Info on Pee Wee Reese

Some blog readers have expressed an interest in knowing more about the famous Brooklyn Dodger shortstop, Pee Wee Reese. Click on the Wikipedia link below, to learn about the life of Pee Wee Reese -


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Wee_Reese

Back In The Day

If you read a few paragraphs from the below story, you will see that it mentions a native Louisvillian - Vinnie Atria. Vinnie graduated from Shawnee High School the same year as me (class of 63), and as I discovered from the article, he later became a very accomplished bowler. I remember bowling a few frames with Vinnie, back in the day, at the West End bowling alley. Even then, it was obvious that Vinnie would progress to the caliber needed to become a pro bowler. Vinnie was always a very good athlete. As I recall, he ran track for Shawnee and did quite well. Perhaps it was in the genes - his uncle was the great Brooklyn Dodger shortstop, Pee Wee Reese.

It was interesting reading about Vinnie. It's probably been forty five years since I first read the news, in the Courier Journal, about his prowess as a bowler. Good to fine out that he succeeded in a very difficult sport to master.

You can learn more about Vinnie Atria's career, on the second link.



http://www.gobowlingshow.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=85


http://www.minieliminator.com/Atria%20story.pdf

Interesting Auto Site

The link below will take you to a business site that has created a very interesting approach to selling cars. The owners have incorporated web technology informatively and the result for the consumer is a very entertaining and exceptionally detailed experience when shopping for a Chicago Cars Direct used vehicle.

By using You Tube videos to provide a ten minute overview (including the road test) of a vehicle from their relatively small inventory, the potential buyer comes away with a far better knowledge of the product than what is typically gained when visiting a used car lot. The presenter (salesman) is affable and portrays the vehicle in a manner that conveys a true love of automobiles. You watch the video feeling that a great amount of care went into selecting that particular car for their inventory.

I found the site to be quite intriguing; however, I can't attest to the efficacy of this business since I don't know anyone who has purchased a vehicle from Chicago Cars Direct. Check it out and see what you think.

http://www.chicagocarsdirect.com/web/inventory?sold=0

Sports Illustrated Tablet Available in 2010

Can't wait to enjoy sports news in this format - take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyXvLnxyXk

Scion at SEMA

Check out these creative Scion specialty vehicles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIuD0cplRFA

Sacramento's Annual International Auto Show

As is my habit at this time each year, I attended our city's display of new vehicles, spending roughly six hours time taking in the nuances of all things mobile - from Segway Human Transporters to sophisticated gasoline/electric hybrids that are postured to radically change the whole mix of what will be offered to consumers over the coming years. To say the least, it was one of the more interesting shows that I have attended.

You will see from my show pictures that there was not only the new 2010 models on display, but some rather interesting older cars as well. I found myself checking out several cars from a half century ago and comparing them to today's vastly different autos. I've got to say that the simplicity of a '57' T-Bird with an AM radio and roll up windows is quite a contrast when compared to today's all electric 'Volt", but they both have their own appeal to the many people who still love cars and appreciate their impact on our culture and our economy.

My first auto show was in 1957, the year Ford introduced the Edsel. I was only twelve years old, but I was hooked on cars after attending that show and my interest has grown over the years. I probably spend as much time checking out a Versa as I do a Rolls, even though a couple hundred grand or more separates them in price. I just get a kick out of learning what I can about cars.

As to my favorites this year, below is my top five (in no particular order):

Acura TL - love it or hate it exterior, very high tech interior

Mazda 3 - high tech vehicle with a low tech price, grill that resembles a blow fish (it grows on you)

Honda Accord Crosstour - if you like hatchbacks, this one has great lines and doesn't resemble every other car on the road

Honda Element (Dog Friendly Model) - the badging alone makes it worth the additional money over a standard version

Hyundai Genesis - give Hyundai a little more time and they really will build a Lexus for half the price

There are others that I could easily add to the list, such as the Taurus SHO which I got to test drive while attending the auto show, but the one thing that you discover when you look at so may vehicles in one sitting is that there are some cars that appear as better values than others, when it comes down to the bottom line, but there probably isn't a terribly bad car in the entire show. It basically boils down to one's preference and whatever stirs the consumer's emotional buttons. I'd like to have a really big garage full of them myself (not likely). Enjoy the pics.

