Happy New Year

Here's a look at part of our orange crop this year - a bumper crop!

Maybe it's due to all the rain we got last season, I don't know, but this year the tree is packed with over a hundred sweet navel oranges the size of softballs. This tree was mature already when we moved in a few years ago. We have since planted several other citrus trees and they are slowly coming along and starting to produce fruit for us also.

I heard it was cold in some places this week. It's been quite the opposite here with 80's all week. We are hoping for some rain soon since it's been warm and dry the entire season and we could really use a change.

The huge fire just north of us in Ventura/Santa Barbara has been burning for about 4 weeks and won't be fully contained for another week. We still deal with smoke in the air. It is the largest fire in modern California history.

Happy New Year to you. Aimee and I are enjoying a few days of R&R at home during the holidays and looking forward to 2018. We are thankful for continued good health and hope you are well.

Morning Commute

Not the typical morning commute... pic.twitter.com/kJIOQeqsIK

— A. Mutzabaugh CMT (@WLV_investor) December 6, 2017

I did not shoot this video but this was what our drive to work looked like this morning.

Aimee left shortly before I did and this is what she drove through. It was a lot worse about 45 minutes later when I came through the same way. Fortunately I made it right before they shut down the freeway.

Very sad to see that so many people have lost their homes in the various fires. The whole region is blanketed in smoke.

Game 7

We've been enjoying the postseason baseball and hoping for another close game tonight.

It's tough enough to stay up until the end of some of these games. I don't know how people in the Eastern times are able to watch until the end every night.

Game 6 on Halloween was another good one. As usual we got zero trick-or-treat visitors.
That's OK with us since we didn't have anything to hand out anyway.

Petty Finale

Aimee and I were lucky enough to make it out to the Hollywood Bowl a couple of weeks ago for the final stop on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour.

The place was packed and all three nights were sold out. It's very uncommon for anybody to sell out that place three nights, much less a band that's been around for that long.

We're glad we got to see him one last time - the show was as good as ever. The news of his death a week later certainly came as a shock as he was in great spirits and spoke optimistically of the future.

Moon Shadow

We're back from our eclipse trip and it was a success. I did not take these two pictures but this is the view we had right before totality and then moments later when we got darkness and an amazing view of the moon completely blocking the sun.

                                                                             
The area where we were staying, in Sun Valley, was just within the band of totality and would have given us over a minute of darkness. We decided to drive about 30 miles north to get as close to the center line as possible and maximize our time in the dark.

There is only one highway heading north out of Sun Valley towards Stanley and we didn't want to get caught up in any possible traffic problems. Fortunately our friends know the backroads really well and we were able to get to a spot near the center line (just below the word Chilly on the map above).

              Here we are about 9am with a nice spot just off an unpaved road and hardly any other people around. The sky was clear but the air was a little hazy with smoke from numerous fires that were burning in the region.

The eclipse began around 10:30 MDT and climaxed an hour later. We loved every minute of it and enjoyed our trip very much. Now we'll hang onto our eclipse glasses for next time!

Eclipse Trip

We're on our way to Sun Valley, Idaho for a long weekend to stay with some friends and take in the total solar eclipse on Monday.

We've been planning to go since last year so I probably should have bought plane tickets a long time ago but I didn't. By the time I got around to it a couple of months ago it was too late. The airport in Sun Valley is tiny and there are not many flights in and out. All the seats for the days around this weekend were gone or priced way too high.

So we are making the drive. I've driven up there three times before and we are looking forward to this time.

The path of totality will be passing over the area and the skies are expected to be clear.

By the way, the next total solar eclipse in this country will be in just 7 years - on Aimee's birthday!

Birthday Weekend

We enjoyed a nice break recently celebrating Aimee's birthday. We took a 4-day weekend trip up to the Central Coast wine country. One of the tasting rooms we like to visit on our May visits was holding their spring pickup party on Aimee's birthday and we were happy to attend for the second year in a row.

We also got to visit a few new places we've never been. It's always fun to discover new places and meet some new furry friends.

Another Trophy

This softball season has been the longest one we've ever had. It started just after Labor Day.

Usually they wrap up the season either right before Christmas break or just after New Year's. This season, because of all the rain we've gotten, there have been several postponements. Aimee's Thursday night team finally finished their season last week by winning the championship! I played on this team too but only made it to one game because Thursday night was a difficult one for me schedule-wise. (That might have been the one game that the team lost this season. Coincidence I'm sure.)

There is still a need to finish the Monday night season. That team is in the middle of the standings and probably won't be netting Aimee another trophy and t-shirt this time.

Above is the diamond where Aimee plays her Sunday morning game. This field has been out of commission for many weeks this winter. It doesn't take much rain for it to become unplayable, poor drainage I guess.

The weather has also made driving through Topanga Canyon tricky. This is Aimee's usual route to work but the road has been closed periodically due to rock and mud slides. We're thrilled the drought is finally easing but wouldn't mind if so much rain didn't come all at once.

