2013 Summary

* Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Eid, Winter Solstice and Happy New Year! * 

Not much happened in 2013 except I became a U.S. citizen (finally) and we moved from Morro Bay to Los Angeles (for a job). Los Angeles? you might ask. Yes, it is also good for Jane’s jewelry business and our church studies. Going surfing from downtown L.A. is more challenging, but there is always Malibu and we still visit Morro Bay. 

Surfing. I am surprised by how into surfing I am. In 2013 I progressed to where I can catch small to medium waves. When waves are overhead (over a man’s head) I am still out of my depth. But one thing is for sure — I have fun! Love being out on the water with the seals, sea otters and dolphins. 

Jane is turning her creative designs in the direction of fine jewelry. Now I just need to redo her web site. www.jenandjane.com 

Momentous news for Lauren, Jane’s daughter. She was accepted by Cal Poly (California PolyTechnic State University) for graphic design and moved into her own place in San Luis Obispo. CJ, Jane’s son, has established himself as a professional film editor and is in the union for DIT (digital imaging tech) on film sets. 

Tashania, my daughter, and her husband, Brandon, work for our church in Los Angeles. With new and revised Scientology classes being released, 2013 was an eventful year for them. Taron, my son, and his wife, Marisol, are also in the movie business. They brought my granddaughter, Rain, to Morro Bay for a visit and we had such fun playing on the beach and collecting shells. She is a princess! 

So… 2014!  Wishing you and yours a wonderful year - a year in which we make it wonderful, and make it wonderful for others too. 

San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, a photo by dream-on on Flickr.

Cool place to live in.

2012 Summary

* Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Eid, Winter Solstice and Happy New Year! *

Did you visit us in 2012? If you did, THANK YOU! We loved having you and appreciate your time.   If not, WHY NOT? 

Our quaint town with its landmark Morro Rock jutting into the ocean between endless miles of beaches makes for a perfect getaway. 

If you are into surfing bring a wetsuit for sure. I might not have mastered the sport yet but Jane gave me a surfboard for my birthday – Yay! – so there are plenty of “sticks” (boards) to go around. 

Expect encounters with seals, sea otters and dolphins once we are out on the waves.   Aaaaah! 

You should at least join us on a walk/run on our pristine shoreline to appreciate the amazing flocks of Snowy Plovers, Terns, Sandpipers and others feeding on the waterline. And, when the local park ranger isn’t watching, toss bits of bread in the air for the Seagulls and admire their aerial artistry. 

If you’re into sailing there’s a chance Mike, Jane’s brother, might take us out on his gorgeous 33 foot Yamaha in Monterey Bay. 

So much fun! 

Yes, folks, this is where people come for holidays and we live here! Sigh! 

Big news!   Jane completed a course that has taken many years of work. (For Scientologists, this is OT 7).   This was a significant milestone and a big win for all of us. 

Expect to see Jane’s fabulous jewelry designs more widely distributed in 2013 – think BIG, right? Right! 

www.jenandjane.com

Jane and I love walks on the beach, hanging out at our awesome local coffee bar and watching movies. 

In fact we love to play so much it takes some effort to apply ourselves to productive tasks and studies. Sigh!        

The digital marketing company that employs me has gone through two acquisitions and is now stronger than ever.   I have made my mark there by getting industry best practices widely implemented in addition to my regular software engineering duties. Satisfying!   I work with great people and we socialize well beyond the office walls - surf club, photo groups, parties, etc. 

I ran several 10K’s and a half marathon (and I was faster than all my local, younger friends). “Barefoot” is the new cool thing!   I still coordinate, via email, race events for the Los Angeles chapter of the Dianetics Running Team. 

I have it on good authority that The World Did Not End!   So we encourage everyone to take advantage of this good fortune and come play with us for a spell in the near future.   Jane’s breakfasts are killer! 

We wish you and yours a New Year of flourishing and prospering and – thriving!  

We appreciate you. 

