Keanna turns 10

What fun, this evening at UNO's we celebrated Keanna's turning 10 years old.  The food was great, the family got to catch up and we were all suffering from allergies right now.  The wind started to blow this afternoon which only made it worse.

This morning I played with man toys outside.  First I moved the motorhome forward on the street, then I parked the box trailer on the street, then I moved the tow dolly back beside the house using a hand truck to guide it, lots of back strain and hard work on that part.  Then using the Civic I hooked up the boat and backed it into its place beside the garage, then hooked the box trailer to the motorhome.  Wow, what a bunch of work it turned out to be.

I had appointments today in Antioch and then in Hayward.  Both were nice houses but the Hayway hills house was spendid, panoramic views from the top of a mountain, looked new all the way through, great agent met me there and she was a wealth of knowledge.

Then to Whole Earth Foods for lunch and to begin picking up some things for the campout this weekend.  I've not found everything on Jo's list yet but I'm working on it.

So now its once again bed time and I can't wait.

Love to all

Tim

The wait staff sing happy birthday

 

Smiling birthday girl, to bad

she cannot eat the desert, it goes to Kallie since Keanna is allergic.

Kallie and her mom have a special moment

 

Keanna enjoys a special gift from her mother and father.

Multi tasking

Good evening, this process of doing several things at nearly the same time is interesting at best and stressful at worst.

At 3 am this morning I found myself totally awake, it was a warm night, I had accidentially sipped some iced coffee during the evening without thinking.  So after a bit of checking to see if I was really not going to be going back to sleep anytime soon I crawled out, came down and wrote two reports, at 6 am I went back to bed and slept until 7 and I've not been sleepy today at all.  Very strange.  Of course I did not eat last night before bed, for a change I was good.

At 10 I was inspecting a home in Tracy and the renter talked the entire time I was there, pretty amazing really.  Then I drove to Dublin but as I crested the Altamont traffic screached to a halt.  I never really knew why but for the next 20 minutes I watched as my on time turned into a disaster.  Fortunately the owner was there and was working at home so we were good.  In spite of only being a little place it was tough to measure, what they do for curb appeal can drive us crazy as we try to figure out what is living area and what is just fluff.

Once I was through there I headed home and got a call from the dog groomer saying she was at my house for the 1:30 appointment.  On my calendar the appointment was for 3 pm.  Anyway I told her to go in, find the dag and get started.  So when I got home she was working hard on Pooka and she was loving it.  This evening she looks great, $85 later and she shines, her nails are clipped and ground down, she is styling and smells so good.

Jessy was here and working hard cranking out work and finally went home early evening, she took the new ipod to see how the writing program works, she will write two reports, then launch them into the cloud, once at the office she will pull them back from the cloud and they become the appraisal in the computer.  All pretty amazing, if it all works out to save time, that part I'm not sure of yet.

This evening after shipping out a challenging one from the Golf and Country Club in Moraga I jerked off my shirt and went outside.  My goal was to load two paddle boats into the trailer I borrowed from Steve, it is a nice closed box trailer and will pull nicely behind the motorhome.

These were the steps I took.  1. drive Civic with box trailer on behind out of the RV parking space beside the garage, park trailer on street, then back Civic into the space and hook up the Tow Dolly and pull it out, park it in the driveway out of the way, then back Civic into the space and hook up to the ski boat which is parked deep into the space back by the rear deck, pull it out and park it on the street, then using the Civic hook up to the box trailer and back it deep into the space, then pull and drag the two paddle boats from the dock to the trailer, manhandle them into it and close the door, then pull out the Civic and trailer to the driveway.  Quit until morning light.

So now I'm tired and heading for magic sleep.

Good night one and all,

Love

tim

Learning to do new things

Good evening
I've been working with the new ipad and a program put out by Phoenix, its called an app and it lets one start an appraisal in the office, then launch it to to the icloud, when you are in the field with the ipad you can pull the started appraisal from the cloud, fill out details and then once you are done ship it back to the home office and you can include photos, sketch and all the details you want to include including a voice message.  Not sure how it will help but its certainly interesting and holds lots of promise for the future.  We will see.

This morning I rolled out thinking I was going to Fremont early but then the owner emailed saying the marine layer had the entire valley filled with fog so could I come later, so I sent later and arrived early, by then the entire bay was visible and it was pretty impressive.

On the way home I stopped at the grocery store and purchase something I've not tried for about 40 or 50 years, celery.  Frankly I despise the stuff but knowing I needed more healthy things in my diet I bought some, came home and tried it with peanut butter and I can handle it fine, I also got a huge sack of salad, romain mostly so it has some good in it, purchased fresh strawberries from the local fields, they are so good, fresh mushrooms, new peanut butter.  I'm taking a fresh stab at eating more healthy.  I stopped having bread in the house over a week ago and I've managed to survive without it, now I'm ready with little carrots, celery, green beans, pinto beans, brown rice, soy milk, steel cut oats, bananas.  For lunch I made the last half of the baked potato from the other day, covered it with green beans, a little rice, mushrooms and some low sodium soy sause.  I had a bit of cottage cheese along with the potato and it was all very good.

