Predictions for 2009

Economy:
Stock Market flat over all with volatility day by day.
Another real estate foreclosure spike in 09 will further depress housing prices and construction.
Unemployment will continue to rise.
Overall some deflation, but gas prices will rise again gradually causing commodity prices to rise again.
No real recovery until 2010.

Jon the Racer

The tail end on the right is not a good place to start.
Further on in the race the photographer took this nice picture of Jon. These were from Diegem on 12/28.

More Ben the Racer

Val will have to get on her bike to chase now as he is racing down to the end of the street and practicing his turns in the circle at the end. She says it is really a huff when he goes downhill (gentle downhill).
At the end of the road practicing his turns.

Off he goes.

Next Generation Cyclocross Racer

Ben Turpen, brave and fearless at three, rides with no training wheels. Pic swiped from Richard's Facebook page. I have had to join Facebook just to keep up with what the children have to say.
Found a blog of an elite rider currently at Cyclocross Camp and racing in the same races as Jon, Brian Matter. He is a good and chatty blogger and is giving links to the races so you can watch them live. It will be a trial to get up early enough to watch as the elite men's race begins at 3 PM Belgium time, which is 6 AM Pacific Coast Time.
Update: Ben rode all the way to the creek. Val has to act as spotter as he is just learning the brakes and turning this bike. But he is going to be a junior racer just as I dreamed. In how many--10 years? assuming I am around when I am 75.

Superprestige Participant List

USA:
PAGE Jonathan
BAKER Jonathan

Now we know that Baker will be riding on his own bikes at the Superprestige in Diegem. Sunday December 28 at 17:30.
We don't know if Page will be there, as we have not heard that he has come over the pond from USA yet.
Hard to imagine that a bike racer lands in Belgium on 12/17, after an intolerable 9 hour delay on the tarmac in Chicago, and has his bikes not arrive until 12/27.

Still No Bikes

I at least found a mention of Jon's troubles in Europe outside of Cyndi's Blog in Cyclocross Magazine.

Jonathan Baker did not finish after starting on a borrowed bike and using road pedals.

Christmas in Nevada City

Bucket of Beer
Mrs. Santa

Spam Musubi

Obama eats this? Recipe here.

Atheists Turn into Believers

Bit of latest Tom Tomorrow cartoon This modern World 2008 In Review.

US CEOs vs Japanese CEOs

Wall street businesses have used ~1.6 billion dollars of bailout money on bonuses for executives and are still flying hither and thither on corporate jets. This is our tax money from far from grand incomes being used to subsidize the grand lifestyle. We do need to have high enough tax rates on high salaries or some incentive to not have salaries so high in the first place. At one point in our history the portion of salaries over a million or so were taxed at about 90%. It was a deliberate decision at that time to level the field.
Although Congress put language in the bailout bill to keep the money from being used to enrich the already rich, the Bushites insisted on putting in a qualifier, no money from securities auctions could be used for executive compensation, and then treasury did not use securities auctions. Woo Hoo.

SantaLand Diaries

Tonight we were off to the Off Center Stage in Grass Valley to see Foothill Theatre's production of The SantaLand Diaries. Lots of laughs as an out of work actor with aspirations to work in TV soaps lands a job as an elf in NYC Macy's SantaLand.

From Snow to Rain

The snow turned to rain today, so the landscape is covered in slush. We got the cracked and broken windows in the car and RV replaced yesterday before it started to snow again. Old rock damage to the car windshield that was spidering over to the driver's side and new rock damage to the upper front passenger side small window in the RV. Dad is at the dentist and I sit here wishing for a rain of luggage in Belgium as Jon and Cyndi's luggage is still missing.

Boulder Baker's Stuck in the Ice

Jon, Cyndi and the kids have been on the plane in Chicago for 5 hours now stuck in the ice in a winter storm warning. Axel is sleeping. Cyndi just talked to Grandpa Frank and said no food offered yet. I asked about water and Frank, being Frank, said that if they complained they would water-board them. I am watching for updates on Pooks as she can update her blog from her phone.
What can we offer Governor Blago so he will make sure their plane is taken care of? We will all fund raise for him? Do we know any really rich people?

Funny Ninja Cat Video

Snow Still Falling

Looks like maybe 6+ inches and still falling. No snowplow. No school traffic. No Newspapers. It's very quiet. Sam cat breaks a trail up to his belly on the back porch. Wm has shaken off some plants but they are still bent heavy. We are burning wood in the proposed to be eliminated fireplace. We have lots of small wood from all the trees that we had cut down. At least we no longer have snow-laden trees that overhang the house. Wm wonders if the mail will come today. I am running on battery as I have noticed a few power flickers as heavy branches overhang power lines. Of course if the power goes off I won't have the wireless will I.

