BonVoyage Party for Larry...

On Saturday, June 20th, Jamie and husband Jimmy hosted a BonVoyage party for Larry, as he heads off to Fort Jackson, SC for basic training in the US Army.

Lots of laughs, lots of tears, lots of swimming and lots of great food and drinks.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Larry read all the cards, and made a heartfelt statement of his love for his friends and family.

Be safe and well Larry, and come home soon!

Click on the link to see all the photos...

LARRY BONVOYAGE

Kelly's Band Plays in Huntington Beach

Kelly and his band, Tsunami Blue, played at Huntington Beach on Sunday. Kelly is 2nd from left in the photo.

Robbin, daughters Carrie Ann and Carrie Renee, and granddaughters Kayla and Chloe spent the day cheering them on.

They were participating in a weekend concert presented by the Huntington Beach Surf Museum.

Solar Power Ham Radio...

It's about time for some ham radio news!

Last week I dug out the old (1970's) Heathkit HW-8 rig, in preparation for Field Day, a communications test held in June. During the weekend event, stations from all over the country try to work each other using a variety of portable, emergency and home powered equipment.

The HW-8 (smaller green radio in photo) puts out 4 watts, and last year I worked over 80 stations. In my testing this week, I worked stations in Japan, Australia, Alaska, and South America.

To give you some idea of the power level, a 4 watt radio is the same power as a night light bulb. My regular station is the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb, while the maximum power allowed is the same as 15 light bulbs, 100 watts each!

For hams reading this, I use a solar panel and 5 ah battery for power. The keyer (blue box next to clock) is an old MFJ model that runs forever on one 9 volt battery. Antenna is a 40m Ham Stick with 2 radials. Everything but the antenna fits into a plastic tool box.

LaJolla For The Day...

Lovely LaJolla... it's not that far from Murrieta, but we seldom get there. On Sunday, Robbin, Bill, Kayla and Haylie drove down and spent the day.

First was lunch at "The Spot", a true landmark. It's the oldest continuously operated restaurant in LaJolla (since 1915), and a favorite of Robbin's.


If you go, try the beer battered fries or macaroni and cheese.

Pictured here are Haylie, Kayla and Bill in front of the restaurant.

Next we visited the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which included numerous tanks with all kinds of sea life, and an outdoor area where you could actually touch sea critters.

Then off to LaJolla Cove, with a park with a small beach area, although a little chilly for swimming.

On the way home we topped off the afternoon with chocolate dipped ice creams cones. A beautiful day and a rare treat for us.

PS: We tried to find the house where we lived for a summer in LaJolla but no luck.








To see all the photos, click on this link: LAJOLLA

Patty's Birthday Party...

On Sunday we hosted a birthday party for Robbin's sister, Patty, at our home in Murrieta.

A highlight of the day was a visit by Patty's son Kelly, who came all the way from his home in Virginia, and will be here for most of the week.

Pictured here are Patty opening one of her gifts, while her son Kelly visits with Kayla and catches up on the latest news.









Meanwhile, next door, our neighbors had a birthday party for their daughter, and invited our granddaughter Haylie to celebrate.

Looks like she may have the winning hand in the water gun action!

Click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

The Murrieta Chili Cook-Off Festival...

Today a group of us went to the 1st Annual Murrieta Chili Cook-Off Festival in downtown Murrieta. This is national competition, with the winner going on the the semi-finals later this year.


There were all kinds of chili samples, food tents, beer tents, line dancing, live music, and even a wildlife exhibit. Whew! Lots to do and enjoy, and the weather was perfect.

The group included Bill & Robbin; Carrie, Kelly and Chloe; Carrie Renee and her son Colston.

Click on any of the pictures to make them larger.

You can also view these and other pictures at PhotoBucket. Click on the link below for more pictures:

CHILI COOK-OFF

Eric O'Flaherty Signs with Atlanta...

Our own Eric O'Flaherty (Robbin's nephew) has signed with the Atlanta Braves baseball team.

From a Braves press release: "The Braves enter the regular season with a projected pitching staff that includes starters Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjen, Kenshin Kawakami and Tom Glavine, closer Mike Gonzalez, setup men Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan and middle relievers Blaine Boyer, Eric O'Flaherty and Buddy Carlisle".

Congrats to Eric, and good luck in Atlanta!

Here's a link to a story about Eric: ERIC O'FLAHERTY