guys are all the same

Vegas and Napa

2011-04-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Vegas and Napa, both cities serve alcohol, but that is their only similarity. Two weeks ago I went with my brothers and buddies to Vegas and the following week I took my wife to Napa with our close friends Jordan and Jenny. Surprisingly I only got sick in Napa, but that was not drink induced as I got the flu, though I'm sure the drinking didn't help.

For the Napa trip we purchased one of those "groupons" through www.livingsocial.com . It turned out to be a great deal. We stayed in downtown Napa at the Napa Valley Inn, got a free breakfast and $100 to eat at Food Network Iron Chef star Morimoto's restaurant. I'm not a wine guy, but we did a little tasting and it was fun. After dinner we were able to walk to a pool hall and play pool and darts and they had 50 beers on tap. Playing darts turned out to be really fun and we are planning on getting a dart board at the house now that we know how to play.

Vegas was a great time, though I do not recommend staying at the Rio. We only stayed there because of a deal we had, which didn't turn out to be a deal at all. Always pick a hotel on the strip and you can't go wrong with Bellagio or Mandalay Bay. I prefer the daytime activities at the pool over the night life and Mandalay has an awesome wave pool and lazy river.

Our excuse to go to Vegas was to watch March Madness NCAA basketball, but I'm not sure how many games we watched between all the pool time and craps we played. Even though the motto is "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", I took a few pictures.

Pool-time at the Rio, we made the best of it....

Enjoying the night...

Putting the sink to good use...

Beer and Ribs

2011-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

My 5 year old son Moses told me the other day "Dad we haven't barbecued in a long time". He was right, it had been raining so much I have not thought about bbq. I didn't end up barbecuing, but rather smoked some pork ribs for about 5 hours. I smoked a loaf of french bread wrapped in tin-foil as well and broiled some asparagus.

I had also recently finished brewing a batch of pale ale beer. It turned out really nice. The beer has a medium hop flavor and complimented the whole meal. When I have a beer with a meal I like to have something flavorful, like an ale or a bock. When I have a beer while watching a game or after working hard on a labor intensive project, I prefer something light like a pilsner. I might be over-thinking it, but there are different beers for different occasions. Though at the end of the day, if someone hands me a beer, I'm really not going to complain about what kind it is.

Coons

2011-03-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

We have been battling with raccoons lately. They have won some and so have we...

We started setting some traps for the raccoons after they started to go after our chickens in the coop and eating all the cat food in the cat dish.

The other night my father-in-law Duane burst into the house to tell me there was a raccoon in the chicken coop. I had one of those, huh which weapon should I get moments, when my wife said "Take the hand gun, it is already loaded". Usually, my wife wouldn't be so forward about getting a gun out, but she raised this chickens. I grabbed the hang gun from the safe, which was loaded with hollow-point bullets for any intruders, and ran out there. Duane had startled the raccoon so it was up in the rafters above the chickens. Thankfully none of the chickens had been eaten yet. I practically shot off the raccoon's head when I shot it with the .40 hollow-point. Of course it fell down right on-top of the chickens, who frantically went running in all directions. Between all the splattered blood and feathers it looked like a voodoo ceremony just took place. One of those poor chickens wouldn't leave the corner of the coop, trembling and traumatised. I tried reassuring her, but she was going to have to sleep it off. Since this happened, we have been locking up the chickens earlier.

Here is a picture of me trying to get the dogs more interested in doing this dirty work, so I can get some sleep in the night.

The other encounter happened the following night when I heard noise on the back deck. I looked out and saw our cat in the trap finishing off a can of tuna, the raccoon bait. I let the stupid cat out and went back to bed. About a hour later I wake up to more noise on the deck. I look out and there is a raccoon eating the cat food right outside the door. I banged on the door and it looked at me like he didn't care I was there. I opened the door and he ran off, but I knew he would be back. I wasn't about the startle the whole family by shooting it in the middle of the night, so I went with plan B, Louisville Slugger. With the cat food just outside the door, I opened the sliding back door just enough to fit the bat out. I raised the bat like a hammer and waited. Within 5 minutes that raccoon came back up the deck to the cat food dish. I swung that bat straight down like I was trying to win the strong man competition at the fair, and knocked that raccoon right on the head. As soon as I hit the raccoon it flew in the air and went jumping and flopping all over the deck. I was laughing so hard because the idea worked so well, that I forgot to go out and finish the fight since I had only stunned it. The raccoon ran off and I went back to bed laughing myself back to sleep. I know one thing about raccoons, and that is, they will be back.

No Pics, But Worth Telling

2010-12-11T16:59:00.001-08:00

A young lady (Rosemarie) who is in charge of community outreach at our church called me last month to tell me she met a woman (Gertrude) at the food shelter. Rosemarie said Gertrude was the sweetest old lady, and after talking for a while found out she could use a little help clearing out a large amount of garbage from her home in East Palo Alto. So, a few weeks later my dad, Rosemarie and myself worked for couple of hours filling up my dump trailer with all kinds of crap. Additionally, we cut down Gertrude's weeds, raked and cleaned off the walkway and patio. It was a solid two hours of productivity, turning the backyard from a dump to being useable, safe, and clean.

We were pumped getting back into my truck, excited about how well it went and how happy Gertrude was to have her yard cleaned up. Then things went downhill. Rosemarie asked if she brought her purse and I told her that I saw it on the floor in the back seat of my truck. When she couldn't find it, I immediately looked for my wallet in the door of my truck, and it was gone as well. I knew they had been stolen, and I was surprised because I made a point to lock the truck since the neighborhood was really sketchy. Rosemarie had her car keys (no spare), a new makeup bag (which I've been told from multiple women is very expensive), cell phone and a wallet in her purse. In my wallet, in addition to my credit cards, I kept a card of paper with my bank account numbers on it (dumb!).

Rosemarie went in to tell Gertrude what had happened, and her grandchildren said it was probably the teenagers across the street as "they are always stealing". Well, there wasn't much that could be done, so we left. I was surprised by how well I was dealing with the theft. I've had other things stolen in the past and it always infuriated me. This time, the only thing I was mad about was the amount of time I would spend at the DMV waiting in line trying to get a new license. I started to ponder why I wasn't so furious and the following thoughts came to my mind...

I was in a bad neighborhood and I left my truck unlocked: stupid. Even though I was being a "Good Christian" by helping someone less fortunate, that didn't make me immune to my surroundings. In fact it makes me a bigger target as I'm not as aware or prepared in a foreign setting. My wife and I support some missionaries in Africa. I can think of two accounts they have shared where a group of thugs have attacked their community specifically targeting them and have almost beaten to death innocent people. If they wanted to stay out of harm's way they wouldn't be missionaries in Africa. It is easy to prevent these types of situations by avoiding dangerous areas, but when one feels compelled to help others, safety becomes a lessor priority. The same can be said for those who serve in the military, Red Cross, etc.

It has been a couple weeks since my wallet was stolen. It was a hassle to go to the DMV, cancel credit cards, and monitor accounts, but I'm glad I went to help Gertrude. She was very appreciative and I know it made life easier for her and her grandchildren. Next time I'll make sure to lock my doors!

Remodeling Pros and Cons

2010-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Old front of house

Old kitchen.

