Mike convinced Sandy it would be great fun to go (just one time!), and be part of the huge crowd that gathers each year in Times Square for New Year's Eve. Here they are on the street about an hour before the ball dropped, and here's what the crowd (estimated by the police at around 1 million) behind the photographer looked like. (Mike and Sandy, along with friends Buzz and Doreen, who came along on the trip, also took in the 9/11 Memorial, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, the decorated windows at the big Macy's store, and other New York sights. The weather cooperated -- no blizzards or snow, not even freezing; lows around 39.)
Mike is doing lots of the work involved in replacing all of the electrical systems at a foreclosed home in Hayward that Habitat is refurbishing. This has proved to be a much bigger job than Mike originally thought, but it is finally done. Here's Mike tearing into the circuit breaker panel in the garage, running new power cable in the living room wall, and testing a kitchen light, one of the last steps. And in between electrical work in Hayward, Mike has been out in Antioch on another rehab project, here helping put on a new roof.
Christmas Brunch for 2011 included 12, including Michael and Jon, up from Visalia, and the ladies man closest to the camera (Colby is now 14 months old). Gift exchange later on swelled the ranks to 15.
Fall is basketball season, and Great Grand-daughter Kerri is on the 6th grade team. Here's Kerri in a recent game waiting for a rebound that might come her way.
***** Mike and Sandy are home from Branson -- a few pictures are here. *****
Another project through the Community Presbyterian Church has occupied Mike lately. The Shepherd's Gate Women's Shelter in Livermore said it would be easy to move the sprinkler control valves out of the way of a new concrete pad, just a little digging, not too hard. HA! Here's Mike nearing the end of the work with the valves in their new location -- this project ended up taking most of 3 days. Notice how shallow the hole ended up being! (The second picture shows Mike mixing concrete for another church project a few months ago - this one was a complete rebuild of a shower room at a homeless shelter in Oakland.)
Mike and Sandy, along with friends Jessie and Pat, went to the Heller's time-share in Maui this October. This is the first time Mike and Sandy have been there in the fall, which is sort of "off-season" in Maui. They were pleased to see that there wasn't much rain at this time of the year, in contrast to the spring, when there's often lots.
One of Sandy's Assistance League projects this year is working with the Assisteens Auxiliary. Here she (in red) is helping at their recent car-wash fund raiser.
Here's the latest picture of Grand-daughter Trisha, her husband Ryan, and our two Great-Grand Children Kerri and Colby.
Sandy recently took Mike along for the 55th reunion of her San Mateo High School class. Spending a weekend with all those "old people" makes us thankful for our energy and relatively good health!
Mike and Sandy have been almost to the top of the world ... details in travel section ... click here for some pictures and story.
Mike and Sandy enjoyed a recent weekend in the Sonoma Valley wine couhtry for a family wedding. One of Sandy's nephews married a winery-owner's daughter, so you know a good time was had by all!
Sneaky Sandy, with help from neighbors and sisters, organized a surprise birthday party for Mike on the day of his 70th birthday. There were over 40 people in attendance, lots of food, cake, gifts and balloons, and a wacky "Carmen Miranda" singing telegram lady. Some guests were astonished at the many pictures of Mike on display, some showing him with longer and darker hair than he has today!!
Grandson Jon is almost 8, and came to visit Grandma Sandy recently with his Dad Michael, up from Visalia, where he is a Physician Assistant. This is his new school picture, and a picture of Jon with cousin Trisha, and 2nd cousin Colby, almost 8 months.
Easter Brunch went on in spite of non-cooperating weather this year, with the dining room brightened by the presence of new great grandson Colby and grand-daughter Trisha's mother- and father-in-law.
Mike and Sandy are back home from the longest cruise they've ever taken. The red line is the ship's route, from Hong Kong to Athens, while the blue lines show where Mike and Sandy left the ship for sightseeing. Lots of interesting ports, but the three main highlights of the trip were in India (the Taj Majal), in Luxor, Egypt (the Karnak Temple complex and Valley of the Kings), and in Jordan (the ruins of the ancient city of Petra, carved in a sandstone canyon).