      

2011 Summary

* Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Eid, Winter Solstice and Happy New Year! *

We have moved to the California Central Coast!
We can see the waves from our living room window. Morro Rock is in healthy walking distance down the beach. We feed the seagulls bread. The quaint town has a wharf and an awesome coffee shop. Not too much going on. And it is a short commute to San Luis Obispo where I work.
We love it!

CJ, Jane's son, has moved to Long Beach and continues his video editing career.
iamcjmiller.com
Lauren, her daughter, completed some college units in Los Angeles and has now moved home again and will be attending a local college with the goal of a degree in graphic design.

Jane's jewelry continues to be in demand and she loves making new designs. Internet sales have picked up and we want to redo the web site to take better advantage of that market. Jane spent some time at our church centre in Clearwater, Florida and enjoyed being with her family there too.
www.jenandjane.com

Tashania and Taron remain down in Los Angeles with their families and are doing well.
Can you believe my granddaughter is three years old already?
The family in Clearwater, Cape Town and other parts of the world are doing fine too.

The company I work for, LEVEL Studios, is a digital marketing agency and has some very creative people. I love working there, doing a lot of work for mobile devices.
I am in two photography groups and do casual event photography. I even earned another lens shooting a wedding reception for a friend.
www.flickr.com
Jane and I did charity work at a drug information booth at the local farmer's market.
I still send out emails for the Los Angeles chapter of the Dianetics Running Team, and travelled down for the Say No To Drugs Race where it was great to connect up with old friends.
Surfing! I still run but I surf a lot. I am learning and making progress. Surfing has become a social scene with friends showing up for surfing before work. It is truly a spiritual experience to be on a gleaming ocean at dawn with pelicans and seals and sea otters.

We wish you and yours a New Year of flourishing and prospering and – thriving! Please drop me a line, I love to hear from you.

~ 2010 Summary ~

* Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Eid, Winter Solstice and Happy New Year! *

"Times they are a-changin." – Bob Dylan
This year many of our friends will read this missive on Facebook or a blog. Others by email. And a few will get a delivery from the post man.

I'd like to announce that Jane and I got married but it seems the year has flown by without that auspicious occasion taking place. In any event, we are so married that friends call us "husband" and "wife." But I have come to realize that we probably need a little help from our friends to plan the ceremony and make it so. Any volunteers?

CJ, Jane's son, has merged his film editing skills with Internet savvy and has a good business going. He is spending Xmas in Spain with his girlfriend, Meggie. Lauren, Jane's daughter, pursued photography studies and it seems her future degree is leaning towards the Arts. Some of her work is quite marvelous.

Jane's jewelry is a hot item. Just last week another celebrity bought a selection of her designs. The partner store changed hands but is doing well. Jane is also considering other avenues for a bigger game.
www.jenandjane.com

Rain, my granddaughter, is two and traveling around with mom and dad, but still spends time with Aunty Tashania.

The family in Clearwater, Cape Town and other parts of the world are doing fine too.

Jane has been very active as a volunteer with our church. I have continued coordinating the Los Angeles chapter of the Dianetics Running Team. We have had some fun races and a few young guys on the team are actually winning races outright.

I haven't been rock climbing for ages but I have taken up surfing! It has been a slow learning process but I find myself ever excited to go catch that next wave. I'm addicted! It has even been cutting into my running time!

Photography is ever a passion too and I head the LEVEL Photographers group at work.

We bade a tearful goodbye to the Porsche, but at 357,000 miles (574 000 Km) it was time. I won't publish here the speed I did on the last day I drove her – suffice it to say I do miss that high performance. The new kid is a Pruis named "Hy," or "Hi" for short. Some great design went into this car, not the least of which is it is not very thirsty.

I have fallen in love again. This time with the California Central Coast. I work in San Luis Obispo during the week and go home to Jane on weekends. I rent in nearby Morro Bay and early mornings find me in the ocean with a surfboard. Surf, seals and sunshine. Life is good!
Now I just have to get the family to move up there with me.

