A Tale of Two Tow Trucks

My Honda battery got replaced Saturday morning, no thanks to the first truck driver. He barely jumped it and told me to go and have it checked somewhere. So I did but also decided to see what my mechanic would charge me. That was Friday morning. The second call for a jump brought George from Concord Tow who was johnny on the spot if ever there was one. When I told him I needed to get down the road a mile and replace my battery he ran a "battery" of tests himself and sold me a new battery with a six-year warranty at my house, the same as the shop offered. How can two calls to a road service bring such different responses when I had told the operator I needed my battery assessed? Thank you to the Georges of the world.

Nite and Violet's creation

Nite is our 11-year-old female short-hair cat. I also love yellow labs and since reading Alaska I'm very fond of the sea otter who carry their young on their chests.

My family and me at church July 15, 2012

Paul was planning to go to the singles ward and surprised me by joining us. Rick, E, Paul, Olie, Adam, Steph. My boys are bearded here. What a fine looking family I have.

Giants 3/Astros 2, July 14, 2012, 12 innings

Paul and I took BART to the city and Rick, Eve, Adam and Steph drove in together. Rick and E were in season seats behind home plate and visited us in the top row above third base. Paul went back with them to the home plate seats for a nice view of the Giants beating the Astros. We would have frozen without Paul's blanket and even then we were cold. Later he covered a sleeping homeless man with it. Mel's Diner on Mission topped the evening together. Good times.

Sightseeing in the city with Rick and E

I was invited with Rick and E to go to the city which I jumped at. It was hot as we parked at the foot of Market and enjoyed lots of samples at farmers market and inside the Ferry Building. We dined outside in lovely weather at Justin Herman Plaza at Boudin's, a wonderful moment in time. My vote was to go to Golden Gate Bridge next and we found the bridge completely obliterated by fog as we drove along the bay. The bridge was invisible as we walked onto it as well as the city we were so warm in. It was memorable as we checked out the exhibits for the 75th anniversary. We toured the Presidio and Pacific Heights stopping to walk down the Lyon Steps after finding the robot on the balcony. I enjoyed being in Huntington Park and Rick showed us the garden at the Fairmont. Rick is infinitely patient, soft spoken, and a good driver so it was a joy to share the day together.

The Flag

This year Steph and I joined with the Bells and Ballins making seven adults and seven children six and under. It was Adam's first day on the job and he got home at 10 p.m. Tori packed an extra good picnic of sandwiches, potato salad, chips, cookies, granola bars, fruit and water. This is an annual event I never miss, happening the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of July. It's patriotic, spiritual and very entertaining with dancing, skits and participation by all. We went on the 2nd. Yay for The Flag!

If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair

The plan for Independence Day was breakfast, parade, dancing, swimming, eating and watching fireworks. Here's how it went down. Adam and Steph invited me to the Bells' combined ward breakfast at a lovely park in Walnut Creek. We drove separate cars in case plans went different ways. The Bells never showed but I was fine getting the nice pancake breakfast. They took off. This was a full-on salute to America with color guard, patriotic songs, contest of history for which I won a gift certificate for knowing who sewed the first flag and how many verses our National Anthem has. Then veterans were honored individually and we did a special clap for all of them after. I then learned the Crawfords were there just as I was ready to split for the Concord parade so I visited with all of them a bit. When we first moved to Concord the parade was a huge disappointment and lasted about five minutes. Not so now. It's fantastic with horses and music. I caught the last hour of it and walked around the square looking at all the booths set up. Deborah and the Mixed Nuts began the first of three bands at noon and what a band. She has a voice that is amazing and I started dancing right away and all around the park. This was a time to totally enjoy the moment and experience the joy of the day. She is also an actress. I sat out DVC Jazz Combo and danced again to swing numbers by a band with some 60 years of experience until 3:30. By then I was very ready for my 30 minutes of swimming until 4:30. I was invited to share vege burgers, beans, watermelon and chips followed by Steph's apricot cobbler with the Bells in their home. After dancing to videos we wound up at my house to put the dogs in the kennel, bring in the flag, and consolidate to the van and head to Martinez marina where fireworks from several cities could be seen and enjoyed with a gold full moon rising behind us. What a fabulous Independence Day. I'm feeling so blessed and grateful and glad to celebrate with family and friends this year. Happy Birthday America!

Agent Bishop

I just finished a great read that kept my interest the whole time, Agent Bishop. I highly recommend it for a good summer book full of adventure not normally experienced and it's very well written. I thoroughly enjoyed my unusual find at the youth yard sale.

Alameda County Fair Turns 100

Forty years ago I went with a date to see the fair. Unfortunately I got cramps and was sick on the curb and we never went in. When I found out Thursday the fair is 100 this year I knew I had to make another attempt to go for the first time. Rick Springfield had a concert at 7 p.m. and I danced to his music though can't say I'm a fan of him. I enjoyed walking all over the expansive grounds to see the exhibits, barn animals, bunnies, chickens, etc., and loved every minute of it on a mild summer evening in Pleasanton, California. I stayed until 9:45 p.m. and managed to find my way back to my car at the right entrance. I love doing events on centennials and other big anniversaries and this was no exception. I highly recommend this old fashioned county fair.