Work day capped by fun

Dear Family and Friends,
Patty was just here. She is my brave neighbor who took in her 5 grandchildren to raise and who also lost her husband 2 years ago. She makes me feel like my life is a bed of roses. When Dana left the frig was brimming with things that had not gotten eaten by the hungry mouths. Since many of the items were until recently living creatures and I don't eat meat I decided to pass them along. Patty left with a huge box of goodies, hot dogs, corn dogs, fresh meat, biscuits, fruit etc. She was happy to get it and I was happy to have it used for a good cause, mainly hungry little mouths.
Now my frig looks sort of empty again which sort of symbolizes my life, quiet and empty during the day. It was like that today, I just cranked out appraisals all day and enjoyed the hard work of the air conditioning systems which held off the heat outside. Then this evening I had the honor of driving Miss Keanna to VBS in Tracy and then rambling around Tracy, CostCo, Best Buys etc until it was time to pick her up. It is a different perspective to observe the church in full activity motion and have no part. I can remember a time when Nan and I were pastoring the church we were in the middle of everything. Torches pass and I do not desire to go back. I think things are in great capable hands right now and the program is well planned and really works for dozens of little kidos and their parents.
Keanna amazes me with her grownup comments and phrases. When pressed where she wanted to eat, she put her hands to her head and said, I just can't decide, decisions are hard but she finally selected McDonalds. She announced, I suppose a sit down meal is out of the question referring to Olive Garden or Dennys. So now she is home and sleeping and I'm about to do the same.
In the morning I'll drive to Steve's house at 8 am and Steve will then be free to do his lawns for the day, getting an early start before it gets so hot. Sometimes he does up to 19 lawns in a day. I'll watch the little guys there, it is safer and better for Kallie in her own home and I can take the laptop there.
Then when Steve is done for the day I'll head out to do some appraisals. No checks this week and I'm running out of savings to cover the automatics that are cashing in at the bank. I'm ready for some checks again, really ready.
So from this lonely house to yours,

love

tim

And then they all flew away

Dear Family and Friends,
This morning Dana, Anthony and Jonathan flew home on Southwest and in spite of the spate of unscheduled landings from the last 2 days their flight was uneventful. Dana called from the Taxi as they were being driven home.
What a great time it was to have so much life and joy in the house. My frig is stuffed, my schedule is in shambles so now its time to get back to work and generate some income.
Dana made a very nice thing happen for Lady, my Scottish Terrier. She took her for shots on sunday and today she had arranged for me to take her to the groomers at PetsMart at 7 am. I could not believe I had to make the trip. This afternoon when Keanna and I picked her up she was so happy and beautiful. She not only had a good bath but was groomed to look like a Scottie again and she looks great. I think she can tell that something is different. I know Starr was not sure who was coming through the door when we got home.
Its been very hot here, we get days like this and the AC is cranking away both in the window and outside. These are the days of $600 a month PG&E bills. That will hurt.
When I left for the airport this morning I had no orders and by the time I arrived back home I had 3 orders waiting. They are spread all over, San Jose, Monterey and Patterson but I'm glad to have the work.
Right now I'm so tired that I'm heading to bed and will rise early in the morning to begin work again.
Its so quiet tonight, not good at all, miss the happy sounds of family but it could not last forever.

love

tim

6 Flags under the sun

Dear Family and Friends,

Just back from a very warm day in Vallejo at 6 Flags Discovery Park, used to be Marine World Africa USA. The whole family spent the day there and we enjoyed shows, rides, people watching, lots of junk food and drink, sketch artists and each other. My personal high point was some video I shot of Keanna sitting in her stroller. When some loud music started nearby she began to move around in time to the music with facial expressions to match. It was priceless and I just kept the video rolling to capture it all. Everyone else was busy, Steve and Jonathan were riding roller coasters, Keanna and Anthony were getting up close to the dolphins with Keanna even getting to kiss the dolphin on his nose while Dana and Nikki looked on. I was having some one on one time with Kallie and she was eating sipping water from a huge cup through a straw and just enjoying herself. We had found a spot with some shade and I was glad to be able to sit down for a minute. I am amazed at what a 1 year old can do and understand. Can we all say proud grandpa! Well its true.

