Keeper

Angel went fishing with her dad this evening at the Calaveras River. She was the only one to get a fish and was more than eager to show it off.

I used to fish with my dad in canals and on rivers. The most memorable trip was south of El Paso on the Rio Grande where we camped out near the beach and fished the next day. I landed a 24" carp. Quite a fight, but had to let him go. Can't remember if Dad caught anything. I think he just liked getting away from the women in his life for awhile and commune with nature's silence.

October Surprise

Our recent trip to Paso Robles turned into a whirlwind see-fest as we attended more than a few events and reconnected with old friends, including cousin Larry. We hadn't seen each other in 15 years or more, but there wasn't a lot of catching up during a Paso Robles Inn breakfast.

Larry has been a custom cabinet craftsman for many moons and still loves what he's doing. He was working on a $100,000 contract for someone in Paso. That's a whole lot of cabinets - but, hey, it's Paso Robles, the land of the free and the home of the rich.

Thanks to cousin Bruce for this picture.

$1.69 A Gallon for Gas

Time to visit Stockton, CA, and fill your tank for less than half of what you paid a few months ago. Personally, I'll gladly pay over $4.00 a gallon if the stock market and economy were back to where they were a few months ago.

Now I have a full tank of cheap gas, but still not enough cash to go anywhere!

Care Package

Being surrounded by a caring family is one of life's greatest blessings. These are loved ones you can trust to be there in your inevitable hour of need --- even if they get the call at 2 o'clock in the morning. And you are more than willing to lend a hand when family calls for help.

There is another family that is willing to help. This family will lift your needs in prayer, encourage you when you're going through a rough time emotionally, and understand your spiritual struggles. I'm speaking of those members of a Sunday School class or home Bible study.

Maybe it's time for you to receive a care package.

Aging Equipment

I run various and sundry equipment where I work, including this 27 year old continuous collator. What used to run a formidable segment of our product pie, this poor piece of engineered machinery is in semi-retirement, thanks to the medical world graduating from multi-part computer forms to single laser sheets and virtual records saved on servers. On the positive side, since it is used less and less each year, the old Harris 750 is still in great shape, and when cleaned up looks nearly new, unlike our delapidated presses of similar vintage.

New or nearly new is good. Like a new or newer car compared to my '63 Chevy pickup. But on the other hand, the old stuff is paid for and doesn't need smogged. You can always find a positive near a negative, I guess.

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle

There are few reminders of vintage transportation in the jet age. Oh, you can still ride a horse or drive an old tractor in the Pioneer Day Parade, but how many would like to sail across the ocean in a 2-masted ketch? This ship is so small you can spit from stem to stern - against the wind! A rich mixture of courage and faith would have been necessary to embark in this bark and the thousands who have been lost at sea will attest to it if they could.

The replica ship, The Hawaiian Chieftain, sails the eastern Pacific to raise funds so it can sail the eastern Pacific. Maybe it goes elsewhere, but I doubt it. Even with all of the new-fangled navigational additions, trying to negotiate a storm would be the height of heroism - or worse. It looks seaworthy while in port, moored to a solid dock, on a river or in a still harbor. But out in the open mouth of the high seas, get out your prayer book.

I'm only kidding, really. The young people who man and woman this finely crafted showpiece, love the adventure and opportunity to do something few of their friends will. They'll be able to share some great stories about how bad the food was, the whales they saw and storms they've survived.

Thank You, Mr. Obama!

My two cents: Had it not been for a huge turnout and vote for Barack Obama, who won 60% of the California vote, Proposition 8 would most likely have lost. The huge voter turnout of minorities for Barack undoubtedly included their strongly Biblical view of marriage. That, combined with a larger than usual evangelical and conservative vote [those bitter, gun-toting religious wackoes], helped it pass with a 4 point margin.

The map is self-explanatory and shows a simplified demographic of counties that voted for and against the proposition, along with percentage strengths.

So, thanks again to our new President [and, of course to the God of Presidents] and his army of volunteers who registered new voters in California!

Unfortunately, this spiritual battle is far from over as all such warfare is destined to be in this world.

Belling the Cat

An Aesop Fable:

Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood."

This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?" The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:

"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."

Associations Matter

The list grows as more radical past associations raise questions about Mr. Obama's radical beliefs and lack of judgment in choosing those associates.