Six years ago we wanted to get into the hot San Francisco Bay Area housing market. Unfortunately this was one of the few houses that was in our price range. It is crazy that we paid close to $500K for this dilapidated house. I knew the only way for us to afford a home was to put sweat equity into something someone else didn't want. We kept getting outbid for other homes that only required minor remodeling, but there was hardly any competition on this house. I didn't anticipate putting so much work into the house, but after pulling down some walls I quickly realized the house was crap. I gutted it down to the studs and removed the shoddy addition in the back. I had some plans drafted to remodel the house and add 500 square feet off the back of the house. The city of San Jose had a policy that if you did not add more than 500 square feet to your house one would qualify for Express Check, which included having plans approved over the counter and only having to pay $1500 for permits. Turns out that, due to the fact that we were remodeling the existing house, they added the entire home's square footage to the 500 square foot addition. The result was the plans went to planning for 3 months and the permits increased to $8,500! I should have taken this as a warning sign not to embark on such a major project without the right amount of time and money to complete it.

Since I did about 80% of the work myself, it took a good year to complete the project. It looks great after everything is said and done, but I learned a lot of lessons for any future projects I might do. You might be able to learn from my mistakes.

1. Do not pull a permit unless it increases the square footage. Looking back, I wish I remodeled the house first, then applied for a permit for the addition. This could have saved $7k in permit fees. Cities gouge residents for permits which is why so many people avoid them. If cities made the fees more reasonable, more people would use them and more revenue would come in.

2. Compare and calculate the cost of doing the work yourself (saves money but increases time) vs. subcontracting and having work completed more quickly. If subcontracting can complete the project in 3 months instead of 12, you can save 9 months of mortgage payments if you plan to sell the house, or it could be 9 months of rental revenue if you planned to rent it out.

3. Consider a room-by-room addition over time so you don't have to leave the house and you don't financially burden yourself if you go over budget. Going over budget for the bathroom is small compared to going over budget on the entire house.

In the end, I'm proud of the work, but I couldn't have timed things any worse. As soon as I completed the house, the housing market tanked. The house is now on the market, but there is no way we will see a return on our investment. Looking on the positive side of things, we didn't lose our house and this has been a good learning lesson for our next project.

New front of house.

New kitchen.

New living/dinning room.

Flagstone Patio

2010-10-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

We just finished a flagstone overlay for a previous client of mine. We put in the concrete about six months ago and now came back to lay (mortar) flagstone onto the concrete. I think it turned out really nice. I'll give most of the credit to brothers Tim and Dave who spent almost two weeks working hard in the heat.

If you ever thought about putting in your own flagstone patio or walkway, all you need is money, time, strength, and energy. There are a few different ways to laying flagstone, some more expensive and time consuming then others.

Option 1: Lay flagstone on dirt. This is a good option for garden pathways or a rustic patio. All you need is to level the dirt and use sand to level each piece of stone to one another using a level or a straight board. Instead of mortaring the joints between the flagstone pieces, one could fill with dirt and plant herbs, moss, or some other type of ground cover. Please note that not having the joints filled with a hard material will not make it easy for patio chairs as the legs fall into the joints.

Option 2: Lay flagstone on a compacted base-rock footing. Compacted base-rock, which consists of a mixture of angular rock, gravel, and sand, creates a solid surface when compacted. 3" of compacted base-rock with 1" of sand over the top for final leveling is a great alternative to a concrete base. Installing compacted base-rock can save you more than half the cost of concrete. One can find really great deals on recycled base-rock from landfills that grind up old concrete, rock and asphalt. To fill the joints, decomposed granite rock or polymeric sand can be used to provide a solid surface. Polymeric sand is so easy to install; just sweep into the joints, brush any remaining material off flagstone and lightly moisten with water. It creates a solid, yet flexible surface and bond.

Option 3: Lay flagstone on concrete. Concrete is a hard and solid surface and is the only one of these applications where the flagstone can be mortared to the sub-surface. This is the most expensive application due to the cost of concrete and mortar, and the amount of labor required to mortar and lay all the flagstone pieces. The joints can be filled with mortar or polymeric sand.

No matter which option one chooses, it can take a lot of money, labor, and time to put in flagstone. Usually a sales associate at a rockery can help homeowners figure out quantities by square footage for all the materials needed. With almost anything I'm doing for the first time, I research by reading and talking with others, then I try to have a positive attitude and not give up!

Making It Work

2010-09-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I need to go deep with my posts and this one is no exception. Bear with me...

So my wife and I have been sleeping on this sofa-bed for over two years now. This might sound depressing, which it was at first, but my attitude has totally changed. It all started when we bought a fixer-upper to "flip", which I ended up tearing down to the studs and completely rebuilding over a two year period. By the time I finished the house, the market tanked, my wife gave birth to our first son, and we used up all our money. I was hoping to take the proceeds from the house to put more money down on one of these overpriced expensive homes in the SF Bay Area. Since the housing prices went way down, we decided to rent out the house and wait for the market to come back. And wait, wait, and wait...

Fast forward 3 years and now our family of four is still living in the same one bedroom cottage on my father-in-law's property. When I talked my wife into giving up our bedroom for our son to have a bedroom/playroom, she asked where we were going to sleep. I told her we would find the best sofa-bed on the market for her (I'm such a romantic). She graciously went along with my plans, but it was not easy for us, especially me. For the first year as I removed the sofa pillows before unfolding the bed, I spent about every night thinking to myself, "loser, loser, loser, loser". I was so disappointed in my lack of providing a larger house for my family. I would say to myself, "Why did you quit high-tech sales and start a freaking landscaping business? Why didn't you sell most of your company stock when it was at $70 a share and now is at $1 a share? Why didn't you get the house completed 2 years earlier when the market was hot?" It is never healthy, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to look back on past mistakes that can not be changed. Now my mindset has changed and it is amazing what a few years of character building can do.

Now after sleeping on the sofa-bed for three years, I don't beat myself up anymore. I'll tell you what keeps my head up. First of all, I try to keep in my mind the trips I took in high school with YoungLife to build homes for impoverished families in Mexico. I remember building a 200 square foot home for a family of 7 people. This is about the size of a master bedroom in most homes. These families we built the houses for were so grateful for their new homes. They had been living in makeshift shacks built out of pallets and garbage. I still remember the excitement on their children's faces and the tears from the parent's eyes. There is so many people in the world living in shacks with no water, electricity or a bathroom. If we gave a needy family in any third world country our house, they would think it was a mini-mansion. I've realized I need to be more grateful for a roof over our heads, electricity, running water, and a bathroom. Our essentials are luxuries in many other parts of the world.

Second is I focus on the many wonderful things in my life. I love my family so much. God has blessed me with a great wife and kids. Once I keep this in my mindset, who cares about the size of our house and sleeping on a sofa-bed. Knowing they are safe, healthy and happy are my number one priorities. Plus, I'm so busy enjoying my family, the material surroundings do not become as important.

Lastly, I know we are going to be more appreciative to whatever house we do move into whenever that time comes. I used think a 2 bedroom and 1 bath house would be too small for my family to ever move into, but now I realize that would be doubling the amount of bedrooms we currently have!

Life is an ongoing experience of challenges and problems. We can either respond by feeling like a loser, inadaquate, and regretful over our current state of affairs or we can decide to make the best of our situations. We could focus on the positives (shelter, food, health, access to healthcare, opportunity, democracy, family, friends, faith, or whatever other blessing this country provides). With the right outlook and attitude, life's challenges make oneself a better and stronger person more capable to overcome each new problem that comes ones way.

Living Off The Land

2010-08-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

* This picture is a plate of wild boar ribs and tenderloin, string beans, pumpkin and purple potatoes.

We had our first meal using only food we killed and grew. Even though it was just one meal, it was a great feeling. And to think that Native Americans and early settlers used to do it every day... They didn't have the luxury of failing at hunting, growing, and gathering. If I wasn't successful at killing the boar, I would have just gone to the market and bought some baby-back ribs. If the peas and potatoes didn't grow, we could have gone to the store and picked up some. Our meal was a personal goal, not a matter of life and death.

