BEEN A LITTLE TOO BUSY TO UPDATE THE OLE BLOGSITE

INSTEAD OF FINDING A WOMAN IN DISTRESS AND GETTING REWARDED FOR A GOOD DEED...

I HAVE BEEN LEFT WANTING... FOR A VACATION.  MAYBE A TRIP TO FANTASY ISLAND. INSTEAD, WORK HAS ME TIED DOWN. WE ARE DOING 50% MORE FOR THE CUSTOMER WITH 10% LESS MANPOWER. YOU ARE TOLD TO USE YOUR VACATION TO STAY STRONG AND HEALTHY,  BUT THERE IS NO TIME AVAILABLE TO LEAVE.

WE ARE SLAVES TO THE MAN!

DON'T TRY TO SNEAK OUT, THEY HAVE RESOURCES AND YOU WILL BE HUNTED DOWN AND...

THANKFULLY I HAD CATARACT SURGERY ON THE LEFT EYE AND AM DOING FINE. THE LEFT EYE HAD GOTTEN REALLY BAD, NOW THE RIGHT EYE IS GIVING UP THE SHIP BECAUSE THE LEFT IS DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB.

I HAD GOTTEN LAZY WHEN READING AND THAT IS ABOUT 75% OF WHAT I DO AT WORK. MY EYES JUST DID NOT WANT THE STRAIN OF READING HOUR AFTER HOUR. WORKING IN THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY LEAVES NO ROOM FOR A BLINDMAN, SO SURGERY IT WAS.  WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT!  OCTOBER WILL FIND THE RIGHT EYE GETTING IT'S RESCUE FOR THE DURATION OF MY LIFE.

THE LEFT EYE IS NOW FREE OF BLURRED VISION. WHAT WAS MOST STARTLING WAS THE RESTORATION OF COLOR AND CLARITY.  THIS PICTURE SHOWS EXACTLY THE GOOD VISION ON THE LEFT AND THE DULL EFFECT ON THE RIGHT. THROW IN BLURRED VISION AND EVERYDAY TASKS BECOME MISSIONS IN FAILURE.

                           LEFT EYE - AFTER                                            RIGHT EYE - NOW

LOOKING OUT THROUGH A CLOUDED LENS... LOOKS LIKE ZOMBIE SHIT TO ME!

THEN SURGERY WITH THE DOC... I WAS KNOCKED-OUT AND GLAD OF IT. TOTALLY PAINLESS RIGHT UP TO TODAY. THE DAY AFTER SURGERY I WAS 20/25! WHOO HOOO!

TWO HOURS AFTER SURGERY AND FEELING NO PAIN... STONED!

NOW I WILL BE LOOKING FOR KIMBERLY JANE!

ANYWAY... NEW POSTS OF THE SAME OLD STUFF COMING SOON!!

MOTORCYCLING'S OFF SEASON...

BY THE TIME ALL MY FAVORITE MOTORCYCLE RACING FOR THE YEAR FINISHES UP, I AM FAIRLY WELL WORN-OUT FROM ALL THE PRAISE AND HERO WORSHIP FROM THE PRESS CORPS FOR MAYBE ONE OR TWO RIDERS. I REALLY DON'T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT MUCH OF THE RACING SEASON.

 IF  YOU COULD  MUFFLE THE ANNOUNCERS  AND LISTEN TO THE BIKES  DURING A BROADCAST... THE EXCEPTION MAY BE FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX.

MY OWN WINTER RIDING USUALLY GETS SHELVED FOR THREE TO FOUR MONTHS. ONLY A FEW DAYS POP OPEN FOR A LOCAL CRUISE AROUND THE LOCAL AREA.

 A FEW MILES IN THE SADDLE ON A BRISK WINTER'S DAY...

... AND AS THE WINTER PLODS ALONG, NOT ONLY DO YOU GET OLDER, BUT YOUR MIND HARKENS BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF PUTTING SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING BETWEEN YOUR LEGS!