Happy Halloween

Halloween "09" was a lot of fun. Nancy bagged candy and did the indoor decorations, while Dave and I decorated the exterior of the house. The weather was great and because Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we had a record number of trick or treaters - three hundred and eleven to be exact. How do we know, you might ask? Well, we count the bags that we give to the kids. Of course, there may have been a couple of kids who came back twice, but I'm sure that the total number is still over three hundred. That's a lot of trick or treaters! It kept the three of us going for about three and a half hours.

Dave and I managed to watch a little of the USC vs Oregon game while all of this was going on. The Mighty Ducks prevailed. Go Quackers!!!

Oh! - and I have to mention that Nancy prepared a delicious meat loaf for our dinner meal tonight. Superb meat loaf - the best around. Just ask Dave, he ate half of it! Afterwards, we had coconut cream pie for dessert. Yep, a good time was had by all. Check out the pictures to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Coming Events

Over the next few weeks I will update my blog site with some pictures and narrative on Friday Night at the Movies, Halloween Trick or Treaters and the annual Sacramento International Auto Show. There will be lots of fodder for picture taking during the next month. As you may recall, our Friday Night at the Movies gatherings have been a monthly (or thereabouts) gathering for several years. Also, Halloween, for residents of Camden Park (our subdivision), always draws a huge number of Trick or Treaters (we stuff at least two hundred and fifty bags each year) as the neighborhood is ideally situated for such an event. In addition to the aforementioned events I will, as usual, be attending our annual auto show where I will take loads of pictures and collect pertinent information on all the new cars for 2010. Stay tuned!

California State Fair

I took lots of pictures while visiting the California State Fair last week. The exhibits were especially good this year and the paintings really caught my interest as several were unique in both composition and subject matter. You can see my State Fair photos to the right and at the bottom of the web page. Additionally, I have posted a few shots of the Eldorado Hotel Suite (Reno), where we recently stayed. We reserved a show and meal package to accompany the deal for our suite - an excellent value for the rate of only ninety four dollars. The trip was not only entertaining, but very affordable as well (my kind of trip). We may make a return visit to Reno, before the change of seasons, if there is another offer of this type.

Evan's Kitchen

Nancy and I have been enjoying our mid-week breakfast outings for some time now. We usually take the Crossfire so that we can enjoy the open air feel of driving with the top down (of course, given our respective ages, we keep the air conditioner on and make sure we are wearing plenty of sunscreen before leaving the house - that's a rather different approach than the one I used back-in-the-day - when I owned a 65 Mustang convertible).

On a recent outing we visited Evan's Kitchen for breakfast. Evan's is known for having the best chicken fried steak in town. Since I had never eaten there, I wanted to see if that was true. I can now attest to the fact that if the chicken fried steak is not actually the best in Sacramento, it certainly must rank right up there with the top two or three. You can see a picture of the breakfast we ordered at Evan's Kitchen to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Wedding Entrance

As you will see, while watching the attached You Tube video - Jill and Kevin really know how to kick off a wedding ceremony. Who knows, it could start a whole new way of thinking when it comes to planning a wedding? What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Imperial Coffee Shop

A couple of times, during conversations with friends, I've mentioned that I was raised not only in a typical neighborhood setting (the West End of Louisville, Kentucky), but in an atypical setting as well - a restaurant located at 7th and Jefferson in downtown Louisville. While rummaging through some old photos the other day I happened upon a picture of my Dad's restaurant (the Imperial Coffee Shop), the place where I spent about as much time as I did in my West End neighborhood.

As I reflected on the picture of the restaurant, I came to realize just how influential the Imperial Coffee Shop was on my upbringing. The key lesson that it taught me about life was in regards to just how important it is to know from an early age not only what you might want to do vocationally as a career choice, but to also know what you don't want to do career wise, based on what your work experiences were during those early years.