With that said, it was a lot of fun to eat a meal without having to buy anything at the store. I would definitely like to eat more meals from food we hunted, gathered, and grew. For one thing, homegrown produce, eggs, etc. taste so much better than buying these things from a store as they are so fresh. The other reason I think homegrown food tastes better is the mental aspect of knowing how much work went into getting that little seed to grow into a cucumber or knowing how much work it took field dressing and butchering a kill. The time, effort, faith, and pride of providing the ingredients for a meal will make one so biased that even if the squash is mealy and the meat is tough, it still tastes wonderful. Have you ever cooked spaghetti while camping? It may sound weird, but it will be the best spaghetti you've ever had. Maybe it is the hint of campfire smoke infused with the sauce, but you would think the spaghetti was from the Italian countryside.

* Close-up of the wild boar tenderloin.

Another Boar Kill

2010-08-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

I had my first large game kill with a rifle. I have to admit it was not nearly as exciting as going boar hunting with dog and knife (see previous two posts), but California doesn't allow dog and knife hunting (lame). I took down this sow at about 100 yards with my Savage 111 30-06 rifle. When the bullet hit the boar, she flew up and onto her back, almost as if a linebacker hit her from the side.

Shooting the boar turned out being the easiest part of the day as I spent the next 6 hours field dressing and butchering it. I'm sure it took a lot longer because it was the first time I've done this. I watched my friends in Kauai make quick work of the boars with their knives and I've also read about it. Doing it on my own was harder than I thought. I think it will go easier and faster next time. I also had trouble stringing it up, so I ended up making a ramp onto my truck and then strung the boar up on the lumber rack.

I'll try to remember to take more pictures next time.

Well I've attained my goal of brewing beer and killing a boar, so now it is time to have a beer and boar party! I hope also to use the vegetables from the garden so the meal is almost entirely from the land instead of the store.

Gold Medal Cookies

2010-08-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

So this isn't really a manly post for a guy's blog, but since I just killed a boar with a knife, I figure I already have your respect. I love chocolate chip cookies. I've never been a cake or pie guy, just cookies. I've also always liked to cook and bake, which is why my buddies made fun of me in high school calling me "Bretty Crocker".

Either my wife or myself bakes a batch weekly. My brothers love the cookies, especially the oldest Aaron, who asked for cookies for his birthday present. So last Thursday, to celebrate Aaron's birthday, a bunch of us guys went out to an upscale bar in Santa Row, San Jose. Anytime we go out, I'm usually going to be the least classy guy there, so I figured brining a ziplock bag of my oatmeal, chocolate chip, and m&m's cookies wouldn't hurt my image. Plus I'm married and I don't really care what anyone thinks. I gave the bag to Aaron when he got there, and he said, "You want me to carry this around?", I laughed as I knew he would say something to that effect. Then the strangest thing happened, a pretty young woman said, "What do you have there?". I told her I have a bag of freshly baked cookies and she could have one if my brother wanted to share :). She didn't hesitate to grab one. Then a different pretty young woman comes up and asks for a cookie as well. Next thing we know, ladies are all around wanting my gold medal cookies. Aaron and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing, why didn't we bring cookies to the bars when we were single! I told one of the girls I had a puppy in the car too, but she didn't get the joke.

So if you are looking for a date, instead of putting on cologne, wipe a little of this batter on your neck and take these cookies to the club and get yourself some phone numbers! I think I'll change the name of my cookies to "Club Cookies" or "Conversation Cookies", or "These Will Get You A Date Cookies". No matter what the name is, you and the opposite sex will enjoy this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350

1 stick of salted butter (softened or melted) (This is half the butter of most cookie recipes)

2 eggs

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of raw sugar (very important)

2 cups of flour

2 cups of old fashioned oats

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of m&m's

We don't have a mixer, but it is not needed. This is very easy. With a whisk, mix the the butter, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and raw sugar together. Then with a large spoon, mix in the flour throughly and then mix in the oats. Lastly mix in the chips and m&m's. Use two spoons to get the dough into awkward balls. Use a spoon to scoop the dough and another spoon to slide the scoop onto the tray. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the edges are browned. This makes a lot of cookies, which is good because they go fast, especially around beautiful women. There you have it, manly cookies!

A Dream Come True- Wild Boar Hunt with Dog and Knife

2010-08-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

I had one of the top 10 experiences of my life while traveling to Kauai for the last 11 days. When people think of Kauai, usually they think of beautiful beaches and holding a Mai-Tai, but my vacation went to another level when I was able to kill a wild boar with a knife!

The story begins with a friendly Hawaiian named Kawee who brought a crib to our hotel room. I was in a jovial mood, so I randomly asked him if he knew anyone who hunts wild boar on the island. Kawee said he had the right guy and gave me the phone number of my soon-to-be new buddy Timmy. Timmy wanted to meet in person before we went hunting together, so we met up at a town celebration. After gaining his trust, we scheduled the hunt for two days later. He told me to get some jeans and cleats (very important, I would later realize) for the jungle terrain.

Timmy picked me up from the resort a couple days later in his big 4x4 truck with his hunting dogs in the back. He told me we were going to meet another hunter by the name of Randal at the base of the hill. Randal, Timmy told me, was a proficient boar hunter and was a good shot with his rifle. After meeting up with Randal, we slowly 4x4’d up a steep muddy and rocky grade until the road became impossible to drive any further. Timmy said we would get out and walk from here.

Both of these guys brought their dogs, which I believe totaled 12 or 13. Some were pups in training, but all had GPS collars so they could be tracked in the dense and large jungle. As soon as we were ready to leave the trucks, Timmy and Randal unlocked the dog cages, the dogs jumped out and starting running with so much excitement. Those dogs knew exactly what we were about to do. We left the “road” and descended into the jungle down a steep mountainside. Within minutes I realized two important things: Firstly, if I wasn’t wearing cleats, I would have slid down this mountain like in the movie Romancing the Stone. The second thing was that I better stay close to Timmy and Randal as this jungle was dense and I didn’t want to lose my bearings.

Timmy told me we were heading towards the stream because we would have a better chance of finding a boar near the water. When we finally got to the stream, Randal began cursing in a different language, and Timmy leaned over to tell me Randal was upset because he was about to have wet shoes and socks. According to the GPS, the dogs had crossed the stream. Timmy had pointed out the best tracking dogs before we left and I remembered one of the dogs’ names to be Speedy. Speedy was apparently 200 plus yards ahead which was making them a little nervous as he was getting too far ahead. Timmy said it is important to keep the dogs within a close range or they could get injured or killed by the boar while left alone. We crossed through the stream and climbed up a hill only to track the dogs right back down to the stream. As we walked down stream we heard it: the dogs were baying- they had found a boar.

Timmy said to hurry down stream, so we starting running through the water almost spraining our ankles with every step. After about 50 yards, Timmy looked at his GPS and said, “Let’s cut through here.” We jumped back into the jungle and charged as fast as possible through the dense undergrowth following the sounds of the dogs’ baying and boar’s grunts. At one point Timmy told me to take the lead as he pulled out the video camera. Adrenaline took over as I pushed through the brush and climbed over fallen trees towards the fight. As I climbed over a semi-fallen tree it broke sending me to the ground slicing a piece of skin off of my palm. There was no time to whine and cry, though, as the dog and boar noises were much louder now. Finally we reached the fight and the dogs had already worn out the boar. It was an easy kill for me with most of boar’s energy already spent, though driving the knife into the boar’s heart still was exciting. After the boar was dead I looked at my bloody hand and the warm boar’s blood was mixed with the blood of my cut. I thought to myself, now I have the ultimate vaccination for swine flu!