William Ayers wrote the book, Prarie Fire, in 1974 (republished with other vintage works in 2006) which was in part dedicated to Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy forty years ago.

How can we trust a President who has to disavow so many former relationships?

Jesus and Proposition 8

In spite of the new cultural mandate to secularize certain biblical institutions or precepts that happen to be at odds with current opinion, marriage and homosexuality have always been and always will be spiritually defined relationships.

God called Abraham out of idolatry and established a people who were to reflect His moral purity, not the cultural standards of ancient Persia, Egypt nor the child-sacrificing Canaanites in the land which would become Israel. It has been true to the present day — “Come out from among them and be separate, says the LORD.” It is this foundational morality that followed true Christian faith around the world, making secular laws that endeavored to mirror biblical righteousness.

God’s version of marriage only includes a man and a woman. Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female.’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6 Homosexual marriage was never mentioned because it was completely foreign to God’s word and a Jewish culture that was based on His word.

Premarital sex was a grave issue and considered sinful (Matthew 1:18ff). And Jesus redefined adultery by saying, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28.

Clearly, if adultery leads to God’s judgment, so does other sexual sin. Jesus warns, “For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, [including homosexuality – the same Greek word is used in Jude 7’s reference to Sodom and Gomorrah] murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23.

And in damning the city of Capernaum for rejecting him, Jesus said, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:23, 24. Sodom’s homosexuality and judgment are detailed in Genesis 19 extensively.

Both the Old and New Testaments condemn many types of sin, homosexuality included. It was never a secular issue to the Jew or Christian. Jesus said, “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21. The issue of homosexuality goes far beyond what Caesar thinks about it.

California’s Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only being between one man and one woman. A yes vote would be agreeing with God. A no vote would be denying His supreme authority to rule in all matters of morality. I am forced to ask myself — am I willing to agree with the ultimate Lawgiver or listen to those who want to re-write moral law to fit their own secular beliefs?

The New Paso Robles

Here are two letters to the Paso Robles Press, posted Tuesday. Four cents of opinion from a couple of conservatives. Two who are willing to fight for the old landmarks that others are trying to remove. Brave Old Worlders who get my vote for remembering the good old days in Paso Robles.


Letters 10-14
Posted: Tuesday, Oct 14th, 2008


Editor: I have lived in Paso Robles for 15 years. I like living here. I trust this town. But now I am questioning the good faith I had in its decency and moral goodness of its citizens.

I put up a Proposition 8 sign in my front yard. I was warned it might be stolen, but really had more faith in the people of Paso Robles. It was stolen. I feel violated. The thieves were in my yard, taking something that belonged to me. This letter isn’t about politics. It’s about morals and doing the ethical thing.

The person/people who stole it are obviously against Proposition 8. That’s fine. They have the freedom to vote how they want and speak the way they want. But, what happened to my freedom of speech?

It was on my private property. Apparently, they want freedom to marry whoever they want, but not freedom for somebody else who doesn’t agree with them to voice their opinion on their own property. I don’t steal their “No on Prop. 8” sign. I personally don’t celebrate Halloween, but I wouldn’t go to my neighbors and tear down their Halloween decorations outside their house.

Why does this get ignored? It’s a crime. They stole. Apparently, not only is same-sex marriage acceptable to some, so is trespassing and theft — thus no morals or ethics. What are they teaching their children? This made a bad statement of those who oppose Proposition 8.

Grow up, citizens of Paso Robles! Respect people even though they disagree with you. Stealing signs is so juvenile — though I know it wasn’t children who did this. There is a sign for a candidate running for mayor right across the street — and it’s been up for weeks. An adolescent who just wanted to cause trouble would take all yards signs; they wouldn’t care what it was about.

Americans can campaign with stickers, buttons, booths, fliers, signs, compassing, phone calls, etc. Or is it just some Americans that can? Liberals preach tolerance constantly, but for them it seems to go only one way. They want to receive it, but not give it.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion — unless you’re a conservative, then it’s stolen from you.

Sarah-Kate Correa

Paso Robles



Editor: I want to thank the Pioneer Day Committee for another great Pioneer Day. For me the clear highlight was the display of antique equipment. I don’t know of anywhere in the world you could be able to see display of operating equipment like that.

