Ava's First Photo... 3 Weeks To Go !!!

Daughter Carrie Ann sent us this "first photo" of our new granddaughter, Ava. She's due on November 7th, although there is some speculation she may arrive early!

Carrie and husband Kelly have been pretty busy getting everything ready for the new arrival.

In this shot, you can clearly see her little hand and facial features.

Obviously a little doll in the making!

Working Midway DXpedition...

Several hams I know are on a DXpedition to Midway Island. This island last saw ham radio activity over 10 years ago, so there are lots of stations calling them.


Although they're a long ways from home, they are able to upload the contacts to a website where we can check to see our contacts have been confirmed.

Here is a screen shot of the log today, showing I have worked them on four bands, all on CW (code).

They'll be there a few more days so perhaps I'll get a chance to work them on some other bands!

UPDATE: Have contacted Midway on 6 bands (megacycles): 3.5, 7.0, 10.1, 14.0, 18.0 and 21.0, all on morse code.

Ham Radio Video with K6CU

A couple of guys who love to get out in the back country of Utah took their battery powered ham radio with them. They shot some video, including part of their contact with me, and put it on YouTube!

This was taken about a year ago. The part with my call is at about the 6 minute mark, so you can skip ahead.

Thanks to N0TU and N7UN for posting this on YouTube and sending me the link.

Grab the marshmallows... we're having a fire!

Today right around lunch time we had a little excitement in old Murrieta... a fire broke out in the hills just behind our house!

The excitement was short-lived, as a bevy of airplanes and helicopters showed up and, within about an hour, had knocked the fire down.

This shot shows the smoke. It's difficult to see, but if you click on the photo to enlarge it, and look very closely towards the middle of the photo, you'll see a small black dot in the red circle. That's a big 4-engine airplane dumping water on the fire. Gives you a little bit of an idea how big this was!

Skinny and Bald!

We received this picture of a skinny bald guy on Robbin's cell phone today.

OH! It's Larry Cordray!

Carrie Renee really surprised him by showing up for his graduation from boot camp in South Carolina. He had no idea she was going to be there, and was THRILLED she could make it!

It was quite a challenge getting Carrie across the USA to be there in time, as her first flight was canceled at the last minute!

She will spend two days with Larry before he ships off to his schooling in Ft. Lee, Virginia. We expect Carrie Renee back home on Friday.

Becca and family visit...

On Saturday, August 22, we spent the day with Becca, her mom Nancy, and daughters Bailey and Bristol. The purpose of their visit was not a happy one however, as Nancy's dad passed away recently and they were here for the funeral in Long Beach.

Despite the sad occasion, we had a full day of fun activity. The video here is just a short clip with highlights of the movies we took.



In addition to Becca and her family, our daughter Carrie, husband Kelly and their daughter Chloe also attended.

First we had a terrific lunch at the Belmont Brewing Company in Belmont Shores (an area of Long Beach), on the outside patio, followed by some play time on the beach. Then it was off to a local park where all the kids had a chance to play, play, play! It was a very full day, to say the least, and all the kids (and Grampa Bill) needed a nap to catch up!

Bill Jr. (Becca's husband) had to work, but there was some good news about him. He was working as First Mate on his ship (this is the #2 position on the boat, under the Captain).

There are also pictures at this link: BECCA VISITS

There's A Baby In My Sink!

We had several overnight guests this past weekend.

Grandchildren Quinton, Colston and Haylie stayed with us Thursday through Sunday while their mom Carrie Renee was visiting friends and relatives in Arizona. On Saturday evening the gang had a big Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner (originally scheduled for last St. Patrick's Day!).

Granddaughter Chloe spent Sunday night with us while her parents, Kelly and Carrie Ann, visited friends in San Diego. One of Chloe's "funner" times was taking a bath in the kitchen sink. A bath is quite important, especially after eating lots of juicy watermelon!

Sorry for the quality, but this is a cell phone shot.