The family drove over in the van this morning and I did some work here in the office and then drove over later. I found it warm with minimal wind and finally caught up with everyone. Sure is easier these days with a cell phone. Keanna and Anthony enjoyed going on some rides that she was always too small or too young to go on before. Of course some of the favorite rides were those that involved getting wet and then there were blisters, wet feet, the usual. I was surprised to discover that just because you pay this huge fee to get into the facility does not mean you are through paying, want to ride an elephant, $10, want to ride an exciting bungee jump thing, more money, want to drink for the day and keep your cut, just $10 for the cup and then there was the matter of food, forget anything really healthy but at least there was Subway with a decent sandwich for a decent $10 for the meal.

You don't go to the park if you are broke and if you do go you will be broke afterwards. Not only is there a huge fee for entrance there is another fee if you want to bring your car, cars must pay $15 for entrance and then they only get to sit in a big lot in the heat. Pretty hard to imagine that 6 Flags just had to file for bankruptcy, perhaps they should charge for drinking water or the air we breathe. Oh well I think we all had a good time, I know I did but the things I enjoyed the most were priceless, like seeing Keanna and Anthony walk away holding hands or gasping with delight as a little ride rose higher and higher in the air. My favorite was watching Kallie for I know these little pure actions will quickly give way to the next phase of growth and then the next and so on. I'm loving this phase.

I'm sure all will sleep well tonight and then in the early morning I rise to take Lady to the groomer for a clip, then back to the house to load the van and deliver Dana and her entourage to the Oakland Airport for a 1:15 flight to Houston, non stop. I will miss them very much. It seems like they only got here yesterday, its been great.

Right now I'm wishing you all a good evening,

love

tim

The spa that would not heat

Dear Family and Friends,
Ray has spent hours on the spa today but it will not heat, every time we get near to the heater coming on it blows the breaker. We've done all kinds of things to help it work but so far no luck. You would think with the warm weather the water would be warm on its own, its not at all. Cool nights keep it cold to the touch. I know Ray will solve it eventually, he is that kind of guy, tenacious.
Dana took Lady for a shot today. she paid $8.00 for it when our vet wanted $43 for the same shot but included a "visit". What a rip. Dana knows her way around finding deals, more power to her. she is set to leave us on Tuesday which is very sad. She is a kick to have around and she and Nikki are dangerous together. Keanna has had a blast with Anthony.
I'm wondering what this week will bring. I have no new orders, nothing to see. I have several to write up and ship out but at this point no new orders. It has finally come to this. It is amazing that non appraisers can decide things that totally destroy the relationships we've built for 20 years with clients, people who trust us to do our job well. Now they have to rely on no names who work cheap, quick and in many cases very poorly. If this was supposed to solve anything it is not doing so, only causing huge problems and destroying an industry of hard working people.
When government decides to solve anything, look out. Well meaning people working for government seldom do things better than the private sector.
This has been an interesting day. When Dana left to take lady to get her shots I left for Antioch and an appraisal assignment. The home was beautiful, perfect in every way and is selling with back up offers. Lets just hope they can get it through the lenders, that is a huge problem now.
Tomorrow we are off to 6 flags in Vallejo. It should be a great day.
Love to all

tim

Family is great

Dear Family and Friends,

What an interesting day! It started with total quiet as the rest of the family was still sleeping. I could not stay in bed any longer because my back begins to hurt. I wandered around in the quiet, picked up a few dishes and loaded them, sipped a hot drink on the back deck watching the lake as it stirred with the new day. Once I knew Lois was up and gone to McDs for breakfast I went out and hooked up the water connection and started the boat. Its been about 9 months since it started and it stumbled a bit but ran nicely. I did that just in case the family decided they would like a nice boat ride this afternoon. When Dana came down she suggested that we have breakfast at McDonalds. I jumped at the chance to return the motorhome to its official parking place which is near the shopping center. Once that was cared for we had breakfast at McDonalds. You never quite feel like you've had a whole mean at McDonalds but the food was actually good.