Although I have fond memories of "growing up" in a restaurant that was opened seven days a week for fourteen hours a day, by the time I was a teenager, I knew for sure that I never wanted to make owning a restaurant my life's work. Work-wise I didn't want to follow in my father's footsteps, although it could have been a logical choice, I suppose.

Funny how pictures can trigger emotions regarding a person's progression to wherever they might be at a particular point in their life. Old pictures help to make some since of it all. The accompanying picture of the Imperial Coffee Shop is over fifty years old. I've posted it to the left and at the bottom of the blog page.

Denver Trip Pictures

I've posted some pictures from our recent trip to Denver, Colorado. We had a good time while visiting the mile high city. Our morning outing was to the Botanic Gardens (featuring a very interesting enclosed rain forest), followed by a tour of the Colorado Rockies Stadium (Coors Field). That evening we had an excellent steak dinner at the Denver Chophouse. Denver is known for having exceptionally good beef, at reasonable prices, and the Chophouse did not disappoint.

The next day we visited the Denver Zoo and captured some intriguing pictures of the animals. While at the zoo we experienced a rather dramatic change in the weather (heavy rain, thunder and lightening) that suddenly shifted into a full fledged tornado alert. We almost got locked behind the zoo gates, but we escaped to the parking lot in time to make it to the airport for our return flight. We drove to the airport with the tornado sirens blaring in our ears. Fortunately the weather calmed down by the time we arrived at the rental return location and our flight home was only slightly delayed from the scheduled departure (about twenty minutes).

Chili was sure happy to see us later that night when we picked her up from the vet. It's always exciting to reunite with our canine companion. We were also excited to see how far along the exterior painting of our house had progressed.

You can see our Denver trip pictures and our freshly painted house pictures posted to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Gimme Shelter!

If you happen to think that the "Stones" are the only band which should ever sing the iconic song "Shelter", as I once did, then have a listen to Ashley Cleveland's performance of said song. Ashley and Mick are from different planets - he's the devil and she embraces Jesus - but there is no denying the power that both singers bring to the vocals. The polarity just makes it that much more interesting to analyze the nuances in each version of Gimme Shelter. Maybe it's because both Ashley Cleveland and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards experienced the torment brought on by drugs and alcohol to the point that they share a common language - or not - but to my way of thinking she does a credible job of singing a song that few singers have the pipes to pull off. Also, her band has enough talent to excel when it comes to hitting the notes just right on the powerful guitar riffs. Have a listen and see if you agree. Oh, incidentally... this tune sounds fabulous while driving my Crossfire, with the top down, of course - and particularly after hitting sixth gear when heading to Napa on Interstate 80. It's a real rush!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74qWOdNYjLc

Uodate - House Projects!

The house projects have caused us to alter some of our normal activities during the last few weeks. The major projects have been the installation of a new patio door and a kitchen picture window. This happened while we concurrently had the old (twenty years) shake roof removed, so that it could be replaced with a lightweight tile roof. That made things a little more hectic than usual. Fortunately, it looks like the projects will be completed on schedule. Since we will be leaving for Denver next week, and we want to return to a house that is a lot less chaotic than the one we have been living in the last few weeks, we feel lucky that the projects are being completed in a timely manner.

Chili will stay at the Bradshaw Veterinarian Clinic while we are visiting Denver. The clinic is not too far from where we live. We'll miss her, but she did well during her last stay, when we went to Las Vegas, so we fill comfortable leaving her with the canine caretakers at the Bradshaw Clinic.

I've posted a couple new pictures to the blog. One shows the tile that will be installed on the roof tomorrow (bright and early, if things go as planed). The other pic captured a recent Friday Night meal - burgers from the grill - one of my favorite dinners. The burgers, for some reason, always taste better when eaten outside on the patio and fortunately our weather has been quite mild for mid June - perfect for grilling and for enjoying a scrumptious hamburger meal.

Lots Going On!