This evening I put strawberries, ice cubes, soy milk, some whey powder and a banana in the blender and the resulting smoothie was excellent.  Now I'm going to bed before I'm tempted to eat.

Managed to get the lawn mowed today, the sprinklers repairs and turned on for the season and some office work completed.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Sabbath evening

Dear Family and Friends,

Just back from celebrating Keanna's birthday with her friends at her home.  What a noisy and happy bunch they are, outgoing, bright, energetic and bursting with 9 year old ideas, whether it is playing and enjoying the new CostCo inspired play set in the back yard that Steve and neighbors constructed last weekend, or dressing up or singing or acting.  Its all wild and so much fun to observe.

This morning Kallie and I went to church, Kim is such an excellent teacher and has so much patience with the little ones.  Telling the story of David and his care for his sheep with lots of little sheep toys, little harps, sling shots, fake food for the sheep to eat and then snacks at the end of the program.

After we left the room we visited Sylvia who faithfully teaches her class week after week and engages the kiddos in lot of activities all the while getting the message across to them.

Kallie and I visited Sonic for lunch, sat outside in the perfect spring day and just had fun.  Then we drove back to Discovery Bay where I left her with her parents, I went home to rest.  Then at 2:15 we left in the van for a rollerskating facility in Antioch.  Some had skated before and zoomed around while other like Kallie were pretty new to it, there was a snack bar, nice helpers and the time passed quickly.

Then it was back into the van where the girls sang along with songs Nikki found on XM.  After we got home I again went home for a break, then back for the party which was great.

Now I'm home to rest up for tomorrow.  I'm to be in Fremont at 10 in the morning.  Fun fun.

Love to all

Happy Birthday, the 10th, to Keanna.

Tim

From the iPad

This is a test using the iPad.

Pretty cool

Tim

Multi purpose day

So it started by a nice walk to the park with Pooka.  She enjoyed getting out, we had the park to ourselves and the morning was perfect.

Came back and went to work but then realized I needed to get the deposit into the bank so made a quick run down to the bank and visited Starbucks while I was there.  Once I left I realized that it was a good time to buy a new tire for the bug so we went to Brentwood, the bug and I and $88 later we had a new tire installed, then a carwash to get some bugs off the window, then back home to do some more work.

At 1:35 I left for Redwood City where I had a 3 pm appointment.  I was not prepared for what I would find there.  The first clue was a home filled with musical pictures, sketches, a grand piano, guitars and a wonderful outgoing couple.  Turns out the gentleman has spent the last 40 years in the music department of Stanford, he is a world renowned classical guitarist, has trained under Romero, Sagovia and all the greats in Classical Guitar.  He has played with most of the world's leading orchestras as well as small groups.  Pretty amazing all that this guy has done, when he was deciding his future he was accepted at Columbia, Yale and Harvard at the same time.  He went to Columbia.  what an interesting time to hear his stories.  He and his exciting wife life in Redwood Shores, have a perfect home and were great to visit with.

Once I was finished I decided to ask my phone for the address of the nearest Apple Store.  It was in Belmont and in a few minutes I was busy purchasing a ipad mini with celular connection.  The people in the store were amazing and helpful.  Then as I was walking out of the mall I got lost and found the AT&T store, a place I would need to visit to have the ipad linked to my current account.  But I was hungry so I visited the Cheesecake Factory for some delicious food.  Then I made my way back to the phone store and found out that when one hooks up an ipad to a current account there is a $100 rebate.  So before long I had made the decision to go ahead and purchase a new iphone 5.  They gave me $105 for my old iphone, $100 for hooking the ipad up to the account so I ended up walking out spending slightly over $100 for a new case and a new iphone 5.  My monthly account only increased about $10 and my data was doubled in the new plan.  It all made sense so it was a rather expensive afternoon. 

My intention is to begin conducting the appraisal inspections using the new app which links to the appraisal program here in the office.  Once I am completed I can email the report to the office using the link, the cost is $1.00 and Jessy can begin the work of finishing the report.  I know there will be challenges as I switch to a new way of doing things.

It took awhile to get all the new links established and all the paperwork completed but I really grew to trust the owner of the store and he kept giving me discounts, 33% discount on a protective cover for the screen of the ipad, 33% discount on the new Otter cover for the new phone.

So that is my news and when Nikki called this evening I discovered that her call came through the new radio in the bug through the bluetooth system.  The phone had hooked up on its own.  pretty amazing and it stopped the ipad book I was listening to until the call ended.

Well saying good night to all,

Kallie and I are coming to church just a few hours from now.