We're Back

It seems it's been awhile since we last posted. Sorry about the delay, Aimee and I have been particularly busy the last year or so and it's tough to find a little bit of time here and there to get things done.

There hasn't been a whole lot to report since we haven't had much time to do a lot of interesting things to tell you about. Aimee started her new job August 1st after taking the entire month of July off. She used the time to make a visit to Minnesota and work on some projects at home.

One of her projects at work is at a Cal State campus in Monterey. She makes a trip up to Monterey about once a month for a day or two. Aimee was also instrumental in helping her firm win a bid for a project with Santa Monica Unified. It didn't hurt that those were the people she was working with before joining her new firm. That job starts next month and won't require any airplane trips!

I've been immersed in work also and been quite busy the last couple of years. We are looking to take some time off later this year and get a little break.

The house hasn't been the same without our little friend Rosebud around. We miss her every day and so do the people I see when I walk around the neighborhood. I still have to share the news with some people I haven't seen in awhile and it's not the highlight of my day going through the details again. She was well-liked and I appreciate that so many people care but that doesn't make it easy.

One thing we know is that Rosebud would not have been a fan of the winter we are having. The drought is finally easing and we have had more rain this season than in the last five years combined. It seemed like it was never going to rain again and now it seems like we can't get a break. That's OK, we enjoy the change and seeing all the green hills and the snow in the local mountains.

Poor Performance

Several years ago Aimee got a bunch of swag  for Christmas from Paul and this ND magnet was included. Unfortunately, Rosebud (who was just a pup at the time) got ahold of it one night while we were out and chewed it up pretty good. We still have it on the fridge. (We still have Rosebud, too. Thankfully her chewing on things days are long behind her.)

I thought of this magnet while we watched the MSU-ND game last week. Despite the comeback it was a terrible game and I think there may be a few more like that still to come. Oh well, at least they should be able to handle USC this year.

Fire Watch

Friday night Aimee had her softball teammates from her Monday night championship team come over to the house to celebrate their big win. It was a warm night and everyone had a good time on the deck.

We also had a view of a wildfire that erupted earlier that day in the Santa Clarita Valley.

This first picture shows our first glimpse of the smoke late Friday afternoon.

Later that evening is when we first started seeing flames on the ridge of those mountains.

Here is a shot from the same angle taken around midnight Friday night.

Here is a shot of the smoke-filled sky on Saturday afternoon that Aimee took while I was at work.

This was my view of the sky on Saturday from West L.A.

Sunday afternoon and the wind has shifted to give us some blue sky but the fire is still going strong.

More flames on the ridge visible Sunday evening.

Late Sunday night and here is the same ridge.

 This fire is 15-20 miles away and poses no danger to us other than unhealthful air. Unfortunately, some did lose their homes and we know some people who had to evacuate. It's been dry as a bone around here for years and hopefully we don't get anything like this coming too close to us. Last month's Calabasas fire was much smaller but only a mile or two away.

Aimee's Trip

Here is a picture of Aimee's Monday night softball team taken right after they won the league championship. It was a great achievement because they are a co-ed team that got moved into a mens league and they managed to beat the guys and win the title!

Aimee wanted to make sure she didn't miss out on the two playoff games before her trip to Minnesota. The next morning after this win she took off for a week to visit the rest of the Propes family. I wasn't able to make it this time.

She just returned from her trip a few days ago and she had a great time getting to spend time with everybody. One little guy who already misses having Aunt Aimee around is Liam. Here he is leaving the airport after dropping off Aimee and learning that she was leaving to go back home.

Hopefully it won't be long before we are both able to visit again.

On the Move

Aimee is busy celebrating the holiday this week with her own personal Independence Day.

Tuesday was her last day with AECOM. She started that job nearly six years ago (with URS) as a way to gain some experience with construction management. That turned out to be a very valuable and fulfilling learning experience and allowed her to work on some diverse and challenging projects.

Now she's ready to move back over to the architectural side of things. An opportunity came up to work with some former colleagues at a firm down the street from her current office and she has accepted a position there.

Naturally her employers were very sad to be losing her but this was a move she'd been considering for a while.

The new place is excited to bring Aimee aboard but it won't be right away. She pushed her start date there to August 1st so she can have a few weeks off to enjoy her summer and get a few things done that she didn't have time for before. A trip is planned to Minnesota to visit family. The last time we were in Minnesota was 2011 for Lars' wedding. This will be the first meeting with new nephew Liam.

Part of Aimee's training with her new job will include a couple of trips to the home office - in Minneapolis! This should mean more opportunities to check in on the family and get out on Lars' and Nils' new fishing boat.

Of course, we are very proud of Aimee and happy for her as she starts the next chapter in her career.

Saturday Night at the Bowl

Last weekend we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Steely Dan in concert.

