We had a great time at Lake Almanor and the weather was just great. It never got over 90 degrees and we even had one day midweek with a light drizzle and some overcast. The rain kept us from too much sun exposure and made sure that we brushed up on our card playing and we were able to read inside. Darla and I went into Chester and bought some more books at a thrift store (brand new paperbacks for 25 cents..my inner cheapskate was immensely happy) and made it over to the local sporting goods store and stopped at the library to get caught up on our internet mail and some of my fantasy game updates. We also went into town that night and I bought everyone dinner at a local Mexican food joint. Earl always hosts a pizza night as this vacation coincides with their anniversary (48 years and going strong!). I felt that Darla and I could buy dinner for the group as well to make up for the use of gas in Earl's boat.
It was a tremendous week and my first full week at Almanor. Now that we are away from the resort that was 80 years old and had the sinks falling off the walls and the dirt and dust that was omnipresent, I will be a fixture every year. The new resort is about 25 years old and has things like telephones, televisions, interior heat and a living room. I'm in for the long haul. I was also able to get out and golf with Bob Lombard, our friends from Reno. We play at Bailey Creek, a championship course that is one of the nicest golf courses in the area. I shot 83, with a 40 on the front side and feel really solid about my game. I have a new Oddysey White Hot putter and a new Taylor Made R7 460 Draw driver and really see a single digit handicap in my immediate future.
David and Daniel both made it up to Almanor, although David only stayed until Tuesday and Daniel left at noon on Friday. David had a special project he was working on at the Engineering firm he works for and had to have it completed by last Friday. Daniel was supposed to go on a river rafting trip with his Dad, but that got cancelled. They ended up going to Santa Cruz over the weekend and got back last night. The jet ski had absolutely no problems and started right up and did great on the water. David got in a bunch of wake skating (the newest craze). It is like wake boarding, but wake skating does not have fixed boots on the board and is more like riding a really short surfboard while being pulled behind a boat. The board has a rough surface and you ride it barefooted. I have a picture of him catching some air above.
I read five novels over my vacation, two from John Lescroart (Hunt Club and Nothing But The Truth), one from Sandra Brown (Witness), one from Stuart Woods (Reckless Abandon) and one by Harlen Coben (No Second Chance), all great novels and great novelists. I highly recommend them. I spend alot of my vacation reading and relaxing, often reading until my eyes feel a bit heavy and then giving in to a nap. Not a bad way to spend a warm Summer day.
Two of the cabins at the resort (they are all individually owned) are in bankruptcy and Earl is looking into maybe buying one as an investment. The cabins are each about 850 -1000 square feet and are two bedrooms and one or two bathrooms with a living room. The rent is $1000 a week and includes maid service and general landscaping. There is an on site management service that checks people in and out and handles repairs and maintenance. There are some payments in arrears on both of the cabins and he is looking into it and doing some due diligence. They had looked at moving up to Lake Almanor when he retired, but decided on Paradise instead.
I came back to 169 e-mails and 10 voice mails even though I was specific in my messages about being on vacation. I poured through those this morning and worked my way back above water. We switched over to a new operating system while I was gone (Citrix) and I need to learn the nuances of this system. The big advantage is that I can access my desktop from home and can run management reports offsite. My assistant handled things flawlessly and my numbers look really good this month. In fact our office won a quarterly sales contest and each full time employee will receive a $300 bonus. The troops are pretty jazzed as we just missed winning it in the first quarter and they are all ready for more. From my standpoint, we are getting positive kudos from home office as the branch is up 25% this year and our net retained income is up almost 22%. Nice.
I had my say regarding the upcoming birth of a grandchild and want everyone to know that I am warming to this idea and starting to get excited. I'm not upset about being a grandfather..I'm just upset about having to start sleeping with a grandmother. Jennifer and I talked this weekend and things are going great. She sees the doctor next week and will hopefully have a due date at that time. She thinks it will be in February, but we'll see. She is doing well, has had her bout of morning sickness, but is getting better. She is eating well and trying to stay in the best shape possible. She said she doesn't look pregnant yet, just a little FAT.
I did play in a tournament yesterday and shot 40+41=81 and took second low net. I'm wearing a new green golf shirt with a Timber Creek logo on the sleeve today. My golf keeps me in new equipment and in a new wardrobe. Darla heads off to a national convention with Silpada Jewelry this week (she flies out on Wednesday). I will play golf Wednesday at Harding Park in SF, Thursday in my twilight league, Saturday at Diamond Oaks and Sunday at Diamond Oaks in our three club event. I will use a driver, eight iron and putter. Darla will be back from Kansas City on Sunday night.
I have to get to work, so will leave this until next time. Be well and follow the Lord in all that you do. Ciao.
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