Love

tim

Jessy is back in full force

How nice to have a stack of nearly completed reports on my desk this evening.  Wow that girl can crank them out and seems to enjoy doing it as well.

This morning I ventured over to San Leandro to see a home where both mom and dad have moved to assisted living and since they are no longer there their reverse mortgage comes to an end.  What a journey through memory lane for the son who showed me through the house.  He grew up there and had many little helpful comments explaining the house.

This evening I inspected a local property, so nice, pool, brick patio, clean interior with updating, just the kind of place one likes to see.

Well the weekend is coming soon and after an afternoon trip to Redwood city to see a place I'll be officially through for the week.  Today's mail was very nice to me so the house payment is made once again.  Got to be thankful for little things,   like money.

Love to all,


Tim

Is this summer already?

Dear Family and Friends,

Its once again bed time, seems to happen often.  Had the chance to talk to Nikki, Jason, Jerry and by email Jo today.  Steve is slammed with work which is both a blessing and a curse.

I've been cranking out work today and setting up orders.  Jessy was able to be awake enough to come in this afternoon and she cranked out a lot of work, got the office up to date in one afternoon's work.  Pretty amazing.  She loved Australia.

I guess it was warm out today, other than short little breaks between hours of desk work I've been in my air conditioned office all day and I'm so thankful not to have to try to do deskwork in a hot room.  The little AC just cranks out the cool air hour after air and along with a ceiling fan it is comfortable.

So I'm through for the day, sending love to all

Tim

Back out in the field

Its grown warm here in Central California.  All night the winds blew until at 2 am I climbed out and slide the door closed so I could get some sleep.

At 6 the alarm brought me to attention and at 8:30 I left for Dublin.  I found a beautiful home once I got there but the traffic was terrible.  All day i struggled with traffic everywhere I went and Jason said it was tough this evening in San Jose as well.  I first drove to a great property with an incredible view up in the hills between Castro Valley and Dublin, then it was to a little condo in Campbell and wonder of wonders I arrived on time.  A sweet Indian mother and her little boy showed me through a very nice little place.

Once I was through there I asked my wonderful new GPS for the route to a property in Oakland.  I found the home and did the inspection but when I turned to the file for comps they were all wrong.  The MLS system had located the wrong address.  Instead of E. 15th street the comps were for 15th street, a 4 mile difference.  I tried to find comps using my iphone but could not make it work well enough so I located a Starbucks downtown Oakland and enjoyed a little lunch.

Then it was time to leave for Moraga where once again there were challenges.  Public record said the home was 1700 sf and MLS for the time when they bought it said much much larger.  I had accepted the MLS number so had comps to make the case.  The home was stunningly beautiful and looked over the Moraga Golf and Country Club fairway.  Wow I get to see nice places.

Once I was completed I headed back to Dublin to shoot the comps for the first one of the day and with that completed I quickly found diesel at $4.49 a gallon.  I bought one gallon.  Then where Vasco Road leaves the freeway i filled for $3.95, much better.  This time I got about 42 miles per gallon.

Life has so many challenges and right now the biggest I face is to find the will power to start dumping weight.  Every step is a challenge, every meal is a challenge.  I no longer keep bread in the house as i end up eating way too much of it.  But I still seem to find bad things to eat.  This evening I used a microwave dinner with cut up potatoes and veges, I added green beans and pinto beans and it was a very nice meal.

Tomorrow Jessy comes back to work and that will be a real help in getting caught up.  She has had a great trip and I'm sure is still dealing with jet lag.

So right now I'm sending love and appreciation to all,

Tim

Quitting time

With joy 10 pm approaches and thats when I quit, if I push it later I'm ususally sorry as the mistakes increase and the red eyes set in.

Today I started off by seeing something local at 8 am.  Then I dropped by another place to confirm that its completed, it is so I could send that reinspection to the lender.

Then it was back to the office to work.  Its been a warm one but my little AC just cranks away in the office so I'm been comfortable.  The mail man was nice to me today and some money came so I ventured out to make deposits and satisfy the bank's needs for money.

For lunch I set out to be healthy, I had a lot of green beans, some pintos, a griller and a cut up tomato.  This evening I had a whole wheat torilla with beans and chedder cheese with more tomato.

I'm enjoying having a faucet in the kitchen that no longer drains water all over and under the sink.  Its fun to make little steps of progress.

Tomorrow I'm off to see four properties but I may have planned them too close.  We will see how the day progresses.

Sending love to all, what a great evening. I took a break to step onto the back deck and sun was setting, the breezes were nice and I wish I could have stayed and enjoyed some time there. 

Jessy called from LA this morning, she flew all night and was pretty jet lagged.  She promised to come in on Wednesday and it will be great to have her help again.

Tim

We survived the sleep over

Good evening

After an interesting weekend I'm getting ready to head to bed.  Its been hot here all day and its warm even now in the evening.