Timmy and Randal showed me how to properly pose with our trophy, making sure I sported the “aloha” hand sign. Then they made quick work of field dressing the boar and loading up the meat into our backpacks. The dogs were treated to portions of the heart and liver, which they gladly accepted. After we loaded up the meat, we headed back up the stream for some more hunting.

As we walked I reflected on what had just happened: I was able to kill a wild boar with a knife in the middle of a jungle on a beautiful island! This was a dream come true because of the generosity and hospitality of some really cool Kauaians.

Well, the story doesn’t end there because the second hunt got even more exciting. We had to hike much farther into the jungle for the second boar, but I didn’t mind. The scenery was amazing. One of the most spectacular views was when we walked on top of a fern covered ridge (See picture). God is indeed an artist and His creation is evidence of His existence, power, and beauty.

After we came down from the ridge we walked through a marsh of ferns soaked in twelve inches of water. I thought to myself, since Timmy and Randal don’t look worried I assume there isn’t anything that will grab our legs and pull us under or something else that might bite our ankles or swallow our feet. After hiking for almost two hours we picked up a boar trail and the dogs sniffed the second one out. The dogs and Randal were only about 50 yards away when we heard the tell-tale baying. Immediately I heard two gunshots and I dropped to the ground wondering if Randal knew where we were standing. Timmy looked down at me with a dumbfounded reaction and to comfort me by saying “It’s alright bro, he knows where we are”. Just then I looked up and saw the bushes come alive as the boar ran back towards Timmy and I about 10 yards off with the dogs in tow. As the boar went running by it ran up an embankment and for some reason stopped to stare down the dogs. Within an instant the dogs attacked the boar bringing it down the embankment. Timmy said, “Grab its back leg!” With no hesitation I grasped the back leg of the boar wondering what the purpose of this was (later I found out this makes it more difficult for the boar to swing around and attack with its tusks). Timmy said, “kill it!” and I was surprised as I didn’t know they were going to let me kill both boars. I carefully drove the knife into the boar’s heart trying to make sure I didn’t stab one of the dogs, several of whom had their teeth within an inch of my hand. I thought to myself, I sure hope these dogs know the difference between my hand and the boar!

“Two in one day bro,” said Timmy, “That doesn’t happen very often.” We took a breather and recounted the hunt as a typical Hawaiian downpour came over us. The brief shower made everything even more surreal, causing me to once again reflect on where I was and what I was doing. After taking more pictures and field dressing the boar, we packed up and headed back on our long hike back to the trucks. As we walked I thought about this amazing experience and my new friends who trusted and allowed me to hunt with them. The hike back was tiring and by the time we got to the trucks I was slightly dehydrated and exhausted from the strenuous hike and humidity. Randal brought spam, rice, and seaweed rolls for everyone and they tasted so good and refueled my body. We talked about the hunt for a little while longer and then headed back into town. Timmy dropped me off at the resort while my fellow tourists stared at me and wondered why I was muddy and covered in blood. I wanted to say, “I look like this because I just had the time of my life killing a wild boar with a knife,” but instead aloha would have to do.

Woman With A Gun

2010-07-11T21:31:00.001-07:00

NRA COVER-GIRL

I finally got my wife to go shooting with me! She hasn't been avoiding the thought of shooting a gun, but at the same time she hasn't really been eager to make time for an activity she isn't too excited about. So a few weeks back Jordan, Jenny, Heather and I went shooting in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There is a logging road that opens up to a clearing where everyone shoots.

When I first purchased my Ruger .40 cal handgun about 8 years ago (after a neighbor was shot and killed), I made a point of showing my wife how to use it; though I never got around to taking her to the range for live ammunition. Then we had kids and then here we are 8 years later. I'm glad we made time to go shooting. She didn't enjoy it much, but she was a good shot...

Miss June and July

Classic Couples Retreat Pic

BBQ Ribs

2010-07-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

I was never much of a rib fan until my friend gave me some good advice for making mouthwatering, tender, falling-off-the-bones ribs (slow cook them in the oven first). This recipe will produce better ribs than Chili's or that hole-in-the-wall bbq joint. I don't measure my ingredients, but this should be close.

Ingredients:

- One rack of baby-back pork ribs (use regular pork ribs if you don't want to spend the extra cash)

- Two cans of cheap beer

- Any bottle of BBQ sauce

- Dry rub

4 tablespoons onion powder
4 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons of paprika
3 tablespoons of oregano
2 tablespoons of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of chili power (optional)

Preparation:

- Mix dry-rub together and rub and coat ribs on both sides.

- Pour beer into roasting pan and put top grill-pan (or whatever it is called) on top of roasting pan. Put ribs on grill-pan bone side down. Cover ribs with aluminum foil making sure to wrap the foil around the edges of the pan to keep the moisture in the ribs. Put in a pre-heated oven at 225 for 3 hours (longer if you are not using baby-back ribs).

- After three hours coat ribs with bbq sauce and transfer to a hot barbecue.

- Grill ribs 10-15 minutes, coating them with bbq sauce often until you get a thick, sticky, charcoal and caramelized glaze.

- Dig-in and get messy

Red Ryder BB Gun

2010-06-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

I think I got my first bb / pellet gun when I was 13 years old. My son Moses is getting an early start. My friend James invited us to the annual Ducks Unlimited (duck hunting conservation group) fundraiser dinner. All the kids where given Red Ryder bb guns. Moses is probably younger than most kids who get to shoot a bb gun, but he is not too young to learn about safely operating a gun. It has been good to teach him how to properly store, transport, hold, and fire a bb gun. Knowing about guns and gun safety will prepare him to make good decisions down the road.

Every once and while a story will come out about a kid who shot himself or a sibling due to irresponsibility and lack of gun safety training. I remember going over to a junior high classmate's house with some friends only for him to point an AK-47 assault rifle at me and tell me to suck him or he would shoot me. After telling him no several times, he finally put the gun down and started laughing. I didn't think it was funny. I didn't know if the gun was loaded and I'm not sure if knew either. I'll I knew was the magazine was in the rifle, he had it pointed at my head, I didn't know him very well, he wasn't smiling, he kept repeating himself, and I definitely wasn't sucking anything. That was the last time I spent any time with him.

I'm glad I didn't become one of those sad gun accident stories and I want to make sure I raise my boys to respect the power of guns so they can safely handle guns and situations they might be faced with them. I apologize as this post wasn't supposed to go down hill with that lame story, but I think it is good for people to be aware of possible situations so they can prepare themselves and their loved ones.

Getting back to the bb gun... Moses did a great job and had a lot of fun shooting at the target. He learned quickly the concepts of how to shoot and how to be safe. Now it is time I teach my wife how to shoot a gun!

Last Run to the Snow

2010-06-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

The late season rains in California made for an extended snow season. My friend Jordan and I took our boys for some sledding and inner-tubing in the snow. My son Moses loves the snow, so much so I didn't know until we were leaving that his boots and socks were completely soaked with snow melt. Sledding is a great alternative to going skiing and snowboarding, especially since it is free. We usually spend a couple of hours building a good run to go down and then have a blast holding onto each other to create an inner-tube train. All of this good fun is usually finished off with a packed lunch and cold beer waiting in the snow.

The beer was appropriately named Snowshoe from a local brewery.

