February 14, and the rest of Valentine's Day

And So, .....we went to March Air Reserve Base, and....it has the March Field Museum...The Boy, Grandma, and Auntie Rachel....with me, Grandpa, at the photog. Did I say SR-71 Blackbird in the back?

Did you, or anybody, know this sweet woman is my wife, Cruz is her name, her FIRST name,....my Valentine?

--Dan L.

The desert, the little boy, and all

This is a rather popular, and now, even famous spot in the entrance to our eastern desert region in S. California., very near to Palm Springs, and on the way to Arizona. I see my daughter, Rachel, with grandpup, Jesse. "Click" on all images to see a bigger view, OK?

About a week or two ago, not far from home, just following a storm or two or three.

The little boy called this "a wedding". He, like many kids, loves dinosaurs. He also remembers my daughter's recent wedding. He arranged all the gang, here, for his version of....a wedding.

At the dinosaur place, Cabazon, California. Google it...and better yet, learn about how the dinosaurs were built...classic "out west" stuff. We have seen this place many times over the years, and it is more and more popular. Even the local Indians have opened a HUGE casino nearby. It used to be....desolate...with just about only the dinosaurs.

Upon arrival at Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, located at 29 Palms, Calif. (there are more than one entrance to this large desert park, this one is in 29 Palms), my wife, Cruz, and the boy look at a fine display of how desert creatures live, and even under the eart....the great stuff of a child's imagination, and the real world...with Grandma, no less!

The boy, and his Auntie Michelle (my daughter), walking about the Oasis of Mara, and a great paved place to stroll through the desert landscape. Remember, this is January 31, so it is sorta cool....sorry, you Easterners...we live like this!

The boy and his mom, my daughter, Serena, walking the path.

Old things often found in the desert after a long, long, time.

One way some of us got there, my truck, now out in the park at Indian Cove.

Jesse, and his Mama, Serena, our eldest.

Me, Dan, and the boy. Serena did not really know how to use my "old" weak, digital camera, thus the blurrrrrrr.

.

Rachel, at sunset.

Back home, the "after party".

There was more, but this says enough for now.

--Dan

Sunday, 1/17/10

Cruz, me, and the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Midway, now a museum ship, San Diego, CA.

--Dan

12/26/09, a Wedding

My 2nd oldest, now married away...

Just before, a bit blurry, but cool...

During...

And after...

And even more after...

Now, just to tell you....I was hungry to get a breakfast that morning, and I ended up wandering way up into our local mountains, just about 2 hours short of needing to show up at the wedding. A PROFOUNDLY wunnurful meal it was! My neighbour, Allen, and meselfers....had a SUPERB chow down!

And it was all around Christmas, Sunday Mass, Wedding, reception, angst, nerves, health, etc. etc. etc....

Merry Christmas!

--Dan

Christmas is coming....

Soon it will be CHRISTMAS!

Other than the fantastic birth of Christ....

Christmas often reminds me of the flight of Apollo 8, the one that first orbited the moon, but did not land. We saw it on TV, and loved it all, all around Christmas of 1968.

Here is the link:

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo8_xmas.html

Then, it all led up to Apllo 11....the first manned moon landing, in July of 1969...

I was fishing that day, the lunar landing, off a pier in Long Beach, Calif. I caught a Bonito fish, a tuna looking sorta thing...but I did see the landing on TV:

Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) .................................and a Flying Boy.

The test vehicle to teach the moon pilots on Earth how to fly a LEM on the moon....a tricky thing in Earth's heavier gravity. I saw this thing a few years ago at NASA in California. It was sort of sitting off to the side of a building outside, and surrounded by desert dirt and shrubs. I believe it now indoors.

On the moon, Apollo 11, LEM.

If I don't catch ya later, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

--Dan

Super Bowl now more super!

The entertainment at this season's Super Bowl (NFL Football championship game) will be provided by The Who!