Kallie and Keanna spent the night last night, Kallie went right to bed and slept through the night.  Keanna went later but woke later this morning.  I made Belgium Waffles this morning, pasta for lunch, Kallie made her own sandwich, at 4 years old that pretty good.

They are pretty amazing girls, very intense and often battling it out they are a real hoot to try to keep up with.  I love them so much and I'm very glad they are back with their parents tonight, parents who know how to keep them safe and sound.

Sounds like Nikki and Steve had a good time on their trip, enjoyed the game last night and arrived back late this afternoon.  We were at the park briefly this morning and they watched some TV shows, Kallie rested up as she is not feeling all that well.

I managed to complete about 3 reports today and I'm going to be in most of tomorrow so I can continue to write things up.

The weekend has passed and now its back to work once again.  I'm very thankful that the time with the girls went well, that the kitchen faucet is now completed.  When I went to bed last night I had been unable to complete removing the old faucet but this morning in better light and with a lot of thought during the night I got it removed in just a few minutes, then assembling the new one took only a few minutes and now it works perfectly, feels good.

So sending love to all,

Tim

Faithful friend

There is one special moment that takes place every Sabbath morning.  Right after Sabbath School is over and we are preparing to leave the children's room we find Dr. George standing there with his arms out wide, giving Keanna and Kallie a hug, me to if I happen to be near by.  George has been a real friend to the Tracy SDA church for many years, he and Yvonne have stood strong for the church, for the school and for the people that make up the church.  Church families cannot thrive without special people who watch over things and look out for the good of the church.  George is such a man and I treasure seeing him week after week.  The kids love him and know he loves them.  Right now I'm looking forward to seeing he and Yvonne at the campout that is coming up.

Today Kallie and I went to church, Kallie and her mom went to Brentwood to sign up for Soccer season that is coming soon.

Nikki and Steve have left and are at the Giants game in SF, then to Half Moon Bay and tomorrow on a whale watching trip.  Tonight I have Kallie and Keanna here with me and Kallie has already gone to bed, hopefully to sleep and Keanna will go later as she is eating popcorn and relaxing.

This evening we went to UNO's for dinner and our good friend and neighbor Lois came with us.  The food was delightful and we had a good time.  I'm also trying to figure out how to remove the old kitchen faucet and replace it with a new one.  Right now I'm stuck trying to find a way to remove the old one and so far I've not hit the right U tube demonstration on how to remove it.  The piece that appears to be holding it in is so rusted that I can't see any screws that hold things in place.  But it will come out one way or the other.

Sending love to all this evening,

Tim

All weeks do come to an end, some just seem to take longer to get there

Good evening

So today was a shorter one in the field.  9 am found me locally inspecting a home in nearby Lakeshore, a gated community.  The house was fine and there was a very nice lady who was kind enough to show me the home, her mom rents there.  On site was a great black lab, what a great dog, he just wanted to have fun and have someone throw the ball for him.  The really terrific lady was there in spite of her father in law passing away at 2 am.  I would sure have understood if she had begged off the appointment.  Very nice lady.

Then is was to the bank to make a much needed deposit and then back on the road for San Ramon.  Now San Ramon is about an hour away and I was able to arrive on time.  This was a home where my clients parents had lived until recently when they both eventually died.  The home was located in a golf and country club and was a really nice single story home with court setting.  I was there to do a historical appraisal, it was a referral from a local accountant Dale.  Seems the estate needs an appraisal determining the value as of the day of death, in this case a couple months ago.  Since I do them all the time this one was standard and I was paid on the spot.

From there it was a chance to have lunch, I found Nations and had a Harvester, something Clea introduced me to long ago.  Its a great vege burger and it really hit the spot.

I then drove to Hayward and since I was arriving early I shot the comps first.  Then at 2 I conducted the inspection of 4 units.  Once I was finished I headed home for awhile.

All in all it was a great day, its been a challenging week but I've accomplished a lot.  This morning an email arrived from Jessy, all the way from Australia.  It was short and to the point, Tim I love it here and I've decided to stay...........  oh boy I was afraid of that but then she added, decided to stay a couple extra days so she is flying home on Monday.  She is having a wonderful time and I'm thrilled for her.

Hope that your weekend will be great for you.  God wants you to renew your connection to your family, love them, play with them and treasure them.

Love


tim

Very thankful to have this done over

Dear Family and Friends,
I rolled out at 6:30, showered and ate cherrios and a banana.  Then it was to work

At 8:45 I loaded all the appraisal files in the briefcase, started the car and headed out.

At 10:25 I arrived at the first home but on the way the GPS did its final act, it died and no restarting would get it going.  So I found my way to the first house with the phone mapping program.  I was only 1/2 mile from a CostCo so I raced there and fought the crowds, purchased a new GPS and tore open the package with a knife I carry in the car.  Then it was on to a second appointment on 69th street, then it was shoot the comps and head back and shoot the comps for the first appraisal.  Then it was Union city to shoot photos of CO detectors, then it was Pleasanton to see a townhome, then it was Dublin to shoot two new comps for a value appeal, then it was back to Oakland to see a property at 3:30, then it was on to Martinez where I arrived early enough so I shot the comps first.