Once we returned home we decided that instead of taking the power boat out today and fighting the crowds we would sweep out the paddle boat and cruise the lake. Anthony helped with removing leaves and dirt and then Dana, Anthony, Starr and Lady climbed in the boat. I boarded last and we were off. There was just a bit of wind but it was very warm and Anthony put his feet into the water, Starr barked and Lady settled in to enjoy the trip. Dana and I discovered muscles in our aging legs we've forgotten but sort of fell into a rhythm as we steered our way out to the island and then around the island. Finally we headed back home and the gentle breezes helped us on our return trip. It was great fun and I think we all enjoyed it. Meanwhile Jonathan slept on. For some reason known only to him, he stays up all night and then sleeps all day.

This afternoon Dana rooted him out of bed as we had decided to go to Olive Garden while they were here. Nikki and the girls joined us and we had a great time fighting over the bread sticks, watching Kallie feed herself, even with a spoon. Then I stayed with Nikki and the girls while Dana and the boys went to check out movies. They could not agree on one so visited the video game store and came away with some new games. I like pushing Kallie around in her little stroller, she loves to see things happen and enjoys watching people. Finally I caught a ride home with Dana who was driving the van and Keanna came home with us to play games with Anthony. Eventually the evening caught up with us and I ran Keanna home so she could have a bath and get some rest tonight.

Dana and I watch a Nicholas Cage DVD that was pretty interesting and sort of raised your heart rate in several parts. Seems his stuff is usually pretty gripping. Now Dana has surrendered to sleep, Anthony and Jonathan are enjoying watching UTube clips on the little laptop and I'm ready to crash.

I had planned to attend church today but knowing that family is here a very short time led me to think of spending time with them and I'm very glad I did. Dana is heading home on Tuesday or Wednesday as she has things to do at home before the school year begins. Next up is Marilyn who will arrive on Wednesday or Thursday. How pleasant to have human voices in the house instead of silence. What a blessing family is.

I've had a chance to think a bit about family. Over the years I've observed many many families and sometimes I've seem them drift apart, due to distance, due to selfishness, due to long held grudges, due to tiny arguments that were never settled. What a terrible loss when families cease speaking to each other. I know first hand that for years Jerry and I were both so busy with our lives and work that we hardly ever got together and I've not had the chance to spend time with my sister Sibyl for many many years. Its not like she lives in Siberia, she lives in Ohio and had a very busy life with 6 children and we were on the coast and also had busy lives. How I love those chances when I can talk to Jerry and or Sibyl. Family matters.

During this awful time of loss Jason and Nikki have been perfect in their support for me. I really could not complain about anything. Their calls, their visits, time spent has meant my loss was eased, my new life has so much more meaning than if I did not have them.

I'm saying all of this for a reason! How is it with your family? Are there a few grudges that keep you from time with your loved ones? Is it tough being with the in laws? Have you just let distance and schedules keep you apart? In an impersonal world like we all live in now, give and accept all the love you can get from family, close or distant. God loves families, He blesses them and wants them to prosper, to provide a platform for kidos to grow up on. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, cousins, in laws. Love them while you have them, nothing lasts forever except God's love.

Got the picture, do the deeds, reach out to family and feel the warmth and richness of sharing.

love to all,

Tim

PS, the sunset over the lake tonight was beautiful. I wanted to share it with you.

