Pala with family!

Life is good when hangin with good friends and family! We’re eating at Mama’s Restaurant with sophistication and class.

Terrorist Hunting Permit

Came out of the restaurant this afternoon and saw this on the back window of a pick-up truck:



Which takes me to a very good essay by Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal Friday:

“To Old Times”, worth the read.

LAX, No Mas

Good times, bad times--that is/was my LAX experience in a nutshell. The powers that be have decided that my stay at LAX be terminated and I start anew at Burbank Air Traffic Control Tower Monday. I cannot say enough of the quality of air traffic controllers in the tower, they are amazing. They are being pushed to the maximum due to the lack of controllers , many experienced controllers are retiring and breaks/days off are becoming scarce (remember August, 1981?). Working there was amazing, but in retrospect, not working there will allow me to get my life back. Each day of motorcycling the 405 freeway, non-stop talking to airplanes, dealing with “interesting” people, (like running a marathon everyday)--NO MAS. So it’s back to BUR airport--let the good times roll!

4.5 Earthquake!

We just experienced a real shaker here in beautiful Stevenson Ranch. The epicenter was actuall exactly 5.0 miles from our house (See Google Earth map below).

I had several books fly off my bookshelf in the office. We heard the rumble before it hit, then BAM, it hit.

A light earthquake occurred at 12:58:49 AM (PDT) on Thursday, August 9, 2007.
The magnitude 4.5 event occurred 7 km (4 miles) NNW of Chatsworth, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 6 km ( 3 miles).

Magnitude         4.5 - local magnitude (ML)
Time         Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 12:58:49 AM (PDT)
Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 7:58:49 (UTC)
Distance from         Chatsworth, CA - 7 km (4 miles) NNW (346 degrees)
Valencia, CA - 10 km (6 miles) SSW (210 degrees)
Newhall, CA - 11 km (7 miles) SW (231 degrees)
Simi Valley, CA - 12 km (7 miles) ENE (66 degrees)
Los Angeles Civic Center, CA - 45 km (28 miles) NW (310 degrees)

Dog, the Bounty Hunter

Sandy had a chance to see The Dog in person, Saturday, at Walmart in Stevenson Ranch of all places. He’s promoting a book and hundreds came to see him. She said he seems like a shy person in crowds but was enjoying himself with all the fans. Paparazzi Sandy took a picture.:

Grandma Allin et al

Sandy and I wandered into Santa Barbara today just to get away. While there I randomly called my uncle, Chris Benton, asked to come by for a visit and we did. He was a wonderful uncle growing up and we talked about our grown families...good time, indeed. We also visited the old houses on the hill behind the Mission and went through memory lane. This led us to see Grandma Allin’s grave-site to pay our respects.

Those who ever knew Grandma know that she was a very special woman and touched many people during her days. She is still missed to this day. In her memory:




Along with Grandpa, and even Great-grandma!






Along the way we encountered a very unique van:

Retirement

Paul posted a funny which depicts how we will be in retirement:

Check it out

Boeing's Lineage

A friend of mine sent me a picture that aviation enthusiasts would appreciate. July 14th, Boeing had an event at the Museum of Flight that brought together all their 700 series aircraft and put them in one place at the same time for the first time. Photo’s caption:

        “Amid all the 787 roll-out hoopla, perhaps the coolest event went unnoticed. On Saturday night, Boeing had all of the 787 airline representatives at an event at the Museum of Flight. At 7:07 PM, an Omega Air Refueling Services 707 landed in front of the crowd (after taking off from Paine Field in Everett). At 7:17, an AirTran 717 landed. This continued until 8:17 when an Air France 777-300ER landed. In the end, the 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 were lined up nose-to-tail on the taxiway. It is the first time Boeing has had every 7-series airplane in the same place (not counting the 787, which couldn't make the flight, of course).”

I’m lucky enough to see these aircraft fly every day (except the B707-- unless Travolta flies in like he does once-in-awhile), but to see them lined up like this is pretty cool.

Fireworks as seen from LAX

There are fireworks everywhere throughout the Los Angeles basin! I think they're aiming for the arriving aircraft...wow. Unfortunately, the photo from my phone is poor.

Alicia and Casey leaving!

Alicia and Casey are off to Kentucky tomorrow morning. Have fun!

If he only knew...

An Apache AH-64 made an emergency landing in Orem, Utah in a parking lot. A guy named Keith McQueen took this picture....

Good Times

On Lake Elsinore with Captain Steve Economou and gang. Life is good.

Rent vs. Own a Home

I’ve been researching and thinking about renting vs. owning a home. We plan to scale down for retirement in the next few years and maybe moving closer to work. The American Dream is to own, but I’m beginning to think this applies to people who plan to stay in one place for many years. Retirement years are different. Mobility, lower costs, lack of long-term financial commitments, staying near family (Czech Repubic comes to mind), NO DEBT, and playing with stocks for investment seem more appealing to me. The arguments range far and wide trying to persuade one way or the another. The mortgage companies push for ownership, others suggest the benefits of renting. Any thoughts?

Paul's Leathers

Paul is one more step closer to going professional, customized leathers from sponsors!

Driving instruction...

Although I'm giving Kyle driving lessons, we happened to get a glance at a picture of Paul's bedroom.


update: (Jim took liberties with the picture....