The show was a lot of fun and the place was absolutely packed for the opening night of the season.
The night culminated with a spectacular fireworks display coordinated with the music.

It was a great night to be out - very warm with a nice breeze. The next couple of days the heat became pretty brutal. Of course, the triple-digit temperatures did not keep Aimee from her usual softball games on Sunday and Monday.

Weekend Fire

Saturday was a hot day and a fire broke out a couple of miles from the house. Fortunately it wasn't particularly windy so the fire didn't get too far out of control or become a direct threat to our immediate neighborhood.

There was quite a bit of smoke and we could see the flames from our street but the worst for us was getting dusted by the ashes and everything smelling smoky as we sat out on the deck Saturday night.

On Sunday the water drops continued throughout the day as the fire was mostly contained. It wasn't a very large fire as these things go but it was a little closer to home than we'd like to see.

Warm Days

Here's Rosebud very patiently wrapping up her traditional Valentine's Day bath. She didn't seem to mind that it came a week late this year. The post-bath hair dryer treatment is probably her favorite part of the process.

It also helps that we've had summer-like weather so she could bolt from the bathroom and go warm herself while lounging on the balcony.

Aimee and I have also been enjoying the warm days. We attended a Super Bowl party at a friend's house in Santa Barbara county wine country. It was a beautiful day and a great setting to spend the day and watch the game. Here is a view from the patio at the party.

Aimee's Table

Aimee went to the lumber yard recently to get supplies for her latest project.

She cleared some space in the garage and set to work on making a table.

She gathered some design ideas from books and magazines and we settled on one that we thought would work well on our new deck.

A big deck calls for a big table and this one was designed to be pretty big.

Here is a look at Aimee in action.

Construction took parts of two weekends in the garage and then a few coats of varnish a couple of days apart and here you can see the finished product. It is 5' x 8' and fits very nicely onto the new deck.

 Another job well done by Aimee. So well done, in fact, that the next door neighbors want her to build a table for them!

Friday Night Football

     A few weeks ago we attended a football game at the Rose Bowl. It was UCLA vs. Cal.

It was a 6pm kickoff on a Friday night but we made it to Pasadena without too much trouble and found that getting in and out of the stadium area was easier than we thought it might be.

One thing that helped was having the home team get a big lead in the second half, sending much of the crowd on their way before the game ended.

We were fortunate to get good seats for this one. We went with some friends who are UCLA fans and they had access to some tickets near the 50. The highlight may have been a school-record 60-yd. FG made by the UCLA kicker on the last play of the first half.

Now we'll wait for the ND-Stanford matchup on Thanksgiving weekend and see if the Irish can get into the playoff. That would be quite an accomplishment given all the injuries to key players this season.

Halloween Tricks

Once again we got shut out on trick-or-treaters visiting the house. That's a good thing because we didn't have anything to hand out if they did show up.

It was a nice night at home watching the ND-Temple game and the World Series. Both games were very good and we had to switch back and forth between the two.

Back to Work

Progress continues to be made on the backyard deck.

The framing is pretty much done and now the boards are being cut to size and laid in place. There are some steps here and there so we're making sure to have those areas well-lit. An electrician has been running lights throughout the deck area and installing those as the framing job was being finished.

Shouldn't be too much longer now (hopefully). Rosebud will be glad to have peaceful naps again without all the activity outside her window.

Taking a Break

 

We took a break from deck-building to spend a few days camping at Bass Lake.

 

As you can see from these pictures, the water level at the lake is way down these days and there are quite a few thirsty trees that are turning brown and dying off.

 

 

This 'beach' is normally underwater. Now it just makes it a longer walk for us when we want to go swimming.

In past years, the water would come right up to the base of these trees where we spend our afternoons.

The water level is down more than 20 feet since our first visit here in 2006. These boat docks are now nowhere near the water. This has become a familiar image throughout the state.

Fortunately, we could be headed for a wet winter and a break from the drought - or maybe not.

Backyard

Our long-awaited backyard renovation is finally underway.

We had been thinking for some time about building a deck in the back and last summer we spent a lot of time and effort working on a plan to build one. We worked with a landscape designer who helped us come up with some ideas on making over the whole backyard.

A month or two into the project the woman we hired left the country to go take care of her ailing mother in Germany. We continued to work with her partner on the plan but as the weeks went on it seemed the design was getting a little bit away from what we had in mind and it was also going to be pretty costly. So we made the decision to shelve the project until the spring and then manage it ourselves.

 

Over the fall and winter we had a bunch of trees removed and fixed up the front yard. The same crew who did those jobs came back this summer to build us a couple of retaining walls in the backyard. These guys did a great job in the heat moving almost 800 sixty pound blocks down from street level to build these walls.

 

There is another crew hard at work on building the deck. Aimee spent a lot of time working on drawings for the deck and it looks like it's going to be really nice.