Back to work

So its really cold at my house.  57 this morning in the hall.  Not fun really.  After a fire it came up to 70 at one point today.

I walked at 7 and breakfast at 8:30 after a hot and pleasant shower.  Then to work for the day, only local jaunts out to shoot photos and then back to work in the office.

I'm so thank you tonight that I have a full board of work to get done, amazing for this time of year, God has been very good to me and I appreciate it very much.

Tomorrow morning I'm at the first house at 8 am, then to Oakland to see a couple dumps, then back to Mountain House for a noon appointment, then to Livermore to shoot comps photos for ranch property.  Then back to the office to get a couple out the door.

Life is good but very lonely after spending nice time with the kids, its hard to go back to being alone all the time.  Just something I have to life with, alone.

Love to all and special thanks to the family and Pam who I talk to every day and Art who I got to talk to a lot over the weekend.  Nothing as precious as family and friends.

Tim

A blessed day

Living alone is not something I enjoy at all!  While I am not one of those guys who is so anxious that he gets married in 3 weeks after his loss, not that I pass any judgment on any one and how they chose to live their life!  Its been 7 years and frankly being alone is getting very tiresome.

I believe that God has some very good answers for all of lifes challenges and I trust God to work his magic.

Art and I went to church this morning, the worship hour was special to me as I love my Tracy Church family, I've been attending there and was the pastor for 10 years.  I came to Tracy in 1976 and have been attached in one way or another ever since.

Today it was great to see friends and hear our new pastor give a very good sermon, I loved the music that Yvonne and Bernice made, just great music that cannot be excelled in my opinion.

Then Art and I went to Thai food, it was good also, then Art dropped me off and later in the afternoon I drove up to Elk Grove where I needed to replace 4 photos.  Once I was through and it was dark Nikki called to say they were on their way home from Tahoe, Kallie had never played in the snow before so they took the day, had a super time playing and sliding and were set to eat the Old Spaghetti Factory in 30 minutes.  That was how far I was away so I turned around, joined them and we had a wonderful time as the family told me about their snow day.

Now I'm home and thankful for my friend Art, my many Tracy friends, the good sermon and my family, Jason and family are visiting the Leonies in Napa tonight, former next door neighbors at MBA, former principal of the school where Jo teaches now, long time family friends.  So my family is happy and safe, life is good, God is great to us always.

Love to all,

tim

Jason and family stayed here last night, it was great

Dear Family and Friends,
It was so much enjoyment having time with my family over the last few hours.  On the day before Christmas Jason and Jo came by for a few minutes as they traveled to Stockton to have Christmas there with Jo's family and cousins.  They had a wonderful time and come back to Discovery Bay and Nikki and Steve's for Christmas breakfast and the tree.  The kids had a wonderful time and Nikki and Steve made a great breakfast.  Steve grows fruit on his property and his oranges are excellent, He makes a mean fruit salad and that is part of Christmas breakfast.  Nikki makes Swedish pancakes that are so good with powdered sugar and butter. 

Then there is the tree with its many enjoyable presents and the fun of watching Keanna open her new Iphone or Kallie and Timothy opening their Kindle Fire tablets, fun stuff.  Mia opened many wonderful presents to.  The adults also got nice things and a great deal of fun was had as we enjoyed our family Christmas.

I went to Tracy with Jason and Jo to visit the Ahns where little Lillie was home from Japan with Kevin and his wife.  We enjoyed our visit very much.

Then it was back to Steve and Nikki's for Christmas dinner.  That was fun too and with Steve's adopted family from Tracy the house was full of relatives and fun.  Steve has baked a turkey and it turned out great.

Jason and Jo with kiddos came home to my house last night, we built fires and got the temperature up to 74 at one point but it was a cold windy night.  We all made it through the night well and this morning we had breakfast at Big Al's a local eatery that is usually good, it was today.  Nikki came and joined us for breakfast before Jason and Jo left for the SanFranciso Zoo where they met friends. 
I can back to a very lonely house and a depressing life once again.  I'm still hopeful that God will make good things happen, I'm always praying about it and I know a loving God cares about each of us.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Jason in surgery

This day took me a different direction.  I had just completed seeing a home with 7 acres and which sat on a hilltop near Livermore this morning when Jo's text hit me.  She said they were on the way to the Stanford Hospital for Jason to have the big surgery on his sinus's and a lot more.  She said Jason was sad.

