IRENE'S "NEW KNEE"! (EDITED (9-9-2010)

Today Irene FINALLY reached the end of her "ROPE" and threw herself at the mercy of the "Medical World" and had her knee replaced.
The Doc said that she had to have been in "Excruciating Pain" and that she will be REALLY happy that she did it!
I wanna thank EVERYONE for their prayers and our "Kids" for the way they support their Mom and Dad!! Your "Da Best'!!

Well today we go for Irene's last check up with Dr. Dungey!

It has been a remarkable journey to observe Irene and her diligence to the regimine given to her by her therapist. She has been a "Trouper" as she has worked hard to be able to walk so well!! AA+ is the grade she gets!! (For Kyla..that's not a "Battery" that is a designation for her grade!!)

SANTA CRUZ LITTLE LEAGUE

Santa Cruz Little League 1953....Had a GREAT time... coach was Carl Sandman....My buddy Curt Sandman is on the top row 3rd from the right...I was on the bottom row 4th from the right.

Good experience!

CHELSEA & RYAN

Had the great pleasure of going to Utah and be with my Grandaughter Chelsea as she and her
new husband Ryan were married Saturday. He is a nice guy and they will do well!
I am proud of them and and am happy they have made this step together.

It was wonderful to spend time with the family...and see the Amdal "Clan" again.

A lot of sweet people reached out to the family and put together a fantastic reception.
Larry and Vicky are blessed to have such good friends.

WHAT CAN 50 YEARS DO TO YOU??

WHAT CAN 50 YEARS DO TO YOU??

SCARY!!

APRIL 22, 2010

April 22, 1910

100 years ago today my father

Robert Joseph Francis,

was born in the old O'Connor

Hospital in San Jose, CA

30 years later I was also born in this same hospital...it was on San Carlos St. & Race St. It was

later torn down and a Sears Store was built there that later became the "Saddle Rack", a

country music night club.

It is AMAZING to think how time goes by so quickly.I am holding up a can of Barq's Root Beer

and drinking a toast to the "OLD MAN"...."Hey Dad...at this stage of my life...it won't be long 'til I can embrace you again....let's sit with Mom and brother Bob and talk of old times!!"

CHEERIOS

Cheerios

I mentioned the following conversation
that I had to my cousin Beverly regarding
her father Bill Grigg...(My Mothers Brother)

She was kind enough to send this copy of
the minutes of a 1940 committee meeting
in regards to General Mills purchasing the
rights and formula of Cheerio Milling Company's breakfast cereal . Uncle Bill wasn't
named in the document but he was the owner of the mill and the creator of the cereal.

At a steel guitar jam session Saturday I was sitting with an old friend that has a business

building steel seats designed for pedal steel guitars....I knew that he also worked selling

something that has him on road at lot.

I asked him what he sells and he said "Thread"....I kinda chuckled...envisioning him flying around the world with a little spool of thread trying to make a living. I could see him saying

"See this thread....it normally sells for $.59 but because I like you, if you act now I can let you have it for $.29!" "If this shade of red works for you".

We laughed about that and said that he was gonna start carrying a spool with him on long

flights sitting with other passengers.

He said that he sells packaging equipment and supplies to companies that bag products like charcoal briquettes....dog food....sugar....flour, etc. He is from Texas and got started in the business traveling through the Midwest many years ago....one of the first places he went to

was a flour mill in N. Kansas somewhere.

I said that's a coincidence my uncle owned a mill in Coffeyville back

in the 20's or so.....he said "Really...so your uncle invented Cheerios."

I was taken back and asked him how he knew that. He said that the

man that owned the big mill, he was setting up with his packaging,

mentioned it to him years before that.

He said that he hadn't thought about that for years and was shocked

to know that I was related to Uncle Bill.

...small world isn't it!

WORLD'S FASTEST MODEL "T" FORD

World's Fastest

Model "T" Ford

I laid out the paint design, masked it off and lettered this

race car for Owner/Driver Joel Young. He set the record

at Bonneville last summer at 166 MPH. The engine is a

highly modified 1927 Model "T" Ford that puts out 188 HP.

It's not often that I get to letter race cars any more so this

was fun to do.

Fast forward to August 21, 2010...just received a phone call from Joel and they managed to break their old record at 201MPH!!