We wish you and yours a New Year of flourishing and prospering and – winning! Please drop me a line, I love to hear from you.

From Collages

Year 2009 Summary

The unfortunate news of 2009 was that our Internet startup business which had so much hope was laid to rest and we all moved on to other things, poorer and wiser. Which led me to a contract in Utah.

Overstock turned out to be a remarkable company. They wanted me to become a full time employee and Jane and I seriously considered relocating to Salt Lake City. I started a love affair with the Wasatch Mountains, running the trails and taking many photographs. I feel privileged to have experienced the wildflowers that flourish in the summer – breathtakingly vibrant and abundant – I have never seen anything quite like it. I would fly home to California for monthly visits and Jane visited me too.

Big news is that Jane said "Yes!" I proposed in a romantic moment during one of my visits. She has set a tentative date later in 2010.

More big news was that CJ, Jane's son, graduated from the Pasadena Art Center College of Design with a degree in Film Editing. He and his associates have started a new company. He is incredibly talented and with his drive I predict he will go far.

Lauren, Jane's daughter, became an avid bicycle rider, participating in group rides far and wide. (And she got her brother riding too.) She started working and is surveying colleges to further her education.

Jane continues to make an artistic mark with her fabulous jewelry designs. She is also becoming more business savvy and is exploring expansion options.
I created a shopping cart for her web site. Feel free to try it!
www.jenandjane.com

Can you believe that Rain, my granddaughter, is now more than a year old and running around? She is the cutest little girl.
Taron is proving to be a good father and Tashania a good aunty.

Dalmain, my father, passed away in his sleep just after Christmas. He led a remarkable life and we thank him and wish him well.

Jane continues to be active n our church. My sojourn curtailed involvement with the Dianetics Running Team, but that should change now that I have started a new job in San Luis Obispo, which is in Southern California. (Jane is happy I can be home every weekend!)

We wish you and yours a New Year in which you flourish and prosper and a New Decade with a bright future! Please drop me a line, I love to hear from you.

Let the new decade begin!

In Memoriam - Dalmain

The old man has moved on. We loved him so.

The loss is what we feel and it is what it is. But I want us to remember the lighter side, the fun person, the dynamic businessman he was. And the father. I think he would appreciate that.

I remember, as a very young lad, climbing Rhino Peak in his beloved Drakensberg. That night a ferocious storm lashed us as we took shelter under a ledge near the edge of a precipice. He slept on the outside so that I wouldn't fall. He was so mad when I backed out of going to St. Johns. He taught me to sail.

I admire the winner in him. I've never won a marathon or been a millionaire. And he was of course quite brilliant. I so enjoyed his insouciance, his spirit of play. His practical jokes are family folklore and we should make an effort to write them down. I think he would enjoy being remembered for his playfulness.

I want to honour him for being a pioneer Scientologist in the early days, bringing Scientology to the Eastern Province. That religion has meant so much to me personally that I will be forever grateful to him for making it available for me to discover.

Charming, good looking, forever young! He sets a grand example in so many respects, I think you'll agree. I believe he is doing fine right now, free from physical encumbrance, and he deserves a great new life filled with further adventures.

Go Pops! With all my love.

1962 East London - Chocolate Shake

It vaguely registers with my senses that someone has ordered a vanilla milkshake. This is outside of my reality and I push the thought away.

We're at a corner cafe near the Eastern Beach. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to join my Aunty Noleen and her older friends on a trip to the beach. The highlight of the afternoon was of course the very special treat of a milkshake!

It is simply inconceivable to me that anyone could or would want anything other than a chocolate flavoured milkshake. I mean, chocolate is the best. I can still think about other flavours (as a choice by other people) but vanilla? Vanilla is no flavour at all. No, I shut that one out – the concept niggles at the rear of my consciousness but it doesn't bother me.

(7 years old)