I've not had much time to do any blog postings lately. We have several home projects going on at this time and it seems that the normal twenty four hour day has shrunk to more like twenty. At least that's how it feels in regards to the amount of sleep that I have been getting. Nancy says she feels the same way. The only one oblivious to all this is - you guessed it - Chili Dog. As long as she gets three squares and a dozen different places to lay her head, she's tuned out to most anything else going on. I guess that is why "dog's rule"! They just don't seem to get too worked up about anything. Another good lesson to learn from your dog.

I'll have some pictures to post shortly. The dust should stop swirling in a week or so and then it is off to Denver for a short expedition to the mile high city. More about that later...

Dan Sofia's Retirement Party

Tomorrow we will be attending my friend Dan Sofia's retirement party at Calvine High School. Dan concludes his long career (nearly forty years) in education in just a few short weeks. Many of those years he has served as an administrator for the Elk Grove School District, but he began his vocation as a business teacher at Hiram Johnson High School (that was the year we met) immediately after completing his business education degree from Fresno State University. Dan also worked a short time for the Sacramento County Office of Education, my place of employment for thirty years, both as a teacher and as an administrator. Forty years is a long time, but Dan started his work in education at a very young age, so he has a lot of years left to enjoy retirement.

Nancy and I wish Dan the best as he embarks on his new journey as a retiree. It should be interesting to follow his next life as an untethered educator, with plenty of time on his hands and lots of energy to channel towards some new endeavor. Welcome to the club, Dan!

Visit To Old Sacramento

We took a short mid-week drive to a location that we had not visited for quite some time - Old Sacramento. Old Sac is still being developed, after some forty or so years, and I suspect the recession has curbed a few of the more recent projects that were under consideration to make the area a more desirable attraction to both tourist and locals alike. Nevertheless, Old Sacramento will always have a certain charm even if it does have a few shortcomings compared to other cities that have an enticing river front to build on (for instance - Louisville, Kentucky or Portland, Oregon)

We enjoyed our walk along the river front and as we walked we discovered some establishments that have been a part of Old Sacramento from day one, and a few that that have been recently added, primarily it seems, to draw a younger demographic to the area (some tattoo parlors and several casual eating places). All and all, it still felt pretty much like the Old Sac that I recall from the eighties and nineties. That's not a criticism, I liked the Old Sac from that era and I use to visit the area frequently, back in the day. We spent time shopping at a couple of the smaller stores and then had a foot long hot dog and a caramel apple as we took in the sights.

The Crossfire is a neat way to travel to places like Old Sacramento, West Sacramento, the Delta, or any number of small towns that aren't all that far from the heart of the city. We plan to do more outings to such places, as the summer progresses. You can see some pictures of Old Sac to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Viva Las Vegas - Car Max Email - Chili Dog Rules

Contrary to most media reports, Vegas continues to attract a rather large number of tourists for certain events. At least, if our recent visit is any indication, the strip is still a big draw for those tourists seeking top notch entertainment at lower rates than what was being offered before the recession. Nancy and I have visited Las Vegas many times over the past few years, so I can't say that the city was as crowded as it was a year or two ago, but the streets were far from barren, even though it was mid-week and there was no hundred thousand plus conference going on at the time.

We really enjoyed the shows on this visit. The first night we went to see Donny and Marie Osmond at the Flamingo Show Room. A decade of experience has made this duo a stellar act. Entertaining is in the Osmond blood and Donny and Marie made good use of their family history. The sister and brother act mixed songs from their past, including music from the Donny and Marie show, along with some new material. Yes, one is still a little bit country and the other a little bit rock and roll, but Marie has evolved her sound to include Opera as well. I must add, her Operetta was truly mesmerizing. She performed flawlessly. Her goal is to ultimately sing opera with The Metropolitan Opera.

The next night we saw another fabulous show, a Cirque du Soleil, the Beatles - Love show. The "Cirque" shows are always unique and this is one of their best. Beatles music never sounded better and the visual depiction of the songs was stunning. Quite a contrast from the more traditional Donny and Marie show, but equally enjoyable.

As always, the food was great. We had an especially memorable meal at one of the South Point Hotel (where we stayed) restaurants, Don Vito's Italian Restaurant, and we had a great burger at the Mirage and another delicious meal at the Flamingo Buffet.