Flashback:

Me, my brother, Steve, and many friends at the snowy Grand Canyon, after a whole week down inside, December, late 1970's. We Noted that people from all over the world were there to see the canyon, but it was....FULL of clouds! I, Dan, am behind the backpack with the yellow thing, my brother is at my left (to the right in the photo).

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I walk with grandson, Jesse, on a road into a nearby National Forest.

Hope all had a great Thanksgiving!

--Dan

My Wife and I, 25 years married, and before that, we dated for 4!

That was my wife in the first year or two! Yes, she hated having her photo taken.

Today, me, Dan, I went shooting guns. This is me, with a .50 caliber handgun....a big handful!

Right soon after our wedding, we went to New Orleans, the home of much of my family, and here is Cruz near the big stairway in the very old French Quarter house where much of my family was born.

On that day!

In the Southern California Desert, early 2009, we still are cookin"!

I know her health is poor, we all work so much with her, dialysis and all, but she is still herself, and we are inseparable!

--Dan

Yes, it's true. I'm 52

With the sun at my back, taken only minutes ago, I still have the old fire in me!




But from the other side of the sun, yes, it's true...the fire is still burning!







And of course, Cruz, my wife, about a month ago (oops....I just posted this same photo recently....ah, well...yet again is fine). She see those happy images of me all the time...poor thing!


I have received a few messages congratulating me for being 52. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not (being older), but I actually have ALWAYS enjoyed getting to be another year older. Every since I was a little kid....like most kids I think, ...I wanted to "grow up"....you know, "I wanna be 10 years old someday".....that sort of thing. Well, it has never changed for me. I regret not yet another single year. I pray for more to come, but....not TOO many! Goodness, I am NOT one of those that would like to live forever.

and now, a special message to all....please turn up the volume....I think it was recorded with low volume.

--Dan

Been Slow, I know, but sounds poetic...???

Evening, outside my door!



My front yard...it happens.





My daughter, Marion, has a GREAT fish tank! A lizard tank is next to it....a leopard gecko!




August 28, at a local museum, the SR 71 Blackbird looks so cool in a new paint job....106 degtrees F....it was HOT!




Our four year old grand boy.....his dinosaur world.




Marion, my youngest, though an adult....in her "lab"



Evening sun, summer at the house.



Twilight beauty at home....across the street from me

I believe I have updated a bit....I hope you enjoy...

--Dan

I had to post this...

It was very spur of the moment (I was off work early today on vacation time to do some needed chores), me and the Grandboy in the little pool in the 94 degree afternoon, but it happened. I was soon to be all soaking wet in the bottom of the pool, with that little rascal dropping buckets of water on Grandpa's head....which he loved, thought was so very funny, and I, reluctantly....but HAPPILY agreed!!

....A moment in time, it was.

PS: 1969 news to come...I need time to focus...

--Dan

My sweet wife, Cruz, and other things

Cruz, fighting for her health, and looking GOOD!

As for my last post...I do have something to say about 1969, and the moon, but it is late, and I say less at this hour....I'll try again later.

My daughter, Marion's fish tank...lizard tank behind that!

--Dan

1969 was cool!

Photo courtesy of LIFE magazine, for personal, non- commercial use.

Well, I happen to recall the very first time our planet placed a man on the moon. It seems that LIFE magazine has put out out some photos for "personal, non-commercial use". I tribute them for the photo I post, it is truly a BLAST!

WOW, what a time and place to have been in that moment. I, personally, have a story or two to tell about my own weak connection(s) to that amazing place in time....but I might post that all later. It is not so important....

...but the moment itself, for me, for all the world, was the stuff of dreams from the beginning of time.

Oh, did you know this week was the 40th anniversary of the moon landing? I shoulda started with saying that. Whoops.



Me, Dan, and my Dad, a WWII and Korean War Navy officer, back in the era of the '69 moon landing, give or take a year or so.

--Dan