A snowed-in car in the driveway. Not going anywhere today.
I just noticed that a huge branch from the weed tree (mimosa) in the front yard that Robert liked to climb is now lying in the road. Wm says that is the road's problem and he is glad it was not over a few feet where it would have taken out our power line.

Snow Began Today

It will continue to snow overnight, so there may be more than a few inches by morning.

Tough Man's Course

This could be good for Jon as KC turns cold and windy with the roughest highest hill ever in a cyclocross race. More opinion in VeloNews. Follow the action live on CyclingNews.
Update: per Cyndi via Uncle Bob, Jon is a DNF. No details at this time.
Update 2: from Cyndi:

latest news... Jon crashed twice, once hitting his head (he's ok) and dropped out. said the temperature went from 60 degrees to 20 degrees during the race.

Update 3: Per CyclingNews Jon was a DNP (did not place). I don't know what the difference is, but he was listed before the DNF's and it sounds better.

A Small Tree

Sunday Vist to Fernley

Once Brian and Caley move to Grass Valley, Great Aunt Mimi will be at the top of the list for babysitting.

Caley says she is sure baby Mina has blue eyes and probably dirty blonde hair.
The proud papa is working hard at baby care also.

A Tecopa Sunset

We spent 2 nights at Tecopa Hot Springs before heading on into Nevada.

Returning home

Caprock State Park was open for the one night we stayed there, then shut down for hunting season?
Nice picnic table at Caprock.
So we drove on to Oasis State Park in New Mexico arriving near susnset. Only in the southwest would they dig a hole, line it with betonite, fill it with water and throw in some fish, plant a few trees and call it an Oasis. The Oasis was drained for cleaning.
The sunrises and sunsets can be spectacular in the southwest. This is sunrise at the Oasis.
This is sunset at the American RV Park in Albuquerque.

Pictures of New Baby

Aramina Marie Evans born 11/27.

Aramina bathed and dressed up.

I think I can see both Brian and Caley in that sweet little face.

Tired of Blogging About Melamine

The FDA found melamine and cyanuric acid, a related chemical, in samples of baby formula made by major U.S. manufacturers. Melamine can cause kidney and bladder stones and, in worst cases, kidney failure and death. If melamine and cyanuric acid combine, they can form round yellow crystals that can also damage kidneys and destroy renal function.

Melamine was found in Good Start Supreme Infant Formula With Iron made by Nestle, and cyanuric acid was detected in Enfamil Lipil With Iron infant formula powder made by Mead Johnson.

Findings by Nestle related to their dairy herds in South Africa, shows that melamine crosses the feed/food barrier, as melamine laced corn gluten fed to dairy cows showed up in infant formula made with the milk.

read more here and here

Ben Ate the Car

Ben said, "I ate my car, now my tummy is full." Ben also said he wanted Axel back and spelled AXEL (with some help) with his Wordworld blocks.

Ben Quiet

Ben is quiet and a bit pale today as he was sick to his stomach last night. A few people have gotten sick from the Cyndi illness, but not like the bike race and the norovirus.

Thanksgiving Bird Leaves

Thanksgiving Pictures

No picture of Ben? Looks like he was too fast to catch on camera.

Big Thanksgiving News

Late last night my sister Sharon called. Val answered my phone and got the news. Aramina Marie Evans was born last night, November 27th, a real Thanksgiving baby, to Brian and Caley Evans. I am now a Great Aunt and the children have a new baby girl cousin in Nevada. They plan to call her Mina. Update: she was born at 7:58 7/27. She was 6 lbs and 20 inches long.

Val creates a new hairdo

Yard Adventures

Ben lines everyone up for a picture.
Grandpa gives nature lessons.
Looks like dead leaves to me.
Ben gets a horse ride on the neighbor's horse, Cookie.

Axel goes next.

At Turpen's

Arrived at Texas Turpen's just this afternoon. Boulder Baker's arrived yesterday. Val says Ben woke up this morning and said, "Axel, I want my Axel."

Spent the Weekend at Bottomless Pit

Actually it was Bottomless Lake State Park.

Big Billboards

This morning in Arizona we saw some big billboards that proclaimed Baldwin for President in 08. I just looked this up. He is a Florida Pastor who was running for president on the Constitution Party ticket--had the endorsement of Ron Paul. So now I know.

We Slowly Wend Our Way to Texas

We travel slowly, stopping for lunch at the Walker River.
We spent the night in the Alabama Hills
just under Mt. Whitney.
We went through Death Valley and up to Zabriskie Point.
Then on to Tacopa Hot Springs. Hot Hot water, but supposed to be good for you.
We spent last night at Homolovi State Park and are tonight at American RV Park of Albuquerque.