Made it home to the red bricks about 10 pm last night.

Gone for 10 days total.

Wonderful trip, as always glad to be home, back in AEX

New chapter here on the horizon for me. Sort of strange, maybe a lil bit confused. Still sorting things out.

On the plane back home last night I was chatting with my seat mates, they were an older couple, in their late seventies, I told them that I had just retired. The lady commented your so young to do that, I thought...hmm you right, I told her that I had just passed 32 years in my profession and thought it was time to say good bye for a lil while. She then told me...32 years...long time for one profession one career these days. I thought about that....it has been a wonderful 32 years, with ups and downs, and sometimes sideways. But all in all... I enjoyed it....for sure!

So, as January approaches, a new year, I look to it .. new horizons....new paths...new approaches !!!

Today, the GDG rode up into the hills between Fort Ross and Cazadero Ca. We went looking for Wild Hog Winery. We found maybe the house, but we didnt make it to it.....due to the fact we didn't have a four wheel drive machine. Shear drop off of 600 ft, huge redwood trees at the bottom of the hollow, micro climates in abundance....

So, on top are a few pics ....of the micro climates....

I am off to Tx here in the next ten days or so, to do an audit....be back soon.

There is the school house, the Church, and I am sure some cousins of some of the cast of birds that starred in the the Hitchcock thriller The Birds.

It took place on Bodega Bay, but the Church and school house are located in the sleepy hamlet of Bodega. Bodega is located about five miles from Bodega Bay. The Tides cafe which was seen in the movie is still there, but not in original condition, its been upgraded, but the same location at Bodega Bay.

So, for the movie buffs....I made the pilgrimage to see both little towns, and I did enjoy the wine.....seems that in the movie everyone is drinkin' and smokin'....nothing has changed too much on either of those points here in Bodega Bay or Bodega hamlet.

We were at Point Reyes today, saw the elephant seals, the diary farms, and the wind swept coast line.

Great day....was good to roam around and see the wonders of Somona/Marin Counties. I can understand why folks would love to live here. You can mtn bike in the hills, hike the redwoods, visit wineries, surf or walk the beaches, sample good food anywhere you go, ....I guess that is why there are LOTS of Folks here.....ALWAYS......even in the small towns when you would think no one should be around.....there is always a CROWD of Folks...folks everywhere....!!!

I think I am ready to head back to go old La. Where on a gravel road you can stop to take a leak and fifteen trucks and cars dont pull up behind you to do the same thing.

Christmas Day

Bodega Bay

Bodega Head Point

Brunch, with a lil orange juice and additives. Sticky buns, scones, etc.

Then I cooked a prime rib roast, rubbed with garlic and a South La seasoning. Green beans, with pressed garlic and bacon, blood orange salad,.... great wines!!!!

Ate around four in the afternoon.


Then we did the birds this afternoon with a few seals, but the seals were so far away, didn't really get any good pics.

But we did the birds at Bodega Bay Head Point. Where was Alfred ?? Didn't see him.


More wineries, more cheese creameries, just more, more, more.

Another great day on the Pacific Coast at Bodega Bay.

Again we roamed the wine country, ate cheese from CowGirl Creamery, picked up a crown rib roast from Whole Foods, and drank a lil wine along the way.

Tomorrow is Christmas, we are hiking the cliffs and coves of Bodega Bay, eating, drinking a lil wine....just taking it easy.

On Wednesday, we are back in the van and heading out to visit, taste, drink, at the wine counters across Somona County.

Ah....such a great visit this time.

Big Trees and Sunsets from Bodega Bay

Today we toured the Armstrong Forest, redwoods, flora, etc. pics to come after I sort thru them.

All is ok, being the only gay person on this trip is sort of an unusual setting for me. I am the chief cook, but not the chief bottle washer.

We toured several wineries today. Interesting process. 16K cases on 60 acres, organic plantings, @ avg price of $42 a bottle.....you do the math...full time staff of six, not bad if you owned the land 20+ years ago.

Have six more days here. Tis been ok. Just an adjustment in the personalities for me....in close proximity is always something to get accustom too!!!

I am on Pelican Loop Bodega Bay Ca. GDG and I have arrived. Stuck my foot in the Pacific Ocean today, at sunset.

A chilling emotional experience.

Good Friends, Good Wine, and a beautiful sunset ......

Life is good......

Staying a week, home next Saturday.

Scenes from the first day of the SF trip. Was walking North Beach neighborbhood that we are staying in and came across the Bimbo Club..