That home was really special with a huge waterfall in the downsloping back yard.  Then it was on to Pittsburg where I reinspected for a big hole in the ground.  Now its nicely filled in with safe dirt.  Then it was a mad race to Bethel Island to do a driveby and shot the photos in twilight.

Now I'm home after filling the car with diesel.

To say I'm tired would be gross understatement.  To say I'm on the way to bed would be obvious.

Sending love to all, how we need each others prayers in these very troubling times.  Oh how good to see Jesus.

Love to all,


Tim

Finally the wind ceases!

After three days of constant wind the only winners are those with windmills creating power.  They must have loved it.

I've been working in today and I finally screwed up enough courage to face a tough condition request that had been thrown at me.  I had been putting it off, because of the extreme high value this property required two appraisals.  The other appraiser who followed me eventially saw the public record was 2777 sf so in spite of what his measuring device was telling him he measured it to meet the public record.  In doing so he missed the remodel that was completed 18 months ago, it was done with permits and brings the living area up to 3350 sf.  So he just tweaked every number below what it really was so his final number was the same as public record.  Well because of the way I look at life I automatically thought I was the one who had made the mistake thought I could not see how.  So I called the owner who told me about the remodel and the actual size was what I had measured.  I felt so much better and urged the client to take a harder look at the other appraisal.  I was prepared to drive there and remeasure just to be sure so I'm saved a trip.

Keanna came to visit this afternoon and we did some shopping, needed popcorn for her and a couple things for me, then we went to McDonald for her lunch, stopped at the bank to make a much needed deposit and then ended up at Subway where I bought a sandwich.

We both did our work, she did homework and I did appraisal work and set up orders.  They just keep coming in for which I am very thankful.  I got one today that has a payment promise of $605.  Now thats more like it, of course it is a quadruplex in Hayward so I'll earn my money.

This evening I was tired of pushing paper so took some time to go out front to Nan's memorial garden area, where she planted bulbs so long ago.  Right now they are blooming and beautiful but there were many weeds that detracted from the flowers.  Not now.  I tugged, pulled, jerked and removed the weeds who thought they belonged there.  Now it looks better and I feel better for some fresh air and a little muscle effort.

So now back to work preparing for tomorrow, each file takes a few minutes as I study the facts, learning what has sold in each neighborhood, printing them off and creating a bing map.  I've got it down but it is still work for sure.

Sending love to all,

Tim

What a day

Dear Family and Friends,

For a long time its seemed like I could only get a couple reports completed in a day no how long I had to work, just a mental block.

Today that all changed.  I rolled out this morning at 6 am and came down, took my blood, it was 151, not too bad, then made decaf coffee and went to work.  In two hours I had the first one completed.  I had breakfast and waded into more work.  All day I just kept at it and by days end the results were amazing.  I had written so many reports I could not believe it.

So I'm going to bed with a great sense of accomplishment.  Writing block just went away and I kept blowing them out one after one.

So now its really bed time for sure.

Love to all

Tim

Tired

Great day, saw 5 properties, wrote one up this morning before going out, way behind but sure staying busy.  Promised two this evening and I'm giving up and going to bed.

Forgive me for writing such a short message this evening.

Love to all

Tim

An Excellent Sunday

Life is very interesting, this morning I woke before the 7 am alarm in spite of going to bed late last night.  The blood numbers were pretty good and the steel cut oats and banana for breakfast along with a boiled egg was a great start.

I worked doing research and at 9:35 I left for an appointment in Brentwood. The owner had called me having been referred by someone in Brentwood.  He was a person that was unhappy about his neighbor and was considering selling his home because of it.  But what he collected was the interesting part.  His home was filled with fossils of every description including teeth from huge creatures, lots of petrified wood and other artifacts. 

I tell you I never know what I'm about to see when I enter a home, this was a new one for me.  He paid me in cash, I came home and wrote the report and emailed it to him immediatelly.  Felt good but of course there are lots of other ones that are not yet finished, not so good.

From Brentwood I drove to Concord to a property located near the Naval Weapons area.  The people have lived in the home renting it for years and are now buying it.  What a great place! 

Then it was back home to work the rest of the day, both of the ones I saw today are completed and shipped to the lenders.  Felt real good.

Now its bed time and the wind is blowing, up to 13 miles per hour says my weather station.  Feels like more really.

So lets make this a good week, one with some joy here and there!

Love to all,

Tim

A Total change

So this morning we went to Sabbath School, Keanna went to her special program and Kallie went to hers.  The room was full of little ones and Kim did a good job with the program.

