A Walk In The Woods

I took Evan and Seth on a little hike on Thursday, about 2 miles up and back down Shady Canyon.  I told them that I had seen road runners, rabbits, eagles, lizards, and other critters; so they were disappointed as we saw only some ducks and bugs.  They had a magnifying glass and studied the bugs, seeds, and rocks.  At one point they made a pile of rocks in a small gully on the trail.  The hike is very nice and is isolated from any road.  There is a lake and vistas up there.  But they mostly like the rolly polly bugs.

Trip to North Carolina

Carol and I flew to North Carolina and spent a week with Andy, Jamie and Emma.  It was a lot of fun.  I hadn't seen Andy's house even though they have lived there almost a year.  Here is the amazing part:  Andy and I were able to make his riding mower and other gasoline powered tools work.  We took Emma to Hiro's, a Japanese eatery where the chefs put on a show in chopping and cooking the food.  We saw a 3D film called something like, "Aliens v. Monsters."  

We ARE Number One

My last post was rather negative about things here in the Golden State.  Of all the places I have lived or visited, I would rather be here. Irvine is the safest city in the country.  The city is well thought-out and has everything.  The weather is perfect, it doesn't get hot or cold or rain often.  The beach is nearby, as is Disneyland and many other great things.  

Houses cost too much, taxes are absolutely too high, our legislature is comprised of the worst people in the state, and the freeways are often crowded.  But there is no better place.

CNN today reported that New Jersey and a couple of other NE states have higher taxes than does California.  Hard to believe, but might be true.