She said Yes!

 
I was flying out to Utah and Jane was flying in from her show in Clearwater Beach and we met at the airport and got to spend a few hours together. So we drove down to Manhattan Beach and walked out on the pier.

We were very loving and in comm. The surfers were on the waves and beach was golden. On a whim I took her in my arms and said, "I have a question. Let's just keep it light and spirit of play."

She looked at me.

"Will you marry me?", I proposed.

"Yes!"

Leaving for SLC

It was very hard to leave Jane behind but work was available in Utah and I had to go. Six months! We've never been apart that long. But you do what you have to do and this too shall pass.

Ice on the water

In Sunny So Cal - who would have thought? The birdbath was iced over. But the Tulip tree is in full bloom.

~ 2008 Summary ~

* Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukka, Eid, Winter Solstice and Happy Holidays! *

2008 was filled with work — lots of it! Days, nights & weekends.
And our Internet startup venture delivered a product about cars on a popular social website named Facebook. Unfortunately the auto business took a wrong turn and we are now changing the software to be about fashion. Wish us luck!

Jane's jewelry design business continues to strengthen. She and her partners moved their store to Studio City which proved to be worthwhile. Internet interest has increased to the point where I must add e-commerce to the web site.
www.jenandjane.com

Jane's son, CJ, is a star film editing student at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design. He graduates in 2009. Lauren, her daughter, turned 21 this year! She graduated massage therapy school but has decided to continue with studies. Zutia the cat is adored by the girls and Freeway the dog is getting old but still enjoys his walks.

The big news this year is that Taron, my son, got married and started a family! Rain India Lexton was born September 30th. Taron continues to direct film and his wife, Marisol, is an actress. Hm, I wonder what Rain will grow up to be?
www.txlfilms.com

My daughter, Tashania, and her husband have been married ten years already and continue to work for our church. Brandon was promoted to an officer – congratulations!
www.scientology.org

Dalmain, my father, joined my brother, David, and his family in lovely Hout Bay, South Africa. And beyond that cousins on both sides of the Atlantic added to the family and made grandparents and great grandparents proud!

I still love photography and post the occasional shot on Flickr. Jane and I continue to be active in our church and I plan to devote more time to studies in 2009. Running is a big part of my life and I run the local Dianetics Running Team, taking pictures all the while.
www.dredom.com/run/dn/
www.flickr.com/dream-on

We wish you and yours a New Year in which you flourish and prosper!
And remember, I love to hear from you.

* Happy New Year *

Rain India Lexton

Rain India Lexton was born at 2:18am on 30 September 2008.

I am a grandfather.

Bunny Rabbit

We barely saw the little bundle of fur as it scurried across the road in the fading light and it remained perfectly still as we approached. A tiny rabbit!

Jane immediately looked around for it's mommy and then decided we should take it home. It looked so innocent and small. I went right up to it and it just sat there. Then I wondered if it was injured. Using my T-shirt I put my hands around the tiny animal.

Hop!

It did not want to be picked up. But after checking once again for its mommy and wondering what might eat such a morsel here in the unprotected wild Jane convinced me to try again.

Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!

No, this little fellow was not going to be taken home. So I pointed out that there was some grass growing in the culvert and the bunny could eat that. With that we left.

I believe this was some dwarf variety of rabbit rather than a baby - I could be wrong but now I want to find out.

In any event it was a remarkable experience to have the creature so unafraid of human contact. Better than coyotes, I guess!

Did I mention he got married?

Yep! April 13th at Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. I'm told it was an "A List" wedding. Plenty of celebs.

My Son is Engaged!

Just received the notification that my son, Taron, is engaged to be married! Yes, it's the beautiful actress he has been dating. Well, at least we know the grandchildren will be good looking. ;)

That's about the age I got married.

~ 2007 Summary ~

~ 2007 Summary ~
Originally uploaded by dream-on

Home Office

 
So I joined an Internet "startup" company. Working morning, noon and night. From home. The spare room has become my office. This is my view. Kind of different working from home. Sometimes I forget to do the normal things like shave and brush my teeth. But it is kind of fun to be able to work all the time because — I love working!