On a different note, I received a nice email from CarMax shortly after posting some pictures of our Chrysler Crossfire Limited Roadster which was purchased from the Roseville CarMax store. The details of this purchase is still posted on one of my previous blogs from a couple of weeks ago, if you are interested. We have purchased four vehicles from Car Max over the last five years and every vehicle has met our expectations - in terms of the quality and condition of the automobile. CarMax is very selective of the vehicles they choose to sell. Their extended warranty plans provide an extra measure of protection from potentially costly repairs and the owner has the option to have the car repaired at a CarMax store or by a dealer. In my opinion, CarMax makes a lot of sense if you are tired of the haggling and negotiating usually associated with the purchase of a new or used vehicle. Many vehicles from Car Max are low mileage and in like new condition. I feel that the bottom line is that you pay a fair price for the peace of mind which comes with buying a CarMax vehicle.

I've posted a couple new pics of our dog, Chili. We adopted her a couple of months ago and since that time she has not had any problems transitioning from her previous life to her current head of our household status. We want her to have a good life, and as a result we have made our home more dog friendly. For instance, Chili needed a way to access the backyard on her own, so we recently added a dog door for her convenience. The design sort of snowballed so that it not only included the dog door, but a complete covered dog run as well. The run leads to a grassy area in our back yard. Chili has easily mastered the dog door entry and exit and now she can "sun bath" in our backyard at her discretion. As they say, "Dog's Rule". I will post a photo of the dog run along with some more pictures of Chili, later in the week.

Spring Has Sprung - Fire Up The Crossfire

As you can see from the latest pictures, we've added a new set of wheels to our collection. This one, a Chrysler Crossfire (06 vintage, but with only nine thousand miles on the odometer) is basically a "toy" for occasional outings to interesting places that invite a top down driving experience. I've been looking for a roadster for quite some time and this one met my criteria for just about every area that I considered significant when purchasing this type of vehicle i.e. price, year registered (I only considered pre-owned vehicles), warranty, options that come with the car beyond the standard features of a basic model (such as upgraded stereo, power/heated seats, engine size, etc) and, of course, projected reliability. The Crossfire doesn't score the highest in any of these areas, when compared to other sports cars, but for the price (I bought it from Car Max - our fourth Car Max purchase over the last five years), it beat out the competition.

The Crossfire has a significant percentage of Mercedes parts, the engine in particular, but also many of the interior components are from the Mercedes SLK of that era. The car is basically an Americanized version of the Mercedes SLK model. Chrysler will no longer manufacture Crossfires after this year. Who knows, Chrysler may not be in business after this year, if the economy doesn't improve.

We are looking forward to our first Crossfire outing this weekend. We'll just take a short drive (top down, of course) this first time, but after returning from our Vegas trip next week, we plan to take a longer excursion to some intriguing location. Can't wait! Check out the pictures to the left and at the bottom of the blog page and let me know what you think of the Crossfire.

Additionally, the below You Tube link provides a good video presentation of the Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Convertible Limited.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gx-OyRIv88

Time for Chicken and Dumplings

I recently had a craving for a "back in the day" meal, one that I typically ate for Sunday dinner, a southern meal that is quick and easy to prepare, but taste as good as a rib eye steak prepared in a fine dining establishment. At least that is how I remember my Mom's recipe for chicken and dumplings. I still have the recipe, but Nancy and I had not cooked up a pot of chicken and dumplings for more years than I care to remember. So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to give it a go. It was just as I remembered - a delicious way to prepare chicken, in a sauce that comes right out of a can. It's really that simple. Mom's method took a little longer and the outcome was better, but our chicken and dumplings are pretty tasty too, especially for how little time it takes to prepare.

We took a few liberties in the preparation of our southern meal. As mentioned, there was no laboring or constant taste testing of the sauce - Mr Campbell took care of that, with his readily available, at any grocery store, cream of chicken soup. As for the dumplings, flour tortillas seem to work as well as biscuit dough, and they too are easily found at your local super market. Just cut the tortillas into small strips and drop them into your hot chicken broth. All that is left to do is to add as much cut up boiled chicken breast meat as you like, we prefer the Foster Farm brand chicken, prepare your salad, and you have a delicious dinner meal. You can see the results of our effort from the pictures posted to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Bon Appetit!

