It's a beautiful Sunday evening in Escondido and Bob and I just returned from a short walk. I can hardly believe how well Bob is doing after his surgery. He came home from the hospital on Monday, one week after his operation, and has been feeling quite good every day. He walks four times a day, about 15 minutes at a time. He's eating and sleeping well--it's absolutely amazing and we are GRATEFUL! We'll see his surgeon on the 11th for his first follow-up appointment. Thanks to all for your cards, visits and notes of encouragement.

Thanks to all of you who have sent your positive vibes and prayers for Bob's successful surgery! According to his surgeon (God Bless Jeff Tyner at Scripps Green Hospital), the surgery went very well yesterday and he was able to repair Bob's leaky valves, did one artery bypass, and performed a "maze procedure" to guard against atrial fibrillation. All went according to plan, and Bob looked quite good today when I visited him in the ICU. He walked a couple of times, ate a couple good meals, and seems right on track for an excellent recovery. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your support.

If there's anybody out there in cyberspace actually reading my blog, now is the time I need your help. Turns out my sweet hubby of 35+ years will be going to Scripps Green Hospital on Monday for open heart surgery. He hasn't experienced any severe health issues, but this all fell out of his last physical in January. His doctor noticed a heart murmur, then a whirlwind of tests, and Monday he will have open heart to repair two valves, plus assorted other issues. If you can send any positive vibes and prayers our way, it would be much appreciated. We have tremendous confidence in his surgeon, but it's still scary . . . Thanks, and love to all.

Zowee, things did rock n' roll today. The 7.2 earthquake near Guadalupe, Mexico this afternoon sure made us pay attention. It wasn't the STRONGEST quake I ever felt, but it definitely was the LONGEST. It seemed to go on for quite awhile; enough that Bob and I felt the need to go outside just in case. Our dishes and windows rattled, but not a significant shaking, more a rumbling. Hopefully everyone in Mexico is also safe; seems like Mexicali has it the worst. Bunches of aftershocks, but minor by comparison. Ah well, so goes life in California. . .

We recently returned from a great week in Litchfield Park (Phoenix) with Julie, Jarrod and family. We drove the Bounder and took our "guest room" with us. They have a very large yard, so we parked right at their house--handy!

We hadn't seen their new house yet and it's terrific. Lots of room for everybody. Many of their neighbors have barns and outbuildings, and we woke each morning to the wonderful sound of a neighbor's rooster! When we exited the Bounder each morning to go into Julie's house, their 6-month old bloodhound, Otis, met us at our door!

Ian is now 6 and Jack will be 4 in a couple of weeks. They are such neat boys, almost always with a smile, and fun to be around. Ian loves to tackle his "block cities" with the fervor of a budding architect, covering the entire dining room table with his creations. Jack is a rugged little boy when he plays--he drives his electric tractor around their yard with speed and wild abandon. But, he has a very soft side and loves to help anyone when asked. His favorite expression to us was, "See, I told you" once we discovered what he said or did was correct.

We were glad to be there to celebrate Julie's birthday this year; and Jack said her cake was probably the "best cake he ever had"!

Fortunately Bill was able to get a few days break from cross-country trucking and we were able to see him as well. He's now an owner-operator of his truck and loves what he's doing. He hauls exclusively for Swift Trucking at the moment. His corporate name is "18 Dogs Trucking", with the logo proudly emblazoned on his truck.

Also had a nice evening with Bob's brother Rick, and got to see a couple friends as well. The Phoenix Valley is SO WIDE and our friends are so spread across the valley that we didn't have a chance to see all of them. Ah well, good reason for another visit.