WHAT? THAT'S NOT ME? I GUESS MY MIND IS GROWING COBWEBS AND THE DREAMT UP EXCITEMENT FOGGILY EMERGES FROM THE FANTASY SIDE OF THE CRANIUM. LET'S HOPE SPRING POPS SOONER THAN LATER.

SORRY, BEEN SLOW TO POST... WORK COMES FIRST!

BEEN BUSY WORKING, SHORTHANDED, SO 11 & 12 HOUR DAYS ARE IN!

READ A GOOD BOOK LATELY?

SCHWINN STING-RAY!!

MAN OH MAN! THE SCHWINN STING-RAY STARTED ME DOWN THE ROAD OF TWO WHEELED ACTION.  MY FRIEND TIM HAD A GREEN ONE, I GOT BLUE AND MY BROTHER, FRED, HAD RED!

MY BIKE HAD NO FENDERS, BLACK-WALL TIRES AND THE WHITE BANANA SEAT. THE BACK TIRE WAS A SLICK! ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON TIM AND I RODE 20 MILES TO A MOTORCYCLE RACE. HIS DAD SHIT A BRICK WHEN WE RODE IN! WE PEDDLED ALL THE WAY HOME... A GREAT DAY.

BLOGGING IS LIKE BREAKING ROCKS!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG TO SUMMER AND THE JOB IS TAKING ALL MY TIME. THE CICADAS ARE HUMMING A STATIC BUZZ WORTHY OF A HORRIFIC SCI-FI TALE AND ALL I CAN DO IS GO WITH THE FLOW. 

A GREAT BIRTHDAY CARD

WHATS INSIDE... HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU OLD SCHITT!

THANK YOU LARRY AND CATHY.

THE ONE I LET GET AWAY

1972 GMC SPRINT... A CALIFORNIA MACHINE, LICENSE # 05 073M

PICTURED HERE IN MARYLAND AROUND 1978. MOVED BACK TO CALIFORNIA IN '80 AND DUE TO CHANGING OCCUPATIONS AND OTHER THINGS IN 1990, I WAS FORCED TO TRADE HER IN FOR A NEW PICK-UP. THE MACHINE WAS GETTING TIRED AND NEEDED PAINT, SUSPENSION, ENGINE AND INTERIOR WORK. 

I COULD NOT SEE A WAY TO KEEP IT UNLESS SHE WENT UP ON BLOCKS. SAW THE CAR SEVERAL MONTHS LATER WITH SOMEBODIES IDEA OF A FIX-UP. SHE BECKONED FOR ME TO SAVE HER... I JUST DROVE ON BY AND HAVE REGRETTED IT EVER SINCE.

I LITERALLY DROVE IT OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR. WE HAD TRAVELED ACROSS THE USA SEVERAL TIMES AND I WAS NEVER LET DOWN... I FAILED IN THE END. THE ONLY UPLIFTING THOUGHT; EVERY CAR OR BIKE I HAVE TODAY, IS ROOTED TO THIS CAR.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD.

MY DAD RIDING ON THE LEFT WITH JOE LEMA. BOTH ON MULES HUNTING IN COLORADO. NITHIER CARED ABOUT THE BIG KILL, IT WAS MORE ABOUT SITTING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE DRINKING A GOOD STIFF SHOT. OLD GEEZERS KNEW WHAT FRIENDSHIP WAS ALL ABOUT. MULES? YEAH ALWAYS A BETTER RIDE THAN A HORSE... SMOOTH. THESE TWO WERE WORTH BIG BUCKS.

DAD AND FRED, GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO PICK-UP THE PHONE AND GIVE 'EM A RING.

FRED LONNBERG, LAID TO REST

 FRED WAS A GREAT HORSE TRAINER AND RIDER.

ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ASK AND HE WOULD HELP.

JENN AND CURTIS, TAKING CARE OF THEIR DAD.