Friday Night at the Movies

We had an enjoyable Friday Night at the Movies get-together last week. Dave purchased some fabulous rib eye steaks from the Apple Market in Lodi. They grilled perfectly, with great flavor and just the right amount of marbling. They were over and inch thick! Nancy fixed the baked potatoes, salads and asparagus and I cooked some garlic flavored mushrooms to top off our steaks. We ate our meal outside on the patio. What a feast!

Afterwards we watched the movie "Milk" and deliberated as to whether or not Sean Penn was deserving of the Oscar he won for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. Penn is a very controversial actor, so there was no consensus, but there was agreement that Milk is an excellent film and not to be missed.

Chili Dog met the guys for the first time. Other than wetting on Terry's suit pants, there were no gaffes on her part during the entire evening. She went to sleep while we watched Milk. I guess it was past her bedtime. We didn't conclude our gathering until after 1:00 am.

I've added a picture of Brandon Jr sitting in our stairway with Chili. Kelley brought Brandon by the house on Sunday and he got to play with Chili and walk her around our neighborhood park. Brandon did a great job! He is a natural for dog walking, just so long as the dog doesn't weigh over ten pounds and isn't more than about a foot tall. I think he really got a kick out of playing with the "puppy", the word he uses to describe Chili. Actually she is almost seven years old, and except for some gray whiskers she does kind of remind you of a puppy. Brandon also got a chance to ride his ATV up and down our driveway several times. This appears to be another of his favorite things to do. At two years of age he is discovering something new everyday and he loves to explore. By evening's end he was sleepy and ready for the trip back to Fairfield. All and all, it was a great weekend!

Our Canine Companion

We are now the proud caretakers of Chili, the dog we adopted this week. Chili, a Chihuahua and Mini Pinscher mix, has touched our hearts, in a way that only a dog is able to do. She is an older dog, about seven years old, according to her vet. Needless to say, we already think that she is the best dog in the whole wide world, but we just might be a little bias, since we have become infatuated with every nuance associated with pet ownership. More about Chili, later.

Kindle Update

My Kindle usage increases daily, as I find more and more publications to read from my home page. The books download exceptionally fast, in less than a minute, and you can read sample passages prior to purchasing, to make sure that the book is to your liking.

I have been able to read the electronic ink on my Kindle, even in very low light, without any eye strain. That's definitely a plus for a device of this type. So far I have not experienced any glitches in the performance of the Kindle. The next generation Kindle will probably include color, but so far I have been pretty much satisfied with the high quality black and white photos that I've seen. The electronic ink works quite well. It's a new way to enjoy reading, in a format that simplifies the process of procuring your favorite publications. Thumbs up for the Amazon Kindle.

Amazon Kindle

My long awaited Kindle has finally arrived. Shipping was only three days from when I ordered the electronic reader, but I say long awaited because I've thought about purchasing a Kindle since the first day that the generation one Kindle debuted. Amazon now has a second generation of this device and that is the model I purchased. It's only been out a few weeks and although it isn't all that different from the first offering, it does have improved graphics and the system has been tweaked to make it even more competitive with a similar product from Sony. The new Amazon Kindle does add a new dimension for an electronic reader - text to speech. It's not like an audio book voice, in fact it's not even close to that format, but it's usable and a nice upgrade from the first generation Kindle.

I can't say that I ever considered the Sony version of electronic readers. It seemed to lack some of the features that I felt were important in such a device. Price wise the Amazon Kindle is a little on the high side of what I think an electronic reader should cost, but when you download a best seller in less than sixty seconds, from anywhere that you have a 3G wireless connection, and for less than ten dollars, the price doesn't seem unreasonable.

