SFO! Here we go to O! You!

What a terrific weekend! First, the view flying into LAX early Saturday morning (Oct 18th), from over Malibu. The fog was trying to roll onto shore. I thought it looked really neat.

Melissa's husband, Dean, bought tickets for the O! You!, the Oprah event. Melissa invited me, Diann and Renee to join her. It was a LOT of fun! Melissa & Renee picked me up in Oakland, and we drove to SFO to meet Diann, and four of their friends. I wasn't sure how long it would take as we approached the Bay Bridge--look at the traffic! I think this dog experienced the same misgivings as I!

We explored Pier 39, and ate the BEST dinner at one of the pier restaurants. I opted for Garlic Steamed Crab; it was delicious! Diann chose a wonderful organic merlot. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but really liked this selection. I think I've been able to convince Diann to buy me a bottle for my birthday (which is Nov 1st, for those who don't know! Yes, that's a hint!).

We got up bright and early (OK, sleepy and snarly) for the O! You! event. I spotted this artwork on the sidewalk on the way to the Moscone Center; we were walking through the Vietnamese district: Once a year, Oprah brings together eight amazing speakers for a day.You get to chose four; we saw Stacy London (from "What Not to Wear"), Marianne Williamson, Martha Beck and Suze Orman. Stacy was really funny and sweet. She was kind when pointing out "what not to wear," and even kinder when she spotted someone who was right-on in their look.

I had never heard of Marianne or Martha. Martha was very funny, and a kindred spirit--I will be buying and reading her books! We move at dawn....

Suze was just as amazing as she is on TV. She's furious at our government, and those who have created this economic crisis--she feels that they should all be in jail for the pain that they've caused so many people. She advocated paying off all of your credit, and to continue to invest in your 401K, IRA and the stock market, because although these are terrible times, stock prices are at all-time lows, so bargains are to be had. She feels that, in 5-10 years, a lot of wealth will be created from the purchases made now.

At the very end, Oprah made a surprise appearance! She's an amazing, electrifying speaker. I'd like to attend the taping of one of her shows; might have to add that to the Life List!

We ate (and drank) dinner at Bucca de Beppo. We liked this guy:

The weekend was a lot of fun! The best part was spending time with my friends...and Happy Birthday, Melissa!

Seven days until the election--don't forget to vote!!!!

108 Calls, and Counting!

I finally got a chance to get down to Barack Obama's Denver HQ and volunteer my time. I spent a couple of hours on the phone, and made 108 phone calls! You know, it really felt GOOD to invest my time in something in which I really believe. And I believe in this election; I believe in this candidate. I'll be headed back to HQ this week, to donate a LOT more of my time.

There are many rumors floating around out there, so here's some information about Barack's positions on things I know are important to you:
-- Economy: http://my.barackobama.com/EconomyFlyer
-- Health Care: http://my.barackobama.com/HealthcareFlyer
-- Education: http://my.barackobama.com/EducationFlyer

PLEASE take the time to educate yourself about this election. Don't just listen to the media, go to their respective websites and read Barack's plan, read John McCain's plan, and compare the two. Then decide where you think this country should go, how it should get there, who is most likely to acheive that, and should the worst happen--the VP becomes President, who you want leading the country for the next 4 years.

Do you really want to risk electing a ticket with a VP who doesn't know the limits of the office of VP and during the debate, said that she wanted to push those boundries (like she did as Governor, with ethics violations in order to terminate two employees--her ex-brother-in-law, and the man who wouldn't fire him?) (Oh, and your power extends to a tie-breaking vote, ONLY, Sarah!)? Or do you want a VP who has spent many years in Washington and understands the office of President and Vice-President, and who is supremely qualified for both?

Do you want a President who is going to take away some of your civil liberties--a woman's right to choose, union rights? Who plans going to tax your health benefits? Who wants to drill for oil in ecologically sensitive areas, destroying more of this country--and that oil will not be available for 10 years!!! (Obama's energy plan has American oil-INDEPENDENT in 10 years!!!! And it provides jobs here at home, in factories that are empty, employing people who have lost their homes and had to go on welfare because their jobs were shipped overseas!) Do you want a President who has voted with Bush 95% of the time--who thought that there were weapons of mass destruction and who helped authorize the war? Who said that our economy was stable? Who doesn't know how many houses he owns? Who wants us to stay in Iraq indefinitely? Or do you want a President with a plan that helps YOU, not his pocketbook and his kid's trust funds?

Do you want the money that you've contributed to be privatized--which means that it is put into the stock market? Can you manage your own stocks? Do you want to risk your retirement income? If your Social Security contribution had been privatized already, how much would it be worth right now? Senator Obama wants to fix Social Security, not privatize it at this point.

Some rumour quashing--Senator Obama is NOT Muslim. He is a Christian, with a strong faith in God. He is an AMERICAN, born in Hawai'i. He was raised by a single mom (like me) and had to put himself through college (as I did). No-one handed anything to him. There were no "silver platters" in the Obama household, just a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

He was the editor of the Harvard Law Review, and earned top grades at Harvard. Do you know how hard that is? He could have commanded any job, and any salary when he graduated, but he chose to go into public service on the community level.

He has worked hard to improve his life and his circumstances. He owns one house and two cars.

This is probably going to be the most important election in my lifetime, and it's something I strongly believe in. So let's talk about it. Ask me anything. Thanks. But whatever you decide, PLEASE VOTE!