Prior to Pioneer Day, one of our most beloved citizens, Phil Dirkx, writing in the liberal county paper, suggested that we have to give Pioneer Day more pizzazz. Those of us that have been here for awhile are for sure concerned that Pioneer Day may not survive in this “new Paso Robles”

If it were the Farmers’ Market, you could pizzazz it up like San Luis Obispo did. To me Pioneer Day — from its founding — defined the character and soul of Paso Robles. If that is no longer important to the people who now live in Paso, I just think the character of the town has changed. I don’t think you can make it more important to people by putting more pizzazz in it.

In this last fight over who should pay for the water so development can continue, the change in character was clear. The traditional — or authentic — Paso Robles was the part of the community that was concerned about the people here. The new thinking — the new majority — believe that we have to make Paso a nice place to live so it will attract tourists and new residents.

Change happens. It used to be that when people moved here — like Phil Dirkx — they accepted the culture of the community and became part of it. During our period of rapid development, people moved to Paso for economic reasons, not because they wanted the culture that existed here. As those numbers increased, so did the pressure to change Paso Robles.

If we need to pizzazz things up, maybe the big advance forward would be to change the town name to something that would reflect our new values and attract tourists.

Walter Heer

Paso Robles

Battle of the Bulges

There is a strange similarity between the sea lion mating season and election campaigns - lots of posturing and dancing during the bark-fest, but little damage being done. Then, out of the blue the teeth start tearing flesh, and real blood starts flowing. The incumbent wins or loses, and another harem is secured from or sacrificed to the challenger.

Aren't you glad it will soon be over?

All 60's Reunion

Another All-60s Paso Robles High School Reunion takes its place in the history books. We sailed through a sea of silver-capped seniors and tried not to look at name tags while talking (very rude). Hundreds of stories brought smiles and tears as we shared past and present tenses with people we hadn't seen in years (and for many - decades). It is amazing that after all this time so little has really changed. Few of us really grew up. We're still the little, lovable fuzzballs we've always been!


Thanks especially to all of the committees, leaders and volunteers who still have enough spirit (and energy) to put into a huge event like this. We can all nitpick about things we didn't like - that's pretty easy. But when we don't expect perfection from ourselves and excuse every mistake we make, the nitpicking is just so much hypocritical hogwash. So cheer up, nitpickers, and agree this was the best reunion ever! And be sure to thank someone for the great job they did.


Looks like these float folks were enjoying their tricked out ride. Keeping it simple was this year's theme, and the Thursday night decorating team made short work of cutting out letters and 'framing' the trailer. Hey, when you get that many Indian chiefs together in one place, miracles happen! Remember, if you click on these thumbnails, a larger version comes up so you can see everyone up close.


I'll be posting a zillion pictures of the Old Timers BBQ Luncheon, float-making, and the parade later this week (hopefully). I took my camera to the reunion but decided to take it back to the car. Visiting with old friends was more important (and the reunion committee had hired a professional photographer anyway, so I didn't feel guilty). Check my photo website at the end of the week.

So thanks to everyone for making this event a great success. May there be many more!

A Jog Around the Park

Years back when I used to jog about three miles every other day, one of my treks would be to head toward Dentoni Park, circle it, then head for home. This 9.5 acre leftover from the valley oak forest boasts massive and majestic trees that are hundreds of years old. They were here before Stockton was first visited by the white guys. They were sapplings when the Yokut Indians, grizzly bear and tule elk lived here.

They were here long before the houses and shopping moved north from the Calaveras River.

They were here long before Paul Newman and George Kennedy starred in Cool Hand Luke, which was partly filmed right where the park is.

And they'll still be here when my last breath leaves this tired bit of earthly existence and I'm able to run again.

Mum's the Word

It has been a whirlwindish week of exercising at K/P Corp., tackling the yard work, and surviving the financial crisis 'experts' duking it out on TV. Today is the Lord's Day, and I can take a break from the pain. Today, I can enjoy the yellow mums exploding in the front yard, savor a grilled cheese and ham sandwich, and watch the cat sleep. There's a reason for laying back on Sunday. "Six days thou shalt labor and do all thy work . . ." Only six days. On this day I need to give back to God in worship and rest and reflection.

Boy, do I feel great Monday mornings!