Christmas 2006

Wow, here I am back, after what, 4 months? Just goes to show you how exciting my life is. Or not! Life has been pretty much same old, same old. Get up, go to work. Come home, read the mail (advertisements), check the email, (advertisements). Eat, drink some beer, watch TV, (advertisements), go to bed. Repeat. Kind of like "Groundhog Day, without Bill Murray. I will be going down to Southern California during the company's Christmas break. Looking foward to seeing the kids, Grandkids, Mom, Sister Cheryl, and a few friends. Also looking forward to seeing some sunshine and warmer temps. I keep playing the Oregon Lottery ($1-$2 at a time)in the hope of being able to retire earlier and spend more time visiting family and friends, but no luck so far. Hope to be back posting after Christmas. Talk to you Later, Bob.

Wow, where did the year go?

Well, I guess it's time to get back on here and let you know what's been happening in my life. First of all, as of the 2nd of August I've been at my job for 1 year. So far so good. No missed days, no problems with my work. Now I have a weeks paid vacation coming!
As you can see from the picture, I finished my 2nd bathroom. It's small yes, but now I can redo the main bathroom, which needs to be redone in the worst way.
My Son Raymond was able to come up for a couple of weeks in June. We got a lot of work done. Replaced old ceiling tiles in both bedrooms with drywall, moved a wall between the bedrooms to make them closer to the same size. Also replaced the floor in the rear bedroom (and dug out a crawlspace while we were at it), added electrical outlets in both bedrooms, and started a new closet for the back bedroom. The time went fast, we didn't get all the items on our list accomplished, but we got the majority of them done.
We also firmed up our "deal" on the house. I'll explain: I had mentioned to Ray my retirement plan, which included me selling this house when I reach 62 and begin getting my Social Security. I would carry the contract on the house, and receive the principal and interest. Ray said why not sell it to him, keep it in the family, and give him an investment for the future. So we haggled for a few hours on the phone, but not your normal negotiation. He was offering too much, and I was trying to keep the price reasonable for him. He managed to get the price up $17,800 from what I wanted to sell it to him for. But I managed to keep the percentage rate down to a half percent of what I originally wanted. He got me up to 5.5% He is currently making payments for the down payment. In January we will do the contract. He refused to let me pay him rent for living here until I'm 62, said I could be his caretaker in lieu of rent. The way property has been going up in this area I believe this will be a good investment for him, or maybe will be his retirement home in 15 years.
My 82 CBX 
I've also been working on my vintage Honda. Had to replace two burnt valves. It's a very complicated motor, 6 cylinders, 24 valves, and 6 carburetors. I'm not a mechanic, but will usually attempt to fix things until I get in over my head. I managed to get it apart, determined the problem (as I suspected, burnt valves), and got the parts located and ordered, (love the internet!). Then in a couple of weeks when all the parts had arrived, looked at the disassembled motor and thought, "am I going to be able to put this back together?" Well after a few missed steps, more disassembly, then reassembly, I finally got it back together and into the frame. It's all together and running reasonably well. I will have to ride it 50 or 60 miles before I'll feel comfortable enough to make the trip of 600 miles down to Morro Bay, Ca. for a get together of CBX enthusiasts. I've got three weeks before the meet, so I'll see if I trust the bike to get me there and back.
Anyway that's a snap shot of what's been going on with me,(of course there was more) but that will have to do for now.

The New Year Begins!

The kids waiting for Santa to arrive.
Sister Cheryl and one of the twins.
My Granddaughters, and their Aunt Tammy.


My Christmas break was great! I'm so glad the company I work for does this holiday break. For me, it made possible the trip down to So. Calif. So that I was able to spend the holidays with my family and friends there. No income was a small problem, but that was made up for by the joy of being able to spend some time with the family, and some close friends.

The Christmas Eve party at Daryl & Angies (Son & Daughter-in-law)was in full swing when I arrived at about 8:30pm, the house was packed with family and friends. Santa made an appearance at about 10pm. The kids were ecstatic, and there were a lot of kids!

I was also thrilled that my sister Cheryl and Michael were able to spend Christmas day with us. We were able to keep our tradition going, having Korean dinner on Christmas day again this year. A little different, but always a blast!

One of the highlights was being able to attend my long time friend, Cindy's wedding on New Years Eve. Cindy and I worked side by side at the Honda shop for over 10 years, and have stayed friends for the last 25 years. I am so happy she has found her match with Andy, a very nice gentleman, who made me feel very welcome to be at his wedding. The wedding and luncheon afterward was great. Thank you both for allowing me and my son Ray to attend.

Also very grateful that I was able to visit with many friends, a partial list:
Paul and Mary Jane
Brad and Julie
Linda and brother David
You are very special friends that I hope to never lose!

And to all my family, (Too many to list) I am so very grateful that the Mother,wife, Grandmothers, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nephews, and Nieces of my Sons, are the fantastic people that they are. I love you all.

And last, to the family members, and friends, (too many to list) that I was unable to be with this holiday season, you were in my mind and my heart. Truly missed, my love to you.

So, all in all, my holiday break was fantastic! My Granddaughters are getting to be sweeter and more beautiful every year. Daryl and Angie are super parents and make this dad proud. Son Ray is a big hearted, generous, and hardworking man, who also makes this dad proud. I am a member of a strong, and loving family. And with many long time friends. I start this New Year a very happy man.