After a quick stop at the Dollar Tree for some much needed junk we drove to Olive Garden where we had a interesting lunch.  After which I took the little princesses home.  I learned that Steve was going to be working on the new play structure so I changed clothes and went back.  We opened the 6 huge boxes and found hundreds of pieces of wood, we learned that each piece had a number stamped into the end in black letters or numbers.

We started the building process and were making slow progress, after a couple hours several of the neighbors came to visit and help and they were great.  I think they are still working on it now at 10:30 with flood lights and screw guns blazing.  It will be beautiful when completed and the kids will love it for years.  When finished there will be a large above ground pool with full sand filter, a fort with slide and climbing wall, a tether ball and more.  Wow it will be great.

Nikki made cottage cheese loaf this evening and with mashed pototoes and lima beans, what a delicious meal.  When I left everyone was eating and building and a good time was being had by all.

It was a very special afternoon and I was honored to be included.

Tomorrow I'm back out seeing properties and writing up appraisals once I get home.  I'm in Brentwood at 10 and Concord at noon, then home to enjoy the quiet privilege of writing up reports.

Love to all,


Tim

Excellent way to end the week

Good evening,

I've just arrived home from a very enjoyable dinner with my friend.  I always enjoy having the chance to catch up with what is happening in her life.  We dined at Grazies at the Streets of Brentwood shopping center and the food was perfect.

Just before our dinner I inspected a home in Livermore.  Great property, super nice owner, a bit hyper but very fun.  Had a beautiful Dodge Viper in his garage, what a car, bright red and so beautiful.

The rest of the day has been spend setting up many orders, writing reports, fixing things and taking phone calls.  Its a really busy time right now for appraisers and so little time to complete each report.  My board is totally full at the moment, about 22 orders at the moment!

Going to Sabbath School with the girls in the morning, will be fun and a good thing to do.  We'll miss the cousins who went with us last Sabbath.

Now to bed,

Love to all

Tim

Nice spring day spent in the boring office.

Were it not for KDFC coming through the speakers it would be really boring here in the office.  With much more work to handle than I can manage things get depressing as the hours fly by.

This morning at started the day at a local home, a beautiful one, that is the center of a divorce dispute, each side certainly has their own understanding of the stakes involved.

These kind of appointments are always somewhat emotionally charged.  This time I was inspecting the home and creating an appraisal for the wife who no longer lives in the home, the husband had it appraised several years ago when values were much lower.  Yet he was very kind and helpful as I inspected, a perfect gentleman which I really appreciated.  The property was really nice with a huge pool and everything in good condition.  Oh how love goes wrong sometimes, so sad to witness and remember when my own folks did their divorce thing so many years ago.  For those who think a divorce will not effect the children, wrong, it will.  I know sometimes it cannot be avoided and sometimes it is the best thing but the children will have their world shattered no matter how carefully it is handled.

My life right now is sort of in an uproar.  No matter what I do my blood sugar numbers are terrible.  Last night I used some short acting insulin  and it seemed to help as my number was 151 this morning.  I had one bowl of cherrios with soy milk and a few strawberries and hours later the number was 229, that I don't get.  Later in the day just before dinner it was 239.  So at this point I'm pretty much afraid to eat anything, sure takes the joy out of life.

Work wise I miss Jessy a lot.  I'm trying to make sense out of the huge number of orders I currently have active on the board,  Its just unbelieveable how many orders have come in in the last few days.

Oh well, I do what I can and then I sleep.  One nice thing is I have dozens of flowers and flowering shrubs in the front yard right now.  It is very beautiful and I have LeAnn to thank as she trimmed the roses and sort of got them into shape and now they bloom so beautifully, plus the lilacs and the glads, wow I love color and growing things.

Saying good night now, love to all,

Tim

Jessy leaves town and Tim is left to crank out reports

So as I write Jessy is in the air heading for Australia, running far away from work to play.  How dare she.

So glad that she gets to travel at her age, soon life will come crashing in.  Meanwhile I'm buried with new orders.  I've been setting them up this evening and making some appointments.

This morning I woke to a blood sugar of just 151, not to bad but the rest of the day its been over 200 and for breakfast all I had was steel cut oats.  There has to be an answer but I'm sure not finding it yet.

Tomorrow morning I'm seeing a house for a divorce.  So sad when people are so estranged after once loving each other.  I'm working for the wife and seeing the house that the husband is living in, he was very nice about making the appointment so lets hope it goes smoothly. 

I received a phone call today from an attorney letting me know I won't have to testify next week in court about an appraisal I did in 2002.  I was not looking forward to that experience, I really hate being on the stand in court, talk about being very visible and the questions really rip into you, not a good experience.

Ray is here at the moment as his printer is not working and he is very busy so he is using mine.  As soon as he jets I'm back writing yet one more report tonight before giving up and going to bed. 

Keanna came today and she is becoming such a nice young lady.  She reads everyplace she goes, just like her mother did and she does her homework faithfully every day.  I'm so very proud of all my little ones, everyone different and everyone precious.

