A Hike

Some months ago, a very dear friend and famous COHS personality (COBOS) stopped by to visit while on her book signing tour. I took her for one of my favorite hikes in the hills above where I live. I figured this would be a quick hike and I would not bring a back pack therefore I would not need hiking boots. During the descent on the Eagles Nest Trail it was pretty steep and I gave Cobos tips on how to handle the steep grade.



We are about 3/4's the way down and the phone rings. I stop to answer it. The grade is very steep, and the ground is covered with Eucalyptus leaves and bark making it very slippery. I'm holding the phone and the water bottle and decide to switch hands. Keep in mind that I am standing still, I'm not hiking. All of a sudden, my left foot takes off sliding down the hill. Unfortunately, the right foot tried to stay behind, but ended up twisting over itself and getting crushed as I feel down full force on top of myself. The snapping and popping that I heard was not all bark and branches. I know call this infamous site "Bears Landing".


I ended up with a severely sprained ankle and a very sore Achilles heel. See the picture?


I was on crutches for months. Today I decided it was time to take back the trail. This time I wore proper hiking boots (smart), but went hiking alone (not smart) and used a walking stick (smart). It was just me, the fog and the cows. It was a great hike.

I finished the hike, my wife Carmen picked me up. We went over the Lakeridge Athletic Club for a shower (needed), and soak in the Jacuzzi and another shower. It was very relaxing, the trail is mine!

New Year's Resolution 2010

Here are my resolutions for 2010:

Play in the COHS alumni waterpolo game.

Seeing more COHS friends.

Keep another 5-10 pounds off.

Get more active: Hiking or swimming.

Get more active: Helping other people.

Improve our financial situation (reduce debt)

Canning: Trade with more people that can; add to what I make: salsa, speghetti sauce, soup. Add to methods of canning such as freezing and using wax


Be More Green - this is way to general so I want to accomplish some of the following:

Plant a tree

Plant more vegetables: tomatoes, onions and garlic, ginger, herbs

Increase the number of LED lights in use.

Better composting

Let fruit we grow go to waste.

Merry Christmas Everyone

This year has had its up and down moments. We lost Tia (aunt) Leone just after she landed here to visit us from Peru. She worked hard all her life and was a very special member of our family.

The economy has been very tough for many and we are no exception, but my sister Becky bought a house in Hayward near Castro Valley. It even has a view of the bay.

Carmen got to accompany me on a business trip to Washington DC and had a wonderful time. We got to visit Amelia and her folks Sally and David Ames. Back home Lila broke her foot.

June arrived and Lila got her AA. It was a very proud moment for all of us. At this stage in her life, it seems like she has been in school forever.

The West Coast Bears had a family renuion at Nancy and Marks House/Winery in Sutter Creek. It was really nice. They produce a great wine. The weather was California beautiful and we got to spend time with family that we had not seen in quite some time.

I ended up going to Niagra Falls for work. The falls are spectacular, but I also enjoyed going to the Anchor bar, where Buffalo Wings were invented.

Carmen and I enjoyed a number of concerts: Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Creedance Clearwater Revisited. Love that classic rock. During my work, I also got to see Kool & the Gang.

I went to Las Vegas to attend the opening of World Series of Poker. I got to spend time with our nephew Carlos who happened to be there with the airforce. Lila flew in the next day and we got to meet many of the famous poker players that we enjoy watching on TV. We also saw the Beatles Love show at the Mirage. What an amazing experience.

Ceci has been with the same boyfriend for over 4 years now. She is attending college studying to be a nurse. She is working at an animal care clinic and now we have four dogs. Four dogs. I never imagined that we would have four dogs. Did I mention that I have four dogs. We love Ceci despite having four dogs.

I had the privileged of officiating at the weddings of two dear couples: Gabriel and Melanie and Carl and Laurenne. It was a great honor and I wish them all many happy years.

I have always considered myself a swimmer and this year I experienced one of the great swimming experiences of my life. My friend Susie Norris invited me to go swimming at Hearst Castle. It is an amazing pool. No chlorine, perfect temperature not to mention how beautiful it is. Her husband and I were the only ones to be able to swim the length of the pool under water without coming up for air.

I had gone 25 years or more not seeing any of the people I went to school with, but this year I ended up in Southern California more than usual and held a series of lunches where I got to spend time with the people I grew up with. These events were very special to me. The highlight was the Chater Oak High School Alumni Waterpolo Match; something I will never forget.

There were two major visits of family from Peru. The first was very sad with the passing of Tia Leone. The second was in December and revolved around Edgardo's 90th birthday. Edgardo is Carmen's dad, and he doesn't look anywhere near 90. We are very fortunate that our children have grown up with their grandparents.

Our nephew Carlos Left for Korea where he will be stationed for one year, followed by three years in Okinowa. We hope to be able to visit him at least once. He will visit us once a year.

While the economy really sucked this year, our family has never been closer. We are grateful for all of our friends and family that have touched our lives. We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Bears

P.S. We choose this method of sending Christmas Cards as what will likely be our last "Green" act of the year.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We usually set up the Christmas Tree and put up the Christmas lights in early December. This year we had family from Peru and while we (Ceci and her boy friend) put up the lights outside, there was not enough room to put up the tree.

