SoCal...

We took a quick trip out to Cali to wish my little bro 'bon voyage' as he heads off to college for the 1st time. A big time in a man's life...we're very proud of young Alex. Here are some of the adventures...


We tested out the camera to see if it is indeed waterproof. It is.


We devoted a healthy amount of time learning to play wii. I think tennis is the best game by far. Still don't know how to do a fast serve every time. Here's my Dad winning a game against the younger generation - a big accomplishment. We were getting worked up and sweaty. It's certainly cool to break a sweat playing a video game - and my shoulder is still sore from 'boxing'. Crazy...sore from a video game.

Alex was rocking his new Swobo Dixon. It's an urban MTB with a 9sd internal hub. Pretty sweet!
We found the "Solar Sew'er" in Venice - he was making some really cool stitch patches (perfect for messenger bags) using solar and bike power. We picked up a couple of bike patches. He's found a very nice way to pay the bills.
Here's some local Venetian marks. Alex took this one. He's a killer photographer.
We had to hit the waves in Manhattan Beach. Not too much ocean up in the mountains. It was great.

We had to use a rope swing to get across a stream.
... and Jackie does it with grace and ease.
Here's an example of the excesses of Cali - an $87MM home being built. It's the only house in Manhattan Beach on 3 lots. Just think - you could buy forty three $2MM houses for the same price. Or 9,666,667 six packs of Fat Tire. Or 12,428 top of the line Trek Madones. Or 43,500,000 Clif Cool Tags. That's a lot of money to spend on a property that's going to get swallowed up by the ocean. KEEP IT SIMPLE, YO!