More pics to follow.....I will be here eight more days with the GDG.
Wonderful meal last night, local eatery, they pour us enough table water to float a boat......speaking of boats........I will have to show you a pic later on of the China Line....just one example of thousands that come into this country each year.

I am in SF.

More to follow

Tomorrow I have to go before some attorneys.

Trying to finish up some loose ends of some lawsuits brought by some disgruntled folks

All in all... if you work in the public sector for anytime, have a position that places you over a large population, you are bound to wind up with these types of legal matters.

According to my attorneys, it will be an ok day. Shit... I always have catastrophe thinking as my sister says.

I always think the worst, then if it gets better, its ok. I am not the person that makes lemons into lemonade.

Saw the dr yesterday, the blood pressure was way off the scale 182/102.

Off the chart you know...I promised to get back to the gym again...let me say that...again.

I believe the high charting of the BP was due to the situation at hand, the no gym, the induction on red wine the night before, and so on.

After the trip to CA, its onto the bike, stair master at the gym, the elliptical walker, and a few weights...

or I could just Zen with the guys off of Lee Street, under the tree and pass the day.

Monday....

I went to the dr today to make good on a promise that I made to myself.

To start off .....going back to the gym, riding the mtn bike, kayaking, but all in all, getting healthier.

So, the first step was to go to the Dr and get ready to do all the tests. Him and I agreed to begin the process on Feb 4 and see where it takes us.

Do the whole nine yards... up the colon, draw the red stuff, look here, look there.

The bp today was not impressive. Not by a long shot. I either was very nervous, drank a lil too much red last night, certainly I havent been to the gym and it showed...no cardio he said...then he smiled...he could tell...i hadn't had any cardio in six months...shit....i knew that.

So, after my lil trip to Texas to audit over there (part time career job)....I will get back to the gym and the bike.

Drop 20 pounds too!!!!

Wow...... What a Crowd Yesterday.

177 kind folks showed up for the hamburger send off.

I made it thru with too many tears, few sniffles.

Lil Sister, Neighbors, Dear Friends with old stories of days passed, colleagues, former employees, and the list went on, and on.

Got the key to the City.

DOC Secretary's Award

Governor's Award,

Plaque from City Marshal' Office

Very Very Nice Leather engraved Humidor ... Nice Cigars,,,,,,,

Numerous accolades .... More Plaques. Clock from the Natl Guard ...Gift Cards.....Flowers.....

Nice Fly Rod...very nice Fly Rod....

Sage http://www.sage-flyfishingoutfitters.com/sage/s/viewitem.aspx?pid=ROD-SAG-VT24-379

All in all Great Send Off and to be so Young .....STILL.

Yes....It happens when you start work when you are still in diapers, wet behind the ears, and not knowing a damn thing, your hair was the length of your collar ..well below it. A lid was not a jar top, criminals were not gangsters, and the world was a lil softer.

But the years did pass. I rose thru the ranks, the lid became something other than vegetable substance, more like what you cooked on your stove in some run down house, snorted up your nose, criminals just got meaner by the year and turned into drive by shooters....GANGSTERS

and yes the hair, it got shorter, shorter, almost none,...and not black.... more white now than grey.

Oh well... Life plods down the trail.... one step at a time.

and Yes... I still think I can piss over a bus....(maybe)

Ya'll coming over here.

Cause tomorrow the Fat Lady Sings

One more day, that's it.

This morning on the local talk radio station, featured a commentary on me.

You know, had to give a response. So, called in, thanked all my employees, not by name, its a 177 of them.

Tried to make a point that, its the employee that holds up the boss, its the boss that stands on the employees shoulders to reach the goals, so you are no better than your weakest employee.

State workers get a bum rap, whether its a sanitation worker, policeman, teacher, social worker, the prevailing attitude is we are all on the gravy train. Its not the case, there is so many dedicated state employees out there that are true to their professions, to the ethics established by their profession, all should be given credit where credit is due.

So many supervisors want to take credit these days for their leadership, their goals obtained. Never mentioning or giving credit to the folks that really do the work. You just provided the leadership, its the employees who do the work. Effective leadership is one thing, but its the WORK that is done by the lowest employee that gets the job completed. Its the pride that is instilled in the employee, thru effective leadership, but its the PRIDE.


I have been blessed by 177 competent men and women. Thru their hard work...I reached all the goals.

I am up. Can't go to sleep.

Must be all things going on.

