4th of July - Outstanding day

Dear Family and Friends

It started at 7 this morning when my iphone faithfully informed me that it was time to get up and go for a walk on the beach, study the breakers and breath the great sea air.  Instead I rolled over but Starr was having none of it, she wanted to get up so we did.  It was cold, well actually about 55 degrees and it felt good to walk.  There were few people on the beach, a few joggers, a lone fisherman, not even many birds, just quiet and the sea.  It was one of those moments you reach out for, cry for during the middle of a stressful week, let me have a few minutes in nature and let it heal the many cuts and scrapes that happen all through the week.  The sea, the breakers, the quiet morning did its job. 
Breakfast was happy, tasty and had a cup of Jason's famous rain forest blend coffee and Jo's crepes.  They it was packing time, for them it was for the Giants game and for me it was to head home with the coach.  Its not easy for me to drive away leaving an important part of my family behind but partings are the price you pay for gatherings and the gatherings are worth it all.
 As I headed home I made contact with by brother Jerry and sister Sibyl via the blue tooth in my ear.  I even reached Sylvia who was surrounded with little ones in a part somewhere in Tracy. 

 As I drove each crest of a hill yielded an increase in the ambient temperature until I found downright heat as I guided the motorhome into my own valley, the cool crisp air of the morning was replaced with the furnace of the Discovery Bay.

Once home I plugged the motorhome into the outlet at my home and turned on the roof AC so unloading would be comfortable.  Once inside I found I had left the AC on 77, not what I planned to do at all, waste of money but nice today.  The office was comfortable due to a little window AC that works faithfully to keep the computers and printers from being too hot.  I settled in and did research for some of the drivebys that I planned to visit this afternoon.  As the afternoon passed I decided to just do the Brentwood and Antioch work and leave the other more distant locations for tomorrow.  Their dues dates were further out than I had expected.  Nikki invited me to a BBQ at their home, something you never want to miss.  I went over and watched as Kallie enjoyed their new pool as Steve tried to make his Stainless Steel BBQ work, it never would with three different propane tanks even.  But Nikki had plenty of excellent food going in the kitchen.  For one thing she had the best corn of the season, grillers, mashed potatoes, tasty breads and hot dogs.  No one was hungry afterwards. 
As the evening progressed and the sun set the action moved to the street where many little fireworks just happened to burst into glory, kids played with sparklers and everyone had a great time talking.  We had to keep a watchful eye out for the police who were out in force trying to keep Discovery Bay from burning its self down.  A great time was had by all.
Now I'm home, sharing some thoughts with you and then heading to bed.
Last week was tough to muddle through.  Many things made it depressing and frightening and my emotional state was pretty low yet once again a chance to be with family, to feel alive and human again, its a real lift.
As you know I am a great believer in starting over, I do not see any weakness in starting over from scratch so that's where I find myself again and I welcome the chance, the opportunities this week offers.  Thank you for standing with me during last week when I was pretty low.

So tonight I'm sending a special expression of gratitude to my family.  You are really great.

Love to all

tim