Tessa Got an Earthquake for her Birthday

Riley got to ride in a limousine for her friend Tessa's (pictured) 13th birthday party. It will be unforgettable for all the girls, not only because of the limo ride, but because they were all at Tessa's house when the earthquake hit. A gaggle of 13 year old girls screaming about an earthquake. I can only imagine!

Balls In! Coming Down!

"Balls In! Coming Down!" can only mean Little League is underway. It's the call the catcher makes to his defensive team after his pitcher is warmed up. It tells the outfield to throw their practice balls into the dugout and tells the infield to get ready for a practice throw from the catcher to second base.

Holden is #5 for the Detroit Tigers. He plays Right Field, Left Field, and Second Base. He is hitting .500 but not if you don't count at bats due to opponents' defensive errors. The coach likes that he isn't afraid of the ball and he throws straight and true. Holden wants to try pitching but he will really have to put in hours of practice per week, so we'll see. I hope he does it!

Little League is different now than it was when I played. Kids have their own bats and batting helmets. There are two umpires officiating the game. The field is really nice with an electronic scoreboard and a separate scorekeeper who tracks every pitch. There is no defensive chatter any more. The rules are very much like real baseball except you can't lead off.

Earthquake!

The 5.1 earthquake underneath Brea was strong but didn't last long. It was also the shaking type and not the rolling type that makes you feel like the floor dropped beneath you. We lost a couple picture frames and two glass candlesticks but that's about it. Some neighbors up the hill had cracked walls and ceiling damage. This wasn't The Big One, I guess.

Riley B. Talented and Logical

Riley just had her Winter concert for Brea Junior High Band. She played trombone so that makes two instruments she can play in band. The other is the clarinet. I was surprised how good they sound. Even though she is in the seventh grade she is in the Intermediate band. Next year she will likely be in the smaller, better Concert band, -- hopefully with her clarinetist friend, Karen.

Besides playing instruments Riley is also presently addicted to logic puzzles. These are like lumosity.com pre-Internet.

DJ's Been Working Out

This is his pose of the main character of Taxi Driver which is this month's famous movie that DJ is a living parody of. Previous movies were Drive, Apocolypse Now, Schindler's List, and Raging Bull. Next, I predict DJ is going to cut weight to look like Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club. Well, it's better than looking like Jared Leto. DJ has been eating a certain way and working out daily for a few months now. These are the results. Keep it up DJ!

Dinner for Two

I get spoiled when Huong cooks. It was just the two of us but Huong made three dishes to go with the rice I put in the rice cooker when I got home.

She made Curried Frogs Legs with Onion, Snowpea Leaves in Garlic, and Baby Bok Choy with Shrimp and Bay Scallops. Everything was deliclious.

Mulege

A storage shed near Jay and Diane's house

Last week I flew down to Mulege, BCS, Mexico to attend a pig roast honoring my mom on the first anniversary of her death. Her two brothers, Uncle Roy and Uncle Grant, were going to be there plus a hundred or so of her best friends.

The pig delivered by wheelbarrow.

24 entrants in the poker tournament to benefit a local school

Wednesday was mostly setting up for the poker tournament at noon and the pig roast pot luck at 4pm. The chairs and table arrived, and the pig went into the barbeque and the poker tournament opened with 24 players. Ed came in second and won a two liter bottle of tequila which he probably purchased for the event.

View from the palapa

I missed my scheduled flight on Superbowl Sunday so I flew down on Tuesday instead. I stayed with Jay and Diane who were good friends with my Mom and Ed.  They live on a beach five minutes away from Mom and Ed’s palapa.

Ed had enough table and chairs delivered for 200 people

 At least 150 people showed up for dinner. Some of them recognized me and said hello or related a story about my mom. She was definitely a popular woman down there – I knew that – but what I didn’t know is how respected she was as a mentor and not just a good friend. People looked up to her and Ed as role models or mentors. I think they naturally want to help people.

Pictures of my mom on the wall of the palapa

Fast Eddie and the Slow Learners, the band of local expats, played until well after dark and dozens of people danced the entire time. Occasional chants of “Wendy, Wendy” were heard above the band. It was really moving. The band took their second break and people started heading home. I caught a ride with my uncles to Jay and Diane’s beach house.

Around 3am someone was loudly knocking on the beach house door and I got up to see as did Jay and Diane. The woman and man at the door said Ed had died. They had already called Ed’s kids and they asked if we wanted to go to Ed’s palapa. Jay and I drove to the hotel my uncles were staying and and we all drove to Ed’s palapa on Coyote Beach.

Ed had a heart attack just before midnight on February 5, 2014, exactly one year after the love of his life, my mom, died. It was unexpected, of course, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that he left this world the way most of us would want to go – pain free, after a great party with hundreds of our closest friends, happy, satisfied, on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.