Lets see................

retirement

son in iraq

lawsuits from clients

politics in la

oh let me say retirement again and the freedom That gives, but
there is always a 'but' in louisiana, but, but what.
but, got to decide what other career, job, i will eventually find or be offered.


how long should i be out of the job market.

chillin' i do need to learn that lesson

writing bout who i am the real tommy

where i came from, born and raised, what i have done since 1975, fresh from college.

at least i am a yellow dog democrat, hailing from the Great State of Louisiana, surivor of katrina and rita
putting up with the bubba rednecks of la and trying to find a course of action for the under privileged, the down trotten, the wards of the state, then managing to perform(not reform) during the terms of three elephant ass governors in 32 years and help the social ills of society.


But all in all... i am good.... just can't sleep... it might be just the baby boy in iraq and its Christmas Time

I biked on Sunday, while I was out, I took a few pictures of sites around the downtown area.

I haven't done crap today. Maybe I should, but today is some what reflective...

54 years ago today, at around 6:10 am, Wilma Ruth brought me into this world, while an anguish, balding 50 year old man stood outside in at the waiting room known to his friends as Dub.

The hospital that I was born in no longer exist, the structure being torn down to make way for civic improvements.

The baby doctor is long gone, passed into the world of light many moons ago.

Wilma Ruth and TW are long gone, TW having passed before I was nine years old.

Mostly every one that I was associated in my early childhood years with are long gone. Uncle Glifford, Uncle Norman, Uncle Harry, all of my Daddy's buddies, we knew them as uncles (its a Southern Thing) not misters are really long gone.

As one begins to look back in time on a day of reflection, it becomes apparent that most early childhood memories of folks are long gone, that some of your teenage years associations are long gone, that time is creeping steadily to you.

I will pass this day, as I have most Saturdays, on the banks of the Red River, in the heart of the Garden District, on the red bricks streets that I so dearly love, cooking for friends this evening, sharing tales of life, and commenting on the dysfunctional world of younger men.

So, goes a Birth Day Saturday in Central La.

Always remembering the Past, searching for the Future.

Back on the trail again.

Got a email from DC, saying they need me to head to the big state of TX.

Doing a site visit near Beaumont. Three day trip. I haven't had a request to do a site visit in a very long time. Thought I might have been off the grid so to speak.

I will be trying my best to get back on the good side of the list to make some visits around the country here soon.


All is doing ok here on the Red Bricks in Central La. The day is approaching ... The fat lady sings on the 14th.

This is a picture of an inlet I was fishing on Valentine Lake, in the National Forest outside of Alex, yesterday.

What drew me into the inlet, was the serenity of the inlet, the calming of it all. The fishing wasn't so good. But the scenery was, along with the companionship of all.

Just a few more days till the big day.

I am fortunate to have been brought up in a family that does long range thinking/ planning. My sister and I have a knack for it. We think out ...far out in some instances as in long range planning. So, I have begun the "what I'm going to do after retirement, when am I going back to work, and in what field" type of thinking.

I think that days on lakes like Valentine, with a fly rod and a cigar is going to help in this stage of the planning.

Talking to one of my long term friends today, he had heard of a business friend of ours that had came down with Lou Gehrig's disease. Gave him only a year to year and half to live. This guy was the COS of a major prison, had many years in corrections, retired about not long ago. No older than me right now, and he is looking to a shitty quality of life, then death. Damn.

When I think of everything, from the political liability, the after 50 health issues, the genes I inherited from my Daddy, the unfortunate nature of my beloved career, I come to the realization that I am making the right decision...

As the cajuns would say "Fooor Sure" !!!!!!

Today, the Smith Brothers and I paddled Valentine Lake. Joining us was Lisa Marie. We fished. But didn't catch anything, however the scenery was just magnifincent.

See the pics above.

Also, I published the pics from the Mac today also. I am getting there, but still limited on what I can do with the Mac.

Well

Information for Timmy

The rice actually comes from Pine Prairie . Elton is the nearest official US Post Office.

For the last twelve or so years I have given a Christmas Rice Bag entitled "From my kitchen to your kitchen".

Always has a Cajun Theme on the front, and my name on the back with a lil saying. Two pound bag of Popcorn Rice.

Popcorn Rice is a type of rice grown in South La. that when cooked resembles the smell of popcorn during the cooking process.

Its a mild rice, sort of creamy in taste, good for gumbos etc.

With the longevity of my gift giving of this bag, it has become a sought after Christmas Gift, sort of collectible.