dosten blog

Weekend Activities

2010-04-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

* Awesome PIPE event at San Mateo. Perfect weather, great food and good friends. Picked up 4 geocaches on the trail from the camp to Trestles beach.
* Slipped away from camping to see Jaya in here Alice in Wonderland performance. She was great!

Backcounty Drive

2010-04-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

The family took a nice road trip to the back country. We started heading east on the 78, through Escondido and its numerous lights and through the San Pasqual Valley into Ramona. We took a quick stop at the Santa Ysabel Open Preserve West to stretch our legs. This somewhat new trail is something we will surely want to come back to. Back on the road, we turned north at Santa Ysabel and took the 79 past Lake Henshaw.
The meadows here were spectacular with flowers and green grass. A right on S2 and S22 took us down the curvy road into Borrego Springs.
We stopped in at the Anza Borrego Park headquarters and checked out the nature center. It was very educational for us. We then headed up a bit to do the Palm Canyon hike. However, the rangers at the site informed us that dogs are not permitted on park land. With nowhere to hike, we drove around a bit to see if we could some wildflowers from the road.
Along Borrego Springs Rd., a landowner has installed life size sculptures of pre-historic creatures. The statues are made of steel and very impressive. We caw sloths, camels, turtles, smilodons, pigs and even velociraptors. Thanks to the Galleta Meadows people for displaying these. We tried heading up a dirt road, but thought the better of it and heading out of Borrego Springs.
We headed south to catch the 78 into Julian. I love going to Julian and it very nice weather there and not crowded at all. The dog got a walk through the old cemetery and the kids got ice cream at the soda fountain on the main corner. On the way out of Julian, we stopped at the Inaja Memorial Park and did a dusk hike on the nature trail there. Wonderful views!
We then headed home the way we came.

Weekend Activites

2010-03-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

* Hiked a canyon in Cardiff leading from Lake Drive to I-5.
* Hiked the west approach to the waterfall in Los Penasquitos Canyon. Sophie almost got bit by a rattlesnake after she went into some bushes; she was one a very short leash after that scare. It was a beautiful day, sunny but with a nice cool breeze most of the way. It is nearly 6 miles round trip and the kids were griping towards the end, but it was worth it.

At the falls

On the way back.

A coiled up rattler (not the one that Sophie stumbled upon)

Not Only in the South

2010-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Are mobile home parks the target of tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and other natural disasters. It seems France has them as well.

Weekend Activities

2010-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

* Walked around Oceanside Harbor
* Climbed Seashell Hill

East Coast Snow

2010-02-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

I was in Herndon, VA last week on business and was caught up in "Snowmageddon" or whatever they are calling the snowiest winter of all. These pictures were taken at our hotel.

Weekend Activities

2010-01-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

* Dart tournament at Joey's BBQ - knocked out in second round
* Finally got a chance to walk the dog; took her along 101 to enjoy the beautiful weather
* Finished in the money at a charity poker tourney - the last 5 of us chopped the prize money

India Trip

2010-01-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to India.

Books

2010-01-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi by Timothy Puaketat - If Cahokia was built from stone, it would be held in the same regard as some of Central America's ancient cities. However, being of dirt, it is somewhat obscure. This small book is heavy, academic reading but seeks to elevate Cahokia to a higher level.

Larry Bond's First Team by Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice - A techno-thriller I couldn't finish.

1,001 Things They Won't Tell You: An Insider's Guide to Spending, Saving and Living Wisely by Jonathan Dahl - This would be good for those of you who don't think businesses are out to make money and not be your best friend. Very few really useful tips.

The Last Testament by Sam Bourne - Bought at the Mumbai airport, the jacket quote says "The biggest challenger to Dan Browns' crown". This is a decent book but not as good as Brown's works.

Mumbai Attacks

2009-12-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

We were in India on vacation during the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai. If you have any doubt about the evilness of Muslim extremists, read this riveting account of the 11/26 attacks.

2009-12-19T16:24:00.001-08:00

It is hard to get in the Christmas mood in 80 degree weather.

Books

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

* "Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War" by H. W. Crockett III - An interesting if odd look at the Civil War. I appreciate the different point of views at looking at Lincoln and secession but the "lost cause" mentality is pretty thick.
* "Strategic Battles in the Pacific" by Earle Rice Jr. - good basic intro to some of the most important Pacific Theater battles. An explanation of why Midway was not included would be very welcome.
* "Driving Like Crazy" by P. J. O'Rourke - not one of his best efforts.
* "A Gift to My Children" by Jim Rogers - I haven't read any of Rogers' other books but I hope they are better than this. The advice for his children mostly center around China becoming the center of the universe.
* "Superfoods for Dummies" by Brent Agin and Shereen Jegtvig - a good intro to superfoods and should whet our appetite for more.

