: September 2007

My wife, Debbie Voltura, is a jazz singer. She's putting on a concert Thursday Novemer 1 at the Temecula Old Town Theater. I went to the theater yesterday to pick up some tickets and there was little doubt that fall was in the air. I wanted to share a few photos with you and show you one of the many places near home that I'm crazy about. Enjoy!

P.S. I took Jeff Turner's advice and got a Kodak Easy Share V705. Thanks, Jeff. What a great camera!

Every once in a while you just get lucky. That's what happened to Debbie and me when we chanced upon Anthony's a little over a year ago. We stopped in for lunch with our friends Dan and Melanie. The food was superb, the prices were very reasonable and we have been back more times than I can count.

Tony Nanci is the owner and host. His brother Adolfo is behind the bar most nights. Tony's wife Joan is usually around early in the evening.

Not only are we made to feel at home when we come in, we've met and become friends with several of the regulars.

The food is consistently excellent. I been to several restaurants that are hit and miss. If you don't see what you're in the mood for on the menu, ask and they'll probably be able to make it for you. I can honestly say I've never had any food there that was less than excellent. When you add in the hospitality, you can't go wrong. Chalk up another reason why I love where I live.

I think the good guys deserve recognition. Too often you hear stories about poor service or bad business. I'd like to turn the tables. There are a bunch of teriffic business owners out there. When someone shines so brightly that they need to be acknowledged, I would like to point them out.

This time the business spotlight shines on Japanese Auto Specialty. After being treated like a member of the herd one too many times at the local "dealership", I decided to look for another place to take my car to get serviced. I got lucky on the first try. Japanese Auto Specialty is located on Via Montezuma in Temecula. Vicky and Bob are not only delightful, but they're conscientious and extremely professional. My car is ready when promised if not sooner. If there's a problem, they take care of it. I definitely don't feel like just another number there. They're local business owners that make me proud to live where I do.

We just returned from a fabulous trip to the Pacific Northwest. We flew out of San Diego, and as I was leaving the city and heading home, this sign caught my eye, and how! Is it just me, or is this one of the more different signs you've ever seen? How does this psychic parking business work? How much is the monthly fee? Where do I sign up? The possibilities stagger my imagination!

One of the things I love about living in a relatively small community is getting to know the folks who run local establishments. As I was leaving the post office on Losa Alamos the other day, I noticed a new restaurant, Mama Rose's Pizzeria. Since I love pizza, I walked in and was greeted by one of the owners, Pam. Right off the bat Pam welcomed me and told me they made the best pizza, period.

Two days later, I decided to see if she could deliver on her promise. I called to order a pizza, went in, picked it up, took it home, and when I opened the box, I had a feeling she may not have been bluffing. The crust was golden brown, the sausage and pepperoni were abundantly placed, the mushrooms were gorgeous and the olives were my favorite, Kalamata.

Needless to say, this was a delicious pizza. I went back a few days later to tell Pam how good her pizza was and noticed she looked familiar. It turns out she had waited on us when  she worked at Annie's in Lake Elsinore. She and her husband Joe decided to open Mama Rose's, and based on my first visit, they have a winner on their hands. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by, say "hi", and settle in for some tasty food.

Destination: parts unknown...

We arrived at the SeaTac airport Thursday where we were greeted by my sister and whisked away to Anacortes, where my brother-in-law was waiting to take us to The Island That Must Not Be Named. Anacortes is a charming town, located on Fidalgo Island, accessed by bridge from the mainland. We stopped to pick up supplies, got an assortment of tasty baked goods from La Vie En Rose bakery, and off we went.

Anacortes is where one normally takes a ferry to visit the major islands in the San Juans. Going by private boat is so much more fun!

As you can see, the weather was picture perfect. After we broke through a bit of fog, it was nothing but blue skies and calm seas. The ride took us a little under an hour. The island we visited has very few residents. Apples grow in abundance and the local produce is beautiful and delicious. Electricity comes from solar panels or wind generators. The sunsets took your breath away.

We spent two days and nights visiting with family, cooking on the beach, taking walks and meeting and visiting with some of the delightful locals. On Saturday, with our psychic batteries fully re-charged, we packed up and headed for home. This trip was precisely what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to return...

We leave tomorrow morning for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My sister and her family have a cabin on a remote island in the San Juans. It's so remote, in fact, they have asked me to refrain from mentioning its name. Those who live here are fiercely protective of their privacy. Needless to say I will be out of the rain for a few days.

I'm looking forward to spending some time away from the busy-ness, computers (oops, I already feel the AR withdrawals kicking in) and overall distractions. Needless to say, I'll be bringing all my photo gear and can't wait to see what I can shoot there.

I also look forward to just plain relaxing, catching up on my reading, spending time with family and exploring the island.

On Monday I will head to the campus at Microsoft in Redmond, WA to have lunch with Patrick Elliott, a member of the Windows beta test team. I met Patrick on a tour while we were beta testing Vista. Patrick came out from Virginia and shortly thereafter was hired. If you ever get the chance to take a tour of the Microsoft campus, don't miss it. It is an incredible experience. I'll catch up with you as soon as I get back. Take care!

Today was the big day. I taught a blogging class to the agents in my office. A few agents from our sister offices came by and an affiliate provided lunch. About 25 people attended. Normally we get 8-10 to show up for a class if we're lucky.

Not only was this the first class I have taught, it was the first Power Point presentation I have put together. The agents asked lots of questions and several of them were joining active rain as soon as class ended. I enjoyed the opportunity to give back. I've already been invited to give the class at another one of our offices, and I'm looking forward to it.

I couldn't have done it without the help of so many in this wonderful community. Thanks in no particular order to: TLW,  * Jennifer Bukaty *, Donna Yates, Jo-Anne Smith, Fran White, Adam Waldman, Bobby Carrol & Bill and Barbara Jo.  I appreciate you more than you can imagine.

Check out these smiling faces...

I was innocently reading the Sunday paper yesterday when I came across an article that talked about how passionate the people of India are about getting recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records. Aside from the man who was able to set the record for fastest consumption of a bottle of ketchup through a straw (39 seconds)      

and the guy who set the record for skipping 10 miles in 58 seconds. Oh, there's nothing wrong with those records.

The one that got me was Radhakant Bajpai. He holds the world record for the longest ear hair (5 inches)  

You know, I think I could have lived the rest of my life very happily without knowing that. Maybe it's just me...

The Temecula Valley International Film Festival  gets underway this Wednesday, September 12. A vintage car parade and red carpet celebration will kick-off the 13^th annual festival at 5 pm. More than 160 films will be screened and fourteen bands are scheduled to play.  The festival will wrap Sunday evening at 5 with a black-tie gala and awards ceremony at Pechanga Resort & Casino.  Smokey Robinson and Michael Madsen are two of the honorees.  Visit the website (http://www.tviff.com/) or call (951) 699-5514 for more information.