Mike and Sandy enjoyed a January trip to Southern California and Arizona. They were awed by entertainers who are in the 70's and 80's at the Palm Springs Follies, and visited the best man from their 1981 wedding.
More details and two more pictures are in the Travel section.
The San Francisco City Academy building is finally completed! After several years of work by thousands of volunteers, and over $1.4 million donated to buy materials, the teachers and kids are now in the building. This was a major project of Sandy and Mike's church, helped along by more than a dozen other churches around northern California.
The LPGA was back at Blackhawk in September for another tournament, so along with the big crowds and parking problems, Mike and Sandy get to see some big names in golf up close and personal. Here's Mike with Paula Creamer, a local favorite as she lives in nearby Pleasanton. (This was the last year the tournament comes here, as the sponsor contract wasn't renewed and no new sponsor stepped forward.)
There was yet another San Mateo High School "girl's mini-reunion," this time in the Paso Robles / Central Coast area. (Funny how these reunions always seem to be in areas with lots of wineries!) Sandy, Doreen, and Verna, along with their wine-box-toting husbands, were pleased to get together again. Here's Mike and Sandy at Avila Beach, taking a break from visiting wineries.
On September 11th, Mike joined many from the East Bay Tea Party and the Lafayette Flag Brigade to commemorate the day with a huge display of American flags on the El Curtola overpass over Highway 24. This annual event is the largest display of American flags west of the Mississippi. (That's Mike holding the large flag.)
Great Grand-Daughter Kerrilynn recently came to help Grandma Sandy with an Assistance League project. Here you see her working to unpack boxes of food being assembled for needy people in the county, with Grandma and another Assistance League volunteer in the background.
Mike and Sandy are back from cruising in the Baltics, along with 14 other couples from their church. They visited St. Petersburg and the 4 Scandanavian capitals, plus Tallin in Estonia, and Gdansk in Poland. Here are the travelers on a formal night.
You can see some pictures and trip highlights here.
Great Grand-daughter Kerrilynne came to visit recently, and fun included getting tips on shopping skills from Grandma Sandy at the Danville Art and Crafts Fair, and going swimming at Great Aunt Sheila's house (where cousin Erin and her boyfriend Andrew were also visiting).
Sandy received recognition a few weeks ago from the Contra Costa County Meals-On-Wheels organization for her work with a group of ladies that buy and wrap birthday gifts for inclusion with meals delivered on a shut-in's birthday. Hundreds of people were present at this volunteer recognition luncheon.
Mike and friend Frank recently braved the rainy conditions to go up in the mountains south of San Francisco to watch Lance Armstrong and dozens of other world class bicyclists pass by in Stage 3 of the 8-day Tour of California.
Mike and Sandy are now members of Community Presbyterian Church ("CPC") in Danville, and have gotten involved in various ways, including being greeters in front of the church on Sundays.
Mike, Sandy, and friends Buzz and Doreen, are back from Cancun. See pictures here.
Mike and Sandy are back from their January cruise out of Miami and Alabama-Florida motor trip combo; see travel section for some pictures and stories.
Mike and friend Marv tried out the new bicycling group at Blackhawk, but decided it was more for young racers than old cruisers. You can see pictures of some other adventures Mike and Marv have tried here.
Great-grand daughter Kerri Lynne did a great job finding Easter eggs last spring.
Grand-son Avery (4 years old now) and Grand-daughter Carina (now 7) posed for a portrait a while back.
Mike and Sandy recently joined a family party at the home of Sandy's youngest sister. The weekend saw Sandy and all 3 of her sisters together, a fairly unusual event, as the four live in four different towns, hundreds of miles apart. Here's Sheila, Barbara, Sandy (the oldest), and Carla, in a rare picture.