Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

California

Remembering Kate on Her Birthday

Morro Rock

We remember our Mom, Kate, on more occasions than just her birthday, but today she would have turned 101. She passed from us in September of 2013 and we still miss her.

The image above is of Morro Rock in the California town of Morro Bay. It’s a charming place to visit and the rock is where Kate wanted her cremains to be distributed. We can’t see the rock without thinking about Kate. She always told us how much she loved that place on the Pacific Coast west of San Luis Obispo, CA.

Image courtesy of Damsel taken 24 July 2009 at Morro Bay. Click on the image to enlarge.

Out of respect for our Mom, we will refrain from inserting a rant here about the liberal slimes running the show out in K-Stan these days and how we are reluctant to visit in person.

23 Apr 2021 by Ancestors California Family Notions

Meet Our Newest Great Granddaughter

Baby Kenna Big Sister and Baby

This weekend we’re welcoming our newest family member. She was born on Thursday, weighed in at 7lbs, 12oz. “Kenna” was born to our second eldest (of three) granddaughter, Alyssa and her life mate, Terence in Santa Rosa, CA. In the left panel above the baby is pictured sleeping on her first day. Above and right, the big three year old sister, Maci, welcomes the new baby.

I know, too much cuteness going on. Damsel and I are very proud. Click on either image to enlarge.

28 Mar 2020 by Ancestors California Family

Orville and Wilbur Day 2018

Wright Flyer

The 115th Anniversary of Powered Flight is today, December 17, 2018. This marks one of, if not the most, important technological achievements of the 20th Century. Aviation spawned an age of unprecedented achievements not only in aircraft-related, but in myriad support technologies. I am thankful to God that I was born in an age where emerging technology, my aptitude and education were responsible for a long and happy career in aerospace.

Co-incidentally, today is the 80th anniversary of my parents’ wedding. They were married on this day in 1938 in Long Beach, CA, where I was raised. They were present for the booming aviation industry in Southern California, another reason I was born into the right place at the right time. It’s too bad that I can no longer say that about what Kalifornistan has become.

From the National Air and Space Museum:

The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with the world’s first successful flights of a powered heavier-than-air flying machine. The Wright Flyer was the product of a sophisticated four-year program of research and development conducted by Wilbur and Orville Wright beginning in 1899. After building and testing three full-sized gliders, the Wrights’ first powered airplane flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, making a 12-second flight, traveling 36 m (120 ft), with Orville piloting. The best flight of the day, with Wilbur at the controls, covered 255.6 m (852 ft) in 59 seconds.

The Wrights pioneered many of the basic tenets and techniques of modern aeronautical engineering, such as the use of a wind tunnel and flight testing as design tools. Their seminal accomplishment encompassed not only the breakthrough first flight of an airplane, but also the equally important achievement of establishing the foundation of aeronautical engineering.

Image and text borrowed from this Smithsonian Link.

17 Dec 2018 by Aerospace Aviation California Technobabble

Alex Turns Four

Alex Turns Four

Our eldest great grandchild, Alex, had his fourth birthday today. We sent him a birthday package via USPS and our granddaughter took these pictures of him opening his gifts. They live in Northern California.

He is at an age where he understands the concepts of birthday and who sent him presents. His mother says he really liked our presents.

The gifts were a Fire Tablet and Headphones. The interactive nature of the tablet should help him learn things as well as him playing games on it.

We have three great grandchildren now. Alex, his little brother, Mikey, and Maci, our great granddaughter whose mother is the second eldest of out three grandchildren. Maci will be two in April and Mikey celebrates his first birthday in November.

Our grandson, Jerry, just turned three in August. Jerry also got a Fire Tablet and Headphones. We were able to give Jerry his gifts in person, since his parents visited us here in Arizona in August.

19 Sep 2018 by California Family Technobabble

We’re Underway Again

Carson City

After our now completed four week mission with family in K-stan, we are finally back on the move and are camping in Carson City, NV for a couple of nights. As I mentioned before, the return trip will be at a bit of a more leisurely pace and staying for more than one night at each stop.

Our route today was a scenic one, driving over the Sierra Nevada Range from Stockton to Carson City. We started with a short trip up CA 99 to pick up CA 88 going northeastward. The scenery rapidly changed from suburban to agricultural to rolling foothills and then the mountains.

Kit Carson Pass crests at an elevation of 8574 feet MSL. Even though it is well into the spring season, there was plenty of snow on the mountains and a couple of the alpine lakes were still mostly frozen. The Carson River flowing down the east side of the pass was moving rapidly with plenty of white water from the spring thaw.

We’re going to do some souvenir shopping at the Casino across the road tomorrow and maybe bring a take-out dinner back to the RV afterwards. We are going to meander southward on the next lags of the trip and will likely be back home in a week.

01 May 2018 by California Family Retirement Wanderlust

RV Dump and Updated Status

rv-dump.jpgI may have mentioned before that we have only partial hookups here in Stockton at Damsel’s sister’s place. We have water and electricity, but no sewer hookup. I also may have mentioned that we are house guests during the days, but sleep in the RV and, of course, use the on-board bathroom at night. That necessitates a trip (or two) to an RV dump facility during our extended stay here.

Today, we broke down the camp and went down the highway to a truck stop with a dump station. We paid the fee and flushed out the black and gray tanks for the second time since we have been camped here. The place where we dumped last week was unavailable due to maintenance today, so we found another facility nearby where we took care of the dump and flush.

We have been camped here just short of three weeks and will probably be moving along the rest of our “vacation from retirement” route next week. As for the family status, the sister is healing well, still a bit sore and can perform most normal activities. Her husband is still recovering from another ailment and is receiving outside therapist and nursing help in the home. We like to think we helped them through this tough time.

Last weekend, we traveled to wine country where the grandchildren and great-grandchildren live. We had a nice visit at a restaurant local to them and got to see the little ones as well as all three of the granddaughters. Other family and friends joined us for the hour or so eat and visit.

A preview of next week might find us crossing the Sierra Nevada Range into Nevada and thence southeastward towards home with a couple of nights at each stop along the way. More on that as it unfolds.

25 Apr 2018 by California Family Wanderlust

Interim Destination Stockton

Rain and Traffic

The forecast for weather on the next leg of our journey was quite accurate; there were gusty winds in the desert from Barstow up into the mountain pass near Tehachapi. Also, as expected, there was rain along our route starting at about Modesto and continuing until we finally got to our destination. In spite of the weather, we made good time and were only slowed by traffic for the last few miles in moderate rain. Our arrival was near rush hour on a Friday, so the traffic was expected.

The family members are doing well. We are here for an open ended visit while one of the family recovers from her surgery on Wednesday. We may post more from here if time and events permit.

Click on the image to enlarge. The black diagonal item at the left is a windshield wiper which activated when Damsel took the photo.

06 Apr 2018 by California Family Wanderlust

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