Welding 101 and Body Work

2010-04-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

Welding seems intimidating since it requires using a tool which can heat, melt and bond two pieces of metal together. I remember long ago in an 8th grade metal class learning how to weld. While it was just 8th grade, learning some of the basics made me more comfortable doing it two decades later. An instruction manual for a welder would be enough guidance to get started welding. As with many things in life, with a little research, reading, and 'trial by error' one can do almost anything. Whether it is welding, cooking, building, repairing, etc., try it on your own. I may not be great at everything I try to do, but I'm able to do a lot. I like the sense of accomplishment after completing something new, doing something with my own hands, and saving money by not having to hire someone.

As with most projects, my son likes to get involved. I know he just wants to be with me, but over time he will learn more and more how to work with his hands.

The reason I had to weld is because I'm trying to finish a project truck I started too long ago. I cut out some small pieces of rusted metal in the body and needed to patch them. I didn't do an awesome job, but I got it done.

Before

After spot weld

All finished

RENO! The cheap Vegas

2010-03-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Every year my buddies take a trip somewhere for March Madness. For those who are unacquainted with March Madness, it is the NCAA division 1 men's basketball tournament. This is probably the biggest sporting event of the year in the US. I used to skip class in high school to watch the games and now every March I adjust my work schedule.

Instead of watching one game at a buddy's house, it makes more sense to take a trip with a bunch of buddies and watch as many games as we can in a weekend. The tradition began in Reno about 10 years ago, but it got a little old, so the past few years we have been going to the cabin. This year the consensus was to go back to Reno. We had a lot of fun. Reno is pretty cool because it is way cheaper than Vegas. Drinks in Vegas cost $10 + but in Reno they are a couple dollars.

Besides watching games and drinking, we hit the craps table, went bowling, rode go-carts, did some free-fall swing ride, and ate Awful-Awful burgers at The Nugget (one of the best burgers ever plus over 1 lb of fries!). Reno can get depressing very quickly in those smoke infested casinos, so the trick is to take advantage of the outdoor activities like we did. Of course, we could have gone boarding on the slopes, rode ATVs, gone golfing, or shot things in the desert, but this trip was a little more low-key. It was the perfect balance of indulgence and relaxation.

One year I would like to take the snow train from San Jose to Reno. It is a train ride through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Maybe next year if I have the budget...

Here is a video of the ride my brother Chris and I did together. A 180 ft drop from the top to the bottom. It was a good rush. Tilt your head to the left...

Making The Best Burgers Ever

2010-03-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

Lately the cheeseburgers I've been making have been better than any burgers I've ever purchased from a fast-food restaurant, diner, or burger joint (this includes IN-N-OUT burgers!). It always feels good to be able to make something at home that tastes better than something you have to buy. The recipe I've been going with is more of a combination of ideas I've gotten from different sources. While making the perfect burger is still an ongoing process, I guarantee if you follow this recipe you will have one of the best burgers you have ever had in your life.

Ingredients:

- Cast-Iron skillet

- Ground Beef

- BBQ sauce

- White or Yellow Onion

- Mushrooms

- Cheese

- Hawaiian Buns

- Avocado

- I usually buy an 80/20 protein/fat beef chuck. I've also used a 90/20 and it tasted great as well. (Do not buy pre-made burger patties)

- Get any good tasting bbq sauce. My friend has given me two bottles of Show-Me BBQ Sauce, Liquid Smoke. Very old-school as there is no website. My friend mails a check and they mail the bbq sauce. My friend tells me a family makes the bbq sauce out of their basement. The sauce is really good and the company put some recipe ideas on the label which transformed my burgers. The best secret to a good burger is to mix the bbq sauce in the ground beef. There is no specific amount, but be generous. The sauce caramelizes when cooked and gives a great taste and crust to the meat.

- The next idea I got from Men's Journal magazine. Which by the way is the best magazine for men. Through countless magazine fundraisers I've tried a lot of the guy magazines and Men's Journal is the best. GQ is doesn't know if they want to be gay or if they like women. Men's Health spends too much time telling me how to eat and have sex. Sports Illustrated ... there is more to life than sports. As for the Maxims and Playboys of the world, why be teased?

Getting back to the recipe... The article I read suggested cooking burgers on a cast-iron grill skillet so you don't lose all those juices to the open flame. At first I was skeptical, since I love to bbq, but I'm glad I gave it a try. The burger stayed juicy and had a nice caramelized crust.

- I like sautéed onions and mushrooms. If you don't, then ignore this step. Sautée the onions and mushrooms in a tablespoon of oil until they are really soft, then move them to the side and put down the patties.

- For the meat patties, form them into 2-3" diameter balls and flatten them on waxed paper until they are less than a 1/2" thick so as the meat cooks it won't shrink into a hockey puck. Season with kosher salt and pepper on both sides of the patties. Heat some oil on the skillet to med-high and cook them according to your preference. Then add some cheese for the last minute on the cook-top.

- In an oven, toast the Hawaiian buns. They are so soft and sweet. Use mini-buns and cut the meat patties into quarters if you want to do sliders. If you can't get Hawaiian buns, go with potato buns.

- Assemble the burgers and add any condiments you would like. A standard condiment for me is guacamole (mash avocados and sprinkle with kosher salt).

I hope you enjoy them as much as me.

Fishing For Sharks

2010-03-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity last weekend to go fishing for sharks. A friend of ours catches sharks and rays and sells them on the internet all over the world. We caught about 8 sharks and 2 rays in a couple of hours out in the San Francisco Bay.

I did not realize how easy it was to catch a shark. We dropped anchor in a deep channel in the bay and used squid on a barbless hook. The line setup we used had the fishing line threaded through the weight's eye hole, with the hook on the end of the line (you can see it up close on the picture of the ray). This allowed the shark to take and swim away with the bait giving us ample time to 'set the hook' (pull really hard on the pole to hook the shark in the mouth).

I've been fishing all my life, but this was the first time I was fishing for sharks. While the biggest one we caught was about 3 feet long, it was still a 'man vs. wild' moment grabbing the muscle shark and pulling out the hook with our hands. All this while trying to keep our balance as we were rocked by the ocean waves. A little dramatic description, but it was a manly experience.

Rabbit For Dinner

2010-03-02T21:08:00.001-08:00

Sorry Mom...

My brother and sister-in law bought some meat rabbits from a willing 4-H girl. So the other weekend we killed, butchered and ate them. All in all it was a fun time. There was a bit of a learning curve, as Daniel and I did not know how to butcher the rabbits. Fortunately, my father-in-law raised rabbits for meat when he was a teenager. He showed us how to kill them humanely by snapping the rabbit's neck. Unfortunately, after I snapped the neck of my rabbit it kept moving. I said, "Is this normal for it to keep moving?" I thought I would snap the neck again, but then I just decided to rip off its head with my bare hands. I don't know what made me think to do that (human instinct/testosterone), but I horrified everyone (including my sweet mom) when the head popped off and blood splattered everywhere. I was happy, as I knew for certain the rabbit was dead, and having the head already off eliminated having to cut it off later.

We barbecued the rabbits and drank the home brew. All of it tasted good, and I enjoyed knowing where the food came from. I've always bought meat, poultry and fish from the market, but when I've caught and killed the food it is a good reminder that someone has to kill that animal, bird or fish. I would like to kill my food on a more regular basis. This way I know what the creature ate and how it was treated (I know, I know, I'll get better at killing a rabbit the 1st time).

Beer Is Ready!

2010-01-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Januaryfest!

The beer is good; this was a huge relief after the time, money and energy that went into making my first successful batch of beer. It is one of my favorite beers I've had. I know I'm a little biased since I made it, but it is so rich and smooth. My wife, who hates beer, thought it was drinkable (I think this is a compliment).