Well you parents know what that does to your heart.  Our family has had too many sad events, we pull together.  So I changed my day from work to family.  I drove over and reached him in a bed to preop where I got to talk to him for about an hour.  I observed as they tried without success to insert an iv, three sticks and bleeding hands!  They had to do it in the surgical room I guess.  He signed away his rights including the right to live and then he was gone, off to the surgery wing.

So Jo and the kids plus Papa had several hours to wait so we ventured out, found food, did individual searches for nice places and eventually ended up in a courtyard listening to a guy beat drums and sipping a drink, Timothy was reading a big book, one of a series he is reading, Mia was just plain cute reading an American Girl magazine.  We went back when they called but it took forever before he was finally released.  I was able to stay with the kids when Jo went in and was with him as he recovered.

Finally they brought a very beaten up Jason to the car and they loaded up and drove away.  Then I headed home to arrive about 9:45.  What a day of challenge and stress.  Jason needed this surgery very badly, his polops have been terrible for years. This is supposed to give him a great deal of relief eventually but the surgery is a rough one and it takes some days to recover from.  Jo will be doing the driving for awhile.

I thank the good Lord that I was able to go and be there for moral support today.  This is a good man who was having a challenging day and God was very good to us all.

Love to you at this Christmas time,

Tim

Blessed day

What a great day! 
This morning after communicating with Jason and Jo I headed to the city, it took awhile to fight traffic and find parking at Union Square but early afternoon found us seated at a table in the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor of Union Square, Macy's building.  the food was terrific, the service OK and a good meal was had by all.  Then it was to the Grace Cathedral for the Christmas Brass and Boys choir concert.  Like usual it was very good.  The kids were so good and played quietly during the beautiful numbers. The place is remarkable and Jason and Jo ended up seeing several people they know.
Then we walked a couple blocks to the Fairmont Hotel where there was a huge Christmas tree all aglow and a two story Gingerbread House.  There Jason and Jo found his professor from Keene University, Bob Mendenhall and wife along with close friends,  The close friends knew me and so it was a fun time of catching up.  Then I finally took my leave and drove home,  but upon arriving home I went next door to Ken and LeAnns to see the boat parade on the lake and eat many different deserts, so good.

Now I'm home ready to head to bed.  A good day.

Much love

Tim

Good solid day

Up and a walk to the park, then breakfast and a shower, then to a 10 am local appointment, paid on the spot, then back to the office to totally reenter an appraisal that had become corrupted somehow.  Got it done and send in time to leave for lunch with Roger and Carol Peden, great experience, wonderful people, good food.

Then quickly back to the office and pick up a file for Castro Valley.  There I inspected an Eichler home.  Some of you will know that for years Eichler homes were constructed in many California communities.  They had a design all their own, radiant heat with pipes in the slab floors and a small furnace in the garage to heat the water.  Most are still using original equipment after all these years.  The home I saw today was perfect, tastefully updated and yet the character of the Eichler home was maintained.  They sell for just under a million dollars thought they were first designed to be easy to buy and inexpensive.  Now they have such a following that the prices have risen rapidly.

Once I was through with the inspection I hit the road for Milpitas where Timothy was involved in his Christmas Program.  It was excellent and he did his part perfectly, of course. 

Then it was the drive home and I found Frys and got some Christmas shopping started. 

Now I'm home and going to bed.  First appointment is at 8:30 in the morning in nearby Oakley, then its off to Patterson to see a sale.  God is good with work even at this time of year when things are often very slow.

Love to all

Tim

Heath not so good

Bedtime now, 11:25 pm.  Long day but good one too.  The rain has been unbelievable tonight but of course I was warm and in my just listening to it.

Today I saw one in the middle of the day, sad, the woman just lost a husband of 39 years to a sudden heart attack a month ago, still reeling from the whole experience.  But I could relate and I think that helps a little bit.

I'm really suffering from a nasty tooth tonight, not sure what to do.  My dentist is a couple hours away below Gilroy in Hollister and I'm too tight on work to go there so I just hurt.

Had a visit with a Urologist, got Flomax and now prostate is behaving much better, I like Kaiser a lot.

Sending love to all

Tim