Well sending love to all,
\
Tim

16 hour day, tired but home safely

Dear Family and Friends,

Started at 6:30 this morning and its now 10:52.  Been to Tracy, then Livermore, then Fremont and lastly San Jose.  At San Jose the owner was a young lady who is a programmer for the Disney Company.  she creates apps for phones.  What an interesting lady and so pleasant.  Her condo was on the 4th floor, had a great view and was in a project that used to be a Del Monte Cannery years ago.  Near the HP stadium where the sharks play it is situated right next to the commuter trains.  Has a full gym, secured parking garage, Bike storage and is totally modern.  Nice way to end the day.

Since I was so near to downtown I drove the few blocks and ate at the Spaghetti Factory, now I'm finally home and so ready to crash.

Jessy wrote up 4 today and prepared a deposit, logged new orders.  Tomorrow evening she begins her adventure to Australia and for 10 days I'll be on my own.  I'm thrilled for her.

So good night all,

Love


Tim

Long day in strange weather

Dear Family and Friends,

Long before it was time to get up the wind was making its presence felt and after I climbed out of bed the weather became even more boisterous and at times nearly shook the house.  Gradually the house grew colder and colder as wind leaked in around the dog door.  However in my office with its little heater things were cozy and comfortable.

I worked trying to get out as many reports as possible and then had to start seeing properties.  It began in Brentwood where two sisters have a very nice home in the Summerset subdivision, a 55 and over community.  It was hard to get away and they were very engaging and enjoyable.

Once free I drove next to Benicia where I saw a huge home located high on the hill.  It was perfect in every way and that one took some time as well.

Once I was through in Benicia I caught a vegeburger and headed for Dublin.  Once again the home was huge and the views impressive.  It listed for $920,000 and is in contract for $1,070,000 after multiple offers drove the final price higher and higher.  Now can I support that purchase price?  I doubt it since the comps are mostly in the low to mid $900,000s.

I caught some dinner on the way home and am finally settled in ready to head to bed now.

Lots of new orders are in and a good check came today which will help as always.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Well its a late one tonight

So sorry to all of you who tend to stay up until I've written.

Jason, Mia and Timothy spent last night and Mia made it all the way through the night without waking, a blessing to Jason.

This morning we had breakfast at Big Als a local place, then came back to put the recharged battery in the little boat and we took it around the island, quite a little trip.  It was a nice morning, not too warm but not really chilly either.  We were up very near to geese and ducks and the kids liked that.

Eventually Jason loaded up all the things and the kids and we stopped by Steve and Nikki's.  They are doing so remodeling of their back yard with both of them hard at work, even the kids were helping as kids do.

I managed to inspect two properties this afternoon which was unusual for Sunday but went well.  One needs to be delivered in the morning to the client, its a $450 rush.

Right now its bed time and I send my thanks for your friendship and love,

I've got to get the blood sugar under control, its been terrible this weekend and I forgot to take my pills this morning, a very bad thing to happen.

Sending love,

Tim

So incredibly enjoyable

This is Jason piloting the little boat with the new trolling motor.  This afternoon after a great lunch at Olive Garden with Nikki and her girls, Jason and his kiddos and me we drove home where the kids played their hearts out.  Jason and I hooked the little green boat up to the new motor, used a battery starter battery and enjoyed some fun on the lake.  It was amazing how long the little tiny battery lasted until it showed signed of slowing down.  I have wanted an inexpensive way to get on the water without having to paddle everywhere.  Today we proved it is possible and enjoyable at the same time.  The little boat did not leak a drop, another good thing in its favor.

After the lake excurions we fired up the old BBQ and Jason prepared his special chicken for those who eat chicken, we also made grillers which were very very good.  Nikki came back over to enjoy more time and finally took her girls homes as they were very sleepy.  How the cousins love to play with each other, they have so much fun and of course I'm a proud pappa and just love it.  It does get loud at times and eating with the 4 of them lined up in a row at Olive Garden was an adventure for sure.

What a huge blessing family is, Nan would have loved today so much with all the little people and their energy.  But we just have to enjoy it for her, she is resting until Jesus comes.

Well its late.  Jason and I rented a movie through Direct TV this evening after the kiddos had had their baths and were fast asleep.  We watch the one about the killing of Ben Laden.  Very well made and to the point.  The world is better with his passing in my opinion.

This morning we went to Sabbath School, there was already a large happy group when we arrived and it just got happier.  Kim does such a great job with Dianes help at the piano.

Well take care, love to all

Tim

Jerry heads home to Weed

Well this has been a day of transitions.  This morning Jerry and I got up and had breakfast.  He then loaded up and left for Weed, I left for Oakley where I saw a house for an estate.