To the only negative part of the beer: I over-carbonated the beer so it takes 15 minutes for the head to go down. It is almost a case of 'blue-balls' as once you open a good cold beer, all you want to do is drink it. I have to wait and wait and wait... maybe the wait is what makes it taste so good!

We headed up to my parent's cabin in Twain Hart, CA only to leave within a few hours after the power went out on the whole mountain. We at least did some sledding down the driveway, so all wasn't lost. After we went inside I opened my first bottle of beer and then the power went out.

Moonshine!

2010-01-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished making my first batch of beer! I can't wait to have a taste, but I have to wait 10 more days so the beer can finish fermenting and carbonating in the bottles.

I found that a turkey fryer makes a good stove for brewing. Make sure to use a different pot for brewing so you don't have turkey/peanut oil residue in the beer.

Here I am teaching my son the finer things in life. I guess if we lived in Europe, Moses might be allowed to have a cold-one in a few years. I saw a video that recommended using a dish washer rack to hold the sanitized bottles; it worked really well.

Ah, the finished product. You probably can't tell from the picture, but those are 22 oz bottles! Now I need to kill a wild boar and then we are ready to party...

Beer and Guns

2009-12-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

So a quick update on my beer making and hunting rifle buying...

So my first batch of beer did not taste very good. It was beer, but apparently beer yeast has a 4 month shelf-life (the yeast I used was 3 years old). Old beer yeast becomes wild yeast. Since it is still yeast it will ferment the beer, but it creates a sour taste. It basically tasted like sour liquid bread beer...if that makes any sense. I've since bought new ingredients and will be starting on a new batch this weekend. I'll call this new batch 'Christmas Bock' (the last batch could be called Sour Stout) since it is supposed to taste like an American bock, similar to a Shiner Bock or Amber Bock. Bocks are my favorite type of beer as I like the richness and smoothness.

So after doing some research I found out the Remington 770 is not very well made. The inner parts are made up of inferior materials in an effort to make the rifle sell for less. After research and going to a number of gun shops, I'm now leaning toward a Savage 111. The 111 is supposed to be the best price and value for a hunting rifle. I haven't pulled the trigger (sorry for my bad gun humor) on buying one yet. I need to get my bank account back up from Christmas shopping and not working all month. I did get my hunting license and purchased a wild boar tag in anticipation of my first pig kill. My goal is to have a party for the purpose of serving wild boar and homemade beer. I will keep you posted...

Snowed In

2009-12-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we weren't exactly snowed in but it made for a very fun day. Snow does not happen very often in the hills of the Bay Area so you have to take advantage of it when the snow does fall. I'm glad I have my own business so I was able to stay home and play with Moses all day, though truth be told I have not had work all of December (one of the downsides to landscaping).

Here is Moses, ready to do work...

Tree Fort- Stage III Complete

2009-12-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

So I have the tree-fort about finished. All that is left is to cut out more windows, paint it camouflage, and cut out a door and build a platform for the zipline. Moses had his 4th birthday last weekend and the kids had a blast playing in it. One of the dads tried climbing inside the tree ladder, but only a kid can fit inside the tree ladder. Which is cool because the only way to get into the tree-fort is through the trap-door at the top of the tree ladder...

Hunting for a Hunting Rifle

2009-12-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

I have guns, but most are for home protection and play. I do not have a hunting rifle. I didn't grow up a hunter, but I am slowing working into it. It is hard to be a hunter and a daddy, but I'm determined to figure it out and bring home some meat. My only purpose for hunting is for meat. It is all about meat! I want to kill a wild boar or deer and fill up the freezer.

I am a member of the NRA. Sometimes they seem a little over the top, but they pale in comparison to the people trying to take away our gun rights. My thought is you need to fight fire with fire. Alright, enough of the politics and back to guns. The NRA rated the top rifles and the Winchester 70 and the Remington 700 are the top two rifles they recommended. I researched both, but due to my budget I might end up going with the Remington 770 (similar platform to the 700) with .30-06 caliber. The NRA also ranked the calibers and the .30-06 was the most adaptable for different types of hunting. I'm realizing this post has too many numbers, which might translate to being boring, so I'll stop....

I will have a tree fort update by the end of the week (hopefully completed).

Making Beer

2009-12-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

I'm into making things by hand, at least once to give it a try. The problem is making time for it. I wish it was the early 1900s and I was living on a farm where I caught, killed, and grew all our food. I would have the time to fix the truck and build a table. It is hard nowadays because one has to hustle to make a living. If I spent the time required to live off the land I couldn't pay the bills.

This is my excuse for taking so long to brew beer. My wife bought me a beer making system for Christmas 3 years ago and I'm finally just brewing it. I remember getting the kit, being excited and then overwhelmed with the research and process . I sucked at chemistry in high school. If the teacher used beer making to teach chemistry I might have got it down, though I now realize making beer isn't as hard as it seems.

I'm three weeks into a five week process and will be bottling in one week. The problem is I'm using ingredients that are 3 years old. I kept the yeast in the refrigerator, but I'm not too optimistic about this first batch. There are some tests the brewmaster takes during the process and my numbers are not adding up. I'm figuring I'm going to have the worst beer or best beer ever. After my beer is ready I'm going to drink two bottles; if I get a little buzz and I don't kill over, then I'll pass them out to friends. This was a good trial run to get comfortable with brewing and hopefully I'll get better at it as I go.

Real Manly Outing

2009-11-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Every year my brothers, buddies and a few dads go somewhere for March Madness. For those who are unfamiliar with March Madness, it is when mens' college basketball has its yearly tournament to determine who is the national champion. It is by far the best sporting event there is, and it spans a few weeks. I even used to cut class in high school to watch games all day. Getting back to the story, over the years we have celebrated March Madness in Reno, Tahoe, and my dad's cabin. The pictures below are from a trip to the cabin in Twain Hart, CA. My friends Jordan, Joel, Scott, and Charles were the only ones who wanted to get some fresh air and a break from the games. With the truck loaded up with guns, motorbikes, and beer, we had everything we needed.

We brought skeet to shoot with the shot-guns. It is so fun; one guy throws the skeet while the other guy tries to shoot it in mid-air. You can go to a shooting range to do this, but it was really fun doing it in the mountains. I'm throwing for Jordan in the picture above.

At one point, while we were shooting at a bunch of cans and other crap we brought to shoot, I hear what sounds like an automatic rifle. I turn and Jordan is double-fisting his handgun and mine. He wasn't really aiming at anything, he was just enjoying the moment. After he went through both rounds in a matter of seconds, he turned and looked at us. His face said it all: that was a rush. Then each of us took turns double-fisting the handguns. It was gun-fever!

After skeet shooting, pretending we were Rambo with the handguns, and shooting the rifles at long range, we took the motorbikes out for a spin. I call them motorbikes because they are not dirt bikes, nor are the motorcycles. They are some silly fat bikes with the governors removed. We had a blast riding these down a logging road that was all mud, puddles and snow. Then we took them through a huge puddle, more like a small pond. It was cold, but so much fun. The puddle was back alongside the highway, so the locals got a good look at some crazy city boys riding through the snow melt. It was by far 3 of the best hours I've had in my adult life. You should do it sometime...

Tree Fort- Stage II Complete

2009-11-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

The floor (including the trapdoor) and the ladder have been built. I wasn't sure if the whole 'climb up through the inside of the tree' idea was going to work, but it did. Moses climbed up it, but it was a little tricky in a few places as he had to lean back really far while still climbing. I need to install some footholds to assist him, but I was impressed by his climbing skills for a soon to be 4 year old.