Big Changes & Happy Anniversary!

Wow, what a busy, crazy couple of months! I received and accepted an offer on the house--finally! It was on the market 18 months! I was very grateful to sell, especially in this economy. So many people have taken enormous losses on their homes. I was lucky to get close to my asking price, and I walked away with the ability to follow some of my dreams, and achieve some of my goals.

So, I moved to Denver, right into the middle of EVERYTHING! There is a coffee house close to my apt, and a wine restaurant, several yoga studios, bookstores, ethnic restaurants, and a fencing--yes, sword-fighting--studio not far away. I'm renting for 6 months, in order to give myself a chance to evaluate Denver, to see if I want to invest in a life here. I didn't do that when I moved to COS, and I paid dearly for that mistake. It's already been a good, healthy change for me--emotionally, mentally and financially. You can't ask for more than that!

Let's catch up with the past two months. In August, Ranger & I were invited to participate in a cutting clinic at Barnes Ranch in Larkspur. The Barnes, Gerrie & Jeff, are very active in the Versatility Ranch Horse program in Colorado. Ranger was amazing, as usual, and Gerry invited us to ride on her 2009 team! What an honour! Check out Ranger with the cows:Beth came over to the house in August to help me with some projects before it sold, and we saw some neat insects. The moth was about 1" wide and emerald green, and spent most of the day on the screen door. The dragonfly was irridescent green. It was about 5" long--it was enormous! Look at the detail of the wings!Sara's first birthday was in August. Odie blew up a LOT of balloons, and the kids had a ball with them. I'm not sure my heart has recovered from the numerous POPS, every few minutes! Watching her grow up has been wonderful. Odie is due to give birth to Sara's brother in December; it's going to be a Merry Christmas!The sunrises and sunsets are something I'll miss about my house. These are the last few in Sept:Kalisha joined me on the deck to watch the sunset. She's 17 years of age, now.Fungi are always fun. This was growing in one of my potted plants. Pretty, isn't it?Have you ever seen a baby orca? This little one is in one of the San Juan pods. He or she won't be named (numbered, actually) for a year. Scientists wait to ensure that the calf has a good chance at survival before numbering it. They think he/she was born in June 2008.Flying has been fantastic. Here's the view from 2000' below another airplane; we were at FL370. No, this wasn't a close-call. Currently, ATC separates airplanes by 1000' in opposite directions. They were going to SFO, too, so were 2000' above, since they were going the same way:This is what it looks like when everything goes to hell. Yes, we landed safely (DUH!).The views from my office are always amazing. This is San Jose at dawn, with a sea of fog abutting the foothills in the Bay Area:Here's Chino at dawn last week. It seems to be the center of the universe, doesn't it?How about Missoula at dawn the first week of Sept? With fog against the mountains, and snow the night before!Here's another one of those weird mini-hurricanes. This one is near Santa Barbara the last week of August. I was flying with Andrew at the time. I was glad that something this special happened during this particular trip!I love sharing the joy of flying with people. Vivian is 89, and this was her first airplane ride, ever. She was thrilled to have a female pilot! We brought her to LAX. Notice the NORMAL display to the right of my yoke (steering wheel)--that's what it's supposed to look like!This little guy's backpack is almost as big as he is! He was a terrific big brother, wasn't he?OK, OK, to the anniversary! Seven years ago, on October 1st, Kay & Chuck drove me to Burns, Oregon, to adopt a wild mustang from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It was only a few weeks after 9/11, and I was worried about my job, but I wanted a horse so badly...a mustang, and I was tired of pushing my dream aside for everyone else's ideas of responsibility and common sense. I spent HOURS trying to make the biggest decision of my life. The horse I had originally chosen wouldn't look at me, and the people whose advice I trusted had all told me to choose a horse who also chose me. I was devastated, and didn't know what to do--there wasn't a back-up horse in my plans.

Gary, one of the BLM wranglers, suggested that I go to the mare/foal pen and play with the babies while making my decision. I chose two cute bay colts, and there was one little black colt who wanted to come to meet me, but his mama wouldn't let him. I asked for the three of them to be brought in so I could see them more closely. The bay colts panicked; they were terrified to be so close to humans. The black colt stood in the chutes, nervous, but not too scared. He whinnied once to his mama, who had been turned back, then he turned to me. I reached between the bars and rubbed his neck, and Ranger looked into my eyes. That was it. I was lost in his gaze. I had found my horse. Here he is, 7 years later. Isn't he handsome? I'm so very, very awed and honoured that this wild horse has chosen to trust me. I once told Gary that Ranger was the best thing that had ever happened to me in my life, and I still hold to that assertion today. Happy Seventh Anniversary, Ranger!Of course, I can't leave Beau out. He's 21, now, and still as handsome as ever. People often comment about how wise his eyes are, that he has an old soul. Judge for yourself.I hope that someone or something is watching over you as well as my horses watch over me.

Don't forget to register to vote--this is probably the most important presidential election that you'll ever vote in. I encourage you to check out Barack Obama's website, read his plans for our country, and consider voting for him. www.mybarackobama.com We can't afford 4 more years of Bush/McCain politics, policies and agendas. Voter's registration in most states ends, for this election, within the next week---PLEASE make voting a priority, because it's YOUR life that your vote affects!