Afterwards I came back the office where Jessy was hard at work.  Soon Jessy left for her friends bar in Benicia where she was going to enjoy a Giants game.  She is an avid Giants fan.  What fun,

This afternoon I headed over to Danville to see a property I already had visited but did not see before.  I could not get in since the agent had lost the key.  This time I finally got in and it was what I expected, a boring home that cost a lot of money.

This evening Jason and kiddos are visiting.  Its great to see them and this evening we had dinner out.  The kiddos are really great and were so much fun.  Tomorrow morning we'll take at least one cousin with us to church, Kallie and perhaps Keanna will come to.  We will help fill up Sabbath School with family.

So tonight I'm sending love to all,

Tim

Back from the mini vacation

Well last night was just perfect, well as perfect as it can be when you are with your brother and not some hot chick.  We enjoyed the spa and the stars and fell asleep each watching our own TVs in different ends of the motorhome.  But by morning things had changed outside.  Our balmy evening had changed to steady rain and it beat on the motorhome hard and fast this morning.  I got a bit wet when unhooking all the cables and hoses so we could begin our trip home.

We drove in the rain most of the way home and found the trip to be very enjoyable, 72 miles exactly from my front driveway, what fun.

Once home I set to work to catch up and this afternoon we drove to our 4 pm appointment only to find no one was there so we drove on to the next appointment and that one worked, we also inspected a property where the deck was old and had to be removed, I needed to confirm that it had been removed which I did.  Oh the agent is sweet for that property, I had Jerry check and she is wearing no rings!  But I'm afraid she is far too young.

This evening we went to Boardwalk here in Discovery Bay for a very good dinner.

Now we are home enjoying the last evening before Jerry has to leave in the morning.  He will drive the 300 miles back tomorrow having left me with enough wood to heat my place for a very long time.

We have had a great time, my tomatoes are planted perfectly and are looking great out there.  He is quite a worker and a perfectionist too.

so good night all,

Love

tim

At Jackson Rancheria for the night

Mid morning today we decided to try to get a camp site at Jackson Rancheria.  It is an Indian Casino with an excellent RV park, we are just back from sitting in the spa by the large pool.  With the bright stars above it was just wonderful.

I worked all morning getting appraisals out and found out that there were a couple sites available.  So this afternoon we loaded up and drove up to Jackson.  The park is perfect and as soon as we set up we took a walk around the park.  It is beautiful here with mature trees, acres of lawn and level parking spots.  We have full hookups including TV cable.

This evening we went to a Steak House, it was a very special meal and the food was great, perfect.  Wow what a feast.

Now we are back from the spa and sitting in the motorhome watching TV news.  Its a great break from the rush of work but tomorrow afternoon I'll be back working again.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Eating at Golden Corral in Tracy

Oh are we ever full.  There are many reasons not to go there, most of all there are so many good things to eat, just to easy to keep going back for more.  Has anyone ever eaten there and behaved?

Today has been another day of production and frustration too.

I worked all morning creating appraisals and then at about 11:30 we left for a Danville appointment.  It had taken over an hour before I finally even located the property as it was brand new.  The order said refi but everything I found said new tract by Shapell.  Once we arrived I found a pretty amazing mess.

One month ago a family had purchased a new home from Shapell in Danville.  They purchased it with cash, then left the country for a trip.  They had used a local agent to assist them and she was kind enough to meet me to let me in so i could do an appraisal so they could get a loan to repay themselves for the cash they had spent, after all it was over $800,000.

So the agent I met was to let me inside, only problem she had lost the key somewhere and could not let me in.  So the trip was a total waste of time.  We recovered over lunch at Burger King and then drove to a home I've seen before in Concord.  Got to say the owner is an incredible lady and I enjoyed every minute catching up with her about her life and plans.  The house is perfect and after we shot the comps we drove home via Marsh Creek Road through Clayton.  Its a beautiful canyon drive on a twisty two lane road.

Once home I quickly settled in to complete an appraisal that was due today.  Jessy had it ready even to adding in the comp photos this time, wow I was impressed.

Once I was completed with that one Jerry and I drove to Tracy and dined at the Golden Corral, then proceeded to waddle out, so much good food.  Now we are back home and I'm preparing to finish up another appraisal and Jerry is checking out whats on TV.

So guess I'd better get back to it,

Love

Tim

Back to worik

Dear Family and Friends,

So today was dedicated to two things, first of all and most important host Keanna and Kallie for a day of fun at Pappa's house, secondly to complete as much work as possible.

Both objectives were accomplished.  The girls were great and so funny.  They discovered my baby carrots and really went crazy eating them which was of course a great thing to do.

This afternoon after Steve picked them up we left to shoot the comps for the two that didn't work out yesterday and see a new place in Richmond.  Then a quick race to Berkeley to shoot photos of the side of two buildings and now we are home.

Jerry mentioned eating chinese food so the GPS led us to a very nice place in Orinda.  The food was terrific and then the drive home was uneventful as the traffic rush had passed.

Sending love to all,

Very tired, heading to bed in a minute.

Tim