birch in the wind

birch in the wind, originally uploaded by yodamon.

Last night the wind was picking up and the light was in the golden hour so I grabbed the camera and got some shots in. The Birch trees were flailing about and gave some great photos.

lilacs are coming

Usually this time of year the lilacs are just about to die back from the latest frost but this year the frost skipped them so far.

woke up to a foggy morning

I woke up to a foggy morning, It was dark when I started the trip to work. The above images are in the parking lot of work.

Tesla comes to work again

The Tesla car was in my parking space this afternoon. Boy is that a great looking car. Sweet!

high prices at the movies

Krissy and I went to see "Death at a Funeral" last night and it was very entertaining but way over the top.

If you know me, I'm about costs of things. I know... boring boring boring. Let's check it out.

Tickets:Adult $9.75; x 2
Soda: large $4.50;
Popcorn: medium $5.75,

Lets contrast that with the prices when I was the day asst manager at the Granada theater in downtown Reno in the mid 80's.

Tickets: Adult $4.50, Children $3 (more than double)
Soda: Small 8oz $1, medium 16oz $1.50, large 32oz $2; (more than double)
Popcorn: Small $1.25, medium $2.25, large $3; (almost double)
that's what 24 years will do. I guess minimum wage is also double I made $3.35 as the asst manager and minimum wage is now $7.55 (more than double)

Housing according to US Census: 1980 $136,000 - 2010 $221,000 (not quite double)

My photo of the candy bar from the Granada theater in Reno Nevada in the mid 1980s I don't remember the girl's name

Cold tomatoes

My tomatoes got cold in the last few days. I got the "Water Walls" and installed them today and I hope they work. I did notice a few freeze spots one the leaves. Boooooooo.

planted some cherry tomatoes

I made a planter outside the fence and planed three cherry 100 tomato plants. I always love picking the warm bite size tomatoes and plopping them in my mouth at the end of summer. I can't wait.

spring brings the flowers

The flowering plum in the backyard has its flowers this weekend. I did notice that downtown Sparks and Reno had theirs a week earlier.

Here is the obligatory photo at the location that I photograph all my cars. The location is the top of a hill located close to my house on an empty lot. Several houses have popped up since I first brought the magnum up here.

goto Google Maps Here are the photos mentioned above:
2006 Dodge Ram Photo
2005 Dodge Magnum Photo
1960 Corvette Photo

braces off

Today M got her braces off, doesn't she look beautiful!!!

the dying of the Easter eggs

The girls still love to dye the Easter eggs each year even though they are in their teens. There is something magical about mixing up the vinegar and colors and then plopping them in for a few minutes. The girls didn't ask me to hid them this year. I think this is a first. I wonder if they will toss them or make sandwiches. Hmmm... Their friends told us of how their family hollows out the eggs and then coloring them.

a collage from the backyard

A very foggy morning made a great photo shoot in the backyard.

Jo Jo and Ken come to town

Jo Jo and Ken were in town to be with Jeanie while she was in the hospital.

The quiet and lonely hospital.

goodbye to an old friend and family member

The corvette that I waited so patiently so many years ago is taking a return trip back to the dealer where I purchased her. I realized that there is a lot of capital invested there and it wasn't getting driven or getting the attention that she deserves. It was just not fair for such an old, 50 years, beauty. I cleaned her up, polished her chrome and said goodbye. She will be missed and I hope the new owner will run and tend to her better than I could.

thoughts about an old friend

Before I worked for the "Man", I used to work for another man, Lew Bergstrom, at the Granada Movie theater in Reno Nevada from 1981-1986 (when I graduated from UNR) as the assistant day manager. Lew was a great man who helped me through college and some of life issues. Anyway, I had some old photos of the Granada and put them on a photo set on Flickr.com. I had noticed that a web site called Cinema Treasures has some information on the Granada so I added links to my photos. I had heard that Lew had died some time ago but could never find any information. I did some poking around and found the following Obituary. Sadly he is missed still to this day. Lew Wallace Bergstrom, 75, of Yuba City died Aug. 28, 2000, at Rideout Memorial Hospital. Born in Quasquenton, Iowa, he was a Yuba-Sutter resident for more than 25 years. He was a district manager for United Artist Theaters, working at the State Theatre in Marysville and Sutter Theatre in Yuba City from 1955 to 1970, in Merced from 1950 to 1955 and in Reno, Nev., from 1970 to 1986. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946 and in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve from 1946 to 1948 and also received the honorary rank of colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He was past president and zone chair for the Marysville Lions Club; past member of Castle Air Force Base Committee and Beale Air Force Base Runway, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sutter Buttes Ward, serving as a local stake missionary for the past 10 years. He also was involved in the effort to build the water fountain at Ellis Lake in Marysville. Survivors include his wife, Arlene Bergstrom of Yuba City; three daughters, Karen Bassett of Yuba City, Denise Berg of Live Oak and Jeanette Mason of Loma Rica; one son, Steve Bergstrom of Las Vegas, Nev.; two sisters, Barbara J. Basham and Eleanor J. Schmidt, both of Stockton; two brothers, Romie L. Bergstrom of Sacramento and Donald Bergstrom of Lodi; 19 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Heart Association, 1372 Longfellow Ave., Chico, Calif.; or the American Diabetes Association, 8912 Volunteer Way No. 10, Sacramento, Calif. Services: Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. today at Ullrey Memorial Chapel. A funeral service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center on Butte House Road, Yuba City. Burial with military honors will follow at Sierra View Memorial Park.

Sky High MPG

I was fooling around at trying to get a decent MPG from the new Sky and this is what I got 47.5 MPG. I know, I know that down hill in neutral gives a damn high MPG but this was on Vista on a essentially flat portion doing 35 mph in 5th gear. This only lasted for a short time but I am getting around 30 MPG everyday.

A foggy day at the Taylor ranch

I awoke this morning and the whole neighborhood was engulfed in a thick blanket of fog and stayed that way for several hours. It ws kinda nice to have a change of weather here in the Truckee meadows.

Freek Snowstorm

We had a freek snow storm today! I shoveled the driveway two time with the snow over 8 inches both times.

my new hoopde

I've gotten tired of the high payments of my 2006 Dodge Ram truck so I opted out of the contract for a 2007 Saturn Sky with 9k miles. In the same trade I also tossed in the 2001 VW bug that I got Jordan but she never wanted. I drove the bug to work for several months for the gas mileage but seemed strange for a guy to be driving a VW bug with a flower in the holder covered with glitter. This Sky fits me more and is a total thrill.

Sean and the steam

Steam from the hot mashing wort gets Sean riled up.