I want to get started on the walls and roof so I've been trying to find some wood, even checking Craigslist, but no success as of yet. I am determined not to buy any wood to complete this project. I do remember taking wood from home development sites in my youth, as I also remember getting caught and in trouble by the police. Taking wood now wouldn't be a good idea for man in his 30's so I was thinking about asking the builders for scrap wood. I also need to figure out the best descent for the zip-line.

Thanksgiving is coming soon, so also on the to-do list is trying to catch a wild turkey. I almost caught one the other morning as I went to my truck. There was a flock of them looking at my truck and I kept hearing something hitting my truck. I thought one was stuck under the truck, but there wasn't. As I went around the drivers' side I saw the tail of a turkey at the front of my truck. As I got closer I realized that the turkey was looking at the reflection of itself in the chrome of the bumper and pecking at itself thinking it was a mating partner? Jack Hana would have been thrilled at the site of such unusual behavior. I on the other hand made a lunge for the turkey, but was given away by another turkey who spotted me. Hopefully we can come up with a plan to catch one otherwise Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same.

Tree Fort

2009-10-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've always loved building forts- it is in my blood. To back up a little, building forts started with Chuck Norris movies (Delta Force 1 through 3) and the movie Red Dawn. My friends and I saw these movies and immediately formed our militia appropriately named Delta Force. Our mission was simple, prepare for war. The enemy was usually Russia in our minds, since the Cold War was recent and if we ever needed to be reminded of the threat we would just watch Red Dawn. Looking back at how we handled preparations, the preparations were similar to that of the government. We built a fort (base), set-up security, stockpiled weapons, and practiced.

The forts were in a hard to find location, had multiple rooms, could be locked down, and always had an escape opening.

At the age of 13 I had already accumulated an cache of weapons: knives (the Rambo inspired one, butterfly, switch blade, swiss army), machetes, pellet guns, bull-whip, wrist-rocket, blow-dart gun). The blow-dart guns, my friend Jordan and I ordered from an ad at the back of a Popular Mechanics magazine we read during a 15 minute forced reading time in Junior High. We sent cash and coins in the mail and to my moms' surprise, a UPS truck pulled up with a huge package addressed to Brett Cain. I'm glad she let us keep them.

We never intended to practice for war, but looking back at our activities they could have by training for a elite special ops team. To name few, which usually took place in the foothills of the bay area: wrestling at night in full camo while rolling down the hills, mudsliding, using zip-lines, going into the golf course at night in wetsuits gathering golf balls in the lake so we could sell them the next day so we could buy more weapons, ice-blocking at the same golf course, trying to act suspicious in the neighborhood at night so someone would call the cops so we could hide from them, riding a raft during heavy rains in the run-off creek out to the bay, building a boat, climbing and rappelling huge Oak trees.

I was only going to post the pictures of the fort my son and I are building, but I got really excited reliving my childhood for a little bit. I'm hoping he is going to have some great memories in it and the other ones he builds as he gets older.

Check out this cool tree. It had some sort of an infection that created a spiral decay up the trunk. I thought it would be hard to hollow out, but with a chain saw, hammer, and pry-bar it didn't take long. I formed the floor of the tree fort and left an opening for a trap-door that can be accessed by climbing up the middle of the tree. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it easy for a 4 year old to climb up the inside. I'll post more pictures as we progress over the next few weekends.

Father-Son Trip

2009-10-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

My Dad is an awesome guy. Every year he would take each one of his sons (we had no sisters... for my female blog followers) on his own Father-Son camping trip. He would invite one of our friends and his dad to come along as well. I have so many good memories from those trips. Not only did we bond as father and son, but I got to have a blast playing with a good bud for a weekend while enjoying the outdoors. It was only fitting that he joined us this year for one of Moses father-son trips.

Moses and I caught a couple of Native Brown Trout that we worked hard for. I realized that I didn't bring any bait after we hiked a mile to the river. Fortunately on a previous father-son trip, my buddy Drew taught me how to catch and use grasshoppers as bait. Look out Survivorman, I have some skills. Moses probably had more fun catching the grasshoppers than the fish.
So my friend Drew who brought his two boys called me last week and said "B, did you check the forecast for the Sierras?" "Nope" I said. Drew explained to me that it is supposed to snow on Sunday. I laughed and said no way, but Moses brought his boots and mittens just in case. Sure enough, just as Drew and I were sitting by the fire having a couple of brews, hail started to come down. The next morning there was about 3 inches of snow. The boys were pumped as they not only got to go on a fishing trip, but a snow trip as well.

God's country...It is always good being in awe of God's creation. These pictures only capture a glimpse of what it looked like in person.

EVERLAST- Not so sure

2009-09-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

By the way, I suck at blogging as I haven't posted in months. I'm not sure if I'm good for this, but I'm going to keep trying.

So I watched Green Street Hooligans (again) the other night and I got fired up enough for the need to punch the bag. I hadn't punched the bag in a while, mainly because I hadn't made time for it, but the other reason was two of the rings that hold the bag to the chain had come off from previous tantrums. I turned on some punk rock and had just started unleashing a fury of unorganized punches when I knocked the last two rings holding the bag. One might think this to be a proud moment, knocking down an EVERLAST bag, but I had too much testosterone yet to be released. Fortunately it was not past 9pm, so I was able to go down and pick up a new one.

This time I splurged by getting the 100lb synthetic one, plus I purchased a two year warranty. I figured $40 for a two year warranty was a bargin compared to two years of avoided therapy. That reminds me that the first time I wanted to get a bag in high school, my mom didn't want me to because she said I wouldn't express my feelings verbally. I told her I would always communicate how I felt verbally and not to worry. I don't know if I lived up to that promise because some things are just left for the bag. Sometimes a guy can't talk about what he is feeling to a woman (mom, girlfriend, wife) because she can't understand the way a guy is. Women don't understand the whole testosterone thing, pride, self-worth, etc. If there isn't a bud available for having a beer and unloading, one of the next-best things is a good session unloading on a bag.

Will Cut Hair for Beer

2009-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've been cutting hair since the 9th grade. It was a little rough at the beginning, but I've gotten better over the years. I keep threatening to get my barber's license, but that requires a lot of time. In the meantime I cut my brothers' and friends' hair in exchange for beer, and on rare occasions, a cigar. Actually, the haircut is just an excuse to hang out and have a beer with a bud (please don't tell their ladies). So if you are in the Bay Area and need a haircut, I could use some more beer...

I bought this chair when I was 19 from a beauty supply store. Most of the chairs were $300 plus, but they had a few of these outside in the yard. I should have bought a couple, since I paid $50 for it and you can't find this pattern anymore :). It was a good conversation starter in college.

I used to miss having my hair cut by someone, but after 12 years of cutting my own hair I'm used to it and I've saved a ton of money. Since having my own business, I switch off between buzzing my hair or sporting a low-hawk (below). I don't have anyone to impress, so why do my hair? It is so much easier to have it short.

If you are looking for a professional clipper, try Clippersrus.com. If you do like your hair a little longer, but you want to cut it yourself, try the Flowbee as it works pretty well. That's right, I own a Flowbee and I've used it before. I hooked a shop-vac to it and it pulls the hair up, cuts it, and goes into the vacuum. I would advise against using the shop-vac as it uses too much power and tends to pull some of the hairs out instead of cutting them; no pain no gain.

Burn Day

2009-04-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for the delay in posting a new blog entry, but things are way to crazy right now. Unfortunately the blog is lower on the priority list. After putting the kids down I've been spending the evenings working on bids, designs, and various other business paperwork. Not too exciting, but it is a must.

