photos on his blog. We walked alot as the ship is 1,000 ft long and has many decks. We also toured the Russian submarine next to it. Had dinner at La Cave the first restaurant we've ever been to where the menu was a cart with fresh steaks and seafood on it.
Tuesday- hiking in San Bernardino Mtns
Wednesday- cruising on rented BMW motorcycle with John Cash from Redondo to Laguna Beaches.
Thursday- walked around Laguna Beach, had dinner at the Rusty Pelican
Friday- checked out Long Beach, had dinner with friends John & Maria at the Belmont Brewing Company
Saturday- travelled home
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| CA May 2007 |
May 2, 2007
When I moved back to my moms house in early summer 1993 I was happily surprised to see another Seeing Eye puppy, a yellow lab named Dimples that my sister Melissa had accepted to raise. From the start she was a very good natured pup, easy to housebreak and very low-maintenance. I wound up spending a lot of time with her, especially since Melissa headed off to school in New Hampshire that year. I would take her on weekends up north to the whitewater rafting outfit that I guided trips for and she would hang out tied up to the bumper of my jeep in the employee lot and get lots of attention from the other staff who worked there. If it was rainy she would curl up on the front seat while I was on the river for 4-5 hours and be perfectly content. She went most everywhere with me.
When it was time for her to return to the Seeing Eye it was hard just like it had been for the other puppies that our family had raised over the past 10 years or so, but at the same time its so rewarding knowing that the dogs have a purposeful life. A few months later we were notified that she did not pass the training due to a condition from having parvovirus as a puppy that caused her to walk with a head-tilt. What this neurologic damage meant was that she walked with her head down and to the side, and also walked crooked kind of like a snake moves diagonally. Over the years she really adapted well to this and it became less noticeable. She always seemed a little goofy and unsure on her feet- one time I was in Mikes basement just hanging out and I whistled for her to come and she came flying down the side of the basement stairs! She slid down to the bottom and got up like nothing had happened. Some of my friends used to make fun of her but it never seemed to bother me much.
Over the next few years I lived in 2 apartments and could not keep her, but she was only 15 minutes away at my moms, a few times sharing the house with other Seeing Eye puppies. At the 2nd place I was able to have her after leaving an extra security and my landlord meeting her and seeing what a mellow dog she was.
She was so well housebroken that she would virtually never have an accident in the house, only when she was sick or left alone for a longer period of time. Sometimes I would get home late and she would run right outside and do her business having been holding it in so as to not have an accident inside. She hardly ever barked unless someone was knocking at the door (or I pretended someone was by knocking on the table or wall). When she went places with me I could usually leave her off the leash as she would only go about 30 feet from me- even in the park with ducks and geese around, she never paid them much attention.
When Dorinda and I had our first date, Dimples was there. Walking in Tyler State park along with Dorinda’s dog Samantha, the two of them got along just fine although Dimples always did tend to get annoyed with other dogs wanting to keep playing when she was done. In many ways she became closer with Dorinda than me, she was part of us.
We lived with Dorinda’s folks for 2 years before we bought our house and she loved every minute of it- getting plenty of attention, having a nice big property to roam on and making a good friend in Jasper the cat. 
She would make the trek across the field to Dorinda’s grandparents to get a biscuit from Poppop, sometimes completely on her own and we would get a phone call saying she was there. She loved her mommom and poppop as much as they loved her. She also loved being around people and could be found cruising underfoot at parties looking for the cracker that someone inevitably would drop.
So 14 years after she came into my life, this morning I woke up and cooked her up some eggs and leftover steak from dinner last weekend. She wolfed it down. The sun came out and promised to be one of the beautiful days that we look forward to after a long winter. When the time came I put her collar on and said “want to go for a ride?” which she loved to do because she knew she was going somewhere with us. She flew down the steps and we got her on her bed in the back of the pathfinder. When we got to the vet Dr Jim came out and was so good with her like he’s always been treating her over the years. As I held her head in my hands and cried she passed peacefully and I immediately knew that she was at rest. Out loud I thanked God for putting her in our life and expressing His love for us through her, and also thanked Him for Dr Jim, and said it is OK you can take her now.
So the alley behind our house was getting really bad with potholes. The borough is not responsible for maintaining it although they are responsible for allowing more homes to be built that use it. One can only wonder where the liability will fall when an ambulance or fire truck cannot get through during a big snowfall!
So we talked with our neighbors Mike & Amy and decided to take it upon ourselves and our friend Blair brought over his backhoe and graded it down and delivered about 33 tons of modified stone. We set about asking the neighbors and I also put up this sign hehe. So far 4 people have contributed $40 each towards the total cost.
I'll add some story later, I just spent 30 minutes doing so and clicked publish only to lose that work- $%*%^&!!
Well actually an ice day, we're both staying home to avoid paying the $500 deductible incurred when some bad driver forces us off the road.
So after some deliberations we finally decided on the furniture placement for the sunroom, and we used the settee that Dad had built years ago for the house at Indian Walk.
I'm not going out there!! Sleet/freezing rain at the moment...
Got all the cabinets in and painted. Just have to hook up the electrical for the lights under the top cabinet and also in the top cabinet. I cut out the panels on the doors using a router from the back and will get some glass this week for them as well as a glass shelf to replace the wood one. Also need to build a box under the bench to hide the foam insulation.
Following is a brief clip from Grandmom Adelaides home movies recovered and converted to DVD by Dad Rumbold. They are from the 1930's when Grandmom and Grandpa Jack were stationed in Sumatra.
The opening shot is Lake Toba, then to the rubber plantation at Kisarin.
The bicycling was in front of their home at Benoit.
Enjoy!
He had another heart procedure at UPenn yesterday and is doing well. It was supposed to be a mitrial valve replacement after the repair last spring, but the surgeon noticed that 2 of the sutures on the repair were failed and at his age (82?) instead of go ahead with the replacement the Dr. just repaired the sutures and has 100% confidence. Less invasive that way and hopefully a quicker recovery.
We had a great time with lots of family in. People started arriving around 4:30 and we had dinner about 6 including roasted turkey, spiral honey ham, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, and wide beverage selection. Before saying grace Andy read the following as a reminder of the real reason why we all gather together every year at this time:
One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village,the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for 3 years, he was an itinerent preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials except himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, his executioners gambled for His clothing,the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth so much as THAT ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
-Author Unknown (adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” © 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia (pp 123-124 titled “Arise Sir Knight!”). If you are interested, you can read the original version .
Dorinda's brother Justin & Dimples
Drink anyone?
Mom Rumbold & Mom-mom Elliott
Tyler & Max keeping busy
AJ being AJ
Dorinda with Luke's gift
Mom & Andy's cousin Dan
Everyone was having fun!
Jonathan & Allison
After the polyanna gifts
Dan, Jon, and Chris
Gotta love those candid photos! Dorinda's sister Lyndsay, Justin's wife Becca, and Justin
Dorinda's dad Rich & his good friend Greg
Pop-pop enjoying the chair and a half
Dorinda's mom Deb hates being the center of attention!
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