MOTHER NATURE HATES ME

I live in Southern California, and I endure the outrageous cost of
living for one primary reason... the weather. The sun shines more than
anywhere else in the United States and rain is unheard of. Given all
this, I can't help but take it a little personally when I look at the
forecast for next week, the ONE week of vacation I've been looking so
forward to. I go to work day after day while the sun shines and warm
winter breezes blow, and the second I take some time off, the freak-of-
nature weather system comes through.

RISE AND SHINE

Donna loves it when I break out the camera before she's even out of bed.

SOMEONE SURE THINKS I'M SPECIAL

I came home from work the other night to discover this waiting for me.
The coffee was to accompany home made coffee cake and the coffee cake
was to follow a dinner of turkey and all the trimmings! I've got it
made.

ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER SUNSET

We made it to the coast about 5 minutes before sunset. There's no
better way to conclude the daylight hours.

GOT FIRST AID?

It wasn't too encouraging to see this sign posted halfway through our
Sunday hike.

VIEW FROM THE TRAILHEAD

QUIET PLACES

Sunday's hike was well worth it. The scenery was much more impressive
than we expected it to be. It proved to be a great way to forget about
work and the other stresses in life.

THE HAPPY COUPLE

She thinks I'm the greatest thing in the world, which, of course, I am.

COOL STUFF

On our way back from the Grotto, which was less than impressive, we
found this cool cave of sorts.

WATCH YOUR STEP

We hiked to the Grotto Sunday afternoon in the Santa Monica mountains.
As you can see it wasn't exactly groomed trail the while way. Donna
ended up with a little black and blue.

TIS THE SEASON

The Christmas tree went up today. Yes, it's an artificial tree.... we
couldn't find a seven foot palm tree.

GIVING THANKS

Marty, a co-worker of ours, invited us over for Thanksgiving day. A
friend of hers, Phi (Phillipe - sitting at the head of the table), is
a chef in Santa Barbara and he created quite a feast. The turkey was
stuffed with oranges, lemons and garlic cloves which added an
interesting flavor. Despite the culinary masterpiece, and despite the
fact that my mother and my wife don't think they're good cooks, I
would have preferred their Thanksgiving food, but when you live
thousands of miles from family, you take what you can get. We had a
nice day and appreciated the invite from Marty. All in all, we have a
lot to give thanks for.

HAPPIEST IN THE KITCHEN

Donna was thrilled to get into the kitchen. I love being there because
of all the food - Donna loves being there because of the oven,
KitchenAid and assorted ingredients. She wipped up pupmkin cheesecake,
caramel cake and pecan bars to take to the Thanksgiving gathering we
went to.

WINTER HAS ARRIVED

ALL GOOD THINGS TO THOSE WHO WAIT

What better way to conclude a long ride than with a wet asada burrito.
Donna skipped the 'wet' part and opted for chicken instead of steak,
but I still love her anyway.

THE QUEEN OF ENDURANCE

We got out for a big ride today. Right about the time I was ready to
collapse, Donna suggested that we go even further. I thought she was
kidding at first. Then I remembered she just starts getting warmed up
after two hours of riding.

DINNER TIME

Donna was ashamed to be eating a whole chicken that she got for $1.99
(notice the poster at right) so she obscured my view with the help of
a napkin.

... yes, I'm kidding... she didn't really get it for $1.99

RIDE TIME

I got out for a mid-day ride with a friend from work. The seven mile
climb was well worth it for the seven mile descent. He used to race
motorcycles so he's very comfortable with speed and he schooled me on
the hair-raising, white-nuckle downhill. By the time I got to the
bottom I was thankful to not have dirt and rocks imbedded in a nasty
wound.