...and it didn’t take her long to do it!!  We were finally able to drag ourselves away from Melvin Sugar Bear and escape the confines of Los Angeles January 10th.  We made a brief stopover at the Imperial Dunes, east of El Centro, California, for a Jeep rally and to catch up with some friends from North Dakota and our good friend, Flo (see website file Miscellany/Memories of Mike).  Flo, as it turns out, is an adventurous olde bird (older than me is “olde”) and insisted on running the trails and dunes with the big dogs...

In Geezer-speak, I’m not certain, but I think that means drink more beer and worry less.  By far, the best advice came from my Uncle Johnny who, at 107, is still an expert tennis cheat and semi-pro ballerina.  His advice, “A life of self denial is no life at all”...

That’s QB coveting my grandson and devising a method to snag him...

Now THIS is advice I understand...drink more beer and worry less!  Thanks Uncle Johnny!  I celebrated my 62nd birthday in fine fashion at a Japanese restaurant (my dentist is their sushi chef) with our newest grandson, his parents and our long time pal, Queen Bee...

I’m not entirely sure that she didn’t do this with the intention of luring in that Saint Bernard with the cask of brandy around his neck.  Anyway, after drinking the brandy, we completed the run and Flo is now the proud owner of a Jeep with off-road body damage, a very prestigious achievement within the Jeeping community...

See y’all next time.  Adios, de sus amigos Mexicanos, Carlos y Zooquita

In Aussie-speak I take that to mean, drink more beer and worry less.  Meanwhile, my Uncle Jesse, who at 95 years of age, is a “sleeper agent” for the Department of Homeland Security and a part time hit man for the Proscuitto Family in South Philly, told me, “Yo, Chuckie. Forget about it!”...

Alex has introduced a new drink at Froggy’s cantina.  They call it “El Pescado Azul”…The Blue Fish.  It is supposed to be some kind of a “shooter” but I have yet to see the person with enough gumption to actually drink one.  Just wait until the college kids get down here on Spring Break!  You better stock up on fish, Alex!  I was actually going to end this diatribe here (I know that I have pushed many of you to the very limit of human endurance by now) but February 2nd is just around the corner and everyone knows what that means??!!!  It’s GROUNDHOG DAY!!!  So we are taking this opportunity to wish all of our fellow groundhog fans an extra special day and here’s hoping that Phil is able to tunnel through all that snow in front of his burrow to tell us when this global warming will end and the next ice age will begin…

I previously mentioned that my last dental inspection resulted in the discovery of a minor imperfection, in the form of a cavity, in my otherwise perfect maw.  That little inexpensive cavity soon blossomed into a major reconstruction project rivaling the Great Pyramid in scope and expense.  My dentist didn’t even have the guts to show his face as he somberly gave me the grim news of the excruciatingly expensive procedure...

He even provided a fireworks display, which we won’t include in case there are small children in the room.  We have once again lapsed into our lives of self-inflicted boredom…morning walk…hearing Mulligan sing at Froggy’s…morning walk…hearing Mulligan sing at La Palapa…morning walk…hearing Mulligan sing at El Gallo…morning walk...   You know, if this damn Mulligan guy would only get a real job we could get a real life!!  And so life goes on in the “mañana” mode with no real changes except...

Finally, Friday morning, after a sleepless night, we rolled out of bed at 6 a.m., kicked my brother-in-law and his bride out of our motorhome, and headed for the border.  The Zook and I were like a couple of 8-year olds with free front row seats at the circus that included a ride on the elephant!  And now we are here...

“You’ve been there on my mind for a long long time, and I know, I just can’t stay away…MEXICO!!” Kinda sounds like the line from a song, doesn’t it?  Actually it is one line from a song that our friend, Mark Mulligan, wrote and sings at Froggy’s cantina in San Carlos, Mexico.  And that one line has been running through my head for the past 6 weeks!!

   Mexico                                                                   January 23, 2007

...or, at the very least, I hope he will be able to give up the barbershop and hair salon.  I received many letters of empathy and condolence, and even some advice, after sharing news of my deteriorating physical condition in our last missive.  My friend, Ian, owner of a kangaroo burger franchise atop Ayers Rock in Australia, turned 90 this month and told me, “No worries, mate!!”...

She did a pretty fair job of holding her own and only got stuck one time that required a full scale rescue effort...

I think he’s actually smiling behind that mask!  I tried my best to impart as much guilt as I possibly could to get a better price…old and living on Social Security…eating cat food…hungry wife to support…washing windshields for spare change…and even, you’re taking the money for my grandson’s Christmas present!!  He just grinned and said, “I have a Jewish mother.”  At this point I knew I was doomed.  A Jewish man’s journey through life is not only saddled with the burden of original sin but, thanks to the efforts of Jewish women, he feels responsible for it.  Jewish females spend their entire lives learning to be Jewish mothers, and to that end they are taught the fine art of chicken soupery and diabolical methods of inflicting guilt on any male who may cross their path, be he Jew or Gentile.  I only pray that my contribution will help to get him into a better neighborhood...

The death defying maneuvers of the Blue Angels are mere child’s play compared to this guy tempting fate by flying between the power lines and then landing on top of them in his grand finale...

You have to look kind of close to see it…it’s right there under her foot…hmmmm…I THINK that’s where it is.  El Centro is where the Navy’s Blue Angels train during the winter and a couple of the guys from our group managed to get them to do several flyovers during our run on Saturday...

And now we are back in Mexico.  We arrived the afternoon of the 19th and were greeted by the San Carlos version of the Blue Angels, “The Crazy Gringo”...