OFF TO CALIFORNIA

WE WILL LAY MY BROTHER, FRED, TO REST FEBRUARY 22ND. HE WASN'T WEARING COWBOY HATS FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS, BUT LIKE DAD, HE ALWAYS HAD A BALL CAP HANDY... HMMM, A COUPLE OF CAT HERDERS.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

A '59 PHOTO OF MYSELF, DAD AND FRED.

FRED ON TRIXIE, DAD ON RED AND ME ON A PAIN IN THE ASS. ANYBODY COULD RIDE TRIXIE...

I'M ON THIS SHETLAND PONY, ROUND ONE; IT DRUG ME UNDER A TREE BRANCH AND BLEW ME OFF. ROUND TWO; HE BUCKED ME OFF, THEN DRAGGED MY ASS DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 200' CUZ MY FOOT WAS CAUGHT IN THE STIRRUP! I ALWAYS GOT THE WINNERS.

THE LONNBERG FAMILY IN JETMORE, KANSAS FOR CHRISTMAS AROUND 1955. THAT IS FRED IN FRONT WITH ME PLAYING IN THE DIRT BEHIND HIM. WE OBVIOUSLY WEREN'T GONNA WASTE OUR TIME FOR ANY PICTURES.

OUR MOM WAS ALWAYS ON THE CAMERA.

FREDERICK JAMES LONNBERG, 1954-2012

MY BROTHER PASSED AWAY JANUARY 14th, 2012 AT 10:30 PM

BORN MARCH 15th, 1954

COWBOY HATS ALWAYS WORKED FOR HIM, I GUESS HE LIKED APPLES TOO. I AM THE DORK WITH HIS EYES CLOSED, COUSIN DIANA AND GRANDMA LEONA.

FRED WITH LADDIE, ACTUALLY RELATED TO LASSIE.

US HERDING CATS, STILL TRYING TODAY.

HE WAS ALWAYS THE HORSEMAN

HE WAS BOTH TRAINER AND JOCKEY WHEN YOUNGER. LEFT HOME AT 18, YOUNGEST PRO TRAINER IN CALIFORNIA AT THE TIME.

FRED HOLDING PATCH'S HEAD; TRAINER FOR OUR DAD'S GREAT QUARTER HORSE, WAR PATCH. DESTINED TO BE A WORLD CHAMPION. HE SET RECORDS, FELLED BY A BROKEN LEG. IT HURT DAD FOR YEARS. NEVER HAD ANOTHER LIKE PATCH AGAIN.

FRED WAS A GREAT FATHER TO JENNIFER AND CURTIS. THIS IS DREW, JENN'S SON, ON HIS LITTLE HORSE...

WHAT'S THIS???

FRED ON HIS ROCKING HORSE IN 1955, 1 1/2 YEARS OLD. THAT COWBOY STUFF MUST BE IN THE BLOOD.

HE LIVED EVERY DAY HONORABLY, HE WAS LIKED BY EVERYONE. HE TOOK CARE OF HIS FAMILY THROUGH ALL THE TIMES, THEY ALWAYS CAME FIRST. TRAGICALLY KILLED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT. WE ARE ALL BETTER BECAUSE OF HIM. GOOD BYE BROTHER. 

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

NOT POPEYE, SAN DIEGO, 1972

CHRYSLER 300

DAD's FIRST 300 WAS THE SAME MODEL. BACK THEN IT WAS KING SIZED POWER MATERIAL, CHECKOUT THE SCALLOP PAINT TRIM.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST!

THAILAND, 1973, OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER. I WAS IN THE NAVY FOR A YEAR AND 3 WEEKS... WHAT A TIME AND PLACE. I CAN STILL FEEL THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY, THE AIR HAD A SMELL, B-52'S FILLED THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AIRFIELD. WE WERE AT WAR AND WATER SKIING IN A NEAR-BY LAGOON..