On Monday I stayed home to work on the ranch and burn the huge brush pile we created this past weekend after cutting down various trees and structurally pruning the rest. We are clearing most of the yard to rebuild it for my brother-in-law Daniel whose wedding and reception will take place on the ranch. My wife and I had our reception here almost 9 years ago and it was a big hit. I wanted our reception to be like the movie Bravehart. Partying on the countryside, eating good, drinking a lot and dancing all night. Isn't that what a wedding reception is supposed to be, a party!

Anyhow, Moses and I had smores with the coals from the burn pile. I usually cook up hot dogs in the burn pile and one time I even threw in a frozen pizza. One of these times I should bury a pig and burn on top of it like it was a luau.

Look at that double marsh-mellow, time to indulge.

Landscaping Off A Rug

2009-04-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

The last landscape construction project we completed involved converting a front yard from lawn and shrubs to a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant paradise. The client wanted a tropical themed yard that did not require much effort or water...

When the brown sage grass fills in, it will differentiate the beds more.

While looking for inspiration to design the landscape, I thought about the homeowner's rug... what the? I know it seems crazy, but it had great lines and shapes that I thought could be applied to the yard. Plus, I always want to make the yard an extension of the home. But could something so Bold be pulled off, and should I dare such a thing? Actually, I was just concerned about whether I could convince the client to trust my idea and vision. He is super cool and went along with it. He tells me that a lot of people come by to look at it and he'll watch them from the window as they admire:) it, but the funny thing is they usually get in a disagreement while looking at it. Apparently, one will like it while the other one isn't bold enough to accept the boldness! I do want to give a shout-out to Phil at Boething Treeland Farms for helping with the plants.

Moses' First Rodeo

2009-04-11T22:01:00.001-07:00

My son Moses is great. He woke up crying this morning saying "my eyes feel rough", which was a pretty good description, since they were swollen, dry, and crusty. Unfortunately, today was "Rodeo Day" (Moses called it "Radio Day") so I thought we might not go, but once he had breakfast he perked up and was ready to go. The thing about kids is they can feel crapy, but they still act happy (not always).

So Moses, my friend Jordan (below) and myself drove out to Oakdale in the central valley of northern CA. Jordan went to get beers and came back with a cowboy hat for Moses. Moses was pumped, and I'm sure he will be sporting it daily.

I'm not a cowboy, but appreciate different types of athletes. To watch in-person a rider stay on a 1 ton animal with horns is amazing. I've ridden a mechanical bull at a bar with foam padding underneath and still hurt myself when I landed; I also had sore and bruised inner-thigh muscles for a week from squeezing my legs to not fall off the bull (weak).

Moses loved the rodeo even though his eyes were gooey. After getting back home it looks like the poor guy has pink-eye...geez, no dad of the year this time around. Like I said, kids are tough.

I sported my rad bottle opening belt buckle, though it is a little tricky to work, as I have to lean over to avoid spilling the bottle of beer on my pants when the cap comes off. The pros are that it is a conversation starter and it would make MacGyver proud. All in all "Rodeo Day" was a blast.

Beginning of a New Era

2009-04-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

The Old Era...

Growing up I was really fortunate to have a basketball court in my backyard. My dad has been a basketball coach all his life so basketball has been part of our family since I can remember. Between my dad, my two older brothers, friends, and all the former players, a lot of basketball games have taken place in the backyard. This has resulted in a few scuffles, a few broken relationships, a few major injuries, and quite a few rolled ankles (one of the reasons for the new concrete). The other reason for the new court was the old concrete sloped towards the house causing a drainage problem. After the rain delay, we were finally able to get the new concrete poured.

The new Era...

The new court is a little wider and the only way to make it a full half court would be to remove the family room...I'm sure my dad would have considered it if I suggested it. I'm looking forward to many more backyard games. We are playing April 8 at 5pm, weather permitting.

For all of those who said the Cain boys had home court advantage, that is no longer an excuse! FYI the rim is tight so no more good bounces. Bring your A game.

Gringo Carnita Tacos

2009-04-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last week I was getting the urge to bbq so I went to the market to see what was on special. This is how we shop for food; whatever is on sale dictates what we have for dinner for the week. Pork shoulders were a great deal at $0.98 per lb, so I bought a 8 lb and some carne asada steak. I was going to smoke the shoulder but I didn't have time. I could have gone two ways with the pork... pulled pork sandwiches or carnita tacos. Either way if you are looking for an easy way to cook pulled pork here is the way I do it without bbq or smoking it. I don't use measuring cups, but I'll do my best to provide an estimate on the ingredients.

Trim excess fat from pork shoulder. Mix the following dry rub in a small bowl and spread thoroughly over pork. You want to really rub it into the meat (sorry). Cover pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove plastic wrap and place pork with marinade (recipe below) in crock pot on low setting and cook for approximately 6-8 hours depending on size of shoulder. You'll know it is done when the pork can be easy pulled apart with only a fork. Pull apart pork with two forks until you have all the pork pulled off the bone. All you need from there is corn tortillas, avocado, cilantro, salsa, and a lime. Enjoy!

6-9 lb Bone-in Pork Shoulder

Dry rub:

- 2 tbsp Paprika

- 3 tbsp Garlic Powder

- 1 tbsp Black Pepper

- 3 tbsp Kosher Salt

- 1 tbsp Chili Powder

Marinade:

- Can of beer

- 1 tbsp of peppercorns

- 2 tbsp of minced garlic

- a few bay leaves

Turkey Day

2009-03-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is a proud day for my son Moses and myself. Two years ago I told my wife we would not have Thanksgiving unless I caught a wild turkey. I failed, but in the process learned a few things, one being that turkeys can fly! I don't know why I was shocked (they are a bird) to find that out the first time I tried to catch one. By the way...I'm trying to catch the turkey by hand instead of shooting it; I'm not sure why since I have a 12 gauge. Maybe it is the increase in difficulty.

This year we were successful. Moses and I corralled a herd of turkeys and cornered them near some brush. Then we rushed at them and they had trouble flying in the brush and I was able to step on the neck of one with my boot until I could get a hold of it without getting pierced by its' huge talons. I'm being a little dramatic, but it was hard to keep hold of that turkey. We fattened the turkeys up as much as we could before the killing. My father-in-law suggested putting wine in the water bucket the day before the killing to marinate the meat inside out.

I brined and smoked the turkey for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. It tasted even better since I caught it with my bare hands!

We are getting a little more sophisticated this year by buying the Cyclone at the Pro Brass Shop. It makes a turkey call. I'll keep you posted on how it works out...

A blog for guys

2009-03-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

After reading my wife's blog for some time and realizing she is getting more tech-savvy than me, I decided it was time to set up a guys' blog. Although, having a wife that is more technological isn't that bad, it is only bad if she knows more about working on cars than me; at that point I would lose my manliness. Actually my friend John (who lives in NC) wanted to see a picture of my son and I killing a wild turkey (coming soon). I told him I would have my wife put it on her blog so he could see it, but my wife's blog is more of a quilting blog and a picture of me holding a turkey while blood comes out probably wouldn't work with her 'theme'.

This got me thinking that I should get a blog about guy stuff. I figure it would be a hit because guys are all the same. If you haven't figured it out by now, sorry to all the girls who thought this blog was about ripping guys, consoling one another, and advice on what to do since guys are all the same. This blog is going to be about things in my life as a son, husband, father and friend. Since guys are all the same, most guys will relate to these stories. It is not hard to find a guy who doesn't like eating, beer, sports, cars, trucks, tractors, guns, bbq, vast amounts of land, outdoor activities, building, fixing, working hard, and playing hard.

So hopefully as I add more entries, this blog will meet your manly needs. Looking forward to this adventure with you...

Brett