I'll do an update on my new Kimble after I become more familiar with all the features of this new electronic reader. I can say that the out of the box experience has been good - two thumbs up at this point. We'll just have to see if there are any glaring deficiencies to be found during the next week or two. I've posted a picture of my new Kimble to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.

Tim's Pups

My good friend Tim, whom I grew up with in the West End of Louisville and who now resides in Tampa, Florida, has a neat way of chauffeuring his "guys" around town. Whether it's a trip to a nearby dog park or a journey to the beach, his recumbent bike, with a trailer attached, makes for a comfortable ride for his much pampered pets. Riding around on a recumbent will get you plenty of inquisitive stares in itself, bring the pups along with their heads popping out of the cool looking trailer and you have a unique mode of travel that curious onlookers just can't help but want to ask some questions about. All the "guys" seem to have great fun during the outings.

Tim often shares with me photos of his canine buddies. You can see a picture of Mickey D, Suzzy Q and Teddy B on their way to the beach for some frolicking in that year round warm Tampa sunshine. Thanks for sharing, Tim.

Colonial Gardens

While surfing some sites, looking for historical landmarks in Louisville, Kentucky, my hometown, I came across a picture of the Colonial Gardens. The Colonial Gardens was one of my favorite night spots to visit back in the day. The Inn featured some great entertainment, both local and national as well. The building was large enough to accommodate a decent size crowd and the prices (cover charge, drinks and food if I recall correctly) were reasonable compared to some nightclubs in town. The article accompanying the picture mentioned the possibility of making the Colonial Gardens a historical landmark. The cost to restore the building would be considerable, but there seemed to be some interest from various groups to proceed with the project. People who opposed the project felt that the building needed to be torn down. They mentioned their concerns about the safety of the structure and the high cost to bring the Gardens up to current building codes. I don't know if anything has happened, one way or the other, but I plan to drive by the location the next time I visit Louisville, to see if the building is still standing. I hope so. The Colonial Gardens holds an abundance of fond memories for many folk who grew up in Louisville.

Ruth's Chris Meal

Dave gave us a great Christmas present this year - a gift card for Ruth's Chris. We have eaten at various Ruth's Chris over the years and we decided to make a return visit to the Pavilions restaurant a few days ago. Ruth's Chris is one of my favorite restaurants, particularly for a steak meal. The attention to detail is what differentiates Ruth's Chris from other restaurants. Every aspect of the meal is carefully attended to - from the preparation of your appetizer to the final sip of coffee after dessert. The service is very attentive, but not intrusive and you are never rushed at any time during your dining experience.

I decided to try the rib-eye steak on this occasion. It proved to be an outstanding choice. Nancy likes the stuffed chicken breast and as usual the meal met her expectations. All and all, just a great dining experience. Thanks for the much appreciated gift, Dave. We really enjoyed our outing to the Fair Oaks Pavilions Ruth's Chris restaurant!

Super Bowl Sunday

A terrific - nail biting, fourth quarter heroics, run Forrest run, etc. - Super Bowl was played this year. Just the way we like it! Seven of us guys got together and rooted for our favorite team, even if most of us hadn't watched a pro football game all year. After all... it is the Super Bowl!

This is the first year we watched the game in HD. I guess the 52 inch Regza provided satisfactory picture quality. At least I didn't hear any complaints. However, I did forget to DVR the game, so we missed some of Bruce Springsteen's halftime show. We shoot hoops during halftime. Our previous game of H-O-R-S-E has been reduced to P-I-G. We're now all of an age that we would be on the court to the middle of the fourth quarter if we played more than just three letters. Besides, we needed to leave enough time to have our dinner meal after working up an appetite from playing hoops!

Food-wise, we always start with a delicious bowl of my famous road kill chili (Beales description) - slowly cooked to perfection the previous night. The chili, along with various snacks, gets us through to halftime. After hoops, we have a dinner meal that usually consist of roast beef or steak. This year I decided to serve a Harris Ranch cross-rib roast, purchased at the Nugget Market. The Nugget has really good beef. Nancy whipped up some mashed potatoes and gravy, along with green beans, to accompany the roast. For dessert, Dave Whiteside brought a chocolate treat that his wife, Eilene, had made from scratch and we had a store bought strawberry cream cheese cake as our other choice. No one left hungry!