Finally its Friday! Yea

Dear Family and Friends,
Well finally the long week is over. Its been great with visits to Tahoe, cool weather and incoming checks. The best thing is the family, what would this world be like without family. The Atwoods, Ronnie, Dana, Jonathan and grandson Anthony are visiting and are now back with me after spending time at Tahoe with Nikki and Steve. It was so exciting to know they were coming back and then they were here, noise from every room, showers running, good food smells, oh that is living. Dana reminds me so much of Nan and they both have the same huge hearts of love for their families. Like the rest of us Ronnie and Dana are aging a bit and none of us move as fast as we once did. Yet we laugh and share in a way that only families can do.
This evening Anthony is over playing at Keanna's house and Jonathan is watching movies on the little laptop. Once in awhile I hear him yell out in frustration as the wireless connection has quit and he is off the air.
This morning for breakfast we went to our new little Byron Inn, a tiny whole in the wall breakfast place near Safeway. the food is great, the service perfect and the prices very fair. It was nice.
A few minutes ago Dana and I were talking on the back deck while the sun was slipping behind the palm trees. Lois was trying to make Jazz her huge lab behave and of course loving Jazz just wanted to play. It was a tranquil time. Minutes before that Suzie called and we got a chance to catch up a bit. she finally was able to see the oncologist and her news is not good. After a new CT scan she will know more and then treatment will begin. She is having a good day and full of vigor and energy even driving to town by herself. Not all days are like that, most are filled with rest and pain.

We are looking forward to a great weekend. I'll tell you, this sure beats facing Friday night alone. People really make the world a decent place to live, I hope you enjoy your people this weekend, remember to love the one you are with, do it now while you can and before you are too old to even notice!

love to all

Tim

The family returns

Dear Family and Friends,
This evening the house is once again full of noise and laughter. The family made its way home safely from Lake Tahoe with happy memories, stories and recovering muscles. Everyone is getting used to having more air to breath again after spending days at 7,700 feet.
I spent the day working and trying to refocus my life. I started the day off with a huge glass of lemon water and it felt good, my body said what is going on.
I took care of issues, finished an appraisal and then drove to WC to see a very cute condo in a beautiful complex. Then I found diesel for a low price and even at that a tank now costs over $30.
Then I headed to Livermore to shoot some comps.
I had started the day off by calling a person named Jason who had done a review of an appraisal I had written for a manufactured home in San Lorenzo. The review had rejected my appraisal and cut the value from $350 to $115,000. As I began to read the review I began to see the lack of awareness of appraising manufactured homes. So I picked up the phone and called him, I've never done that before in 22 years. An old man with very broken English answered and said I could not talk to Jason, he was not there. This afternoon as I was in Livermore working the phone rang and I knew by the heavy accent it was Jason. I asked him how many appraisals of manufactured homes he had reviewed before mine. He sheepishly answered that he had done one before. I told him I was considering sending the review to OREA, the state agency that issues our licenses and investigates appraiser mistakes and that seemed to get his attention. The more he talked the more I just felt sorry for him. When he got the assignment and realized that he did not know how to do the review the law says he should have declined the work and turned it back to the one who ordered it but no one wants to turn away work these days.

In the morning I'll write my rebuttal to the lender who I had prepared the appraisal for in the first place and I'll lay out what I know and what happened. Then we will see what takes place.

A few minutes from this call another person called who is a rep for a major lender. I had called to ask her opinion on how to reply to reviews on two reports from her company. She basically said that the underwriters in her company were starting to realize that the reviews they had been getting had problems and she said I had a fighting chance at refuting their meat cleaver approach to values. It was good to talk to her, she has been a friend in the industry for about 15 years, gave money when Nan walked for GIST so long ago in New York and has been a great help over the years. I have done appraisals on her own properties many times. In spite of what one would think, that there are thousands of lenders and underwriters it is actually a very small world. I learned early on that there is never a time when being rude or brash is a good idea. You never know when you will meet that person again in the business world. Christian courtesy is always a good idea no matter what the issue.

So life goes on. This evening I got to see and hold Kallie as she charged around her home playing and helping her mom unpack and there is Keanna out riding her bike and attempting to jump the curb. Steve was watering his landscaping which is in full bloom everywhere.

Tonight Jason and Jo are tucked away at a cabin in the mountains above Denver with Jo's family, sounds like fun.

Well the quiet is gone for now, replaced with noise and human interaction. Its very nice!

love to all

Tim