About a week ago, everyone returned to Peru, but now both girls are working and school and it is almost to find a time when everyone was home together, so I finally decorated the tree. I used the Red and White LED lights as shown in the picture above.

Ceci got home and let it be known that she did not think very much of the Red and White lights. I get in the car and head on over to the Home Depot, but they only had White LED lights. As I was starting to leave the parking lot, I noticed Big Lots and decided to give it a try. I got their last four boxes of colored LED lights and you can see the difference in the picture of the tree below.

One thing I really like about the tree is that I did not use our standard ornaments. Instead most are one of a kind, or hand made ornaments. One of my favorites is the Bear ornaments made by hand by COBOS. There is one for each of the four Bears: Carmen, Lila, Ceci and me.

Ed's Christmas/Birthday List

Here is my second annual Christmas/Birthday Wish List:

A Big Hug
Solar Garden Lights
Hat with built in solar powered fan
Kit that converts the top of the toilet into a sink
Rain barrel
2 Varieties of Blueberry Shrubs
Tesla Electric Car
World Peace

A New Tree for the Bears

I spent a lot of time working on the tree I cut down and still have a lot more work to do. I have decided that we must plant another tree, but am having a difficult time deciding what kind of tree to plant. Here are the ones that I have put on the final list:

Cherry - So far this is in first place. I have some bush cherries, but I need a tree to produce enough cherries to make a good jam and maybe even cherry pie. I need one that is self polinating so they will be smaller cherries. The larger variety need two trees for polination. I made cherry jam once, and it was delicious. One of my favorites.

Olive - Most everything I do gets made into Jam. It would be nice to have something that would be different. Canned black or green olives. Dare I try to make Olive Oil? That could be awesome. Some of the best bread I have ever had was at a restaurant called Roti. It was a whole wheat sourdough bred with black olives and walnuts.

Apricot - During the first 5 years of my life, my grandmother lived in a house with her husband. She had a huge apricot tree. She made apricot jam and it was delicious. I love pastry with apricots. They sell the fruit in stores, but it is not as good as they pick them too early.

Walnut - I love walnuts. They are my favorite kind of nut and covered with chocolate, wow! I also use them in scones, cakes ...etc. But I have a friend that is giving me a lot of walnuts so I guess I don't really need that either.

Avocado - A good friend of mine has one of these trees, and will give me all the avocados I want, so I don't really need this.

Banana - I would love a banana tree, but it gets too cold and the frost kills them. I think we would have to grow it in a pot and bring it inside during winter.

It would be nice if I could plant two trees, but that would really eliminate a lot of space in the back yard. I still want to add blue berries and grow all the vegitables that we grow each year such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, chili peppers ...etc

Did I mention that we raise chickens and have our own supply of fresh eggs? They taste really good. We have also raised Turkeys in the past, and I would like to do it again next year.

Church Appreciation Dinner

My mom called me and asked if I would like to go to the church's service appreciation dinner. I said "I would not LIKE to go, but I will". LOL I go to so many banquets for work, but I love my mom, so I guess I'm going.

Mom is a Eucharistic Minister and is a member of a ministry. I think it has to do with Father Serra, which I really don't know anything about. So I'm off to the dinner, which my daughter Lila would really have liked to have gone to, instead of me. I felt the same way. She just joined a couple of ministries, the choir being one of them. I think the choir is a ministry.

Anyway, my mom meets me at the church. I think she was probably an hour early and wants to be the last to leave. After all, there will be dancing tonight. My mom warns me that it is a semi formal event, so I have my suit and tie on.

When I arrive, I notice that there are two key people that seemed to be responsible for putting on the dinner. Both are members of the Knights of Columbus and are in their mid to early twenties. One is a friend of Lila's, his name is Ugoeze Ofoegbu. He is not African American, he is actually African. His dad is a tribal chief in Nigeria.

I am right on time, yet my mom has been there for a while. I give her a hug and sit down. Naturally being the proud mom she is, she has to introduce me to all of her friends. It is at this point that I notice that even though I am going to be 50 next year, I'm one of the youngest people at the dinner.

There are a number of speeches, singing and prayers followed by dinner. Dinner was actually pretty good. After dinner there are awards, followed by more speeches, prayers ...etc. After they get everyone that received an award, they announce that they are to be honored with their spouses to have the first dance. I'm thinking it will be a waltz or something. After all, the average age looks to be about 75. I was wrong.

The music starts and the first dance is to be "Celebration" by "Kool & the Gang". Now this is definitely not a "Disco Era" gang by any stretch of the imagination. Ugoeze is the one that gave instructions about the music. He was born in the mid 80's so to him, the 70's is old music. After all it was before he was even born. To him that is old, but these people were already old in the 1970's.

The old folks don't shy away. Maybe they should have, but they didn't. It was not a pretty sight and even Father Jimmy, Sister Angela and Father Nick got up and danced together. I managed to get a video of this if they ever give me any problems. Seeing these people dance like this will require some therapy on my part, but I am sure I will recover. I will say that they should probably think twice about serving wine next time.

I danced a number of times with my mom and she danced with a number of old guys. I don't know them, but they are old guys. She said I was a good sport, so I guess I did my duty.

I almost forgot to mention. Everyone got to keep their wine glass. On one side was an etching of the church, the other side had the date of the event. My mom had to snag a second glass. I knew she would.