The sun sets in the west. Why was tonight’s sunset in the east?
i
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
In the summer of 1973, Larry Harvey, Jaime Perez, and I jumped into Larry’s brand new Buick Apollo and took off on a 5,000-mile journey through all the states west of the Mississippi. I think our goal was to visit every National Forest, National Monument, National Park, and city with more than 250,000 people. I think we did it! (but I’ll have to check my log, which I still have, to be sure).
When we were at Mount Rushmore, the parking lot attendants were putting bumper stickers on all the car. Larry told them, “No, thanks.” Of course, the guy on the other side of the car didn’t hear Larry and proceeded to put a bumper on that brand new Buick Apollo. Larry was furious.
That was my first experience with bumper stickers. My wise old grandmother didn’t have them, and neither do it.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t like to read them as they mess up someone else’s car.
For example, this car in front of me a few years ago obviously has a fascinating with men, preferably rich:
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
When I went to the San Diego Zoo a couple of days ago, I found Gao Gao pretending….
Gao Gao is a giant panda born in 1992 in the wild in China. He came to San Diego in 2003 and is the father of four pandas born at the San Diego Zoo.
What was Gao Gao pretending?
I have included a picture of you know who to help you decide.
Compare the two and then let me know who was pretending.
Who’s your favorite?
Be truthful but beware of the consequences of your answer………I’m just saying.
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
When my wise old grandmother (MWOG) gave me a poor section of her yard in 1966 to create my own little garden, I discovered cactus and succulents. Just six months after I started my garden, it was blooming with flowers.
The first flower to bloom was a succulent, a Stapelia.
I was so proud of it that I dragged MWOG out to see it.
She said, “You’re a star.”
Can you see why?
That’s the actual plant, although the picture is from 1977 at my first apartment in Houston after graduating from Texas A&M University. I had that plant up until 1993 when I moved to San Diego and left it behind in Texas.
I’ve never found that specific species of Stapelia again, but when I was in Palm Springs for a home inspection a few days ago, I found two of them:
On my way home from Palm Springs, I stopped at one of the North County plant nurseries and found a Stapelia for my back patio garden. This morning it bloomed:
So, whaddaya think? Was MWOG right? Am I a star?
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray (that’s me!)
Each Thursday during the summer, La Mesa Village has a car show from
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
It makes for a great summer evening — eating in the Village, watching historic cars drive by, and, if you like, even negotiating to buy one of them.
That’s where I went this evening. One of the cars was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala, just like the one my wise old grandmother drove until 1973.
I went off to college at Texas A&M University in September 1973. For Christmas that year, my granddad bought my wise old grandmother a new car, a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice.
By the way, for those who have been following me and are interested, my other half, Jim, is in the second and third pictures, upper right corner of the second picture and left of the car in the third picture. I always have to tell him to get out of my pictures because he loves to wander around without paying attention to where the, uh, photographer — that’s me! — is.
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray (that’s me!)
With the San Diego Zoo now in its summer hours season, I went early yesterday evening to see how our animals were doing. Had lots of fun and got some great pictures of the big cats. Apparently, with dusk comes activity, hoping to catch some prey — one of the Amur Leopards was seriously eyeing a young child.
The first place I always stop is Flamingo Lagoon, right inside the front entrance, and what a joy it was yesterday.
Baby flamingos practicing the art of tucking their heads
Baby flamingos practicing walking around
Baby flamingo looking for food
Feed me! I’m your child!
How come my egg hasn’t hatched!
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
When I was young, my wise old grandmother had season tickets to the Women’s Club in Kingsville, Texas. They brought various music and arts events to our small farming and ranching community. I got to see Emanuel Ax, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills, and many more.
Some of the artists I don’t remember because they weren’t in classical music — I played the piano and violin at the time. One of the acts that I thought was the most unique was a jump-roping group from, I believe, the U.S.S.R. They had long jump ropes, short ones, double ones. They jumped singly, in pairs, in trios, while giving piggy back rides…. everything you could imagine, and then some.
I took up jump roping as a hobby, eventually becoming quite good. When I got to college and joined Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, I chaired a Jump-Rope-A-Thon for Muscular Dystrophy. I would have won but I was ineligible since I was the Event Chair.
This past weekend when I went to the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, I found some jump ropes:
These are not just any jump ropes. These are
Now pay attention here.
First, I want you to see how these jump ropes are made. Following are two videos, but don’t watch them if you get motion sickness or get dizzy.
The first video matches the top jump rope, and the second video matches the bottom jump rope.
Go back and watch them again, except this time pick one spool and watch it move around. Kind of fun.
Now….
Second, I can’t jump rope anymore because my knees are too old.
Sooooooooooooooooooooo……………..
If you or someone you know would like a jump rope, not just any jump rope but an official jump rope from the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, just pay shipping and handling of $99.95…………..
Kidding……
All you have to do is write a 100-word essay on why you, your loved one, or your friend should have one of these jump ropes. Post it on your blog and then come back to my post here and leave a link to your blog post.
There will be two winners. Make me laugh, make me cry, make me wish I were young again, jump roping the day away………………..
Zoey the Cool Cat will be the judge, and the judge’s decision is final. (Typical cat……. Oops. Sorry, your honor.)
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray (that’s me!)
My home inspection today was over in Palm Springs:
I work throughout Southern California’s ten counties, but of all the non-San Diego County locations where I’ve done home inspections, Palm Springs is my favorite. It’s a playground for the rich, the famous, and the home inspector.
After the inspection, Jim and I went to the Palm Springs Tramway. We had not been there since they renovated it several years ago.
At the top are views of forever. On a clear day, you can see 175 miles, but just a couple of miles below is the Coachella Valley in all its glory. Palm Springs:
The Palm Springs Tramway has the world’s largest rotating cars, holding up to 80 people (plus the car operator), and takes you on a
10-minute ride over 2½ miles, climbing in elevation from 2,643 feet above sea level to 8,516 feet above sea level. The 5,873 feet gained in elevation in 2½ miles makes it one of the longest and highest elevation gain tramways in the world.
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
I’m supposed to believe that I grew up in a poor family…. lower class…. I don’t really know whether or not that’s true, but it did affect my choice of professions. Originally I wanted to be a teacher, a history teacher, but when I discovered the average annual salaries of teachers in Texas, I was, like, uh, no.
My belief about our financial situation originally came from how my wise old grandmother (MWOG) took care of things around the house…. Granddad worked as a Road Foreman of Engines for Missouri Pacific Railroad, but 300 miles away. He came home on weekends, but that meant that daily maintenance was up to MWOG.
I now believe that we weren’t necessarily poor. It’s just that MWOG knew how to re-purpose things. Old cooking pots didn’t get discarded, they became plant pots…. They both have “pots” in them. The old club-foot bathtub didn’t get hauled away in favor of the new bathtub/shower combo, it became a plant pot, albeit a huge one.
At the San Diego County Fair’s gardening exhibit, I’m pretty sure my wise old grandmother supervised one of the exhibits:
But where do you sit?
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray (that’s me!)
Zoey the Cool Cat was upset when she found out that I had posted pictures of birds yesterday (Fly softly, and carry a big stick). I promised her that if she would behave herself out on the patio, I’d post some gratuitous pictures of her. Here she is enjoying the patio, although in the second picture you can see what she thought when I suggested that we go inside.
Looking for real estate services in San Diego County?
I can highly recommend
James Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award, DRE #01458572
If you’re looking for a home inspector,
I recommend Russel Ray — that’s me!
Russel Ray Photos 