So, another great Super Bowl game, that was shared with great friends and good food. What more does a guy need? See you next year!

Weekend Visit

Paul and Karen, our friends from Salem, Oregon, are "RV ing" their way through northern and southern California over the next several weeks. That's the advantage of being retired, you don't have to stick to a strict timetable.

We met them at the Cal Expo RV park and drove to the Buggy Whip restaurant for dinner. The Buggy Whip has been a mainstay in Sacramento for over fifty years. I remember having a meal at the Buggy Whip from as far back as 1968. I must have been all of five or six years old at the time - yeah, right.

Afterwards, we went home and watched a movie on our eighty inch projection screen. We had stopped off at the Nugget Bakery prior to going home and purchased a tasty dessert. During our movie intermission, we ate the Nugget chocolate cake with some vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

We had a nice evening together and enjoyed catching up on things that had transpired over the last several months. We hadn't seen them since our visit to Portland during the summer. Hopefully, we can get together again, in the not too distant future.

2009 Detroit Auto Show

The yearly Northern International Auto Show in Detroit is a significant event for car enthusiast, as we get our first real look at all the cars we've only seen in those blurry spy photos that the auto magazines love to show as teasers for the coming year. There will be many interesting cars for 2010 and for some manufacturers the models may determine whether the company will still be around to debut their products at next year's show.

Ford, one of those companies with some financial challenges ahead, may be on to something with the redesign of their venerable Taurus models. As an owner of the original Taurus, I still have an interest in the brand and particularly in Ford's effort to stir up some curiosity about a car that has been poorly managed over the last decade or so. The 2010 Taurus has new exterior lines and a vastly improved interior. If you are interested in knowing more about the car, you will find the below You Tube link useful in forming your own opinion about Ford's attempt to make the 2010 Taurus a sedan worthy of the original. From what I've seen, so far, I like the styling and particularly the upgraded interior with all of it's high tech gadgets. What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fuZjPoAD0c

Red Hawk Casino

We have a new place to gamble in the Sacramento area. The Red Hawk Casino competes nicely with the offerings in Lake Tahoe and Reno; plus it has the advantage of being much closer to Sacramento. Nancy and I visited the Red Hawk Casino this week. The casino reminded me of an upscale casino in Reno. The parking garage is very convenient and the casino is located just a short distance from Highway 50. This makes for easy entry and exit, especially during the mid-week off peak hours (you know, when the retired folks like to visit).

We had a tasty and very reasonably priced meal at the Red Hawk's Waterfall Buffet. The prime rib was excellent and there are just too many entrees, side dishes and desserts to mention - all delicious! The casino has entertainment at the Stage Bar. We didn't stay to see the show during this visit, but we plan to return soon to check out the entertainment. The band, Steele Breeze, a favorite of ours and a mainstay at the Nugget Casino in Sparks, Nevada, will be there next week. We may have to check it out!

Gambling casinos in the Sacramento area keep moving up a notch as the region adds new and improved facilities. The offshoot is that Reno and Lake Tahoe are becoming less and less a premiere destination for gaming and name entertainment. Now, we have all of that right here in our local area. It's all good!

Happy New Year!

We welcomed in the New Year at our favorite Japanese restaurant (Osaka Sushi Bar). I've lost track as to the number of years that we have gathered at Osaka's for our New Year celebration, but I know that it is in the teens, at least. Nancy was still nursing a cold, so she was not at this year's gathering and a couple of others also had to miss the get-together.

I have a collection of pictures from previous New Year's celebrations and as you would expect, all of us look slightly older and the younger attendees are no longer "Kids". The "Kids" have either graduated from college, or they are attending college, and they now hold down full or part time jobs. There are several retirees in the group, with more to come - perhaps even this year.

As always, we had a great time visiting with one another and enjoying a delicious Japanese meal. Thanks Les, for making the annual arrangements. It was great fun!!

You can see the pictures of our New Year's celebration to the right and at the bottom of the blog page.