Irrigation or is it Irritation.
Working here on installing the PRV, anti siphon, and the zone 1 valve. The pit meter is behind and to the left, already installed. The picture that got away will forever live in our memories. The story is now a week old the emotion has worn off. On Saturday, July 9, I set out on a project to remove the water meter from our mechanical room so I could relocate to a street-side pit, all in the name of irrigation. The removal went well although I couldn't sweat a copper joint to save my life. I tried twice to assemble the plumbing necessary to replace the void of the water meter, each time resulting in one or two pin hole leaks. I decided to stop the work that evening after running out of supplies. Sunday started out with a nice breakfast and a trip to Tim's Tools in Silt where I picked up 2 of everything. I arrived home and told Delle that I could do this in one shot, and I did do it in one shot - with a rain delay. As I was sweating one of the joints the compression fitting popped off the main line and we had a 100psi water feature inside the house. It turns out that our plumber failed to include a crucial part when he attached the brass compression fitting to the poly main line. The crucial part is called a stiffener and it is a short, thin stainless steel pipe that is inserted into the end of the poly to give the compression fitting a solid surface to compress upon. A responsible plumber is what we didn't have. Luckily there was a man working at the water plant located two miles away and we only had to battle the cold barrage for 30 minutes. Lesson learned: ask us who not to use for a plumber, always turn the water off before a major plumbing project.

10th of July on Colorado River at Silt.
Gema and Abby. These two have been buddies since they were wee pups. Gema played big sister and showed Abby how to swim.

10th of July on Colorado River at Silt.
Another fun day at the river, this time we have *borrowed* Abby to have fun with Gema and Sammy.

5th of July on Colorado River at Silt.
Gema's big day. Here's Sammy teaching Gema to swim. Gema caught on fairly quickly and really enjoys swimming.

5th of July on Colorado River at Silt.
Emma left, Gema right. Both dogs were identical down to the black spot on the tongue but surprisingly, Emma was 20lbs heavier.

5th of July on Colorado River at Silt.
Gema's big day. She got to meet one of her litter mate's, sister Emma on the left.

4th of July on Battlement Mesa.
I was glad I wore my boots on this mud bog day. It was a good workout and we were both sore the next couple days.

4th of July on Battlement Mesa.
We were both stuck in this mud puddle on the way up. Delle decided to jump on the gas and fly though, I was so happy I didn't have to wade in for a muddy rescue.

4th of July on Battlement Mesa.
Our 4th of July fun was to load up the quads, pen up the dogs (Gema is dog sitting Sammy), and then head for Battlement Mesa. This was Delle's backyard in a previous life. She forgot to mention that it was a double blackdiamond difficult trail. It was pretty much made for 4x4 and we have 2x4. Horsepower and determination got us to the top.

Geek by Day
The work at General Dynamics is fun and interesting. I'm a Technical Architect concentrating on the integration of new Microsoft technology and Risk Management to compliment the complex business plan of building the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

On-Site at General Dynamics in Mountain View, CA
So ends my trip to sunny CA. I guess I could live here if I had to, I'd definitely find a place in Santa Cruz and make the drive over the hill every day. The three major issues to overcome are traffic, house prices, and taxes. The overall view of the entire area is grim. For instance, there are many beautiful buildings that remain unoccupied in the valley that it gave me the drive-by impression of the stench of death on a river during a Salmon run. The buildings are as vacant as an early Sunday morning. It's odd to see all the high dollar BMW's and Mercedes on the roads while the grass roots level reality is thick with desperation.

Disk Golf at De LaVeaga
The well travelled course is carpeted with Poison Oak and riddled with trees so you don't want to throw wild. My favorite was the signature 27th hole, *Top of the World*. To the basket 300 feet below and 580 feet away. It has a great view of the Pacific Ocean and the city of Santa Cruz. This is one of the most famous single holes in disc golf. We came across a family of Falcons crying out and flying from tree to tree.

Disc Golf at De LaVeaga
Tim and I got in a round at the De LaVeaga disc course in Santa Cruz. I haven't played in 5 years and I forgot how much fun it is. Tim says it's usually packed but we didn't see that many people on a Thursday evening. See more at http://www.delaveagadiscgolf.com