Operation Orchard

2009-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

Is this the definitive account of the Israeli strike on the nascent Syrian nuke site?

Weekend Activities

2009-11-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

* Lego League competition - The kids did awesome at their first contest, especially given the long day. With a couple of tweaks to the robot and the project presentation, they could place much higher.
* Open houses at Pacific Ridge and Grauer Schools - the first step in the long journey towards junior high
* Selena Gomez concert at House of Blues
* Worked on the garden
* Jaya performed at a duet concert, Bengt performed at his regular piano recital

Man on the Bench

2009-11-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most interesting but saddest stories I have read in a long time. I realize that stories like this happen all the time, they are rarely publicized or have a somewhat happy ending. It also raises many questions:
* What caused Jeff Pastorino to fall into such a mental illness that we couldn't function in society anymore? It didn't sound like he had any previous mental issues. Was it just a failed romance that caused him to snap?
* Why didn't his family look for him? You would think one of his brothers would try to track him down after a while. Maybe they did, but it wasn't mentioned in the story.
* What if someone you knew and loved disappeared one day?

End The Fed

2009-10-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul's idea is too radical for the small-minded leaders in office today.

Weekend Activities

2009-10-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

* Hikes along the La Costa Glen and Scott Valley trails with several geocaches
* Planted carrots and spinach seeds to round out my winter crops
* Jaya started youth group meetings

Curse is Broken

2009-10-11T16:57:00.001-07:00

The post-season voodoo hex the Red Sox have put on the Angels is over! I find it ironic that Dave Henderson threw out the first pitch. Apparently his magic wore off 24 years ago.

Inaugural PIPE

2009-10-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

We had our very first PIPE at South Carlsbad State Beach. Lots of fun and great food.
Friends pix can be seen here.

Weekend Activities

2009-09-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

* Lego League
* Sophie's Birthday - she got a new collar and a new toy
* Gardening
* Trying to stay cool
* Parents for Sunday dinner

Shantarum

2009-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

I preparation for my upcoming trip to India, I read the novel Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is very long but easy reading book about an Australian escaped convict who "escapes" to the Bombay underworld. I enjoyed the parts about the slums the most. The entire section on the Afghanistan sideshow could have been cut out, in my opinion. It didn't add anything to story and seemed to be author's excuse to add some mujahideen warrior action into the book.

Labor Day Weekend Activities

2009-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

* More bike riding - On one ride, my cell phone popped out of my wedge bag by Moonlight beach. A riding partner noticed when we got to Solana Beach. We retraced our path and called the number. Some nice people renting a beach house on 4th St. had picked it up and it was a quick ride over to claim it. For future rides, I will remember to zip the wedge bag completely :)
* Some nice trips to the beach.
* A friend gave Bengt a fencing exhibition. This friend competed at the college level and still had all the equipment. Bengt liked it and we might put him in class.
* Hiking in the trails above Green Valley.
* Nice BBQ with friends.

Books

2009-09-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Read some more books:
Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths About Science and Religion edited by Ronald Numbers - An interesting sounding book but was very academic and almost unreadable. The essays kept referencing other works and was difficult to get the point.

An Apple a Day: The Myths, Misconceptions and Truths About the Food We Eat by Joseph Schwarz - A good book that explains the basic science and current research about food, additives, sugars and anything we put in our mouths. I highly recommended it.

Walking San Diego: Where To Go To Get Away From It All by Lonnie Hewitt and Barbara Moore - Not as detailed as Schaad's "Afoot and Afield" but had some new hikes.

Staying Street Smart in the Internet Age by Mark McCormack - A decent book on managing a company; helps if you are the head of a sports and entertainment agency and can do whatever you want

Weekend Activities

2009-08-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

* Company picnic at Liberty Station. Got there early to grab some geocaches, then enjoyed some great food and games. Liberty Station is a very nice neighborhood, it has so much within a quick walk. We enjoyed the small museum at the NTC Command Center.
* Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - was decent, but quite different from the book.
* Dog hike at San Elijo Lagoon - too hot even for the lizards
* Quick trip to Cardiff Beach - nice way to beat the heat
* Harp and flute concert at La Costa Valley - wine and Subway subs!
* Installed a new reverse osmosis system - finally found one that fits our new sink cabinet, a Whirlpool model that has a smaller storage tank. The install went well consider I had to rebuild the drain system from the p-trap up.

Life's Little Celebrations

2009-08-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law, who is a fabulous photographer, is having an open house for her new studio.