Would the real Mulholland please stand up!

 
What is not clear from this picture is that there are three parallel roads, in the space of 80 meters, all named "Mulholland Drive." Another naming anomaly is one "Canoga Avenue" runs to the top of the hill and proceeds down the other side as "Canoga Drive" with mirrored street numbers. No wonder people get lost trying to visit us!

Fall Birthdays

 
The greater Rietman family converged on our humble home in the hills to celebrate birthdays in the Fall. They came from the north, the south and the east – by car and by plane but none by train. The home was not perfect, the home was not spotless – there were not enough chairs to sit on. So we tossed a futon on the living room floor and a trash can seated one person at the dinner table. It was grand! It was fun! So good to see the family again.
picasaweb.google.com/untiedt/2007FallBirthdays

Bamboo Stalk

  And here we can see the new "bamboo stalk" colour on the living room walls! Busy ripping out the carpet right now. Then comes the skirting boards. The parquet floor beneath is a little worse for wear and bodes a project unto itself in restoration. Considering that it took me weeks of smoothing and sanding the walls before we ever got to the paint I had better get a move on so everything is perfect for the imminent family gathering.

Good Morning!

  Here is Jane, shortly after I have roused her with a cup of french press coffee, preparing gormet breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Yes, I am so lucky!

Lucky

I am so lucky.

Walking the dog in the cool evening under beautiful trees on a quaint suburban street, I ask someone if they are both Weimeraners? They are. One is a silver and the other a blue. They got them from the rescue and she gives me the web site. Pretty leaves crunch underfoot. I realize I am lucky.
Here I live. Beautiful home. Plenty to eat and flowing water on tap. No gunshots, no drugs. No soldiers. No wondering what lurks around the corner. The sunset is beautiful. We see a coyote disappearing around the bend.

So lucky.

Breakfast of Champions

 
This is what I have to put up with on Sunday mornings! The omlete is gourmet in the extreme complete with fresh herbs from the garden. What is missing is the freshly brewed Pete's coffee with cream. And if this looks good let me assure you that it tastes even better! Problem is, Jane's breakfasts are so good that everything else pales by comparison. Yum! Am I spoiled, or what?

First Tulip

  This is my very first success, ever, of growing tulips! And there have been several attempts. Previously the plants would come up and then die, or just not bother to break ground at all.

So imagine my delight when the first buds appeared! Happiness is!

The Ceiling Fan Adventure

 
As you can see the ceiling fan is whirling away (with its blades on), mixing the warm and cold so that the upstairs is not a sauna while the downstairs a refrigerator. (The blades had been removed by construction workers before we moved in.)

So how do you get to a ceiling fan 2 stories up? My brilliance came up with this solution after only nine months of consideration. Problem is if you lean the ladder up against the wall it is too far away from the fan. So here it is leaning against a 4 meter plank across the middle which is in turn supported by the upstairs banister (bottom right - you can't see it) and a saw-horse on the other end. (Note the clamp which stops the plank from sliding.) Tied the bottom of the ladder to the stairs, which you can just see in the bottom right of the picture, to prevent it from sliding out from under me. Just in case you were wondering, yes, it's pretty darn far up when you look down!

BTW, it is remarkable how effective the fan is. So much more comfortable, plus I look forward to lower utility bills.

 

Miss P.P.

Meet Zutia, a.k.a. Miss P.P. "P.P." stands for Perfect Princess and has has nothing to do with the little yellow wet spots that appear around the house from time to time. Blame for these lies clearly in the paws of the "sausage" dog, a.k.a. Freeway the Dachshund. I mean, Zutia is perfect after all, right?

The Ring

Yep! Finally got a ring. Platinum with diamonds all around; high quality stones, so I'm told.

So all Jane's friends ask what this means? It means a step in the right direction! Anyhow, she loves it and I love it and we're happy.

Merry Xmas Jane!